Author's Note:

Okay so I started writing this back in November 2014, if you can believe it. I'd thought this up after finishing the GMG arc some time in the summer and couldn't get it out of my head. So I started writing, and would stop and start, and get distracted by other works but I'd always come back to this because I loved the idea of Natsu and Juvia interacting and bonding. I think they're really similar in so many ways despite their elements being opposites.

Anyways, this is set about a week after they come back from the Grand Magic Games.

"Kya! Natsu what did I tell you about sneaking into my bed!"

Natsu's eyes shot open, and his body instinctively bolted from the bed as Lucy's earsplitting scream resonated through the tiny apartment. Just as he was about to free himself from the confines of her bed sheets, her foot connected with his side, sending him flying across the room. His body smacked into her desk before landing in a tangle of limbs and sheets barely two feet from her front entrance.

"Ahh Natsu! Lucy's mad again!" Happy cried, rushing to hide behind the dragon slayer. The exceed barely dodged the girl's flailing fists in his attempt to escape.

"Of course I'm mad! You two have snuck into my house, and bed every night this week! I've told you it's not appropriate. You can't just decide to sleep with me without my permission!" The blonde shrieked. Natsu watched her warily from his position on the floor, bracing for another attack. She remained standing by the bed, pink pajamas disheveled, fists clenched and brows furrowed in frustration.

"But Lucy, we…." A loud stomp halted Natsu's words.

"No more excuses! 'We missed you' and 'I sleep better here' are not good enough reasons to break into my apartment and sneak into my bed! Especially while I'm sleeping in it!" Lucy hollered, her fingers forming air quotes as she recited their previous excuses throughout the week.

"But I really can't…." Again Natsu was interrupted, this time by three loud sharp knocks on the door.

Silence fell in the apartment as all heads whipped around to stare at the door. After another moment the three knocks were repeated. Lucy's brows shot up as her head snapped to the clock.

"Oh my god it's eleven o'clock already!" She hastily dashed to the door, yanking it open. Waiting there was none other than Gray Fullbuster, wearing his usual black jeans, a white button up shirt; already half undone, and a scowl.

Natsu couldn't help but wonder what the ice mage was doing at Lucy's apartment this early in the morning. Or why he bothered knocking when he normally just breaks in. His gut knotted suddenly, and he shot a glare at his long time rival.

"Yo." Gray greeted.

"Gray, I'm so sorry. I must have slept through my alarm. Come on in, I'll get breakfast started in a minute." Lucy quickly moved out of the doorway to usher the ice mage into her house.

"It's cool." Gray replied with a shrug, stepping into the apartment. A smirk made it's way onto his face as he took in her appearance, only to be replaced with a frown when he spotted Natsu and Happy huddled on the floor beside him.

"Tch. What are they doing here?" He asked, watching as Natsu finally untangled himself from the sheets to stand up.

"We were checking up on Lucy." "They snuck in again last night…" Natsu and Lucy replied in unison.

"What are you doing here anyways? Don't you have somewhere else to be Ice Princess?" Natsu questioned, his glare morphing into an accusatory look.

"No. Why would you think that Flame Brain?" Gray snorted. Natsu was about to retort when Lucy cut him off yet again.

"He's here because I invited him! Unlike the two of you." she snapped, glaring at the dragon slayer and exceed. "And on that note you two need to leave." She commanded, stomping her foot and pointed at the door to emphasize her point.

"But Lucy, we're hungry… aren't you going to feed us breakfast too?" Happy whined.

"What?! Heck no! You can't just keep breaking into my apartment, and sneaking into my bed then expect me to feed you!" She was screaming again and Natsu turned to face her.

"You're hanging out with Gray anyways; why can't we stay?" He pouted.

"Because I need a break from you! I swear since we got back from the games you've been glued to my side. It's getting ridiculous! Besides Gray wanted to have a private conversation with me." Lucy huffed, a week's worth of pent up frustration spilling from her lips.

"About what?" Natsu ask, her words hurt more than he cared to admit, but a part of him was also nervous. Why did Gray need to talk to Lucy alone? His gut twisted at the thought.

"None of your business flame brain." Gray replied coldly.

Natsu's eyes darted between them and his heart hammered. He wanted to protest, but the words dried up in his throat as panic set in. Instead he offered Lucy a pleading look. She had to understand right? But even as she sighed and her glower softened, he knew she didn't.

"Lucy, don't make us go." Happy pleaded on behalf of his partner. "We'll even clean the dishes…."

"I'm sorry, but Gray needs to talk to me, and to be honest, I want some time apart from the two of you. It's just a day. You two can survive on your own for that long. Besides you like Mira's cooking better anyways, so why not go to the guild and have breakfast there?" Despite the fact that she'd stopped yelling there was still a firmness to Lucy's tone that brokered no argument.

"Fine, I know when I'm not wanted. Let's go happy." Natsu didn't even bother to try keeping the bitterness and pain from his response. Instead he stormed over to the bed and grabbed his vest and scarf from the bedside table; where he'd folded them the night before. He shrugged on the vest and wrapped the scarf around his neck before leaping over the bed and out the window. Happy followed behind him in uncharacteristic silence.

The normally rambunctious duo moved through the streets of Magnolia with a surprisingly somber air. Natsu couldn't help but replay the morning in his head, Lucy's words ringing in his ears.

"I need a break from you!"

It hurt. Since meeting Lucy, the three of them had been near inseparable. They were a team from day one, and lately Natsu was starting to realize more and more just how much he relied on her presence in his life. And sure they fought sometimes, and she often kicked him out of her apartment, but she'd never actually said she wanted a break…. What did that even mean anyways?

"Ne Natsu? You don't think Lucy really meant those things do you?" The little blue exceed asked. He looked so forlorn that, for a moment, Natsu was reminded of the weeks after Lisanna's death. The dragon slayer steeled his resolve and managed to muster a grin.

"What? Are you kidding me, of course she didn't. She's just mad 'cause I snuck into her bed again. You know how touchy she is. I don't even know why, it's not like anything happens." Natsu watched as Happy perked up a bit at his words.

"Yeah, Lucy's weird." Happy concurred, eager to make fun of the spirit mage.

"Very weird. I mean who would want to spend the day with Gray over us?" The duo laughed at that. The melancholy air finally lifting just as the guild came into view, along with the one person who would spend every minute with Gray if given the chance.

Juvia was sitting on a bench near the entrance, dressed in a pretty yellow sundress, with a black sun hat and black sandals. A large picnic basket rested beside her on the ground and her dark blue eyes seemed to be searching for someone. As Natsu and Happy approached she smiled sweetly and waved a greeting.

"Morning Juvia!" They called out in unison as they stop before her.

"Good morning Natsu-san, good morning Happy." She blinked at them and tilted her head to the side. "Is Lucy not with you?"

And just like that their moods soured again. Both the dragon slayer and exceed let out a sigh.

"No… she got mad at us for sneaking into her apartment again... and then she kicked us out for the day! She was so mean! She told us she needed a break from us!" Happy wailed as he launched himself into Juvia's arms. She was quick to recover from her shock though, and gently started stroking his back to calm him.

Natsu had to admit that of all the people in the guild Juvia was probably the most likely to sympathize with their plight. Not so much because she agreed with them, but because she was Lucy's rival. It was a stance Natsu could understand, specifically given his own rivalry with Gray. In fact Natsu had no idea why Lucy and Gray were so against it. After all Juvia was often Gray's partner for missions, and Lucy was Natsu's partner; it only made sense that the two girls would start a rivalry of their own. The stellar spirit mage, however, was very adamant that she was not Juvia's rival. Initially he figured it had something to do with Juvia being more powerful, or Lucy not being fond of combat. But over time he realised it seemed to have something to do with Juvia's possessiveness over the Gray, and her discomfort with Gray and Lucy being left alone together.

Honestly, after this morning, Natsu was pretty sure he shared Juvia's sentiments. And it was with that thought that Natsu had a flash of inspiration. He quickly suppressed the grin that was forming, and let out a long drawn out sigh. The water mage switched her gaze from Happy to look up at him.

"Yeah, it's not like she's even going to be alone. Gray showed up before we left saying they had plans for the day." Natsu said, trying to sound natural. Happy looked up at him in shock, before a devious smirk formed.

"Gray-sama went to visit love rival?" Her voice, barely above a whisper, was laced with pain and confusion. A flicker of guilt bloomed in Natsu's heart, but quickly dispersed as the girl's eyes darkened and her fist clenched.

"Aye! They said they needed to talk in private and that it was none of our business. She was even going to make him breakfast." Happy added, wincing slightly as Juvia's body began to steam. The exceed flew from her lap and both he and Natsu braced themselves.

"Talk in private… maybe a love confession? Breakfast together…." Juvia was muttering enraged nonsense. Natsu and Happy prepared themselves to follow in the wake of the storm of destruction that was about to come crashing down on Lucy and Gray's plans.

Natsu certainly wasn't about to miss the looks on their faces when they tried to explain themselves to the enraged water mage. Of course he also wanted to make sure that he was there to hold Juvia back, just in case she did get out of hand.

Just as it seemed like the girl was about to explode, she sighed, and all the anger she had just been building up slipped away with her exhale. She deflated instantly. Both dragon slayer and exceed turned to each other in confusion before examining the defeated water mage sitting before them. It was then that Natsu noticed just how tired she looked, dark circles were visible under hastily applied makeup.

"Juvia is glad Gray-sama is going to talk to someone. As much as Juvia hates to admit it, Lucy is probably best for this sort of thing." The young woman looked up at Natsu with a bittersweet smile. "Natsu-san should try not to worry so much. Gray-sama will keep Lucy safe in Natsu-san's absence, and Juvia thinks Lucy might feel better after talking to Gray-sama as well."

To say that Natsu felt lost would be an understatement. He momentarily wondered if he was back in Edolas, or perhaps another alternate dimension…. It sure felt like it. Lucy wanting him gone, Gray knocking on doors; wanting to talk about things, Juvia allowing the two to be alone together and telling him to trust Gray to protect Lucy… yeah today just couldn't get any weirder.

"But weren't you waiting for him?" Natsu inquired, pointing at the picnic basket resting at the water mage's feet. For a brief second a frown flickered across the girl's features, but a moment later it was gone, replaced with a smile.

"Oh… well yes, but that's just because Juvia wanted to go for a picnic today... and she made a lot of extra food last night. So Juvia thought that, maybe, Gray-sama would like to join Juvia… since she made extra. So Juvia was just waiting... to see if he was free..." She stammered nervously.

"But…." Natsu frowned. He knew the girl sometimes liked to surprise Gray, but he was pretty sure….

"But Gray-sama is busy, so Juvia will just have to enjoy the picnic herself!" Juvia interjected, interrupting Natsu's thoughts. She smiled sweetly at him, then reached down and grabbed the basket, before standing and turning to leave.

"That's a shame, it smells really good. Gray's missing out." Juvia paused at Natsu's statement. He didn't know exactly what possessed him to say that, but despite her smile, he just couldn't shake the feeling that she was still upset.

"Aye! It smells way better than Lucy's cooking. It's a shame no one else will get to try it." Happy was eyeing the basket with hungry eyes, and Natsu realised that might have been the reason for his silence during their conversation. Juvia turned to face the pair.

"Would Natsu-san and Happy like to join Juvia? Juvia truly did make far too much food and it would be a shame to waste it." The girl fidgeted with the basket in her hands, and shifted her weight, giving Natsu the distinct impression that she was nervous about his response, though Natsu wasn't sure why.

It was true that they didn't really spend a lot of time together, but they were nakama and she had just offered him free food. Perhaps she was worried that Gray would get upset with her for spending time with him? After all he'd been surprisingly possessive of the water mage during the games, what with Lyon hanging all over her. That was probably it. Surely she didn't think he'd decline?

"Really! Is there fish?" Happy exclaimed, excited over the offer of a free home cooked meal, but hoping that his favourite dish might be included. Juvia merely nodded in response.

"Yay! Fish!" The girl broke out into a smile at exceed's enthusiasm. She then turned her gaze back to Natsu, deep blue eyes fixing him with a hopeful look.

"Juvia doesn't have any fire but there are a couple spicy dishes Natsu-san might like…." She really did seem worried that he wouldn't want to join her. Then again... didn't Gray usually shoot her down? Natsu made a mental note to punch the ice prick extra hard during their next brawl on Juvia's behalf.

"Sounds awesome! Though, you had me at free food." Natsu grinned at her and was rewarded with a huge smile. For a moment she seemed to glow.

"Lets go! I'm all fired up!" He immediately grabbed her wrist and started towards the park at a light run, dragging the stunned water mage behind him. However she seemed to recover quickly and soon the two of them were running side by side, giggling like children, as Happy flew over head.

Natsu really couldn't understand what Gray was always complaining about; Juvia's cooking was incredible! Some of it was even better than Mira's cooking, and everything had really cool designs of snowflakes and waves. The picnic blanket was covered with bento's, breads, pastries, sauces, meats, salads, fruits and cheeses. She'd even brought a few pitchers of juice and a thermos of tea.

The water mage slowly picked at the food on her plate. Her eyes sparkled and a delicate smile graced her lips as she watched the dragon slayer and his companion inhale the food at an inhuman pace. If Natsu was honest, it made him feel a little self conscious.

"Thish ish sho tashty!" Happy exclaimed, unwilling to slow his eating to offer the compliment.

Juvia just beamed at him. "Juvia is so glad you both like her cooking! Juvia doesn't know what Natsu-san and Happy's favorite dishes are so she was worried you might be disappointed."

Natsu forced himself to swallow before answering the girl.

"Disappointed? Are you kidding me! This is some of the best food I've ever had, and I've had a lot of food. Why on Earthland would you think that?" Natsu watched as the water mage began to fidget under his gaze. She opened her mouth as if to respond before closing it again with a frown. "You know that when Gray says something's okay or good, that's like... someone else saying it's amazing! That popsicle brain just thinks it'll blow his image to show appreciation."

The bluenette instantly flushed, averting her gaze to focus on the blanket beneath them. "Juvia knows, but…."

"But nothing. He's dumb." Natsu couldn't help but smirk as the water mage suddenly fixed him with a glare.

"Gray-sama is not dumb!"

Natsu shrugged. "Yeah well, you're really good at cooking and he shouldn't make you question that by being such an ungrateful bastard. So, as far as I'm concerned, he's dumb."

"Aye! You should just cook for us instead! We'll appreciate you!" Juvia tried to stifle the smile that bubbled up at Happy's suggestion, but it broke through anyways and Natsu couldn't help but return it.

He honestly never noticed how insecure the girl in front of him was. She always seemed so confident, especially in the face of Gray's indifference, and for the first time Natsu had to consider just how much of that might actually be an act. His gut clenched in response. Sure he wasn't the most intuitive person, but Natsu prided himself on being there for his nakama when they were in need. The idea that one of them could have been suffering in silence for a while now didn't sit well with him.

It was then that he recalled what she'd said earlier. About being worried for Gray, and Lucy maybe feeling better too. Was he really so distracted that he failed to notice his closest friends suffering?

"Hey, Juvia?" He needed to know. He knew he was missing something and he wasn't about to ignore it.

"Hmm? Yes Natsu-san?" Juvia quirked her head to the side, assessing the sudden change in demeanor.

"Earlier, you said something about Gray needing to talk to someone and that it was probably best if it was Lucy. Do you actually know what he went there to talk about?" The pink haired boy held his breath, hoping that maybe Juvia would be willing to share her insight. He could feel Happy's eyes flicker between the two mages, equally curious and concerned. Juvia bit into her lower lip, clearly debating her answer, or maybe debating if she should tell him at all.

"Juvia can't say that she knows for sure… but Juvia has a guess as to why Gray-sama would want to talk to Lucy... but Juvia is not sure if it's her place to tell you."

"Please, at least tell me why Lucy? Why is Lucy the person he wants to talk to?" Natsu knew he was pushing it. He knew he should respect his friends right to privacy, but he hated being away from Lucy. Hated not being able to see her, and not being able to reach out to reassure himself that she was actually there. Juvia's gaze was piercing, and he felt like for a moment she could read his thoughts. He swore he saw his own expression mirrored back at him for a fraction of a second, before her gaze softened into a look of understanding and sympathy.

"Natsu-san watched Lucy die right." It wasn't a question, and Natsu felt like someone had just punched him in the stomach. He couldn't breath. He relived it every night, but not once had he spoken of it since it happened. Those words made it real again, not just some nightmare that had him waking in a cold sweat with the need to see Lucy. To touch her, and hold her, and breath in her scent.

Happy's soft paw on his hand snapped him back to reality. He could feel the sun beating down on him, warming his skin. And he could feel the water mages soft stare, patiently waiting for a confirmation. A sign for her to continue her explanation.

He swallowed hard. "It wasn't our timelines Lucy, but yeah…. I watched future Lucy die, in order to save our Lucy."

"Does Natsu-san remember seeing a vision during his fight that night? Maybe a feeling of deja vu?" He frowned at her question, but then nodded slowly, because he vaguely remembered a moment like that. It was hazy, but he'd heard others talking about it too. Romeo had said it saved his dad's life. But what did that have to do with Gray talking to Lucy? What did Lucy's death have to do with this? Natsu looked up and met Juvia's eyes, and he could see the tears forming as she fought to control her emotions.

"Juvia had a vision too. Gray-sama died to save her life…. Gray-sama says it was all just a dream, that it never happened. But Lyon-sama and Meredy saw it too. And Juvia… I know it happened. He denies it and denies it but I know…." The girl was still fighting back the tears, but her body was trembling with the effort. Natsu reached out and plucked the plate and utensils from her grip, placing them off to the side before capturing her wrist and pulling the distraught mage into his arms. He felt her tense at the close contact, but continued to hold her. Finally her resolve broke and he felt her hot tears hitting his chest.

"It's okay. It's gonna be okay." He murmured. But it wasn't okay, and he knew it. Gray had died, just like Lucy. It wasn't okay, and unlike Natsu, the water mage couldn't just go and sneak into Gray's house to assuage her fears. Gray liked his space, and his privacy, when dealing with issues. It actually made Natsu feel a bit guilty for his reaction towards Lucy this morning, because she'd been pretty patient with him up until that point. She certainly hadn't tried to hide what had happened, nor would she be upset with him had he actually bothered to talk to someone about it. He clutched the water mage a little tighter, even as her sobs started to dissipate, afraid that if he let her go she'd return to pretending that nothing had happened. The truth was Natsu needed this as much as she did, he needed to talk about it, to confide in someone. He just never thought that someone would be Juvia.

"I dream about it. Every night I see her dying in front of me, and I can't save her. I just stand there and watch." The confession was spoken in a whisper, he'd never intended to tell anyone other than Happy, but the words were out before he could think about it.

"Is that why Natsu-san has been sneaking into Lucy's bed?" Juvia asked as she pulled back from his embrace, her eyes lifted to meet his gaze. The tears had left paths down her cheeks and washed away the makeup under her eyes. Earlier he'd thought she must have rushed the application but now he realized she might just have given up. If she'd gotten more than a few hours of sleep all week he'd be surprised.

"Aye, since we got back to Magnolia they've gotten pretty bad. Natsu can't get back to sleep after, so I thought if we go see Lucy it would help comfort him, and it worked. Only she gets really upset in the morning." Juvia's brow furrowed at Happy's explanation.

"Lucy gets upset even though she knows you have nightmares about her death?" She asked in disbelief.

"Well, actually..."

"I can't tell her. I just don't want to worry her, she's already dealing with so much." Natsu blurted out over top of the exceed. The picnic blankets pattern suddenly became a lot more interesting.

"Natsu-san shouldn't make excuses. Juvia thinks you need to honest with Lucy. She'll understand." The water mage admonished.

"I know… but she might... that is, I don't want her to think..." Natsu struggled to put his feelings into words, and a light blush dusted his cheeks. He knew Lucy would understand, but she was smart. She had a way of piecing things together and if Natsu could figure out what these nightmares meant, surely the blonde could as well. He risked a glance up at his companion, and the sweet smile she gave him told him that even she could read him like a book.

"Natsu-san cares deeply for Lucy." It was another statement, spoken with confidence and a knowing smile. Truthfully the declaration was quite subdued compared to the water mages usual proclamations on the topic, but he still felt nervous giving her an answer.

"He liikes her!" Leave it to Happy to simplify the matter. He knew he shouldn't have confessed to the exceed! Natsu grunted and shot his best friend a glare, causing Juvia to giggle at the two of them.

"Natsu-san shouldn't worry. Lucy isn't likely to read so much into Natsu-san's concern. She's smart, but Juvia thinks she's inexperienced on the matter." She smiled and placed a comforting hand over his. "Though Natsu-san should tell her about that too. After all Lucy is quite beautiful, someone is bound to try to win her over."

"I'll pass. I doubt she feels the same way."

"But how will Natsu-san know if he doesn't try?"

"I know because Lucy's pretty vocal about these things. When she first joined the guild she was always talking about what kind of guy she wanted to date, and smart was at the top of the list. And let's face it, that's not me." Natsu conceded, and Juvia offered him another sympathetic smile.

"As Juvia said before, Lucy doesn't have a lot of experience with dating. When Juvia first started dating she wanted a guy who was charming, romantic and would tell her sweet things, and she found that in Bora-san. But Bora-san was not really what Juvia wanted and Juvia never truly loved him. Gray-sama is not what Juvia imagined she'd want but Juvia loves him all the same. So maybe what Lucy really wants is different from what she thinks." Her words hung between them as she waited for Natsu to absorb her point.

It was true that Gray wasn't very vocal about his feelings, and Natsu was pretty sure the ice mage wouldn't be considered romantic. So maybe Juvia was right. Maybe Lucy only thought she wanted a smart guy, after all he was pretty sure she'd expressed interest in Loke, but whenever the celestial spirit asked her out she turned him down. That didn't guarantee she was interested in Natsu though... still it left room for hope.

"I'll think about it." He said at last, his usual toothy grin plastered back on. It was then that the dragon slayer realized just what the water mage had admitted. "Wait, did you say you dated Bora? As in Bora de Providence?" The girl flushed a bright shade of pink but nodded.

"Geez, no wonder you think Gray's a decent guy, that dude was a total creep! He was using rings to charm girls into falling for him, then tried selling them off. Worst of all, he was claiming to be me!" Natsu exclaimed, the last part still left a bad taste in his mouth even after all this time. He studied the water mage for a moment, hesitant to bring up the question on his mind. "You know being charmed into being with a guy doesn't actually count as dating, right?"

"Juvia knew Bora-san from before all of that, when he first joined Titan's Nose. Bora-san was actually not such a bad person then... he just had a lot of trouble controlling his spending so he ended up in trouble eventually. But no, Juvia was not charmed, just young and lonely." She confessed, her fingers fiddled with the blanket beneath her and her gaze was distant.

Natsu frowned, feeling a little lost for words. Lucy was a lot easier to cheer up, with her it seemed like he either made her laugh, or made her angry... but more and more it seemed like even when she was angry she wasn't…. It was weird and Natsu couldn't quite figure out why he felt that way, but he just knew that it was never really serious. Maybe that's why this morning hurt so much, she hadn't been truly angry with him in so long that he forgot that she could be.

"But you're not lonely any more, right Juvia?" Happy's tiny voice broke the silence that had been lingering and both mages snapped their heads up to look at him. The blue cat was staring at the girl with such a serious face, looking all too desperate for an answer.

"Of course not! Juvia has more friends than she ever imagined, and they're all so wonderful and accepting…. She's still not sure what she did to deserve being loved so much by all of you, but she tries every day to be worthy of everyone's kindness." Her smile was soft and radiated warmth, but her words struck a chord.

Natsu smiled back, shaking his head at her. "You still don't get it do you? We're nakama, that means we're family. You don't have to do anything to earn that; there's no need to prove yourself, you just are."

"But…"

"No buts! From the minute you joined Fairy Tail, until the day you die, you'll be a part of our family! Even if you leave, you can always come back home, and we'll welcome you back with open arms. That's what it means to have a family." Natsu held her gaze, and his hand found hers, and gave it a light squeeze. He felt her squeeze back, and watched her fight back the tears that glinted in her eyes.

And as he sat there Natsu realized that he wasn't thinking about Lucy; or at least the all consuming anxiety had dissipated. He still wanted to see her, but it didn't feel as urgent. It didn't feel like he needed to be there, by her side, that instant; or else she was going to disappear forever. Somehow talking to Juvia, and speaking his fears aloud had freed his heart.

"Hey, Juvia…"

"Hm?"

"I know we don't really hang out much but thanks for talking to me. I actually feel a bit better. And thanks for letting us join you for lunch too, I know Gray was supposed to be here but hopefully we're an okay substitute." Natsu said with a wistful smile.

For a moment Juvia looked confused, but then she smiled back at him. "Natsu-san is very welcome." suddenly a conspiratorial look crossed her face and she leaned forward to whisper the her next words to the dragon slayer and exceed. "And don't tell Gray-sama, but Juvia thinks that Natsu-san and Happy have been much better company than he would have been anyways. He's been particularly moody and, while Juvia understands why, spending time with him has been about as pleasant as spending time with a rock."

Natsu and Happy both stared at her in shock for a moment, taking in her words and the small smirk playing on her lips. Then Natsu burst out laughing, falling back onto the blanket clutching his stomach. To his surprise Juvia's own laughter soon mixed with his and the two of them took several minutes to collect themselves from the impromptu fit of giggles.

"I didn't... think... you had... it in you... to insult him." Natsu wheezed.

"You should never underestimate Juvia, she's is full of surprises."

"Yeah, you definitely are." Natsu lifted his head and stared up at sky. "But I think it's a good thing, you know? Besides you're a lot smarter than I thought."

Juvia smiled at his confession and turned her own face up towards the sun. "Juvia thinks Natsu-san is smarter than he appears too."

Natsu was surprised by how easy it was to talk to Juvia when Gray wasn't around. In fact, he'd learnt more about her that day than he had since she'd joined.

They talked about everything, at first sticking to simple topics like favorite foods and missions, but it wasn't long before they were exchanging stories like old friends.

Natsu told her stories about growing up in Fairy Tail and Juvia told him about Phantom Lord. He'd shared stories about Igneel and was surprised when she responded with stories Gajeel had told her about Metalicana. They talked about fighting styles, and she talked about life in Fairy Hills and how she'd try to spend time with each of the girls there at least once every couple weeks. Happy was super jealous to hear that Erza and Wendy often came by for tea and cake, and at the admission, Juvia offered to make a cake for them some time soon.

When they got to the topic of their friends in other guilds, she confessed that Lyon had already written to her. This resulted in Happy teasing her the next ten minutes, until she'd gotten fed up and drenched him with a small wave. Natsu had to admit it was a much more effective method than Lucy's glares or kicks.

All in all the day passed quickly and all three of them were shocked to notice the sun starting to set. As Juvia proceeded to clean up and pack things away Natsu found himself a little disappointed. It had been days since he'd felt this carefree and Juvia had proved to be excellent company. He really didn't want the day to end.

"Hey Juvia? You gonna head back to the guild after this?"

"Hm? Oh. No probably not. Juvia still has to go home and cook dinner." She responded while trying to stifle a yawn.

Natsu frowned. "But you must have spent most of the night cooking all of this food! Shouldn't you take a break? Don't you like Mira's cooking?"

"Wah? No, no of course Juvia likes Mira-san's cooking! Mira-san is an amazing cook, it's just, Juvia tries really hard not to spend jewels when she doesn't have to. She wants to save her money for her future with Gray-sama." Her cheeks were dusted with a light blush.

Natsu sighed and studied her as she continued to pack up plates and dishes. He was a little worried about her in truth. She looked tired and was definitely less coordinated than usual. He really didn't think she should be cooking in her state.

"You should have mentioned you didn't have anything for dinner. We would have left some food for you to take home." He chastised her.

Juvia just smile brightly at him though.

"It's okay Natsu-san. Juvia was really glad Natsu-san and Happy enjoyed her food and she doesn't mind cooking."

"But you're tired."

"It's sweet of Natsu-san to be concerned but Juvia will be alright." Another bright smile was flashed at him, but he wasn't convinced.

"How about I treat you to dinner?"

Juvia froze instantly and looked at him like he's grown a second head.

"Natsu-san wants to take Juvia to dinner? Alone?" Her voice was strained and she had that distant look in her eyes that so often appeared when Gray spoke to her. Natsu shook his head, she had the most overactive imagination sometimes

"We wouldn't be alone. Happy has to eat too you know."

She blinked, as though suddenly returning to reality, and blushed a light shade of pink.

"Right! Of course Happy would be with us." She seemed contemplative for a moment but then her shoulders dropped. "It's very kind of Natsu-san to offer, but honestly, Juvia doesn't really feel up to going to the guild today."

"Then we'll go to a restaurant! Anyone you want, just name it!"

"Ah, really Natsu-san doesn't ha-"

"We want to! Right Happy?"

"Aye! It's the least we can do after you shared all your tasty food with us." Both of them fixed her with wide grins and hopeful looks.

Her brows were furrowed and her eyes darted between them, contemplating the offer. Finally she sighed and offered them a shy smile of her own.

"Well, if you both insist... Juvia really does love the cafe that overlooks Lake Scilliora." She conceded.

"Great! Then it's settled, we're treating you to dinner!"

Lucy sighed and took in a deep breath letting the warmth of the setting sun soak into her skin, and spread through her body.

It was a nice feeling after hours of heavy conversation. She had assumed Gray had wanted to talk to her about Juvia, and thus had been completely unprepared for the actual topic he'd presented her with.

Discussing their deaths had been difficult, and not just because the topic was a sensitive one. The truth was neither of them was particularly good at talking about their feelings and the whole conversation had been punctuated with awkward silences. It was a miracle they'd managed to get through it at all.

But they had, and she had to admit it made her feel a bit better about the whole thing. She could tell Gray felt the same way. A much more relaxed look adorned his face as he strolled beside her.

Still a part of her wished she'd talked to Natsu instead. It wouldn't have taken half as long, and he always had this way of making her feel better. She'd actually want to talk to him earlier this week, but since they got back to Magnolia he'd been almost suffocating with his presence. The last thing she wanted was to give him yet another reason to cling to her.

Lucy shook her head to clear away her mounting frustration. It was the first time in a week she'd gotten the space she was looking for, and yet here she was thinking about him. She sighed and tried to focus on the tranquility of their surroundings as they walked through Magnolia's park.

"You know if that idiot keeps bothering you I can take care of him for you."

"Hm?" Lucy turned her head to peer at Gray, trying to figure out what she'd missed while lost in her thoughts. Her confusion must have been written all over her face because he decided to elaborate.

"Natsu. If he keeps sneaking in I'll make him stop. A few good hits to the head with an ice hammer oughta knock some sense into him." He said and offered her a cocky smirk. "It's really rude of him to continually invade your privacy like that!"

"Like you're one to talk! Maybe you should apply that to yourself first!" She huffed.

"Hey! I only break in for job related matters, and I sure as hell don't go sneaking into your bed!"

"Thank god for that! If you did I'd be dead before morning."

"Huh?" Gray turned and offered her a quizzical look.

"Juvia."

"Right. That."

"She must not have gone to the guild today, because honestly I was expecting her to have hunted us down by now." Lucy teased, a small smile playing on her lips.

Gray frowned, and fidgeted with the buttons on his jacket. It was funny how flustered he got at the thought of Juvia. For all that Gray denied it there was something between them.

Lucy had seen the grief and fear in his eyes when he'd been talking about what had happened. Juvia had been the intended target, she was the one that was meant to die. He said he didn't know why he'd done it, that he'd just acted on instinct, but Lucy knew enough about his past to know he just wasn't prepared to lose her. That he blamed himself for distracting her in battle, and thus would have shouldered her death if he hadn't prevented it.

But these were thoughts she kept to herself. Not because she thought it was for the best, but because she didn't think he was ready for that. He'd rejected the girl so harshly at the ball, and while he seemed to be feeling some regret towards his actions, he was clearly not ready to admit Juvia was more than just his nakama. Her thoughts drifted towards her own confused feelings for a certain pink haired dragon slayer, and she had to admit, she couldn't blame Gray. She liked what she had with Natsu, Gray liked what he had with Juvia. It was safe, and constant. Why change a good thing for uncertainty right?

"You don't think she's sick do you?" Gray's voice cut through her train of thought and Lucy had to take a moment to decipher what he meant. He looked worried and at some point during her inner monologue had lost his jacket. Thankfully his shirt was still on but his fingers were already working at the buttons.

Finally she clued in. He was worried about Juvia being ill. "I doubt it, she's probably on a mission."

It was her first instinct to offer reassurance, but as she thought more about it she had to admit Juvia had seemed even paler than usual.

"You're probably right." He didn't sound convinced though, and Lucy couldn't help but worry as well. Gray insisted that he'd convinced her it was a dream but Juvia was a lot smarter than she acted. Besides she was incredibly persistent and Lucy doubted the other girl would simply accept Grays word on the matter.

"We should head to the guild! It's getting late and I'm pretty hungry, and I think I've made Natsu suffer enough. Hopefully by now he's learned his lesson. And we can ask the girls about Juvia too. I'm sure Mira or Erza will know where she is."

"I'm not that worried about her."

"Uh huh. Sure." Lucy shot him a knowing look. "Either way I'm gonna ask. If she hasn't heard about this," She said waving her hand at the two of them "then maybe I have a chance to do some damage control."

Gray just shook his head but Lucy didn't miss the smile that he tried to suppress. "Yeah, I don't want to be responsible for your untimely death."

"Natsu-san really doesn't have to carry Juvia's picnic basket. She really can manage, it's almost empty now anyways." Juvia insisted.

Natsu offered a toothy grin in response. She'd been fussing about it since he'd snatched the basket from her as they were setting off, and he had no intention of complying.

She seemed a bit distressed by his actions of 'chivalry' as she'd put it, but he figured she'd get over it soon enough.

"Don't worry Juvia, it's not like Gray's gonna know." Happy piped up, trying to reassure her. "We won't tell him, we promise!"

Natsu watched as she bit down on her lip. He felt a bit bad for causing her distress, but he also figured it was time she learnt to accept help from others. Besides, he wasn't even sure how she was walking straight given how little sleep she'd been getting.

They were almost at the exit of the park when a familiar scent caught Natsu's attention bringing him to an abrupt halt.

Juvia and Happy stopped a moment later and turned to look at him. "Natsu-san? What's wrong?"

Natsu shook his head and offered her a toothy grin. "It's nothing."

He proceeded to turn from the lingering smell, and started walking again. Gentle fingers wrapped around his arm, causing him to pause again. He turned to look at the girl beside him.

Juvia had a stern look on her face, "It's not nothing."

Natsu sighed and looked back at the diverging path that had drawn his attention. "I just smelled Lucy and Gray. But it's probably from a while ago..."

"Natsu-san doesn't sound very sure of himself."

"Yeah well, we're headed to dinner anyways! And Lucy said she wanted space anyways, so even if she was close I probably should just leave her be." He tried to hide the bitterness in his voice, but it slipped through anyways.

Juvia sighed and offered him a sympathetic look. "Lucy told Natsu-san that while she was upset, and Natsu-san hadn't told her the truth. Juvia thinks if Natsu-san explained himself Lucy would forgive him."

"But... You're hungry."

"Juvia isn't that hungry. She can wait, and this is important to Natsu-san."

"She's probably long gone anyways."

"Juvia doesn't think Natsu-san believes that. If Natsu-san hurries he could probably catch them. Juvia and Happy will catch up."

Natsu's eyes drifted to the path. "You sure?"

Juvia nodded and smiled at him brightly. "Go after her."

That was all the encouragement he needed before he was off and running after Lucy. He hadn't wanted to say it, but he knew she wasn't far. The scent had been fresh and strong and he followed it like a bloodhound.

It wasn't long before he saw her familiar blonde locks come into view, along with Gray's spiky black mess.

His heart hammered as he approached, drowning out their conversation. What if she didn't want to see him yet? What if she was still mad at him?

He forced himself to swallow his self doubt and summon what little courage he could.

"LUCY!" He only needed to call her once, as she turned around the instant she heard him. He felt relief wash over him as he was greeted with her usual smile, and he swore he'd do anything to keep it there.

He kept running towards her not slowing his pace until he was within arms reach. It was only then, that he forced himself to a halt. She had pulled her arms up, seeming certain that he was going to barrel into her. Instead he stopped just short, leaving less than a foot between them.

Taking a deep breath he forced out the words he needed to say before he could lose his courage. "I'm really sorry about this morning! And about the whole week. I know I've been really clingy lately, and you've been super patient, and good about it and I really appreciate it. I just... I got scared. After what happened with the dragons and future you... You know?"

He offered her a sheepish grin then, his heart felt lighter and the words came out easier. "I know that's not a good excuse. You're strong and can take care of yourself, but I just... I can't stop thinking about what happened. I- I dream about it and I can't sleep. That's why I keep sneaking into your place. And I know you hate that, but I just can't relax unless you're near me."

Lucy's eyes soften as he spoke, and he could swear that her eyes were glossing over with tears. It killed him and he desperately wanted to punch himself for saying anything. The thought that he'd made her cry-. Natsu glanced away then. Out of the corner of his eye he spotted Gray leaning against a lamp post and looking off into the distance, as though he didn't have anything to do with them and couldn't hear everything they were saying.

Part of Natsu wanted to tell the idiot to take a walk back the way he came from. Let him run into Juvia and maybe man up for once. At least he could apologize to her.

Suddenly a sharp sting shot through his arm. The pain from the slap he'd just received echoed on his skin, and all he could think was that he deserved it. But then she spoke, "You stupid idiot! You've been having nightmares all this time and you didn't bother telling me? What's wrong with you!"

"I just didn't want you to worry."

"So instead you wait until I screamed at you and told you to go away? If you'd just told me from the beginning I would have understood." Lucy sighed.

"Yeah, I know that now. I just, I wasn't ready to admit it was real. I thought if I just didn't tell anyone other than Happy maybe I could pretend it didn't happen." Natsu dropped his gaze and shifted his stance. It all sounded so stupid now that he was admitting it to her. "I promise I'll stop sneaking in from now on."

"It's okay, if you're actually having nightmares I guess I don't mind. Maybe you can sleep on the couch or something. We'll figure it out later, but right now I'm starving so let's go get some dinner!"

"Aye!" Happy cried as he flew past Natsu and into Lucy's arms. "Does this mean you've forgiven us Lucy?"

She simply nodded to the exceed before looking back up at Natsu. "So what do you say? Gray and I were headed to the guild, you coming?"

Natsu was about to shout out an agreement, but the soft scent of lavender and rain reminded him of his earlier offer. Instead he offered Lucy an apologetic grin. "I'd really love to, but I actually have plans for dinner."

Lucy frowned in response. "With who?"

Natsu scratched the back of his head as he turned and looked back down the path to where Juvia was standing. Her eyes were wide as she clutched the picnic basket in front of her, he noticed that Gray's coat was draped across one arm as well. How she managed to find Gray's things without a dragon slayers sense of smell he'd never know, but it was yet another thing Gray wasn't nearly grateful enough for.

"I promised Juvia I'd treat her to dinner." He announced while smiling at the water mage.

"YOU WHAT!" Natsu's head whipped around lightning fast, and a chill ran down his spine at the tone in Lucy's voice. He quickly started backing up as she advanced towards him. "You've never treated me to dinner! Not once! And I'm always having to cook for you, and pay for you, and you sneak into my house, and sleep in my bed! If there's anyone you should be buying dinner for it's me!"

"He's buying you dinner?" Gray growled. His whole body was tense and he was glaring at Juvia. "Since when are you two that close?"

Natsu felt his whole body heat up, and it took all his willpower not to launch himself at the man, "Since this afternoon! And maybe I wouldn't need to take her to dinner if you hadn't stood her up after she spent all night cooking for you!"

"Wait what?!" Lucy shrieked, suddenly looking terrified.

"What the hell are you talking about? I didn't stand her up!" Gray yelled back, his anger now focused on Natsu instead.

From behind him Natsu heard Juvia pipe up. "Natsu-san, Juvia never said that!"

"Of course you didn't. That doesn't change the fact that I heard you talking to him at the guild yesterday morning. You asked him to join you on a picnic today, and he said yes. It's why you were sitting outside the guild waiting when we got there, and it's why you're all dressed up." Natsu announced. He glanced back at her and she stared right back. A soft blush coated her cheeks and she bit her lip. "I'm right aren't I? That's what happened?"

Juvia's gaze darted to Gray, and she seemed to shrink a bit under his scrutiny, before looking back to Natsu. She shifted, and continued to fidget nervously, obviously not wanting to go against Gray. Natsu sighed, he knew he should just drop it, it wasn't his fight and if she didn't want to confront the man about the shitty way he was treating her, that should be her call.

He let out a sigh of defeat and dropped his gaze.

"Gray-sama did say that he would meet Juvia for lunch yesterday. Juvia was early, but then Natsu-san and Happy came along and told Juvia that Gray-sama was with Lucy having breakfast, and that Gray-sama and Lucy wanted to be alone-"

"I am so, so sorry Juvia! I swear, I had no idea he'd made plans with you! If I had I would never, ever have agreed to meet him. I promise nothing happened, we just ate!" Lucy pleaded, her hands were up in defense and she looked terrified.

Juvia had been walking towards the group as she spoke and she stopped in front of Lucy and offered her a tired smile. "It's okay Lucy. Juvia is not upset. Juvia is just glad Gray-sama has finally talked to someone about what is bothering him." She sighed then, and held out Gray's jacket for him. "Gray-sama dropped this, Juvia thought he might like it back. Also, Gray-sama should put his shirt back on."

"Shit!" Gray quickly grabbed his shirt, which had been tossed to the ground at some point during the conversation, and then scrambled forward to take his jacket. "Listen, I didn't mean to forget about lunch, just, I guess when you asked I wasn't paying attention-"

"It's fine. Juvia understands, Juvia knows Gray-sama has been upset, she shouldn't have bothered him yesterday." Natsu couldn't help but smirk at the way Gray squirmed at her response. It was rare for Juvia to cut him off, and even if she was taking the blame, it was clear Gray knew she wasn't actually fine.

Finally she turned back to Natsu and beamed at him. "Juvia really is grateful she got to spend the day with Natsu-san and Happy. Juvia had a lot of fun, but Natsu-san doesn't have to treat Juvia to dinner. He and Happy should go to the guild with Lucy and Gray-sama."

Natsu frowned, "No way! We made plans, and there's no way in hell I'm letting you cook more food today. You deserve a break."

Before Juvia could respond, Gray jumped in, "You could come with us, to the guild that is. I owe you for this morning anyways."

Juvia stared at him, open mouthed as though she was certain she'd misheard.

"He likes her!" Happy chimed and Gray went bright red.

"That's not it! I just feel bad for forgetting about plans we'd made!"

Natsu knew that it would only take a few moments for her to realize she wasn't daydreaming, and then she'd accept, and they'd all be headed to the guild. It should make him happy, after all he really did want to spend time with Lucy after being apart all day, but he also felt a bit disappointed. He'd really enjoyed spending the day with Juvia, he'd liked getting to know her, and he was looking forward to dinner with her. And sure they'd still be together, but Juvia with Gray was really not the same. Besides she'd said she didn't want to go to the guild before? He hated to admit it but a part of him felt hurt, after all he'd turned down Lucy.

"Juvia appreciates Gray-sama's offer, but Juvia doesn't feel up to having dinner in the guild. She didn't get much sleep last night, so if Natsu-san really doesn't mind Juvia would very much like to keep their plans. It would be nice to have a quiet meal that someone else makes."

All of them froze for a moment, much the way Juvia had moments before. Natsu was the first to recover, and he broke out into an infectious grin. "Of course!"

He quickly wrapped an arm around her waist and took the picnic basket from her, before guiding her back down the path they'd come from. Once they were a few feet away he looked over his shoulder and called back to his friends. "Oi, Happy come on! Later Ice Prick! See you tonight Luce!"

Juvia was blushing but she too turned around and called back to them as well. "Good night Gray-sama! Bye Love Rival!"

"I'm not your Love Rival!" Lucy called out after them, and Natsu just chuckled. One day Lucy would come around. One day.

Gray was frowning as he watched them walk away. "Did they just ditch us?"

"Yeah I think they did…" Lucy turned to him and smirked, "Well actually, you've been ditched. Natsu's gonna see me tonight after all. But that's what you get for standing her up."

"Argh I didn't stand her up! I just... didn't remember I'd agreed to meet her." Gray turned to face her looking even more frustrated than before, and Lucy had to fight to keep from laughing. Natsu always had a way of getting under Gray's skin, but clearly he'd found a whole new avenue to explore. "I thought you were pissed off at him for buying her dinner, when did that change?"

"I was, but I think Natsu's just being a good friend. I really can't be mad at him for that… and I did tell him I wanted space, so I really can't complain. Besides, Juvia looked really tired."

Gray nodded, but didn't say anything. Instead he started walked back towards the guild, a new frown worn on his face. Lucy fell back into place beside him, and decided to enjoy the scenery while she waited.

"You don't think she knows, do you?" Gray asked, interrupting the silence a few minutes later.

Lucy hesitated, she knew the answer he was looking for. Given how much they'd talked today, she also knew that Gray was probably at his emotional limit, and that adding anything else was pushing. Still, Juvia was her friend too, and the truth was written for anyone to see. "I know you don't want to hear this, but she probably does. It would explain why those two were suddenly so close."

Gray sighed, carding his fingers through his hair. He took another deep breath then let his shoulders slump. "Yeah, that's what I thought."

Silence fell back into place, but Lucy still had one thing left that she felt needed to be said. She took a deep breath and steeled herself for the argument that would likely follow, "You know, you really should make it up to her. Standing her up like that isn't okay, and maybe keep an eye on her?"

"Yeah, I know. There's a market opening in a couple days. I guess I can take her."

Lucy just smile at him. "You should. I'm sure she'd like that."