"No, listen- That's not what I meant!" Natsu's voice was a few octaves higher than it normally was; it mixed with the raspiness of his voice and made it sound like a rusted door swinging on its hinge. He sighed heavily and ran a frustrated hand through his rosy hair, all while Lucy sat curled up in one of his leather arm chairs, Blink 182 playing in the background, turned low by Lucy soon after Natsu had gotten the call. "You know I didn't mean it like that." Natsu huffed, now standing in front of his window, looking out into the darkness of ten o'clock at night, arms crossed, and brows creased.

His frustration had gone on for over an hour now, and Lucy felt mildly helpless to the situation, though she wouldn't even know where to begin if she tried. Natsu's girlfriend, she didn't even know her name, had called. She was offended by some joke he had made earlier when he introduced her to Gray, and was going off on him for embarrassing her in front of his friend. Lucy rolled her eyes in thought; Natsu was brash and a little thick when it came to personal boundaries, but she knew that whatever Natsu had said wasn't meant to be offensive to the girl.

It was supposed to be a typical Friday, Natsu and Lucy were having their movie and hangout night- bad scary movies, popcorn, the whole shebang. That all was put on hold when his girlfriend called and started screaming at him. Lucy was honestly perplexed as to why they even started dating, it was more or less out of the blue. One day Natsu was his normal self, not talking about any girl to anyone, the next day he's saying he has a girlfriend. It, quite honestly, shook Lucy up a bit and bothered her that he didn't tell her. She hadn't met her yet because, Natsu had said, he was saving her for last because, 'Best for last, Luce!'. If Lucy was being honest with herself, she couldn't give two shits about meeting the girl if this was the way she was going to treat her best friend.

"Listen-" Natsu desperately tried to get a word in, but it seemed he was cutoff yet again. He gave her a helpless look and Lucy returned it with a sympathetic shrug. "Sorry." He hissed out a whisper to her and Lucy waved off his apology, it wasn't his fault. Soon after he had whispered to her, his expression went from mild annoyance, to something like anger.

"It's Lucy, I told you we hangout every Friday." He answered the girl's unheard question, and Lucy shook her head to herself. Nosy. "She's my best friend, Emily." Ah, Emily. That was the illusive girlfriend's name. Lucy had not met many Emily's that weren't batshit crazy. "Yes, I did tell you!" Lucy admired how Natsu was attempting to keep his emotions in check; he had his head pressed up against his wall, forefinger and thumb resting on the bridge of his nose in annoyance, and his eyes closed tightly while his phone was pressed to his ear.

"I can go..." Lucy got up, clicking her Spotify off, cutting of the song I Miss You which was, in Lucy's opinion, a damn tragedy. Natsu met her gaze, pulling himself up, and shook his head adamantly.

"Emily, I'm sorry. We can talk more about this tomorrow, okay?" Natsu reasoned, shaking his head in annoyance. "See ya." He replied and clicked the little red phone on his screen. "Fuck," He cursed, sitting on his couch, rubbing his hands over his face.

"I'm... Sorry?" Lucy offered and Natsu lifted his gaze, laughing lightly.

"It ain't your fault. S'ides, I guess I should watch my mouth more." He sighed and Lucy frowned. "It was a stupid joke."

"It doesn't matter, I'm sure you didn't mean it." Lucy pointed out and Natsu seemed to relax a bit. "At the very least I'm sure that it didn't deserve an hour and twelve minute phone call." Lucy pouted a bit looking at the cold popcorn that she had made just before the call.

"She's just... Sensitive, I guess?" Natsu shrugged and Lucy rolled her eyes.

"That's pretty damn sensitive," Lucy stated, getting up to inspect the popcorn. "How did you two even meet? It seems like all of a sudden you were dating. You didn't even tell me." Lucy asked sourly, shooting a glance over her shoulder at him, and he looked at her apologetically.

"She's in my chem class. We were just talking a lot this semester, just being friendly, and I dunno..." Natsu ran a had through his hair again and Lucy frowned.

"It... Doesn't really sound like you're happy..." Lucy whispered and Natsu avoided her gaze.

"I found out through one of her friends in the class that she really liked me." He stated, still not meeting her gaze. She watched him open his mouth, but nothing came out, and she decided not to push it further. Lucy knew that he was unhappy, it was written all over his face, especially after getting harassed over the phone for so long. Lucy didn't know why he would want to put up with something like that.

"Why don't we watch our movie now, okay?" Lucy suggested, the biggest smile she could muster on her face. Natsu returned it with his signature toothy grin, and patted the seat next to him on his couch.

"Hell yeah! Let's get spooked by shitty jump scares!" He cheered and Lucy laughed, happy to see that he was coming around to his usual self.

"Great! I picked out a good one, it's called Sharknado..."

The week following the 'phone-call-night', Lucy had been introduced to Emily. The girl had barely spoken to her, but the sneer on her face had been apparent that they were not going to be friends, and Lucy was perfectly happy with that.

"She's just so... Ugh!" Lucy griped to Cana and Levy as they sat in Magnolia University's library café. "She's making him so unhappy."

"She did look like a skank." Cana agreed and Lucy rolled her eyes though a smirk broke out on Lucy's lips.

"That's not what I was getting at, but I'll take it." Lucy sighed and let out a small giggle.

"I mean, it's clear to everyone that he's not happy. It's not like Natsu to just put up with something like that. This is so opposite of him." Levy pondered and Lucy threw her hands up, nodding in agreement.

"Exactly! He doesn't deserve to be treated like that by someone like her! He deserves someone-"

"Like you?" Cana teased, sipping her coffee, and making Lucy's cheeks burn.

"Th-that's not what I meant!" Lucy stammered and Levy giggled madly. "I'm just saying, he deserves a lot better than her."

"So, yeah, you." Levy joined in the teasing and Lucy placed a look of betrayal on her friend. "It's only the truth, Lu!"

"You two are no help." Lucy pouted and the two girls laughed lightly, giving her sympathetic looks. "Either way, I don't want to deal with the crazy bit-"

"Luce!" Natsu's voice called from the entrance of the café, startling her and causing her to choke on her tea.

"Natsu? What's up- eh?!" Before she could get any other questions in, Natsu was pulling her up by the wrist, and ushering her towards the exit.

"Come with me." Natsu whined and Lucy threw an apologetic look at her two friends.

"Sorry guys, I'll see you later!" Lucy promised. Levy waved and Cana made kissy faces at Lucy which she desperately tried to ignore, but a blush got the best of her. "So, what was so important that you needed to literally pull me away from-" Lucy stopped herself when she saw the look on Natsu's face. He looked strained and upset. He didn't answer her questions, and didn't let go of her wrist as he pulled her along. They crossed the small road that went down to the parking garages, and up the stairs that led towards the benches in front of the art building. He sat her down on one of the black metal benches and then sat down next to her. He stared out, looking across the hill that the benches were seated atop, watching other students cross the large, circular paved area where the painting students would set up easels and work outside. Lucy waited patiently until he was ready to speak, just sitting close to him and watching the cloud gently drift through the blue sky.

Natsu heaved a sigh, scratched the side of his face where, Lucy had noticed, stubble was starting to grow again. He needed a shave; it wasn't that Lucy thought Natsu looked bad with a beard, it was just weird. Natsu's voice broke her from her trivial thoughts, bringing her back to the moment.

"I broke up with Emily."

"Oh no! What happened?" Lucy feigned sympathy, but she couldn't help but feel joy that the girl would be gone.

"Don't pretend, Luce." He stated, continuing to stare out before him. Lucy flinched at his words slightly, but she relaxed when he chuckled lightly and turned to her. "It's okay."

"Well, tell me what happened." Lucy offered, folding her hands together on her knees.

"I never even wanted to date her." Natsu admitted and Lucy frowned in confusion. He looked embarrassed, and absentmindedly picked up one of Lucy's hands and started to play with her fingers making her blush a bit.

"Then... Well, that doesn't make sense, Natsu." Lucy laughed a bit and shook her head. "I knew you were thick, but..." Lucy teased and he grinned at her.

"I was just bein' nice to her. Helped her through some of her chem work after class a few times, and I dunno, she just became attached to me."

"Aw, poor stud." Lucy cooed and Natsu rolled his eyes, playfully shoved Lucy's shoulder gently, dropping her hand much to her disappointment.

"Anyway, she just kind of told me she wanted to go on a date, and I guess I felt kinda awkward so I agreed." He continued, Lucy listening intently. "Before I knew it she was tellin' her friends we were dating and wanted to meet everyone. I thought that it couldn't be too bad, but somethin' felt off..."

"Of course it would feel off! She pretty much forced you into a relationship! That's crazy!" Lucy gasped. "Did you even like her?"

"Not in that way... I mean she is pretty, but..." Lucy felt a twinge of jealousy due to Natsu calling Emily pretty, but she shooed the feeling away.

"What a nut!" Lucy exclaimed and Natsu let out a loud laugh, his smile reaching his eyes making them crinkle happily. Seeing Natsu so happy again made Lucy's heart flutter. She placed a hand on his bicep in comfort. "Well, Natsu, as your best friend I have to say that I am happy that that is over!" He laughed again, agreeing with her statement.

They moved on to talking about their days, about classes, and about the midterms that were coming up soon. They made plans for the following week for another Friday night hangout, and Lucy felt as though things were finally getting back to normal. She, selfishly, couldn't help but think back to what Cana and Levy were saying. Sitting there with Natsu, in his crimson shirt and stonewashed, ripped jeans, seemed perfect to her. It was so natural and just felt right. She had been fighting off feelings for years, and had only admitted it to herself that, she was deeply in love with her best friend and there was little to nothing that she could do about it.

It was Tuesday night, the week after Natsu had told her that he broke up with Emily, when she heard a knocking on her apartment door at two o'clock in the morning. Bleary eyed and confused, Lucy stumbled out of bed, shock filling her when she looked through the peephole and saw that it was Natsu. He was in his baggy gray sweatpants and a black t-shirt, backpack slung around one shoulder, knocking on her door with tired eyes.

"Natsu! What is the matter?" Lucy gasped, letting him in. "Something must be seriously wrong if you didn't come in through my window." Lucy joked, but Natsu didn't laugh. He just trudged in, gently placing his backpack on the floor, unzipping it, and picking out Happy, his little cat. He placed Happy on his lap, who looked a little annoyed at being placed in a backpack, but stayed quiet on Natsu's lap. "W-what's wrong?"

"She's driving me crazy." Natsu replied, stroking Happy as he spoke. "Emily. She won't stop texting and calling me, I can't get any sleep." Lucy frowned; the damn girl was crazy. "That's why I didn't call you or anything, left my phone at home." He yawned and rubbed his eyes.

"O-oh geez. Come here," Lucy lead him into her living room. He followed, scooping Happy up in his arms, and then flopping onto her couch. "W-well, you can stay here for now." Lucy told him and Natsu perked up.

"I knew I could count on ya, Luce!" He grinned and Happy crawled from his lap to curl up somewhere that moved less. "Thanks."

"No problem," Lucy murmured and sat next to him. "You know, Natsu, this girl is a real problem."

"I know. I didn't think it would be bad dating someone, but I never expected this." He sighed and Lucy swallowed hard.

"Y-you know, it's not supposed to be like that, when you find the right person-"

"I know. She wasn't the right person to be dating." Natsu finished, nodding his head. "I mean, what do I know about dating? I haven't really done much of it." He laughed and Lucy smiled tightly. "Didn't really wanted it to be with her either..." Natsu muttered under his breath.

"I don't want to see you get hurt, Natsu..." She replied before she knew what she was saying. "Er, you're my best friend." His gray-green gaze met hers, an emotion in his eyes that Lucy couldn't quite put her finger on.

"Thanks, Luce." He whispered, and suddenly Lucy became self conscious. Her hair was in a tangled bun, she was in one of his overstretched t-shirts that he had left at her apartment, and pink short shorts.

"U-um, lemme go change real quick!"

"Why?" Natsu sounded almost incredulous, his brows creasing in confusion over his tired eyes. "I think you look great." He gave a small smile and Lucy's face burned.

"O-oh, well, o-okay." Lucy squeaked out and sat back down next to him.

"You know, Luce," Natsu began and Lucy sat rigid. Natsu's voice was low and serious sounding. "You always know how to make me feel better, even when I get myself into shitty situations." Lucy was taken aback by his statement and busied herself by brushing a few stray hairs out of her face.

"O-oh, um, that's what best friends are for!" She insisted and Natsu shook his head slightly.

"You're better than a best friend, you're just..." Natsu's voice trailed off for a moment, his words wistful, and a small smile on his face. Lucy sat silently, her heart in her throat unable to respond to him in the moment. Natsu seemed to be grappling for words, his brows creased in thought. Lucy couldn't take the silence anymore, usually their silence wasn't awkward, but in the moment it was heavy, almost suffocating.

"I think I know what you mean... I guess," Lucy began tentatively and Natsu flicked his gaze back to her. "You're my best friend, but something more as well. If I never met you... I-I don't think I'd be where I am today. I met everyone here because of you..." Natsu smiled a bit and placed a tentative hand on Lucy's.

"Yeah, that's kinda what I meant, but there's somethin' else too," Natsu replied and Lucy felt a wave of confusion wash over her. "You talk about findin' the right person to date and everything, and I've never been one to really care, but I think when it's staring me in the face, I should do somethin' about it."

"What do you mean?" Lucy questioned, her brows knitted together as she was thrown deeper into confusion. Before she could open her mouth again, to her shock, Natsu kissed her quickly, almost taking her breath with him as he pulled away. "H-huh?!" She practically choked out, and Natsu sat nervously before her, his face and ears reddened by embarrassment.

"S-sorry," He smiled a little, avoiding her eyes, "There's another reason why it woulda never worked with Emily."

"Y-you're going to go back to that right after doing that!" Lucy squeaked out and Natsu chuckled lightly, waving his hand a bit.

"Hear me out. It's gonna sound cheesy and you can make fun of me for it after," He placed a devious smirk on her and Lucy sat, face almost as red as Erza's hair, she was sure, waiting for him to speak. "I think maybe I did it to try and forget about things that I've been... Feeling...?" He sounded as though he was unsure of what he was saying and Lucy cocked her head to one side. "Ugh... This is not something I'm really good at... Anyways, I could never like Emily because I was already in love." Natsu finished quickly, his ears turning a darker shade of red and Lucy only then realized that she was holding her breath.

"O-oh..."

"With you, but I feel like that might be obvious now since I already kissed ya," Natsu chuckled and then his eyes widened a bit. "Oh man, sorry, I didn't even ask you if it was okay!"

"N-Natsu," Lucy squeaked out again, the revelation of it all crashing down on top of her. Natsu sat before her looking uncomfortable and a little upset, and Lucy did the only thing that she thought would help, and that was her closing the space between them and kissing him. She made the kiss longer, a little deeper. Natsu's let out a content sigh, his warm breath washing over Lucy's face, and he brought one hand up to her shoulder, pulling her closer to him. Lucy's heart hammered in her chest and she squeezed her eyes shut tightly for the moment. As quickly as it began, it was over, though it felt like a lifetime for Lucy.

When they finally sat back to look at each other, cheeks tinted pink, and breath a little ragged, Lucy let out a small giggle, and Natsu quirked a brow at her.

"I must be hallucinating," Lucy giggled, "There's no way that this is real. Nope, it's 2 a.m. and I'm probably half asleep." Lucy brought her hands up to her face and Natsu scoffed a bit.

"Geez, if I was that bad then let me know next time." He rolled his eyes, and Lucy laughed at his expression. "Well, I'm sorry to be the one to tell ya, but I do love ya, Luce." Lucy's heart jumped into overdrive again, and she swallowed thickly against emotion that was creeping its way up her throat.

"For real?" She asked quietly and Natsu nodded almost somberly. "Well, then... I guess I should be honest..."

"I-it's okay if ya don't wanna do, er, this." Natsu gestured between the two of them and Lucy rolled her eyes.

"You're a dummy. Do you think I would've kissed you again if I didn't?" She laughed and rolled her eyes. "If you noticed stuff like this more, then you would have figured out that... I love you too, Natsu. Very much." He perked up, a huge smile spreading across his face.

"Woohoo!"

"You're 'woo-hoo-ing' my love?" Lucy stifled a grin and he nodded enthusiastically.

"Yep! Lucy Heartfilia loves me, I think that deserves a woo-hoo." He smirked and Lucy felt her cheeks get hot, averting her eyes over to Happy who seemed to be judging them from across the room. That, and more likely he was pissed that they were still up and he couldn't get any sleep. "And you can protect me from Emily." He shuddered and Lucy let out a high laugh, rolling her eyes.

"You enormous baby!"

The day after Natsu had come to Lucy's apartment at two o'clock in the morning, they made their way around campus as usual, but Natsu made it clear what was going on between them. He held her hand, hugged her openly, and when they finally met up with their friends, he had practically screamed loud enough for the whole school to hear.

"Guess what!" Natsu yelled to their friends who were seated in the student center together waiting for Natsu and Lucy.

"What? You tied your shoes by yourself today?" Gray snickered and Natsu glared at him.

"I have a girlfriend." He stated proudly, choosing not to start a fight with Gray that early in the morning.

"We already know that... You've been dating Emily for a couple weeks now." Erza said slowly as if Natsu had finally lost it. Natsu looked confusedly at the red head and then shook his head, waving away her statement.

"No! Not her, she's right here," Natsu slung his arm around her shoulders and Lucy felt her face turn bright red. "Lucy!"

"WHAT!?" Everyone was in an uproar, questioning if he had even broken up with Emily or not, or if Lucy actually knew he was calling her his girlfriend. Levy and Cana cheered and Erza looked confused, but pleasantly surprised.

Lucy knew that they were going to have to do some explaining, at least Natsu was. She was to sit contently, finally able to be freely in love with her best friend, something she thought was rare in relationships. The best part for Lucy, and though she wasn't a petty person, was seeing Emily walk through the student center lounge, right past all of them, just as Natsu kissed her cheek happily. And again, though she was not a petty person, if someone was going to treat Natsu the way that she did, then she would wear the biggest smile in front of her, and pull Natsu over to kiss him full on the lips.