Chapter 4: Resolve

A/N: Yaaay it's finished lol i appreciate all the reviews and followers :p and thanks for reading. Btw i'll prolly add in a bonus chapter about how all the other fairy tail men handled their mission with Yukino. But as for NaLu, it's done (: Teehee.. Enjoy!

Natsu was dreading the time until he had the talk. He was nervous and quiet the whole ride back to Yukino's home. Lucy hadn't paid any attention to him. It hurt him that he did something to upset her this much. Although he had it coming, he probably deserved worse. She was being patient and kind before and now she's cold and callous.

Flashback #4

Natsu was pacing back and forth in his house. Happy just sat there and watched him. He didn't know what his father figure was thinking about and it was the first time he had ever seen him think this hard about something.

"Natsu what are you doing?" Happy asked.

"Nothing… thinking…" He mumbled to himself.

Happy just sighed.

Natsu realized that Happy has been patiently waiting there for him, as if he were to snap out of his thoughts and suddenly do something random. Well, that was what Natsu thought was going to happen to but nothing came to mind.

"Let's go see Lucy." Happy grinned. "We can pull a prank on her!"

"No… I can't see Lucy yet." Natsu muffled in between his scarf.

"Oh? Why? She took care of you a couple of days ago. What happened after Wendy healed you?"

"Nothing… I just… I don't know Happy."

"You liiiiiiikeee her. Right Natsu? C'mon it's Lucy. We can't stay away from her that long." Happy had waited so long for Natsu to realize he liked Lucy. Practically the whole guild knew but waited until the slow dragon slayer would notice.

"What?" Natsu blushed. "I.. I… don't know…"

"Just talk to Lucy. You two can sort out your feelings for each other!" Happy's wings sprouted and he launched forward at Natsu.

"Eh? Wait, I'm not ready yet Happy! "

The next thing he knew, he was being dropped from above, landing in the market place where he saw a certain blond mage. She seemed to be talking with an unknown male. Happy flew right next to Natsu and they both hid behind a bush to listen in on their conversation.

"So you are Lucy from Fairy Tail?" The man asked.

"Yeah… that's me." She gushed at the thought of someone recognizing her alone, usually it's someone asking if she was the girl who was part of the team with Salamander, or Titania, or Gray.

"So are you taken?" He smiled gently at her. "I was wondering if you would wanna go on a date with me. It'll be my treat."

"Oh um… I'm sorry… I uh…" She was stumbling on words. For some reason she couldn't find the right words to reject this guy.

"Oh it's okay. It was worth a shot. Heh… it's Natsu right? You like him?"

"Whaaat? NO!" Lucy's face was turning bright red. "I mean… he's my partner. We have a special bond…um…" Lucy still had trouble sorting her words. Yes she did like Natsu but she didn't want to tell a complete stranger that she likes Natsu. The first person who should know is Natsu.

"Sure, well if that doesn't work out, here's my number. Call me anytime and I'll be there." He smiled as he waved off.

Natsu had heard the whole conversation and he was starting to relay his thoughts. Does he really like Lucy or is it just some sexual tension caused by his hormones? She apparently doesn't like him because they share this bond of friendship. Is his feelings right for Lucy? All these things were now confusing him even more. He clenched his fists and he didn't notice that they were on fire until Happy tried blowing them out.

"Natsu, Lucy didn't really mean that. She likes you, I know she does." Happy tried to cheer him up. But it failed once the fire mage took off.

Lucy found herself dumbfounded staring at the strange man who just gave her his number. But now she had made up her mind, once she finds Natsu, she'll confess so that she could officially tell people that she has only one man in her life. If only he would acknowledge her feelings too, verbally. She needed to hear those words even though actions do speak louder than words. But as reassurance she needed to hear it from him.

It was an awkward ride back home, Natsu and Lucy had barely said anything to each other. They were already near Lucy's place. Natsu was running out of time to think of what to say. But in all honesty, Lucy was just as much lost as he. She let out a big sigh and it caught the dragon slayer off guard.

"Natsu… this awkwardness… it's not us…" She sighed again.

"I know… but you wanted us to talk…about?" He raised his eyebrow at her.

Her feet led her to the edge of the river as always. She was balancing herself on the edge while Natsu stared at her cautiously—ready to save her if she fell.

"I didn't want to corner you… but I just wanted to know how you feel about me because I'm confused." Lucy stopped walking and looked up at the night sky. Her back was facing him to shade her tears if they do decide to come out. "But most importantly, I miss you… I don't like the distance between us. Even if you don't return my feelings, I don't wanna lose you as a friend."

It was as if a weight has been lifted. She felt a lot better telling him the truth than keeping it in. Even though it may hurt her, at least she has the chance to move on without leaving much of a scar.

Then suddenly she felt warm arms hug her waist and his hot breath against her shoulder. Her body froze at the sudden contact but it slowly melted through his soft embrace. She didn't want to move anyway because this sort of contact was what she was yearning for—for so long.

"Thank you Lucy…" His face was still pressed against her back.

"Eh? For what?" She decided then to turn around to face him. His hands still rested on her hips but he was staring up into her eyes.

"For still wanting me…" Natsu wasn't the best for words unless it was about his nakama. This moment though was just for his Lucy. He needed to tell her so that she can rest assured that he will always and forever be with her. But then again Natsu is Natsu. "I just belong with you and you belong with me." He blushed.

"Hahahahaha." Lucy was laughing, his confession was very juvenile but also very cute. "I understand." She kissed him lightly on the lips and it only made his face redder.

"Oy Lucy, you know what this means then?" He smirked.

"Hm what?" She arched her eyebrow.

"You are all mine." He grinned and picked her up. She started to yell and fidget around. It was embarrassing to be carried on someone's shoulder like a sack of potatoes. Even after all her protests, Natsu had a knowing grin on his face as he walked up to Lucy's apartment.

"What are you doing?" Lucy shouted as he kicked open her door. Maybe she had to teach him a thing or two about pacing in a relationship but then again they did take a long time for them to recognize their feelings.

"Making you mine." He simply said.

She sighed. Sure, when it came to speaking his feelings, he's shy like a bunny but when it comes to actions, he's bold and confident like a dragon. She looked again at his all-knowing smile; she couldn't help but smile back. They were finally happy, finally open about their feelings and finally enjoying the new start of their relationship as a couple.

The End