The Nalu fluff makes my heart squeeze. This has gotta be my favorite chapter just because of that reason tbh.
Thank you to everyone who has been reading this story! You mean more to me than you’ll ever know. (Also can be read here.)
Chapter 7 – Chapter 1 / Chapter 2 / Chapter 3 / Chapter 4 / Chapter 5 / Chapter 6
Words: 4713
Summary: Lucy and Natsu are determined to take the necessary steps to fulfill their lifetime dreams. Little do they know, they have both given themselves 10 days to achieve it.
Lucy nearly forgets where she is the next morning. Her eyes open to a spinning ceiling fan as she lies on her back. Because of the weight next to her, she is caught in the middle of the bed.
She wants to stretch her arms in the air but is pressed down on the firm mattress. She hears sleep-induced mumbles beside her. While she turns her head to the sound, she has to suppress her yelp.
Natsu’s face is centimeters away, securely trapping her with a protective arm draped over her waist. She isn’t sure if it’s worth moving since it’d probably wake him up. However, the urge to empty her bladder is too much to ignore.
Little by little, she attempts to shift to the side of the bed. If she is careful enough, his arm should slide off her waist. Her leg loosely dangles off the bed when she hears him stir. She freezes and sneaks a glance at him, but it’s too late.
“Running away?” Natsu asks, his deep voice soaked in seven hours of sleep. He sets her free by using his hands to rub his eyes. Once he’s finished, he sends her a gentle smile.
Lucy’s heart has never softened faster. Although he has the worst bedhead she has ever seen, his sweet smile is enough to make up for it.
“Your eyes are lighter in the morning,” she says with her voice also rougher than usual.
“Yours are, too.” He reaches over and pokes her forehead, causing her to giggle.
“I don’t remember the last time I didn’t wake up to an alarm,” she admits.
“Same, actually,” he agrees. “Should we look at the time?”
Lucy lifts her head to look over Natsu and at the clock. As her eyes read the time, she presses her lips together and shakes her head.
“Do I want to know?” he asks.
“You don’t,” she responds. Now that her bladder is about to burst, she sits up and stretches her arms above her head.
Natsu watches her, noticing how the sunlight sparkles across her skin. He feels the desire to reach out and touch her but doesn’t get the chance due to her scampering away.
By the time she is back from the bathroom, he has already made the bed. After taking his own look at the clock and reading that it’s almost eleven, he didn’t want to waste any more time.
“Oh, thanks,” she says after seeing the bed.
“No problem.” He holds onto a stack of his clothes. “You can get dressed in here. Once we’re ready, we can get breakfast somewhere.”
“More like lunch,” she comments.
Natsu chuckles. “Yeah, that sounds better, anyway.”
After he closes the door, Lucy reaches for her phone to check for the weather. However, as she turns on her phone, she is met with a flood of text messages from Levy, emails from Erza, and social media notifications.
“It’s going fine,” Lucy texts Levy back. “I’ll tell you everything when I get back.”
She ignores Levy’s immediate responses while getting dressed. She wants to remind Levy that it was her idea for them to have quality time without distractions, but she decides to not reply.
“You can come in,” Lucy calls out once Natsu knocks on the door.
Once he enters the room, the two stare at one another for a few seconds. They simultaneously release a laugh.
“How did we end up matching?” he asks with amusement.
She shrugs with her own entertained smile. Lucy wears a baby blue blouse while Natsu wears a baby blue t-shirt. They also both wear dark pants; they look more like a couple than ever before.
“We can leave now.” He beckons her to follow him downstairs.
“Wait, Natsu,” she stops him. “Do you think we could leave our phones here?”
She isn’t sure how he’s going to react as he pauses. Her eyes follow him as he takes his phone out of his pocket and tosses it on the bed. She grins and does the same.
“As long as one of us has a watch, we’ll be fine,” Natsu says as they go downstairs.
The air feels fresh on their skin when they step outside. Even though they’re still in Magnolia, the weather here is much cooler.
“We’re not far from the beach,” Natsu explains, answering her thoughts.
“I’ve never been on this side of Magnolia,” Lucy admits.
“You’re in for a treat, then,” he responds as he hops on the bike. “I haven’t been around in a while, so some parts will be new to me, too.”
Joining him on the bike, they move at a much more relaxed speed. Natsu does it on purpose, so they can take in their surroundings as they drive. It’s not long until they enter a parking lot to a diner.
“You love diners, don’t you?” she points out as he parks.
“I’m old-fashioned, remember? This diner is the reason why it’s my favorite.”
Lucy’s expectations instantly increase as they open the door to the diner. The entrance bell has only rung twice when Natsu is recognized by the workers.
“Welcome back, Natsu,” a waitress approaches them with a warm smile. “Who is this you have with you?”
“Hey, Mirajane. This is Lucy.”
Lucy mindlessly blinks as she connect gazes with the waitress. She is blown away by how stunning she is.
“Hi, nice to meet you,” Lucy eventually returns to her senses. She gives Mirajane a handshake, glancing at Natsu to already find him nodding.
“Go ahead.” He waves her off. “Ask her all the questions you have. I’ll get us a table.”
“Thanks.” Lucy can’t hold back her excitement. “How long have you been working here, Mirajane?”
“Almost ten years now,” she responds, reflecting on the number as she speaks. “It’s been a while, hasn’t it?”
The number also catches Lucy by surprise. “How old are you?” she blurts out.
“I turn 28 at the end of this year,” Mirajane answers. “I started working here as soon as I graduated high school. I needed to look after my siblings instead of going to college.”
“How many siblings do you have?” Lucy asks.
“I have a younger brother and sister.” Mirajane’s eyes light up as she mentions them. “They’ve already finished school, but I decided to just stay and work here. Lisanna lives with me, anyway.”
Lucy pauses, recognizing the name from a few days ago. She searches her memories until she remembers that it was Gray who said that name—she is the one who Natsu broke up with in college. At the time, Lucy didn’t care too much. But now, she can’t help but wonder about his past life.
“Do you want to do anything else?” Lucy questions before her mind wanders too far away.
Mirajane hums, tapping her cheek in thought. “That’d be nice. I haven’t thought much about it, since I love Lisanna too much to move away.”
“There’s plenty of work in Magnolia,” Lucy tells her. “Would you ever want to do modeling?”
“I’ve considered that, actually,” Mirajane nods. “How did you know that? Did Natsu tell you?”
“No, I just thought it’d suit you,” Lucy assures. “I’m sure an opportunity for you to model will come up if it’s meant to be.”
“I receive that!” Mirajane proclaims. “I should look into it. Thank you for taking the time to get to know me, Lucy. I need to go back to working now.”
“Thank you for letting me ask you questions.” Lucy sends her a smile. With a wave, she joins Natsu at the table.
“I’ll never understand your interest in strangers,” he scoffs as she slides into the booth.
“There’s too much to not be interested in,” she shoots back.
She directs her eyes to read the single menu that they share. Although the words for Natsu are upside down, he doesn’t mind. He already knows exactly what he wants.
“The sandwiches here are better than the other diner we went to,” he mentions, hesitating before he finishes. “All of them have meat in them, though.”
“I want to try them,” she responds, causing him to lift a brow.
“You don’t have to—”
“I don’t care if it messes with my digestion,” she interrupts him. “I want to try them.”
Natsu nods in understanding. Lucy looks up to send him an assuring smile, stopping for just a second. As the sunlight pours through the windows diner and illuminates his features, her heart squeezes. He’s beautiful.
She clenches her fists under the table. If there’s anything that she wants to do right now, it is to come clean with everything—from white lies to blatant lies. She wants to tell him that this is the real her. The girl who cares for others, wants to try everything, and isn’t as self-centered as he has seen her to be.
But most of all, she wants to apologize for everything she has put him through.
However, she forces herself to swallow back her apologies. It would be best to tell him once the ten days are over. That way, there wouldn’t be a reason to see each other again. With that in mind, Lucy decides it would be best to cherish these next three days.
Soon enough, Mirajane sets two plates on the table. Natsu and Lucy send her a grateful smile before digging in.
“Wow,” Lucy gasps as soon as she takes her first bite. “This chicken sandwich is amazing.”
“I’m glad you like it,” he says in between bites. “I used to come here all the time in college.”
“With Lisanna?” she asks before she can stop herself.
Natsu pauses mid-chew. He slowly begins to nod. “Yeah, it was our weekly thing to do together. Mirajane would give us discounts after a certain time.”
Lucy takes another bite of her sandwich. It’s easy to slip into jealousy, but she prevents herself from doing so. She wants to not only know Natsu’s past, but also understand it—just like she would with anyone else.
“Did you always get the Italian?” she asks.
“I used to get something different every night,” Natsu answers. “But once I met the Italian, I couldn’t go back.”
A laugh escapes Lucy’s lips. “It’s definitely one of the best.”
There’s a beat of silence between them as they eat their sandwiches.
“How do you always do that?” Natsu asks randomly.
“Do what?” Lucy tilts her head curiously.
“When you ask questions, you never judge the person’s answers.” Natsu’s eyes swirl with admiration as he speaks. “You always make the person feel accepted by your follow up responses.”
Heat crawl up her neck at the affirmation. “I-I’m just curious about everyone.”
“It’s not a bad thing,” Natsu guarantees. “I really appreciate that of you.”
Lucy can’t help but avert her gaze back to her sandwich. She raises her eyes when he speaks up again.
“How about we check out the pier after this?”
“Let’s do it. When was the last time you went?”
“At least three years ago. I’m sure a lot has changed.”
Both of them are eager to head towards the pier, so they speed up their eating. Once they have finished their meal, Lucy makes sure to leave a generous tip on the table for Mirajane.
As they cruise to the pier, they can feel the breeze of the ocean. Even better, the pier is only occupied by a handful of middle-aged women out on early afternoon walks. This gives Natsu and Lucy plenty of space to drive around.
They eventually stop at a bench that faces the water. Setting the bike on park, the two sit and gaze at the water.
“I feel like I can stare at the water for hours,” Natsu reveals, his eyes settled on the waves crashing against nearby rocks.
“It’s so refreshing,” Lucy breathes out. “I can hardly believe we’re still in Magnolia.”
They continue to view the soothing ocean, basking in a comfortable silence. They’re both relieved neither of them brought their phones.
Knowing herself, Lucy would want to take plenty of pictures. Knowing himself, Natsu would ask a question about the ocean that would cause him to search up some facts.
Without their phones, they have no choice but to focus on the present moment in front of them. Neither of them can remember what it was like to simply be like this.
“Hey,” Lucy speaks up after a while. “Why don’t you teach me how to ride your motorcycle?”
Natsu laughs before he can stop himself. “You think you could?”
“It’s like riding a bike, right?” she remarks, standing up from the bench and examining the bike.
“That’s your first mistake.” He places his hands on his hips and stares at her mindless pokes at parts of the bike. “It took me months until I got the rhythm of riding it.”
“Because of your motion sickness?” Lucy cracks a grin.
Natsu gapes at her. “Who told you—Oh, wait. How do you even remember someone told you that at the station?”
She sends him an oblivious shrug. “Well, I don’t have any problems with motion sickness. And I’m open to new experiences. Let’s try it!”
“No one will ever understand,” Natsu grumbles while patting the bike seat. “Let’s just practice sitting on it. I’ll go behind you.”
Lucy swings her right leg over the bike and wraps her hands around the handlebars. Now that it’s in front of her, she feels intimidated. But what makes her feel safe is Natsu’s chest behind her.
“The clutch is on your left and the brake is on your right,” he explains by pointing at each handlebar.
Lucy concentrates as best as she can as Natsu continues explaining the rest of the motorcycle. She didn’t think it was going to be this detailed, but she decides to take this as a learning moment.
“Do you think you understand?” He double-checks. “I can re-explain everything if you need me to.”
“No, I think I got it,” she assures him. “The shifting gears part seems difficult, but we’ll give it a try.”
“I trust you, Luce,” he responds.
The nickname causes Lucy to turn over her shoulder with a smile. Hearing it for the second time sounds just as sweet as the first. His encouragement is also enough to make her more at ease.
Natsu returns her smile with a nod. “Try it now.”
Lucy takes a deep, steady breath to return her focus on the bike. She moves slowly, mentally reciting all of his directions. The bike rumbles beneath them as she turns on the engine.
She isn’t sure if it’s going to end up in a disaster, but she gently releases the clutch and lets the bike roll forward. She holds her breath as they begin to move.
“You’re a natural!” Natsu encourages her, the wind skimming across their skin.
“I’ve always wanted to do this!” Lucy proclaims in delight.
She drives from one side of the pier to the other, but she suddenly realizes she doesn’t know how to turn. Before she creates the disaster that she fears, she calmly brings the bike to a stop.
“Why did you stop?” he asks.
“I don’t know how to turn.” She tries to hide her disappointment. She is sure that Natsu won’t want to continue teaching her.
“Well, we have all day for you to learn.”
Natsu’s words cause the edges of Lucy’s lips to rise into a grin. She doesn’t know if she has ever taken a day with someone to simply spend their time together. It’s more freeing than she thought it could be.
Throughout the rest of the afternoon, the two focus on getting comfortable enough on the bike to coast around. Surprisingly, Lucy is a natural. She learns fast enough to even bring them to a nearby ice cream stand.
“Ready for your next challenge?” Natsu offers as they finish their waffle cones.
Lucy raises a brow. “What?”
“Drive us back home.”
Her eyes widen, but she catches the keys that he flings to her. Normally, she wouldn’t feel ready to drive a vehicle that she just learned how to maneuver. However, the power of spontaneity is too strong to resist.
Just like that, she is driving them back. It’s golden hour, which allows their skin to shimmer with the evening sky. It isn’t long until Lucy rolls into the driveway and smoothly parks the bike.
“Looks like you’ll be driving us back to central Magnolia tomorrow,” Natsu teases her as he hops off.
“That’s definitely not happening!” she exclaims.
The two can already feel their flushed skin as they enter the home. The comforting smell envelops Lucy again, but she has enough control to push back her tears. They find Grandeeny in the living room playing with Wendy.
“Did you two have a good day?” Grandeeny asks, noticing their permanent smiles.
“Natsu taught me how to ride his motorcycle,” Lucy replies.
“And she’s a natural,” Natsu adds. “I was totally surprised!”
Lucy playfully jabs her elbow into his chest, both of them softly laughing.
“Well, why don’t you freshen up before dinner?” Grandeeny suggests.
Natsu and Lucy don’t need to be asked twice. Spending the last several hours at the pier, both of them received enough sun for them to notice their crisp skin.
“You can shower first,” Lucy tells him, staying in the living room.
“Thanks,” Natsu says while hiking up the stairs.
“You know,” Grandeeny begins. She stands up and approaches Lucy to gently hug her. “Natsu has never looked so happy with someone before.”
Lucy can feel warmth and love and kindness radiating from Grandeeny. In response, she remains still with her arms limp by her sides; it takes everything in her to return the hug. As they separate, she gives Grandeeny a tight smile.
“I’m going to go upstairs.” Lucy’s voice comes out like a whisper. “Excuse me.”
Closing the bedroom door and kicking off her shoes, she sits on the edge of the bed. A multitude of feelings swell inside of her—regret for putting herself in this situation, sadness for what she will do to Natsu’s family, and desire for all of this to be real.
She can sense these feelings are going to explode, so she quickly pulls out her journal to express all of her emotions. In the back of her mind, she knows she can use these notes for the article. But in reality, her notes sound mediocre at this point.
Lucy doesn’t realize how frantically she is writing until Natsu comes in and tilts his head at her. She looks up at him, noticing his slightly damp hair. Before she admires him too much, she lets out a sigh and shuts her journal.
“What’s up?” he asks while joining at the edge of the bed.
She presses her lips together, collecting her thoughts. She said yesterday it wasn’t time yet, but she realizes now that she doesn’t even know what that meant in the first place. Quite frankly, she still has no idea what time it is currently.
“I love everything about this home,” she says softly. “The way it smells, your family, the way we get to eat dinner together… It’s so sweet. And you know what? Grandeeny hugged me just now. And she really hugged me.”
“Isn’t that a good thing?” Natsu remarks. “Why aren’t smiling about it? Try and smile.”
Lucy shakes her head. “It won’t be genuine if I smile.”
He pokes her cheek several times. “Try it.”
She turns to him, forcing a smile that clearly isn’t convincing. The expression causes Natsu to tilt his head back, releasing a honeyed laugh.
“Yeah, that could have been better.”
Lucy can’t help but join his laughter. Once they become quiet, they gaze at one another for a few moments.
She notices that his cheeks are still pink from the sun. Natsu notices that she earned some new freckles. A familiar sense of electricity ignites between them. The bed creaks at Natsu’s weight as he leans forward.
Time is at a standstill as their lips seem to melt into each other’s. Lucy feels flutters in her stomach. Natsu’s heart pounds in his throat.
It’s a kiss that seems to make up for lost time. Perhaps from the time they met, or after the first night, or the third night, or all of the nights since then. Right now, this is a real kiss.
Before they can get too far, a round of knocks sound on the door. They jerk apart, which causes Natsu to almost fall off the bed. Lucy giggles as he stands up to open the door.
“Dinner is almost ready,” Igneel says. He peeks his head in, noticing their tinted cheeks. “Were you two starting to—”
“No!” Natsu and Lucy shout at the same time. This doesn’t help plead their case as Igneel’s lips form a smirk.
“Well, make it quick,” Igneel waves them off and goes back downstairs.
Natsu scoffs, looking over at his shoulder at Lucy. As they connect gazes, they can’t stop themselves from smiling.
“I’ll tell them you’re showering,” he assures her. “Come down when you’re ready.”
“Okay, thanks.” She sends him a thankful nod.
With that, Natsu closes the door behind him. In response, Lucy rubs her cheeks for a moment. Before she bursts with joy, she quickly grabs her clothes and makes her way to the shower.
After showering and drying her hair, she goes downstairs to find the family still eating at the table outside.
“Strawberries,” Natsu says simply as she sits down next to him.
“Thank you for the meal,” Lucy tells Igneel.
“Anytime,” Igneel responds with a wide grin.
Warmth settles inside of Lucy’s chest as they eat together. As she listens to the kids talk about their school days, Igneel and Grandeeny about their days, and her day told by Natsu, she feels completely fulfilled by their love.
“I have a question,” Lucy mentions after a while, directing her focus to Igneel and Grandeeny. “How did you two meet?”
“Oh, here we go,” Natsu nearly groans. “I’m going to get some water.”
“Igneel was known throughout our small town for being the biggest womanizer of all time,” Grandeeny starts.
Lucy’s eyes light up, knowing that the story will be just as special as she imagined. She hangs off Grandeeny’s every word, occasionally hearing Igneel’s side of the story. Throughout the time they tell the story, Lucy notices Natsu go inside several times to heat up a bowl of instant yakisoba and bring it back outside.
By the time Grandeeny and Igneel have finished their love story, three empty bowls are stacked on the table, the kids have been put to bed, and Natsu is almost snoring in his seat.
“Incredible,” Lucy breathes out in awe.
“It’s as amazing as a mundane life can get,” Igneel shrugs.
“That’s why it’s amazing,” Lucy insists. “The simplicity of your relationship is what makes it so special.”
“Well, when you put it that way,” Grandeeny replies with an appreciative smile. “It is pretty special, then.”
Lucy nods, leaning over to run a hand through Natsu’s hair. He opens his eyes at the feeling and locks eyes with her. “How long was I out?”
“Long enough to miss the whole story,” she responds.
“He has heard it more times than we’ve told it, I’m sure,” Igneel remarks while standing up from his seat. “Well, Lucy, it was great having this talk with you. We need to head to bed now, though.”
“Thank you for taking the time to tell me,” Lucy says with as much sincerity as she can offer. “It really means a lot.”
“Let’s do it again sometime,” Grandeeny assures.
The four stand up from their chairs and return inside. They turn off the lights as they go, exchanging a few goodnights before entering their bedrooms.
Since it’s late, Lucy is expecting Natsu to go straight to sleep after they brush their teeth. She is surprised to find him awake and sitting against the bedframe.
“What was life like for you when you were younger?” he asks.
Lucy pauses at the question before joining him on the bed. She sits crisscrossed, also leaning against the bedframe. “Why do you ask?”
“I feel like you should be asked some questions every once in a while.”
Another wave of warmth scatters across her skin. It’s rare for anyone to intentionally ask her questions since she’s usually the one asking. Now that Natsu wants to return the gesture, she feels incredibly loved.
“I grew up with two incredible parents,” she begins. “We used to do everything together. They were my rock until I was 15. They passed away on a plane crash for a business trip.
“After that, I moved in with my best friend. We used to read books all the time, but I felt like they started to get similar after a while. That’s why I began to write, because I had too many ideas that weren’t being written.”
“Have you always had an interest in people?” Natsu asks.
“I’m not sure, actually,” she replies with a hum. “It just came natural to me to ask other people questions. It’s important to me that everyone understands each other. I don’t like the idea of having a grudge against someone.”
“Forgiveness,” Natsu mentions.
Lucy smiles as she nods. “It’s a difficult process, but it’s possible.”
“How have your past relationships been like?”
The question causes Lucy to pause again, although she isn’t sure why. Not that she’s ashamed, but she wants to commit to being honest with Natsu for the rest of their time together.
“I’ve never had a relationship longer than a year,” Lucy reveals. “I was too focused on my studies in college, so I didn’t make time for one. But even then, I wanted to feel like I belonged to someone’s heart.”
“Wow,” he replies, almost dumbfounded.
“I’ve never shared a bed with a guy before,” she admits. “I’ve never met my boyfriend’s parents, either.”
Lucy doesn’t realize that she said boyfriend, but Natsu catches it as soon as it leaves her lips. Since she isn’t aware of it, he decides to not bring it up.
“You’re really brave for coming here,” he tells her.
“We’re determined to work things out, remember?” she reminds him. “If that means being uncomfortable, then I’m okay with that.”
Natsu reaches over to hold her hand. Their hands are warm as they intertwine, settling in her lap.
“I want to kiss you,” he mumbles.
“Then kiss me,” she whispers back.
The bed creaks again as they both lean forward. It starts as a delicate, butterfly kiss. Heads titled, Natsu can feel her heated body underneath him. Lucy can feel his protective body hovering over her. It is slow and soft, comforting in ways that words could never be.
This isn’t the moment and place for the passion that dwells within them. They both know that, so they eventually pull away, stealing a few chaste kisses before actually separating. They shyly peek at one another.
“I think that was the sweetest kiss I’ve ever had,” Natsu blurts out.
A laugh escapes her tingling lips. It is almost as if they are inexperienced teenagers who are out late together. It’s refreshing.
“We should probably go to sleep so we can say goodbye to Igneel and Grandeeny in the morning,” Lucy says.
Natsu checks the time, finding that it’s already past midnight. He knows that he could have endless conversations with her, but he keeps them to himself for now. With that, he reaches for the lamp.
Although it’s dark, they can still make out their eyes in the moonlight. Just for a moment, they quietly breathe before slowly inching closer to each other in the middle of the bed. Lucy is surprised at how comfortably they cuddle.
“Even if you did share a bed with someone before,” Natsu mentions. “Their body wouldn’t overheat like mine.”
“I’m not sure if that’s a valid assumption,” she replies, allowing her eyes to close. “Goodnight, Natsu.”
“Goodnight, Luce.”
With the ghost of his lips pressing against her forehead, they drift into dreams that somehow feel less real than their experiences from today.
After watching this Kickstarter shoot through 1 million in lLESS THAN AN HOUR, I’m gonna finally leave my laptop so i can go eat. It’s nearing 1.3 million right now. I don’t doubt that it’s gonna reach the 1.5 by the time I get back. 44 minute special here we come!
