#it has always been natsu and lucy

[through-a-blackhole]

I think the most heartbreaking part of this is because in the first picture, that’s Future Natsu doing the forehead touch with Future Lucy, and he promises her that they’ll be okay.

But in the second picture, that’s Present Natsu doing the forehead touch with Future Lucy. Present Natsu who had no idea that Future Natsu did that with Future Lucy. He did that gesture out of his own love and gratitude to Future Lucy for going back in time to protect their future.

And the reason Future Lucy is crying in the second picture is because she remembers how her Natsu from the Future did the exact same thing. And her Natsu is dead. And this one, still alive, made her remember how her Natsu did this gesture and she lost him after.

In this one shot alone, you can see the love, sadness, gratitude, and fear that Future Lucy and Present Natsu is experience.

And I just love them so much more for it.

[celestialulu]

i think about this a lot like this shit is traumatising.. the anime censors a lot but the blood here and like he fucking exploded her leg i am in pain

[ignis-venenatus]

@xcelestial [♥]

Natsu would turn his attention to Lucy as she sat down across the table from him. He thought she was on a job so he was kind of surprised to see her. He'd quickly remove his gale-force glasses and tuck them into their case. He'd also tuck a mark into the book he was reading before leveling his gaze at her face.

"What's wrong, Lucy? I thought you were on a job with Erza and Gray?"

He'd not really spent much time with her recently, mostly due to being busy with his own life and going on solo jobs for Jewel. Mostly so the team would stop blaming him for everything that went wrong even if the issue lay with someone else. He was done being the scapegoat and the one having to give up his Jewel for the others because they wouldn't own up to their own mistakes. He'd never had that issue with Lucy though. Not that he could recall anyway it was mostly Gray and Erza.

"Did you need me for something?"

His head would tilt to the side as he waited for her response. If she said nothing he'd just go back to reading but without his gale-force glasses.

[deus-sema]

Natsu's emotional intelligence is greatly underestimated. He is anything but blissfully unaware; he is highly perceptive of how others feel and reacts accordingly. For instance, when Jellal was about to be arrested by the Magic Council towards the end of the Oracion Seis arc, he could sense Erza's turmoil and understood what the former meant to her which led to him taking a stand for Jellal. He reassured Juvia that they would get Gray back during the Avatar arc. He was mature enough to put up an innocent charade of incompetence to keep Asuka happy. He has lent emotional support to Lucy on several occasions and showcased utmost sensitivity.

That brings us to two questions: Why does he play the clueless fool and what will make him acknowledge his feelings and, eventually, act on them?

First, it is my interpretation that what terrifies Natsu more than anything else in the world is loss. He cannot so much as entertain the possibility of losing the people he loves. Let alone accept its inevitability. It is why he adheres to a maladaptive coping style where he simply avoids difficult situations and feelings. Instead of facing the reality of Igneel's death and allowing himself to be supported by his friends, he chose to isolate himself from everyone with only Happy for company. Natsu would sooner bear the burden of the entire world than share his own with his friends.

When the situation is under control and whatever crisis they're facing is averted, he wilfully regresses to his childish ways, content with the knowledge that he wouldn't have to face his feelings or address them. That everything will be how it always has been.

For Natsu to experience growth, he will have to experience a loss from which he can neither escape nor avoid. It shouldn't be a permanent one but it needs to last a while and end with the realisation that life is too short to not be savoured in its entirety. That he needs to break out of the shell he so stubbornly clings to and let people in.

Then there are his feelings for Lucy, who, I daresay, is in an entirely different category from the rest of his friends.

His words to Lucy at the end of the manga, that they will always be together, are not so much a statement, as they are a promise, both to her and to himself for when he believed that he had lost her forever, the outcome was frightening. Much like his brother Zeref, whose whole tragedy was triggered by his inability to come to terms with losing the one he loved most, Natsu's intense devotion for Lucy can bring out the worst in him.

For NaLu to unite for good, I need them to be apart for a while. When faced with the reality that Lucy might not be by his side forever or vice versa, Natsu will have no choice but to face his demons and get his act together. It will not be an easy process but a little angst has never harmed anyone.

[bumblebeehug]

btw lucy’s the one that tends to forget anniversaries, not natsu. lucy wakes up to a beautiful platter of fruits with the words “HAPPY 5TH MONTHS SINCE WE FIRST KISSED IN PUBLIC ANNIVERSARY, LOVE, NATSU” spelled out and she just has to smile and pretend she knew about it bc it’s the most important thing for natsu and he literally tells time by lucy-anniversary things. “oh what’s the clock? well it’s been 3 years 2 months 19 days and 11 hours exactly since me and lucy shared our first taco platter so it’s probably 17:40 right now”. and believe it or not; he’s always on the dot correct.

just thought you’d like to know

[tokkias]

i think a nalu element that doesn't get talked about enough is the fact that pre-series, natsu doesn't really hang out with a lot of people. yes, he loves his friends and family but there are few people he actively likes to or wants to spend time with before lucy. it's just him and happy for the most part but then he meets lucy he's like "yeah, she's cool, we're going to be best friends from now on" and then for the most part they're basically inseparable after that

he wants to team up with her because she's nice, and she is, but there's a lot of people in the guild who are nice. in my silly little brain palace i just think that natsu just vibes with her so much from the very beginning that he just feels so compelled to be with her that after years of going solo he suddenly wants to form a team with this girl that he's know for like what, a week? yeah she's not the strongest and at that point she's a little whiny and hasn't grown into the smart mage she is now, but i think that even though natsu sees the potential in her, he doesn't really care about that in that moment. he just sees her and nice and funny and caring and he thinks that she's cool so he wants to be around her more

i also like to think about the idea that lucy just thinks natsu has always been eager to be around people and has no idea that she's the only one that has this effect on him

[shiiro-arts]

Nalu's confession and why it seems so impossible

Okay, I think I understand why Mashima has trouble writing or imagining NaLu's confession, and honestly, it's 100% his fault (obviously).

In the original manga it wasn't so hard for me to imagine it, we all know that Natsu knew how to act in serious situations and when they required a more mature attitude, but in 100yq? It's like Natsu is incapable of being serious for 2 seconds, they always end the scene with a bad joke or write him off as "too dumb to understand anything."

We have witnessed how Natsu is able to read the environment and react accordingly, like when they were going to arrest Jellal and Natsu realized how much it was affecting Erza

Gray's several su attempts with Ice Shell

The death of Lucy's father and the death of Eclair and how it affected her and his way of supporting her.

The way 100yq is written is vague and messy, the characters act like idiots and any progress they have had as characters has disappeared (Natsu the most obvious one).

Until they fix his character, even I, a Nalu fan at heart, find it difficult to see a confession in the current state of the manga. We may get lucky and get some progress with the Ignia arc (which I think would be the most logical one to use to make their relationship progress), but it's highly unlikely to be a serious development.

In my opinion, the perfect moment in which Nalu would have become canon was when the Dragon Slayers fell from the sky and Natsu ended up on top of Lucy saying that "he was home", Lucy should have been brave and kissed him at that moment but noooo.

Mashima should't have started so many proyects and focused is his supposedly "favorite work", just saying. No one likes a "rushed" story.

[patentedsun]

You guys I'm actually crying over chapter 204.5 (which is technically an ad for a certain company we're all boycotting btw) but ignoring the actual ad THE STORYLINE WAS SO??? GOOD???? the Natsu characterization in this was INCREDIBLE (be prepared for intense 100yq hatred) and it portrayed exactly why I fell in love with nalu in the first place....

Summary and analysis below (doesn't incl all the pages btw!!)

We start off with Lucy finding Natsu and Happy at her place, as always.

this is followed by him being like "do you think we'll peek or something" which... 100yq natsu would have... that IMPOSTER...

Anyways while she's taking a bath, Natsu and Happy are browsing around Lucy's room and find a book that stands out. (Btw right next to this book is her diary, 100yq natsu would've gone straight for that). However they end up accidentally destroying it and start panicking. They ask Lucy if they can "borrow it" and Lucy panics at first, saying it's precious and not to touch it, but relents when they say they found it "interesting".

fast forward, we see them worn out after trying and failing to find a replacement copy. ONCE AGAIN, they're doing this because it's something precious to LUCY. Not because they care about reading, or because the book has any value to them, but because they understand it's important to HER. Natsu (and Happy) going the extra mile for things that are important to Lucy is SUCH AN IMPORTANT PART of their entire dynamic.

continuing, Lucy walks into the guild and asks how they're finding the book, they say it's interesting. Lucy gets SUPER EXCITED ABOUT THIS and starts talking non stop ab the book. Happy asks her why this book is so important to her and...

Y I K E S.

So yeah, they ultimately decide that lying isn't it and they should apologize upfront.

this is so beautiful to me, idk like the imagery of them bowing so sincerely is so.... and like wow MASHIMA seems like natsu IS capable of acknowledging his own wrongdoings and offering genuine apologies. I'm not even talking ab the whole post tartaros situation no, I'm talking about fucking 100yq, where natsu actually physically hurts Lucy and doesn't apologize for it (AND IN FACT ITS PLAYED FOR A GAG)(IMPOSTER!!! NOT MY NATSU!!!)

Soooo Lucy doesn't take it well and runs away.

the fact that they didn't stop their search here. the fact that they EXPANDED it to other towns to try and find her the book THIS IS JUST <3333

Anyways, Lucy returns and reveals dozens of copies of the book...

My heart actually broke for her here because as someone who ig creates stuff as well, it really can be painful to have no audience interaction. And to have a book you wrote bomb like that...ouch... and of course she would've been excited, her best friends told her they found it interesting!!! my HEART. OUCH. and the sheer guilt on Natsu and Happy's faces here 😭 Once again, 100yq would've played this off for a gag...

And they all start bawling (and the ad comes in so I will stop there) but YEAH. THIS WAS SO BEAUTIFUL??? The way she's regretful too, the way they're still trying to apologize and make her feel better I'm :(. This is what makes nalu work and it feels like mashima is forgetting that ab his own work... they're both genuinely good and kind to each other... like not to get sidetracked but there has always been goofy fanservice moments but there were also so many wonderful, emotional, complex scenes with them with depth and maturity and I just feel like that's lacking now. So reading this was like getting punched in the face srsly because wow... THIS is the natsu I know and love ugh .....

[sun-stricken]

Things that have [probably] happened at a Team Sleepover

so many games. so many.

they cant play monopoly unsupervised until they learn how to be grownups

“fuck communism, im gonna take everything youre worth and then some”

“if someone doesnt bail me out right fucking now consider yourselves on my hit list”

“how the FUCK ARE YOU SO RICH??” “idk what to tell you, i just decided not to be poor” “can we jump someone in this game?” “now hOLD ON—”

charades is also banned because of the screaming matches

They love two truths and a lie tho, they will pull out the most absurd things abt themselves. usually the most mundane one is the lie

“okok, ive been arrested exactly one time, im wanted dead or alive in two countries, and i was the primary suspect in two armed robbery cases.” “okay, first of all—“ “what the fuck” “please tell me we’re playing two lies and one truth”

also uno!

Natsu: Please, Lucy, after everything we’ve been through together. You can’t do this. 
Lucy: I’m sorry Natsu. 
Natsu: I’m begging you. Don’t do it. 
Lucy: It has to be done. 
Natsu: 
Lucy: 
Natsu: 
Lucy: *Places +4* Uno.

Reading wikihow pages in suspenseful tones is a staple activity

it takes them hours to figure out where and what to eat

every time any of them pass the thermostat they have to mess with it

Usually they take place at either Lucy or Grays apartments, and they cause numerous noise complaints

Gray likes to leave like its a one night stand if its not at his place, no note, just up and leaves before anyone wakes up

they went to Natsus once, but they ended up walking to Grays bc they wouldnt stop critiquing everything

something always ends up being broken, be it a door, a vase, a cup, or a window, there will be something

alcohol was supposed to be banned at these sleepovers but somehow it always makes an appearance

Gray, drinking wine while getting a manicure from Lucy: I don’t know, they just don’t seem interested...

Lucy: Did you try talking to them?

Gray:

Gray: Try what?

There’s probably been a couple visits from police bc a neighbor though a domestic dispute was happening, this is the real reason charades was banned

Late night talks but they always end up with someone having an existential crisis

[aashi-heartfilia]

Finally, some decent development.

Let's talk about it.

I like Lucy and all but sometimes it's a bit too much. Like how can you be sad over the death of someone you just met? Ik it's Fairytail and their Nakama power and stuff but this? They barely had 2-3 interactions.

If Kiria sacrificed herself, that would have made more sense. Plus, I like how Natsu motivated Lucy to fight because everyone else was fighting too and she was just standing. I didn't even realise that she wasn't fighting until Natsu said it. And then I realised, ofc Lucy wouldn't wanna hurt a friend.

Also, I really liked the fact that Natsu wants Lucy to fight.

They were the OG team, from the very beginning!! It was just her, Natsu and Happy that started it!! And Natsu wants Lucy by her side, because no matter what happens Lucy has always been by his side. In good and bad, in sickness and in health, in every adventure, in every fight!

She may not fight at all, like in the beginning of the series when she was a scaredy cat or just do a thing or two to contribute.

Or she may put an end to the entire conflict all by herself, but her presence has always mattered.

Her spirit has always mattered.

And that's why this moment is important.

It might be the only decent bit from this chapter and I want this arc to be over already, but I can't help but praise when something good happens, especially regarding Nalu, since DAMN I want them to end up together already!!!

[through-a-blackhole]

natsu has always been protective over lucy

natsu and happy always make fun of lucy and her weirdness

yet they're the first ones to always make sure their lucy is safe

[happilychee]

do fairy tail characters nap?

just woke up from a nap. recommend.

♡ as annoying as this is to her, lucy always falls asleep when she reads. it takes forever for her to get through a book! it's just so soothing, especially if the story is compelling and lulls her in... bonus points if she's on a train or in a car; the rocking motion will have her out like a light.

♡ levy has no trouble getting through books because it gets her excited, not tired. she doesn't let lucy forget this. she does, however, stay up until ungodly hours of the night to finish a story. gajeel, jet, droy, and lily have found her passed out over a book (or twenty) multiple times. I think she's always buzzing with energy or curiosity, so one of the only ways for levy to settle in is if gajeel literally lies on top of her like a weighted blanket.

♡ speaking of, gajeel is very neutral about naps. he doesn't actively seek them out, mostly because he's one of the few members of the guild who has a relatively normal sleep schedule. he is, however, soft as hell. levy and lily always nap on him. wendy will nap on him. juvia will nap on him. gajeel looks scary asf if he glares, so no one will bother whoever's sleeping by his side. he is also actually very squishy if he relaxes his muscles. 10/10 pillow.

♡ cana naps like nobody's business. she goes out at night, stays up late drinking or partying, and crashes at 3am in gray or loke's bed. there is no "schedule" to sleeping so she will sleep whenever and wherever. cana has the uncanny ability to fall asleep anywhere. slumped over a table in a guild hall while natsu and gray throw chairs at each other? out like a light. lying on a freezing cold bench while her and lucy wait for a train? snoring away. (lucy pulls cana's head into her lap.) cana rarely falls asleep in an actual bed, though. if she does, it's because she's dead tired, and she's been incentivized by cuddles.

♡ natsu looooves a good nap. him and happy cat nap all the time. this might actually be the only consistent thing in their schedules: nap. the entire guild knows, courtesy of mirajane, to stfu for a bit when 1 o'clock hits. they don't actually need to, because natsu could sleep through a storm, but it's the thought that counts. natsu is also really warm and cuddly, which means that he's the perfect napping buddy. being buried in his warm arms, snug as a bug with happy between you... truly the dream.

♡ gray hates naps. hates them!! all because he wakes up the way you wake up from an after-school nap: sweaty, dizzy, disoriented, in a different dimension, with an overwhelming sense of dread. he reveals this one night when he and lucy are plastered at a bar, and that he's slightly jealous of natsu. lucy resolves to fix this, and when they're both blackout drunk she drags him into bed with her. not quite a nap, but hey, gray woke up feeling nice.

♡ sting might be the only character in the fairy tail universe that goes to bed at 10pm. his sleep schedule is on point, so he doesn't really nap unless he's exhausted from running sabertooth's infirmary. he will snuggle up in a square of sunlight with lector and snooze away.

♡ what is a nap? minerva doesn't nap. she doesn't need to rest during the day, she has things to do, what are you talking about- oh. oh. I think sabertooth has a very luxurious library, and minerva knocks out on one of the plush purple couches. more often than not, frosch will worm their way into her arms. the only people who dare to mention her naps are yukino (who minerva has a soft spot for) and sting (who has no sense of self-preservation).

[tokkiasficlets]

The chime of bells fills the cathedral, echoing off the walls, soft and delicate, full of joy and hope for the celebration of a new union.

It’s not a place that Natsu can see himself getting married in, but Lucy likes it, so that’s why they’re here.

A hush falls over the room as the music begins to play. The romantic notes of the organ begin to fill the air as the doors open and all eyes turn to Lucy as she is escorted through the door.

Natsu doesn’t hear the music. His mind is a blur, all the noise drowned out the very moment he watches her walk in.

She’s soft and elegant, she moves like water.

She’s glowing, just like she always is. She looks like she’s been blessed by the heavens themselves.

She’s a star, so brilliant and bright that he almost has to look away, lest he blind him with her beauty.

Her smile is beaming and it makes Natsu’s heart melt, just like it always has, and the moment her eyes meet his, he can see her eyes grow softer, the way they always do for him.

White is her colour, he decides. Gentle, delicate, pure of heart.

She looks like an angel and she fits the part.

Her dress fits all of her curves almost as if it was painted directly on her. Stones etch the dress and dazzle in the lights, but she outshines them all.

To say that he had not imagined this day would be a lie. Though he was not much of a romantic, visions of her walking down the aisle, clad in white, had plagued his dreams and fantasies for perhaps longer than it should have.

Marriage had never been an option in his mind until Lucy. He had assumed he would live out his adventures on his own, just him and Happy, until she came along and taught him that there was more to life than that.

She had saved him.

In more ways than one.

Now, seeing her walk down the aisle, holding her flowers close to her chest as her hands shake with anticipation, makes him want to cry.

He wants to wail and sob and have her as forever his.

But he doesn’t.

He holds himself together until she makes it to the altar, standing below an arch of flowers decorated with flowers and petals of soft pinks and yellows.

Her smile is soft and gentle and full of all the love in the world when she looks at him before she gently places her bouquet in his hands and turns to face a man who Natsu has long since deliberately forgotten the name of.

He can’t see adoration shining in her eyes when she looks at this faceless man, but he knows it’s there because it always had been. It’s the look that makes his stomach twist and turn and makes him want to wretch because he should be looking at him that way.

It makes him want to scream, to object, to take Lucy into his arms where she rightfully belongs.

But he doesn’t.

Because she’s smiling.

And that’s all that matters. 

[beargyufairy]

Just My Thoughts Pt. 7

Natsu’s Growth

I’ve been disappointed a few times at how Hiro Mashima writes his characters and plot. But never have I ever been as disappointed as I was when I read this panel in the 100 YQ.

For reference, Natsu made a joke about disinfecting Lucy’s burns. It was not even a funny joke. I don’t think anyone laughed. Lucy was burned after trying to calm Natsu who consumed Ignia’s flames to battle against the water dragon god. While he did succeed in the fight, he lost control of himself and was stumped by the flames.

This is such a disappointing situation when it comes to Natsu and his development as a character. Everything he experienced in the original manga/anime is put to shame. It’s like his growth as a person disappeared into thin air. I mean come on!! Is Mashima being serious right now?! Because am I supposed to believe this is the same Natsu who wouldn’t let Gray use Ice Shell on more than one occasion?! Natsu knows the consequences of Ice Shell and refuses to let that happen to Gray no matter how dire the circumstances are. Even though Gray and Natsu would never admit it, their relationship is unique and filled with love. They may be rivals and opposite (considering the ice/fire, demon/devil slayer attributes) but their friendship has grown so much since the start of Fairy Tail. Doesn’t this show how considerate Natsu is?! How important the lives of his friends is to him?

If that isnt enough here’s another example. When Erza was sacrificing herself in the Tower of Heaven arc, Natsu refused to let her go and eventually saved her. Erza is important to him and Fairy Tail. He wants her to live on. Doesn’t this show how much Natsu cares about everyone?! Is he making a joke about Erza?! No he isn’t.

Okay fine those examples aren’t about Lucy right, so why does it matter?! Because Natsu would never joke about burning his friends, accident or not. And if it’s about Lucy, then most definitely not. Lucy is probably the member of Fairy Tail he cares about the most (aside from Happy). When Future Lucy died, Natsu almost went completely rogue (pun intended, if you know what I mean). He even stated that something precious was taken from him. Furthermore, when Lucy was “dead” during the Alverez arc, Natsu lost it. Literally, he became END, the demon everyone fears, the strongest creation of Zeref, the black wizard. Lucy’s life was so important to him that without it, there was nothing holding him back. He even stated that he can’t be stopped after having flashbacks about her supposed death.

Natsu couldn’t care less about the world ending. He wanted to fight the people that made Lucy cry. That’s what he was focused on. And so after all this, Mashima wants me to believe that Natsu would joke about burning Lucy?! Yeah, I don’t think so. After everything Natsu went through, he would’ve at least felt guilty. Considering that it was Lucy of all people he burned, he would’ve apologized over and over again. Why?! Because she’s so important to him. He literally became a demon when he thought she died!! Isn’t that proof enough?! I also think that he would feel so grateful to her. This isn’t the first time Lucy helped Natsu control himself. She’s always there for him. But Natsu has never lost control like this before. Did Natsu ever properly thank Lucy for saving by rewriting the book of END?! He’s literally only alive because of her. She tampered with a demonic force and black magic yet Lucy is so damn under appreciated that it pains me!!

If the goal was to lighten the situation considering the intensity of the battle against the water dragon god and Ignia’s involvement, a joke that doesn’t make Lucy’s burn seem pathetic would’ve been better. A joke about anything else would’ve been better. Seriously, Lucy knew the consequences of trying to stop Natsu, especially when noting that she was scared of his flames for the very first time. She did anyway because she cares about Natsu and knows that she can help him, even if it means she will get burned. I would also like to note that Lucy never actually saw Natsu as END. She arrived after he gained some sense of control. Considering everything, if Hiro Mashima doesn’t make up to me by having her fear of Natsu’s flame and her lack of experience with END play into the story I’m gonna be so mad. Since he already disappointed me with how he’s treating Lucy’s injury/burn, I really hope he plays the rest of the story properly.

I’m very disappointed in how not only Natsu’s character is being portrayed and downgraded, but also how Lucy is yet again the butt of the joke. She does so much for her team and friends but is always ignored (I’m still upset about Aquarius’ sacrifice that’s not talked about enough).

Thank you for listening.

[tokkias]

nalu fluff fic rec list a list of my personal favourite fluffy reads on ao3! (+ a few of my own too :])

* indicates my must reads :]

Anything For You by goldviolet Despite Natsu's childish desire to know anything and everything, he's decided that there are somethings he's okay with not knowing.

Eye of the Beholder by madartiste Natsu realizes something about Lucy after seeing her in her old habitat.

your heart, my heart by aitnes * "Is that how you want to fall in love?" He asks, drowsily, quietly. She jerks around, staring at him for what feels like an eternity. Emotions brim brightly in the brown of her eyes, as if she's about to give up the most important, vulnerable part of her. As if all that she's ever wanted was to give it to him. "Yeah." Her voice, no louder than a whisper. "Yeah, I think so." Of windows, seasons, and slow change.

it takes two (it takes us) by aitnes She throws her arms over his shoulders, her fingertips brushing across the back of his neck and setting his skin on fire, and suddenly nothing is funny anymore. The team goes undercover at a ball for a mission, but Natsu winds up catching a little bit more than rogue mages.

The Colours Are Brighter, When I'm With You by RyuuSha * They say that you see the world differently when you’re in love. Lucy supposed that was true enough.

i’ll make you a promise (watch you dance with your keys) by tetsuryu * She cracks her whip across the earth and he thinks he might be in love.

what it feels like to fall in love by tokkias "Natsu?" "Yeah?" There’s a brief pause between when he responds and when she manages to articulate a reply. She looks almost contemplative, as though she hasn’t thought her question through or perhaps, that she doesn’t know if she even wants to ask at all. "Do you think you’ve ever been in love?"

Something Bubbly, Something Blue by madartiste Natsu discovers that he likes weddings.

Natural Progression by snickerdoodlles Epiphanies sucked. They made idiots boyfriend material and her mind more perverted than a trashy romance novel.

Your Hands Are Warm by chikachoo Lucy discovers that absence does make the heart grow fonder. Contrary to what she would have everyone believe.

A Matter of Time by shizutans You don’t know much about the stars, but you are certain in your belief that she is a supernova. Her gentle touches are explosions on your skin, and all you can see is her. She is blinding.

a thousand red roses by natsudragneelswh0re Natsu and Lucy come back from a mission that puts pressure on not only them, but also their relationship. There only seems to be one option to resolve their conflict, but the 'only option' seems to be different to either party.

ten baby dragons (or less) by tokkias Making a family of his own is not something Natsu had ever given much thought to, but as he holds one of the guild's tiniest new additions in his arms he catches a glimpse into his future.

Amazing by Kaleidoscope_777 Natsu and Lucy's monthly routine is interrupted by a seemingly harmless question.

Post-Job Rituals by GemmaRose It's not something they've ever really talked about, but Natsu has long since stopped being surprised when Lucy pulls his head into her lap to play with his hair after a job well done.

i would say all of this, but i don't wanna ruin the moment by luckymio * As he sat on his bed, only the sounds of his fingers clicking against the controller, the monsters in his game groaning, even though the game was paused, and the flipping of pages, he realized that he couldn’t remember a time where he wasn’t in love with Lucy. It had always been him and her, Natsu and Lucy, them. Always them.

Furry by TheTinyFoxtail Lucy's embarrassed, Natsu's gone too far, and Happy's always in the wrong place at the wrong time. No, this wasn't what Lucy had pictured her first kiss with Natsu to be like.

night drives by luckymio Those nights were magic. For him, they were magic. Lucy’s face in the side mirror, her eyes gentle, slightly dazed, and trained on the blurry houses and apartments. She would sing softly, close to a whisper, her voice almost drowned out from the sound of tire against pavement. But he heard it, because he never focused on the music, because he only focused on her.

taking the hint by tokkias In which Natsu tries his best to let Lucy knows how he feels, but she just can't seem to take the hint.

Winter by bumblebeehugs Lucy has the worst morning known to human kind, until Natsu comes to her rescue. (but you should read the whole Lovely Seasons series anyway)

[xanvasofxords]

Since the last chapter came out, I’ve seen a bunch of people complaining about the fact that Natsu snapped at Lucy. I understand where it’s coming from, because Natsu never once raised his voice with Lucy.

I’m completely ignoring the bullshit that was added in the dragon egg episode in anime, but I agree with them that if Natsu were to snap at Lucy, that’s how it’d look. Which actually never, I repeat never happened in the entirety of Fairy Tail.

Natsu has always been very gentle and consoling towards Lucy despite having a rough nature. A part of it’s because he knows she’s very emotional and feels it’s his responsibility to not only protect her physically, but also mentally. She has lost so many people and each time it affected her greatly that he naturally always pays more attention to anything that may or may not involve her. He knows to act accordingly when the situation concerns her, whether it comes to consoling her or protecting her. Even in the middle of battles, he’s aware of her and her surroundings. He prioritises her over anything and understands her more than anyone. And he has always been very careful about her emotions. He knows how easy it’s for her to befriend anyone and risk everything for them. She can be too serious and stubborn about her love for her friends. Athena was no exception. They just met a few chapters ago and Lucy was ready to quit fighting Viernes for her sake.

But it just wasn’t possible to take time and make her understand that she’s needed in this fight and they can’t defeat Viernes unless she helps. Natsu did what he could do at that time and it was an urgent plea to shake Lucy out of her zone. That shout was full of desperation and it was hundred percent needed.

Also I heavily disagree with those who said Lucy was too dramatic for behaving like this. No she wasn’t. Don’t forget that she interacted the most with Athena and made her realise that she can also have emotions like humans. She befriended her first and it was quite natural for someone like Lucy to react that way because she has only been losing people since the beginning. Her mother, father, Aquarius, Eclair and even Natsu left her alone for a year and the guild disbanded. And now Athena.