#unlike lucy i am small and ready to BRAWL

[tuxiedjabberwock]

Sharks - Fairy Tail one-shot

For the Summer Fic Exchange - my partner’s CapAleran2. Hope you enjoy & have a good day! @fic-writer-appreciation

Gajeel was beginning to think things with the shrimp were tilting in a pleasing direction. She almost never flinched at his presence anymore, and when they made quick eye contact, she smiled and waved instead of shying away. It didn’t change the opinion of him with the rest of the Guild, not to mention her two lackeys, but he couldn’t care less about those guys. Knowing he more or less had Levy’s forgiveness now and having stuck with the fairies after the mess with Laxus and the Fantasia festival, he was feeling pretty damn good about himself.

 Of course, a proper Fairy Tail day wouldn’t be made without being accosted by that pink-headed moron. Gajeel responded in kind — that being a fist to the face — and they ended up starting the brawl that Tuesday. He stumbled backwards from a chair to the face, and he gave a wild grin as he wiped the streak of blood from his nose with his thumb. He was ready to jump back into things and even had his Iron Dragon’s Karma Sword ready, but a purple flaming projectile flew by in his peripheral vision. It later surprised him how unconsciously he calculated the trajectory for the exact spot Levy sat in every day. Just as unconsciously, he strafed to the side and wrapped an arm around her, forcing her further into the booth to take the attack in his back. He grunted at the force but didn’t lose his position.

 “Ya alright?” he asked. Levy had curled in a little instinctively, but now she looked at him with surprise, then embarrassment. He realized their faces were very close, almost close enough for their noses to touch.

 “Fine, fine,” she said in a slightly pitched voice, but her smile was genuine. “Thanks for saving me, Gajeel.”

 “Yeah, sure, it’s—” He broke off when he shifted his arm, making to pull it back to his side, and his fingertips brushed against something odd. Beneath the thin silk of her purple shirt, Gajeel could feel an odd formation on her back, somewhere around where he knew her Guild mark to be. It felt coarse and bumpy like a crocodile’s skin, and the sensation alone sent a chill down his spine.

 He was in Phantom Lord what felt like centuries ago — he knew the mark of a curse, and that was it, plain as day.

 He froze at the realization, and Levy did too once she realized what he was touching. She put her hands up, eyes wide and — terrified? — and clear letters appeared between them spelling the word ‘GALE.’ Half a second later, before he could even blink, Gajeel was blasted backwards by hurricane-force winds, sending him slamming into the bar back-first. Several bottles and glasses were jarred by the impact and toppled over to pelt his head and arms; he managed to scale his skin over quickly despite his disorientation, so the shattering glass didn’t hurt him — well, any more than he had already been injured. Alcohol dripped through his hair but he barely noticed the lukewarm sensation: all he could think of was the fear in her eyes. Fear in the eyes used to be his driving force; now it only sent rocks to the pit of his stomach. His head snapped up in time to catch Levy’s retreating back as she ran through the Guild doors.

 The sound of light laughter next to him startled him. “That was some hit you took there, Gajeel,” Master Makarov commented, tilting his head to one side to look Gajeel over. “And from Levy-chan of all people.”

 “Gramps…” He wondered for a moment if he was overstepping boundaries (which only goes to show how much consideration he has for Levy over others), then continued in a rough voice, “What’s with the curse mark on Levy? I know ya know, so don’t fake either.”

 Maybe he shouldn’t have spoken that way to the Guild Master, but Makarov didn’t seem to take much offense from it. His face remained calmly neutral as he watched the brawl carry on, Dragneel’s excited whoops echoing off the walls, then said in a similarly heavy tone, “All my brats have their burdens they carry, you know. Not all were purposefully borne either, her case included. But, if you want to know the details, you should hear it from her mouth.”

 “Yah…don’t think she’d be so eager to confide in me.”

 “Don’t sell yourself short, Gajeel. You’ve changed a lot from the person you once were and have grown closer to Levy-chan in the process, whether you’ve noticed or not. Either way, it won’t hurt to try,” he added with a grin more befitting of his eclectic personality.

 Gajeel pushes himself up from the wreckage of the bar top and to his feet, letting his magic dissolve back into skin. He looked the master right in the eyes and inclined his head into what could only just be called gratitude. That was a thing he still hadn’t quite mastered. His grin widened and he bonked Gajeel on the crown of his head. “Augh, you crazy old—!” Gajeel stumbled backwards growling under his breath, rubbing the sore spot.

 “She won’t be waiting all day, stupid brat.”

 It was the first time Makarov referred to him as such, Gajeel realized afterwards.

 He tracked Levy’s scent outside and towards central Magnolia. That was surprising, since he mostly expected her to have holed herself up in her Fairy Hills dorm, or if not that then Bunny-girl’s place, but   the trail instead led to Magnolia Park. He simply stood in the entrance gate for a moment, staring at the idling couples and running children, before he gathered his wits again. That was when he detected the soft sound of muffled tears.

 C’mon, Shrimp…

 He followed the sound to a small gathering of trees at the side of a large lake. Across the clear water, three kids argued about who was skipping stones the farthest while their mom and dad shook their heads and laughed fondly. He stepped around a small flowering shrug and found Levy crouched at a tree’s base, swiping at her eyes repeatedly as she muttered under her breath too low for even him to understand. He sighed soundlessly and dropped down next to her, effectively giving her a heart attack.

 “Ga-Gajeel!” she nearly screamed, jumping back in surprise. He angled his body towards her with a serious expression.

 “Why’d you take off, Shrimp?” Her cheeks reddened, but he wasn’t sure if it was from the nickname or the memory. Then she turned her back to him and curled in on herself, looking so small and so unlike the usual outspoken Levy it had him reeling, almost missing her next words.

 “No one was supposed to know.”

 “Know what?” She didn’t speak or move and he shifted, crossing his legs and fully facing her back. “Oi,  I ain’t gonna yell at’cha or nothin’, ya know.”

 “I know,” she said, but her voice was tiny. He lifted a hand, hesitated, then rested it on her shoulder, feeling her body tense at his touch. He fought the urge to pull away, thinking she didn’t like it, but eventually she stilled and let out a long breath. “I…It was long before Fairy Tail for me. I — well, not only me, but several other kids were imprisoned by a Dark Guild, forced to do their dirty work. Transporting volatile magical objects, being practice dummies for curses…all of it. And from the beginning, we were branded to know whose property we would always be.” Her voice turned bitter yet brittle on that last part, and she shifted slightly until she could look at Gajeel, gauging his expression.

 “Did’ja expect me to be mad that you were kidnapped?”

 “No…well, not really, but…you were in a Dark Guild not long ago at all. I thought…maybe…”

 “What.” His tone came out rougher than he intended and she closed her eyes as if expecting a blow. “That I’d be fine with it? That I’d be fine that you were branded like an animal and yer here cryin’ about it?” He took his arms and folded them across his chest. “What do ya think I am?” He softened his tone a little and she looked at him warily. He gripped his knees and let out a hard breath as he continued, voice strained, “I’m not…the guy I used to be, trust me. And I’m not okay with this, not at all. But ya didn’t hafta run from me like that, Levy.”

 She turned towards him, brow creased and tears still shining in the corners of her eyes. He frowned at the sight. “Gajeel, I didn’t—” She caught her breath when he dragged a thumb over the corner of one eye, wiping the tears away. Her skin was soft, and he let the digit linger a moment when he cleared the other eye. Slowly, shakily, her hand rose to grasp the back of his. “It’s an ugly mark, you know,” she said with a bitter laugh, pulling his hand away. That little confidence quickly waned as she averted her eyes. “From an ugly past. I know a lot of other members have their stories too, but they’re stronger to show for it. I…Macao and Wakaba saved me and the others back then and helped find their parents. I didn’t have any, so I stuck with them all the way to Fairy Tail, fully expecting to be turned away.”

 “But you weren’t,” he said, which was obvious.

 “Master didn’t care, he accepted me the same as everyone else. But I always had this fear that if one person found out, I’d get ousted. It’s ridiculous, I know.” She added another laugh, but her face scrunched a little like she was repressing tears again. He frowned and pulled his hand from her grip.

 “It’s ridiculous,” he agreed. “And dumb for how smart ya are. But everyone has fears, I s’pose. Jus’ know that as long as I’m around, someone’ll always have yer back, Shrimp.” A tiny smile quirked her lips as she wiped one eye.

 “Thanks, Gajeel.”

 “Bunny-girl too, y’know — she’s odd, but not shallow.”

 “Bunny-girl…? Oh, Lucy, you mean.” A genuine chuckle escaped her before she could stop it, causing Gajeel to smirk.

 “Gihi. That’s better.” He leaned back against the tree and she joined him after a moment. “I learned a little somethin’ about not lookin’ back. I have to, the way those guys treated me back then. Now, when I punch ‘em in the face, it’s all good fun.” She laughed again and relaxed a little more.

 “I read this thing about sharks once,” she said, resting her chin on her drawn-up knees. “They’re unable to move back or come to a complete stop, so they always keep moving forward. That’s a nice philosophy to have in life.”

 “I kinda like it too.” He didn’t know when it happened, but now Levy’s shoulder was touching his, and neither felt inclined to move. “Goin’ back to the Guild?”

 “Mm… I wanna stay here a while. With you,” she added, making a very familiar stern expression. He laughed again.

 “Guess yer feelin’ better now. Well, whatever.” He leaned his head back against the tree and shut his eyes. “Don’t know where else I’d wanna be anyway.”

[12redsky34]

Confused

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

FanFiction.net - This story

Hey guys! It seems every one of you enjoyed chapter one, so here's chapter 2! I unfortunately do not have a preview for the third bonus chapter, but it is definitely coming, so don't worry about that. One of you asked if this would be in Natsu's point of view, and you will be pleased to know it definitely is! We get to see what he was thinking and his view of the situation here, so enjoy!

Natsu was confused.

And not the kind of confused where he could punch the problem to make it leave then eat twice his weight in food and sleep until he forgot all about said problem, nor was it the kind where if he ignored it for long enough it would go away and leave him alone.

He was pretty sure punching and/or ignoring his best friend, partner and love would really make her upset and angry, and that was the last thing he wanted. Not to mention he absolutely despised the idea of hurting her in any way. Just the thought of it made him sick.

Speaking of Lucy, he had walked into the guild that day and almost immediately spotted her talking to Levy near the back of the main hall. He almost always knew where she was if they were anywhere near each other. He had considered going over to say hi to the two, but one look at the heated conversation they were having told him he would get bored very quickly. It was only too obvious they were talking about some book.

So he decided to eat instead. He may have also punched Gray a few times while doing so. What could he say, the guy annoyed him to no end. Those punches eventually led to a brawl, as usual. During the fight, he snuck glances at his blonde-haired partner and noticed her conversation with Levy had taken a turn down a road definitely not involving books. At least not entirely. Lucy looked crestfallen for some reason, and it looked like her blue-haired best friend was trying her hardest to keep her from crying.

While he appreciated his guildmate's efforts to do what he was slacking on at the moment, he felt a surge of concern and immediately made to approach the table and find out what was going on with Lucy. He only made it two steps before someone grabbed his collar and dragged him towards one of the back doors leading behind the guild, and while he thrashed and complained loudly, his captor didn't let go until they were standing in the courtyard.

The Fire Dragon Slayer spun around, assuming it was Gray and ready to punch him, but paused when he saw it was Gajeel standing there with his arms crossed looking simultaneously bored and irritated. Seeing the other male obviously didn't want to fight, Natsu scowled and relaxed slightly from his battle stance.

"What do you want, Metal Head?" He growled, more than irritated that he had been prevented from trying to comfort his partner.

"I'm making Levy's job easier."

Um… That made no sense to Natsu, no matter which way he turned it in his head.

"What?" He narrowed his eyes, brows furrowing. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Look, I know you and Shrimp are planning something, and that it has everything to do with Bunny Girl. Whatever they just finished talking about, I know for a fact she'll want to talk to you about it." The raven-haired man grunted, scowling and tapping his foot impatiently as if he had something else to do other than babysit Natsu.

"What? What would they be talking about that she'd want to-"

"There you are, Natsu!" The woman they had been discussing (well, one of them anyway) interrupted him, striding through the open space with a determined look on her face. Gajeel's annoying scowl turned into an equally if not more infuriating smirk, and he chuckled his queer laugh.

"Gi hee. What took ya so long Shrimp?" He teased, sharp fangs glinting in the sunlight.

"I was looking for Natsu, thank you very much Gajeel." Levy quipped, crossing her arms. "Now, go away. Me and Natsu have some things to talk about."

"Yeah yeah, you go ahead with your little schemes. Try not to break Bunny Girl while you're at it, it's annoying when she's upset." He replied gruffly, striding back into the guild and slamming the door shut. Despite his harsh statement, Natsu knew Gajeel was just using tough words to hide his gooey interior. He was almost as intent on finding and beating up anyone who made the girl upset as Natsu was. He let his expression soften at the thought. The guild really loved his partner, even if she didn't think they did.

"Natsu Dragneel! I can't believe you kissed Lucy just to steal cotton candy from her!" Levy scolded, making the male stiffen and blush in mortification.

"H-Huh?" He stammered dumbly, eyes blown wide. "Wha… How did you find out?!" He settled for asking, wondering if someone had seen them and nattered off to her.

"How else? Lucy told me." Levy replied. Ah. That was the most reasonable and likely explanation. "And I'm kind of annoyed neither of you told me. Especially you." She added, puffing her cheeks out. It was cute, but when Lucy did it she made it way cuter. That's why he loved to annoy her so much.

"W-Well, I… I wasn't exactly thinking about it at the time, so…" He trailed off helplessly, looking at a pebble in front of his shoe. He wondered if kicking it would make him look even more like the shy dork he really was when it came to romance.

"And that is part of why I want to talk to you. Why did you kiss her?" Levy demanded, hands propped on her hips.

"I… Don't know." He admitted quietly, eyes averted to the side. "After I did it I hoped she would show me if she liked it or not, but… I dunno… I couldn't tell." He pouted behind his scarf, a little put down by the memory. She hadn't kicked him like he expected her to, but she hadn't kissed him back or asked for another one any time after the whole event, so he wasn't so sure he would call that a victory on his part. More like a stalemate. A stalemate he didn't know how to break in his favour, if it was even possible in the first place.

This whole situation was a confusing battle of emotions he didn't know what to do with, as if he was given weapons he had never seen or heard of before and was expected to use them like an expert on the first try. He knew from experience that was pretty much impossible. So he stopped trying after the first go-around, at least for now.

"Natsu, you can't just do that and not do anything else afterwards!" Levy scolded, frowning disapprovingly at him.

"Then what was I supposed to do?!" Natsu asked desperately. He had found somewhat unexpected help in Levy when trying to find ways to figure out what to do about his feelings for the resident Celestial Mage, and they had talked a couple times already about what he should do but neither agreeing on a solution as of yet.

She had suggested romantic dates and flowers and gifts, and while he wouldn't mind the gifting part, he vetoed the idea of acting romantic for the sake of winning Lucy's heart. He had argued that he wanted Lucy to love him for who he was, and as desperate as he was for her to return his feelings of affection, he refused to turn towards acting like someone he wasn't to get it.

He had suggested taking her on a mission and bringing it up somehow then (just winging it, basically) but Levy had quickly struck down that idea, her most compelling argument being that Lucy was very unlikely to appreciate him telling her how he felt in the middle of a fight with a ragtag bunch of bandits or something. He begrudgingly agreed.

"Definitely not leave her hanging! She was about to get very upset today about the whole thing you know!" Levy snapped. Natsu flinched like he had been struck, eyes filling with worry and a vague horror.

"She-She was crying about me kissing her?" He asked, heart sinking in his ribcage as he remembered that his partner did indeed look very close to bursting into tears before he was dragged outside. "Oh Mavis. I knew it. She doesn't like me that way. She probably hates me now. I mean, I think that was her first kiss and I basically stole it from her. Fuck. What am I gonna do to make it up to her? Will she ever look at me the same way again? Dammit. I really messed up. Maybe some gold will make her happy. Girls like shiny things, right? Yeah, gold will-" He had begun muttering to himself and pacing in small circles, panicking over the new findings and trying to find a way to resolve the situation. A small hand on his chest stopped him, however, and he noticed Levy had stepped forward to halt him in his tracks.

"Calm down, Natsu. Lucy doesn't hate you." She said firmly but soothingly. Natsu swallowed but nodded silently. "She was upset because you kissed her and did nothing afterwards, not because of the kiss itself." She explained. "She didn't know what to make of it, and she certainly didn't know if you were actually interested in her from just one kiss."

"Oh." Natsu murmured, not knowing what else to say. It made sense to him. He was exactly the same. Her lack of a reaction made him doubt himself, and he kept quiet and refrained from any further action. This really was a stalemate, he mused silently.

"Now, since I refuse to be the one to tell Lu-chan that you like her, as much as I want to, you have to suck it up, be a man, and tell her yourself. Take her somewhere nice or somewhere you're both comfortable, and tell her." Levy said with a no-business tone, poking Natsu in the chest. "Tell her you're sorry for making her confused. Even if she doesn't like you back, it's something she should know." Natsu nodded, but he wasn't convinced.

"But if she knows and doesn't like me… what will that do to us? Will either of us be able to look at each other the same way again?" He asked helplessly, his main and most crushing fear in this situation coming to the surface. Fear had been a foreign concept to him until his fight with Gildarts in the S-class exam, and while he better understood it now, he still struggled in the area of dealing with it.

Most of the time punching the thing that scared him made it go away, but it wasn't an option in this situation.

"Honestly. At this rate, you're never going to find out one way or the other." Levy sighed. Natsu agreed, but it didn't make it any better. "Look at it this way; would you rather ask her and know you had at least tried getting her to be with you, and maybe even reap positive rewards from it, or would you keep silent and forever ask yourself 'what if', never knowing for sure what her feelings for you are?"

She made a good point. One he couldn't argue with. And one he knew the answer to.

"I'd rather ask her." He replied strongly, fists clenching at his sides. He knew all too well what things like 'what if's did to people, spending too much time as a kid asking himself what would happen if things had been different, if he would have still been with Igneel. Over time he accepted that it was what it was, and that life had just dealt him his proverbial cards and left him with the hand he had now. And while he missed Igneel with all his heart, he was glad to have his friends and family and, in more recent years, Lucy, by his side.

Part of him was now afraid to ask the 'what if'. He wasn't sure he wanted to know what a life without Lucy would be like, and if fate had handed him a different deck, he didn't know if he would have met the wonderful woman that had planted herself in his life like the brightest star in the sky that was always there every night without fail.

"Good." Levy nodded, grinning approvingly. "Now go! Don't think, just do!" She exclaimed, shooing him back towards the guild. "She's most likely back at her apartment, so that's where you'll find her. I'd better be haring positive results from you tomorrow!" She almost threatened, and Natsu grinned without a verbal reply as he re-entered the guild.

"This better work by morning, or I owe Mira a lot of money…" Levy muttered to herself.

Natsu walked down the streets towards Lucy's apartment, formulating a rough plan of action in his head as he followed her scent back to her place. Even if Lucy had not gone back home, he had memorised her scent thoroughly by now and would have had no problems tracking her through Magnolia. Her path never strayed from the direction of her apartment, however, so he was safe in assuming she was indeed home.

He didn't have any details to flesh out his plan, but he had always been a man of action, so he didn't worry too much. For now, his plan consisted of going to her place, making sure they were alone, and just telling her outright that he liked her. Or maybe he would go straight to love. He didn't know yet.

Levy had seemed surprised when he admitted his love for the Celestial Mage, and asked him how long he felt that way. He hadn't been sure himself when exactly he had fallen for her, but part of him felt like he had loved her from the start. Maybe not the way he did now, but he had definitely loved her as a friend and partner, someone he could rely on and who he knew relied on him.

Eventually those feelings had only grown and strengthened into what he felt in the present. He knew for certain that there would be no one else for him, that she was his lifelong Mate. But he also knew that if she rejected him (and crushed him in the process), he would rather she be happy than force her into being with him just because it would tear him apart to see her with someone else.

Shaking the thoughts from his head, he noticed he had arrived at Lucy's apartment and jumped up to her windowsill almost completely unconsciously. He slid the window open, smiling to find it unlocked, and hopped inside, shutting it behind him as he did a quick perusal of his surroundings.

Lucy was sitting at her desk, writing in her notebook and pausing occasionally to think before resuming. Natsu stood staring at her for several minutes, entranced by the image of her hair gleaming in the sunlight coming through the window like spun threads of gold. She looked so peaceful sitting there in her little apartment.

He cleared his throat, opening his mouth to speak, but she heard him and jumped with a squeak before turning around to face him.

"Oh, it's you Natsu." She breathed, hand going to her chest and a small smile gracing her face. "Don't scare me like that." She playfully scolded, turning back to her notebook. Natsu stood there dumbly for a few minutes, staring at her and contemplating the best way to initiate his plan.

After several moments of prolonged silence and virtually no movement on his part, Lucy turned around to face him again, this time with a confused frown.

"Natsu? Is something wrong?" She asked worriedly, brow furrowed as she looked him up and down. Nasu looked at her then, and as their eyes met, everything he had planned on saying to her vanished like smoke being blown away in the wind.

His body moved without conscious thought. With long, determined strides, he walked up to where she was seated at her desk and grabbed her upper arm, ignoring her startled squeak as he tugged her to her feet. He swept in, squeezing his eyes shut as their lips met, and he tried his hardest to convey everything he couldn't find words for in the way he moved against her.

He tensed slightly, preparing for a kick to the face or somewhere equally painful, but he jolted slightly when slim fingers reached up to tangle in his hair and pull him closer. He growled, the sound rumbling through their connected lips as he leaned forwards, his hands going around her waist and pulling her snug against his body. Her little mewl at the action emboldened the pink-haired male, and he grinned, daring a peek at her only to see her own eyes closed as she sank against him and his touch.

They broke away, panting slightly, and Natsu almost wanted to crow in victory. If her returning the kiss wasn't a simultaneous return of his feelings, he didn't know what was.

"N… Natsu?" She breathed, voice cracking.

"Lucy, I love you." He interrupted before she could overthink what had happened. Her eyes widened significantly and he belatedly realised his blunt statement probably wasn't much better, and he started to panic again. "L-Like, I love you love you. As in, I love everyone in the guild, but as a family, y'know? The way I love you is different and stuff. And I've felt this way for ages but we always had something going on and I really wanted to find Igneel but now everything's kinda slowed down and I've had time to think I realised I wanted to, um, pursue you? Ugh that sounds terrible now I've said it-"

"Natsu…"

"A-And when I kissed you at the fair I wasn't thinking about it you just looked really cute and I wanted to know what it was like and I realised I'm such a jerk for kissing you and not telling you what it meant, especially since it was your first kiss-"

"Uh, Natsu-"

"But Levy told me off for being a wimp and even if you don't love me back that's fine, okay maybe not really, it would kill me if you chose someone else, but I would deal with it because I want you to be happy and if you're happy with someone else then I'd rather that happen than force you to be with me and be miserable for the rest of your life-"

"Natsu!"

He clicked his jaw shut at her shout, hurriedly hunching his shoulders to hide his blush in his scarf. Though he wasn't sure it was entirely effective since he felt like his whole head was about to light on fire.

He was more embarrassed that he ended up spewing everything he could put into words at her like some word fountain or something like that, but he hoped that despite his obvious inexperience and nervousness that she more or less understood what he was telling her.

"You… You love me?" Came the tentative question from his blonde partner, and he lifted his eyes to meet hers from their previous position looking at their feet. He nodded resolutely, knowing that now his feelings were out in the open, he had no reason to lie to her. He just hoped she didn't go running for the hills, or he wasn't sure he would know what to do with himself.

"I love you, Luce. Even if you move on and forget about me, I'll never love anyone else." He rumbled, making sure she saw he was completely serious and not pulling a prank on her. He didn't want there to be any more confusion between them about their feelings for each other.

Luckily it seemed luck was on his side for once, because in the next moment Lucy was practically jumping into his arms and kissing him like he'd never been kissed before. His arms immediately went back around her waist and he made a low noise of pleasure, loving how it felt to have her pressed against him like this.

It was heaven.

They broke away again, and Natsu gazed at her beaming smile with hope in his eyes.

"Does that mean you love me too?" He asked tentatively, grinning when she nodded wordlessly, her hair bobbing everywhere with the force of her movements. Joyful tears glistened at the corners of her eyes, and as Natsu leaned in for another kiss, he lifted his hands to wipe away the few drops that escaped her control.

Feeling a surge of playfulness, giddy from his elation at finding out his love returned his feelings wholeheartedly, he lifted her and spun her around, grinning into her neck and her surprised shriek and giggles while she grabbed at his shoulders for support. He tripped and fell onto her bed, the blonde landing on top of him and knocking the breath from his lungs.

Natsu hardly cared. The woman he loved was in his arms, smiling at him like she won the lottery and he was the reason behind it, and he didn't think he had ever been happier in his life.

"I love you so much, Luce." He murmured, smiling up at her as her hair fell around their faces like a golden curtain. A few strands landed on his mouth, and he blew them away, grinning at her giggle at his actions.

"I love you too, Natsu." She replied, voice thick with emotions he could barely even begin to name. He gave her a nuzzle with the tip of his nose, purring deep in his chest when she returned the action all to willingly and added stolen little kisses here and there.

They spent some time like that, swapping words of devotion and love and interrupting each other for kisses.

And as the sun began to set, neither noticing as they engaged in a tickle fight, both knew without a doubt that there would be no more confusion about their relationship with each other from there on out.