The Red String Of Fate

Chapter 6

Lucy stared at her ceiling with wide eyes. Nothing on the ceiling was surprising or impressive, but Lucy Heartfilia was staring at it with giant eyes as if faces were coming out of the pink paint and glow in the dark stars. Being the curious little bugger she was, Lucy looked up her "symptoms" and found something extraordinary and wrong. Love. Her "disease" was Love. She fell in love with the way people fell ill during flu season, hard and quick. Lucy almost snorted in disbelief. But, the longer she thought about it, the more she couldn't deny it.

How could she deny the tiny fairies that liked to bump all over the stars that were situated inside of her belly? For some reason, her heart started beating as crazy as Juvia looked when someone talked to her, Gray. Or her palms that suddenly liked to dress up as the ocean when Natsu was close to her. How could she deny the facts? 

So maybe there was a chance that she had a crush on him. It was a small chance. It was almost insignificant. Almost. (Of course, it was not negligible. In fact, it was very significant because it changed everything. Or maybe it changed Nothing because maybe she always liked him, who knows, she definitely did not. It made her rethink everything and anything.)

She was happy. She was so pleased that she had fallen for someone like Natsu, someone so kind and perfect. But, at the same time, she felt like crying. How ironic was it to fall in love with someone–someone you can't have. She just wanted to cry or laugh. It didn't really matter, only to the point of insanity. It wasn't fair. How could Mavis be so cruel? She really wanted it to work out. She wanted to confess to him. But, the chances of a non-soulmate relationship actually working out and lasting, it was close to none. 

How could she have him when his soulmate was out there waiting for him. She couldn't even think of a relationship with Natsu. Not with his clock still ticking, while her's was defunct. It'd be selfish to hold him, kiss him, and call him she's. Not when he wasn't her's, but some lucky lady who just wanted her soul mate. Why'd she had to be such a freak and be born without any time? Why'd life have to be so unfair?

. . . . . . .

It was Friday. It was, obviously, sleepover day for the two. It was also Natsu's turn to pick the movie. He had selected "How to Train Your Dragon" again.

Lucy sighed and plopped onto her bed. "Hey! What're you doing!" She screeched when Natsu "gracefully" fell onto her, trying to get comfy, resulting in them turning into a tangled mess of limbs, a clash of elbows and knees. "What? I'm trying to get comfortable." He said as if it were obvious. 

It was not obvious or comfortable. But, when Natsu ended up behind her and with an arm over her stomach, Lucy realized that it was okay. (She also realized that they were cuddling, but she didn't say it out loud in case that would end their cuddle session.) (She didn't know that Natsu was thinking the same thing.) (It was weird because they used to cuddle all the time, but recently they stopped.)

Of course, the only bad thing was the blush she couldn't shake off. She thanked Mavis for the fact that Natsu couldn't see it. Around the time the movie ended, Lucy turned her body towards Natsu and buried her head in his chest. "Thank you, Natsu."

"For what?"

"I dunno for everything, I guess." With those words, the blonde fell asleep, tangled in her best friend's arms. Natsu watched his golden sunshine whom he'd go to the moon and back to fall asleep. As he listened to her deep breaths, he fell in love with the way she fell asleep, slowly, then all at once.

. . . . . .

"Ow! Luce!" Natsu yelled out, whining. The two were attempting to make dinner together at his house, but somehow Natsu accidentally cut his finger. "Oh, stop it, Natsu. You're such a baby." Lucy rolled her eyes. Natsu pouted as he put his finger in his mouth to try and stop the bleeding. Lucy gulped at sight. "I'm not a baby! Take it back, Luce." Lucy rolled her eyes again and stuck her tongue out at him. 

Natsu looked as if he was about to laugh but then got a new idea midway. A small smirk formed on his face as he advanced towards the girl. Lucy kept backing up the closer Natsu came. He suddenly ran towards her as she hit his couch. His hands outstretched expansively. Suddenly, all Lucy could do was laugh.

"Dangit! Stop it! Natsu!" Lucy choked out between laughs. Natsu smiled victoriously. "Not until you take it back." "Never!" Lucy tried to say but was interrupted by her own giggles. "OKAY! Okay! I give! You aren't a baby!" Natsu grinned. Lucy panted, trying to regain her breath, too busy to notice the position they were in. Natsu's body hovered over her, his hands supporting most of his body weight, making sure that it didn't crush her. His knee was between her legs, and their faces were close enough for Natsu to feel Lucy's breath fanned his face.

Suddenly, they froze as if they just realized their "inappropriate" position, and they stare at each other. Honey brown-colored eyes gazed into onyx-colored eyes. Lucy was bright red and looked uncomfortable. But that was okay because Natsu was a little red too, but he had an unreadable look on his face. Suddenly, Lucy felt an urge. Not one of those sexual urges that she read about in the books Erza recommended, but the desire to press her face into his and kiss him senseless. So she did. It was clumsy. You could tell that neither of them barely had any experience. It was tentative and innocent. But it felt nice and right.

So, Natsu kissed back as if it were a natural reaction. They kissed until they ran out of breath. They broke apart and looked into each other's eyes. That's when Lucy remembered everything; timers, soulmates, everything. She remembered that she wasn't supposed to be with Natsu, not with her having no time at all and him having an unlimited amount of time on his hands. "I shouldn't have done that."

"Don't be stupid. I wanted it."

Natsu leaned forward, and their lips met once again; she forgot about everything that she worried about.