50 days • {Nalu}

Day 25

Day twenty-five. The halfway point of the fifty day curse and still no luck. Since Lucy was allowing her ankle to heal up for a few days, he was unable to go on jobs without worrying about her or taking her on the usual dates he would. So, in a way, he was losing time.

And it was eating him alive. At this point, Natsu thought this was fate's way of telling him to give up. Of course, he did go visit Lucy with the rest of his team as she was resting at her apartment. She even asked him a few times to stay a little longer while everyone left.

The time he spent with her made him feel like the luckiest man in the world. Natsu had finally admitted to himself that he had fallen in love with his best friend; the one and only Lucy Heartfilia. He couldn't stop worrying about her, couldn't stop thinking about her and couldn't stop wanting to see that beautiful smile she always wore.

But now, Natsu was at a loss as to what to do about the curse. Clearly, his plan wasn't working as well as he thought it would. He did notice small things. Like how Lucy always snuck glances at him when she first entered the guild and how she always wanted to hold his hand. Natsu surely didn't mind; he enjoyed it too much.

"What are you thinking about?" Mira hummed, snapping the dragon slayer out of his thoughts.

"I don't know what to do now. I only have twenty-five more days and my plan isn't working. Mira, help me!" he complained. He reached over, placing his hands on Mirajane's slim shoulders and gently shaking her back and forth.

"Natsu, calm down and let go of me! I'll help you, but really? This all up to Lucy and her feelings. Each day, she is changing though." Mira turned her gaze to the guild doors where Lucy was entering. "You're the first person she looks to when getting here and without even knowing you, she always wants to be around you."

"You've noticed it, too?" Levy asked. She was carrying a stack of books back to the guild's library when she heard their conversation. Levy set the books down on the counter, leaning against it as well, and looked to Natsu.

"I think you should just confess to her at this point."

Natsu opened his mouth shock, trying to sputter out words before finally, "What if she gets creeped out or something?"

"It's only worth a shot. Or you could just continue what you're doing now." the bluenette shrugged, picking up te books once more and heading off.

"You could always go back to the way things were before the accident, well curse." Mirajane mused.

Natsu turned his turned towards her once more, "What do you mean?"

"Like, pretend none of this ever happened and you guys are still just as close as before. Just don't go as far as breaking into her apartment or something like you used to. It might scare her." Natsu nodded, understanding her.

He folded his arms on the bar top to rest his chin on them and then proceeded to close his eyes to think.

"Mira, I'm taking this job." his eyes snapped open and he looked to see Lucy by his side handing the barmaid a job request sheet.

Mirajane's eyes scanned over the sheet. "Lucy, do you know how to face-paint?"

"Well, I can paint. Doesn't seem that hard to do it on a face." she shrugged her shoulders with a smile. "It seems like a fun job to do tomorrow. Plus it's just here in town."

"Alright, you should probably practice your skills."

"Of course!" Lucy grabbed the sheet back from Mira and turned to face the guild. Her eyes scanned from person to person, sometimes lingering on a person for a bit before she shook her head in frustration.