It's All About Us

Chapter 23

The sound of the cool water running in the sink was the only noise throughout Lucy's apartment.

As she lifted her face up from the sink and looked at herself in the mirror, she felt that something was off about her. Maybe it was the way her eyes were wide with fear. Or the slight stain of black under her eyes from her mascara.

She quickly wiped her damp face with a wash cloth before slowly exiting the bathroom.

"Natsu?" She called out slowly, when she wasn't met with a response she sighed with relief.

There was a slight odor coming from her room. It was the small pool of blood from Sting's knee. The golden haired woman tried to ignore the nauseous feeling rising in the pit of her stomach.

She rummaged through her dresser and pulled out a pair of black skinny jeans and a loose yellow sweat shirt.

By now the nauseous feeling had turned into a slight headache. Lucy tried not to think about the event that had just occurred as she left her bedroom and walked into her kitchen.

The sound of the door clicking shut caught her attention.

"Luce?"

She sighed in relief at his voice, "I'm in the kitchen."

Natsu stepped silently into the kitchen. He watched as the blonde timidly got herself a glass of water from the fridge.

"Luce," He approached her slowly.

She looked up at him with those sparkling chocolate brown eyes. And even under the intense circumstances they still caused his heart to skip a beat. He placed his calloused hand on her shoulder and lowered himself so his onyx eyes were level with hers.

"We gotta get out of town."

Lucy blinked her eyes a couple of times,  not showing any other expression than a blank stare.

"...your joking right?"

Natsu shook his head.

"Nope. Not happening." Lucy shrugged him away as she walked out of the kitchen.

The pink head stood glaring at her from over his shoulder.

"This isn't a game Lucy." He spoke seriously as he followed behind her.

She ignored him.

"It's too dangerous for you to stay in Magnolia anymore!" His voice began to crack.

Why wasn't she listening? Didn't she care about her own safety? She had to understand that this was bigger than her pride. She wouldn't stand a chance against them on her own.

They were standing in the middle of her living room. Lucy's back was to Natsu and he was staring straight at her.

In Lucy's mind, she was still terrified.

Running away?

That's something she would never want to do. Ever. She would rather stay to fight and risk death than allowing her enemy to frighten her so badly that she would have to run away.

"I'm not going anywhere Natsu." She spoke up as she turned around to face him.

"That's final."

With that said Lucy began to walk away again, but a strong grip on her hand stopped her.

Her chocolate eyes widened as they met with Natsu's onyx ones. They were tight with anger, and somewhere deep in those dark green orbs she could swear she saw some sign of love.

"I'm the only one that can protect you."

She looked back at him deeply. It was obvious he was worried that the situation from tonight was going to repeat itself. And maybe he was right, but Lucy simply didn't care. Maybe she let her guard down tonight but surely she was capable of taking care of herself next time.

"Come on Natsu, I can carry my own in a fight. You know that."

"That doesn't matter Lucy. This isn't basic training at the academy anymore. Physical combat can only get you so far."

Natsu used his strength to tug Lucy closer to him. Her body was barely touching his but it was enough to send small shocks of pleasant electricity through Lucy's body.

"What are you going to do if you wake up at gun point again? Or what if they've already taken you away by the time you wake up?"

She stayed silent, her eyes had fallen. Lucy couldn't bare to look him in the eyes after he said those words. It was true. Lucy had excelled in every form of physical training possible. From kick boxing and street fighting to martial arts. It was dangerous to pick a fight with her, but using weapons was another story.

All the guns and knifes were still new to her. Using those weapons carefully and skillfully would take some time for her to master, and she hadn't even started yet.

"I hate it that your right all the time." She sighed dramatically.

Natsu just chuckled lightly, "Someone's gotta keep you in touch with reality."

"Yea yea whatever." She nudged his shoulder lightly.

"Now I need you to go pack up. We're leaving in 30 minutes."

Lucy nodded slowly, the fact that they were leaving in such a rush was a little shocking to her.

"Where are we going?" She asked hesitantly.

The pink head just grinned.

"It's a suprise."

*
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*

"Okay that's as just creepy." Lucy stated as she stared at the pink head.

A dark blush rose to Natsu's cheeks.

"I-it was supposed to be cute..JUST GO GET READY!"

The blonde laughed at his embarrassed behavior.

'Same old Natsu.'