"But I just don't know what to get her and I mean we're going out to dinner but is flowers too cliche or is there something that she'd rather have that she's mentioned to you Mira oh my gosh I'm the worst boyfriend ever I never know what to do for her and she's so perfect with gifts every time I mean they used to be creepy gifts but she got better and I haven't-"

Natsu couldn't stand it anymore. He slammed his tankard onto the countertop of the Fairy Tail bar. "Fullbuster, would ya mind shuttin' your bullshit pourin' trap for five minutes so that a man can have a drink around here without hearing yammerin' about Juvia?"

He lazily ducked Gray's fist that flew at his head, eyes narrowed in irritation. Mira, the white-haired waitress across the bar, was still smiling, if not with a more exasperated expression. "Natsu, it's almost Valentine's Day! Gray is allowed his little anxieties about it. When you have a girlfriend, you might understand."

Muttering something incoherent about not needing a girlfriend if it made him act as pathetic as Gray, he took another long swig. "I came here for a guy's night, and here he is, wettin' himself over a woman."

They'd finally been able to leave the station after their latest homicide case which had turned out to be rather depressing-another romance gone bad and some crazy killing their ex and shoving them, headless, into a bookcase. (The smell itself put Natsu off books probably for life.) He'd hoped for a night out with the guys on his team to get it off their minds. And here Gray was, going on about his creepy girlfriend in the FBI. Okay, well she was pretty sweet, always bringing enough food for all of the boys to share, but the fact that she was partners with that nosy, metal-faced Redfox guy...

"Gonna have to agree with pyro freak on that one," Laxus, the director, grumbled from the other side of them. "Just chill, man. Your girl would worship a gum wrapper if you handed it to her."

"Can't go wrong with chocolate and some wine to get her in the right mood," Loke suggested from Natsu's right. "Aries and I are doing a picnic and for a little moonlit canoe ride on the lake."

"Erza wanted to go to the place in town with the best cake and out to see the new ninja movie," Jellal piped up, swirling his soda from down the counter. "Got her a new dagger and made her some chocolate-covered strawberries. It doesn't have to be hard, Gray."

Natsu groaned. "You guys are gross."

"Says the only single guy here," Gray muttered with a smirk.

"I'm gonna have a nice time without Fullbuster being a moron in the flat on the fourteenth, eating like all the junk food that exists and beating all of his scores on Empire of Alvarez," Natsu declared indifferently.

"You," Loke told him slowly, "are the singlest-single man I have ever met. Dude, go find a girl. Seriously. You are twenty-seven. Get out of your damn flat."

"A bit busy arresting homicidal maniacs, sorry." Natsu rolled his eyes, finishing off the last of his drink and wiping his mouth with his sleeve. "And I swear, almost a half of them were previously dating the person they killed. No thank you."

"So don't date a homicidal maniac," Laxus suggested helpfully.

Mirajane replaced Natsu's empty mug with water and winked at him. "I could always set you up with a date. I know several cute girls-"

"No," Natsu said dully.

She pouted. "You know, it wouldn't be hard for you to get a girlfriend. You're fit, and you can pull of that pink hair like no guy should be able to. You were always very cute, and then puberty hit you like a sexy freight train."

Natsu blinked several times, feeling a bit of heat flood his cheeks. "Shaddup," he mumbled into his glass of water.

"Go easy on the boy, Mira," Gray sighed. "If someone tried to actually flirt with him he'd probably implode. He hasn't even kissed a giiiiiiiirl-"

He elbowed Gray hard in the gut. "I thought I said not to tell anyone about that!" he hissed.

But the Loke had already choked on his scotch, Laxus burst out laughing, and Jellal, the slightly politer one, put up an arm to hide his giggles from view. Natsu pulled his scarf up a bit over his face.

"Ah, our hopeless, little, innocent cinnamon roll." Loke patted his head like a parent complimenting their five-year-old on his "artwork."

Natsu scowled, slapping Loke's hand away. "I am a black belt in three martial arts, I've served over two years in the Marines, and seen over forty dead bodies. I make fires for fun. I dare you to call me an innocent cinnamon roll ever again."

"Girls dig military and detective guys," Laxus offered. "Go find one. Don't stay a date-virgin for the rest of your life."

"So what if I haven't been on a date before?" grumbled Natsu. "The only women I see on a regular basis are the scary ones that are dating my friends or ones trying to kill me."

Gray put down his beer to rub his temples. "Dude, there are at least several hundred million single females on this planet. I doubt finding one that isn't a psycho murderer shouldn't be that difficult for Mr. Marine-Sherlock-Jackie Chan."

"Just piss off, already, okay? Mira, I think I'll need that whiskey."

"I'm cutting you off," she sniffed instead, turning her back to him. "No."

Natsu sputtered, "But I've only had one drink!"

"You're a pathetic lightweight," his teammates chorused, simultaneously taking a chug.

Natsu glared at the wall, muttering, "Why the hell do I ever leave my flat?"

Though he tried to keep to his promise of beating all of Gray's scores on Xbox, Natsu lost heart halfway through after he tried the same level three times without success. With a frustrated huff, he turned off the TV and threw the remote onto the ottoman. His blue cat, Happy, gave out a little "mew" and crawled beside Natsu's slouching form.

Gray had been out the whole day with Juvia for the special date; it was nearly eight-thirty and already dark outside. While his flatmate annoyed the crap out of him on a regular basis, without his irritatingness around it was also so… quiet. The silence made an uncomfortable itch in his chest. He just had to get out of there.

He stood, absently scratching Happy behind the ears before throwing on his leather jacket and shoving his wallet and phone in his pocket. A walk was all he needed. Maybe a cheeseburger or two.

After jamming a hat on his head and locking the door behind him, Natsu shoved his hands in his pockets and pulled his scarf up over his nose to block the oncoming cold. When he walked outside the building, he was greeted with the sight of two of the girls that lived in the broken-down apartment building next to his flat. Fraternal twins, teenagers, Chelia and Wendy. Wendy was holding a basket of roses, Chelia a sign advertising a dollar per rose.

"You're cold, Wendy," Chelia said, putting a mittened hand on her sister's shoulder. "We should go back inside."

"I'm almost done selling these!" insisted Wendy, gripping her basket more tightly in shivering hands. Her dark, blue hair was spread over her shoulders as if to help keep warm. "We have to make sure Mama gets a special dinner for Valentine's day, like dad used to get her..."

Chelia sighed, saying, "At least get something more to wear."

"You know we can't afford the hats. Just leave it; I'm fine."

Natsu halted a few feet away from them, frowning. Feeling his heartstrings tugged, he made his way over to them. "Good evenin' Wen. Chels."

They waved, their precious grins bright as always. "Hi, Natsu!" the sisters said together.

Wendy eagerly held out her basket. "Would you like to buy a rose?"

"For that special someone todaaaaay…" Chelia giggled, poking him in the arm with little heart charms swinging from her pink pigtails.

Natsu tried to hide his grimace in his scarf. Really? Did everyone decide it was "rub it in how Natsu is twenty-seven and never had a girlfriend" week?

The girls seemed to see his disgruntlement, and he could hear Wendy whisper to her sister, "I don't think he has one, Chels. Now he's upset!"

"I'm not upset!" Natsu said quickly, hoping the warmth in his cheeks wasn't visible. "It's fine. Um, I'll see if I have any cash…"

"S-sorry," Chelia said. "But I know you'll find someone! Love is the best thing in the world."

Natsu only gave an attempt at a smile that probably came out more distasteful and pulled out a ten dollar bill and tucked it into Chelia's pocket. "Here. I don't have ones, so I hope this does the trick. And-" He tugged off his hat and plopped it onto Wendy's head. "You shouldn't go catchin' a cold for some roses. Keep it."

"I-I couldn't-!"

"Please," he said. "And n-no I don't need the roses-"

"At least take one," Wendy said firmly, holding out a perfect, red rose with some plastic, heart-patterned wrapping.

Giving a helpless shrug, Natsu waved her off. "I don't have anyone to give it to. Really, save it for others or your mom-"

Chelia grabbed his arm and forced his hand to close around the thornless stem. "Go find someone to give it to. Pass on an act of love, will you?"

Wendy was shyly pulling on the too-big hat so that it covered her ears. Natsu had a bit of a weakness for big, brown eyes; he could no longer resist. With a nod, he took the flower and gently tucked it into an inner pocket of his jacket, being sure not to crush the delicate petals. "Thank you. Happy Valentine's Day, girls."

"Happy Valentine's Day!"

He gave a wave and hunched his shoulders up against the frigid wind, making his way three blocks away to Fairy Tail.

The bar and grill was warm, smell of hops and charcoal a familiar comfort. There were only two couples as occupants of the place, Mira at the bar as always, wiping out some glasses. Natsu made his way over to the far end of the bar stools, sitting by the windows so that he could see the lamplit city streets of Magnolia and hazy moon through the tall windows that displayed the cobblestone streets and cafe across the way.

Mira walked up to him, motherly smile decorating her face. "Didn't expect to see you in here today, Natsu. Happy Valentine's Day!"

He gave a nod and managed, "Happy Valentine's Day, Mira. Why aren't you out with Laxus?"

"Oh, someone else had to be here tonight, and he and I usually wait a day to celebrate it so that the restaurants aren't insanely crowded," she explained, leaning over the counter. "What would you like tonight?"

"Cheeseburger and fries with just some Coke would be nice, Mira, and get some food for yourself on my tab; you must be hungry. Thanks."

"So sweet of you, Natsu; thank you! Coming right up," she told him, ruffling his hair affectionately before getting him a drink.

Closing his eyes in some strange kind of exhaustion, he put his cheek onto his hand and stared dully out into the night. The little cafe was sparse as well, only three tables occupied. There was a lone girl at the small table by the closest window. It struck him like a bullet how absolutely beautiful she was, with shimmering, blonde hair down her back and focused, brown eyes on her screen as she tapped away at a laptop. She had a coffee beside her, steam rising to caress her smooth face.

"Pretty, isn't she?"

Natsu snapped his gaze away and back to a smirking Mira who'd just set down his soda. Muttering an incoherent answer, he took a sip rather than elaborate. Ignoring his lax response, Mira said, "She's one of my friends from college; a friend of Gray, Juvia, Erza, and Levy as well. Her name is Lucy, and she just moved into town, living with Levy and Juvia. I'm surprised you haven't met her yet."

Somewhere inside, interest perked up, but the rest of him stayed silent. He might've had the chance to meet her, but since all of his friends were coupled up, it had gotten too uncomfortable to go out for some fun. He'd only end up seventh wheeling. Natsu hadn't gone to hang out with all of them at once for… years. But he'd never admit that to Mira, for she'd surely tease him like Loke the other day.

"Why is a girl that looks like that alone on Valentine's Day?" blurted Natsu, immediately regretting his question when Mira looked excited at it.

"Oh, she is an amazing girl, but guys always ask her out because of her looks and aren't willing to get to know her enough," Mirajane said, ending with a sad tone.

Catching himself staring again, Natsu quickly turned his gaze away. "Well that's lame."

"Maybe you could change that…" Mira suggested lightly, raising her eyebrows hopefully.

"You guys need to stop," Natsu muttered, pushing his soda away.

Instead of giggling, however, Mirajane's face fell, a sigh escaping her lips as she put her elbows on the bar and face in her hands across from him. "We've all been talking… Natsu, we just keep saying that stuff because we're worried about you. Ever since you came back from the military… You haven't been the same, that's all. We miss the old Natsu, who was always cheery, outgoing, energetic…"

Natsu couldn't meet her eyes. Of course he'd come back different. He'd come home wounded with death on his heart, guilt on his mind, blood on his hands. "People change."

"Yes, but it's not a good change," Mira continued, examining his face critically. "You isolate, you stay too late at work like you're trying to distract yourself, you act like you have a death wish out in the field, according to the guys, and you're usually either on edge or have this sad look in your eyes. We just think someone special could maybe bring a little light to your life." Mira gave a light laugh. "The boys tease you, but really they just want you to be happy again. I don't remember the last time I saw you… actually smile. Not laughing at something stupid-a real smile, just because you were happy. You had such a sweet smile."

Clenching his jaw, Natsu snapped back, "I'm fine. It's no one's buisness what I do with my life."

"This is what I mean," Mira sniffed. "All snarly and defensive for no reason." She booped him on the nose with a finger. "Maybe you should make it someone's business."

Wincing in regret, he said, "Sorry, Mira. I-I didn't mean to sound like that."

"I don't take offense, but it concerns me." Her blue eyes softened. "Ever since we were kids, you've been like a little brother to me. War has changed you; it's understandable. But Natsu, you need to find someone to talk to about it. Getting it out will help you move on from this depression you're stuck in."

"I'm not depressed," he muttered.

"Quit with the denial. At least promise me you'll think about what I said?"

With a sigh, Natsu absentmindedly rubbed the back of his neck. "Okay. I'll... think about it."

Mirajane put a gentle hand through his hair and gave him a kiss on the forehead before going off to pick up his food from the kitchen.

Natsu couldn't help but keep glancing out the window at the girl, Lucy. Her coffee was almost gone, and she was still intent on her laptop so that she hadn't looked elsewhere for the hour that he'd been eating. Her sweater-like, red dress reached her mid-thigh, leggings covering the rest along with leather boots that had wool patterns inside them. Lucy had a white beanie and a coat draped over the back of her chair.

He wondered about her, for some reason: what she was thinking, why she'd moved here, where she worked, what she was typing on that laptop, what movies she liked to watch, what her laugh was like, what she daydreamed about, which songs she sang along with on the radio, how that golden hair would feel slipping through his fingers…

She must've felt his gaze, because she finally looked up and over to the bar. His eyes met hers and his heart skipped in embarrassment, quickly looking away. Natsu put up an arm to scratch the back of his neck, glancing back. Lucy was still watching him steadily, and when she saw the flash of his glance, she lifted a hand and waved with a small smile. Feeling especially warm, he managed a jerky wave in return before pointedly looking at the opposite wall.

"Is that a rose?"

Mira was focused on the inner part of his jacket with interest. Natsu hurriedly explained, "Th-there were these neighbor kids selling them to afford a nice dinner for their mom since their dad died earlier this year. I gave money and didn't want a rose but they kinda forced me to take it so… yeah. I don't really know what to do with it."

Mira pointed out to the cafe suggestively, but Natsu only narrowed his eyes. "I'm not gonna go give a flower to some girl I don't know. That would be creepy."

"It would be sweet!" Mira insisted. "It would really brighten her day."

Chelia's words echoed around in his head. Go find someone to give it to. Pass on an act of love, will you?

"I can't just walk in there," Natsu argued back weakly.

Mirajane slid around to his side of the bar and pulled him off the stool by his shoulders. "You don't need to-she's leaving, and so are you!"

"Mira!" he yelped, struggling to hold onto the counter. Mira was much stronger than she looked, and he didn't want to hurt her accidentally by fighting it. So Natsu grimaced and let himself be shoved outside with a "Happy Valentine's Day! Go get 'er!" and a slam of the door.

Gulping in nerves, Natsu drew the rose from his pocket and stared at it for a moment before looking up. Lucy was crossing the street towards him, pulling her scarf more tightly around her and hurrying past some cars. Now or never.

Just as she passed him on the sidewalk, he lifted a hand and caught her by the arm, saying, "Hey-"

The girl gasped in surprise, tearing her arm free and stamping hard on his foot before swinging an elbow up at his face. Giving a shout of pain, he ducked the elbow. Lucy moved fast away from him, and he cursed, jogging with a limp after her.

"I'm sorry!" he stuttered, blabbering out, "I-I d-didn't mean to s-scare you and I-I just wanted to- ugh, here!"

Before she could get away again, Natsu shoved the rose in front of her. She finally stopped, blinking in confusion down at the flower. After a couple of moments during which he didn't breathe, Lucy took it from his hand and lightly touched the petals.

Her eyes were wide when she looked back up at him. Oh, her voice was perfect. "I'm so sorry! I-I just reacted and-"

"N-no, don't be," he said quickly, wincing at his stupid stammering. "I-I shouldn't have… Sorry." He stopped talking abruptly and turned on his heel, rushing away as fast as he could without full-out running.

When he made it back to the flat, he slammed the door shut behind him and let out a long-suffering groan, turning to the left wall to set his arms and forehead up against it. Stupid, stupid, stupid…

"Congrats, Natsu," he murmured to himself, gritting his teeth. "First time talking to a woman that wasn't a soldier, friend's girlfriend, or murder suspect in about five years and you scare the hell out of her and run away. Fantastic job."

A minute later, he heard footsteps and a bewildered, "Uhh… what are you doing?"

Natsu realized just then that he'd been talking to himself while banging his head against the wall.

He backed up quickly. "Nothing." Natsu frowned. "I didn't know you were back… uh, how was the…?"

"Good," Gray said, still looking a bit concerned. "We had fun… You okay, man?"

"Fine," he said, trying to make his voice as normal as possible. "I think I'll go to bed-"

"Where were you?" his roommate cut him off, walking up to the kitchen counter between them and taking a seat on the high stool with his forearms on the countertop.

"Just went to get somethin' to eat at Fairy Tail."

"And… how does this connect to you smashing your face against a wall?"

Natsu hesitated. "Just did somethin' dumb. Not a big deal."

He thought Gray would make a comment about how doing dumb things would be normal for Natsu, but he stayed quiet. Then- "Juvia and I got somethin' for you while we were out."

Natsu was at a loss for words for a moment. "You… got something for me?"

"Well sure," grumbled Gray, sifting through a bag Natsu hadn't noticed on the table and pulling out a large box. "We thought you might… well, here."

Flipping the light switch on to better see the box, Natsu approached it and touched the top. The plastic on front advertised a full kit of drawing, oil pastel, and acrylic painting materials.

"What's this for?" Natsu said.

"Um, art?"

Natsu narrowed his eyes in exasperation. Gray sighed. "You used to draw and paint and stuff in high school; we figured it would be a good idea for you to get back into it, ya know? Something for you to do for fun…"

"Thank you," he replied, touched by the gesture, but then looked to his roommate suspiciously. "You've been talking to Mira, haven't you? Dude, I already got the lecture about me apparently having mental issues-"

"I'm the one that brought that up to her in the first place," Gray said, voice deepening in seriousness. "I live with you, man. I can tell when you're depressed, and it's been getting worse for years. You've seen more terrible stuff than you should've and… well you do your job very well and bring a lot of families peace with dealin' out some justice, but focusing your whole life on murder cases isn't healthy, especially after your time overseas. You just gotta do something for yourself for a change."

Natsu tried to interrupt, but Gray just kept trucking. "You go to church every Sunday, which is an amazing start, but you have to get out there and make something more of yourself. Take up this art, yoga, belly dancing, I don't care. Do something. Even if you refuse to get a therapist or try dating, at least do something to get out of that dark head of yours. Stop shutting the world out. Maybe we don't always get along, but you're still my best friend and I still care and you can talk to me."

At this, Natsu's words of anger were choked off by the lump in his throat, and he could only lean against the counter, stare at the floor. It was a while before Natsu could speak. "I just need some more time."

Gray nodded slowly. "Alright." After examining his expression, Gray asked cautiously, "What did you do that was dumb? It looked like a bit more than 'no big deal'..."

Natsu felt heat seeping into his cheeks. "It's nothin'," he said gruffly.

"Natsu." Gray was starting to grin. "What did you do?"

And with another moan of frustration, it all came pouring out, "I was walkin' by Wendy and Chelia and her brown eyes made me take a flower when I donated some money to them and then I went to the bar and saw this blonde girl in the cafe and she was so beautiful and Mira said her name was Lucy-"

"Lucy-?!"

"-and then Mira saw the rose that I had no idea what to do with and she pushed me out the door and made me give it to Lucy when she walked by except I'm stupid and I grabbed Lucy's arm to stop her and she ninja'd me in the foot because she probably thought I was some crazy rapist or something and I creeped her out because I don't know how to talk to a girl and then I went after her and basically shoved the flower into her hands and could barely speak and then I ran away and I never want to see her again because I'd want to stab myself in embarrassment and this is why I should never ever leave the flat because public me is a disaster."

Natsu finally took a breath.

The friends stared at each other for a moment, before they simultaneously burst out laughing.

Wiping tears from his eyes and coughing to breathe, Gray managed to say, "H-hey, at least you actually talked to a woman that wasn't a homicidal maniac, eh? Lucy's awesome, and single."

"Yeah, like she's totally gonna want to go out with the guy that grabbed her off the street like a homicidal maniac."

"You also gave her a rose," Gray pointed out. "Aww man… You finally thought a girl was attractive. You should come hang out with her, Juvia and I or somethin'-"

"I meant what I said," warned Natsu. "I can't see her again. I'd dig my own grave and die on the spot."

"You're such a drama queen," sighed Gray, shaking his head. "Get some sleep; new case tomorrow."

"Yeah. Good night."

"Good night."

"This makes no sense," Erza muttered the next day, staring down at the victim's file. "This boy had no troubles with his parents, friends, never been arrested… and yet he has a bullet in his head."

Natsu stood on the other side, palms against the table. "You interviewed the parents; what type were they? Permissive, authoritarian…?"

"I'd say a bit too permissive," said Erza, taking a sip from her coffee. Her scarlet hair framed her tired face; Natsu wondered how long her Valentine's date had been last night. "Why?"

"Then of course it would seem like he had no troubles with them," Natsu muttered, flipping a few pages. "They'd never know enough about what he got up to when he wasn't home. He lived on the north side, where we busted the cartel location last month. Surely some kids found a way to keep up the trade, and people would be more desperate for it. I'd say ask more of his friends what he was up to-they'd probably know if he used or dealt in the past. The autopsy did find traces of-"

"Hey guys! We thought you could use some lunch, if you'd abandon your dead body photos for a few minutes."

The voice that came from the elevator was terrifyingly familiar. His fellow agents looked up and offered big grins in the direction of the voice, saying variations of, "Juvia! Lucy! Good to see ya!"

Lucy.

Crap.

"Oh my God," Natsu whispered, eyes widening as he looked at Gray. "Hide me."

"Grow some balls," was his roommate's only response.

Natsu was frozen as Gray, Erza, and his present friends in different departments, Jellal, Loke, Levy, and Laxus, wandered off to greet the girls. Please, please, please don't let her see me, he prayed over and over.

"Hey… I know you."

Damn his freakishly pink hair.

He turned slowly, grimacing. "Uh, hi."

She wasn't scowling at him. In fact, Lucy was wearing the most adorable smile. "I wondered if I'd ever see you again."

"Sorry," fell out of his mouth before he could stop it. "I-I'm really sorry about y-yesterday and um, ah… kill me," he muttered the last part to himself, sliding a hand down his face.

Her laugh was like bells. "Don't be! I'm sorry that I kinda… went all taekwondo on you. Is your foot okay?"

"Fine," he mumbled. "I've had worse."

"I can see that, as a cop. But really, I'm sorry."

"I-I don't blame y-you," Natsu said quickly. "I'm glad you c-can defend yourself and I-I should've known better than to g-grab you like that. Didn't mean to freak you out-"

"Hey," she said softly, stopping him up short by taking his hand. "It's okay. And that rose… I'd had a pretty lonely week, so it really made my day. Thank you."

"N-no tr-oblem it's oktay I um just-um-uh…" Her smooth hand was too warm on his scarred one for him to continue speaking.

Gray saved his life, clapping Natsu on the shoulder. "This is Natsu, the roommate I told you about last time, Lucy. He's not usually this word vomity."

"Small world," she said with a grin. She hadn't let go of his hand. "I should probably get to know you better, then."

Natsu was pretty sure his face was matching his hair. "U-uh, I-I…"

"Do you maybe wanna go see a movie sometime? Or go for a drink?" When Natsu stared straight ahead and didn't respond, Lucy dropped his hand. "Y-you don't have to…"

Gray jumped in, "Oh, he's not saying no. You just kinda… broke him."

"I dunno," Loke sighed, sitting on the nearest desk. "A gorgeous girl like Lucy could do a lot better, methinks."

Natsu knew his friend was teasing, but couldn't help but feel his heart drop. Of course she could do better. She was beautiful and sweet and had experience and could actually speak a full sentence to him. Not to mention how she probably wouldn't care to deal with his… issues. Natsu looked away from her and to the floor, swallowing.

Glaring, Gray pushed Loke off the desk. "Dude, shut up. Just because Natsu's never been on a date-"

"Gray, you are making it so much worse," Natsu groaned, hiding his face in his scarf.

Lucy raised her eyebrows. "Really? You've never…?"

Natsu didn't look up over his scarf, shaking his head quickly. Great. Now she was fully aware of just how much of a loser he was. Thanks, Gray.

"Well then," Lucy said, voice still light and cheerful, "I guess I'll just have to make your first the best one ever, won't I?"

He peeked at her over his scarf. Rolling her eyes, she pulled it down and stood on her toes to kiss his cheek. His face burned and he made a rather undignified yelping sound.

She wore a smirk. "So? Whaddya say?"

"Uh gah."

"That's Natsu speak for 'yes'," translated Gray, pushing Natsu closer to Lucy. "He's free every night this week because we'll force him out of this building to actually have a life other than finding murderers. Would you like to see the new Star Wars with him and out to dinner?"

"I adore Star Wars," Lucy said, clasping her hands. "And the only places I've been around here are that cafe and Fairy Tail, so it would be great if he could show me some of the hot spots."

"I-I love Star Wars too," Natsu said, words falling out of his mouth as he felt his eyes brighten. "Been watching them since I could walk and…" Natsu flushed again. She didn't ask, you idiot, he told himself. "Y-yeah, I kn-now some good food places…"

"Perfect! Friday sound good?" Lucy asked, rocking on her heels as if excited.

Natsu cleared his throat and drew in a breath, trying to shove his anxiety aside. "Th-that sounds awesome."

"We can text about times…" Lucy suggested hesitantly. "But I'd need your phone number."

A pretty girl was asking for his phone number. Slay me. "U-uh… yeah um yeah if I could just…?" He held out his hand so that he could enter the number into her contacts

She gave it to him after she typed in the password, and he made sure to add his last name as well. "I'll text you. Maybe call," she promised, tapping the corner of phone against her temple with a playful smile.

The warmth that spread through him somehow made him shiver, and though Natsu thought he'd forgotten how, he smiled back.

Heeey dorks!

This is a oneshot for my buddy Alisha (rivendell101)! It was her birthday a few days ago, so this is laaaate but I hope it's okay!

This is probably the most random AU I've ever written. Anyway, I'll see ya later when I write some Valentine's drabbles!

Happy Birthday, Walnut, and Happy Valentine's Day to you all! Pass on an act of love to your family, friends, enemies, and loveeeers~

Mizpah,

~LoneStorm