Hello dear shipmates! Inspiration found me again after that amazing special NaLu chapter!

I hope you enjoy! :)

It was finally over. Babysitting Asuka proved to be a true challenge. Who could have imagined that such a little girl would pay that much attention to small details? Her wish of retrieving her parents "lost" precious item was so sweet it truly moved Lucy. That's how a daughter loves her parents. That's how Lucy always loved hers, even though her chances to do so were cut out so early in her life. Still, it warmed her heart. And gave her an excuse to not think about some other parts of the day!

Wait… Damn, here she is thinking about it again! Just, shut up brain! You're always quiet when I try to write my novel but you won't stop playing romantic outcomes for that - that thing!

Ohhh yeah. That thing. So funny in Asuka's mind, and simple probably. To Lucy, it was a complete train wreck to her emotions! Why on earth did she deserve to have that topic brought up again? Mira's delusion was enough for a lifetime! And why was it enough? Because it literally took charge of Lucy's thoughts from that day forward. She couldn't stop picturing it. Imagining Natsu and her together, close together. Invading each other personal space, gazing lovingly… STOP! Enough! Thankfully Natsu was unaware of her crazy ideas…

And now, that cursed word was floating in the air thanks to a small and innocent kid.

Kiss.

Really, kiss? Just hearing it was enough to make her face look like it had some serious sunburn! Yeah… The sun burns… So does fire… Natsu loves fire… Wait what?

DAMN! There she goes again! She's hopeless, isn't she?

All of this is going through Lucy's head while she's walking home with Natsu. These thoughts are "dangerous". She really shouldn't let her inner feelings so close to the surface.

He's behaving like he always does. Not a care in the world, hands in his pockets, stupid and cute smile on his lips. Double damn. Now I'm looking at his lips.

Her intense blush persists. While trying to get her act together, Lucy ended up doing the one thing she absolutely didn't want – Attract Natsu's attention.

He looked sideways at her. Something was definitely off about her behavior. Lucy is not usually calm, quiet, pacific, and normal when she's walking down the street. She would look around at all the shops, smile at random people and walk dangerously close to the river. And what is she doing now?

Well… Nothing really. She's just walking, looking straight ahead, but not really seeing. His carefree smile turns into a small frown.

"You're too quiet." – The words were out before he knew. And he regretted them in that exact same moment. Lucy's posture changed. He knew her well enough to see right through her false cheerfulness.

"Ohh, gomen, I was just thinking that I have to do my laundry, and cook dinner, and clean my house, and you know, so many things to do and so little time ahahaha." – She replied, waving her hand dismissively.

"No you're not. Today you're having dinner at the guild, Mira invited you. And you don't have laundry to do since we haven't had a mission recently. Also, I've been to your apartment yesterday, it was shinning from being so clean!" – At this point Natsu looked like a true detective, grabbing his chin while considering her justification, and tearing it apart.

Lucy was shocked. "When did you become so perceptive?" – By now both had stopped walking and were facing each other. They had arrived at Lucy's door.

"When did you start lying to me?" – Wow, he was really determined to confront her, wasn't he?

"I'm not lying, you baka! I'm a very busy woman, also, my mind is filled with amazing ideas that will make my new novel fantast- ".

"You're avoiding!" – Natsu raised his voice, his body emanating frustration. His fists were clenched, mouth twitching, a small flush adorning his cheeks – "You're avoiding, just like you avoided me when I was going to kiss you". – His tone was serious and a little reticent.

Lucy got instantly flustered; now here was something she would have never imagined to hear from the man standing before her. She dodged the hot ball once again.

"N-nani? What's up with you, saying that kind of things?" – Lucy tried to lighten the mood – "Oh common Natsu, it's nothing like that!" – Her voice was joyful although deep inside her heart was heavy and twisting painfully.

She was not ready to face this, not now at least. Her feelings were a mess. They were always when it came to him. While she believed Natsu to be a pure and innocent soul regarding romance, she could brush her passionate illusions aside. But now, she knew he wasn't oblivious to that kind of interactions. And it scared her. Because now, she knew he would understand what she meant if she suddenly kissed him. He wouldn't be confused and think it was another weird Lucy moment. He would know!

"It's not?" – his reply brought Lucy back to reality. – "You pulled away from me." – he was now taking small steps towards her, and instinctively she took small steps back… Until her back hit her door – "See? You're doing it again!" – Hard eyes were fixed on Lucy's face – "Why?"

"Why what, Natsu?" – She couldn't help but ask, even though she understood his question perfectly. Was she just trying to avoid the inevitable explanation? Or did she really need to know what was going through Natsu's mind?

"Why are you pulling away from me now? You… Never did that. I-I don't understand!" – His serious expression couldn't hide the wounded look his eyes were bearing.

She's… She's the one doing that, hurting her most precious person. Tears are making their way to her eyes. She lowers them, fixing her gaze in Natsu's still clenched hands. His whole body transpires uneasiness… But why? Why was he so invested in knowing? Why was he not the same Natsu she always knew? Why was he questioning something like that?

Still, Natsu was waiting for an answer, and as his best friend she owes him that.

"A first kiss… It's special. It has to be special. And you…You were going to kiss me because you were told to do so. You were going to kiss me, and I was going to feel you. Feel you so close to me…" – her heart was speaking, she couldn't shut it up now – "But in reality, I would know that you were actually far away… I'm sorry, I know I'm being weird. But…But you make me feel weird! And I… Well, and I…"

"You're a weirdo".

There, Lucy's heart froze. "Yeah, I know…" – she forced a small smile upon her lips, after all, she knew. Of course she knew that was the way he saw her. However, that was not enough to keep a small tear from running down her cheek.

A warm finger wipes it off. Lucy's head shots up to look at Natsu once more. Her eyes wide open.

He's not smiling. He's not grinning. He doesn't look like a kid. He's utterly serious. He looks like a man.

"How could I be far away, when you keep pulling me close to you? I just wanted… to close the distance, that's all." - It's Natsu's turn to be embarrassed, blushing and looking at everything but her.

Lucy is overwhelmed with shock and wonder. Her body moves on its own, she can't control it. She's acting purely on instinct.

Eyes slowly closing, her lips gently land on his. A feather touch, a small caress. It's over just as suddenly as it began. Their foreheads touch as they gaze at each other.

"There, I closed the distance… What now?" She's breathless, but not shy. Not anymore. She broke the barrier, she freed herself. And by the look on Natsu's eyes, she has freed him too.

"Now, I'll just keep closing it" – he gives her a small kiss – "and closing it"– another one, short, more passionate – "and closing…" not another word is heard for a while. There's no more distance between them.

Here it is sweeties! :) Was it any good? I hope so... :$

NaLu is Love 3