The day had started with so much promise.

She and the boys just got back from Mount Hikobe this morning, where their six months of training and missions had finally landed them. Now, after too long of a reprieve, they were home and finally catching up with everyone in the Guild they had missed.

So, why was Lucy wishing Gray's Ice Canon was shooting towards her instead of Natsu right now? In fact, she wouldn't even mind the flaming fist Gray was eating at the moment either. Anything would due to get away from this table.

"Nh, you guys – it's not like that with us. Honestly, all we do while we're away is train and take missions." Lucy even put on her most convincing face, but the ladies at the table weren't buying it.

Levy had a devious gleam in her eyes and a smirk that told Lucy she wasn't about to let this conversation drop. What's worst was that Levy was the least threatening out of the bunch, Mira's stare was downright devilish, as was her sisters, and Cana looked as though she was contemplating shaking the truth out of her. Most troubling was Erza's stoic watching – it was as if she knew something.

But there wasn't anything to know! Honest, if something was going to happen between her and Natsu, it would of already. They had been inseparable for the six years they've know each other and working nearly exclusively alone for missions for the last four, so really – if the guy was gonna make a move, he would have by now.

Lucy sighed. Why me?

"You mean to tell me, that you and flame-boy?" Cana jutted her beer holding hand towards the brawl, "Are not together?"

The stare Cana was throwing her way was daring Lucy to contradict. Honestly – Lucy was not the girl she was six years (technically thirteen years) ago, she could hold her own in a fight now. Natsu even thought she could earn S class this year…But fighting with Cana, over this? Was just dumb.

"We're together-"collective gasps around the table, Lucy cringed, "In the way Erza and Gray are together-"collective angry huffs and an agonized Juvia wail from somewhere in the guild. Lucy paused and her eyebrow ticked, this was so frustrating!

It's not like she didn't care for Natsu, and it's not for lack of wanting – she wished she had some juicy gossip, some hot and heavy sexual escapade to interlude her training to regale for the girls.

But she had nothing.

Natsu and her just weren't, and though that thought had agonized her a few years back, she oddly, was at peace now. When she was younger she figured by this age she would have had enough of adventures, she would have found someone, like Lisanna, Erza and Levy had, she'd be moving into the next step of a real marriage, thinking about a future with children – she'd have some sexual experience (beyond an awkward kiss in front of a dismally small theater audience), she thought she would have found love… That was the problem though, she had found love.

She loved Natsu – and that's why none of those other things were in the cards for her.

Loving Natsu meant missions, it meant working harder to become a stronger mage, it meant Nakama, searching for Igneel, and the Guild coming first it. It meant strength when you don't have any left – it meant small pleasures and big laughter, it meant annoying flying cats, and immature fights. It meant sleeping under the stars and catching each other's eyes across a camp fire, it meant being teased and teasing right back, it was dirt and blood and tears and gritting your teeth and courage! Loving Natsu was like his element, impossibly warm and comforting, but if you ventured too close, if you dared to close the gap, it burned.

Loving Natsu… was accepting unspoken gestures – an arm across the shoulder, a hair mussing here, a tickle fight there. It was sharing warmth beneath a blanket, arms around each other, noses in each other's hair, legs tangled – as intimate as you can without taking off your clothes, and yet.

Lucy had nothing.

In the morning, they'd both wipe the sleep from their eyes, and carry on in their typical fashion, as if they hadn't just spent the night in a lover's embrace, as if all they had been doing was just sharing warmth against the elements…

That was loving Natsu.

Despite how she craved what her friends had, she couldn't give up loving him. She was too far gone to be saved.

So what to tell them? They were all looking at her, they expected something. Lucy blushed – she didn't want too, but she had to bring out the big guns.

" You're right, I love him." Gasps from the group and a whispered "I knew it!" erupted from Mira. Lucy almost hated to break the excited high that was buzzing around the table, but it had to be done.

"But you're wrong, nothing is going on – and I seriously doubt it ever will…" The dejected looks from all but one, made Lucy contemplate stopping, but she had to drive this one home.

"If anything was ever, ever, going to happen, don't you think it would have by now?"

"Maybe you should just kiss him!" squeaked Lisanna, she continued "You know Natsu," she waved her arms around, "He's all battles and Igneel and Nakama – I bet he doesn't even know you care for him that way."

Lucy bit her lip to keep the frown at bay, not even know she cared for him that way? That's even worse! She literally devoted her life to the guy, if he didn't know she was head over heels for him – the thought made her stomach drop. Lucy shook her head.

"No – I don't think so, he loves me too." Gasps all around and another whispered "I knew it!" erupted from Mira.

"Did he confess to you Lu-Chan?!" Levy had hearts in her eyes and looked as though she was about to lose it. The pregnancy hormones were making her extra dramatic it seems – Lucy swallowed down the jealously of her best friend.

"Did he make a big scene, was it after a battle?" Not you too Lisanna, she wasn't even pregnant! Maybe being engaged makes you dramatic too? If that was the case, why was Ezra so quiet – in fact she was frighteningly quiet. Did she know about Scheherazade Theater? The thought made Lucy's stomach lurch, but she forced herself to wave them off.

"No, you guys. It's nothing like that. Honestly, you've known Natsu longer than me. Does he really seem like the type for grand romantic gestures?" Lucy gave them a pointed look, and Lisanna and Levy eased into their seats.

"Give us a bone already Lucy! You can't keep throwing out statements like that and claiming nothing is going on between you too!" Cana growled and her beer sloshed out onto the table.

"Cana!" Mira chastised at the mess, but continued looking at Lucy, "She's right though, you can't say you both love each other but nothing's going on." Taking a stern pointed finger to Lucy, "And you can't claim you love each other like Erza and Gray-" Juvia wailed somewhere in the distance, "Because what you have transcends Nakama love."

Lucy pinched the bridge of her nose. "Look I know, I'm not trying to trick you but I'm not going to say we're something we're not."

She looked at the levelly, "The fact of the matter is, Natsu has never claimed to love, and I've…I've never said that to him. And I know I'm going to sound crazy, but I know that he does!"

Lucy hugged herself, "It's in everything he does, I can see it when he looks at me…But him saying, him being intimate with me…" She tried to keep the bitterness from her speech, but she couldn't help it as she tore her eyes from the group, "It's not in him to be that way, he doesn't think like that."

"Bullshit."

Mira spoke first, "Erza…?"

Levy was quick to follow, the grin evolving on her face, "Do you know something, Erza?"

Lucy's pulse soared; she knew about Scheherazade Theater mission, she knew about the accidental –

"You two sleep together, Happy told me." Erza wore the smug smile she donned right after defeating an enemy.

"Lu-chan!?"

"I knew it!"

"How is he?!"

"I bet he's a dragon in bed!"

Lucy groaned. She wished Virgo was here to dig her an early grave.

And the day had started with so much promise.