All right to Fairy Tail go to Hiro Mashima. I do not own this.

Just a quick note, I may not write for every prompt, but I wanted to participate in this anyway. I will do my best to write for as many days as I can, but work may take up some time. I hope you all enjoy what I can do for my first nalu week participation ever!

Day 1: Longing

Natsu sat at a table near the back of the guild with his chin resting in his hands. The usual loud and rambunctious noise of the guild hall filled the air, but for once Natsu paid no mind to it. No, instead all his attention was on the blonde haired girl standing by the front doors. Saying her last good byes to her many friends.

He shook his head. No, this wasn't her last good bye. She was coming back. She'd promised.

The war was finally over, Zeref was gone after somehow finding peace with Mavis and things were starting to go back to normal, as much as they ever could anyway. Lucy had waited several months for things to calm down before announcing she planned on leaving for a year to find Aquarius' key.

Natsu had been fully prepared to follow her to the ends of the earth if that's where she went, but she'd specifically asked that she go alone. 'I need to do this myself, Natsu. For Aquarius…and for me.' Her voice rang through his head over and over, like it had been doing for the past few days. Everything in him revolted at the idea of her going off alone.

His need to be with her had only grown stronger since the war, especially after that horrible moment when he'd thought he'd lost her forever in her attempt to save him from END. But he had to respect her wishes, no matter how much it hurt. He hadn't thought it'd be this bad when she first said she was leaving. He'd missed her like hell when he left for a year to train but it was nothing he hadn't been able to handle. He'd figured her leaving would be the same, but then he woke up today, in her bed, with her in his arms, her packed bag sitting in the corner of the room and he knew he couldn't do it.

He felt like such an ass for not wholly supporting her, and he felt like an even bigger ass for actually considering following her anyway. But this wasn't like the time he left, he'd reasoned. Back then, he and Lucy were just friends, and now…

Now he wasn't sure what they were. They weren't a couple and nothing had really changed between them, but they weren't the same either. He still snuck into her home to sleep in her bed, but now when she woke up with his arms around her and his face buried in her sweet smelling hair she didn't yell or kick him out. It was…nice, but not enough.

And now she was leaving. For a whole. Fucking. Year.

He felt a soft hand on his shoulder and jerked his head up to look at Lucy. She gave him a sweet smile but he could just make out the slight excitement in it, and maybe a little sadness. "Walk me to the train station, will you?" she asked.

He nodded and numbly got to his feet, trailing after her as she left the guild. They were quiet for a while, Lucy thinking over her plans and trying to remember if she'd packed everything and Natsu was just trying not to beg her to stay.

"I told Master I'd send some letters to the guild for you since you don't really have an address," she said.

Natsu nodded. "Thanks."

"I'll make sure to give you the addresses I'm staying at so you can write me back if you want."

"Okay."

She stopped him then, placing a hand on his arm and giving a slight squeeze. It was only then he realized they were at the train station. Panic washed over him. He wasn't ready. He hadn't said goodbye properly. Hadn't told her he loved her yet.

The gentle touch of Lucy's hand to his chin turned his face to hers, and he swallowed at the loving look in her eyes. She smiled and brushed her thumb along his cheek, sending a shiver down his spine. She'd never touched him like this before.

"Natsu…don't worry. I'll be fine. Unlike you, I won't go getting myself into trouble."

He wanted to tell her that out of the two of them she was the one with a knack for getting into trouble, but he couldn't concentrate on anything when she touched him like that. He reached up and placed his hand over hers, trapping her hand against his cheek. "I'm not worried, weirdo. I just…"

Love you too much to let you go.

Lucy tilted her head and blinked up at him. "Just what?"

He licked his lips. "Just wanted to tell ya something."

Her lips twitched like she wanted to smile but her eyes remained locked on his. "Yes?" she prompted.

Keeping her hand against his cheek, Natsu dropped his other hand to her left hip, pulling her close against him. Her eyes widened but she made no move to pull out of his loose hold. Something he took as a good sign.

Stealing himself, Natsu slowly leaned down and gently pressed his lips to hers. Lucy froze in his arms and he felt her breathing hitch against his cheek before her free hand came up to grab the front of his shirt and she pulled him closer until there was barely any space left between them.

Tilting his head just slightly, Natsu deepened the kiss, moving his lips against Lucy's in a way he'd only dreamed of before then. Neither one of them was sure how long they stood on the platform kissing, neither really cared, but when the conductor gave the last call for Lucy's train Natsu reluctantly pulled away.

He kept his eyes closed as he laid his forehead against Lucy's, taking a few deep breaths to calm his racing heart and take in her scent. The thought struck him that he wouldn't smell the sweet combination of vanilla and wildflowers for a year and it made his heart ache.

"Come back soon, okay?" he said.

Lucy nodded and Natsu could smell her tears before they fell. Pulling back, he reached up with both hands to swipe his thumbs across her cheeks, catching the stray tears before they could fall. He locked his gaze with hers, his dark eyes dancing back and forth between her large, brown ones.

Natsu felt his breath catch in his throat when he saw only one emotion swirling in those dark pools. Longing. It was so deep and pure it made his heart soar and stomach clench at the same time. He knew the same look was in his eyes, knew it because he already missed the feel of her in his arms.

The conductor called once more and Natsu knew it was time she left. Stealing one last, short kiss before she boarded, he watched her through the windows as she walked down aisle and took an empty seat near the back of the car.

The train whistle blew twice, signaling it was about to leave the station, and Natsu found himself jogging alongside the train until he reached the end of the platform. Lucy was leaning out the window, yelling promises that she would come back soon, that she would write as soon as she came to her first stop.

She didn't say she loved him, but he didn't say it either. They didn't have to. He could see it on her face when she looked at him, and he knew she saw it on his. When the train was finally out of sight, which was a while given his well above-average sight, Natsu turned and headed back to the guild.

Already, he longed to go after her, to be with her, but he found himself grinning anyway. She'd come back, he knew she would. She'd promised. And a Celestial Wizard always keeps their promises.