Disclaimer: I don't own Fairy Tail. If I did, NaLu would've definitely gotten together at the end of the anime.

I wrote this after seeing one of those red thread posts on twitter. I didn't want to make this a full-out soulmate AU, so I decided to make it like this. It practically wrote itself. Sorry for any mistakes you may come across. I wrote most of this on my phone. And I wish I added more of the other characters in, but I didn't want to make it too long. So apologies and regrets aside, on to the story!

"Natsu!" a young girl scolded. The girl was only five years old, but she had an attitude of a twenty-year-old. "You can't just take my toys!" Her light brown eyes narrowed at the boy sitting in front of her.

"But Lucy! I don't have any of my own toys to play with!" the boy - Natsu - refuted. His legs were crossed underneath him and his arms were crossed. "And you have so many!"

Lucy just glared at him more. "Stealing is bad!" From her standing position, she placed a hand on her hip and waved a finger in front of his face. "If you just asked, I would've given it to you anyways."

Natsu's head shot up in shock, his own dark brown eyes widening. His adopted father, Igneel, had recently become a chef for the Heartfilia family and so Natsu was forced to move to a house on their property. He just happened to meet Lucy a few days before, but now she was offering to give him toys? "Really?"

Lucy didn't move from her position. "Of course! Mama always tells me to share everything!" Her scolding finger moved to flick him on the forehead. "And you're my friend Natsu!"

"Friend?" He was completely stunned. But as he slowly brought his hand from its crossed position over his chest to rub at his slightly aching forehead, a grin started to overtake his face. "Friend!"

"You're so silly Natsu," Lucy commented, her posture relaxing so she was just standing normally.

Natsu just continued grinning. He jumped up from his seated position, grabbing her hand, and started running to the small jungle gym set next to the grass they had been playing at. Lucy was forced to follow him, but a smile of her own appeared on her face as well.

"Well friends have to play together, so we should go play right now!" Natsu exclaimed, turning his head to look back at her. "You can be the princess and I'll be a dragon, and we can have an adventure! An eternal adventure awaits us!"

"Hn!" Lucy agreed, smile brightening. She never really had any friends of her own, but in the stories her Mama read to her, she loved the idea. Plus she loved adventures in the stories!

The two children climbed up the jungle gym excitedly, making up stories about what adventure they were about to venture on. And so started the beautiful friendship between Natsu Dragneel and Lucy Heartfilia.

"Natsu," Lucy said tiredly. "What are you doing here?"

The boy in question was hiding something behind his back and was grinning sheepishly. "Nothing Lucy!"

On a regular day, Lucy would continue badgering him for an answer, but today she was so tired. It had been a week since her Mama died, and her eight-year-old self was struggling under her grief. "If it's nothing, you can leave."

Natsu bit his lip. He didn't know how to handle this Lucy. All month she had been constantly sad. Layla Heartfilia had been diagnosed with a weird disease and then died a week ago, and Natsu had absolutely no idea how to cheer Lucy up. But he would do anything if it meant getting the life back into her eyes. Natsu hated the way his best friend looked so sad. "I-I, uh, came to give you something."

"You snuck into my room...to give me something?" Lucy asked incredulously. Her room was on the third floor, and Natsu wasn't exactly allowed in. So he must have climbed on the side of the house, which completely baffled Lucy.

"Yeah! Anything for you!" At his words, Lucy felt tears spring into her eyes. He said it so casually - as if the thought of doing anything for her was a simple fact like candy is sweet. What did she do to deserve a friend like this?

"What is it?" Lucy said, hiding her tears. Natsu perked up. Still hiding the object behind his back with one hand, he pulled her over to her bed and pushed her so she was sitting down.

"Here!" And in his hand was a wooden statue of her mom. "I had Igneel help me with the carving because I suck at the detailing...but I tried my best! Your mom was so beautiful you know? It was so hard to get it down."

Lucy stared in shock at the statue in front of her. Natsu just continued, "I made it for you hoping that you'd see your Mama isn't really gone! She'll always live on with you! But since you've been so sad, I thought having this statue would show you that she's right here with you."

Lower lip trembling, Lucy reached her hand out to touch the statue. Her eyes were burning, but she was determined to not cry. The statue was beautiful in Lucy's opinion. The small size made it hard for her to completely see all the details, and there were a few messy parts of it since Natsu was only eight after all.

"...Do you like it?" Natsu asked hesitantly. His earlier bravado disappeared under Lucy's silence.

He was completely shocked when Lucy hugged him abruptly, the statue awkwardly digging into both of their stomachs. "I love it Natsu," came her whispered admission.

Natsu's arms wrapped around her as he came over his shock. "Good! Try not to be so sad okay Lucy? I know your Mama woulda wanted you to be smiling."

"Okay," Lucy uttered through her tears. A sob escaped her, and Natsu's shoulders went stiff.

"Are-are you crying?" Natsu asked in a panic. "Oh man, I don't want you to cry!"

Lucy's arms just tighten around his torso. "I'm crying because I'm happy Natsu." She dug her head into his shoulder. "Thank you."

"Like I said Lucy, anything for you," Natsu replied with a maturity that far exceeded his age. The two stayed like that for half an hour, until Lucy pulled back to admire the statue again.

Four years passed. Natsu started attending a joint middle and high school, named Fairy Gakuen. On the other hand, Lucy was forced to study with private tutors.

"And Ice Popsicle thought he could fight me again in another fight! Levy and Lis tried to hold him back because they knew I'd beat him up! And Cana just kept cheering us on," Natsu recounted with a laugh, hitting his chest with his hand. "But then Erza came, and she was so scary...so me and Ice Popsicle had to form a temporary truce."

Lucy just listened with a fake smile on her face. She didn't recognize the feeling bubbling in her chest, but she hated whenever Natsu talked about his other friends at Fairy Gakuen.

"I wish you could meet them, even though Gray's a real jerk," Natsu continued, moving so he could drape his arm around her shoulders. "Lis is practically as nice as you and Levy loves books as much as you do."

Lucy just sighed. "...Yeah, I wish I could too." But for some reason, she didn't want to meet them. She wanted to be Natsu's only friend. She hated that he had so many other friends while she only had him.

"Oh! Maybe we can plan a hang-out and I can introduce you to them!" Natsu turned his head and looked at Lucy, smiling brightly.

She turned away, feeling guilty for her feelings. "I don't know if Father will let me," she said, gaze locked on the swingset in front of her.

"But you'll ask right?" Natsu said, nuzzling his head on hers, right next to her ear. She thought nothing of it - she learned that Natsu was a very physical person, relying on touches rather than words.

"Sure," she agreed. Even if she felt like she wouldn't like it much, she'd never turn down the chance to hang out with Natsu outside of her property. She was rarely ever allowed out.

"Great!" Natsu pulled his head back, removing his arm from her shoulder, and plopped his head on her lap instead.

He gazed up at her and she looked down at him. "It'll be amazing! They'll love you for sure!"

She nodded, mustering a small smile. Moving her hands down so they rested on his pink locks, she said, "I can't wait."

After the sun set, Natsu was forced to go back home and Lucy had to go have dinner with her father. She promised him again that she'd ask him to go out that weekend.

To her major surprise, Jude agreed - although he told her that she'd have to bring Loke with her, one of her very loyal bodyguards. She agreed readily - a day out with Natsu was great, even if it was with his other friends.

When Saturday arrived, she met up with Natsu, who was practically bouncing off the walls with excitement. He kept an arm around her shoulder as they walked to the city, while Loke stayed a few feet away.

After meeting Natsu's school friends - Gray, Levy, Lisanna, Cana, Mirajane, Elfman, and Erza - she hated herself for feeling so spiteful to them. They were completely amazing, and she had so much fun watching a horror movie with them, getting some greasy burgers, and playing at an arcade. And to rub salt in her wound, Natsu rarely ever left her side. She felt so bad for doubting their friendship.

So after they all left, and it was just Natsu, Lucy, and Loke - who she had requested stay ten feet away - she told him about her feelings.

Natsu had stopped walking, and the duo stopped in front of an alley. He looked at her like she was stupid. "You were jealous that I had found better friends?"

Lucy looked down and played with her fingers. "Yeah…"

"You're so dumb sometimes ya know." A laugh followed his words.

Lucy continued playing with her fingers, feeling her cheeks heat up in embarrassment. Until Natsu grabbed both her hands within his. Lucy lifted her head to look at him.

"You're my best friend! I'd never leave you! Remember what I said when we were five?" Natsu's eyes were shining brightly.

Lucy answered hesitantly as he continued, "An eternal adventure awaits us!"

"Eternal means forever, Lucy," he said scoldingly.

Lucy stared at him before jumping forward to hug him. "Right!"

The pair's moment was interrupted by a loud "Meow". Lucy pulled away to look at where the sound came from.

"Was that...a cat?" she asked, staring into the alley.

"I guess our next adventure awaits, Lucy!" Natsu said, beaming. He grabbed her hand and pulled her into the alley, despite Lucy's exclamations.

Two hours later, Natsu could be seen with gashes on his hands, but rewarded with a blue cat for his efforts. "Let's name him Happy!"

"Happy?" Lucy asked, herself unharmed; Natsu didn't let her get too close to the cat.

"So we can be happy forever on our adventures," Natsu explained. Happy purred in Natsu's arms and they both exchanged smiles.

"Natsu," Lucy whispered hesitantly. Five years had passed since Natsu had adopted Happy. And a horrible tragedy had occurred.

On the hospital bed, Natsu said nothing in reply. Lucy gripped his hand within hers tightly. "Please say something."

"Say what?" His words were ice cold. "That Igneel died? And I'm still alive?"

Lucy felt tears in her eyes build up. "Igneel wouldn't want you blaming yourself for anything that happened! He-"

"You don't know him, Lucy. Don't pretend to."

Lucy was speechless. Natsu had never spoken to her like this before - harsh and ruthless.

"You and your family just benefited off of his labor," he spat. Lucy recoiled, letting go of his hand.

"N-No-"

"And now that he's dead, you'll just hire another cook and it'll be like he never existed. Don't lie to yourself, Heartfilia."

"Natsu, I loved Igneel," Lucy insisted. "He was practically my father!"

"Well he was actually mine," Natsu said. He paired it with a harsh glare in Lucy's direction. "Stop acting so oblivious. You Heartfilia's are completely ruthless and only benefit off of the backs of laborers."

"Why are you acting like this Natsu? What happened to our friendship? Our adventures?" Lucy refused to believe he would ever act like this to her without reason.

Natsu's eyes narrowed into slits. "Those were childhood dreams. Grow up Lucy."

The words 'grow up' echoed in Lucy's mind. She stood from the chair abruptly and walked out of the room, not looking back at the injured seventeen-year old in the hospital bed. '

Tears rolled down her cheeks as her knees shook. How could this have happened?

Natsu and Igneel had gone on a grocery run for the Heartfilias. But the icy roads paired with a drunk driver had led to a horrible car accident that killed Igneel on impact and left Natsu with a concussion and a broken leg. And now.

An image of five-year old Natsu, smiling and pulling her by her hand, appeared in her mind. "An eternal adventure awaits us!" he had said. Grow up.' Lucy's knees buckled and she collapsed five doors down from Natsu's room. She buried her face in her hands, crying harshly. Lucy didn't want to grow up. She didn't want to lose Natsu.

But it seemed like she had to. Natsu's cold face was burned into her retinas. Her tears came down faster.

Lucy didn't know how long she kneeled there crying until she saw black shoes through her fingers.

"Lucy?" The voice was familiar. Despite her state, she forced herself to stand, wiping her face in hopes of salvaging her image.

"Gray," she said, surprised. And there he was, standing in front of her.

His face was concerned. "What's wrong?"

She had ended up growing close to them, only able to hang out with them once a month, but still managing to build a strong bond with all of them in the five years. "Natsu. He's turned…"

"Turned what?"

"He lashed out at me." Her voice was trembling.

Gray's eyes widened. "He wouldn't!"

"He did. I'd recommend giving him some space, Gray."

"...Sure." There was a moment of silence before Gray continued. "Don't take his words too seriously Lucy. He's grieving and lashing out."

Lucy forced a smile - her Heartfilia smile. Natsu was the only one that could read through her mask. "I know," she lied. The words "grow up" echo relentlessly in her mind. "I should go. My father will be worried if I'm not back soon."

"Did you want me to walk you out?" His voice was worried, but Lucy just shook her head.

"Loke should be out in the lobby waiting. I'll be fine."

"If you say so. I'll go take a look at him before I leave," Gray said. Lucy smiled again and waved at him before turning herself toward the elevator.

"Later Gray."

"Yeah."

Lucy felt completely numb. She waved off Loke's concerns and sat motionlessly in the car on the way back to her house. She told him to wait outside the Dragneel house. She knew that in time, the Dragneel house wouldn't belong to the Dragneels but a replacement cook, and felt anger build inside her. Lucy brushed it aside in favor of unlocking the door with a key Igneel had given her. He had said, "You're basically my child Lucy! Here's one of our spare keys!" Lucy gulped at the memory, brushing it aside so she wouldn't break down in tears again.

"Happy?" she called into the empty house. She had never been in the house with it being so quiet and lifeless. The two Dragneels were a lively duo, smiling and laughing happily most of the time. A shiver ran down her spine. "Happy?"

A meow answered from inside Igneel's room. Lucy entered it and was bombarded with memories. Natsu had always convinced her to do mischievous things with him, like trying to find Igneel's baby pictures in his room, or stealing his boxers to dye pink, and even filling the bed with ice. She can remember Igneel's face, contorted with mock anger as he scolded them. He always stopped midway to laugh, and the two would join in the laughter, until the three were rolling in laughter on the floor.

Lucy bit her lip. She needed to stop going down the nostalgic route. Walking over to where Happy was perched on the window sill, she picked the cat up and walked out to where his supplies were. She gathered them in a bag she quickly grabbed from a cupboard. Lucy spared another glance at the house before walking out. The click of the door closing felt like a harsh goodbye. Lucy forced herself to swallow the lump in her throat. She couldn't cry again.

"Can you take me to the Strauss household?" she asked Loke after climbing back into the car.

Loke just shot a glance at Happy in her arms before nodding. Again the trip was spent in total silence. They arrived at the house quickly, and Lucy clambered out and knocked on the front door.

To her relief, Lisanna opened the door. "Oh Lucy! And Happy!" She was grateful that Lisanna didn't comment on her swollen face.

"Lisanna," Lucy greeted with a forced smile. "Could you guys take care of Happy for Natsu? I don't think he'll be out of the hospital soon." 'And he would be homeless.' wasn't said, but the two both knew it.

"Oh of course!" Lisanna said, taking Happy and his stuff from Lucy. "I was actually about to go see Natsu in the hospital since I know he just woke up! Did you want to come?"

Lucy was saved from answering by her phone ringing. "Shoot, sorry Lisanna. My father's calling. I've gotta go."

Lisanna's face was disappointed but she still said, "That's fine. I'll tell Natsu about you-"

"Don't," Lucy interrupted. After a second of hesitation, she continued, "Just tell him Happy's with you." She turned away, calling out a quick goodbye before climbing back into the car - but in the backseats. Despite Loke's questioning glance, she closed the door between the two sets of seats, meant to give her privacy. She rarely ever used it with Loke, but she had something to say to her father that was a long time coming.

"Hello?" she greeted.

"Lucy. You must come home immediately. I've already set up interviews for new chefs and you should do the taste-testing too," came her father's monotone voice. Anger continued rising within her.

"Already? Igneel just passed two days ago!"

"We still need to eat."

"We can make food ourselves! Igneel-"

"Is gone. He's gone, Lucy. He was a good chef, and I'm sorry to hear about his passing, but we need a new chef immediately."

Natsu's words echoed through her mind. It was true. Heartfilia Konzern was the biggest company in the world, ruling over all land transportation. And Jude Heartfilia was a cold man.

"I refuse."

"Pardon?"

"I refuse to go back."

"This is no time for one of your silly rebellions Lucy. You are seventeen and the heiress to the company. You are not a child anymore."

She inhaled. "I step down as the heiress of the company."

Jude was silent. Lucy's whole body was trembling. She didn't know what she was doing. She was seventeen, not a legal adult yet, and she was disowning herself from her own family. She grew up on privilege and didn't know how to live one of a common person. But still. Natsu was right. And she refused to go down the same path as her father.

"I'm afraid I heard you wrong Lucy."

"You heard me perfectly fine, Jude." Despite her shakiness, she willed her voice to come out strong.

"You don't know what you're saying. This is your last chance. Come home or don't come home at all."

Her jaw clenched, and she said, "I refuse to associate myself with heartless people like you."

The phone call ended with a click and she felt the car pull over, but she wasn't surprised. Now that she was disowned - not officially, but she knew she would be in a day - Loke wasn't her bodyguard anymore. She opened the door and stepped out. Lucy can see Loke mouthing the words "I'm sorry" to her, but she just smiled and walked away with all the confidence she could muster.

Luckily, Lucy had been saving money up in a separate bank account that Jude had approved under the lie of learning to manage money on her own, so it was completely under her name. In the common world, she knew it'd be enough to live on for ten years. She had intended the money to go to the Dragneels, in the case that Jude fired Igneel. How ironic, that she'd be using it herself and Igneel was dead.

After walking five blocks, the realization that Lucy was now homeless hit her hard. She felt like she was going to faint. Instead of doing that, she walked until she came across Levy's house. Other than Natsu, Levy was one of her closest friends. They both clicked instantly.

"Lu?"

At the sight of Levy, Lucy broke down completely. "Oh my gosh, are you okay?" Levy hauled her into her house, brushing off her parents. Lucy could barely register the fact that Levy had managed to bring her into her room because her tears wouldn't stop.

"Is it because of Natsu? Gray told me that he would heal completely, so you shouldn't be worrying yourself so hard," Levy said, trying to wipe away Lucy's tears.

Lucy just shook her head, sobs ripping out of her throat. "Igneel then? I'm so sorry about your loss." At the reminder that she wasn't just homeless, but she lost her father-figure had her sobbing even harder. She can barely feel how Levy was brushing her hand against her back.

Like a faint brush against her mind, the image of her Mama's statue flashed through her mind. Realizing that she left one of her most treasured items behind had her freeze completely, almost choking on a sob.

"Lu?" Levy's voice was concerned.

"I left it behind. Oh my gosh. I left it behind," Lucy panicked.

"Left what?"

"Mama's statue." Levy's hand froze on her back.

"What do you mean behind?" Levy was a smart girl, and she pieced it together immediately. "You left your house?" Her voice was high in shock.

Lucy could feel blood pooling in her mouth from how hard she was biting her lip. "I couldn't stay there anymore. But the statue! How am I going to get it back?"

Levy just sat in shock.

"Levy!" The exclamation managed to get Levy's attention.

"Get it back?" Levy pondered for a few minutes, and Lucy just rolled her lip underneath her teeth. "Oh! Since Natsu will have to move out, I can go in to get his stuff and get your statue for you!"

"But it's in my room."

"And? I can just say Natsu left something behind there. They can't refuse me!"

Lucy nodded hesitantly. "I guess that could work."

"I'll go visit Natsu then and tell him."

Hearing his name, Lucy winced.

She bit back the words to tell Levy to not tell him. Lucy wouldn't keep anything from him, even if he hated her.

"Can I borrow your phone first? I need to find the nearest bank and cheapest apartment building."

"Oh!" Levy remembered that she was homeless. "You can live here, my parents wouldn't mind!"

"I have money, Levy. I won't impose on you guys." Levy reluctantly handed over her phone. The thing about the group of friends Natsu had introduced to her was that they were completely loyal. They would never turn their back on a friend and had bonds stronger than steel. Lucy can tell that Levy didn't want to let Lucy live on her own.

"I'll be fine Levy. I'll need to get used to the real world anyways, and what better than to live alone?"

"That could work for Natsu too! He can live with you instead of going to a foster home!" Lucy bit her lip again.

"Actually...he's pretty mad at me Levy. I'm not sure he'd want to live with me anytime soon."

"Natsu? Mad at you? What happened?" Levy asked incredulously. Lucy couldn't blame her. The pair rarely ever had arguments big enough to have them not end up on a positive note by the end.

"They went out as an errand for us," Lucy explained, avoiding eye contact.

Levy's voice was angry now. "The car crash wasn't your fault though!"

"It was our fault, indirect as it may be," Lucy said tiredly.

"That's completely ridiculous, and you know it. I'll knock some sense back into him, don't worry."

Lucy didn't respond, instead looking up the addresses for the two locations she needed. Levy acknowledged that she didn't want to talk anymore, and stood up to continue getting ready. Lucy wrote down the addresses on her hand and handed the phone back to Levy, who was ready to leave herself.

"I'll catch a cab, Levy. Thank you for your help," Lucy said.

Levy grabbed a pen and wrote her number down on Lucy's arm. "Call me once you get a new phone. Don't you dare distance yourself because of this! You're free now, so we can hang out all the time!"

For the first time that day, Lucy's smile was genuine. "Thank you Levy. I will."

The two split ways, and Lucy went through the errands easily. She had been raised for business and so leasing out an apartment was a breeze. The apartment in itself was cheap, and she leased it out for half a year. She'd need to contact a social worker so she can get herself enrolled in a school to figure out what she was going to do. But first, she needed a phone. And furniture. She asked her neighbor - who was thankfully very polite - for some quick directions to the nearest technology store. With that in mind, she headed out to get herself a new phone.

The next few hours went by quickly. With her new phone - not the recent models, but not a brick - she was able to order some furniture and clothes from eBay that'd come the next day and some food delivery.

With the reassurance that everything was settled temporarily, Lucy headed to the bathroom. When she looked at herself in the mirror, she startled. Her eyes were completely swollen, and her cheeks were red as an apple. And she had bit through her lip at Levy's house, so that was a disgusting sight.

"No wonder people stared at me so weirdly," Lucy realized. She turned on the faucet and sprayed cold water on her face. She stopped as something hit her.

"Shit. I have no clothes or furniture for today." Lucy hurriedly looked down to her hand, but she had just washed off Levy's number too. "What. The. Fuck." How did her life go to complete shit in one day?

Her doorbell rang. Lucy sighed to herself, running her hand down her face. "At least I have food…"

The transaction was quick, and she made sure to tip the delivery person well. Still at the door, Lucy dropped to the floor, holding the pizza box. "No plates. No table. No chair." She opened the box and took out a slice. "No friends. No family." Lucy chewed on the pizza, but it tasted like cardboard. "How lonely," she whispered with a mocking laugh.

What she would give to go back to a week before, when Natsu, Happy, Igneel, and her had dinner and laughed so carelessly. She didn't realize tears were running down her face until she took a bite of a wet pizza. Lucy set it back in the box and pushed it away from her. She didn't feel hungry anymore.

Lucy brought her knees to her chest with her arms circling her thighs and buried her face on her knees. Her tears continued their escape silently. Without realizing, Lucy cried herself to sleep - the devastation of everything that had happened proving too much.

Waking up, Lucy had a horrible crick in her neck. And her butt was absolutely aching. She braced herself against the door and stood. Her whole body was stiff, so she did her best to stretch herself out despite the pain. She grabbed her phone and saw that it was only eight in the morning.

Her first order of business was to visit Natsu. If Levy told him everything, he needed to know that she didn't just leave her family because of him. Jude had treated her coldly, and if it weren't for Igneel, she would never have known familial love. Plus, if Levy actually knocked some sense into him, Lucy desperately needed the comfort of her best friend.

She went to the bathroom and did her business before splashing her face and rinsing her mouth. Staring at the girl that was staring right back at her, Lucy barely recognized herself. This new person looked bone-deep tired. She slapped her cheeks, willing some color back in her cheeks, before tying her blond hair into a high ponytail. "I'll be okay," she reassured herself. She didn't

Natsu to feel better, but Lucy knew that having him would help her greatly.

She ignored breakfast, not fully processing that she hadn't eaten in a day. Lucy can hear Igneel's voice scolding her, but she willed it to go away. It was painful to think about him. No matter what Natsu had said, Igneel was her father, though not one of blood or by print. Just by love.

Grabbing her keys from off the counter in the kitchen, Lucy walked out of her apartment. She locked the door behind her, and turned to see her neighbor walking out of their apartment too.

"Good morning," they greeted. They had blue hair, brown eyes, and a weird facial tattoo that Lucy resisted the urge to ask about.

Lucy smiled, a smile that came a lot easier than the ones from yesterday. "Good morning!"

"Did you enjoy your first night in the apartment?"

Lucy thought of the loneliness and her tears. Her smile faltered slightly. "Ah, it was alright. I didn't exactly have a bed to lay on," she said with a laugh.

"Oh! I should've offered my couch for your first night," they said, eyes widened.

Lucy just waved them off. "No it was fine!" She turned to walk toward the elevator and her neighbor followed. "I'm Lucy by the way, pronouns are she, her. It's nice to meet you properly."

Her neighbor smiled to themself, a fact that didn't escape Lucy's notice. "I'm Jellal Fernandes. He, him. It's nice to see someone that introduces themself with their pronouns."

"Oh, yes! I think it's really important that people start doing that. I've just recently trained myself to think of strangers as them and their before I know their pronouns. It took a lot of work," she said with a laugh. Natsu had taken even longer than her, but he continued stubbornly. He may be brash as hell, but he had a heart of gold.

"Same," Jellal replied with a smile. The elevator dinged, and they continued walking together out the door. "I'll see you later Lucy!"

"For sure!" Lucy looked up the directions to the hospital on her phone, setting out quickly. The walk was pretty short, much to Lucy's relief. Entering the hospital, she headed straight to the elevator. Without somebody to talk to, the elevator music was loud. Her palms grew sweaty as she realized how close she was to the confrontation she was anticipating.

Lucy slapped her hands on her cheeks and blew out a soft exhale. She left the elevator and walked to Natsu's room. Before entering, she looked through the small window. Natsu was surprisingly awake, and was tapping something on his phone. None of their friends were there. Again, Lucy braced herself before knocking on the door.

"Come in," Natsu's voice came. No longer the cold voice she heard, the sound felt like heaven to her ears. After his puberty, Natsu's voice had deepened out to a warm tone that Lucy loved.

Lucy's hand was sweaty on the metal of the door knob, but she managed to open it. Brown eyes met brown eyes.

"Lucy," Natsu breathed out. She managed a small wave. "Oh my Mavis, I'm so sorry Lucy. I'm so sorry."

To Lucy's shock, Natsu was crying. She could probably count the amount of times he cried in front of her on her two hands. And she'd known him for twelve years. He kept repeating his apologies. Lucy frantically closed the door behind her before rushing to his bedside. Just like Natsu couldn't handle her tears, she was completely lost on what to do. Her hands hovered over his hunched body as his shoulders shook.

"-sorry, so sorry-"

"Natsu, it's okay," she managed to say through the lump in her own throat. "It's okay," she repeated.

"It's not! I said those things to you, and I did it to hurt you. I'm so horrible."

"You're human, Natsu. I can't blame you for lashing out like that," she said. "Plus, some of the stuff you said was right."

"Igneel was your father, I never should have said that. Never. And-and," his voice broke. Lucy stayed quiet, wanting to hear what he would say next. "And I don't want us to stop going on adventures." A new round of tears followed the statement.

Lucy felt relief wash over her. She sat in the chair, and leaned in to hug Natsu. He resisted at first, but she stubbornly held onto him. Soon enough, he was crying into her shoulder as her hands ran down his back - like Levy had done for her. "I don't want us to stop going on adventures either," Lucy said, tears of her own pricking at her eyes.

"I hate that I said that. So much." His voice was slightly muffled, and he was interrupted by small hiccups.

"Me too," she admitted. Natsu's head dug into her shoulder more. "But I forgive you."

"You shouldn't."

"How will we continue going on adventures if I held one emotional moment over your head, Natsu?" Natsu was silent.

"You never said anything hurtful to me when Layla died."

"When Mama died, we were eight and you gave me a beautiful statue of her. Right now, with Igneel...we're seventeen and I pushed you when you weren't ready to talk."

"But still!" Natsu pulled back from her shoulder to look at her directly. "I said all that because I wanted to hurt you Lucy. You should never forgive me for that."

Lucy just stared resolutely at him. "You guys went out to get groceries for me. I understand that you wanted to hurt me Natsu. I would never blame you for that."

"Then is that why you left?" Lucy shook her head.

"I left because I was nothing but a tool for Jude. I refuse to be with him as my father. And I refuse to head a company that was built off the backs of laborers that weren't given enough for their efforts." They both knew that she wasn't just talking about Igneel. After all, he was just a simple chef.

The two were left in silence until Natsu asked weakly, "You really forgive me?"

Lucy held his face with her hands. "I do. And I'll remind you that I do until you forgive yourself. I don't blame you for anything." His lower lip trembled.

"Okay." Lucy rubbed at the tear tracks on his cheeks.

"I hate seeing you cry," she said with a sniffle of her own.

"I've cried twice in two days. I hate it," Natsu said, his hands rising to cup over hers.

"We'll be okay," she said, leaning in to brush her lips on his forehead. She didn't mention Igneel's name, but she knew he'd understand that was what she was talking about. "We'll be okay."

When she leaned back, Natsu had fresh tears in his eyes. But all he did was repeat her words. "We'll be okay." And she leaned back in to press her forehead against his, closing her eyes.

An image of Igneel flashed in her mind. He was smiling broadly and his arms were held out. "Don't be sad Lucy, you have a family with me!"

When she whispered, "I'll miss him so much" Natsu tightened his hands over hers. "Like I said before Lucy, he'll always live on with us. In our hearts." And when she opened her eyes, she swore she saw Igneel smiling at her next to Natsu. 'in our hearts'. And the loneliness she had felt the previous night was a distant memory.

It took time for her to settle. The social worker couldn't get her enrolled into a high school so late in the year, but Lucy would still be able to complete high school if she could pass the GED test. And she did. Getting her GED was the equivalent of a high-school diploma. After all their friends learned of her living situation, they were quick to give her housewarming gifts that saved her from needing to buy anything. Erza had given her kitchen appliances - bowls, utensils, plates. Gray had helped her install the fridge and gifted her groceries. Cana had given her pillows - after they learned that the couch and the bed did not come with pillows - and blankets. Levy had printed out pictures that Lucy had saved and framed them. And the Strauss's had given her Happy, with new toys and food, as well as bathroom necessities. She couldn't thank them enough.

Natsu had ended up living together with her, as Levy had guessed. She was more than happy to live with him though. They weren't new to sharing a bed, so Lucy felt lucky that she had splurged on a queen-sized bed. Lucy did her best to ignore her friends' teasing. Getting Natsu through physical therapy to reuse his leg was difficult though, and it took a long time. But he managed to get over the injury before he graduated high school.

While he was at school, she worked. Erza's adoptive father, who was old enough to be her grandfather, had welcomed her with kindness and convinced a colleague to hire her. So she worked at a restaurant, and saved up money. Igneel's trust fund probably wasn't enough to allow Natsu to go to college for all four years, but Lucy was willing to pay it for him. That had sparked a small argument, but Lucy was determined. And he realized that, so he backed down reluctantly. Despite that, he picked up his own job as a dishwasher for another restaurant.

And it took those five months for her to overcome her grief of losing Igneel. At her friends' graduation, she cheered in the audience but desperately wished that if she turned her head, she'd see Igneel there cheering for his son. Natsu and Lucy both cried with each other after the celebratory dinner. But starting from that day, it was like a grim acceptance had settled upon the pair. And Lucy stopped breaking down when she heard his name.

With the approval of her social worker, Lucy turned her last name to Ashley. Natsu had teased her saying that it was weird, but she just slapped him good-naturedly in the shoulder. The two had decided to settle on a community college in the city, Natsu due to his bad grades and Lucy due to not wishing to struggle with college applications because she didn't graduate from a high school. Lucy extended the lease to four years. Their friends didn't go too far - much to Lucy's relief - the farthest being Erza in a city three hours away.

"Natsu!" Lucy called angrily.

Natsu appeared in front of her, trying his best to smile innocently. "Yes?"

Lucy waved the red boxers in his face. "What is this doing in my drawer?" She stood in front of the dresser. The statue of her Mama stood proudly on it. A new one that Natsu had made of Igneel stood next to it.

He smiled and said, "Maybe you like boxers? Those girl underwear look uncomfortable, I understand." He nodded sagely.

Lucy can feel her eyebrow twitch. "I don't want to find your stuff with mine anymore." She glared at him. "You got it?" she asked threateningly.

"Aye sir!" When she sighed tiredly, he walked closer to her and nosed at her hair. "What are you stressed about?"

She dragged the both of them to the bed, and flopped herself down. He let himself be dragged down with her, and she nestled her head into his collarbone area. Natsu put one hand on her head and another at her waist and intertwined his legs with hers. "I'm just worried about classes. I've never been in a class with other people."

Lucy can feel the vibrations of his laughter through her forehead. She knew he wasn't laughing at her, so she didn't get offended. "Don't be a weirdo Lucy. You get along with people fine. A class setting isn't gonna change anything."

"But what if it does?" His hand on her waist started to draw circles.

"It won't. School isn't as bad as what those movies portray it as. I know you'll be great, and everybody will love you." Lucy can feel her anxieties flow away both at his words and at his closeness. Natsu was very warm and very comforting, she had learned when she was eight and grieving for her dead mother.

"You better not be wrong Natsu."

"When have I? I'm always right!" Lucy pulled back to give him a deadpan stare. His face was half squished by the mattress, but his smile was bright nonetheless.

"Of course," she drawled out sarcastically. Natsu just laughed again and pulled her back into his embrace.

"I won't be wrong about this Lucy. Now stop worrying, otherwise your hair's gonna go gray early."

Lucy smacked his chest hard, although it probably hurt her more than him. Natsu worked out regularly and he had pectorals as hard as rock.

"Ow!"

"Shut up, my hand is the one stinging."

The vibrations of his laughter were more intense than before. "I'm practically the new Dwayne Johnson. Call me the Rock 2.0."

Lucy couldn't restrain her own laugh. "Be original and stop stealing names."

"The Rock is legendary Lucy! That name is not just

name, so I can steal it just fine!"

"Uh-huh," she said. Natsu pinched her side in retaliation. "Hey!"

"Maybe if you worked out like me and had abs, that wouldn't have hurt!"

"We're not all gym rats, Natsu."

She can hear him whisper, "Sadly." Lucy couldn't help her the smile that overtook her face. She pulled back again to flick his forehead.

"Don't call me fat!"

"I didn't!" She flicked his forehead again. "Fine I did! I'm sorry!" As much as he aged since that day, Natsu was still that same five-year old sometimes.

Lucy settled back down into his chest. "Wake me up in an hour," she murmured.

"Sure." Within his warm embrace, Lucy fell asleep in a matter of seconds. She missed the way Natsu held her tighter to himself and pressed a kiss to her head. While it wasn't an unnatural occurrence, the three words he uttered were.

"I love you," was lost to the eighteen-year old, who was lost in slumber.

When she woke up, the room was cloaked in complete darkness. The one hour she had requested had probably turned into five. She gently pulled herself out of the slack arms and stood up from the bed. The blond looked at Natsu, his face smoothed out in his sleep. She leaned down to brush some hair off his forehead, and placed a kiss on it. Then she turned and went to the bathroom, gathering clothes along the way.

By the time she finished her shower, Natsu was awake and cooking them dinner. "An hour huh?" she asked teasingly.

He turned and pouted at her. "I'm sorry, I was just so comfortable."

Lucy always succumbed to his pout, but she managed the willpower to smack him lightly on the shoulder. He turned the fire to low on the stove before grabbing her and putting her over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes. "I'm sorry!" Lucy yelled out.

Natsu just said, "Nope!" and threw her on the couch, before attacking her with tickles. Lucy thrashed underneath him, turning her head back and forth.

"Stop...Please...I'm sorry…" she managed to say between laughs. Through her teary eyes, she could see him smirking at her.

"I'll stop if you call me Rock 2.0." The challenge in his eyes was unmistakable. Lucy didn't want to, but dying of laughter wasn't a very fun way to go, so she managed to gasp out a, "I'm sorry Rock 2.0."

His fingers stopped their assault, and he laughed at her. Lucy was busy panting to do anything about his teasing. When he stopped laughing abruptly, Lucy's eyes shot up to meet his eyes. Natsu looked completely serious, and he was leaning in.

Lucy laid motionlessly in the position Natsu had thrown her in. When she confirmed that he was actually leaning in, she couldn't stop herself from leaning in to him too. When their faces were inches apart, he asked, "Is this okay?"

Lucy gulped and nodded. Natsu leaned in fully and his lips met hers. This was both of their first kisses so it was awkward at first. But Lucy recalled the videos she had watched on Incognito when she had first realized her feelings for Natsu. What had first been a crush at twelve had grown to love that had her skin tingling whenever she was around him. She reached up and locked her hands behind his neck and tilted her head slightly, capturing his lower lip between hers, and started moving her lips on his. Taking her lead, Natsu continued and it felt so nice and sweet Lucy had goosebumps.

When Lucy pulled back for air, they were both panting slightly. "Natsu?" Her voice was absolutely wrecked.

"Lucy," Natsu started. His voice was wrecked as well, but it came out with a huskiness that had Lucy's heart skip a beat. "When I stole your toy that day, and you told me that we were friends was the first day that I fell in love." Lucy's eyes widened. "I didn't process it as love at first since we were children. But when you were sad and grieving, my heart hurt so bad that it felt like it was being broken into two. I never wanted to see you like that again, so I promised you that I'd do anything to keep you from being sad like that again. Then, you met the gang. And you told me that you felt jealous and scared that I'd ever leave your side. I laughed when you told me that because I could never imagine myself not being with you. I named that cat Happy because I found him with you, and you always make me happy."

"Natsu…" Tears were building in her eyes.

"And that day in the hospital. After you left, and our friends snapped me out of that daze, I don't think I ever hated myself that much in my life. I promised myself that I'd do anything to make you happy before. But instead, I was the one making you cry. And I didn't think I would've ever forgiven myself for that. I texted your number desperately with apologies, but they didn't deliver. I thought for sure that you blocked me, until I remembered that your number was probably cancelled. But still, I couldn't sleep at all. Guilt relentlessly attacked me, and everytime I closed my eyes, I saw you crying and it felt like I was being hit by a car over and over again. And in that state, I realized that I loved you.

"When you told me you forgave me, I thought to myself that I never deserved it. And these few months...I think that I've finally started to forgive myself."

"Good," Lucy said, grabbing his cheeks. "You should never hate yourself Natsu. You helped me smile on days that I thought I lost the ability to. You always make me happy. And you've filled my world with warmth, like warm sunshine." Gazing deeply into his eyes, she confessed, "I love you too."

"I'm so glad," Natsu said with a long exhale. "You're so beautiful, and kind, and smart, and funny that I thought you'd never return my feelings."

Lucy slapped his cheeks lightly. "You're perfect for me," she said resolutely. "I read this article once. About soulmates. A pair that has a fate so intertwined that they always manage to fall in love with each other no matter what the timeline or circumstance. And when I read it, I knew for sure that you are my soulmate."

"That's a perfect word for us," Natsu breathed out. "Soulmates."

"Soulmates." Natsu leaned in to kiss her again. And this one was different than the first - which had been soft and sweet. This time was passionate. He moved his lips over hers with passion, as if trying to show the depth of his feelings through the kiss. And Lucy didn't hesitate to reciprocate. She could never put how much she loved him into words, so she did her best to show it with her lips.

When they broke apart for air, they were both beaming. They both walked back to the kitchen and Natsu continued making their dinner, even though the piece of meat that he had put on the pan was burnt horribly. That night, they didn't have to say anything. Their actions showed everything for them.

Four years later, the two walked out of the church with identical rings on their ring fingers. If anybody looked, they'd see an engraving on the surface of the ring of the word, "Soulmate". Because it didn't matter if they were boyfriend and girlfriend or husband and wife. They were soulmates in the end.

Hi, one quick comment. I was actually crying really hard writing the Igneel part. I wanted to write more memories, but I couldn't bring myself to.