It was the first day she was back. Lucy didn't visit the guild, she wanted to that tomorrow. She was standing in front of the mirror in her black shorts and blue top. She just needed to put on her socks, find her running shoes and she was ready for her evening run. With Natsu. She sighed.
"Well, I do not think I have lost my shape. Maybe I shouldn't have slacked off the last two months, so I hope I won't have trouble catching my breath after the run. That is, if Natsu will not make me run more than I could possibly be capable of today. " Lucy thought and added that the bubble bath she will take after that should be a good compensation for the body. And spirit.
The doorbell rang and Lucy stepped outside her bedroom and shouted out to the door:
- Come in, you little rascal!
Then she went back and grabbed her socks and sat on the bed. While she was putting them on, Natsu was already in the bedrooms doorway and smiling at Lucy. He had his red shorts and black t-shirt on that matched with his black trainers.
- I hope you won't regret your laziness in the past months!
Natsu watched as she was putting on her sock on the right foot and saw how her breasts were exposed in her blue tank top as she was leaning to her feet. "Why am I thinking about her breasts?!" Natsu thought to himself in surprise and turned to look away.
- I hope so too. - She laughed. – and since when do you ring the doorbell?! You have been using my apartment as your own for the past two years, half of the time I've known you… And I hope you haven't thought out a crazy-ass run, please say you haven't?! – Lucy asked in an uneasy voice.
- First of all, I don't know why I rang the doorbell, maybe it's because I haven't seen you for three weeks. - "And that's the longest period of time in the past four years" Natsu said in his mind. - So I was happy you left a note under my door, that you wanted to go for a run. That's very unusual for you to ask me, if we could do some sports.
Lucy showed him her tongue and went to hug Natsu. After all, she haven't seen him, since she decided to take a vacation, alone. She wanted to visit her hometown, it was something she wanted to do by herself.
Natsu hugged her, and even slightly lifted her up in the air. – I'm happy you're back here. You know I missed you. – Natsu said with a smile in his voice and realized that it has been a long time he had sensed her scent. Not the one that has been lingering around in the guild or in his house, but the one he could feel only when she was near him.
- I missed you too, Mr. Almighty Dragonslayer. – Lucy replied.
He suddenly felt that there's something different about her scent, what was that slight sweet aroma? It was barely there, so only he was able to feel it. He let her down, she smiled at him, turned and went to the hallway. "I need to find my shoes," Lucy thought.
- Luce, I… I will just get a water bottle from the kitchen… You have some, right?
Lucy nodded and continued to look for her running shoes.
While on his way to the kitchen, Natsu thought: "Why didn't I ask her about that aroma? We are best friends, teammates; it's nothing that I could not ask." He grabbed the bottle from kitchen table.
- Lucy, you smell different. – He said and didn't understood why he was wavering to ask before.
Lucy was with her back to Natsu, she blushed. She had bought a new perfume on her way back. It was something she did spontaneously. She went to look for some gifts for friends and somehow ended up in some odd shop that looked creepy from outside, but inside it was so marvelous that she was enchanted by it. She was looking around and saw a little bottle, with a red dragon on it. When she picked it up, the sweet scent around the bottle made her smile. "It reminds me of Natsu. Gosh I haven't seen him for ages. The scent is just like him – sweet, with a slight tint of tenderness, it makes you joyful and you think of happy memories."
- Yes, I bought a new perfume when returning.
- I like it! It suits you. – Natsu said, as he was walking towards Lucy.
Since she bought it, she has only used it once. Three days ago. Later Lucy found out that the shop was the famous souvenir shop that could only be discovered by people in love. "I'm in love!? With whom?" She smelled the fragrance and the image of Natsu popped in her mind. "Of course I love Natsu, he's my best friend, teammate and… He is my best friend." She smiled and went souvenir-hunting in other parts of the town that was the last stop before returning to Magnolia. The true meaning of the "love", that was needed to find the shop, didn't cross her mind. So she forgot all about it and carried on in her cheerful pace.
- Just don't use it too much. – He said and leaned in to her neck.
He knew that she had put it on behind her ear and he wanted to smell it once more to remember that is was hers. He was so close to her that his lips almost touched her neck. Natsu felt the urge to kiss the spot where the lingering aroma of perfume was the strongest. He blushed and quickly turned to walk to the door.
Lucy felt she had blushed and her heart almost skipped a beat.
"What the fuck was that?" both of them thought in the same time.
Lucy hurried to put on her running shoes to calm herself down. There was a strange tension in the room that was never experienced before.
Natsu turned to Lucy and said:
- The answer to the second question. Don't worry. It will be an easy run. Well, for me of course.
Lucy glared at him and saw that he was grinning. "He is just joking! And I even started to worry."
The tension dissipated, Lucy laughed and they left the apartment chatting about what's new in Fairy Tail.