Natsu x Reader One Shots

Natsu x Jealous!Reader: Well, Jealous

A/N: Thank you to @marriii9557 for the request!

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It wasn't that she was jealous.

She was just cautious.

At least, that's what (Y/N) had been telling herself. Because for the last month, Natsu and Happy were always hanging out without her, and she didn't know why. It was subtle at first. They would go to the market and "forget" that they planned to go out to eat after, leaving her alone as she waited for them to return with the groceries.

And then it got a little more obvious. Like when they were hanging out at the guildhall and Natsu and Happy made eye contact with each other before they turned back to (Y/N) and said that they would be right back. And they were never 'right back.' It was always hours later that she caught sight of them again.

She wasn't jealous. She was curious.

Curious of what the hell they were doing while they left her at home. Every Saturday, the three of them would get up early to go fishing, but when Saturday came around, Natsu and Happy were already gone. Thinking that they went fishing, she trekked through the forest to their usual fishing spot and found it empty.

She wasn't jealous. She was alert.

As in, her senses were alerting her that something was off. Like, they've never had a problem hanging out with her before, so why the hell were they being dodgy now?

Nothing (Y/N) would do helped shed light on the situation. She consulted Lucy, who just nervously cleared her throat before shrugging it off as 'idiotic antics' and wandering over towards the bar to escape the conversation. She would go to Erza, who strictly gave her the information that she already knew. Mira was next, and all she did was excuse herself to get orders to the wizards at the bar.

She wasn't jealous. She was watchful.

As in, watching as they would actively avoid her. She would go up to them, ask what their plans were later, expecting it to be the usual plans that the three of them would do. But all she got was an 'I dunno' from both of them, and then next time she looked over to the booth, they would be gone.

As in, watching the two of them engaging in conversation with literally everyone else in the guild except her. Hell, even Gray was getting more positive attention than she was getting any type of attention. Which threw her off even more. Sure, Gray and Natsu would argue. But the fact that Natsu was being friendly to Gray more times than he would even talk to (Y/N) was something that bothered her.

As in, watching them sneak out when they thought she wasn't looking. Watching them weave through the streets before disappearing into the crowds. Watching the time the three of them spent together dwindling down to the bare minimum of them living together. Watching the wasted opportunities for a great time or place to hang out.

She wasn't jealous. She was aware.

Aware of all the times they made excuses before disappearing for the rest of the day. Aware of the bed dipping late at night when Natsu would finally sneak into bed. Aware of the cold that came when she woke up the next morning to find him already missing. Aware of the meals that were spent alone while the two of them vanished for the day. Aware of the awkward encounters she would have with everyone in the guild since it all started.

She wasn't jealous. She was attentive.

Attentive to the slight changes she made before all this happened. Did she do something to cause this? Was there a way to fix it?

Attentive to each person's change of demeanor once she entered the room. She would walk into the guild, hear the noisy chatter that usually came with Fairy Tail. But then she would hear the silence that followed her entrance.

Attentive to the small habits that Natsu changed. He always set his scarf on the nightstand on his side of the bed at night. But his scarf was by the coat hooks at the front door for the past month. And he knew that she would wake up if he kept it by the bed because he had a habit of making noise as he wrapped it around his neck. The dragon slayer always went to bed first, almost immediately falling asleep before (Y/N) could even enter the room. But now he waited for her to fall asleep. And there were many times when she would hear the soft 'click' of the front door to realize that he had left. Again.

She wasn't jealous. She was worried.

And, with all the changes, she had a right to be. Worry laced her dreams. What were the two of them doing all this time? She would surely hear if they got into trouble. So, she took that as a good sign. But what else would they be doing? Late at night? Basically all day?

She needed to get to the bottom of this. But she wasn't given a chance. Lucy was the one to finally break the silence, and she said that Natsu had been trying to find the right way to put it, but that it wasn't working and he needed time. When (Y/N) asked what it was, Lucy just shook her head.

And that was when Natsu slipped into the guildhall, waved at Lucy, and slowly snuck back out. (Y/N) was watching Lucy carefully, but that didn't stop the blonde from saying her goodbyes as walking out of the building.

There was no way that she would be able to contain her feelings anymore, so she sat seething in the corner. And nobody came over to speak to her.

She was worried, not jealous. Yes, that's right.

So when Natsu finally approached her, finally looked into her eyes, and finally addressed her, she knew that she needed to be prepared for whatever heart breaking utterance was coming next.

"So, uh, I know that this month has been really long," he started, rubbing the back of his head. "And you deserve to know what's going on."

"Just say it, Natsu."

Natsu blinked a couple times before hesitantly questioning, "You don't want an explanation?"

"No, just tell me so we can get this over with. I've been waiting a month for this."

"Oh, uh, okay."

It was her turn to blink in shock, especially when he drifted to his knees. Especially when he reached into a pocket. And most especially when he presented her with a ring and a nervous smile.

"Will you marry me?"

Okay, so maybe she was jealous. But she didn't have to be anymore.