Falling For The Florist [Natsu Dragneel] | ✓

thirteen; daphne

     "Natsu," the florist breathed. 

     The man flashed a somber but broad smile. "Hey, snapdragon! You've gotten prettier, haven't you?"

     His words; that short sentence, that snippet that acknowledged her for the first time in a month, sent her spiraling into tears. Izumi tackle hugged him and pressed a sloppy kiss to his cheek.

     Natsu chuckled and snaked his arms around her waist, kissed her. For that moment, brief as it was, Izumi felt more connected to him than she ever had. 

     "I missed you!" Natsu shouted, a tad too loudly for it to be a secret announcement. "I missed you so, so much, oh my God!"

     Izzy refrained, barely, from letting her tears continue. She wiped her eyes, felt his warm hands move to her stomach.

     "Good to know," she sniffled and cracked a smile. 

     Natsu imitated it and grinned wider than the florist had ever seen. "I'm so happy to see you again," he announced. "It feels like forever."

    "It has been." Izumi's hands moved to his shoulders. 

     "We can celebrate it over dinner tonight. Oh my gosh, I missed you," and the mage pulled her into a second kiss with that out in the open. 

     Izzy's hands traveled to his cheeks, then to his hair. She gripped the strands between her fingers as they took in each other. The taste, scent, and behaviors they'd grown accustomed to being without during the past months, they embraced them. How, she wondered, had she forgotten something so intoxicating?

     Natsu broke the kiss but pulled her closer; or, as close as he could manage, considering that their unborn child distanced them physically. However, that only seemed to draw them closer.

     Natsu grabbed the door to the shop for a brief moment and yanked his girlfriend inside. Before she could question why he did so, he set his hand on her stomach. 

     "That's mine, right?" He clarified.

     "No shit!"

     The man smiled and bent down a few feet, pressed a quick kiss to the child through the skin and wet clothes. Izzy felt her heart pound, and her face go red. She hit his head and pulled him up, stared him right in the eyes.

     "I lied earlier; I didn't miss you."

     Natsu wilted a little; he seemed to take it seriously. 

     "We missed you."