NaLu One Shots (Fairy Tail)

#60: Fears

Information:

1) Fluff
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^^^Inspiration^^^

~3rd Person POV~
"Alright, Natsu, your turn. Truth or dare?" Levy asked her pinkette friend.

Said male perked up at the mention of his name, secretly starting to get kind of bored from everyone picking truth the entire game.

With his signature grin and his carefree, lackadaisical attitude and urge to spice up the game, he answered her question with a loud and proud, "Dare."

Levy looked down at her lap, deep in thought.

She looked up, making eye contact with a blonde she knew all too well, and with a sly smirk, she dared the man to do something he never thought he would do.

"I dare you to tell us your greatest fear, right here, right now." She spoke with a voice so maniacal and a look so mischievous, it sent shivers down everyone's spines.

Natsu gulped, his hands started shaking. Whether it was from the embarrassment of saying it aloud or the actual fear itself he had no clue.

He looked around the room, seeing everyone sending curious looks his way. He could feel their gazes burning into him from all angles, and it was driving him nuts.

He saw a red-haired demon with a natural set glare in her eyes, that was a good choice. Most people in the room would have agreed with him.

He also saw his long-lasting frenemy, and a loss to him would count as a good fear. He was scared of losing, after all.

Yet, saying anything like that would just be a lie.

Through trembling lips, he let out a quick yet identifiable whisper of, "Lucy."

The room erupted with confused noises.

"You're scared of Lucy?" Gray looked surprised.

The girl who was now the centre of the topic perked up in shock. "What? What did I do?"

Natsu shook his head.

"It's not something you regularly do, and it's not something you've done, either." He muttered, still shaking slightly.

He let out a shaky breath.

"What I'm scared of is something I hope you'll never do." He finished.

Everyone was only more confused and curious than before.

"What does that even mean?"

"Explain, Salamander."

"I'm so confused, what's happening?"

Natsu quickly jumped up and ran out of the room, the pressure being too much for him.

Everyone cast their gazes to the door he had just run out of. Lucy threw her eyes across the room and quickly stood up, leaving to check up on her best friend and partner.

She came across a locked door, where she could hear mumbles from the other side. Mumbles that belonged to a certain someone.

She gently knocked.

"Natsu, what's wrong? What happened back there?" She spoke. Her voice was careful, she didn't want to break him. He seemed to be fragile at the moment, one wrong move and he would crack. She knew this.

She heard his frantic breaths and sniffs, he was crying. That only made the fear in her rise even more.

"C'mon, Natsu. Whatever it is, you know you can tell me, I'm your best friend." She whispered through the door.

Natsu shivered on the other side.

"C-Come in." His voice was so soft that she wasn't sure if he was even in the room anymore. Maybe he teleported outside?

She twisted the doorknob, the door creaking open slowly but surely.

She walked over to him and sat down on the empty spot on the bed, beside him. She placed a palm on his back, her eyebrows furrowed in concern and worry.

Natsu sighed. She frowned.

"I'm scared of you, and I know it sounds bad, but it's kinda just pathetic." He looked away from her. He didn't want to make eye contact, he wasn't sure if he could handle it.

Lucy shook her head. "Impossible. Whatever it is, it's anything but pathetic."

"I'm scared that you'll..." He trailed off, the lump in his throat expanding in size way too much. He tried to swallow it, but it just kept coming back.

Lucy forcefully turned his head and stared into his eyes. Brown bore into onyx as they had a stare-down, eyes filled with emotions the other couldn't decipher.

"You'll leave." He muttered. Her eyes widened.

"What?"

"I'm scared that you'll leave." He said. His confidence rose, but only so much. She gave him a look, and it shrunk back down to the size of a pea.

"I'm scared that one day you'll look at yourself in the mirror and see that you're perfect." He said. His eyes cast downward, the voices in his head screaming at him to stop.

"And then you'll realise that I'm not good enough for you." His eyes teared up again. He reached up and wiped them vigorously. He couldn't cry, not in front of her. It would only prove his point.

"And you'll leave. You'll find someone else to be your partner-" He said but cut himself off. Was he really going to spill his feelings out now? In a situation like this?

'Heck yeah.'

"-In, uh, more ways than one." He finished. The frog he had swallowed came back up, making him release a worrying croak after he spoke.

Lucy blinked, confused.

Did he mean what she thought he meant?

She jumped up and gave him the biggest hug she had ever given.

Her own tears fell onto the dragon slayers shoulder, triggering his own.

"I would never leave you." She spoke, her voice raspy, yet light.

"Not in a million years, not for anything in the world." Her voice quivered in disbelief.

She had no idea he would ever fear something like this, something so impossible, something so... unthinkable.

The thought of leaving him had never crossed her mind, and it wouldn't have if he had never mentioned it.

"You're the best thing that has ever happened to me, Natsu. Without you, I wouldn't have met Fairy Tail, and I'd be lonely." She said. Her heart beat loudly in her chest.

"I love you so much, Natsu." She whispered finally.

Natsu's stomach erupted with butterflies. The fire in him burned brighter than ever, and a steady blush rose to his cheeks.

"L-Luce..." He has never stuttered more in his life. He wrapped his arms around her and gave her a gentle squeeze.

"I love you too." He confessed, his heart rate increasing, along with his blush.

Lucy froze.

She looked up at Natsu, and saw him smiling warmly down at her. She smiled, pink coating her cheeks as she snuggled into his natural warmth.

"Besides, you're perfect to me." She said. With that, she pulled away and closed the gap between their lips, kissing him with what seemed to be all the passion in the world.

With their heartbeats in sync and their lungs begging for air, they parted, panting.

Natsu pressed his forehead against Lucys, once again giving her a hug.

There the two stayed, simply hugging and enjoying each other's presence in a comfortable silence.

From outside, the pair's friends smiled and silently closed Lucy's bedroom door.