One Of The Boys

Old Days

The day school day had dragged on, and Natsu spent the entire time thinking about Lucy.

Had she seen him, sitting at the back of the class? Or had she caught sight of him when the bell rang and the students dispersed, heading to the next class on their individual schedules? Had she seen him at lunch, sitting with the boys in the cafeteria? Had a single thought about him even flashed through her mind? Had she forgotten him completely?

He never had the opportunity to bump into her or even make eye contact; the timing was off. Nothing worked. His hands were permanently sweaty, knowing she was there and near him but not with him. And yeah, maybe the fact that she looked as happy as a clam, his existence not even on her radar—maybe it bugged him, just a little.

So, he'd moped around all day. And when class ended and the bell rang for dismissal, he'd slowly made his way to his locker. And when the boys asked him to play ball, he'd passed; he was too irritated, to bothered by Lucy's presence to hit a ball—all he'd do is strike out.

When he left the school, he watched as Lucy bounced over to Jude's car, which was awaiting out front; they sped off, headed towards home. Natsu let out a grumble of annoyance, and then began the walk home.

By the time he'd made it to his house, he was even grumpier than he'd originally been. Seeing Jude's car parked outside of the Heartfilia's house only reiterated the irritation in Natsu's chest, and he ducked his head, trying not to think of her.

He unlocked his front door and stepped inside, not hesitating to jog up the stairs to his room; he let out a sigh and chucked his bag on the ground, running a big hand through his messy pink locks. His hand dragged down and he wiped it over his face as he let out a groan, one that reflected the aches in his chest.

And then his dark eyes flickered up to his window, and for the first time in a while, someone was looking back from across the gap.

His heart stopped and he blinked at her. She blinked back, just as surprised. They stood there, in their respective rooms, staring at each other oddly.

Then a shy little smile burst onto her lips and she stepped forward, kneeling at her windowsill like the old days; her elbows flew up and leaned against the wood, and her eyes looked at him expectantly. She reached down and grabbed the little can that dangled into her room, and she spoke into it; the sound travelled along the string and came out, rough and scratchy, through Natsu's can. "Hi, there."

Natsu's chest throbbed at the sight of her, right there, finally looking at him. And it was just like the old days, where they'd talk through the window for hours because one of them had a nightmare or they just couldn't sleep. The memories slammed into him, shocking him for a long few seconds, and then he knelt down at his window, grabbing his can.

"You're back," He said, stating the obvious. His voice shook and his hands were sweaty and he nervously ran a hand through his hair, making it a little sweaty, too.

"Yeah," She breathed into the can. "Got back a few days ago."

Up close, it was clear how different she looked. Perfect skin, perfect lips, perfect eyebrows. Every detail on her face was perfect, like she'd been photoshopped permanently. She was ravishing, and looking at her made Natsu's head dip shyly. Still, beneath all that makeup and her giant hair, there was something that still hinted to her identity. Something she couldn't get rid of or grow out of was still completely and definitely Lucy, and he clung to that missing link.

Natsu raised an eyebrow. "Didn't come see me."

Lucy let out a little huff of breath into her can, and her eyes dropped nervously. There was a weird tension in the air. "Sorry, I just—thought you'd be out playing baseball, or something—and I didn't want to intrude, and..."