Lucy POV
Day 1 of mating season was over... But now, day 2 fell upon me...
After everything that happened yesterday, I actually felt eager to see Natsu again... and I even ended up falling asleep with that thought stuck inside my head. However, after waking up and stretching a bit... I startled at the fact that he wasn't anywhere to be seen.
He didn't barge into my room like he usually does... and he didn't greet me with that characteristic smile of his... A tiny bit of sadness took over me at that moment, but then I figured that he may had already been waiting for me at the guild... Yeah... that was probably it...
I got ready and left immediately, and while on the way, I kept thinking of and reviewing the great time I spent with Natsu the day before. In any case, upon arriving at the guild, every single one of my friends greeted me and immediately approached me with curiosity... All while I desperately tried to hide my happiness. Though, it was useless due to the big and genuine smile that was plastered on my face and that everyone surely noticed.
At any rate, I began searching for Natsu while being bombarded by lots... LOTS of questions. However, that idiot was once again nowhere to be seen. 'He probably just fell asleep' I thought to myself while taking a long sigh.
Patience... Yeah... I just needed to be patient... After all, Natsu would surely arrive sooner or later.
On the meantime however, I took a seat at one of the nearby tables and finally gave myself some time to explain the others everything that happened after Natsu dragged me out for our... 'date'.
"Amazing!" Romeo claimed in surprise. "Who would've said that Natsu-nee could be so romantic?!"
"I know, right? It surprised me too!" I replied, happily, while leaning my head on one hand. "Having a date with him just felt... so magical..."
"Still, this is all due to mating season" Carla added with a more serious tone. "So, you shouldn't make yourself illusions, Lucy"
"Yeah, yeah... I know... It's only that... I really enjoyed myself" I said with a grin while slightly blushing, something that caught everyone's attention.
Without losing a single second, Cana sat right next to me and put one arm around my shoulder. "I see..." she said with a mischievous smirk. "Seems like someone is finally succumbing to love"
Hearing those words caused me to blush even more than before.
Normally, I'd be desperately trying to deny all those things and rumors about me 'liking Natsu' and... 'wanting to be her girlfriend'. But this time, I didn't argue back... I didn't feel the need to do it at all! I simply remained silent and all flustered, but happy nonetheless. Happy because I couldn't wait for Natsu to show himself... Happy because I couldn't wait to spent a great day with him yet again... But most of all, Happy because my friends might've been right about everything...
Right about the fact that perhaps... just perhaps...
...
...
...
I do love Natsu...
...
...
...
But enough of that... There was something else that caught my attention apart from the unusual calm that surrounded the entire guild... And that was the fact that Levy wasn't anywhere around. Something must've surely gone wrong... After all, she was supposed to be here... She said she had something important to tell me today.
"By the way... Where's Levy?" I asked with concern. "She told me to come early... Has something happened?"
Wendy and Carla explained me everything. Apparently, Levy never made it home for some weird reason. Even though she was supposed to be guarded by Gray and Juvia, she completely disappeared! And to top it all, Gajeel did as well!!!
Both of them were nowhere to be found! And that certainly didn't sound good! At this point, all I could do was hope for Levy to be okay. I gotta admit however, I found really strange the fact that everything turned out wrong for Levy, whereas for me, it all turned out perfect!! Of course, there was still that important matter Levy wanted to discuss, but I honestly believed nothing could go wrong for me anymore.
Anyway... Not only did Wendy and Carla knew what happened to Levy, they also helped her with her research the day before. So, whatever it was that Levy wanted to tell me, Wendy could do it instead.
"So, what is the important thing that I must know, Wendy?" I asked the young dragon slayer.
"Oh, right! It's about the reason why Natsu-san acted so romantic yesterday" she answered with a concerned expression.
The reason behind Natsu's sudden romantic side...
Well, that would certainly be interesting to learn about. But, I didn't really need to know it. After all, I really liked this loving and caring side of him... and an explanation wouldn't change that.
"Listen carefully, Lucy-san" Wendy continued. "The way Natsu-san is going to act today will be very different from yesterday"
Different? How different? What was she trying to say? "What... what do you mean?" I asked after startling a bit.
Before Wendy could answer my question, she was abruptly interrupted by the guild's door being smacked open. Everyone turned around to check what happened, but all we found was an exhausted Natsu panting heavily with a concerned expression on his face... and when I say concerned... I mean REALLY CONCERNED... What happened? Did something bad occurred yesterday after he left?
As Natsu's worried look explored every single corner of the guild, he finally stopped when our eyes met. "LUCY!" Natsu yelled, desperately, as I widened my eyes while unable to understand what was going on. The next thing that happened was totally out of place... He ran towards me, not caring about pushing everyone aside, and stepped firmly in front of me while holding both of my arms. "LUCY! ARE YOU OK?!"
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Cana POV
Levy and Gajeel were missing... We still knew nothing about Laxus, Erza or Mirajane... and just when I thought things couldn't get any weirder... Natsu kicked the guild's door open and showed everyone an extremely concerned face full of desperation. He was sweating.. and he clearly rushed here as fast as he could... But that's not all! He started inspecting every single inch of the entire main hall with rigor, looking for something... or someone... in particular. Finally, he stopped once his gaze reached my favorite blondie.
"LUCY!" Natsu yelled desperately, after which he ran towards her, pushing aside every single one of us on the way, and taking a firm grip of both of her arms. "LUCY! ARE YOU OK?!"
"Y-yes, Natsu" Lucy replied a bit weirded out. "What's wrong? D-did something happen?"
"I should be the one asking that!" Natsu claimed in return, only to then... Well, read it yourselves... "Did you have breakfast already?! Did you eat something healthy?! How many hours did you sleep?! You look a little pale! Are you sure you are ok?! You should wear some more clothes! It's a bit cold outside! I don't want you getting sick!"
...
...
...
"Huh?"
What the hell was happening?! Natsu kept asking Lucy so many absurd questions regarding her welfare. On the other hand, the blondie tried her best to answer them all, but there didn't seem to be an end! Everyone around seemed just as weirded out as I was, and not without reason.
I kept watching the ridiculous scene, until Wendy whispered me to help her drive Natsu away somehow. I still didn't know what was going on. No one but Wendy, Carla and Levy knew, but Lucy's nervous and embarrassed face full confusion and pressure was enough to convince me. And luckily for her, I happened to had an idea at that exact moment.
"H-hey, Natsu" I said nervously. "Lucy has been shivering a bit since earlier. Maybe you should go get a blanket for her" It was all a lie, but our only hope was for Natsu to fell for it... and fortunately, he did!
"Really?!" he asked with a crazy worried expression while letting go of the blondie. Just... what the hell was going on?! Natsu's face was full of panic! As if hearing about Lucy feeling cold was the worst tragedy that ever happened!! "Lucy! Wait right here! I'll be back soon with a blanket and some more clothes from your apartment!" Natsu ordered and immediately left giving Lucy some time to finally catch a breath.
Everyone was puzzled for what just happened, especially the blond celestial mage. And no one said one word in a very long time, until Wendy finally broke the silence. "We don't have much time" she claimed. "Natsu-san will be back soon, so let me explain things fast"
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Lucy POV
Everyone present gathered around Wendy and Carla, and then... we finally learned the weird truth behind Dragon Slayer Mating Season...
...
Dragon Slayer Mating Season is a time in which the hormone levels of male dragon slayers are at least 20 times higher.
The way it works is that it strengthens a certain side of the dragon slayer's character towards the one they care about the most. Nonetheless, the side that is strengthened depends on the day.
In other words, since mating season lasts 1 week (or 7 days), 7 different sides of the dragon slayer will gain predominance depending on the day...
1st day: The LOVING side
2nd day: The OVERPROTECTIVE side
3rd day: The POSSESSIVE side
4th day: The SADISTIC side
5th day: The MASOCHISTIC side
6th day: The DOMINANT side
7th day: The LUSTFUL side
...
We were all left out of words after hearing all of this. But more than that, I wondered how was it that Levy let this slip through like nothing! I mean... how could she have missed such a critical piece of information?! I guess that shows just how shocked and nervous she truly felt behind that optimism of hers.
At any rate... even for as ridiculous as Wendy's explanation sounded, it actually made perfect sense! Natsu invited me to a date and acted so romantic because his loving side towards me was amplified due it being the 1st day... And now that it was the 2nd day, his overprotective side was stronger. That's why he asked me all those stupid questions!!
"Wh-what should I do?" I asked myself without a clue on how to feel about all of this. Knowing the truth only made me worry even more. After all, Natsu's attitude would drastically change over the course of the week. Though to be honest, the thing I was more concerned about was... the 4th and 7th day.
Sadism...
Lust...
Oh jeez... Those words sent some serious chills down my spine...
"Just relax, Lucy" Cana said with a bit of cockiness. "Knowing this would obviously make you more anxious, but it also makes our job easier"
Well, that was true. Now we could think of a specific strategy for each day. Nevertheless, I still wasn't convinced.
"Why don't you go out on a job, that should help you clear your mind" She was right... Maybe I just needed to think of something else. Besides, the time limit for my rent was approaching, and I really needed some money.
"DID SOMEONE SAY JOB?!" A voice behind us asked... It was Natsu. He was back... and he was carrying LOTS of stuff.
"Wh-what do you have there, Natsu?" I asked a bit weirded out.
"Well, since you were shivering... I brought you this coat from your closet" Natsu tossed me the coat covering my back with it. "However, even if it's cold outside, there's still a lot of sun. That's why I brought this hat as well" He pulled me closer to him and put the hat on my head.
I could feel it. Everyone around was staring at us without a clue on how to react, and this only made me more nervous. "Na-Natsu... Perhaps this is enough" I said with a fake grin.
"Of course not!" Natsu bluntly replied. "Not yet! I also brought sun-protection cream and some snacks just in case you get hungry. Oh! And a first aid kit too in case you need medication" I really didn't know what to say... My mind was in blank! It's true that Natsu has always protected me, but this wasn't sweet anymore, it was just strange! "Anyway, you said you are going on a job, right? I'll go with you"
"N-no... It's okay" I replied, nervously. "I can go alone, so don't worry"
"It's not okay!" Natsu replied with desperation. "What if you find some really strong opponent?! I must be there to keep you safe!!!"
"Natsu..." Now this was more like him. If it wasn't because of mating season, I would've felt touched by his comment.
In any case, I sighed in defeat and ended up accepting his company. And after checking the request board for quite a long time, I got surprised at the great amount and diversity of missions that were available... from taking down a criminal group, to recovering some mysterious relic from an unknown temple...
However, even for as intriguing as most of the jobs seemed to be, I was unable to even help in selecting it... because whenever I happened to propose one, Natsu would always make sure to argue back, stating it was dangerous. And well, he wasn't wrong... But we weren't gonna be able to leave at that pace!
In the end, I had no other choice but to let HIM choose the mission. And as we were both getting ready to leave; Happy, Wendy and Carla approached me with troubled expressions. "Are you sure about this, Lucy-san?" Wendy asked me with concern. "What if things go out of control?"
"It will be okay, Wendy" I replied with a grin. "I really need money, and it's better if you stay here thinking of a way to face the following days"
"Just in case, you should let Happy go with you as well" Carla added.
"That's right, Lucy!" Happy firmly claimed. "I'll go with you too!"
I smiled softly after hearing this. "Very well, I suppose that's for the best"
Natsu, Happy and I finally headed outside, and I gotta say that the job he chose was actually very simple... We just had to travel to a nearby town and deliver a package that was given to us from one of Magnolia's stores. Surprisingly, Natsu was right about something... the sun was a real bother. So, the hat he gave me ended up being useful. It wasn't cold at all though, so I ended up leaving the coat he made me wear at the guild.
A few minutes of walk trip later, I noticed him staring at me... but not in the same loving and adorable way he did yesterday. He was really weirding me out this time, and just when I was about to say something regarding his weird stare... he ended up speaking first.
"AHH! I'M SUCH AN IDIOT!" he yelled in panic while holding his head, tightly. "HOW COULD I LET THIS HAPPEN?!" Both Happy and I stared at him in shock and without a clue of why he suddenly snapped like that. "Lucy! Come here!" Natsu ordered, after which he pulled me closer only to... carry me in a bride style fashion mere moments later.
"N-N-Natsu! What the hell are y-you doing?!" I asked while blushing like crazy. "Wh-why are you carrying me all of a sudden?!"
"Because it's dangerous!"
"Ehh?!" What the hell was he talking about?! Walking?! Why would walking be dangerous?!
"What if you tripped over and fell?! You could hit your head or something worse!"
...
...
...
"Huh?"
WAS THAT IT?! WAS THAT WHAT HE WAS WORRIED ABOUT?! This wasn't just ridiculous anymore... IT WAS ANNOYING!
At that exact moment, I tried, desperately, to escape from Natsu's grip. Though it ended up being useless in the end. I just couldn't get off his arms! And as such, I had no other choice but to let him carry me all the way to the far away town... for almost the entire day. What is more, and because of his stupid and absurd idea, we ended up taking longer than we expected to arrive. And by the time we had finally managed to deliver the package, it was already a dark night.
At any rate, we got our payment and then, after a very long struggle, I finally convinced him to let me walk on my own. Though I didn't even bother to speak to him after that at all... I just walked around the town with him following me closely from behind and in complete silence. "Are you okay, Lucy?" Happy suddenly asked.
"Yeah... I'm okay, Happy" I replied in annoyance while crossing my arms. "It's just that, today was one hell of a day... and tomorrow may be even worse"
"Well, he's not doing this on purpose... you know?"
"I know" I replied with soft voice. "It's only that... I wish the sweet and caring Natsu from yesterday hadn't disappeared"
"The way I see it... he still cares about you" Happy continued. "He's just acting a bit overprotective... that's all"
Natsu... cares about me...
As I meditated on that set of words which came out of the tiny blue cat's mouth, I took a very long sigh of tiredness, after which I finally calmed down while realizing that happy was in fact telling the truth. In a certain way, and even if he had also acted very weird and annoying, Natsu had also been very sweet with me that day.
In any case, it was too late already to return to Magnolia. So, our best option was actually to simply search for a place to spend the night and wait for tomorrow. And for that purpose, Happy decided to fly around town and look over for some motel, leaving Natsu and me alone on the meantime.
However, as both me and my friend too began searching for a place to spend the night, a very strong breeze suddenly hit both of us... A breeze which, apart from making me feel very cold and forcing me to hugged myself while shivering, it also made me regret having left the coat Natsu gave me back at the guild.
Nonetheless, and to my complete surprise, those same shivers stopped mere moments later, when I just happened to feel something surrounding my neck... Natsu's scarf... "There we go" he said with a soft smile as he finished wrapping his precious scarf around me. "You clearly need it more than me"
At that precise moment, I couldn't help but to stare at him in awe and blush like crazy. Because even for as irritating as he had acted over the course of that day, this moment just now really touched my heart and made me realize something very important...
That's right... It made me realize that this is how far Natsu is willing to go for me... And even if it's ridiculous, it's also to keep me safe...
Natsu... really cares about me...
I couldn't help but to smile softly after this thought filled my mind. And then, without even realizing it, I ended up wrapping my whole arm around his and leaning my head on his warm, fit and manly shoulder, something that apparently startled him quite a bit.
"L-Lucy?" he asked, somewhat surprised.
"D-don't say anything..." I replied while slightly embarrassed. "Just... keep me warm..."
I couldn't see his face... But after feeling his arm surrounding me and pulling me closer to him, I knew that my words made him very happy. And just like that, we spent a long time walking together in the stunning moonlight...