Sensory Overload

Chapter 10

Lucy was toweling her hair off after a very hot long relaxing shower. After the day she had she felt like she needed a little extra pampering. She decided to give herself extra care by using her favorite vanilla coconut sugar scrub and a deep conditioning treatment for her hair. She took extra care in shaving and finally she just relaxed under in the steam and heat of the water as it gently massaged her aching body. She tried to pre-occupy her thoughts with very practical things. Anything to avoid the day's events and Natsu. She made a mental list of things she needed at the market: fruit, milk, salmon for Happy, sausage for Natsu. Then she started thinking about cleaning her living room and maybe flipping her couch cushions since Natsu always seemed to plop and flatten them. Next on her mental list was re-organizing her draws, she figured it was time to switch things around since Natsu liked to snoop in her underwear draw. She thought it was kinda cute how he always seemed to want to look in there. It seemed more like he was genuinely curious and in awe. He always asked how on earth this pair or that pair could be comfortable or how she could even fight in them without feeling like she has a wedgie. She eventually gave up her practical thinking since she realized with a hint of frustration that everything just led back to the boisterous flame eating man in her life. Even her personal life was so intertwined with him that she couldn't avoid him if she tried.

Slumping onto her bed with her oversized towel securely wrapped around her. She wanted to explore the thoughts she was trying to stuff away and hide, she needed to and at that moment she thought 'screw it!' and gave into the inevitable.

Going back over the day's events, she mulled over the mark and how it came to be if only Meredy could cast it. 'Why would she do such a thing? It's such an odd thing to do. Why us?' She never even saw Meredy and Natsu said nothing of seeing her either. Her thoughts then shifted to the overload of senses she had at the guild earlier. She never fully realized just how strong Natsu was mentally and not just physically. To be bombarded with that kind of stimulus everyday, it's a wonder he hasn't lost his mind yet. Then she thought back on all the countless petty fights he would pick with people and his hot-headed demeanor. 'That's his way of coping, he fights, that is how diffuses his anger and frustration. I do yoga, he picks a fight.' she finally understood. She had seen another piece of the puzzle that is Natsu Dragneel and for every piece she found, she loved it dearly. She started to wonder about what he thought of her. 'Do I smell icky to him and he just tries to ignore it? I guess if he did he wouldn't be around so much...' she instantly flushed with embarrassment as she realized that he can identify when she has been aroused or even when it's of the month 'but he has never once commented or teased or made me feel bad.' It seemed counter intuitive to the Natsu she knew who loved to taunt her and get her angry over trivial things and try her patience.

Looking at him in this newer light, she wondered if he did, in fact, love her. Maybe, but she had convinced herself for so long that he doesn't and in her mind for good reason. She had hinted in the past about her true feelings but it was like hinting at a brick wall. She had concluded that he wasn't as interested as she was. If she did express her true feelings what would happen? 'Would he laugh it off? What if he started acting awkward? What if it ruined their team and their friendship? What if he went along only to avoid me being unhappy?' Her brain knew this wasn't the truth but her heart and emotions believed it. She couldn't deny that in the woods today there was a moment they both shared that put her on cloud 9 he seemed equally affected but again, what if he was just acting on her emotion. This sensory link was maddening. 'What if he confessed now? What if he was simply sensing my love and acting on the reflection of it?' with a sigh she looked out her window to the night sky. 'I'm over thinking this whole damn thing!' Lucy let out a long sigh and then did the only thing she could manage, she started to meditate.