The Gifted Mermaid➳Nalu

Chapter 14: Expanding or Closing Friendships

Lucy mindlessly wondered through parts of the city by herself, obviously giving up on finding Natsu.

It was her fault for not being careful enough, she'd have to owe him a huge apology later tonight when the roads clear. It'd be easier for her to see the ship from wherever, so why not use this time to shop.

The image of Natsu's dominant figure flashed through her mind, still pondering over why he'd be so uptight about protecting her. She hadn't seen any sign of danger at that moment, and her eyesight was extremely well being gifted from having mermaid traits.

It was strange being alone after the long course of constantly being around the crew members, always having someone to talk to. The thought of being by herself was more relaxing rather than nervous.

After subsiding the worrying of finding her close salmon haired friend, her pinky lips formed a natural smile as she strolled wondrously.

"Hey Love Rival!" There was only one person who referred to her by that name, already turning around to see the bluenette latching onto Gray's arm.

Gray sighed in relief as they approached her, thanking Mavis he wasn't alone with her anymore. "Hey Lucy, what's up?" A crooked smile appeared on his face, subduing any stress.

Lucy perked up. "I'm doing okay! I just got um.." Her two pointer fingers tapped together, not finding the right words to explain her situation.

One of his eyebrows raised in suspect. "Hey, wasn't Captain supposed to be with you? Why'd he ditch you here?" He was surprised to see that Flame Brain wasn't with her.

"About that--" Lucy said, both mages carefully listening to her contently. "I accidentally got pushed and somehow got lost from him, he was really mad for some reason but he wouldn't tell me why."

"I'll talk to him later, don't worry bout it." Gray patted her bare shoulder lightly, a promising smile lit on his face. Juvia scrunched her nose as his fingertips barely brushed down her arm, mischievous thoughts roaming through her mind.

"Thank you Gray, I really appreciate it." Lucy softly said, oblivious to the jealousy radiating from the water mage squeezing Gray's arm.

Gray stiffened, somewhat taken aback from her gaze within the rich chocolate colored eyes she adorned so well. Their depth only glimmered further from the sunlight, one of her gifted physical traits.

"U-Uh yeah, no problem.." He lightly chuckled, brushing the hair away from his face with his hand. "You want to tag along? Looks like you could use a friend after all because of that thick-headed noob." The words slipped from his mouth like butter, not intending for them to be heard.

Juvia glared at the beautiful blonde sheigging her shoulders and replying. "Why not! I'm actually really hungry right now.." Her cheeks flushed in embarrassment as her hands covered her rumbling tummy.

The young man chuckled. "Well we did just get a bite, but there's no harm feeding you up. You good with that, Juvia?" He turned to look at the bluenette tightly hugging his arm.

A grumble came from her. "I'm not hungry though Gray, I was hoping to shop to be honest." She poured her lips out at him, her eyes growing large.

"Oh! It's okay, I'll find a place to eat, no worries!" Lucy interjected, casually waving her hand.

"N-No, it's okay, I'll take you out." Gray stammered quickly, his words surprising all three of them.

Juvia sighed, glancing at the blonde standing before them. She'd seen the way her and the Captain have grown close to each other from the very beginning of their journey since Riduele. They were inseparable, so this time she shouldn't worry about her Gray.