Compliments

Chapter 17-Naming Constellations

Disclmaier: Fairy Tail and its characters belong to Hiro Mashima

I sat on the sofa, checking the time. Time wasn’t moving fast enough. I had contacted Natsu about the details on the date, but he said it was a “surprise.” I had replied with a huff, and an

“At least tell me how I should dress!” And he had responded with:

“Dress how you always do!” So I had hung up on him, and stalked to my room to pick out an outfit. And now I was sitting on the couch, waiting impatiently for the clock to strike six o’clock.

“Why does time have to move so slowly?” I groaned, slipping down the couch, pulling my clothes and hair up. I lay there for a while, until I checked the time again, the minute hand poised strictly on the six. Thirty more minutes. What the hell would I do for thirty more minutes? I didn’t want to eat, because Natsu might be taking me to dinner. I tried to ignore the growling of my stomach. I didn’t want to watch something, because I might run out of time, and Natsu might take me to a movie. I tried to ignore the rack of movies beside my small TV. I groaned again, a sound I had been making frequently today, and dragged myself from the couch. In my patterned socks, I made my way to my bathroom where I decided I would just take a long showerto pass the time.

I shut off the now cool water, and stepped out of the shower with a shiver. I wrapped a fluffy towel around myself as I entered my bedroom, dried myself off, and stepped out of the towel. Almost carefully, I put together the outfit I’d wear for my date.

“Date,” I tested, liking the way the word bounced off my tongue. I slipped a plain black, long sleeve shirt over my head, and stepped into blue and white striped dress. The hem of the dress hung just above my knees, and I pulled on black stockings. To complete my outfit (that I was quite proud of), I tied my hair into pigtails with blue ribbon, two strands of hair framing my face. I examined my reflection with interest after I adorned myself with makeup, and smiled. I removed my regular heat earrings, replacing them with small white diamonds that tinkled with every movement. I proudly walked out of my bedroom, and as if on queue, a knock sounded through the door. 

“Coming!” I chirped, my voice unusually cheerful, and the skip in my step was foreign to me. With a smile, I pulled open the front door of my apartment, revealing the pink-haired boy I’d been waiting all day to see.

“Hey Luce,” He said with an easy smile. “You look nice.”

“Thank you!” I replied. I held a single finger up, indicating for him to wait a moment while I gathered my things. Rushing around my home, I pulled on my brown combat boots, tightened a thin belt around my waist, and filled a small purse, which I threw on my shoulder.

“Okay, we can go now,” I announced as I stepped out, closing and locking the door behind me.

“Are you okay, Lucy? You seem… different,” Natsu said as we exited the building.

“Oh, is there something wrong with me being happy?” I teased, throwing a playful smirk at him, which he returned.

“So that means you’re happy to be on this date with me?” He cooed, and I laughed lightly, adjusting my purse.

“Maybe,” I started, looking up at him through my curled lashes. “But, can you tell me where we’re going now?”
“Hah. Nope,” He chuckled, and I pouted in response. Pouted? Who was this Lucy Heartfilia? Where was the careless, bored, annoyed Lucy I normally was? I wasn’t normally this cheerful. Or giggly. Or-might I dare say-cute. We walked along the road, making jokes about pointless things and I was overflowing with happiness. I didn’t feel this emotion too often, and it made me even happier that I was able to feel this way around Natsu. He’d been my crush since I moved to Magnolia, and even though I knew it wasn’t long, it felt like forever.

Pulling me from my thoughts, Natsu stopped on a hilltop I hadn’t realized we’d climbed.

“What’s this?” I asked quietly. I looked around at the breathtaking scenery. The trees this town was named after danced in the evening breeze, and the wind tossed the grass blades with perfect grace.

“I hope you like it,” He murmured beside me. “I know you like the stars, and I’ve always loved this spot. I thought it would be a good place to look at the stars.” I looked up at him, my lips parted.

“What’s wrong?” He asked, his eyes widening slightly, but he didn’t move.

“I don’t know,” I whispered, taking a step towards him. “I just feel…so happy…” My eyes were burning, and my vision blurred. “Why do you make me so happy?” Natsu looked down at me, still not moving.

“I feel so happy around you and I have no idea why! I’m never this happy, and you’re changing me! How do you do that? And-you’re just-making me like you even more!?” I exclaimed. My hands flew to my face, allowing my emotions to wash over me, and the hot tears poured from my eyes like a storm. I was happy, and sad, and just so lost. Soon, I was being pulled into a warm, strong chest, and I buried my face into his shirt, clinging onto it and staining the black fabric with my untamed emotions. Natsu rubbed my back, soothing me with hushed nonsense. I had barely been comforted like this. Probably because I’d hardly been comforted. After my mother’s death, my father neglected me, and after I ran away, I hardly ever allowed my emotions to show around my friends. There had been a few times where I had bottled up my emotions for far too long, and I just snapped with anger or broke down in tears. Erza, Juvia, and Levy always rushed to my aid during those times and they were reassuring, but they had never been like this. Later on, I had learned to hold in those raging emotions until I was alone, and only in the loneliness of nothing but my own presence would I open the gates of my troubles. I’d cried myself to sleep many times. Threw anything I could find many times. Shook under the blankets many times.

After hours, and long after the sun sunk below the horizon, did the tears finally stop. Natsu’s T-shirt was soaked by now, and I apologized quietly, but he kindly dismissed it.

“You can’t hold in your emotions for that long, Lucy,” He said to me as we sat down in the dancing grass.

“I know,” I murmured back to him, turning my attention to the night that had fallen upon us. Velvety clouds lay rolled across the dark sky, and the stellar lights above us twinkled like jewels. The late-summer breeze swept through us, and I leaned against Natsu with a sigh.

“Do you know any of the constellations?” Natsu inquired.

“Of course,” I replied with a soft giggle. “That one’s Capricornus, the sea goat,” I nearly boasted, pointing to a collection of stars.

“Sea goat?” Natsu laughed. “What’s another one?”

“Hm…” I hummed, examining the sky. “Equuleus is that one right there, it’s the little horse.”
“I don’t like that name, let’s name it something else,” My pink-haired friend commented.

“We can’t do that!” I laughed.

“Of course we can! Just between the two of us! We can name it… Blaze!”

“Blaze?”
“Yeah! ‘Cause he’ll grow up to be the fastest horse in the cosmos!” Natsu cheered. I looked over at him, an honest smile spilled across my lips.

“You know what, I like that name. We’ll name him Blaze,” I said.

“Me too. You know what else I like?”

“Hm?”
“You,” Natsu said, his eyes softened by the heartfelt smile he wore. A small gasp escaped my throat, and my eyes widened with the single word.

“I like you too, Natsu,” I whispered, before I pressed my lips against his softly, and he sighed as he leaned into the kiss. I wondered if it was a sigh of relief.