{Lucy POV}
I watched in silence as the Raven Tail members went flying. Everyone was silent for a minute or two, before some of them started to look around. There were broken tables and chairs everywhere. Some of the walls were cracked, and a wooden board fell from the second floor.
Our guild was ruined.
Suddenly, Natsu started to laugh. It started as a low giggle, but then he had to hold his stomach because he laughed too hard. Everyone started to have the giggles, before our guild was filled with laughter. Even I couldn't help but smile a little.
"That was AWESOME!" Natsu said. "Did you hear how their screams just ECHOED?!"
I smiled, coring my mouth so I could somewhat stifle my laugh. Some people dropped to the floor on the spot, too tired to do much except laugh. Erza smiled, while Wendy hugged Carla.
It felt really refreshing to see them beat after coming here all cocky.
"They won't come here ever again!" Some shouted.
After everyone calmed down and rested for a few minutes, we cleaned the guild; throwing away broken tables, fixing columns, etc. Wendy walked around, healing minor injuries so that she had enough energy to spread around.
Natsu offered to walk me home, so I took it.
"Wait!"
"Huh?"
"Don't come in. I'm tired."
"Aww, Cmon!"
"No."
He pursed his lips. "Fine..."
As soon as I closed and locked the door, I dropped the act and slid down the door.
It was amazing to see them all beat up, but...Oh, why do I have to feel this way...?
Everyone laughed. No one blamed me. The guild is not damaged because of me.
Don't think like that.
It's because of me.
{Natsu POV}
I know Lucy was feeling different than what she showed. I was worried, so I snuck in through her window like always. She was sitting in front of her bed.
"Why are you here?" She asked. I jumped onto her bed, landing on my butt. My feet touched the ground. I slid down so that I sat next to her.
"Hm? I'm not here."
Lucy sighed. "I'm not in the mood for your jokes right now. I want to be alone."
"I know." I said. "You we're laughing at the guild, but I know you feel a little guilty. Your acting sucks."
She grimaced. "So why are you here?"
"Duh, to cheer you up." I said. She clenched her fists.
"I don't want to be cheered up."
I stayed silent. She brought her knees to her chest and rested her arm on her knees.
"You can leave..." She said.
"I don't wanna."
I scooted up in front of her, curiously looking at her. She noticed and looked up. We made eye contact.
I stared at her eyes for a bit, tilting my head and smiling.
"What...What do you want?" She asked, looking away. A small blush formed on her face.
"I wanna see you smile." I said. "I wanna see you happy."
I grabbed her chin and moved it so that we could see each other again. She looked at me...No, she observed me.
"You're usually not like this." She said. "Why are you so gentle?"
"You want me to slap you?" I asked.
"That would make me feel a bit less worthless." She said, breaking our eye contact again.
I sighed. "Why are you stubborn?"
"Stubborn?"
"Can't you see we're trying to help? Why do you keep pushing us away?"
I sat in front of her, criss-crossing my legs.
"I'm not...I'm not pushing you guys away..."
"Yeah, you are. You've been avoiding the guild, going on jobs alone, and almost never smiling. When you DID start smiling, you told me it was all fake. And finally, FINALLY, when a genuine smile finally showed after so long, you let bad thoughts overtake you again. If I can figure it out, so can everyone else."
She rested her chin on her arms. A tear trickled down from her eyes. "What...What do you want me to do?"
Her voice cracked. "I couldn't protect myself, nor my pride. I was kidnapped, and I couldn't do ANYTHING. And then I destroyed the guild. I made everyone fight. For ME. I know that's not hay everyone else thinks, but I can't help it. "
More tears fell. "I want to be strong enough, like you, or Erza. I want to be able to protect myself from danger. But I can't. I'm weak."
"You're not weak." I said.
"Yes I am. You all can hold your own. You don't need objects to help you."
"Are you calling your spirits objects?"
"I'm calling my keys objects." She said. "You don't need keys. You don't need a wand, or a staff. You just need Ether-nano, and bam, you're all powered up."
"So you're calling all hand-held mages weak."
She sighed. "You don't get it."
We stayed silent. I clenched my fists.
"It makes me upset, Lucy." I said. She looked at me. "It makes me so damn upset for some reason..."
"What?"
"It makes me upset."
"What makes you upset?"
"Whatever I say, I just...I can't seem to make you happy." I said, looking up at her.
Suddenly, I pulled her into a hug. My heart was beating fast. She tensed under me, probably surprised. I was on my knees.
"I can't...I want to make you happy...I don't want to hear you say those type of stuff. I get ANGRY when you do." I said. Her scent tickled my nose. "But...But I can't get angry at you. Even when I try to talk to you all rudely and stuff I can't hurt you..."
I pulled away. "Everyone has their own weaknesses. Whatever you think is a weakness is not a weakness. It's a strength."
"A...strength?"
"The strength to rely on your friends. The strength to trust others. It's harder than you think, y'know." I said. "But it just comes naturally for you."
"Natsu..."
"People like Raven Tail, who don't rely on anyone, are trying to shift your greatest strength into your weakness, and it's working. You're so discouraged that you DEPEND on us." I said, shaking my head. "But think about this: We rely on you too."
"You...You do?"
"Of course! You're the smartest person I know. Who broke that Daybreak spell thing from like a bajillion years back? Who's Future self decided to go back in time to save the future? Who solved the Tenroujima puzzle faster than everyone else? And who knows more information about EVERYTHING than Levy, who's supposed to be a book nerd? It's all you!"
She looked down, a small smile growing on her face. "You...You think so?"
"Yep!"
"Then Natsu..."
"Yeah?"
"What's your weakness?"
I looked at her, smiling slightly. She curiously looked back.
I swooshed down, and our lips met. She gasped. Our noses aligned.
My weakness...is you.
