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Gifts (NaLu one-shot)

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Day 1- Gifts

Gifts. Lucy didn't like gifts. When she was little she had received more than she could remember each birthday, the pile of brightly wrapped presents nearly touching the ceiling as she craned her neck and tried to count them all. She got everything she'd ever wanted, all that is, except for a gift from the heart.

She got books and games and clothes, trinkets and jewelry and candy, but never had she once ever received a gift that she could look at and instantly tell who it was from. She'd never gotten a gift that someone had really taken time in picking out, thinking of her likes and her needs and giving her that one heartfelt present that she'd cherish forever.

She'd never gotten one like that and so unconsciously, she'd begun to hate gifts. When she'd left her family's mansion and joined Fairy Tail, every year when her birthday came around, she made sure to tell everyone not to get her something.

Some thought she was just playing hard-to-get, secretly wanting big and expensive items but telling them not to bother. Those people were wrong, as they found out when she'd tote the presents back to the guild and hand them back to their owners. She'd apologize and tell them to return whatever they'd gotten her. She hadn't touched the wrapping or the ribbon so they should get a full refund.

And so everyone finally realized she wasn't kidding and gave into the fact that she just didn't like gifts.

She was happy when she'd wake up and not see a parcel on her doorstep. They'd finally caught on.

The one thing that could make her birthday truly great was simply spending time with them, her family, the ones she loved. She didn't need presents.

She disliked Valentine's Day because of her aversion to gifts. Sure the holiday's concept made her heart beat fast and erratically, sent shivers down her spine and made her converse heatedly with Levy and Erza about who'd be giving chocolate to who, but she still disliked it. She didn't want gifts, and yet she found the idea of a certain boy giving her flowers absolutely tantalizing.

She'd been so adverse to gifts for so long that she figured breaking down and letting someone know she wanted a valentine or chocolate or really much of anything romantic for Valentine's Day, would make everything confusing for her guild mates. She didn't want a gift on her birthday or any other day, but she did want one on the holiday of love? Not only that but from a certain person only? She figured there'd be a mix-up somewhere and so she decided to stay quiet on the matter, watching her pink-haired partner longingly as the holiday passed and no one gave her a gift again. Not that she'd asked for one.

Lucy Heartfilia didn't like gifts, but sometimes it was hard. She saw Levy change into a very ugly-looking sweater that Gajeel had gotten her, a picture of Lily's face –which looked much chubbier on the sweater than in real life- knitted onto the front. Everyone had laughed, loudly, and Levy had blushed. Gajeel was nowhere to be found.

Lucy's heart would ache. Sure, she'd laugh along and tell Levy how cute it was, but it was a bit sad. She wanted a gift like that. A gift that maybe wasn't the prettiest thing to look at, nor the most comfortable, but had been given from the heart. Gajeel really cared and had taken his time to track down some seamstress to knit a sweater with his Exceed's face on it.

Lucy watched as Juvia received nothing from Gray. Juvia didn't seem bothered by it. The two of them were going out, she hadn't received a single present, but she insisted that Gray gifted her every day in the form of his presence and the few times when he would get close to her, maybe even hug her. They were a couple, a very distant and unconventional couple, but Gray still –in a way- gave Juvia a present from the heart. She wanted his affection, and so he tried his best to show it.

Lucy would never admit that she wanted a gift from Natsu. Never. She wouldn't admit that she liked him either, but she definitely wouldn't admit to wanting a gift. He was probably a horrible gift giver anyway. He'd probably give her a banana peel from the floor of his cabin and tell her it was the only thing he could find, and then grin his head off in that adorable way that somehow made her forget all the things he'd done wrong.

But after a while, after years of knowing Natsu passed, no gifts given, and her other friends began to slowly find their love, she began to pout.

In all reality she'd brought it upon herself. She'd insisted that no one ever, ever give her a gift. She hated them. Don't give them to her. She was going against everything she'd said in wanting a gift from Natsu.

It was confusing. She confused herself with thinking about it sometimes. She hated presents, but she wanted one from him. She was torn in half and wished she'd just make up her mind already. Did she want gifts or not?

She began pouting when she couldn't come up with the answer. It'd be very weird if she just out-and-out asked for a gift from Natsu, not to mention that it wouldn't be his idea, and he would probably get her something really odd. That or he'd laugh and think she was joking.

She wanted him, on his own accord, to give her something. Something to let her know he cared. But then again she'd hammered it into his brain that she didn't want gifts.

She'd flop forward with an 'ugh' as her mind kept bouncing back and forth.

Erza eventually noticed her sulking and asked her what the matter was. Lucy was very hesitant to tell, instead waving it off as being tired. Erza was as perceptive as usual and continued prodding Lucy to spill. Levy trickled over later, noticing the conversation and becoming intrigued. Then Lucy had two girls pressing upon what was wrong.

It was a stand-off between the two parties. Erza and Levy refused to leave her alone until she told them what was causing her to sulk, and Lucy refused to tell them. Minutes passed, turning to hours and then finally, when the windows were dark and the crickets were chirping, Lucy gave in.

She threw her hands up in the air and said, "Fine, fine I'll tell you."

Erza and Levy let out breaths of thankfulness before leaning in closer.

Lucy fidgeted in her seat, biting her lip and reprimanding herself for giving in. How could she word it so that she wouldn't sound absolutely insane? "Um…" she mumbled. "I guess I just realized that… Natsu hasn't really ever shown any affection toward me."

Erza and Levy looked to one another. "You mean affection as in like… kissing? Oh Lucy, I don't know if Natsu's capable of comprehending feelings like that; I think you're going to have to make the first move on that one," Erza chuckled.

Lucy flushed a bright crimson and violently shook her hands toward the girls. "No!" she hissed, trying to keep the conversation as quiet as possible. "No! I didn't mean something like kissing! I meant something simple, like him giving me a gift or anything like that." Lucy slumped in her seat.

"I thought you said you didn't ever want any presents," Levy piped up.

Lucy frowned. "I did. And I don't want them it's just… watching you guys get really sweet things from Gajeel or Jellal or Juvia from Gray… it's been really sweet and I guess I kinda… want something sweet like that from Natsu." She couldn't believe she was actually confessing her worries.

Levy smiled and set her hand on top of Lucy's with a sympathetic smile. "Don't worry Lu-chan, it's like Erza said: Natsu's kinda oblivious; it'd be really hard to get something like that from him, especially since you don't like presents."

Lucy slouched further and nodded. She'd expected as much.

"But wait, what if it isn't that hard?" Erza tapped a finger to her chin and Lucy looked up hopefully. "What if Natsu already gave her a present? Remember the Hanami Party? The one Natsu dug up the entire Rainbow Sakura tree and sent it down the river?"

Levy nodded and Lucy slowly began to catch onto what Erza was saying. She'd known it was Natsu who'd done it, and when she'd looked out her window that night she'd been filled with happiness and gratefulness to her partner. She'd admitted to herself that that was probably the day she began seeing Natsu in a new light. He was sweet and kind and caring and he did everything he could for the ones he cared about. She'd always thought of it as a present amongst friends. That yeah, he'd sent it down the river so she could see it, but he'd probably done it for the other citizens as well.

"You think… that was a gift to me? His way of saying he cared?" Lucy said slowly. Suddenly she wondered how she couldn't have seen it before. Maybe it was a gift from a friend to another, but then again, maybe it wasn't. Not only that but what she'd wanted was something from the heart, and she couldn't imagine something more heartfelt than him digging up an entire tree, just so she could see it.

Erza nodded with a smile, watching Lucy put together the pieces. "No one does that, Lucy. I think that's probably the most wonderful gift you could ask for. Especially from someone like Natsu."

Lucy leaned back in her chair, slowly nodding to herself. No one did that. No one went that far out of their way to preform that big of a gesture unless the person they were doing it for was worth more than anything to them. No one did that. No one, that is, except Natsu, who would always ignore the consequences to his actions if he could make those he loved happy. Especially Lucy.

In a way, he gave her gifts every single day. The little times, like when he'd throw his arm around her shoulder or ask her to accompany him on a job that he could've easily done himself. They were little and easily overlooked, but they were because he truly liked her and wanted to be with her. And in the end, all she'd asked for was a heartfelt gesture anyway, and he'd been giving those all along.
~All Lucy wanted was a gift from Natsu, but after some thought, she realized that perhaps he'd already given her the greatest gift of all. Perhaps, he'd been giving her little gifts every single day.~

IT'S NALU WEEK YOU GUYS! KFC Chicken Epic Dance  I just feel like dancing when July first rolls around. OTP's week? Hells to the yeah! dance 
Anyway, I didn't participate in last year's NaLu celebration, so I figured I'd make up for it this year. Hopefully I'll be able to get the one-shots out on the appropriate days. *crosses fingers*

I'd love to hear what you thought of it!
Is anyone else doing NaLu week-related fics or drawings?

Read on fanfiction: www.fanfiction.net/s/10500582/…

Other NaLu one-shots for NaLu week 2014:
:bulletwhite:Day 1- Gifts <--You're here darlin'!
:bulletwhite:Day 2- Vulnerable
:bulletwhite:Day 3- Ribbon
:bulletwhite:Day 4- Promise
:bulletwhite:Day 5- Dare
:bulletwhite:Day 6- Effulgence
:bulletwhite:Day 7- Future


That beautiful picture up there belongs to :iconhiromashimaplz:
© 2014 - 2024 Poke-lover88
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