#tdml

“Do you remember the first time you brought me here?” she asked, a frown stretching over her face. She’d hoped he remembered, but his memory was slowly deteriorating. He remembered all of the big things, but he’d forgotten so many of their smaller moments. Moments that were precious to her. Even though they didn’t talk about it, she knew it was happening. They both did.

Natsu nudged the girl, giving her a grin. Even after seeing that smile for over sixty years, it still managed to make her heart leap in her chest.

“‘Course I do, weirdo,” he said, his hand tightening around hers. “This is where I told you I loved you for the first time. It’s also where Nashi was conceived. That, or Gray’s bathroom. I hope it was here, though.”

“Me too,” Lucy replied with a laugh. “We’ve shared so many memories together. And not just here.”

“Yeah, we have.”

“They weren’t all good ones,” Lucy said, her mind reeling back to all of the times that life had crushed her spirit. Breaking Aquarius’ key, the night Natsu and Happy had left to go train for a year, the entire Alvarez war, they were all memories that brought a frown to her face. Still, everything had worked out in the end, so she couldn’t be too upset about it.

Natsu nodded. He had some bad memories of his own. Igneel’s death, the time he watched Future Lucy die right in front of his eyes, the day that Happy died, there were too many times to count. But all of those times had made him the man he was today. The man who had the world’s most beautiful wife, the two greatest children, and a guild he had been in since he was a child.

“Remember that time the gang switched bodies?” Natsu asked, a grin spreading over his face.

Lucy snorted. “Of course I do. I was terrified! I thought I was going to be stuck as Gray for the rest of my life! There were literal ice cubes coming out of my mouth!”

“Thank god we somehow managed to switch back, because I don’t think I woulda fallen in love with you if you were stuck in that prick’s body.”

“Hey!”

“Kidding, kidding!”

Lucy still nudged the boy before turning her gaze back to the sky.

“Remember when I was sick and you uprooted a whole tree for me to see?”

“Hmm. Nope. Don’t recall.”

“What!?”

“I’m just messin’ with ya, Luce! Of course I remember that! Happy and I got beat by Gramps because of that!”

The two smiled sadly at the thought of their old master. It had been years since he had passed away, Laxus taking his place as master. They were sure that he was watching over them, face-palming every time someone in the guild destroyed something while on a mission.

“Tell me some more memories you remember,” Lucy said, her voice barely above a whisper.

Natsu frowned, noticing that the smile on her face didn’t reach her eyes.

“Remember that time we met Ichiya and the others from Blue Pegasus for the first time? And how the guys were all over you and Erza? I wanted to turn them to ashes because of that!” he said, recalling his old jealousy. He didn’t get jealous as much anymore, knowing that no matter how other guys felt, he had Lucy all to himself.

Lucy shivered, the thought of Ichiya sniffing her freaking her out. “Believe me, I remember.”

“What about that time after we beat Erigor and we were starving for days because we couldn’t find any good food?”

“I remember that too! Erza made me try that weird monster she sliced up even though it tasted disgusting!”

“Sounds like Erza!”

The two laughed, the sound filling the air. Natsu turned towards Lucy, only to find tears sliding down her face.

“Lucy? What’s wrong?” he asked.

“I'm… I’m scared, Natsu,” she answered, holding his hand tighter.

“Of me forgetting things?” His wife nodded. “Who cares if I forget a couple of things, Luce? All that matters is I remember the important stuff.”

“But what if you forget those too? What if one day, we come up here again and you don’t remember why this place is special to us? What if you don’t remember that we have two kids? What if you don’t remember me?”

Lucy covered her mouth with a hand, sobbing. The thought of her husband not remembering her was heart breaking.

Natsu quickly sat up, gently pulling her up into a sitting position with him. With his hands on her shoulders, he stared into her eyes, the moonlight washing over her features. His eyes trailed over every strand of hair, every wrinkle, every feature of hers.

“N-Natsu?” Lucy called out. “What are you doing?”

“I’m committing all of you to memory,” he answered, still looking her over. “You’re scared of me forgettin’ you, right? I know that I could never forget you. That’s just not possible, Luce. But if you’re so worried about it, then I’m gonna do my best to make you worry less about it. So, I’m gonna make sure I get every detail right so I can remember you forever. And when the kids visit next time, I’m gonna do the same thing with them. And even with Gray and Erza, and everyone else at the guild. I’ll make sure I won’t forget anyone.”

Lucy’s cheeks warmed as she smiled through her tears. “I hope this works.”

“It will. Look, Luce. I can’t promise that I won’t forget anything. The truth is, I will forget some stuff. But I can promise you that I’ll never forget the moments that count the most. And I’ll never forget you.”

Lucy nodded, and they both laid back down on the grass.

“Remember that time you challenged Erza to a fight and lost right away?”

“Which time?”

Lucy laughed, snuggling closer to her husband as she stared at the stars. Their bodies were aging, there was no preventing that. It was a scary process at times, but their wrinkles, gray hair, and in Natsu’s case, deteriorating memory, were signs that they made it through their worst of times and managed to live long, happy lives together. They were signs of their perseverance.