The sudden weight on my mattress woke me from a dreamless sleep. I glanced at the time, a gift courtesy of Horologium my pendulum clock spirit, and grimaced.

It was three in the morning.

I tilted my head back slightly, greeted by a head of pink hair standing in each direction, the color contrasting harshly with the darkness of the bedroom.

"Natsu?"

He shifted his head, so that his forehead was resting against one of my bare shoulder blades, "Humm?"

The heat from his body was cozy and despite the fact that I wasn't thrilled that he was climbing in my bedroom in the middle of the night, I decided to keep my mouth shut.

"Sleep well."

He mumbled in agreement and nuzzled a little further into my shoulder blade, one arm dangerously close to wrapping itself around me.

I sighed and glanced toward the ceiling as a shadowy figure that looked eerily similar to a blue cat with wings, flew above me. After a moment I felt the weight of Natsu's partner in crime at my feet and sighed.

Even if they weren't always welcome, they were the closest I had to family in Magnolia. Of course, I loved my guild mates, but Natsu and Happy would always hold a deeper meaning for me. I snuggled deeper into the mattress, the heat radiating off Natsu's body warming me, and despite everything I appreciated the sense of familiarity and security that enveloped me as I dozed off into a restful sleep.

XXXX

The sun streaming in through the open window warmed my face and I sighed in contentment; that was definitely one of the best nights sleep that I'd had for a while.

I glanced down and my calm demeanor snapped, I was now laying flat on my back and Natsu was half covering me, his head resting casually on my breasts, acting as his own personal pillow.

"NATSU!"

"Oh come on Luce, go back to sleep."

"It's early Lucy, what's wrong with you?" Happy's voice floated from the edge of my bed, the sleepiness apparent.

"What's wrong with me? NATSU! You're groping me!

He peeked one eye open, and looked up at me, "You have to admit they're soft."

I punched him in the shoulder and he quickly moved from his position, moving further down to where Happy was before plopping back down.

"You sure are grumpy in the morning, Lucy."

I slumped back against the pillows, crossing both arms across my chest, "I wouldn't be grumpy if you two didn't barge in here in the middle of the night, acting like you own the place!"

I glanced at the clock, it was barely six in the morning, and I still wanted a little sleep. Knowing full well that getting either of them out of bed was going to be impossible, I made myself comfortable and found sleep once more.

XXXX

"Princess, this surely isn't appropriate."

My eyes shot open at the sound of my apparently aggravated celestial spirit, "What isn't approp…" the words fell flat as I realized what she was referring to. Natsu was once again half-laying on me, his body covering mine in all areas not deemed appropriate for two best friends.

"NATSU!"

This time the dragon-slayer shot out of bed, a splurt of fire escaping his mouth, leaving the tips of my hair singed.

"WHY DO YOU KEEP WAKING ME UP!"

I shot him a death glare, "You're in MY bed!"

"You allowed it!"

"It's because you lovveee him." Happy chided from the corner.

"SHUT IT CAT!'

I looked back to Virgo and gave her a sheepish grin, "You opened the gate on your own, huh?"

"I'm doing my duty, princess - it's only appropriate for a chaperone to be present when a man is staying over for the evening."

A crimson blush streaked across my face, "Uh, Virgo it's not like that - I mean, we're just - friends you know?"

I glanced at Natsu and was surprised to see the smallest blush across his face. I recalled briefly when we had been asked to kiss by Asuka, "Well it's not like we're going to die or something."

He had been right, it wouldn't have killed me to kiss Natsu, but it wasn't like that between us. We were just friends, had always been friends. Plus, he was completely oblivious - girls fawned over his good looks, and almost every time we took a job, a small group of them followed behind giggling and whispering under their breath. I glanced at him as he shifted uncomfortably from his spot on the floor - he was ruggedly handsome and although I hated to admit it, I had been attracted to him from day one.

But Natsu wasn't like that, he worked with a cute girl like me all day and never did anything about it - so obviously he was dense when it came to women. Perhaps he just wasn't interested at this point in his life.

"Virgo, I think we'll be okay, but thank you for concern."

My celestial spirit raised an eyebrow but faded away, her expression still one of concern, perhaps with a little amusement as well.

I glanced at Natsu on the floor, "What's up with you?"

"He's just sad knowing he can't come spend the night without that creepy lady watching him like a hawk."

Natsu rolled his eyes and jumped to his feet, his normal big grin returning to his face, "Who wants breakfast?"

XXXX

It was not a well-known fact that Natsu, despite his hot-headed attitude was somewhat of a genius in the kitchen. He played coy, only showing me that he was quite the cook once we had gotten to know each other.

His food tended to be spicy, or flame broiled, but this morning he was settling with a omelet, bacon and a bit of toast, pretty standard morning fare - but delicious nonetheless.

I complimented him on his cooking and he stopped inhaling long enough to give me a grin. After breakfast I grabbed our dishes and quickly cleaned them while Natsu and Happy slept off their meal curled up in the living room.

I went out into the living room, wringing my hands dry and smiled at them both, it was no wonder our guild mates thought there was something more between us. We slept in bed together, ate breakfast together and pretty much spent all our time together. But that was silly, he was my best friend - and best friends could hang out all the time if they wanted to.

Later, we walked to the guild together, greeted by our friends. I sat at the bar, sipping on my typical milkshake crafted perfectly by mirajane. Natsu and Gray were currently have a shouting match, over the fact that our team hadn't taken a job in a while due to some of us needing a bit of time to recover from our last job.

Funny enough, a guild retreat was only a week away - and Fairy Tail would be taking time off to spend time as a group. Master reminded us that Fairy Tail was a family, and family needed to spend time together to reinforce our bonds.

I grimaced slightly at the sound of wood cracking and glanced over my shoulder, Natsu and Gray were now in a full quarrel, Gray's clothes somehow magically disappeared, and Natsu's hands in full blaze.

"I can't work when you're being lazy all the time!, some of us need money!"

"I'm not lazy, you heard the Master, it's important to relax!"

"Aye!"

"You can relax at the retreat next week!" a swift cold wind filled the room and I didn't bother to turn around, they were using their full guns now and there was no stopping them.

Heat burned at my face as I heard Natsu say, "You jerk! I can relax when I want to! If you want a job just take one!"

More wood cracking and a few cheers from the rest of the guild members, "We're a team remember! I know how we can settle this."

"LUCY!"

I grimaced at their voices in unison, and turned my eyes wide with rage, "I'm not settling anything! Stop acting like children and come to a settlement!"

I glanced in the direction of Erza, who at the moment was engrossed in a plate of strawberry cheesecake, "I guess she's not going to weigh in on it either."

"It's okay to let them work it out," Mirijane mumbled from behind the counter, "We just really don't need to wreck the place right now."

I sighed, "Natsu! Stop relaxing, we need to take a job! My rent will be due soon!"

He groaned, "But Lucy! We need to relax!"

I pointed at the door, "Let's go!"

XXXX

Hours later we stumbled back into the guild, worn out from our trip. Natsu had exhausted most of his power and was now being carried in a slumped position by Happy, who didn't seem thrilled to have hoisted his friend this far.

"Ugh, I'm exhausted! Natsu you weigh a ton! Why did you have to exhaust your energy like that, are you trying to kill me?"

Gray looked from Natsu to me, "Dumb idiot was already so fired up about even taking a mission that he exhausted his energy source too quickly." He sighed, "At least you can pay your rent now."

I managed a half smile, "Sure can, but I'm sure some of that money will go toward fixing the damage that we caused."

Natsu stood shakily and shook himself before giving me one of his notorious grins, "I'm starving, see you later!"

Happy followed behind him and I took that as my cue to head home, "I think we need to take a break on missions until Natsu is back to his normal self. Likely after our retreat next week."

Gray huffed at me but didn't disagree, "I'll see you around, Lucy."

I smiled and extended a hand in the air as a farewell as I turned to leave. I was desperate to get home into a hot bath, especially after our mission today. Thankfully, I had made enough to cover my rent for the month - but the layer of dirt covering my arms and face was a sign that I too was ready for our retreat next week.

Our team had been working hard for over a month with little breaks. I could see why Natsu was exhausted, but today had been ridiculous. He was so fired up about being forced onto a job, and a stupid job at that, that he had wasted his energy before the fight had gotten to its peak. I laid a protective hand over the pouch that held my keys, thankful for my celestial friends and thankful for Erza and Gray who had stepped in further when Natsu became useless. Today's job posed no real danger, just another feud with weaker farming wizards that needed intervening. I brushed off a speck of stubborn dirt, remembering how I had been thrown into a mud pile earlier today at one of the wizards farms while trying to calm them down.

That's when Natsu lost it, and he exhausted his flames. I smiled as I walked the familiar path home, Natsu hated it when someone messed with me, or worse, hurt me. Unfortunately he hadn't been much use today when I had been thrown - but his fury, as short lived as it had been, was enough to scare the wizards into submission long enough for the rest of us to step in and end the feud.

Nearby neighbors had cheered when our team departed the small village, they having been the ones who both paid us and sent the job request out to the guild. This feud had been a long-standing problem, and it was becoming so difficult that the village's food production was slow and lagging.

I reached for my house key and unlocked the door, thankful for once that a certain pink-haired hot head was not lounging on my couch or eating all my food. I headed to my bedroom and undressed, wrapping myself in a fluffy towel before heading to the bathroom. Once the door to the bathroom had been locked and secured, I hung my towel up and went to the mirror to inspect the damage from today's battle.

A jagged little scar was clotted in blood on top of my eyebrow and another one ran across my arm onto my back.

"Wow" I said aloud, "I didn't realize that throw had cut me up so bad."

I turned towards the bathtub and stopped in my tracks.

"Uh, Hey Lucy!"

SLAP.

"YOU PERVERT! WHY ARE YOU IN MY TUB?!"

I then realized that I was still bare as a newborn and lunged for my towel. "NATSU I'M GOING TO KILL YOU!"

"Oh, come on, Luce… I've had a hard week, I needed a soak."

"Soak at the bathhouse then! Not in my tub!"

"I mean, if you're that upset about it."

Without warning Natsu rose from the tub and I shrieked again, "Don't do that in front of me!"

"What?" he sounded confused, "You've seen me naked before."

"GET OUT!"

He threw his hands in the air and took the towel that I now had extended in my hands, "Fine, fine - you don't need to get so grumpy about it."

He walked out and closed the door and I slumped against the floor, something had to be done about this. I could deal with him sleeping in my bed from time-to-time, but this? My legs were shaky, and my heart was pounding.

I drained the tub and filled it back up, settling into the warm water. I knew without question that he would be waiting for me when I got out of the tub, so I needed to think about what I would say to him.

I couldn't shake the rampant thought in my head, the one I cursed at myself for having - but when my eyes shut I could see his body in all his glory. That same body that had shielded me, protected me, laughed and cried with me. I wondered briefly what that body would feel like on top of mine, in all the right places.

My eyes bulged - I can't think that! What was wrong with me?

I leaned my head against the back of the tub, looking straight at the ceiling.

"Lucy?"

His voice came through the door and I froze.

When I didn't respond he opened the door slightly and peeked his head in. His hair was still wet from his bath and dripped slightly at the end.

"Natsu." My own voice sounded nervous and unlike me. I was thankful for the mountain of bubbles surrounding me, and I was sure he could see nothing.

He walked fully into the bathroom, only wearing his white pair of soft pants. His body gleamed with the remainder of the water that he hadn't dried off. He turned his head to the side, a guilty look on his face.

"I didn't mean to scare you."

"Where's Happy?" I asked, realizing for the first time that his partner in crime was nowhere to be found.

"With Carla."

He pulled the stool that was sitting in front of my mirror over with him and perched it next to the tub. He sat looking down at me.

"I just didn't want to be alone. I've been having trouble sleeping, and I always feel at ease around you."

My heart dropped, I knew something was bothering him, and it hurt me inside to see him like this.

"The anniversary of Igneel is coming up. It stings a little more each year, and that's why…" he sighed and ran a hand through his hair, "That's why I haven't wanted to go on any jobs.'

"Natsu" my voice was a whisper and I reached a hand out of the tub to grab his.

He glanced down at our entwined hands and then to the jagged scar that was running alongside my arm onto my back. He ran a finger along the cut and I flinched.

"I'm sorry I couldn't prevent this today." His voice dropped to the soothing gentle voice I had heard previously when Eclair died.

"I should have protected you, not wasted my magic energy on my anger over losing Igneel - this is just a weird time of the year for me."

He rose quickly and rummaged through my medicine cabinet, bringing back with him some bandages and scissors.

"Here." he grabbed the washcloth on the edge of the tub and dunked it under water. "The least I can do is clean this up for you."

I froze but leaned forward, exposing my back to him, and giving him better access to clean and dress the wound.

His hands were surprisingly gentle as they cleaned the dirt and grime away, he said nothing as he dipped and re-dipped the washcloth, the warm water running down my bare back. He lay the washcloth against the tub and began wrapping my injury.

"You'll need to lift your arm so I can wrap it around your back too."

I nodded and motioned for my towel, "It'll be easier once I'm out of the tub."

He handed the towel to me and turned around. I stood and wrapped the towel around myself and tapped his shoulder, "You can turn around now."

He turned and motioned for me to lift my left arm as I held onto the towel with my right. He wrapped it gently against me, the pressure just tight enough - asking me twice if I was experiencing any pain.

This was the side of Natsu that not many knew, sure he was hot-headed and sometimes only thought with his stomach…. But he had a gentle side to him too. Everyone in Fairy Tail knew him as fiercely loyal - but this side of him was something he only showed around me.

He tucked the bandages together to keep them from fraying and tapped my shoulder to indicate he was done. Before I could lose the courage I turned swiftly and embraced him in a tight hug. He gasped slightly at the contact, but his muscles soon relaxed and his arms wrapped slowly around my frame.

I nuzzled into his shoulder blade, still slightly damp from the bath earlier and sighed.

"Are you okay, Lucy?" I could feel his warm breath against my ear as he spoke, his arms coiled slightly tighter around me.

"I'm just thankful." I mumbled into his shoulder, he pulled back from the hug and held me at arm's length.

"For what?"

"For you."

I turned beet red at the small grin on his face, "You and the guild of course! And Happy, Gray, Erza… everyone!"

He chuckled a bit, and allowed his eyes to glance down, "You're still in a towel."

I smacked his shoulder and pulled my towel against me a bit tighter, "Don't get any ideas."

He released his hold and as I turned to leave I heard the slightest grumble, "And what if I did?"

A liquid heat ran through me at the sound of those words, but I ignored them and kept walking, intent on putting on my pajamas and crawling into bed.

I changed in the privacy of my bedroom, Natsu had allowed me the peace and quiet I deserved and made his way out into the living room. After fluffing some pillows up, I assumed he was staying the night, since I could see his pink fluff of hair sticking up from the sofa. I didn't mind him crashing here, I understood the ache of loneliness. While my father had ignored me most of my life, I couldn't imagine the pain Natsu felt at the abandonment from his father who had loved him dearly.

I crawled into bed and turned the bedside light off. Tonight had been - nice. Despite the fact that Natsu had burst in and taken ownership of my tub, he made up for it by tending to my wounds.

"And what if I did?"

I couldn't shake those words from my mind. He had to be kidding, there was no way Natsu could be interested in anything between us.

"Lucy?"

His voice was a whisper in the darkness and I turned my head to see him standing nearby my bed. Without saying anything I moved over and allowed room for him to settle next to me. He didn't need to be told that he was allowed and quickly made his way under the covers with me. He then wordlessly wrapped his arms around my waist and pulled me close against his chest, his chin resting on top of my head, while my back pressed into him.

I could feel my heart racing but said nothing, and was lulled to sleep by the gently rhythm of his breathing.