Sleepy

Lucy walked through the door to her apartment. She was exhausted. The job she, Natsu, and the others had taken took about two weeks to complete, and by the time they got back to Magnolia, they were all pretty tired. Lucy herself was significantly sore, and decided to take a hot bath the moment she returned home. So she lazily dropped her bag beside the front door and clumsily shuffled toward her room to retrieve a change of clothes before running a steaming hot bath. After undressing, she carefully tested the water with her foot, and slowly lowered herself to almost completely submerge herself, sighing the whole way down.

Closing her eyes as she leaned her head back, she sleepily thought back on the mission she just returned from. Eventually, she began to drift to sleep, but caught herself before she could. Yawning, she lifted herself out of the bathtub and drained the water, wrapping a towel around her body shortly after. Quickly slipping on a tank top and a pair of night shorts, she quietly left the bathroom. Due to force of habit, she glanced at her bed to see if a certain friend had paid her another unwanted visit. Slightly to her surprise, he wasn't there. Maybe he decided to go home for the night like a normal person, she thought sluggishly.

Lucy ran a hand down her tired face and made her way to the kitchen to get a glass of water before bed. Taking a sip, her eyes caught sight of something in her living room. She stopped and squinted her eyes through the darkness, relaxing when she realized what it was. Natsu was fast asleep on her couch. So he is here, she thought bitterly, but quickly softened. She laughed to herself. Then again, Natsu isn't much of a normal person to begin with. Walking up to the couch, she noticed that he wasn't snoring like he usually did. Not only that, but it seemed like he collapsed onto the couch rather than sitting himself down. He must've been just as worn out as she was. She smiled tenderly and opened a cabinet, pulling out an extra blanket.

Lucy set her glass down on the coffee table and approached the sleeping dragon slayer. She carefully placed the warm blanket on top of him and kneeled down beside him to get a closer look at his face. It was a rare moment to see the usually crazy, hot-headed boy so peaceful and calm. She grinned and gently brushed a strand of hair from his eyes, softly tracing her fingers down his cheek. She moved her hand down to tug at his scarf to get a look at the scar on the base of his neck. Moving slowly, she traced the mark with her fingertip, causing Natsu to stir slightly in his sleep, releasing a frail moan as he shifted. When settled, his chest expanded as he inhaled a large breath, letting it out as a long and content sigh. Lucy giggled and shook her head. He was so cute when he was asleep.

Yawning, she decided it was time for her to turn in for the night. But before she left, she leaned forward and placed a soft kiss on Natsu's forehead. "Goodnight, Natsu," she whispered. As she stood up to make her exit, his mouth twitched before curling into a small smile. She rolled her eyes and turned to leave, picking up her glass. Just before she reached the door to her room, she heard him shifting again. Looking over her shoulder, she saw that he had twisted into a seemingly uncomfortable position, and that he now had a frown on his face. It was as if he knew she was leaving the room. Lifting a hand to her mouth to cover another yawn, she turned on her heel to walk back to him. She grabbed another blanket, set the glass on the table, and wrapped the blanket around her.

She carefully lifted Natsu's head and sat down beside him, resting his head on her lap. She gently stroked his hair and placed her other hand on his shoulder. After gazing at his sleeping face, she leaned her head against the back of the couch and closed her eyes, falling asleep within seconds.

Natsu groaned weakly, displeased with the intense sunlight hitting his eyes. He peeled his eyes open just a tiny bit. The beam of light was shining through a small gap between the window and its curtain, and it was aimed to hit him perfectly on the eye. He closed his eyes and repositioned his head, nuzzling into his pillow. Wait…the curtain was pink…he didn't have pink curtains in his house. He opened his eyes again, blinking away the bleariness. He looked back at the window. Judging from the brightness of the light outside, it had to be early in the morning. But that wasn't important. The curtain is pink. Where is he?

Oh.

Right.

He passed out at Lucy's place the night before. He glanced down to see a blanket lying on top of him. He smiled. Lucy was nice enough to give him a blanket. Remembering the suspected time, he closed his eyes and buried his face deeper into the pillow, deciding that it was far too early for him to be awake. At that moment, Natsu realized the strange but gentle pressure on his shoulder, and the intense scent of cherries coming from his "pillow." He carefully moved his head to identify the source of the pressure. It was a hand… He looked higher up to see Lucy sitting beside him. It was her hand on his shoulder. He inhaled a shaky breath through his nose, registering the sweet smell of cherries once more. It was coming from her. His head was in her lap…

Natsu grinned and turned his head into a more comfortable position. He should wake up like this every day.

Author's Note: Ne, mina! I apologize for the crappy title. This was supposed to be longer and had a completely different ending, so it was named according to how it ended. But then I decided I liked this part best – okay, it was the only part I liked; the rest of it sucked rhino butt – and I didn't know what else to call it. Believe me, I sat on my bed just staring at the document for a good ten minutes trying to come up with something better, but I just couldn't… I hope you enjoyed it nonetheless.

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