KTKG Says: I don't own Fairy Tail. Period.

Insomnia

Lucy Heartfilia was pissed.

This in itself wasn't anything new. She had felt this feeling multiple times before, really, on a regular daily basis if she was to be honest. But alas, this feeling of pissiness was something altogether different. Times before, when she was mad, it was directed at someone else, like a certain pink-haired dragon slayer for example. This time however, it was not the case.

This time, she was pissed at herself.

Snorting at the thought she frowned as picked up her mug of hot chocolate, taking a sip to occupy herself for the moment. The action did nothing to take her mind off of the matter at hand however. As much as she wanted to blame the flame-headed idiot she couldn't. No, in this situation the only person to blame was herself, for more than one reason too.

"Are you alright Lucy?"

She looked up to connect with the concerned blue eyes of none other than Mirajane. Swallowing the warm liquid in her mouth she forced something that resembled a smile onto her face in response. "Yes, I'm fine." Mirajane didn't look convinced in the slightest as she continued to clean the mug in her hand that Lucy was sure she had been cleaning since she arrived at the guild three hours ago. "You looked like you were lost in thought there. You know if there's something bothering you, you can talk to me right?"

At the statement Lucy frowned slightly into her mug. It wasn't that she didn't trust Mirajane it was just… well okay she didn't really trust Mirajane, at least not with the thoughts that were bumping around in her head right now. If the information were to get out to anyone she was sure she would never, EVER, hear the end of it from her other girl friends. Especially Cana. "Lucy?"

She looked back up and saw that Mirajane looked even more worried than before. Sighing, she told herself it wouldn't hurt to talk to someone about it. Maybe she would be able to figure out exactly what it was that was bothering her.

Behind the bar counter, Mira put away the mug and dishcloth, pulling up a stool that had previously been in a corner. She could tell that something was really bothering her nakama and the sigh that had escaped her meant that there was quite a story to be told. She made sure to make herself comfortable. Thank goodness there wasn't much traffic at the moment seeing as there had been a surge of missions lately.

"So, I haven't really been sleeping lately."

Lucy kept her eyes trained on the glassware between her palms as the sensation of Mira scrutinizing her appearance washed over her. She was sure that she noticed the dark circles under her eyes the minute she sat down earlier as well as the fact that she wasn't in her normal attire for the day as she looked at her now. She had opted for a sweatshirt and jeans instead of her normal revealing ensemble. Across from her Mira hummed in understanding.

"Ah, insomnia. How long has this been going on?" Lucy resisted the urge to fidget as she answered, "about two weeks now." She looked up to see Mirajane trying to do some calculations in her head before realization dawned on her features. "That's how long Natsu, Gray, Erza have been gone." Nodding in response, Lucy also sighed ruefully as she leaned forward onto her elbows, her hands coming away from her drink to fold into her arms. "You'd think that with them gone I'd be able to do everything I wanted to!"

Mira smirked to herself as she watched the blonde huff to herself with her last remark. It was so obvious what the issue was. "You know, you probably just miss him. He's been staying with you for the past couple of months right?" She watched as Lucy's shoulders slumped somewhat before she nodded.

It was true that Fairy Tail's residential dragon slayer had been a temporary fixture in her home the last two months. Of course, the reason for this had been that the inevitable had happened. Someway, somehow, Natsu had managed to burn his house down. How exactly that happened, she didn't know, but she was sure that Gray was involved in some way or another. When the ice and fire mages had been forced on a mission with Erza two weeks before, Lucy had been ecstatic to finally get her place back to herself for a bit. Unfortunately things hadn't gone as planned. Hesitantly taking another sip of her now cold drink, she answered. "Yeah, he has, but I don't know if me missing him is entirely the reason I'm having insomnia."

Mira's curiosity was spiked at this. She wasn't just missing him? "Well, are you worried about him? I'm sure that he's fine if that's the case. He's got Erza with him…" Lucy was shaking her head before she even finished her sentence. There was also a fine dusting of pink that was covering her cheeks. "Well if you don't just miss him and you're not really worried about him, what could it be?"

At this point Lucy was having an internal battle with herself. Mirajane was right in the fact that she missed him. Hell, even she could admit that it wasn't the same without the baka around to keep her entertained. She was also worried about him, as she often was when he left on missions without her. These things however weren't the only reasons for her lack of ability to sleep as of late. Did she really want to come clean with her on this though? The expectant look on Mira's face told her that she had technically backed herself into a corner on this and since she made the choice to start the conversation she had to finish it.

"What I'm about to tell you goes nowhere. You hear me Mira?"

Mira's eyes widened at the seriousness in Lucy's voice. Suddenly she had to restrain herself from letting the squeal of happiness loose that was in her throat. She couldn't however help the smile that had spread across her face. This had to be something juicy! "Okay, okay, I won't say anything I promise!" Lucy still looked skeptical so she hooked their pinky fingers together and held up her other hand to show her fingers weren't crossed and she was serious. Lucy was somewhat still reluctant but sighed as she pulled their fingers apart and leaned in close so only the white-haired bar maid would be able to hear her.

"I can't sleep without him there anymore."

"…"

Leaning back, she looked at Mira's confused face, willing the older woman to understand what she had meant. She was sure the heat in her cheeks was showing prominently and would eventually spread all over her face if she had to explain any further.

Mira on the other hand was somewhat disappointed. She couldn't sleep without him there? That was basically the same as missing him, right? But she had said it was something else! She resisted the frown that was forming on her face with a smile. "Well, it must be too quite without him snoring on your couch. I can understand how you'd get accustomed to the noise at night." The sound of Lucy slamming her head down on the counter made the barmaid jump slightly. Was it something she said?

Lucy felt like dying of humiliation on the spot. The woman was almost as dense as the reason for her insomnia. Slowly she raised her head from the wood and allowed one eye to glare at Mira's nervous face before sitting back up straight in her seat. Okay, she guessed she'd try it again. "No, Mira, that's not what I meant by that." At the confused look she received in response she sighed and covered her face in her hands. She couldn't believe she was about to say this.

"Natsu doesn't sleep on the couch, Mira. Or the floor for that matter."

Silence reigned supreme as she let her words sink in with the take-over mage before her. After a couple moments where other member's mindless chatter was heard in the background, the meaning of Lucy's words finally hit Mira like a ton of bricks. Instantly her eyes widened to almost the size of dinner plates, a squeal of epic proportions building up in her throat. The sound however was muffled thanks to Lucy's hand, which she had placed firmly over Mira's mouth just in time. After a couple of seconds she released it and sat back down in her seat.

"How long?!"

A couple of heads whipped in their direction and Lucy's face decided to imitate a tomato. "Mira!" Sheepishly Mira covered her mouth before waving the other guild members off. "Sorry, sorry. Okay seriously though, how long has this been going on?" Mira looked as if she was about to burst from excitement. Lucy did not share in her happiness though.

"Well, a couple of days after he started staying with me. I kept waking up with him in my bed and after all the whining from him I just decided to let it be." Thus, the reason why she was pissed at herself. Because she had allowed him into her bed, she had started this whole insomnia thing.

Mirajane was practically bouncing in her seat at this bit of information. Natsu's house burning down was actually the best thing to happen to these two! She just had to get Lucy to see it that way. As Lucy crossed her arms again in front of her, she watched the blonde struggle with the sleeves of her sweatshirt for a second before something caught her attention.

"Is that Natsu's sweatshirt you're wearing?"

Lucy's eyes almost popped out of her head at the statement. "H-how did you know?" Mira's smile only widened further if that was possible. "I gave it to him a couple of years ago for Christmas." The older woman giggled behind her hand lightly. "You actually look really cute in it."

Lucy wanted to cry. Cute? She looked cute wearing his sweatshirt? Looking down at the piece of clothing she tried to remember why she chose to wear it in the first place. Quickly crossing her arms again she caught a whiff of the material and instantly knew why she did it. It smelled of campfire and the rugged outdoors. The same smell that was in her bed at night. The same smell that was just completely Natsu. At the realization of what everything meant she rolled her eyes and fisted her hands in her hair.

"Oh my god, I'm so pathetic!"

She felt Mira's hand untangle her own from her hair gently before holding it gently on top of the bar counter. "You're not pathetic Lucy-chan! Why ever would you say that?"

"Because…" She fingered the material of the sweatshirt helplessly for a couple of seconds. "Mira, I put it on because it smells like him! I haven't changed my sheets because they smell like him! I can't sleep because he isn't there to keep the bed warm or to cuddle with me! I cook way too much food because I'm expecting him to be there to eat it all! It's like… it's like I can't function without him here!" Exhausted by the end of her rant, Lucy allowed her other hand to join its partner on the table. The look on her face was utterly hopeless.

Mira couldn't help but smile at the reasoning Lucy had come up with. Silly girl, didn't she know? "Oh Lucy, you're not pathetic, you're just in love."

Lucy stiffened at Mira's conclusion. Love? In love, with Natsu? Sighing she bowed her head in defeat. Mirajane was right. She was utterly and hopelessly in love with the idiot and the last two months had helped that little feeling along. Hell, the last two weeks had cemented it! She knew she had some kind of feelings for him but she had no idea how deep they ran until he left for the mission. She'd been living out her fantasy to a point with the fire mage for a while and the idiot had no idea. It was hopeless however, as the man was as dense as a rock and probably wouldn't return her feelings. They were nakama as far as he was concerned, and nothing else. Although the way he had cuddled up to her…

"You should tell him when he gets back."

"EXCUSE ME?!"

Lucy couldn't help the outburst but Mira's suggestion was just outrageous. Tell him? Was the woman crazy? "You never know until you say something. I think Natsu feels the same as you honestly. Especially if he's whining about sleeping in your bed with you."

The redness was back on Lucy's face. "He just thinks it's comfortable, that's all." Mira gave her a knowing smirk and Lucy decided to stop with that excuse, especially since he seemed to never go to sleep until she was lying with him. "But how Mira? How am I supposed to tell him?" Oh great, now she sounded desperate. Truth be told she was. She had to do something because now that she's had a taste of living and sleeping with him she didn't think she would be able to go back to normal. Especially if these last two weeks was any indication.

"Well it's Natsu, so you have to do things his way."

"His way? And what is that exactly?"

"You have to show him."

Lucy's eyes widened. Show him? Well, when you thought about it, he was more of a hands-on learner so that would make sense. For the first time in days Lucy felt a genuine smile spread across her face. "Thanks Mira." The barmaid gave her hand that she was still holding a squeeze. "Your welcome. And no worries, I promise to keep this between us. That is until you guys come in here hand and hand. I can't make any promises then."

Lucy felt a giggle bubble out of her and stood and waved before turning to head out of the almost empty guild. Maybe having that talk with Mirajane wasn't as bad as she thought. After a nap she would probably have to take her advice into consideration when it came to telling Natsu how she felt.

She knew just how to go about it too.

x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

Natsu Dragneel was exhausted.

After riding the demon train from hell for over six hours, they had finally made it back to Magnolia from the small town they had taken the mission in. It had been the worst mission ever, and not because it was a difficult one.

The damn thief they were supposed to track down took forever to find, and when they did finally find the bastard he wasn't alone. What should have been an easy take down turned into a laborious task seeing as he hadn't been on top of his game. He'd been more irritable than normal and no matter what he did he couldn't remedy it. The reason for that being, well, because of one thing in particular.

He hadn't been able to sleep.

The last two weeks had been tortuous to him. At first, he thought his insomnia was caused by the method they had originally chosen to find their target. Erza had suggested that they stay up all night to increase their chances of catching the thief in the act. By the second week when he had punched Gray in the face for just looking at him and growled at Erza without caring about it, he knew something was wrong.

Shifting his backpack, he ran a hand through his uniquely colored hair as he continued to trudge down the cobblestone streets.

Two weeks of no Lucy was hell on him. Initially he had thought nothing of going on the mission without her, after all, the mission prior to this had allowed her to pay her rent up for two months. However after living under the same roof as her for two months and sleeping in her bed with her, he should have known that he wouldn't be able to go too long without her. Taking a deep breath, he was able to pick up her faint floral scent from his clothes but it wasn't enough. She smelled of Night Blooming Jasmine with a touch of vanilla, and the scent always calmed him. Especially when she was in his arms at night and he could get up close and personal with that smell.

Pouting slightly he kicked a stray rock as continued on. All he wanted right now was to lay down with her and sleep. He still couldn't believe that she had allowed him into her bed. Actually the more shocking thing was she allowed him to cuddle with her, which she fully participated in by the way. Shaking his head shrugged. He was too tired to think about that, or anything really, right now. All he knew was that he was exhausted and he needed to be in his comfort zone like, right now.

A familiar scent found it's way to his nose and he instantly found his head whipping in its direction.

There in the distance, was the person who had been plaguing him for the last two weeks running in his direction. When she got about ten feet away from him he noticed she was wearing his clothing and couldn't help a low growl of approval. Seconds later she had flung her arms around his neck, almost knocking him down to the ground, and squeezed the life out of his neck. A strangled chuckle made its way out of his chest as he wrapped his arms around her waist and squeezed back. "I missed you too Luce."

After a while she pulled back and looked at him. To his surprise she had bags under her eyes and he guessed, or really hoped, that she had been in the same boat as him. She looked like she hadn't slept in days. He watched as her brown eyes studied his face and he couldn't help but think in his exhaustion how beautiful she looked, especially when she had determination burning in them like they were at that second. Not that he would actually tell her—

All thoughts stopped for him when he suddenly felt something warm and soft press itself to his lips. After a couple of seconds he realized that something soft was Lucy's lips and the slight tugging he was feeling on his scalp was her hands in his hair.

Holy shit, Lucy was kissing him.

Without a second he pressed back, his lips moving in time with hers as he tilted his head to the side. He didn't know what brought this on but at the moment he didn't really care.

Lucy broke away first, allowing the two of them to get some air in their lungs after what seemed like forever. "Lucy, what was—" Her finger against his slightly swollen lips stopped the remainder of the question from coming out. She kept it there as she tried to catch her breath. "I love you, and I've been miserable while you've been gone. I'm exhausted and irritated and now that you're here, we're going to go home and get some sleep, ok?"

All he could do in response is allow a face-splitting grin to spread across his lips and nod. "I was thinking the same thing." Scooping her up, exhaustion forgotten for the moment, he sped down Strawberry Street to his home of two months and up the stairs to the apartment. Once inside, he set her down before dumping his backpack and basically racing her to the bedroom.

A loud groan of appreciation ripped from his throat as he stretched out on top of the comforter. Oh how he had missed this. A satisfied sigh echoed him as Lucy molded herself to his side, throwing a leg and arm across him, as they both got comfortable. Pressing a light kiss to her temple he laid his head back against the pillow, the last two weeks finally taking a toll on him.

"Night Natsu."

He smiled as his eyes started to close on their own. "Night Luce." Just as he was about to drift off he remembered he still had something to say. "Hey Luce." She grunted to let him know she heard him. "I love you too." He felt her smile against his chest in response as he was finally taken over by sleep for the first time in a while.

He could get used to being welcomed home like that more often.

x-x-x-x-x-x-x

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