It was all Lucy could do to keep her hiccups under control. A few times a minute they would just spring from her lips and the rest of the girls at the table would burst into giggles. Hiccups were Lucy's tell, though it didn't take her hiccupping fits to tell she was well passed tipsy. Lucy was a very handsy drunk, and true to her nature, she laid draped over Juvia's lap as the alcohol pulled yet more laughter out of their group.
Cana had orchestrated quite the night. The entire evening was a blur of drinking, dancing, emotional conversations, and more drinking. The girls had desperately needed to blow off some steam from a crappy week, and Cana had been more than happy to facilitate. Lucy absentmindedly curled Juvia's hair around her finger as her friends joked and jeered.
"Hey, Levy! You two should get a room!" Cana yelled from her seat at the table. "Or better yet don't, you're putting on quite the show." Across the room, tucked into a corner, a beet red Levy hid behind a hulking, metal-studded man. Gajeel had decided to get a drink, supposedly on a whim, at the exact same bar where they were hanging out, barreling through the door not half an hour after the girls had settled in. Lucy figured it was the work of a certain pearl haired barmaid, who appeared to be enjoying the show as much as Cana. Gajeel turned around to lock eyes with Cana and flashed a wolfish grin before grabbing Levy, carrying her off to a more secluded part of the bar. Lucy knew Gajeel hadn't actually slung Levy over his shoulder and slapped her ass as he ran away, but in her rum fueled haze that's what she saw.
"Well I guess Levy is gone for the night." Erza noted before the table burst into laughter once more.
"But the night isn't over yet!" Cana assured them, "I'll grab the next round." The girls collectively groaned as Cana ran back to the bar. Most were approaching their alcohol limit, but Cana was just getting started. She returned with four drinks, shot estimate of each unknown, when Juvia looked at her phone and startled in her seat.
"Juvia must go home. She has just traded shifts with Meredy so she can work a double with Gray tomorrow. Juvia won't be able to work if she has another drink and would be sad if she missed the chance to spend an entire day with her beloved." She stood suddenly, Lucy's head falling onto the cushioned seat with a thump.
"Owwww!" Lucy complained, rubbing the tender spot as Juvia attempted to crawl over her and leave the table.
"Bye, Juvia," Cana called after her. "I want all the juicy details tomorrow night." She sat down and turned her attention to the only remaining girls, Erza and Lucy. "Well, who gets her drink?" she asked, eyes scanning them both. "No one else is leaving until these glasses are empty!" Cana's gaze rested on Lucy, who was running her fingers along the edge of fabric where her skirt met her thighs. Lucy silently cursed, knowing what would come next. "How about...Lucy!" She cringed. "You haven't been as chatty as usual. Afraid too many drinks will loosen your lips and you'll spill some kinky details about Natsu?" Cana purred, pushing two drinks in front of her. "I'm not letting you go until those glasses are empty and I get some dirt."
"You're such -hic- a perv, Cana," Lucy murmured as she reached for the first drink. A hand cut her off and grabbed the glass, downing it in one tip of the hand.
"Hey, jerkwad, that was my drink. What kind of asshole takes someone else's—" Lucy was cut off by a pair of warm, chapped lips. She shivered at the kiss and melted into an all too familiar heat as the man brushed a strand of loose hair behind her ear. Their lips parted with a smack and Lucy smiled.
"Not as good as Levy's show, but nice nonetheless, 6 out of 10, kids," Cana jeered.
Lucy looked up at her boyfriend. "What are you doing here, Natsu? Don't you have an early shift tomorrow? You should be in bed."
"So should you." He replied, stroking the top of her head. "Cana, don't let her get so drunk next time." He crossed his arms and glared at the only slightly sober girl at the table. "Mira had to call me to make sure she got home alright."
"We were just having a bit of fun, oh knight in hot pink armor," Cana drawled. Natsu added a scowl to his deepening glare. "She hasn't even had that much to drink. She still has to finish her last one."
"She's hiccupping so much I could hear her the moment I walked inside. I'm cutting her off." He picked up the second drink and downed it as fast as the first. "Your terms have been met. Both glasses are empty. I'm taking her home." He grabbed Lucy under her arms, dragging her to her feet and chuckled, "Thanks for the free booze!"
The grin on Cana's face faded instantly. "No can do. The terms included kinky details. She may not be released."
"Sorry Cana, only Lucy gets to know about the kinky stuff, but Erza can probably give you a detail or two. Me, her, and Gray were practically joined at the hip growing up. I'm sure I left at least some impression." He winked, and Cana leaned over to Erza.
"I forgot how close you three were as kids." Her attention clearly changed targets. She pushed a drink slowly towards Erza. "Why don't we play a game?"
Erza shot an uncomfortable glance at Natsu, silently promising him a monumental beating. He'd suffer that later at least. "Her debt is paid. She's going home," Natsu declared, pulling Lucy from the table and walking her towards the door.
Outside the bar, Natsu took a minute to assess Lucy's level of intoxication: she was a mess of giggles, hiccups, and swayed with every step. Her hands pawed at his arms and shirt. She was in no condition to walk, even if her apartment was close by. Lucy watched as he examined her, beaming back at him. Natsu was always there for her. "Hop on, Luce, you're not walking home like that. I don't want to take a trip to the ER cause you stumbled and hurt your ankle."
"I -hic- can walk just fine -hic- Natsu."
He looked at her skeptically. "If you can make it through a full sentence without a hiccup, maybe I'll let you walk. Otherwise it's riding time" He paused, voice turning barely wicked. "Don't make me grab you like Gajeel does to Levy. That'll be a difficult trip for both of us."
Lucy giggled. "Please, no, Gajeel carries poor Levy like a sack of -hic- dammmit—potatoes sometimes."
"Yeah. I saw him bolting for the bar's back door with her as I was walking up. Didn't look like she minded all that much, though." He turned his attention back to Lucy. "No more stalling, climb on."
Begrudgingly, Lucy set herself into position as Natsu crouched down so her could carry her on his back. He lifted them up and after a couple of wobbles from adjusting to the weight, began the trek to Lucy's apartment. As he walked, Lucy rested her head on his shoulder, one hand woven into his hair and the other hanging limp next to his neck. Natsu's rhythmic steps lulled her from conversation to rest. A car honked in the distance and Natsu startled, jumping in his shoes just a fraction. Lucy stirred.
"Sorry I woke ya Luce, everything's fine, go back to sleep. We'll be there soon," Natsu crooned.
Lucy wiggled her fingers, locked in his hair, and nuzzled his neck. "Tell me you love me, Natsu."
"Huh?"
She pulled his hair ever so slightly. "Tell me you love me. I like -hic- hearing you say it. We were talking at the bar, and -hic- Cana mentioned she never heard you say it." She smiled against his neck.
"I love you, Lucy."
She sighed a happy, triumphant sigh. "Say it again Natsu."
"I love you, Luce, but you're silly when you're drunk." He wanted to poke at her nose for being so cute and silly, but his arms were occupied carrying her, so he gave her thigh a squeeze.
"One more time -hic- for good measure!"
Natsu smiled wickedly, he'd give her a good one. He inhaled deeply, roaring into the night, "I said I love you, Lucy!"
Lucy hadn't been experiencing such ferocity, but she laughed and returned statement with as much of a roar as she could muster. "And I love you too, Natsu!"
Natsu turned his head and kissed her for a long, tender moment. "You taste like Rum, Luce," he teased.
"Better than tasting like Tequila!" She replied.
Natsu laughed. Even drunk, Lucy didn't miss a beat with her quips. "True. Now I assume you don't want me to go climbing up to your window with you on my back. Hand me your keys." Lucy fumbled in her purse and managed to fish out her keys. Natsu took them and began unlocking the door to the building and proceeding up to the third floor. "You know, I hardly ever come up these stairs. There's no flare in just walking," Natsu joked.
"Yeah and I never -hic- fall on my ass in the bushes." Lucy retorted, waking up slightly as she jostled against his back.
He paused on the landing, reminiscing. "It's only happened a few times. Looking at it overall, I hardly ever fall—anymore."
Natsu approached to Lucy's door and quickly shoved the key into the lock, eager to have the extra weight off his back. He awkwardly opened the door, stumbling inside, her mess of shoes next to the entryway nearly toppling him. He removed his foot from her horde and gently placed Lucy on the couch. She sprawled out and would have fallen asleep there, but Natsu began to undo the clasp on her heels.
"I thought the prince was supposed to put on the princess's shoe, not take it off," Lucy mumbled.
"He would if the princess wasn't drunk and could remember to take off her shoes before she went to sleep," he retorted, removing both shoes and tossing them into the pile. Lucy stretched her toes and sighed in relief, feet surprisingly sore. "Alright, bedtime, Lucy." She nodded and moved to stand up, but stumbled and fell back into the cushions with a hiccup. "Hold on," he placed a peck on her forehead, "I'm gonna get a trashcan. I think you're more drunk than you realize." He disappeared into her bathroom, searching for something small and easy to clean.
Lucy laughed to herself, "Probably." A sudden hiccup shook her system and she pitched from the couch to the floor. She was still very drunk, but it was fun to be so loose and carefree. Lucy played with her hair and walked her fingers over her stomach and breasts until Natsu emerged from her room. He looked down at her and chuckled. Her hands had a mind of their own after Lucy had a few drinks, and she looked adorable squirming on the ground like a cat. Natsu crouched down beside her, petting her head as he slowly lifted her to a seated position. He ran his fingers through her long, blonde hair, silently admiring her. Lucy moved her walking fingers from her stomach to his arms, working their way over his biceps and up his neck to his ear.
Natsu carefully grabbed her around the knees and back, lifting her in his arms. He knew she loved being carried like this, it made her feel safe in a scary world. "Wanna know something?" Lucy asked softly. Natsu nodded as he carried her to her bed. "I don't care if I'm more drunk -hic- hahaha than I realize." He peered at her, and she knew the question on his lips. "Cause I know you'll be here to pick me up if I fall." She smiled bashfully, blushing as much from sincerity as from the heat of the alcohol.
"Of course." He set her down on the bed. Lucy yawned, hands struggling to remove her top. Natsu helped her fumbling fingers with the zipper and pulled the fabric over her head. When she was comfortably undressed, she crawled under the sheets, soft against her exposed skin. She hadn't slept in pajamas since Natsu had started staying the night; he turned into a furnace the moment he drifted off to sleep. Lucy felt her stomach turn as she laid down, her head spinning just a little. Purposefully falling asleep while drunk was generally a dicey experience for her, and she was glad Natsu had placed a small trash can next to her nightstand. Ready to face the consequences of her—or rather Cana's—decisions from earlier that evening, she laid her head against her pillow. Then she felt his strong, familiar arms wrap around her and she sighed happily.
"You don't have to stay," she paused, "I know you have to be up early for work in the morning." There was no response save for the tightening of his grip around her waist and the feeling of a warm body pressed against her back. "But I'm happy you are." She nestled further into him, her weariness and nausea slowly melting away at his touch. "It's these little things—how you take care of me—it's how you say you love me without needing the words, and I love you for it." Lucy felt him smile and place a gentle kiss at the base of her neck, his embrace lulling them both into a deep, peaceful sleep.