Cough cough.Was she getting a throat irritation?
Cough cough.Perhaps she was having too much of that lovely snack Mirajane was making.
Cough cough.But it was a lovely tasting snack. She could deal with the throat infection right?
Cough cough cough.Perhaps she ought to wait till she recovered before she returned to eating that again.
Cough cough cough.Goodness. Perhaps she ought to wake for a drink, a drink that would sooth her throat a little and calm her coughing. But try as she would, the woman found it hard to even force her eyes open. Was she that weary before she went to bed? How could she not open her eyes?
...Was it not becoming increasingly harder for her to pull air through lungs?
Cough cough cough.Smoke. This was the smell of smoke. Unfamiliar. It was quite unlike the smoke scent that lingered around the pinkette, his natural scent - likely caused by the magic that he used. His was one that was rather comforting, much like that of scented candles, or scented incense even. But this, this was choking, this felt as though a noose was made around her neck, tightening her chest as though forcing the Celestial Mage to breath in nothing more than smoke-laden air.
Even now that she was awake, the blonde found it almost impossible to move and the thoughts that wandered through her mind were thoughts of her family, both dead and alive. If she was to die right here, right now, would she meet her deceased parents? To greet them and apologize for having not live life to the fullest? If she was to die right here, right now, what would her Fairy Tail family say?
What would Natsu Dragneel say when he found out that the woman had been smothered to death by a by-product of what flames would create?
But the woman had no choice to linger upon that thought, for the door would be smashed open - her window she had shut tight so that she could have an uninterrupted sleep. Wooden door broken down, the flash of pink would dart forth to the bed, yanking the pink sheets off Lucy's body before he drew the petite mage into arms, turning back to the window before hurling himself through.
Body wrapped protectively over the blonde mage in other to prevent the frail woman from being cut by the shattered flying glass, he would land upon his feet, one knee down to absorb the impact, dragging against concrete. But still, he did not loosen his hold upon the female, pulling her from his embrace and checking the woman's pale features with anxious yells.
"LUCY! LUCY! WAKE UP! LUCY!" Shaking the female with a little more force than required. the Dragon Slayer would keep a firm grip upon her, noting no response from the woman and in her out of focus honey eyes no reaction as well.
Desperately, the man did the only thing he knew would work for such an incident, jamming lips against hers and blowing, attempting to force the smokey air out of her lungs, along with offering fresh air through the forceful liplock.
Once, twice, he repeated the process, her name leaving him repeatedly between each. "Come on, Lucy! Damnit! Wake up!" Tears threatened to leave dark orbs, but he refused to give up upon the woman who had changed his life within the short period of time that they had known each other, and the one last desperate cry had the woman coughing, slender fingers twitching as they gripped his scarf with the dismal amount of strength she had.
A weak smile rose to pale lips, and it was with a hoarse voice that she muttered, with eyes that were red and hurting. "Natsu... You came to save me...? Y-you always did... You're my hero.. Even if you just stole my first kiss.." The soft laughter that she managed caused the woman to break out in a horrifying coughing fit, accompanied by a wheeze that worried the pinkette.
"Lucy, don't die.. You can't die and leave us behind, you can't leave me behind. We're a team, remember? Team Natsu isn't a team without Lucy!"
Was there anything she could say to make him believe that she would be alright? In fact, the blonde mage had no ideas if the smoke inhalation had damaged her body to the extent of non-recovery. Yet at this moment, there was only one thing in mind. "Kiss me again, and I'll live.."He obeyed without resistance or questioning, greedily pressing hot lips to pale lips, to turn white to rosy red no matter what he had to do, arms tightening around her in an almost painful embrace, afraid of losing the woman who had been nothing but weird.
Around them, the smell of the foul smoke remained strong, but the woman could only remember the welcomed scent of smokey male, and lips that were surprisingly soft despite the foul words he was often known to sprout.
It was at this very moment that the woman knew, that it was impossible to get out of this fix she had gotten herself into.
There was no way that Lucy Heartfilia was not heads over heels, there was no way that she was not hopelessly in love with her partner, Natsu Dragneel.And they were kissing in the middle of the street.