He woke quickly and silently, surveying the dark room with his onyx eyes for whatever had disturbed his rest. Nothing immediately stood out, but Natsu had learned long ago to trust the inhuman instincts that often controlled him. More times than he could count, they had been the only thing keeping him from death. Well, that and his totally badass magic.

This time, though, he felt no need to be overly alert. He still wasn't going to get back to sleep anytime soon on this lumpy too-tiny couch.

So maybe that was it. He and Happy were crashing at Lucy's house, and Natsu always had a bit harder time relaxing around the girl. That had gotten easier as they had grown closer, but hey. Habits are hard to break. Like the one he had of breaking into his partner's house quite frequently.

The dragonslayer gave a sharp-fanged grin behind his scarf at that thought. They spent hardly any time at their own house, between jobs and Lucy's. He certainly didn't mind being in such close proximity to his teammate, and his little blue cat had made no objections when Natsu began spending more and more time with the loud celestial spirit mage.

If anything, the exceed actually seemed to enjoy Lucy's home more than the one he shared with the fire mage. He often slept curled in against the girl's stomach, rather than on Natsu's chest.

Come to think of it, Happy hadn't fallen asleep in contact with his best friend in nearly a month. Normally the thought of his cat choosing someone else over him would have made Natsu's skin crawl. But with Lucy, all he felt was a slight tug at the corners of his mouth. She fit right into their odd little family.

Natsu stretched languorously and extended his senses outward, searching around the room for Happy with his magic.

To his surprise, the cat was flopped onto the back of the couch. His eyes opened a crack to glance in Happy's direction. Natsu snorted softly as he took in the sight.

His legs splayed and arms open as wide as his snoring mouth, the exceed was in almost the exact same position he himself had been in moments earlier.

Stifling a yawn, Natsu figured that Lucy had probably been moving around too much for the cat's tastes. Before he had begun staying the night, he could always pick up a trace of weariness, and fear on his guildmate in the mornings.

She had begun having harsh nightmares since Galuna Island, and they had intensified after Phantom Lord. Natsu only knew this from overhearing a conversation between Lucy and Erza. God knew they had been through even more traumatic shit in the long space of time since then.

Not that he would ever admit it, but Natsu had begun to have nightmares after Phantom Lord kidnapped his friend as well. They went away when he was in the room with Lucy, was able to assure himself that she was safe at any time of the night. His presence seemed to calm her as well.

A fuzzy feeling overtook him at that realization. He belonged. Hadn't felt that way for a long time. Fairy Tail was his home, but this was different. Warmer.

His body stiffened and ears strained as his half conscious thoughts broke apart. Lucy had jerked in her sleep, and he could hear her heart beating erratically. Her breathing was coming in sharp, almost pained gasps.

He breathed in, trying to find what was wrong through scent. Odd. Nothing. Just the scent of fabric, a hint of Igneel…

Dammit! His scarf!

Natsu yanked it down from his face and tasted the air. Instantly his hair stood on end. His pupils dilated until he was sure his eyes were blown completely black in his body's attempt to see through the darkness more clearly. His pulse pounded through him and magic hummed in his fingertips.

There was something very, very wrong.

Pure, unadulterated terror filled the air, so strong that the dragonslayer had to fight the urge to growl a threat into the dark alongside a blast of fire. Instead, he began to hurriedly untangle himself from the blanket he had cocooned himself in. It took a few tries and he tore the blanket, but soon he was free.

Scrambling off the couch, Natsu nearly tripped over his discarded vest and pants laying in front of the couch in a neat stack. Lucy must have washed and folded them for him, and the thought of such a kind and simple gesture made a warmth blossom in his chest as he regained his footing and padded quickly towards the girl.

He needed to fight for, protect, his teammate. Be it from dark guilds or the demons running rampant in her own soul, he would be there for her. Just as he always had, and always would be. Just as she had and hopefully would be for him. As was the way of mates, the way of their unwavering loyalty.

Whoa.

Where the hell had that come from? He knew, somewhere, but pushed it away again anyway.

Natsu vaguely remembered Igneel sitting him down (more like cramming him into a cave and refusing to let him go until he had worn himself out) and brusquely explaining the basics of human reproduction and relationships to had been young, but a good amount of that stuck.

Not to mention reinforced by his dragon hearing picking up unwanted information from the older men at the guild when they got a bit too drunk.

But a second talk had taken place in the cave, one about dragons and mates, and had been completely forgotten. Until several months ago, when Natsu had first slipped into Lucy's house and refused to leave. His father's words had come back to him then, filling his head and awakening urges and instincts he could not fight and so instead tried to ignore.

He understood the whole ordeal perfectly, and was not at all surprised once he remembered the words of Igneel and fully realized what was happening. But now was not the time to be to so absorbed in his painfully strong feelings for his friend, his nakama.

Natsu shook his head sharply, pink locks flying as he reached Lucy's bed and settled softly next to her. He'd have time to think about that later. Now was the time to help, to protect this woman in whatever way he could. He was willing to pull her from the depths of Tartaros and die in the process. Pulling her from the depths of her own mind was nothing in comparison.

Natsu reached his hand out, and gently brushed a strand of hair away from her flushed face, contorted in invisible pain. It hurt him to see her like this.

"Lucy," he breathed. She cried out softly at his touch and flinched into a tighter ball as whimpers leaked through her lips. His hand hastily jerked away. An ache began in his chest and it hurt so much more than any of the injuries he had ever sustained during battle before. He dug his nails into his palms, having to fight the urge to bow his head and bare his neck while whispering sweet nothings to the girl in apology.

"N-n-no, not them," she shook as the mumbles escaped into the dark night. "M-me, but not them." Natsu couldn't take it anymore. He pressed a hand onto her shoulder as more of her fear escaped through soft words.

"Aquar-" She violently thrashed her body for a moment. "L-Loke…." She whimpered even more, sounding so helpless and weak. This wasn't Lucy. Not his Lucy, always so fearless and commanding no matter the situation. He wanted so desperately to help.

Yet at the mention of his old guild member's name, Natsu felt something dark and ugly rise from the pits of his stomach. It rumbled up to his throat, threatening to be let out in a feral growl. The feeling instantly vanished when more whimpers tumbled from Lucy's open mouth.

His chest twinged in regret and he felt a wave of guilt wash over him. He couldn't help it this time, creasing his forehead in worry while he whispered apologies to her. But they were cut short as a true scream ripped itself from her throat and shot straight through his heart.

He shook her harder now, unable to be gentle and bear this pain anymore. Slowly he scooted closer to his partner, the mattress groaning at his movement. He let his fingers lightly trace her features as he spoke to her again.

"Luce… Oi… Luce, come on now. Wake up, Lucy." His voice was a low rumble, gravely and dry from sleep and breathing rapidly through his mouth. He was still a slight bit groggy from his abrupt wake up earlier, but his eyes were open wide with concern and his hands were firm on her as her brown eyes shot open and her body arched in panic.

She gasped and shook as sobs racked her body, seemingly unaware of her surroundings. Tears streamed continuously and her nose ran as she forced herself smaller, curling into a ball. The comforter moved with her, and she jerked in shock and fear when Natsu grasped it firmly and pulled the bundle of blanket and girl into his lap.

His heart leapt into his throat as she screamed against him with no air, slowly but surely beginning to realize that she wasn't in her own personal hell anymore. His fists itched to crush whatever was hurting her so into tiny pieces and burn them until not even ashes remained.

Instead, he placed open palms on her back and head, stroked down her arms and held her tightly to him while whispering wordless comforts and telling her it was okay.

"Luce, it's just me, Natsu. Come on Luce, please don't cry no more. It makes me hurt too." That was the truth, every sniffle, every tear, every strangled gasp, it all drove a knife deeper and deeper into his heart. It made him want to cry too, but he couldn't.

He was angry for her instead, wishing he could burn her demons to a crisp. He had to be strong for his mate, be strong for Lucy.

Her vocalizations had stopped as she finally began to calm down, tucking herself into the dragonslayer and clutching desperately at his arms, his back, his shoulders and neck. Eventually she settled for one hand on his shoulder and the other held to her own chest, clutching some phantom object. Perhaps one of her keys.

Natsu slowly removed his hand from the small of her back, wincing as she shook slightly harder when the warmth left her skin. He moved quickly, unwrapping his scarf and laying it over her shoulders. She pressed tighter into him, and he gave up his efforts of covering her neck. Igneel's scarf was large enough anyway.

He draped it around them both, before returning his hand to her trembling body once more. Though she had improved immensely, Lucy was still far too upset to sleep. And he knew that until he was certain of her wellbeing and felt her hot tears against his bare chest be replaced by even breaths, he wasn't going to get an ounce of rest. Natsu sighed, and burrowed his face into her blonde locks.

As he pressed a kiss softly to the top of her skull, he recalled something Igneel had done for him long, long ago. He smiled against her head and began to hum. It was an ancient tune, simple and lulling. If he pressed himself….

Maybe he could recall the words. A princess and a dragon, falling in love. Perhaps Igneel had a bit of precognition Natsu never knew about. Perhaps he created the song and rumbled it to the boy every night with this exact moment in mind. In his own way, he had Igneel's blessing.

The thought made him immensely happy, and soon a song began to tumble from his mouth into the dark air. There were no words yet, just noise. Human and dragon, lilting notes and low rumbles, twining into one raw, emotional melody.

Lucy sighed against him as her light trembles melted away.

The only movement between them now were their chests rising and falling, and the low buzz of Natsu's voice through the dark as finally, words began to form on his tongue.

Once lived a man, whom many called king

He loved his daughter and he loved his queen

The daughter she grew, and loved the sky

When Princess spoke she had stars in her eyes

Once lived a dragon, with fiery red scales

He guarded his treasure, safe without fail

A little boy with a flaming soul

But the young dragon's heart wasn't quite full

Well the queen passed away

And the dragon could not stay

So the king went mad

And the boy turned bad

Empty homes, and empty hearts

Led them on a search to restart

Princess taught herself to dance with the stars

Countryside did the flaming boy mar

Princess ran, and ran far from her home

'Til she couldn't feel her father's heart of stone

Dragon's child roamed through the land

'Til he met a maiden in a sea of sand

Princess and dragon, united at last

And their dark little secret

Spread awfully fast

But the dragon burned dead

All the hurtful things they said

Princess fell in love

A lion and a dove

So they flew far away, to their brighter days

On his wings like sails, and their bond never failed.

Natsu's voice trailed off, the rest of the words forgotten. He was holding Lucy to him with a possessiveness that once scared him away, but now felt right in every way.

He glanced down at her, warmth flooding him. This was how it should be. He felt full, of love and life and Lucy.

And so they slept, Natsu cradling Lucy to him with a gentleness few thought such a brash and powerful mage capable of.

Natsu blinked against the light shining in his face. Fuck, he was sore like he had slept in a damn pretzel or -

Oh. The weight on his body reminded him of why he was in such an awkward position. His eyes falling firmly shut, he rumbled deep in his chest and smiled in delight as he felt the woman on his lap shift slightly. Lucy. He decided to let her sleep for a bit longer despite the ache in his back and arms.

After all, they had some things to talk about when they both were awake. It couldn't wait any longer.