The wind hit her face hard, it was ice cold and got her teeth to shake. She wore her usual blue skirt and a thin white blouse. She knew that it approached the end of the year and she was only just to run out for getting her book she had order in, in the store a few blocks away from her home. Foolishly the landlady had locked the building by the time she returned home, and her house key was safe on top of her new bookshelf. For a celestial mage to forget a normal house key was almost inexcusable. She touched her spirit keys with light fingers where they hung safe in her belt. She had been thinking about forcing her way into the building, Taurus could easily crack down the door with his axe. Or Virgo who digs a hole under the building; Loki would easily managed to help her destroy half the House. She sighed desperately, quickly realized that her spirits only could help her in by force. And she could not afford to repair the whole building, the rent was still delayed, and if she not got the money for the rent first, within a week she would be homeless.
So she ran with her arms tightly across her body and face down to avoid the cold, in the only direction she could get help of her partner. By nobody else than the crazy pyromaniac, the man who only knew the meaning of destroying things. By the one who was an expert of breaking in through her window… Lucy sighed again, Natsu would enthuse over her request, and he would live on this far too long. She threw away a loop of blonde hair which had blown in front of her eyes.
The cottage in front of her looked warm and welcoming. That's why she did not hesitate from beating on the door while the cold made her jump up and down.
"Luce?" Natsu said with a confused voice when he opened, while rubbing the tired eyes of his. He stood there in only night trousers and examined the frozen woman. "You look really cold."
"Smart observation..." Lucy murmur before she threw herself under his arms and into the warmth of his home. She sat straight down in front of the warm fireplace, where Happy also slept. She heard how Natsu closed the door and threw himself on the couch behind her.
"I was locked out," Lucy said and closed her eyes, waiting.
One high laugh was heard behind her, she tried to keep herself under control when he amused himself over her situation.
"A celestial mage who forgets key." he gasp behind her. "Incredible, I knew you were clumsy and weird, but not stupid."
Lucy flew around and looked in the laughing pyromaniacs eyes, he grinned wide towards her and leant his body forward as he put his head in his palms.
"What do you want me to do about it?" he said with pretend curious tone.
Lucy cursed herself for forgetting her keys, he would make her pay for her request. But there was no turning back, she must have this man's help. With the book still pressed against her chest, she tried to find words without sounding too desperate.
"I had hoped that you could ... help Me." She said and breathed out. But Natsu didn´t seem happy with that answer.
"In what way, I don´t have your key." he said, and leant himself back in the couch, the flames from the fireplace got his skin to shimmer and the smiling face to look darker. But Lucy was not afraid for her fire breathing friend, she lean over and looked at him with puppy eyes.
"Please, Natsu, you know what you must do. I'll do anything, just let me into my house without destroying something!" she begged.
"One condition." Natsu had placed him forward again, their faces were just inches apart and he could easily breathe in the sweet aroma coming from her. A bigger smile branch out when he met those sweet praying eyes. "I get to sleep in your bed all week."
Lucys puppy eyes disappeared, she sent a dark glow against him. "You have a perfectly good bed right here." she protested, But the fire man only shake his head.
"Nothing beats your bed, come on Luce. Otherwise, you have to share the couch with Happy tonight."
Lucy examined the worn out couch, she actually considered the fact sleeping there, but then she really wanted to take a relaxing bath and write on her novel before she would go to sleep and that she couldn't do here. With a low groan, she stood up and threw a hateful gaze toward the pyromaniac.
"Put a shirt on, it is cold out there." she said to him, even though she knew he never became cold.
The fire mage took that as a Yes and jumped happily out of the sofa, he put on his usual vest and threw a pair of dirty underwear on the sleeping cat. Happy flied up immediately and jiggled the blue body.
"Come on Happy! Lucy had herself locked out and as a reward for breaking in to her house, we can stay there for a week." Natsu said to his blue friend and was already in the process of smothering the fire by chewing on it.
"Lucy… You're strange. "the cat yawns but seemed very pleased with the decision.
"Be wary cat, I might strangle you in your sleep you know." Lucy warned but opened the door as she was getting ready to go.
"Here." Natsu said and threw a jacket over her. "It would be no use if you froze to death."
"Natsu thank you." Lucy said and quickly pulled on his jacket, it was several sizes too big and it had a great smell of forest fire. It makes her smiled before they threw themselves out in the cold storm.
-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:
Natsu climbed the walls without and extra thought and left Lucy to see him disappeared in through her window. She noticed how the lights where switch on, and then the door unlocked. Natsu smiled triumphant when Lucy walked into her apartment. She took off the jacket and hung it over the chair.
"Luce, is there anything to eat?" Natsu said but did not wait for her to respond, he was already well hided in her fridge after some goodies. Lucy closed the door in his face and placed the other hand on her hips as she sighed.
"I'll cook, so go and do something else until further notice."
Natsu scratched his head and examined her while she picked up some vegetables, fish and potatoes. And then how the blonde picked up a cutting board and carefully washed the vegetables.
"I am useless on cutting vegetables." she said with a sigh.
Natsu groaned and took the knife away from her. "I will help you." he simply said and pushed her away from her place.
"Can you really cook." Lucy asked skeptical.
"It isn´t that difficult, and I have taken care of myself and Happy for years to come now."
Lucy was quite impressed, he was definitely better than her on cutting vegetables. She peeled the potatoes and Natsu then went on to the fish. In just one hour, they had managed to get an impressive dinner that was now placed on the table waiting to be eaten.
"Wow, I must admit that you sometimes surprise me," Lucy confessed with a little smile. Natsu who had looked longing for the food with a rumble stomach, now looked at her offended.
"You should know at this point that I´m awesome at everything." he laughed it off before he shouted out the blue cats name. Before Lucy could react both of them where in full fight into the food. Happy didn´t touch neither the potatoes nor vegetables but was only focused on the fried fish.
Lucy sat down and managed to snatch two fillets and a potato before it was all gone. She ate her food in peace and quiet with Natsus hungry gaze from other side of the table, he seemed to never be satisfied. It was worse than having a dog, she thought and glanced at the pyromaniac.
"I forgot to ask. Why where you sleeping? The clock is not more than 10 o'clock. " Lucy suddenly remember and snap him out of his drooling.
"There was nothing to do." he answered with a shrug. "You´ve banned me to come here and without you it was pretty dull in the guild."
Lucy had a vague memory that she forbidden the fire mage this very morning, from trying to break into her house in the evening. After their last mission, they had nearly been standing on each other all week and she really wanted to have some time alone. The plan didn´t seem to work for long, she thought and smiled tiredly.
"Well you obviously managed to get in anyway." she said and gather the dishes, she decided though that she should take a bath now and clean it tomorrow.
"It's not my fault that you forget things." Natsu laughed before he´d sprint off to the living room, Lucy followed him and found him in one of her cases.
"What are you doing?" she screams, and took it away from him. It was filled with notes and letters that she never posted.
"Come on Luce, you write so funny things." he said with a smile and tried to steal the box again. But Lucy sent him a death glow and put the box away.
"You can´t just take it because you´re bored." she warned. "Now I´m going to take a bath, and you would only dare to demolish or destroy something."
"I´m not a monster you know." Natsu protested and threw himself on the couch.
"You could have fooled me." Lucy said with a smile and stretch out the tongue at him before she disappeared into the bathroom.
Natsu was pleased though; because of her stupidity he would get to sleep in her bed a whole week. He laughed to himself and soon heard the water start to flow on the other side of the door. Poor Lucy who was unaware of the fire mages thoughts and reflections. How could she even imagine what the fire mage was planning in this very second...