Fairy Tail: Bedtime
The turn of a key always sent a quick jolt down Lucy's spine. This was mainly due to the fact that, more often than not, such an act meant her life was in danger. However, on this particular occasion, her reaction was for a drastically different reason. To put that reason bluntly: she needed some damn time to herself!.
Almost an entire week spent on the road, combined with several sleepless nights, and a decreased reward to pay for collateral damage. It all added up to form one extremely tired (and slightly depressed) teenage girl. Which is exactly why Lucy had reacted the way she did, especially when the door to her apartment unlocked with a loud 'thunk'. She loved her friends, and they were always welcome in her home.
But right now, she could go without seeing them for at least a few hours.
Stepping inside, a flick of a switch illuminated the living room, while also allowing her to let out a small sigh of relief. The room was empty, one down, three to go. Her bags hit the floor on her way into the kitchen, falling into an ugly heap on the rug as a single key was pulled from her belt. To tired to chant, she merely leaned back on the kitchen counter, weakly turning the key while fighting to ignore the weight of her eyelids.
A faint yellow glow quickly took shape, forming an always familiar pink-haired girl, dressed in an even more familiar maids outfit. Virgo offered a polite bow before she spoke, her voice kept light when she noticed the bags thrown about the living room. "It's nice to see you home at last Princess, would you like me to take care of things while you rest?".
Lucy couldn't help but smile, the girl didn't even wait for an answer. Although her legs painfully protested the idea, she couldn't just stand around while Virgo cleaned up her mess. Together, the two girls carried her bags up to the second floor. The second her eyes hit the bed, Lucy lost all control of her body, collapsing into the soft sheets was simply too tempting.
"Please, lie down Princess" Virgo said softly, already busy folding a mountain of clothes into Lucy's dresser. "You've more than earned a few hours of silence, I'll watch over things while you sleep".
Again, Lucy's smile widened. "Thanks Virgo, but I can't even think about sleep right now". Forcing her legs to obey, Lucy stood to her feet and made way for the bathroom. "Not until I've taken a bath".
"I understand, do you wish me to run the bath for you?" Virgo asked honestly.
One step into the bathroom, Lucy stopped in her tracks. "No...I, think I can handle it". The cold tile at her feet caused a series of shivers, but one last thought caused her to turn back around, gaining Virgo's attention with a wave of her hand. "Oh, and if anyone comes to the door. I'm asleep".
'Well, at least if someone did come to the door, Virgo wouldn't have to lie'. It was a matter of seconds after stepping into the tub that Lucy had fallen asleep, her head rested on the tubs corner as the hours slowly drifted away. After awaking both freezing and covered in wrinkles, she grabbed a towel and walked out into the bedroom. Unlike herself, Virgo actually organized the clothes in her dresser, so getting dressed took far less time than usual.
"Did you enjoy your bath Princess?".
Virgo's voice, besides instantly turning her head, caused Lucy's still slightly exposed skin to crawl. Standing patiently in the corner, the pink-haired girl bowed lightly while clasping her hands behind her back. Lucy knew full well hiding her confused expression would be impossible, choosing instead to merely raise an eyebrow in the spirits direction. "Virgo, you've...been waiting there this whole time?".
"Of course" Virgo answered matter-of-factly, "I promised to take care of things while you were resting". When a short silence was the only response she received, the pink-haired girl took a few steps forward. "I'm sorry Princess. Did I do something wrong?. Do you wish to punish me?".
The amount of sincerity in Virgo's voice took Lucy off guard, so much so that she could only answer while waving her arms in protest. "No no, don't be silly. I just thought it was a little strange that you never moved, that's all. You really didn't have to stand there the entire time".
Having already bent over to receive her punishment, Virgo straightened her stance upon Lucy's explanation "Oh" the spirit exhaled quickly, "in that case, I should probably be returning. Unless you require anything else of me Princess?".
Finally taking the opportunity to pull her skirt up to her waist, Lucy shook her head from side to side. "You've done enough Virgo, go back and rest up yourself".
Alongside a short bow, Virgo slowly began to fade into a pure golden energy. But before she disappeared fully, she did manage one final sentence. "I almost forgot Princess, your boyfriend came in through the window about an hour ago. I told him what you requested, but he seemed to ignore me and go straight for your bed".
"Boyfriend?, wait, what do you...". The few words were all Lucy could manage before Virgo vanished entirely, a simple smile serving as the pink-haired girls farewell.
Now alone (or not, apparently) Lucy fought the urge to step back towards the hallway. Unless she'd been asleep far longer than she thought, she had absolutely no idea what Virgo was talking about. A few deep breaths stopped her hands from shaking. Now that she knew it was there, the human shaped lump under her blanket stood out like a sore thumb.
One hand held firm around the hilt of her whip, she tentatively approached her bedside, yanking away the blanket in one fluid swipe. "Alright perv!, I don't know who you think...". Cutting her own sentence short, Lucy let out a deep sigh at the sight below her, "of course".
Natsu was clearly fast asleep, but that didn't stop him from groaning at the loss of the blanket. For a few seconds, Lucy considered pulling the boy onto the floor. But she knew all too well just how deep a sleeper Natsu could be, and with the day they'd just been through, not even a short fall would be enough to wake him.
Another deep sigh filled the room with a calm silence, during which Lucy racked her brain for a solution to her problem. Drawing a blank, she leaned against her dresser, tilting it a bit in her exasperation.
"Ouch!. Hey, that hurt!".
Recognizing the voice did nothing to ease her frustration. Her face now beat red, Lucy stepped back and opened the first drawer of her dresser, pulling Happy tail first into the air. "Alright Happy. I thought we talked about you sleeping in my underwear drawer".
"Sorry Lucy" the cat said in reply, without even the smallest hint of sincerity in his voice. "But its the only one with enough space, all the others have too much clothes for me to fit".
"That's not really what I meant" Lucy said as she dropped the cat onto the top of the dresser. "Why do you two have to sleep here in the first place?. And in my room of all places, there's a couch in the living room ya know?".
Happy dismissed the proposal with a wave of his paw. "Too dangerous. What if I roll off the side while I'm sleeping?".
"You're a cat" Lucy answered with another sigh, "you'll land on your feet".
When a glance outside revealed the sun just nearing the horizon, Lucy took a hold of Happy once more. Plopping him down beside Natsu's sleeping form, she let a fair amount of anger overtake her voice. "I can't believe I'm having this conversation. Just...fly Natsu down to the couch. You can sleep wherever you want for tonight, but this is the last time, understood?".
"...".
She'd only taken a second to rub at her eyes, but that was apparently all Happy had needed to fall asleep without her noticing. Opening her mouth to yell, Lucy quickly discovered she lacked the energy to do so.
"Whatever, you're lucky I'm tired cat". Certain nothing she could do would awaken either pest now, her heavy eyelids finally won the battle over her need for solitude. After a short walk to switch off the lights, she returned to the bed and sighed one last time. With both hands gently picking up the sleeping cat, she used her foot to push against Natsu's back, forcing him as close to the wall as he would go.
Head to toe with Natsu's body, Lucy slowly climbed into bed, lowering Happy onto her stomach as she pulled the blanket from off the floor. She kept her head towards the bathroom, so she never really knew if all of them were covered, but she at least could sleep without a chill. The strange situation unsettled her stomach for the first few minutes, especially when a faint vibration took her by surprise.
Nearly jumping out of her skin, she then calmed herself with a few deep breaths. No one had ever mentioned that Happy actually purred. 'Maybe they don't know' she thought to herself, 'no one really treats him like a regular cat, maybe this is the first time anyone's felt him purr'. The thought came alongside a sly grin, this would be the perfect thing to rub in the cats face the next time he called her stupid.
Then again, maybe she'd keep it to herself. As time went by, she started to enjoy the sensation more and more. Something about the weak rumbling, taking place directly over her stomach, made it far easier to relax in such a strange situation. Not only that, something else was aiding in her relaxation, something she couldn't quite pinpoint through the darkness.
Almost like...something around her was giving off heat. 'That has to be Natsu' she thought, still making sure to keep her eyes firmly on the bathroom door. 'That can't be natural, no one gives off that much body heat. I'd have to be running a fever to even get close'.
Even after the realization, Lucy found it impossible not to enjoy the warmth. Between it and Happy's purring, her eyes were closed in no less than a few minutes. Sleep came seconds later. The last thing her mind picked up, before blacking out completely, was a slight shuffling from the area beside her.
With the soft warmth of sunlight against her skin, Lucy chose to keep her eyes closed when she awoke. It felt like years since she'd gotten a good nights sleep, and the last thing she wanted to do was move. Still, even without doing so, she could tell she'd moved around a bit in her sleep. Not only was she now on her side, but judging by the soft lump at her feet, Happy had taken a little ride throughout the night.
When the sun rose enough to shine in her eyes, she was left with no option but to open them. Accepting that the day had officially begun, she laid still for a just one moment more, allowing her still bloodshot eyes to adjust to the light. In doing so, a deep red color immediately caught her attention across the room.
'I know that color' she thought with a smile, 'Erza must have let herself in. Guess I'll let that one slide'. As her eyesight continued to return, she quickly realized Erza was returning her gaze, as well as her smile. No, not a smile, a grin. 'That's strange, wonder what she's so happy about?'.
When her curiosity got the better of her, Lucy finally found the strength to sit up. Unfortunately, before she could even attempt doing so, a sudden flash of light caused a series of colorful dots to obscure her vision.
"Hey!" she yelled while rubbing at her eyes, "what do you...".
'Wait...this wasn't the way I was facing last night'. Along with the thought, a slight tug on her waist caused her to look down. It took only a second for her entire face to match Erza's hair.
Her mind fought to accept that Natsu's arm was wrapped firmly around her waist, holding her in place directly beside him under the blanket. One look at his face told Lucy that Natsu was still sleeping, but that didn't stop her from turning to Erza with a look of complete embarrassment. "Oh god!, this isn't what it looks like!" she screamed at the grinning woman. "He...he snuck in through the window and!...and I couldn't wake him up and!...".
Another flash of light, this time closer up than the last, stole her vision once more. "Ow!, quit doing that!". When her vision returned, Lucy found Gray to be the source of the light, or rather, the small device in his hands. "What are you doing in my room!?. And why's that thing keep flashing!?".
Gray's grin was borderline evil, and despite her previous demand, he continued to flash the device several times as he spoke. "Magic camera" he said simply, "don't worry, I'll make sure there's enough copies for all of us".
She didn't think it was possible, but Lucy's face turned an even brighter red at the comment. "Is that really necessary!?. This is embarrassing enough if you can't tell!".
When Erza rose from her seat against the back wall, Gray's smile vanished in an instant. "That's enough Gray" she said sternly, her voice causing Gray's body to turn stiff, and his camera to hit the floor. "You've had your fun, now how about we give Lucy a hand?".
Before anyone could offer a reply, Erza leaned over the bed, stopping when her face was mere inches away from Natsu's. After a moment of an extremely awkward silence, Erza opened her mouth slowly. "Wake up Natsu!".
"I'm up!, I'm up!". Natsu sprang up wildly, nearly headbutting Erza as she leaned back off the bed. What followed was quite possibly the slowest minute in Lucy's life. Natsu took in his surroundings, Erza, Gray, Happy (somehow, still fast asleep), and finally, Lucy.
To his credit, Natsu didn't blush in the slightest. He simply removed his hand from Lucy's waist, sat up, kicked the blanket (and Happy along with it) to the ground, and promptly tackled Gray to the floor. When the two become a tangled mess of rolling limbs, Gray used a short pause in the fight to ask the obvious. "Why are you attacking me!?".
"I saw that camera in your pocket!" Natsu screamed as the fight continued. "You'll burn before those pictures make it to the guild!".
"What, afraid all your friends will see just how big a perv you truly are!?" Gray yelled in reply.
As the two rolled across the floor and down the stairs into the living room, Lucy (now fully awake) helped a dazed Happy back onto the bed. "Sorry about that Happy. I climbed into bed after you feel asleep, I guess we sort of moved around through the night".
Happy rubbed at his eyes and stood slowly to his back paws. "That wasn't a fun way to wake up. Did those two really have to start so early?".
"That was a little strange" Lucy agreed,"even for Natsu, I don't think even Gray saw that attack coming".
Together, both Lucy and Happy stared at the steps in silence, listening intently to the muffled sounds of fighting. Gaining attention with a light cough, Erza began to speak, her voice oddly business-as-usual given the circumstances. "He's embarrassed" she said simply, "and too stubborn to admit it. So he attacked Gray as a means to escape the situation. Come on".
Given no time to object, Lucy was practically dragged down the steps by Erza's ironclad grip. In the living room, they found Natsu and Gray still entwined in an endless brawl, but that didn't last long once Erza opened her mouth. "Stop it!, both of you!".
Obeying her demand, both boys stopped mid-swing, even helping one another to their feet under Erza's fierce glare. First the red-haired woman turned her attention to Gray, "you!, start cleaning up the mess you made!".
"Yes ma'am!" offering a military-grade salute, Gray took off like a shot back up the stairs.
When the sweeping of a broom could be heard through the silence, Erza switched her glare towards Natsu. "And you!, apologize to Lucy!".
For a second, Natsu refused to meet Lucy's eyes, but he quickly obeyed when Erza cleared her throat. "Alright, I'm sorry Lucy".
"For..." Erza forced him to continued.
"For using your bed without permission, and for sneaking in in the first place, and ignoring Virgo when she told me where you were, and for...".
"Apology accepted Natsu" Lucy said with a smile, trying her best to ease the boys obvious discomfort. "Just promise me you'll use the couch from now on, and come to the door when you want to visit".
"You got it" Natsu answered somewhat seriously.
If doing so wouldn't put her life mortal danger, Lucy would've drawn attention to the smile on Erza's lips. "Good" the woman said sternly, "now go help Gray, I expect this house to be spotless before breakfast is ready".
"Yes ma'am!" like Gray before him, Natsu saluted and disappeared up the steps in the blink of an eye.
For Happy, Erza didn't even have to speak, all it took was one quick glare for the cat to sprout wings and take off towards the bedroom. "Wait up guys!, leave some cleaning for me to do!".
"Wow, thank you" Lucy said earnestly, gaining a nod from Erza on her way into the kitchen. "I don't think I could've handled that on my own".
When a sudden flash of yellow switched Erza into her chefs outfit, the red-haired woman expertly went to work in the kitchen. "There's no need to thank me, I'm just trying to keep things civil until we get to the guildhall".
"Really, why?" Lucy asked in a curious tone.
Busy chopping at the food spread out in front of her, Erza calmly closed her eyes, a wide grin on her lips as she spoke. "That magic camera Gray was using, it instantly sends every picture taken to the guildhall. Right now, I'd imagine the entire guild is covered in his photo's".
Lucy went white the second Erza's sentence was over, but her embarrassment didn't last long. One hand stone set on the hilt of her whip, she took off towards the steps as fast as her legs would carry her. "The entire guild!, I'll kill that streaking ice-freak!".