Hey guys! So this is just a little something I came up with after I got up to this point in watching the series.
Happy: Yeah, everything was crazy! They left everybody on this cliffhanger where Natsu and I were gone and then POOF! We show up and melted-
Whoooaaaaa, slow your roll! (sorry folks, I'm still trying to explain the concept of spoilers to him...) *leans over to Happy* You really can't say stuff like that!
Happy: But it literally says 'Episode 227' right in the title...
*considers this* Yeah, okay, just don't throw around any more of those spoilers, okay?
Happy: Fine *leans over* Sooo, when am I getting paid?
Ummm...
Happy: You said you had fish for me!
Well... *scratches head* that may have been a slight exaggeration...
Happy: What! *gets up* If you ain't got any fish for me I am not helping you, crazy lady! *flies out of recording booth*
Ugh...well crap. I guess we're doing this without him. Anyway, um, Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail (I know, surprising, right?). It belongs to Hiro Mashima. I do use the dialogue/story line right out of the episode at the beginning and end of the added scene (just to kind of show what's going on) and, uh, yeah.
Just a little NaLu fluff oneshot (because there aren't enough of those) and I felt like it would have been super cute to add this into the episode. I tried really hard to make sure nothing was OOC, so if you have notes about things I missed, I would love to here them. You know, I actually got inspiration for this when-
Happy: Good grief, *flies back in* you talk to much...they just want to read! Not listen to you go on and on-
Shut up cat! *closes the door to the booth* Anywhooo, hope you enjoy this (it's my first one), feel free to leave any criticism or comments, and...Happy what the heck are you-
Episode 277 (w/ an extra scene)
"I win…for the seventh time in a row!" Lucy exclaimed triumphantly.
Natsu threw up the cards angrily. "Ah, no way! You're cheating!" He accused.
" Happy shook his head mournfully. "No…I think we just suck," He said, obscuring his face behind blue paws.
" Lucy tried to hide a laugh as she turned her gaze to the dejected cat. "I'm sure if our game had anything to do with fish you would have won, Happy."
"Aye…" Was all she heard from him.
"No way, I demand a rematch!"
Lucy groaned. "Again, Natsu?! We've been playing for hours-""We're going to keep playing till I win!" Natsu exclaimed, quickly setting up the pieces again, nearly toppling the board in his determination.
"Keep it DOWN! Or I'll have you evicted!"
Lucy cringed at the shouts of her hot-headed neighbor Mr. Kelsey. Natsu however, didn't even look up as he finished setting up the board, and she smiled at his single-mindedness. He hadn't changed a bit. And now he was back, both of them were! It had been a long year, and between the guild disbanding and Natsu and Happy leaving without warning…tonight had brought back so many memories…
Natsu shifted uncomfortably on the couch in Lucy's living room, the sound of her soft snores echoing in from her bedroom. It was good to see her again, it had been too long…he just wished the others were there too. His stared at the ceiling, lost in thought, his expression almost stoic.
"Happy?"
"…Aye?" Came the groggy response from a pillow on the floor.
"Our guild…doesn't exist anymore." He whispered, his expression wavering.
He glanced down at Happy, who, while settled, was now fully awake. "Hard to believe it's true," Happy said back gloomily.
They sat in silence for a minute. Suddenly Natsu sat up, something akin to mischief sparkling in his eyes.
"I know! We'll draw on Lucy's face while she's asleep!"
Happy jumped off the pillow, grabbing a handful of markers from Lucy's desk. "Wouldn't be a sleepover without a little bit of prankery!" He exclaimed excitedly.
The duo crept into Lucy's room, barley holding in giggles as they tiptoed in front of Lucy's bed.
"She is completely out of it!" Natsu whispered gleefully as he uncapped a marker.
"Just be careful not to wake her up, okay?" Happy hissed back shoving a paw over his mouth to smother his laughter.
"I'm gonna do it nice and steady-"
"So what are you gonna draw?"
Natsu grinned. "Duh! A mustache, a big old unibrow, maybe even a full on beard!"
He leaned over and was about to start drawing when he suddenly stiffened and turned around.
He walked slowly to a wall covered in assortment of newspaper articles and pictures, as well as photographs. Long colored pieces of string tied around thumb tacks connected different scraps of paper, small handwritten notes occasionally next to them.
"What is this?" He asked in confusion as Happy walked up behind him.
Happy looked at it for a minute. "She's tracking everybody!"
Natsu looked closer and realized Happy was right. Each scrap of paper had information about different members of the Fairy Tail.
"Some of these have a lot of info…eyewitness reports…specific dates and times when they were last seen…" Happy eyes widened as he studied it more.
Natsu looked to the bed then back to the board, disbelief shown on his face. "Amazing…"
He was cut off by a short cry from Lucy.
"Natsu!"
Happy streaked out of the room to hide and Natsu jumped into the air guiltily, but it was only a moment before he realized that Lucy was still asleep, and he relaxed. She must have been dreaming.
Natsu shook his head. Turning to follow Happy, he walked past the board to the door, only to suddenly stop short at the sound of soft sniffling from the bed. Was she…crying?
He spun around. Tears leaked out of Lucy's eyes and she shuddered, tossing around, small cries of misery occasionally sounding from her mouth from the evident nightmare invading her sleep. He walked over to the bed, unsure of what to do. She was obviously in distress, but she was also still sleeping.
"Hey, Luce, it's okay, you can wake up now," he said bending over.
He put a hand on her shoulder and she abruptly sat up, her head crashing into his with a big THWACK!
He moaned and rubbed at his head from the floor."Lucy! What was that fo-"
"H-he left me!"
Natsu furrowed his eyebrows as huge racking sobs that escaped her. He struggled up and sat on the bed next to her. He grabbed her shoulders. "Who left you?" He growled.
Why, when he found out who would make her cry like this, who gave her freaking nightmares, they'd be sorry!
"Natsu…Natsu left me!"
He drew back his hands in shock, and stared dumbfounded as she sobbed into her hands. What was going on!? He had done this to her?! He…he had hurt her? His eyebrows remained furrowed for a minute as he tried to guess what she was so upset about. Suddenly his eyes widened. Was she talking about his trip with Happy?
His faced suddenly softened, and he leaned towards her, gently catching her hands in his. Her head hung forward and her shoulders shook.
"Hey, I-I'm here now, I'm here," He whispered. He wrapped his arms around her, trying to push away a guilty feeling in his gut. Struck by a memory he gently rocked her back and forth like he used to do when Happy was little. Slowly her cries quieted.
"Natsu?"
He looked down at her now upturned face. The bleary-eyed drunkenness of sleep was still heavy in her expression and her brown eyes glistened, but the salty tracks that had wet her cheeks had begun to dry, her sobs having been reduced to mere hiccups.
"What is it Lucy?"
"Are you-hic-going to leave me again?"
She looked so tired, so defeated. He looked away, his gaze intent, determined.
"No, Luce…never again."
She sniffled and he tightened his arms around her. Gradually, her breathing became deeper and she leaned against him, more fully nestling herself in his embrace as she fell back asleep.
When he was sure she was completely asleep he carefully eased her back onto her pillow, and tucked the comforter around her shoulders. He looked at her a moment, and then slowly leaned forward and pressed a kiss to her forehead. She gave a small sigh and turned toward the wall, cocooning herself more fully into the blankets. Then, after one last look at the sleeping figure, he tiptoed back into the living room and shook awake Happy, who had fallen asleep after realizing Lucy wasn't going to kill him.
"What's going on Natsu?" the cat yawned, clearly confused.
Natsu grinned. "We've got a job, Happy."
***
"Uh, what's going on?!"
Lucy stood at the window, gazing down at the crowd of people, wait…no, soldiers gathered at the street in front of her apartment.
"This is the place!"
"Should we bust in sir?!"
Lucy's face turned pale and sweatdropped. "A bunch of soldiers standing at my door is not the sort of thing I want to wake up to!"
Natsu sat up from the couch and stretched lazily, scratching his head nonchalantly. "So they found us already, huh?" he said sleepily
Happy leapt into the air. "Aye, sir!" He said excitedly.
"The army came looking for you?!" She asked, livid.
Suddenly Natsu grabbed her hand, pulling her along. "Let's go Lucy!"
"What kind of trouble are you in now?!"
He picked her up and crashed through the window over the heads of the soldiers. "Nothin' we can't outrun!" he yelled as Lucy screeched in protest.
"There he is!"
"He's the one responsible!"
Lucy's mouth dropped open as Natsu carried her, running as fast he could. "I didn't do anything wrong! I'm just getting kidnapped!"
Suddenly she was running beside him. "What did you do this time Natsu!?"
He giggled manically. "I just left a message about Fairy Tail…!"
Lucy glanced behind her and nearly fell over. The words "Fairy Tail" and its emblem were burned onto the castle, the marks smoldering and sending smoke into the sky.
"…telling everyone we're coming back!"
"Fairy Tail?!"
"The palace is burning!"
Happy caught up and flew next to them, carrying Natsu's pack in his paws. "The fire should go out super quickly, so everything will be okay!" he said cheerfully.
Lucy groaned. "That's not the only problem here, Happy! How can you just announce Fairy Tail's comeback?!"
"Because, we all still believe in it!" Natsu turned back to Lucy. "We're going to get everyone together, and the guild will be better than ever!
Lucy gasped and Happy giggled. Natsu beamed at her. "Come on!"
Wait…the guild…back together? Suddenly she laughed, happy tears coming to her eyes. "Yeah!"
And with that the three of the three of them ran, racing to their next adventure.