Something was wrong. Very wrong.
Spider-Man and Salamander were en-route to a Mafia meet-up on a yacht in the Hudson River, but the way Salamander kept locking up in mid-flight for split second intervals had the Wall-Crawler concerned. Peter noticed a while back that Natsu never went near large bodies of water without him being a few yards away and she did what she called a 'flame-bath' instead of a water bath; she would burst into flamed and keep a certain heat and brightness up before extinguishing it, cleansing her of any dirt and impurities.
Peter had a feeling she had Aquaphobia, but that wasn't right, right? I mean, this is Natsu Dragneel, the Dragon-Girl who's not afraid of anything!
…Right…?
When they got to the yacht- with Natsu flying him over the water- she landed on the roof of the boat, hunkering down and looking at Peter in a strangely glazed yet still focused manner. "What's the plan?" she asked. Peter took a breath and crawled over to the left side of the boat, looking down at the deck to make sure no guards were stationed there before dropping onto it.
"We'll need to split up and take out the people from the outside-in. We can meet around the center of the ship in about half an hour." Natsu nodded jerkily and Peter narrowed his eyes at her in worry. "Natsu, are you okay?" the head of pink princess curls jerked up surprised that he used her actual name instead of her vigilante name while on the job. She looked at the male intensely before giving a sharp-toothed smile (that was a little blunt instead of sharp) "I'm okay. Let's just get this done and go home." Peter lifted his mask so his mouth was showing and gave her a visible, small smile. "Okay. But… just tell me if something happens to you, okay? You have the earpieces?" Natsu smacked him with her tail on the head and gave him the 'let's do this already' look
Peter chuckled and swung to the front of the ship while Natsu took the back.
Time to get down to business.
But, how things went so colossally wrong, Peter would never know.
They had reached the center of the ship as planned on the third floor of the yacht and took out the mafia bosses and the henchmen then trussed them up like chickens above deck on a couple of life boats and signaled for the MPD to come and get them.
What they didn't think to do was check for anything more dangerous-looking than a gun.
One of the bosses had a detonator with prepped discharges all over the ship. The moment they were shoved off to the shoreline of Manhattan, the man set the explosives off.
Peter had one moment to shout "Crap!" when his Spider-Sensed tingled before their world was lit by fire and noise. Natsu shouted in pain and fear as a crate knocked her in the head and threw her off the side of the boat. Peter heard her scream out before the cold waters of the Hudson swallowed her. Without thinking he jumped over after her.
Up and down.
Up and down.
He dove and surfaced for air in his search for his partner and finally he found her after what felt like five centuries (but it was really five minutes). Hooking his hands under her arms and dragging her limp body up to the surface, Peter used what strength he had to get them to the docks.
~~~~*\|/*~~~~
Natsu felt cold. So cold.
Everything was dark, and no matter what she did she couldn't light up to illuminate her surroundings. Then, she was enveloped in warmth and a scent that reminded her of ginger and rosemary. Her eyes snapped open and she gasped sharply, hearing muted and heart pounding. Gentle hands touch her cheeks and stroke her pink hair back. Her golden eyes connect with chocolate doe brown.
"-tsu! Natsu! You're okay! You're safe!" her hearing came back in full swing and she heard Peter's voice, it seemed to be panicked but held so much relief… what happened?
"Natsu, one of the mob bosses blew up the boat," Peter said, making them both duck around a cargo crate as a flashlight beam almost hit them. "You went over and you're hurt and- and we gotta get you someplace warmer and get you something to eat."
Natsu felt her eyes growing heavy. Sighing and nodding her head, the Dragon-Girl nuzzled into Peter's chest and slid her eyes shut. "Mmkay."
O~.-.~.-.~.-.~.-.~.-.~O
The next time Natsu woke up, Peter had set up a fire in Central Park since the winds at the Chrysler Building would make him sick just after a dip in the Hudson. She [pulled out a stick and munched on the yellow flames, keeping her eyes from Peter's.
"Natsu… you were nervous going to the Yacht tonight." Peter began, trying to understand. "You locked up when we flew over the water from time to time and I have never seen you scared in the time we've known each other… but tonight…Natsu, what aren't you telling me?"
Natsu's shoulders shook, her wings ruffling and her tail twitching agitatedly over the ground.
"…Did you know that the judges at the Salem Witch Trials would use dunking as a method to purify a witch or get said witch to confess?" she asked lowly. Peter was caught off-guard by this random trivia. "In my old foster home, they an abnormally religious family living in an abnormally religious neighborhood. When I first manifested my mutant abilities at the age of nine, they tried to drown me in the Central Park pond." Peter went rigid. He never heard of this.
"When drowning didn't work, they would dunk me in water and then throw me in a walk-in freezer overnight to 'freeze the demon out of me.' Every morning and night it was an endless cycle of almost-drowning." The girl's shoulders trembled and tears fell from her eyes. She lifted shaking hands and stared at her claw-tipped fingers, a broken smile adorning her face. It broke Peter's heart. "To this day, whenever I go near water, I can hear them: 'Evil demon be gone!' 'Cleanse this soul!' 'devil spawn shall not be given redemption!'."
"…You're aquaphobic…" Natsu squeezed her eyes shut, a small nod giving Peter his answer.
Suddenly two strong arms wrapped around her and pulled her into a warm chest.
That did it.
With a heart-wrenching sob, Natsu burst into tears for the first time in five years.
"It's okay…" gentle thumbs wiped tears away. "Shhhh… it's okay, Natsu. Just let it all out. That's it."
And she did.
Peter started to hum to her, crossing his legs so he supported her holed-jeaned legs. Soon, the hums formed words…
You got holes in your jeans.
And few in your heart~
You don't know what it means to me,
To watch you fall apart.
Natsu hiccupped and looked up through watery golden eyes. Peter gently pressed his fingers to her bruised wrist and planted a sweet kiss to the darkened flesh before gathering her up and standing with her being held bridal style.
'Cause you're broken and bruised,
But I can hold you through.
I'll take you in my arms tonight,
Just me and you!
With a kick Peter doused their small fire (they had both dried up) and walked with her piggy-back-riding on his back, wings folded to her back as if to shield herself from the rear and her tail curled around her waist.
Baby in a heartbeat,
I'll take you with me,
I just wanna get to know ya!
You're throwing me off beat,
So I can't breathe!
I just wanna get to show ya!
With a run and a leap, Peter was webbing his way across Midtown towards the Chrysler. His voice soothed Natsu's aches, both physical and mental. He landed on a building and patted her thigh to get her attention.
If you're falling apart,
I will protect your heart!
I can be your shield,
I'll fight on the field,
Baby, when life gets colder,
I'll be your soldier.
I'll be your soldier
Natsu's eyes went wide at what he was saying. If it came to it, he'd lay down his life for her… "Look, Natsu. I know we've only known each other for half a year, but you've shown more bravery, strength, and all-around more badassery than I ever could." The Dragon-Girl blushed and looked down shyly. "So, what I'm trying to say, is…will you be my partner in all but marriage, since we're not old enough for that yet?"
Natsu looked at him silently before she took a breath to answer him.
Just put up your arms,
You'll be alright.
'Cause the world is like a battlefield,
But I'll be here to fight.
Peter's eyes widened when she reached up and pulled off his mask and place a hand on his cheeks, fingering the bruises and scratches on his face.
I see the scars and your wounds,
I'll try to heal them, too.
Peter smiled in elation as he picked her up and spun her around in happiness before he placed a kiss on her lips and pressed his forehead against hers.
I'll take you in my arms tonight,
Just me and you~!
With that they both took off into the lights of nightly New York, singing together.
Baby in a heartbeat,
I'll take you with me,
I just wanna get to know ya!
You're throwing me off beat,
So I can't breathe!
I just wanna get to show ya!
If you're falling apart,
I will protect your heart!
I can be your shield,
I'll fight on the field,
Baby, when life gets colder,
I'll be your soldier.
I'll be your soldier~!
Natsu's wings locked up in fear when they flew over a small park with a pond, but Peter grabbed her and carried her the way over it.
When you're feeling low,
I can take you higher.
Natsu then lit up, warming Peter and making him sigh in contentedness.
When the world is cold,
I can be your fire.
Together they carried each other across New York City, Natsu flying Peter and Peter carrying Natsu.
I'll be there,
When you need a shoulder
We can win this war,
I will be your soldier…
Baby in a heartbeat,
I'll take you with me,
I just wanna get to know ya!
You're throwing me off beat,
So I can't breathe!
I just wanna get to show ya!
If you're falling apart,
I will protect your heart!
I can be your shield,
I'll fight on the field,
Baby, when life gets colder,
I'll be your soldier.
I'll be your soldier~!
The two teenagers flew and swung around the Chrysler for a good couple of hours, not getting tired and simply relishing the fact that they had gotten their feelings across.
As long as they had each other, everything would be alright.