Hey, guys. I've been watching Fairy Tail lately (oww, my emotions) and kept having these ideas nagging around in my brain, so I had to write them down.
Disclaimer: I do not own anything.
"Hey, Natsu? You okay?"
Lucy slowly slid into a seat and sat next to the unusually quiet Dragon Slayer. He was perched at the bar in front of a largely untouched tray of food, uncharacteristically still.
He turned slightly until he met her face, before twitching his mouth up into a small smile, onyx eyes meeting brown. She let her own cheeks stretch in response, but he looked away, not having spoken a word.
Lucy's smile fell. Natsu tilted his face down as he gazed absentmindedly at the bench, his pink locks falling over his forehead, shadowing his eyes.
Concern immediately etched into Lucy's features, as she slid back off the chair to stand directly beside her normally energetic friend. She knew how much the pinkette loved his food, always eating with such wholehearted vigour. But now...now there was no sign of that joyful enthusiasm.
"Natsu?" she asked again, softer, a small catch to her voice. She laid a hand on his exposed shoulder.
"Lucy, I...I don't feel well."
As soon as the words had left his mouth, Lucy gasped, worry radiating through her. The simpleness and the direct nature of his words caught her off guard. Natsu never admitted to illness, at least not like that. It was so unlike him.
Lucy stood for a moment, looking down at her friend, observing, before her expression softened once more. She gazed around at the guild, taking in the usual rowdiness of its members—either having a late lunch, a lively conversation, sprouting a loud debate on some matter or another, or quietly perusing the mission board—before turning back to the still Fire Mage. Looking closer, she could see the pale tinge to his face, the twitch of his hand whenever there was a particularly loud noise, and the way his body was curled up, coiled tense.
Seeing this was no place for a boy who'd been raised by a dragon of all things when he felt ill, she made a decision.
"That's alright, Natsu. Would you like to go back to my place?" she offered, knowing the Dragon Slayer felt most comfortable and at ease in her apartment. Turning around, Lucy spotted Happy in the crowd, and discreetly waved him over.
Natsu briefly looked up at her, before grunting in affirmation, showing appreciation at her invitation.
Happy quickly flew up to their position, white feathered wings spread behind him.
"Hey, Lucy, what's going on?" His cheerful eyes settled on her, before drifting to his appointed foster father, where the look immediately dropped. He gasped. "Natsu?" he asked, before flying over and resting a blue paw on the pink tufts of hair.
Lucy watched the cat as Natsu smiled, acknowledging his friend.
"Hey, buddy," he said softly.
Lucy continued to observe the boy and feline for a moment, as Happy obviously picked up on his friend's suffering. "Natsu's not feeling well, Happy," she addressed the cat. "Do you think you could help me carry him to my apartment?"
The little cat nodded in quiet determination at her proposal, before placing his paws on the back of Natsu's vest, and gently lifting him up in the air. Lucy watched as Natsu slightly curled up at the movement, like a kitten being carried by its mother, before she slowly began to lead them away from the others, quietly making their way out of the guild so as not to draw attention to the sick dragon.
When out in the sunshine, they made their way through the streets of Magnolia at a steady pace—Happy flying Natsu a few feet off the ground alongside Lucy.
A few citizens gave the Dragon Slayer soft looks of concern but, for the most part, they were left alone until they finally reached Lucy's apartment.
Getting out her key, she unlocked the door before silently leading the pair up to her bedroom.
"Here," Lucy said, as she pulled back the blankets, allowing the blue Exceed to deposit his charge comfortably in the bed.
As soon as Natsu was relaxed, she pulled the blankets back up and tucked him in. One look at his face showed the Dragon Slayer was already asleep.
Recognising how tired he was, she moved over to the chair, and sat down. Happy immediately curled into her lap.
"Will he be okay?" the blue Exceed asked, looking at the figure in the bed worriedly.
Lucy smiled while stroking his fur, admiring the cat's dedication to his dear friend.
"Yes, I'm sure he'll be okay, Happy. Just let him rest," she reassured, ignoring the worry in her heart. She knew Natsu was strong, and had faith that whatever he was dealing with, he'd come through it alright.
Many hours went by as Lucy and Happy occupied themselves around the house: Lucy making dinner and reading a book, and Happy curled up on the bed next to Natsu, aiming concerned glances to his face every now and then.
Throughout it all, the Fire Wizard slept peacefully, his breaths even and deep.
As it got later into the night, Lucy sat up on the edge of the bed, leaning against the headboard. She read a story out loud to Happy, absentmindedly running her hands through Natsu's pink locks, before they eventually fell asleep.
Lucy stirred, stretching out her limbs before opening her eyes. She was lying on her bed, the blankets pulled up over her. She stared into space for a minute, disorientated, before she remembered everything.
"Ah...!" she said, quickly throwing off the blankets to check on her friend, only to be met with a pair of dark onyx eyes and a smiling face.
"Hey, Lucy!" Natsu proclaimed cheerfully from where he was stood to the side of the bed, which he was no longer occupying. "We made breakfast. Wanna see?"
"Huh...?" Lucy said, confused. Her voice was sleepy as she rubbed her eyes, trying to chase away the last lingers of sleep.
"Yeah, we made food. Come on!" And before she knew it, a hand was grabbing hers and pulling her out of bed, dragging her into the living room where an assortment of delicious smelling food lay on the table. "See, we did good. Didn't we, Happy?"
"Aye, sir!" the cat proclaimed from where he was over near the stove, balancing a plate of pancakes and flying them over to the table. He then proceeded to absolutely drown them in maple syrup, before smiling up at her.
"Ah...wow," she said, unsure what else to say.
"Haha! I knew she'd like it," Natsu exclaimed proudly, small canines visible as he split his face in a huge grin.
Lucy warmed. "Heh. Thanks, guys," she responded, sitting down at the table. She examined the various options, before carefully picking out what she preferred.
Natsu's grin just grew bigger, before he sat down also, heaping varying foodstuffs onto his plate.
Lucy watched him for a while as he enthusiastically ate, Happy enjoying a large fried fish next to him, before her curiosity got the better of her.
"Ugh, Natsu?" she asked.
"Hmm," he replied, happily swallowing his latest mouthful.
"What happened?"
Natsu paused in his eating, before meeting her eyes, the pupils softening. He looked down at his plate, an air of sadness surrounding him.
"Oh, I'm sorry, Natsu. I didn't mean to upset you—"
"Yesterday was the anniversary of the day, seven years ago, that Igneel disappeared."
Lucy gasped, freezing in place at the mention of her orphaned friend's dragon father.
A sheen of tears covered his eyes.
She stared, a lump forming in her throat as the implications set in, and she understood.
Moving from the table, she wrapped her arms around the Fire Mage, holding him in a hug. Happy made a small, sad noise next to them, and rested a paw on Natsu's arm.
Natsu's head drooped low, and Lucy rested her cheek against his pink hair as they remained in silence.
"Are you alright now?" she asked after a few minutes. Natsu seemed to consider it for a second, before smiling, revealing his shiny white teeth again.
"Yeah, thanks to you." He grinned up at her, and she smiled back, happy her friend was okay. "Hey," he then said. "Wanna go on a mission?"
"Huh...?"
"We should. It'll be fun!"
And before she knew it, she was running around, packing and heading for the guild hall to pick out a new job, with her best friend and his loyal feline following close behind her.
"Hey, Natsu?" she said, gazing at the light now shining once again in his face as they walked. "You never have to be alone again, okay?"
He grinned back at her with a chuckle, his expression softening with gratitude, before closing his eyes. "I know."
And with that, they opened the doors of the guild hall, ready for another new day.
This is going to be a small series of stories centered around grief. I'll upload the others when I've finished editing them :) I hope you enjoyed.
Also, I am very new to this fandom, so I hope I got everything right!
