Katie: Well, it's Christmas time. I hope you're all ready for the fluff I'm about to dish out. No, this is not a Christmas fanfic, but it has a lot of NaLu fluff in it. It's a one-shot, rated T for a reason. Cough, cough, Natsu, cough, cough.
Natsu: I can hear you.
Katie: I know. I just like annoying you and Gray.
Lucy: Natsu, she's hilarious, isn't she?
Natsu: *curses under his breath*
Katie: Oh, poor baby. He needs someone more mature to take care of him. *uses the Adorable Eyes trick on Lucy*
Lucy: Fine! *whacks Natsu on the head*
Natsu: OW!
Katie: You two are so cute together.
Lucy: If Jellal and Erza are your OTP for Fairy Tail, how come you write more stories for me and Natsu?
Katie: Stories just come easier for you two. I can't explain it. I don't own Fairy Tail, BTW.
Lucy let out a shriek as the Vulcan's hand made contact with her leg. A sickening crack filled the air, and Natsu pushed the ape off the cliff.
"Luce, you okay?" he asked.
"I think so," she answered. The blonde tried to stand, but the leg the Vulcan had hit crumpled beneath her. "I think that Vulcan broke my leg, though. I can't feel it."
"Aw, crap. Now I've gotta carry you back." He picked her up. "You're really light, you know."
"Thanks."
As soon as they arrived at the guild hall, Mira went into "frantic mother mode", where she fussed over Lucy's broken leg while praising Natsu for bringing her home safely. Since Lucy wouldn't be able to get around easily, Natsu offered to take her home and keep an eye on her. When they got to her apartment, he set her down on her bed as if she were made of china.
"Thanks for bringing me here, Natsu," she said, smiling.
"No problem. I mean, you'd do the same for me if I got hurt, right?"
"Yeah. You're my friend, after all." For some reason, her calling him a friend felt like a stab to the heart. He shook the thought from his head.
"Need anything?"
"Could you go get Wendy? Maybe she can fix my leg."
"Sorry. I'm no good with broken bones," Wendy said when Natsu asked her.
"Are you sure?" he asked.
"I've tried. I can't heal them."
"Aw, man! Luce'll be laid up for weeks! Guess I'd better tell her." He left. Carla fixed Wendy with a scolding glare.
"Why did you lie to him, child?" she asked. "Broken bones are one of the first things you successfully healed. You could fix her leg in an instance."
"Didn't you feel how worried he is about her? Mira's right; they do belong together. Since he won't listen to Mira, she asked me to give him a little push in the right direction." Carla smiled.
"I do believe this plan of yours will work. Isn't he the one who offered to take care of her while she's hurt, after all?"
"It'll be great once they're together. Who knows? Maybe they'll even become stronger!"
"Luce, Wendy said she can't fix broken bones."
"Aw. That's too bad. Well, at least now, I'll have plenty of time to rest." She snuggled deeper below the covers.
She looks so peaceful, Natsu thought. I'll have to ask Mira for the spare key to the apartment.
"Natsu, she doesn't have to have a broken leg for me to lend you the spare," Mira sighed. "Just ask any time, and I'll give it to you. Here." She handed him the key.
"Great! Now I don't have to go through her window!"
"Her window, Natsu?" Levy asked, raising an eyebrow.
"I almost always go through her window. It's been that way for a long time. But no longer!" He ran out the door.
"Wendy…" Mira said. The bluenette looked at the Take-Over mage. "I heard you lie to Natsu about fixing Lucy's leg. You have the right idea."
Natsu put the key in the lock. It turned easily. As he opened the door, he heard Lucy squeal. She covered herself with her towel just as he looked at her.
"How did you get in here? I had the door locked!" she yelled.
"Mira gave me the spare to your place," he answered. "How did you get out of bed?"
"I had to crawl on my hands and my good leg, but I really needed a bath."
"Why didn't you wait until I got back?"
"Um, maybe because I didn't want you to see me naked?"
"But I've seen you—"
"You saw me put on a shirt! Nothing more!" She noticed he was staring at her chest. "Natsu! Quit that!"
"Quit what?"
"Staring at my chest!"
"You noticed?"
"Oog, if my leg wasn't broken, I would kick you so hard!"
"You want me to get your pajamas?"
"Sure. Just don't watch me when I'm changing!" He covered his eyes as she got dressed, but couldn't resist peeking. If she had caught him, he probably wouldn't have left her apartment alive.
"Hey," Gray said. He had just gotten back from a mission with Juvia. Erza had just returned as well. "Has anyone seen Flamehead? I want a rematch."
"He's a little busy," Mira told the ice mage.
"Busy? With what?" Erza inquired.
"Lucy broke her leg on a job two weeks ago. He's been taking care of her ever since."
"Wait. Can't Wendy just heal Lucy's leg?" Gray asked.
"I could, but I want them to be together," Wendy explained. "I told Natsu I can't heal her leg, and that's the story we're all going to stick to, okay?"
"All right."
"I'm going to check on them," Erza stated, walking out the door.
When she arrived at Lucy's, she knocked on the door. No one answered, so she pounded on it.
"All right! All right!" she heard Natsu groan. "I'm comin'!" His face turned pale as soon as he saw Erza was standing outside.
"Natsu, I heard about Lucy's leg. How is she getting along?"
"She's doin' fine. You don't need to check on her." Erza pushed past him and went inside. Lucy was sitting with a lap desk in her bed, working on her novel.
"Oh, hey, Erza!" she said, smiling. "When did you get back?"
"About an hour ago. How is your leg?"
"It's fine."
"Is Natsu doing a good job taking care of you?"
"He's doing great, now. We got off to a bit of a rocky start, but that's all over, now."
"Define 'rocky'." Natsu came in, hoping to stop Lucy from telling Erza what had happened.
"Well, he kept trying to watch me change, and he wouldn't stop staring at my chest."
"I see." The redhead sent Natsu a glare.
"I don't do it anymore!" he protested.
Yes, you do, Lucy thought.
"Has he been working hard?"
"Yes. He's been working really hard. I keep trying to tell him to take a break, but he won't listen."
"Natsu, I will watch over Lucy for one week," Erza ordered. "You will take that week off."
"But—"
"Is there a reason you can't?"
"N-no! That's fine!"
"And you will not contact her in any way during this period."
"Y-yes, ma'am!"
"The week begins… now!" She shoved him out the door.
If they are meant to be, as Wendy said, the Requip mage thought. He will not let his fear of me outweigh his feelings of loyalty toward Lucy. This will test whether he cares for her or not. Her test will come later.
***two days later***
"I can't take it, Happy!" Natsu complained to his buddy. "That's it! I'm not letting Erza keep me away from my girlfri… partner! I meant partner! I'm going to see her!"
"You loooove her!" Happy teased. The Dragon Slayer ignored the Exceed and ran out the door.
"Well, he lasted 48 hours longer than I thought he would," Gray snickered.
"Pay up," Cana told Macao and Wakaba. They groaned and dropped their money in her bet jar.
I don't believe it! Natsu thought. I'm actually disobeying a direct order from Erza! But I can't just abandon Lucy because she told me to. Luce needs me.
He dug through his pocket and pulled out the spare key. It wouldn't turn in the lock. Erza had gone and changed the locks on Lucy's apartment. His anger got the better of him and he just kicked the door down.
"Natsu!" Lucy yelped. She was lying on the floor. As soon as he saw her, his anger subsided and was replaced by worry.
"Did I scare ya?"
"A little, but I'm fine."
"How'd you get on the floor?"
"I fell out of bed after Erza left to do some shopping. I can't really get back up there easily, so I've been lying here on the floor."
"Here." He picked her up and placed her gently in her bed. "I can't believe Erza went shopping. You need someone here."
"Well, I'm out of food, so she went to buy more."
"Oh."
"Anyway, I thought Erza told you not to contact me for a week! It's been two days. I don't get it! You're terrified of her, yet you disobeyed her."
"He did, indeed," a voice said. They turned to find Erza standing in the doorway holding the groceries.
"E-Erza!" Lucy squealed. "You're back!"
"I am. Natsu, why are you here? You had another five days left."
"I promised Mira I'd take care of Luce. I can't just abandon her, can I?" He expected to receive several blows for his impudence, but Erza smiled.
"You've passed my test." Natsu and Lucy stared at her in confusion. "I was simply testing your loyalty to her. I now know how loyal you are. Thank you." She handed him the groceries and walked out.
"W-what just happened?" he asked.
"I have no idea," Lucy answered. "And now I have to… pay… to… get… the… door… fixed…" Her voice became slower with each word. "Oh, crap! My rent's due in three days and now I need extra money to fix the door!"
"Hey! Calm down! That job we went on had a 500,000 jewel payoff, so after you got hurt, I put most of it away to pay for stuff."
"Really?!"
"Yeah. You can use the money to pay for your rent and the door."
"Thank you so much!" She gave him a big hug and kissed him on the cheek. "I don't know what I'd do without you!" After she went to sleep, he found himself touching the cheek she had kissed. He wondered what it'd be like to kiss her on the lips.
"I'm in love with her," he realized out loud, though Lucy was too deep in sleep to hear him.
***six weeks later***
"You're all healed!" Mira told Lucy, taking the cast off the blonde's leg. "You can go back to work now! Just don't do anything too crazy for a while; you could reinjure it."
"Thanks, Mira!" Lucy hopped off the infirmary bed and headed into the guild hall.
"Hey!" Natsu said. "You're healed?"
"I can even head back to work now! I just can't take any jobs that are too crazy for a while. I could hurt my leg again."
"In that case, leave the crazy jobs to us!"
"You're really weird, you know that?"
"Please! You're the weird one!"
"They seem closer than ever," Lisanna commented to Evergreen.
"Yes, they do. I wouldn't be surprised if he asked her out on a date soon," Evergreen agreed, nodding.
"Oh, they're just so cute together!" Mira squealed.
Natsu began walking with Lucy back to her house. She walked on the edge of the river.
"Hey, Lucy!" a guy on a boat called. "Don't fall in!"
"I won't!" she called back.
"Does he always do that?" Natsu asked.
"Most of the time."
"And it doesn't bother you?"
"Nope! I know he's just teasing."
"So, uh, I was wondering…"
"Yeah?"
"Do you wanna go out to dinner some time?"
"Oh, like you, me, and the rest of the team?"
"No. Just you and me. A-a date."
"A date?!" The surprise made her lose her balance. She would have fallen in had he not grabbed her wrist.
"Yeah. If you don't want to, that's fine."
"No, I want to. You just surprised me, that's all."
The next day, they arrived to find Wendy healing Jet's leg.
"Now, you'll be fine, Jet. A broken bone is an easy fix," the girl told him.
"Wait a second!" Natsu called. "I thought you said you were no good with broken bones!" Lucy thought for a second, then she and Natsu yelled, "MIRA!"
Katie: Ooh, Natsu got friend-zoned back there! So that was my first NaLu one-shot. I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it.
Natsu: I will kill you one day.
Lucy: Will you, Natsu? Will you?
Natsu: No.
Katie: *smirks* "Do you, Natsu Dragneel, take Lucy Heartfilia to be your lawfully wedded wife?" *glares at Natsu* Say "I do" or die.
Natsu: Um… I do?
Katie: Ha! Tricked you! I don't actually have the authority to perform a wedding ceremony!
Natsu: Why, you—
Lucy: Read and review! Hopefully, I can keep these two from killing each other while you do!