A/N: Hi guys! I'm sorry I have been absent from the fanfic world for a while, but I had to get my head on straight. This semester has been very busy from the get go. I know I have a pending FT fic (Requiem Aeternum or RA for short) and I know I originally said it would be a NaLu fic, but it just feels like RA is more about FT as a whole rather than just NaLu, and so I will treat that RA as an FT fic. This one here though… this one is the NaLu fic I envisioned myself writing in the beginning. It won't be as dark as RA and it probably won't be as long as I had planned. Anyway, I do hope you enjoy this story as much I am having fun writing it for you all!
His blond friend was standing across the room from him. Her golden hair fell in soft folds across her bare shoulders, framing her face. He couldn't help but notice that she looked beautiful. The blue, silky dress hugged her body softly and the contrast of the blue against her fair, velvety skin made her look like a porcelain doll. She wore a worried frown on her pretty face, and her big brown eyes scanned the room until they landed on him. He gave her a big, reassuring smile and waved. She returned the gesture shyly before looking away, her cheeks tinged with a soft tint of pink. He was already bored with the job they had taken on: be body guards to the mayor of the little town two hours outside of Magnolia. It was an easy enough job, to be sure. Nothing interesting had happened at this boring cocktail party full of rich people with nothing better to do than spend their money on extravagant parties. The price was alright too. At least enough to pay for Lucy's rent for two months. But damn it, it was boring. He was never one to drink, he found the stuff disgusting (of course he would never tell Cana such a thing in person) but tonight he had taken one glass of wine and downed it in one gulp. Not to mention that the buffet reserved for the guests had been reduced to half its size due to him and Happy. But that had been over two hours ago, and now he was bored. He was getting sleepy, most likely because of the wine, and he was ready to go home. He sat down on a chair and leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees. His blue cat, Happy, was fast asleep on the chair next to his.
"Natsu, you alright?" a soft voice spoke behind him. It was Lucy.
"Yeah… just wish it was over now" he yawned, scanning the room; so far so good.
"I know what you mean," she said, "my feet are killing me!" She flopped down on an empty chair.
"Natsu…" Happy croaked next to them, rubbing his bleary eyes. "I'm going back to Fairy Tail… I don't think you need my help… do you?"
"It's alright Happy, you can go" Natsu said, envious of his furry, blue friend.
"Happy, are you sure? It's two hours away… you don't want to wait for us?" Lucy asked with concern.
"No, I'll be alright. I'll use my super high speed and be there in less than an hour!" Happy said cheerfully.
"Alright. Be careful Happy" Natsu said.
"Aye sir!" the blue cat said, and with that, he zoomed out of the room and into the dusk.
The party was over no later than 10 pm.
"Do you think we should head home or stay the night?" Lucy asked her pink-haired friend.
"We should go. I want to make sure Happy made it home ok" Natsu replied, pulling off his dress shirt. Lucy couldn't help but admire his toned body, but looked away quickly.
"Ok, but first, let me get out of this wretched dress and these blasted shoes" she said. Her feet were aching, and all she wanted to do was go to sleep, but she too was worried about Happy. Getting out of her formal clothes and donning her comfortable shoes, she stepped out of the bathroom to meet Natsu.
"Ready?" he asked.
"Yeah, let's go" she said. "Did the mayor give us the jewels?" she asked as they made their way outside of the fancy house. Natsu nodded.
"Yup, you can now pay your rent for at least two months… they won't be kicking us out soon" he said cheerfully.
"What do you mean, we?!" she said. But she was used to it, really. He was always at her apartment. He had his own house, but he was always at her place. And honestly, she liked it. Ever since her father had passed away, she was lonely. She was an orphan now, with both her parents dead, and she was grateful that she had Fairy Tail to call home. They were her family now and Natsu was her best friend.
"It's too late to walk all the way back to Fairy Tail…" Natsu said after a while. She had been thinking the same thing.
"I know…"
"I think we better find a place to stay, I'm tired" Natsu said, yawning.
"Are you sure?" she asked. He nodded.
"It's a safe road from here to Magnolia… I'm sure that Happy is fine. And I'm really tired. I think that wine had a bad effect on me" Natsu said.
"Well, alright. There's an old Inn along this path, isn't there? I recall seeing it on our way to the mayor's house" Lucy said, straining her eyes against the darkness.
"Yeah, it's not far. I can smell it. Or rather, I can smell the food they are cooking" he said. Lucy smiled to herself. Trust Natsu so find a building with his nose. They walked for another ten minutes before they finally reached the Inn. Lucy could now smell the delicious aroma that Natsu had talked about earlier.
The pinkette knocked on the door. "Oi! Anyone here?" he asked out loud.
A few moments later, the door opened. An elderly lady gave them a kind, toothless smile.
"Welcome to the Dreamers Inn" she said in a soft voice, "com on in." Together, the two friends followed her inside. "You're just in time for dinner" the old woman said.
"Isn't it a little late for a meal?" Lucy asked, looking around. The inside of the Inn was a surprise. Where the outside was old and run down, the inside was very elegant. It had the feel of an old castle, with antique and expensive furniture. The floor was spotless and shiny.
"Nonsense, dear, it is never too late for a meal" the old woman said cheerfully.
"I agree!" Natsu said. They followed the old lady to the back of the Inn and into a large kitchen. The room came as yet another surprise to Lucy who was expecting the same kind of grandness as the rest of the building. Instead, the kitchen was old and dusty… much more in tune with the outside of the Inn.
"I haven't had the time or money to remodel this side of the Inn" the old lady said. For a sickening second, Lucy thought the woman had read her mind. "Not a lot of travelers pass by here often."
"Whoa, what's that?!" Natsu said, pointing at the cauldron that was hanging over a fire.
"Dinner, my boy" the little old lady said with a smile.
"It smells delicious!" Natsu said, taking a seat on one of the old, wooden chairs by the table. The old lady laughed.
"It is my secret recipe. Everyone who eats it says it's the best thing they have ever eaten" she said, ladling some of the contents of the cauldron into three bowls.
"What is it?" Lucy asked curiously.
"Chicken and dumpling soup, with a special touch" the woman said as she handed each their own bowl. "Eat up, children!" she chirped. Natsu didn't need to be told twice.
"Whoa! This really is delicious!" he said as he slurped down some broth. And it truly was. Lucy took a sip and was instantly hooked.
"More please?" Natsu asked, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand. The lady shook her head.
"It's too heavy a meal to eat before bed. One bowl will do for tonight. How long will you two children be staying?" she asked.
"Only tonight. We have to get back first thing tomorrow morning" Lucy said, pushing her empty bowl away.
"I have just the room for you" the old lady smiled.
"Are there other people here, Ms…?" Lucy asked.
"It's Mrs. Nox, and yes dear, there are other guests here tonight" she said kindly as she led them through a flight of stairs into the second floor.
"Oh… we will need two separate rooms" Lucy said, turning a bright shade of red when she saw that the room only had one bed.
"Two? But child, I only have this room left" the elderly woman said.
"It's alright Luce. I can sleep on the floor" Natsu said with a yawn.
"O-ok, I guess" Lucy said.
"If that's settled, children, then I best be off. It's getting late" the woman said, abd she was gone before Lucy could even say good night.
"Hmm… she certainly moves fast for such an old woman" she said to Natsu.
"Hmm? I didn't notice" he said, taking his shoes off. Lucy did the same and climbed into bed, pulling the covers up to her neck. She felt bad that Natsu had to sleep on the cold floor, with nothing to cushion his body. With a sigh, she called out to him.
"Natsu… it's ok. You don't have to sleep on the floor… you can sleep with me" she said.
"Alright!" Natsu said, jumping to his feet. "Thanks Luce, you're the best"
"Yeah, yeah, it's not like you don't sleep with me at home" she said with a smile.
"Damn… I forgot to turn out the lights" Natsu said but no sooner had he said it than the lights turned off on their own. "Oh, neat! Great service here" he said, snuggling closer to Lucy. Her heart skipped a beat. Yes, she was used to him sleeping with her in her bed… but he had never slept this close to her. She wasn't sure what to do or say, so she simply closed her eyes. It felt different tonight. And she thought it may have been because Happy wasn't here. That had to be it. Whenever Natsu slept with her, Happy was always in the middle, and he wasn't there tonight. It was nothing to be nervous about.
The Inn did have great service, but she wondered how much all of this would cost come morning.
A/N: Alright, well, there's chapter one. What's gonna happen between Natsu and Lucy? Where are they and who is that lady?! Please review and leave me your thoughts or any comments you might have. See you next time! xoxo