Well, I wish you like this. Actually, it's pretty hard to write this story, I'm not very sure why, but I thinks it will be worth the time, at least for me :D
Please review! You don't get an idea how happy that makes me!
When I'm sick.
Natsu always feels like a fire burns inside his stomach. It has been there for so long without turning off that he is completely used to it. Guess it comes by the hand of being a fire dragon slayer and he feels like it's normal since he has had it inside him for as long as he can remember.
When he's bored, sometimes, he thinks a bit about this fire.
One of those rare times, he ended up realising maybe that was the reason why he ate a LOT more than normal people. Yes, then, let me explain:
Fire burns things + People eat food = Fire in your stomach burns food!
I advice you to keep this in mind, for it will all begin because of this... strange and somehow logic statement.
I was almost 7 p.m. when Lucy finally came back to her appartment. She felt tired and the orange light of the sun setting didn't help her eyelids to remain open. She took a few minutes to put water to boil and take one of the books from her bookshelf along with her to her room. It was the perfect moment to relax reading something and drinking a hot instant soup, but, as always, having peace and quiet in her life for more than five minutes is a hard task to achieve and this time wouldn't be any different.
When she turned the lights on, a growl of protest came as reply from the supposed-to-be-empty room. Her bed's covers tucked up over something or someone in the left side.
Alright, if he was there, it wasn't THAT bad, but that was HER bed and that was her side of the matress.
Lucy stomped her way to the bed, brusquely uncovering the thing to reveal, as she expected, her best friend, Natsu Dragneel, who is, nevertheless, a fire eating idiot with no idea about the existence of 'personal space'.
The boy growled once more, turning his head and body a bit to try and hide his eyes from the light. Lucy sighed.
"What are you doing here Natsu? You DO realise that you are inside MY bed, right?" she asked irritated.
Another growl came out of his mouth and into her pillow as he remained inmovil. He seemed to have his eyes closed against the cotton filled object and wouldn't even give the slightest sign of taking her seriously about this matter any time soon.
"Natsu, at least answer me, DAMN IT!" Lucy shouted as she pulled at the boy's arm trying to make him fall out of the bed. However, Natsu didn't move (much). He resisted the blonde's few tries and then rolled to his left with difficulty, facing the roof, and arched his eyebrows in a sad expression.
"It hurts..." Natsu said, once again rolling to the right and clutching his stomach. His green, shiny eyes opened slowly and set on Lucy.
The blonde felt how curiosity and worry appeared inside her heart and she slowly sat on the edge of the bed next to Natsu, gently rubbing his arm.
Natsu looked at her for a few seconds before diverting his gaze and closing his eyes trying to relax. Lucy then noticed how tense he was and his arms wouldn't stop wrapping around his stomach; his legs flexed and his back arched forward.
"Where does it hurt?" she sweetly asked, letting her eyes wander over the guy's body and finally stopping at his face. Natsu opened his eyes and looked at her again, encountering her sad eyes and worried face. He instintively moved his body nearer her, slightly inclined in her direction and pouted, almost involuntarily.
"The stomach..." he said. In his insides, somewhere, he felt like he really wanted her to worry and care for him. Yes, he was also a bit freaked out about this, but the desire was winning him over. He felt sick and that's never positive. In fact, it scared him to feel so helpless and he needed someone to worry about him and stay by his side.
However, against what he might have wanted, Lucy narrowed her eyes on him with a contemptuous look and stopped rubbing his arm.
"What did you eat?" she coldly asked.
His eyes widened, helping to give his face a shocked expression. "You're saying it as if I'm always eating stuff people wouldn't!" he cried.
"That's because you DO eat stuff people wouldn't! Anyone would fall sick if they ate half the things you do, and don't put that shocked and innocent face! I'm sure you did something stupid to end up like this," the blonde stated, crossing her arms over her chest.
"I didn't!" Natsu retorted irritated.
"Then tell me what you ate," Lucy replied, manteining eye contact through her icy glare.
Natsu fell silent and diverted his gaze. That was it. He HAD eaten something out of the ordinary for sure.
"What. Did. You. Eat. Natsu," the blonde repeated, getting closer to the boy's face with each word and never unfolding her arms.
He looked her in the eye again and sweat started dripping down his face as he said, "Everything I found... maybe?" with a trembling voice.
Lucy's eyes narrowed even more and her eyebrows furrowed directing him an intense glare before sighting and standing up, walking through the door and disappearing from his sight. What seemed like an eternity later, Lucy once again entered the room with a cup of tea and, as she walked nearer to the bed, she grabbed the book she had left on top of it before. She stood beside Natsu's side of the bed, just in front of him and, with her chin high, she stared at him.
"What are you waiting for? An invitation? Leave already," the stellar spirit mage said coldly.
Natsu's eyes widened again. "You are pushing me out after I told you I'm ill?" he shouted from her bed, furrowing his brow.
"I can't worry about you evertime you eat something that's gonna make you sick! I would spend my whole life around you! I don't even know what crossed your mind this time to make you go all out and eat everything on your way. I don't even want to know what 'everything' stands for here," Lucy retorted angrily.
Both glared at each other in silence for a minute until Natsu diverted his gaze and said, "All right, I will go find someone that actually cares about me," before standing up.
No, before trying to stand up. He put his palms against the bed and tried strenghening his abdomen to sit, but there seemed to be no force left in his body and... he couldn't stand. His eyes widened in true shock as his heart beat faster. That couldn't be happening.
Lucy noticed the change in his face as he tried again and worry reappeared in the back of her mind, still surpassed by her anger. "So?" she asked irritated. Natsu didn't even look at her as he murmured, "I can't get up..." inmovil, making her eyebrows lift with surprise.
Silence invaded the room.
"I can't get up," he repeated as his face started to be filled with desperaton 'cause the only thing he could manage was mid-sit on the bed.
Lucy's anger faded and she sighed, walking around the bed to lay on the other side and, to Natsu's surprise, start rubbing his arm again. He slowly came out of his stupor and turned her way, rolling with difficulty on the bed. They ended up facing each other and Lucy helped him mid-sit again as she held the tea cup with one hand.
Silence filled the room as the girl contemplated the steam coming out of the cup, not having drank one sip yet.
"Do you want some?" she asked, slightly moving the cup in the air for Natsu to understand what she was refering to. He still looked at her with a puzzled and disgusted expression. "This tea is good for the stomach, it may help you," she explained, smiling softly.
"I thought you were gonna drink soup; It smelled of those instant soup envelopes..." he commented.
"They are too artificial to share with an ill person," she said, looking away as red painted her cheeks. She had continued to think about him even when she asked him to get out. That might be the reason he had gone there out of all places.
He smiled at her and she smiled back, bringing the cup to his lips and helping him drink until he recovered enough strengh to do it himself.
A throbing pain made him grumble with desperation. Rocks were being tossed at the inside walls of his stomach, trying to pierce through it and hurting him as he tried moving or defending, finding that he was chained to a wall with no lead of action left. His body seemed to arch forward with the pain in his stomach and he felt uncomfortably hot as the chains jangled around him; more and more appearing and trapping his arms and legs. And his fire...wouldn't light up. But fear did. And he trembled in his spot, afraid of being alone. Suffering alone.
"Natsu..." a whisper reached his ear, making him remember where his ear was located as he regained consciousness slowly. He realised he wasn't chained to a wall and rocks weren't being tossed inside his stomach, even if it hurt as if that was happening. He was in that nice-smelling bed, laid down, sleeping until then and suffering.
"Natsu," the same sweet, femenine voice reached his ear again in a whisper as a hand strocked his hair gently.
He was suffering, but not alone.
The boy opened his eyes and saw blond bangs in front of his face in the dark room. The covers rustled as the blonde backed down to stare at him, moving her hand to his face and rubbing it slowly, making circles with her fingertips.
"Do you want me to bring you some medicine?" Lucy asked in a soft voice, never leaving his eyes. He remained silent for a while, staring back at her.
"Yes, please," he answered.
She smiled and started to back down once more; the first step to standing up and walking... away from him.
"Wai-" he suddenly said as his arm shot forward and grabbed her's. His eyes reflected his fear and worry, so Lucy smiled again, reassuringly as she said, "I will be back," closing her hand over his.
It took Natsu some moments to calm down and let her arm go. Lucy walked away slowly and even when she wasn't there in the room, Natsu could still hear her in the bathroom, and in the kitchen, and in the living room, and everywhere she went, making little rustle sounds, putting water in a kettle and starting the fire to make it boil, taking little steps in her place when the only thing she could do was wait for the water and yawn softly.
'I wonder what time it is...' he thought to himself. Lucy might be really tired. Why was she doing all this things for him? Ah... right... because she is Lucy and Lucy will always try to help if you need it even if it's too much for her and it tires her out. She is that kind of sweet person. 'That blonde girl'
A smile formed in his face and the door opened again as Lucy entered the room carrying a tray with medicine, two cups and hot water in a pot, along with lots of different kinds of teas.
She walked slowly, minding her balance, until she reached the bed and sat on it, then slipping her feet and slim legs under the covers. She used her legs as a table to rest the tray on and turned to Natsu in the darkness, who was as defenseless as before and never let her figure get out of his sight.
Lucy grinned, excitedly displaying the different teas on the tray for Natsu to look at them, even though he merely glanced at them and looked back at her to continue staring. She sighed and decisively looked through them herself and ended up lifting the one with an inscription that read 'Boldo' on green letters and brought it to Natsu's nose.
"Tell me, is this fine? You have to drink something with the medicine and this one is good for stomachackes...I think. Also, I can cook some rice if you want to eat, I can even add chicken in," Lucy explained as he sniffed, horrified about thinking that that tea really smelled like something that could help.
"Don't cook. This is fine," he replied, feeling nauseated by even thinking about eating ANYTHING.
"Okay," she said while taking the tea bag out of the package to put it in the cup. She then poured hot water inside of it and let the tea colour the liquid to pass it down to the sick boy. She helped him mid-sit again and drink the tea as before. Three hours had passed but he wasn't any better. Lucy had barely slept because of Natsu's obvious pain as he rolled and clutched his stomach strongly while sweating heavily. She had tried to calm him down by strocking his hair but it hadn't had any effect.
She sighed with her mouth closed while this depressing thoughts invaded her mind and the boy noticed it and read her worries as easily as if they were written in her face. He waited until she had given him the medicine and he had swallowed it to talk.
"Lucy, don't worry too much about me. The time I ate a piece of Etherion was worse than this one, only that that time I was asleep the whole time," he tried to calm her down even thought, as he was conscious in this occasion, it felt much worse.
She smiled, grateful, and poured hot water in a new cup to drink herself. "Natsu, sleep some more, I think I will stay awake for some more minutes," she said as she messed his hair slightly.
The guy obediently slid down slowly and closed his eyes.
"Can you... come nearer?" he asked with eyes still closed and facing her way. She stayed silent but moved closer, still leaving a minuscule distance between them that Natsu closed as he leaned his head forward to poke her leg with his nose.
Lucy blushed but scratched her cheek and continued drinking her tea. Around ten minutes passed by until she placed the cup on the tray and lifted it to leave everthing on the floor, right next to her. She snuggled her whole body under the covers and turned her head to look at Natsu in the dark for some seconds. Without a doubt, if there was someone she would like to date, she would like to care about that person as much as she cared for Natsu. Though, going out with Natsu himself would be better.
She slowly closed her eyes, unwilling to leave the shadows of the handsome boy's face and the innevitable way she was able to see his features as clearly as if it wasn't night time, but a sunny day.
Not more than two seconds had passed when she felt warm flesh brush her leg under the covers. She moved her foot's fingers in response, wondering what was he doing. Her thoughts were interrupted by his foot poking her's and she decided to poke him back, suddenly understanding the silent greeting.
She opened her eyes, already smiling, to find the dragon slayer staring at her in the darkness just how she liked to do. "So you never fell asleep, uh?" she asked.
He smiled softly and exhaled a wall of warm air that tickled her face. After all, they were close, really close, but she didn't mind it not did he and she once again closed her eyes and spoke as she brought her hand up to pat his head. "All right, now sleep."
"Yes," was his answer as he snuggled up closer to her and let her hand slip to rest on his neck as she rapidly started to fall asleep.
Sweat and pain woke Natsu up two hours later. This felt the worst. He felt nausea all over and his head throbbed with pain. His whole body felt too hot, even for him to bear, though he recognised having more energy than before or, maybe, it was just that the horror and pain had concentrated in only one place. What was this feeling inside him? This mess in his stomach?
Suddenly he knew as he started to retch and immediately moved, with less efforts than before, and walked as fast as he could to the bathroom.
His stomach didn't wait one more second as it pushed that that had been food many hours ago, out of his mouth and into the toilette.
Yes, definitely he felt the worst and his eyes were watery as it's usual to happen when you vomit. But really, this was even worse than when he was inside moving vehicles!
His breathing had become labored and he couldn't get to mind the wrecked smell that was invading the small room. He hated the fact of feeling so weak and arching forward everytime his stomach poured it's insides out of his mouth and he ended up kneeling before the toilette. Lucy's toilette, to make things even worse, but he couldn't get to feel guilty about staining her perfect cleaning with gastric acid and disolved food... or half disolved one at the moment.
As he thought of this, and more came gushing out, a hand rested on his shoulder and an arm leaned on his back. Lucy was holding him and making him company... while he barfed.
"Get out... Lucy," he asked feeling nauseous again.
"I don't want to," she answered as a tear rolled down her cheek and she felt nauseous herself from the strong smell.
"I said, GET OUT!" he repeated rather harsly.
The girl tightened her grip on his shoulders as she shouted, "IDIOT, I'M NOT GONNA LEAVE YOU ALONE WHEN YOU ARE SUFFERING!"
He couldn't respond as he barfed again and his body trembled. After that, he didn't say a word and let her do whatever she felt like doing. Thick head.
Half an hour later, he didn't feel nauseous and heavy anymore. He flushed the toilette as he had done before some times already and they both stood up. Neither of them talked as he washed his mouth and hands and cleaned the place up in silence. When he was finished, they headed back to the room.
Lucy checked the clock, which read 5 a.m. and then looked at Natsu, who stood on the other side of the bed not moving and seemingly down.
She doubted on what to do, but then climbed on the bed and reached out her hand to take his'. His cheeks were red with embarrassment and remorse but she smiled comfortingly and he could't help the feeling that filled his body.
Why would Lucy do all those things for him? Why was she so utterly nice and sweet and why was the feeling he felt for her stronger than the ones he felt for his other comrades and friends?
He had never been good with understanding things or new concepts and this thing was pretty new. What did Lucy have that made him feel different? He couldn't grasp the truth under his gratitud and if he tried searching deeper inside his body, heart, mind or whatever part of him that was feeling this, things became even more confusing. What were all those rose petals doing flying around Lucy's all too beautiful image? Why were they walking together in a manner so unlikely to be meant for best friends, nakama or comrades? How do you describe that kind of scene?
'Let's try to use some logic' were the words that crossed Natsu's mind as he lifted his head a bit, looking to the roof and bringing his left hand to his chin as if he was meditating on something. We know that, for once, he was actually trying to, but, do you think Lucy would have believed it? If the thought crossed her mind, I'm sure we agree that she probably shrugged it off.
Okay, so, there surely was a name for images like that, like... more like a whole topic on that kinda feeling, right? That in which your body is supposed to turn warmer (pretty difficult for me), your face is supposed to show it by turning... like my hair, right? Then again, if I'm not mistaken, it's all because of a person, right? And something about one's heart becoming all fluffy or whatever; wouldn't that damage it? And, then again, I'm supposed to be wanting to do a lot of strange things that really don't make sense...
Natsu sighed heavily after some minutes, or seconds maybe, and messed his hair up. Looking at the expectant Lucy, he suddenly felt happy and smiled.
'Well, maybe I just love Lucy,' he thought to himself.
...
If he had been drinking something at that moment, it would have fled out of his mouth instantly.
He stood straight and looked really shocked. That had come to his mind so naturally it felt like a life-long truth! But was that possible? Shouldn't he be all weird right about now?
He glanded at the BEAUTIFUL, blond GIRL before him, on top of the BED, staring right at him with those PERFECTLY, CUTE two eyes, and her TOO LITTLE clothes.
Bam!
In a matter of seconds, the always oblivious teenage guy was on fire! And I mean it literally.
"Natsu!" Lucy shouted standing on the bed and, at the same time, letting the uncontrolable teen follow her whole body's curves; PERFECTLY, DAMN HOT BODY. "Are you okay? Turn that fire out! What are you doing?" she shouted in that PERFECTLY, DAMN LUCY-LIKE MANNER.
He gaped like a fish. 'I'm gonna melt or what, GOD DAMN IT?'
"Fucking God," the hottest girl he had ever met muttered as she ran to the bathroom and immediately came back to splash him with a bowl full of water...
"You realise what you did, right?" Lucy asked from her lying down position on what had been Natsu's side of the bed until then and would normally be her own side of it.
"I came yesterday, fell asleep on your bed, waited for you, couldn't stand up and stayed, drank tea and medicine, felt sick a lot, barfed and then burned the floor," he stated, rapidly enumerating the events so far from his own lying position on the burnt and wet floor.
Lucy fell silent, not being able to retort as she would have normally done. "Um, yes," she replied then. Nothing came in response and she turned on herself to look at Natsu from above.
Natsu blinked and moved his head in her direction slowly, locking their eyes together.
Neither of them said a word and Lucy couldn't stop herself from staring at his handsome face so openly she would have never imagined it. Her cheeks became red and she lowered her head, trying to hide the blush and sighing, forgetting that Natsu was right under her head and could see her.
She rapidly rolled to the left and came back to her side of the bed, lifted the blanket brusquely and covered herself from head to toes. "5:30 a.m.! Time to be sleeping! Leave already or get in the bed and sleep!" a muffled voice shouted from under the covers and Natsu chuckled. He stood up to leave but, on his way to the door, he stopped to listen to his new found feeling for a few seconds.
He messed his hair up and turned around, entering the bed and, with no alert, trapping the girl in a crushing hug under the covers while grinning widely.
"N-Natsu!" the girl protested, lacking enough air to survive and wondering if her bones would be able to resist that for too long. Something strange came out of her mouth in a way that seemed a bit like a... moan, "Natsu, please, be gentler!"... And with that, the room fell silent again.
'Oh my God, tell me I didn't just hear/said that', each thought.
"I-i-it's not what I meant! At least n-not in t-t-t-that... that... that way... I-I mean, why would we mean something t-t-that way?" Lucy said nervously while starting to laugh awkwardly.
"Y-y-y-yeah! Yeah! W-why would we, right? I-it's not like we have f-f-feelings for each other, right?"
"Y-yeah, right!..." the blonde laughed, "Right...?"
Both teen's faces were burning red and, even worse, Natsu hadn't let go of her and they were, oh, so close poor Lucy could feel his physical heat. She felt like crying out loud! Why was he so damn perfect?
Lucy instintively arched her back backwards and moved her legs up as she hid her head in her hands, trying to become smaller. A little whimper could be heard from the girl's shut mouth before she said, "It's time to sleep! Good night!" even more nervous now that her knee was touching Natsu's leg.
The pink haired boy could almost see the blush creaping to Lucy's ear and smiled, blushing himself. One last thought crossed his mind before saying, "Good night," and closing his eyes.
'If I've got a chance... is something I will have to find out tomorrow.'