Sick Dragon

Lucy stared at her desk in frustration. She was in the middle of writing her novel, and she was completely stumped on where to go next. She repeatedly tapped her pen against the wooden table, her irritation escalating rapidly. Her tapping got faster until she dropped her pen and released a frustrated scream. Nearly giving her a heart attack, Natsu and Happy burst through her bedroom window. "Lucy!" shouted the Dragon Slayer, his eyes clouded with concern and his fists clenched, ready for battle. "Are you alright?"

Placing a hand to her chest to calm her frantically beating heart. "I'm fine, Natsu," she reassured breathlessly. "Why wouldn't I be?"

"We were on our way to tell you about the job request we found," Happy explained, settling down in the blonde's lap. "We were right outside when we heard you scream."

"We thought you were in trouble…" Natsu finished off sheepishly, lifting a hand to scratch the back of his head as a light blush fanned across his cheeks. Lucy stood up with Happy in her arms and stepped up to her best friend.

"Well, now you owe me a new window, you dolt." She reached up and flicked him across the bridge of his nose. He yelped out of surprise and stumbled back a few steps, rubbing his nose. "And you better clean up that glass before I cut myself. Happy, go in the kitchen and get the broom and dustpan."

"Aye," the Exceed chirped shamefully as he hopped out of Lucy's arms and flew out of the room. Lucy turned to back to her desk and bent over to pick up her dropped pen.

"So, why did you scream, Luce?" Natsu asked curiously as he kicked away a particularly large shard of glass.

"Just frustrated," was her vague reply.

"With what? Are you PMSing again?" He ducked, narrowly missing the hairbrush as it flew across the room, landing on the floor with a clank. He stood up, slightly surprised at how quickly that thing zoomed over his head.

"No, I'm not PMSing," Lucy said irritably, putting her novel-in-making in one of the drawers on her desk. "I'm just stuck on my novel." Natsu nodded in understanding as Happy came back in, handing the fire wizard the items he needed for cleaning their mess. Lucy sat down in her chair as her nakama got to work. "So, you said you were coming over here to talk to me about a job request?"

"Yeah," said Natsu, fumbling around in his pocket for the flier. He handed it to Happy and resumed sweeping. Happy perched himself back into Lucy's lap, holding out the paper for her to see. Lucy took it into her own hands. The feline nuzzled into her stomach as she scratched the top of his head, right between his ears.

"Hm…" she hummed. "'Thief wanted dead or alive.' Seems simple enough. And I would be able to pay my rent for two months and still have some left over with the reward." She set it down on the table, using both of her hands to scratch either side of Happy's neck, his purring growing louder. "So when are we leaving?"

"I was thinking tomorrow," Natsu answered, dumping the glass out of the dustpan and into the trash. He looked over at her. "Too soon?"

Lucy shook her head, one of her hands moving under Happy's chin. "No, tomorrow's good." She giggled at the cute sound the feline just made, and held him against her chest as she continued to pet him, his tail flicking happily. Natsu watched the scene with furrowed eyebrows as he leaned the broom against the wall. He fell onto Lucy's bed, his eyes never wavering from the content Exceed that was nuzzling into Lucy's breasts.

"How come you don't treat me like that?" he snapped, his eyes narrowing slightly. Lucy rolled her eyes.

"Because you are not a cat, Natsu." She looked up at him, and seeing the expression on his face, she smirked. "Why? You're not jealous of Happy, are you?" Natsu's eyes immediately went up to meet hers, his cheeks switching from tan to red in an instant. He turned away from her, folding his arms stubbornly across his chest.

"As if." Lucy laughed at how cute he was when he was embarrassed. Natsu peeked at them through the corner of his eyes, just in time to see Lucy lean down and kiss the crown of Happy's head. "Tsk," he scoffed.

Lucky bastard.

The next day…

Lucy sighed as she stepped out of the tub. Nothing like a good hot shower to start the day. After she got dressed and left the bathroom, making her way toward the kitchen to get something to eat for breakfast, she heard a rushed tapping at her window. She looked up and saw a distraught Happy outside. Curious and concerned, she approached the window and opened it. "Lucy!" he yelled, flying into her chest.

"Happy, what's wrong?" she asked worriedly.

"It's Natsu! Something's wrong with him!" Lucy's eyebrows furrowed. Something wrong with Natsu?

"Happy, calm down. What's going on with Natsu?"

"I… I don't know! He never sleeps in on a mission day! He's not even snoring! Just… come see him! Maybe you'll know what's wrong with him!" Lucy sighed. She really didn't want to go to Natsu's house right now, especially since this could be a joke. But when she looked into Happy's eyes, she realized that this wasn't a joke. Happy wasn't nearly a good enough actor to be so convincing. Something really was wrong.

"Okay, just give me a second."

Happy opened the door to his and Natsu's "lovely" abode and frantically flew inside. Lucy closed the door behind her and looked around the room, disgusted. Well… nothing had changed since the last time she'd been in Natsu's house. It was still as messy as ever. "Lucy! Quick, he's over here!" The celestial wizard carefully made her way across the clutter to the other side of the room, toward Natsu's hammock. Sure enough, he was there, on his side with his back to her. Nothing seemed weird or different about him other than the fact that he was almost completely quiet, the only sound being a soft rumbling in his chest rather than his usual obnoxious snoring.

As Happy sat nervously on her shoulder, Lucy hesitantly reached out a hand and touched his arm. "Natsu?" she called softly, giving him a light shake. "Natsu." He stirred and moaned. Lucy flinched away when he started to cough, and violently. His whole body jerked, causing the hammock to swing. Lucy began to worry. Hearing such a noise come from Natsu was a little unnerving. When he finally stopped and settled back into the hammock, he looked over his shoulder at her. He was sweating – actually sweating – and his bangs were plastered to his forehead. He had bags under his eyes and he looked exhausted.

"Luce…" he rasped, turning onto his back to look at her fully. His voice was scratchy, and sounded utterly strange coming from him. It sounded almost nothing like him.

"Natsu…" she said back, kneeling down beside his bed to be at his eye level. She reached out a hand and touched his forehead, only to retract it the second she touched him. He was burning. His body temperature was already hotter than normal, but this was something else entirely. He had a scorching fever. "You're sick."

"What?" said Happy. "He's never sick!"

Lucy snorted, ignoring the feline. "You look awful." Natsu rolled his eyes.

"I feel awful," he said, his voice terribly slurred. He turned his head away to sneeze. He sniffled and cringed. His throat felt like sandpaper.

"Lucy… can you do something?" asked the Exceed worriedly, sitting down on the Dragon Slayer's stomach.

"Hm... yes, I believe I can." Both boys brightened at her words, waiting for her to continue. "But I'll need to go to the grocery store to get a few things first." She stood up and smiled, running a hand through Natsu's rosy hair. "I guess we're not going on that mission today, huh?" Natsu let out a noise which she assumed was a chuckle. "I'll be back in half an hour or so, okay?" He nodded. "Happy, keep an eye on him for me, alright? Let me know if anything happened when I get back."

"Aye, sir!"

Forty-five minutes later…

"Lucy! You said you were going to be back fifteen minutes ago!" Happy exclaimed as soon as Lucy walked through the door, a collection of plastic bags in her hands.

"I'm sorry, Happy, but I ran into some trouble on my way back," Lucy explained, setting down the heavy bags on their couch. Natsu stiffened and hauled himself onto his elbows.

"Are you alright, Lucy?" he asked, his voice barely understandable. Lucy laughed.

"I'm fine, Natsu. No need to worry." She looked over her shoulder at him. She rolled her eyes when she saw that he was still eyeing her with a concerned gaze. "Don't look at me like that. I'm fine. Promise." Natsu nodded and sneezed harshly, causing the Exceed on his stomach to nearly jump out of his skin. The Dragon Slayer groaned and fell back, his head burying into his pillow.

"I hate being sick… Especially now because we don't get to go on the mission. I was looking forward to it, too…" he whined, swallowing hard to try and get rid of the tickle in his throat. When that didn't work, he tried to clear his throat, but all that did was cause him to succumb to another coughing fit. Once he settled back down, he watched as Lucy pulled out some sort of herb from an elastic vegetable bag. "What is that?"

"It's an Arikko herb," she answered. "I assume you have an upset stomach?" She looked over at him for an answer. When he nodded, she turned back to the plant. "It's an ancient remedy for stomach pain." Natsu pulled a face.

"Do I have to eat that?"

"I was planning on cutting up the roots and putting it the soup I was going to make you. Unless you want to eat it raw." Natsu shook his head, instantly regretting it as it began to pound.

"You're gonna make me soup?" he asked softly. Lucy giggled, making him lift an eyebrow. "What?"

"Nothing. You just sound funny. And yes, with onions, mushrooms, and oregano." Natsu smiled. She'd never cooked for him before. "I even got a fish for Happy." The Exceed made an excited noise as he lifted away from Natsu and flew over to land on Lucy's shoulder, looking at the other things she'd bought.

"What's that?" he asked, pointing down at something that Natsu couldn't see. He tried to move his head to get a better angle, but it only seemed to aggravate his headache.

"Apple cider vinegar."

"What's it for?"

"Natsu's throat."

"Ew, you're gonna make me drink vinegar?" the fire wizard questioned with distaste. Lucy laughed.

"Not by itself, you dunce. It's just a part of this mixture that helps with sore throats." She noticed him holding his head. "You have a headache, too, huh? Well, it's a good thing I got some stuff for that, too. Happy, would you help me clean the kitchen?"

"Aye!" As his two closest friends proceeded to clean off the counters, he eyed the items on the couch. That weird herb, an onion, some oregano, Happy's fish, the vinegar, potatoes, a wash cloth, and various other things he didn't know the name of. Once they were done, Lucy huffed and dusted off her skirt.

"Happy, get a bowl out for me, please?" she asked as she walked over to the couch, picking up everything she needed and taking them into the kitchen. Happy did as told while Lucy folded the wash cloth in half and held it under the faucet. Once wet, she squeezed out the excess water and approached the ill boy. She brushed his bangs away before gently placing the cloth on his forehead. He flinched. He knew it must've been his fever, but the damp wash cloth was freezing cold. "For your headache." Natsu nodded sleepily as she went back into the kitchen.

The novelist filled the bowl with regular vinegar and opened the sack of potatoes, removing two of them. She asked Happy for a knife, and she began to cut the potatoes into thin circles before dropping them into the bitter liquid. "What's that for, Lucy?" Happy asked curious as he watched from across the counter.

"These are for his fever," she said, dropping more into the bowl.

"Is he supposed to eat them?"

Lucy giggled and shook her head. "No. I'm going to put these on his forehead once his headache goes away. The vinegar should suck out all of the heat."

"Where did you learn all of this?"

"From my mother." Happy nodded. That sentence was his cue to stop talking about that. He knew Lucy didn't like talking about her mother. Once both potatoes were gone, she pushed the bowl aside. "We'll just let those soak until his headache is gone. I'll get started on the stuff for his throat. Happy, a spoon and cup, please." Once she had what she needed, she turned the faucet on hot, filling up around a third of the glass. Next she poured in some of the apple cider vinegar and some lemon juice. After that, she poured some honey into the spoon until it almost over flowed, dipped it into the glass, and stirred. Natsu was watching from his hammock with curious eyes, and when she set the spoon down and finally turned toward him, he strained to sit up, but found that he was fatigued with his sickness.

Lucy knelt beside him and placed her free hand behind his back, helping him into a sitting position. She held the glass out to him. "Here." Natsu smiled gratefully and took the glass, lifting it to his nose. He sniffed and pulled away, not liking the smell in the least. "I know, it doesn't smell all that good, but it tastes better. I promise." He looked at her, and he could feel himself melting under that brown-eyed gaze. He inwardly groaned. Even when he was sick, she did things to him he didn't understand. He'd been feeling… different about her lately, and he didn't know exactly why. He didn't understand it at all.

"I trust you," he choked out, his throat suddenly dry. He lifted the drink to his lips and chugged it down completely in one go. Once he was finished, he leaned over his lap and coughed. She was right. It didn't taste bad, per se, but it was a little strong. She rubbed his back and took the glass back. When he calmed down, she lightly pushed him onto his back.

"How's your headache?" she asked softly, pulling his blanket up to rest higher up on his chest.

"It's better," he wheezed, grimacing as the word clawed at his throat on the way out.

"That's good." She took the cloth into her hand with a gentle grin that made his heart pound like crazy. "Let's take care of that fever," she said, standing up and walking back into the kitchen. She reached into the bowl and removed some of the potato chips she made earlier, and went back over to the fire wizard. "This technique usually doesn't work on the first try, so we're going to have to do this several times until your fever goes down." She carefully placed the chips on his burning forehead, taking care to avoid his eyes. He closed his eyes, his heart thumping even harder as she touched his skin. All to quickly for his liking, she stood up and walked back into the kitchen, saying something about making his soup.

She was finished within a matter of minutes. She carefully removed the chips and discarded them before helping him back up into a sitting position, placing the bowl of soup in his lap. She watched him eat it for a moment before she touched his arm. "How is it?" she asked excitedly. He swallowed another spoonful before he smiled at her and nodded. She beamed. "Good." She looked over at Happy, whom was eating his fish at Natsu's feet. "And how's your lunch, Happy?"

"Delicious!" he exclaimed with his mouth full. "Natsu should get sick more often!" Lucy snorted and Natsu looked up, his eyebrows furrowed.

"Why?" he asked.

"So Lucy could take care of us like this! You're so nice, Lucy!" The blonde laughed and stood up, draping an arm over Natsu's shoulders and pulling him into a side hug and reaching over with her other hand to pat the Exceed's head.

"It's no big deal," she said modestly. "You're my boys." Natsu felt himself blush, making his already hot face even hotter. He looked down to avoid being seen.

That night…

Natsu didn't feel much better by the end of the day, although he was slowly losing the pain now that Lucy was seated on his hammock, with his head resting in her lap. He pestered her for a good hour, begging that she do what she does on long train rides – run her hands through his hair – mostly because it makes him feel better. She'd finally given in after an hour, and sat down beside him with a raging blush, ignoring Happy's teasing. She was currently playing with his bangs, brushing them to the left, and then to the right, debating with herself which way looked better. She would pull away whenever he started a coughing fit, and would help him ease back down into her lap. Happy was asleep on the couch, and there were crickets chirping outside. Lucy yawned, and deemed it time for her to go home.

"Natsu," she said softly, leaning over him to look him in the eye. He hummed sleepily as a response. "I think I'm going to go home now." He looked up at her like a sick puppy.

"What?" he whined. "Why?"

She giggled and yawned again, weaving her fingers through his hair. "Because it's late and I'm tired. I've been taking care of you all day, and it kinda wore me out. Besides, you need to get some rest too."

"But, Luce…" He trailed off when she leaned down and placed a soft, lingering kiss on his forehead. His eyes widened and his cheeks flushed to a lucid shade of crimson.

"I'll be back tomorrow morning, okay?" she said as she pulled away. "I wouldn't leave my best friend in a time of need. And I'll make you some more of that soup that you liked so much. Sound good?" Natsu blinked up at her, utterly stunned by what had just happened. Realizing she was waiting for him to respond, he swallowed hard, his throat suddenly dry.

"I…" he choked out, his voice shaky and strained as if he'd forgotten how to speak. Lucy giggled and stroked his hair.

"You're cute when you're embarrassed, Natsu," she teased with a smirk. "Did that little kiss catch you off guard?" The rest of the Dragon Slayer's face – along with his ears and the top of his neck – joined his blush as it darkened a shade or two, adding more heat to his already uncomfortably hot fever.

"I-I-I'm not embarrassed!" he said stubbornly, turning his head in her lap to look away from her eyes. Lucy laughed and ran a fingertip across his cheek and passed his ear, her skin freezing against his hot face. Not only did the action give him goose bumps and send a chilling sensation down his spine, but it also caused his blush to deepen even more to the point of rivaling Erza's hair. Why was he acting so weird? She's teased him before, but never had she been able to invoke such a reaction from him. Then again, she's never kissed him before either.

"Oh, but you are!" sang the celestial wizard, incredibly pleased with herself at getting the almighty Natsu Dragneel to blush – and to such a degree, no less! She'd gotten him to blush several times, but she felt like she deserved an award for getting him to blush this hard. And now that she practically had him cornered, she decided to poke even more fun at him. "You're face just keeps getting redder. I didn't know your cheeks could get so red. It's like you turned into a tomato." With a weak groan, the suddenly extremely bashful boy lifted his scarf above his nose to attempt at hiding his flushed face, but the color contrast only made his embarrassment more defined and obvious.

"I'm not embarrassed…" he stressed softly, his voice uncharacteristically small and shy. He felt like a small child being excessively teased in front of his friends by his mother, and he wished he could just crawl into a hole. Lucy laughed softly and gently began to untangle the small knots in his hair with her fingers.

"Yeah, yeah," she murmured quietly, knowing all too well that he could hear her despite the volume of her voice. "Tell it to your pride." With one last tousle of his hair, she gently lifted his head and slipped off of the hammock, placing a pillow under his head, much to his disappointment. She strode over to the couch to pick up a slumbering Happy, and Natsu couldn't stop himself from staring at her legs as she walked. They were so long, so slender. Blinking in surprise, he averted his eyes, mentally admonishing himself for thinking such things about his partner. Stupid fever, making him think crazy things. He turned back to her as she stood beside his hammock and tenderly placed his Exceed at the foot of the bed, kissing his furry head. She looked up at Natsu and smiled, tucking her hair behind her ear. "So, tomorrow morning?" The Salamander frowned and sighed in defeat.

"I guess," he pouted, turning his head into his scarf to sneeze. Lucy smiled sympathetically and slid her hand under his bangs to feel his forehead – now that his face was back to normal. She clicked her tongue.

"Your fever doesn't feel like it went down at all," she said, unsatisfied. "Which is disappointing. That potato thing usually works." Natsu groaned.

"I want it to go away…" he whined, sounding like a pitiful, pained child. Lucy laughed lightly at his obvious discomfort.

"I know. Get some rest. You need it." Natsu looked up at her through half-lidded eyes, and he took the time to consider her. She was breathtaking. Everything about her was absolutely stunning. On the inside, she was incredibly smart and witty, she always had a strategic plan during jobs, she always knew what to say to make someone feel better, always put her nakama before herself, she was brave, she was strong, she was funny… the list could go on forever. And on the outside, she was beautiful. Her eyes were warm and smoldering, her smile was kind and carefree, her hair was vibrant and neat, her laugh was bubbly and contagious, her skin was flawless and milky. He'd fallen in love with every little thing about her.

Wait… what? No.

In love? With Lucy? Bah. Lucy was his best friend. There was no possible way that he was in love with her. Sure he cared about her, would do whatever it took to protect her, but he wasn't in love with her. She's a weirdo. A big, temperamental, unreasonable, loud weirdo. And being in love with her would be… weird.

Then again, he supposed he'd always liked weird.

"Goodnight, Natsu," said Lucy as she pat his shoulder, turning for the door.

"Luce," he said quickly, grabbing her wrist as she walked by. She stopped and turned to face him.

"Hm?" Natsu froze, forgetting how to speak the second time within ten minutes. He felt as if her gaze was smothering him.

"Thanks," he said softly after he'd finally found his voice. Lucy sent a blinding grin his way.

"Of course." She opened the door to his house and spared one last glance at him over her shoulder. "Goodnight, Natsu. See you in the morning." And with that, she left. The instant she closed the door, Natsu's heart sank into his stomach. He felt… lonely. With that feeling in mind, he thought that he really might be in love with his partner. After all, she was all he could think about lately. And after what she had done for him today, he felt as if he wanted her to take of him more often. Although he'd prefer it would be under better circumstances.

Huh.

He's in love with Lucy, eh?

.

..

…

Nah… That's too weird.

Author's Note: Ne, mina! So… I rewrote the ending! I hope you guys liked it better than the original, because I sure do.

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