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"Shit…" Natsu mumbled as the harsh blizzard winds continued to constantly change direction, battering him from all sides. If it weren't for his unnatural body temperature there's no doubt he'd have frozen already…and so would she.
He carried the blonde celestial mage piggyback, his travel blanket wrapped securely around her shoulders. She'd been hit pretty hard with a sneak attack by one of the dark mages that had unexpectedly appeared on their latest mission. The Dragon Slayer had been too busy taking out the man's teammates to be of any help, only barely managing to tackle the guy before he'd thrust his pointed staph into her prone body.
Even before she'd taken that hit she'd already retained plenty of damage and the weather wasn't helping. He needed to find shelter soon; she probably wouldn't last much longer out in this icy wind, especially not with her injuries.
He kept walking, heating up his legs so that he could walk through the waist-deep snow. He was considering digging a tunnel to take shelter in when he suddenly spotted the mouth of a cave through the sea of white. It was mere feet in front of him, the only way that he could have spotted it through the intense snowfall, and he eagerly rushed toward it.
It wasn't large, only a few feet off the ground, just big enough for someone to slip through. With a snap of his fingers his thumb lit up and he shined the light into the cave. It was small and thankfully vacant, only about twelve feet wide in both directions.
He slid inside, bringing the unconscious celestial mage with him. Using his travel pack as a pillow he laid her out on the floor, making sure that she was comfortable before moving back to the entrance to close it off with packed snow. He wasn't concerned about getting back out if the snow piled up too high, he was a fire mage, he'd just burn through it.
Once he was finished he lit a candle, something that the blonde mage had convinced him to bring even though he thought it to be useless. He was glad that he'd listened to her. He propped the candle up on a natural shelf formed just shy of the entrance then turned his attention back to his companion.
Even though he'd wrapped her in his blanket she was still shivering. She groaned in her sleep, teeth chattering in a desperate attempt to relieve herself of the cold. He was concerned, he knew next to nothing about medical treatment but he guessed that there was nothing good about her condition.
The fire mage inched closer to her, increasing his heat in an attempt to warm up the space between them. It didn't seem to help and he hesitantly reached out a hand to touch her pale face. His warm fingers brushed against her cold skin and he nearly jerked his hand back. He hadn't realized that she was this cold!
The next thing he knew he'd pulled her from the makeshift bed and into his arms, an involuntary shiver going down his spine as her cold body met his warmth. Upon closer inspection he noted that her lips were blue, her entire body shaking violently.
It was much worse than he'd thought.
He frantically searched his memory for something-anything- that he could do, when suddenly something came to him. He remembered someone at the guild talking about sharing body heat to keep warm during a sudden blizzard that had hit their team during a job, keeping them trapped in the mountains for a week wandering around a bunch of underground ice caves.
He quickly tore his vest off, then went to unzip her coat, also removing the sweater that she had underneath, leaving her in a tight-fitting tank top.
He took brief note of the bruises that marred her flawless skin before leaning against the stone wall of the cave, pulling the thick blanket over them. He pulled her as close as he could, one arm hooking around her knees while the other wrapped around her back. Her head rested against his chest, her entire body almost completely covered by the blanket.
She continued to shiver, but after a while she seemed to relax, some of the color returning to her face. He breathed out a sigh of relief, leaning his head back against the hard stone and staring at the shadowed ceiling.
'Damn had that ever been close' he thought bitterly, gaze returning to the adorable blonde in his arms 'I almost lost her…'
He felt her shift in his arms and glanced down to see her cuddling up to his bare chest, her breath coming out evenly from her nose. A shiver traveled up his spine as he felt her breath against his skin, his cheeks feeling a tad bit warmer than the rest of him as he sucked in a breath, trying not to be too overwhelmed by the tingling sensation that he always got when she was near.
He dipped his head and pressed a kiss to the crown of her head, something that he only had opportunity to do when she was in deep slumber.
For a while he just sat there, holding her, enjoying the soothing caress of her scent as it began to fill the space between them. God how he loved her scent. Being a Dragon Slayer his senses were far more advanced than those of regular people, which he was greatly thankful for at this moment.
After another several minutes she began to shift in his arms, with a groan she opened her chocolate orbs. She took a moment to survey her surroundings, blinking against the dim lighting of the room before pushing her tiny hands against his chest, sitting up in his lap.
"Natsu…?" she whispered hoarsely, squinting up at him in the near-darkness.
"How are you feeling Luce?" he asked.
She stared at him for a second, seeming to consider the question. "Not too great honestly…"
"Where are we?" she asked, sitting up straighter as she looked around.
"A cave I found, don't really know where exactly we are though. We'll have to wait out the blizzard and hoof it back to town tomorrow"
She swallowed a groan at the prospect.
"What about those dark mages? Did you-"
"I took care of them" he interjected.
She shivered involuntarily at his cool tone and briefly wondered what he'd done to them before quickly dismissing the idea. This was Natsu after all, he always beat his opponents pretty badly, no doubt they'd be feeling that fight for weeks.
"What happened?" she asked
"One of them knocked you out; I kicked his ass and carried you here"
"That all?"
He nodded and they fell into a strange silence. It wasn't awkward, but uncomfortable. It was during this time that her mind cleared enough to notice that she was sitting in his lap, his arms wrapped loosely around her and his blanket draped over her shoulders. She was equally shocked to see that her jacket and sweater were gone.
Feeling insecure she discretely crossed her arms, a blush staining her cheeks. The action didn't go unnoticed by him and he almost grinned. At least she hadn't smacked him like she usually would, didn't even make a sound.
With a sudden burst of confidence he wrapped his arms more tightly around her, pulling her back to his chest. She squawked at the sudden movement, her cheek now resting against his muscular chest while his arms coiled tightly around her. The celestial mage had always enjoyed his natural body heat, especially now that it stood as a barrier between her and the icy cold.
It felt natural to be like this, pleasant even, but that didn't stop her from blushing a fierce scarlet.
"You're still freezing" he whispered.
She felt him shift as one of his hands wrapped around hers, easily pulling her arms apart and raising her dainty palm to his face. She felt a burst of hot air and he started rubbing his thumb and fingers against her hand, trying to use the friction to warm it up.
The sweetness of the gesture was almost overwhelming and she blushed to the roots of her hair, tilting her head so that her bangs fell over her face, praying that he didn't see.
Sadly for her he had seen, and a wide grin split across his face. To the Dragon Slayer she was adorable when she was embarrassed. Still feeling bold he dipped his head and pecked her cheek. Her hand flew up to her face, fingers skimming the place that his lips had brushed.
"W-w-wha-!?" she stammered incredulously, momentarily forgetting her blush as she turned to glare up at him.
The stupid Dragon was grinning.
He chuckled and released her hand, using both arms to pull her in close to him once again. Her body was beginning to absorb his warmth, going back to its regular temperature. He was still a bit concerned about her hands and feet, which were red and stiff, signs that they had been in the baby stages of frostbite before he'd managed to get her warmed up.
Judging by her muffled grumbling and occasional curses he suspected that she would be alright for the moment, but that didn't put him any more at ease. He would have to get her to a doctor tomorrow.
For the time being he settled into his spot against the stiff wall of the cave as Lucy began to drift off in his arms, pulling the blanket more tightly over them until she was once again almost completely eclipsed by it. The Dragon Slayer stared affectionately at his female partner before drifting off himself, falling into a warm and dreamless sleep…
First Fairy Tail Fanfic! I would say that it's a success but leave feedback so that I can be sure.
THECASTORBEAN
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