Before Natsu even realized it, it had become something he depended on.
"Aw man!" Natsu wailed as he dropped to his knees on the harsh ground of the countryside.
"Aye, sir…" Happy agreed sadly, landing beside his partner with his ears drooping down.
"I thought for sure Igneel'd be here!" the fire mage said in frustration. "The mission…it seemed so perfect! And now…"
Natsu tried to keep down the hot tears that were threatening to spill over his cheeks.
Everything was so unfair.
Why couldn't finding Igneel be just like breathing fire?
He felt a familiar warmth appear on the top of his head.
"It's all right, Natsu," Lucy said soothingly, laying her hand on her best friend's head. "It's okay. There's always next time right?!"
He felt instantly better.
"Yeah…we'll find him next time for sure!"
"I thought for sure I would beat Erza this time!" Natsu whined from his place on the ground.
He was covered in bruises and scratches. All the guild members were cheering on Erza, and dishing out well-worded encouragements to Natsu.
"Agh!" he cried in anger. "I thought I had become stronger! And still-!"
Lucy put her hand on his head. "Ahahaha! When will you ever learn Erza's just scarier and stronger than the average person, Natsu? I bet even Master would have been scared in a fight with Erza."
Natsu thought about the blonde's comment for a moment.
He looked into his partner's face, and broke into a wide grin. "Ahaha! I guess you're right!"
(Somewhere in the crowd, Makarov sneezed.)
The warmth of Lucy's hand made him feel instantly better.
"Gray just pisses me off!" he snarled as he fished with Happy. He pumped his fists into the air. "I'll get that ice princess next time!"
Lucy sat next to him, watching as Happy drooled over various fishes that occasionally leapt out of the lake.
"Agh! He thinks he's so much better than me! I'll show that stripper! I'll show that Snow Cone! I'll show that-!"
The blonde put her hand on his head, and laughed. "Ahaha! Natsu, I think we all get it. You'll do much better next time, right?"
A shiver ran down his back the moment her hand came in contact with him. He felt instantly better.
"Yeah…" he said, smiling.
"I can't believe it! It's my fault Lisanna got hurt! It's because I wasn't looking after her properly, so she got hit!" Natsu cried in agony as he stared at his childhood friend being treated to.
"You should all just beat me up! Kick me out of the guild! Punch me! Beat me to a bloody pu-!"
"Natsu," Lucy said firmly, placing her hand on his head. "We won't EVER, EVER kick you out. Fairy Tail is all about its nakama. How could we ever do that?"
"Besides, no one is blaming you. And," the blonde smiled, "you're just going to go out there and beat up the person who did this to Lisanna aren't you?"
He felt instantly better after feeling his best friend's familiar hand. "Yeah…where is that bastard?!"
"Wendy! Wendy!" Natsu called down the deep pit that the young blue-haired Dragon Slayer had fallen into. "Oh Mavis! Oh Mavis! What do we do?! What do we do!? What do we-!?"
"Natsu!" Lucy cried, sliding her hand onto Natsu's head. "Calm down! We'll get her out of there, okay?! We can do this, right?!"
He felt instantly better.
"Yeah…we can!"
"I lost Romeo! I can't believe I lost him! Macao trusted me to look after him, and I lost him!" Natsu said miserably, collapsing to the snowy ground of the mountainside.
"Natsu, just calm down, okay?" Lucy said, crouching down next to him, and putting her hand on his head. He felt instantly better. "We'll find him. Don't worry. We'll find him. If you want to keep Macao's trust, we're going to go to any lengths to find him!"
He clenched his fists. "You're right, Luce. Let's go!"
"Achoo!...I'm sorry, Natsu, but I CAN'T go on a mission today. I've got a cold…" the blonde explained as her partner clambered into her apartment.
"Oh…are you feeling okay?"
"No," Lucy admitted. "I'm feeling horrible…miserable…ugh."
Natsu felt a wave of worry wash through him. What could make her feel better?
Oh!
He placed his hand on her head, and waited.
"How are you feeling now?" he asked, tilting his head.
"Uh…the same? Why?"
Natsu took his hand off her head, and stared at his palm. Huh?
She didn't feel better? If it had been him…he would have definitely felt better after Luce put her hand on HIS head.
He frowned. Maybe his hand didn't have enough magic like Luce's?
Maybe he had to do something more dramatic.
"Hey…Lucy…" he said, jumping onto her bed.
"What?" she asked, and then, "MMF!"
Natsu slammed his lips onto hers, unaware how wide the blonde's eyes had gotten.
He finally pulled away, and put his forehead to hers. "Huh? That's weird. You're still hot. And your whole face is red! That should have made you feel better, not worse!"
He scratched his head. "I better get Mira."
He turned to leave the apartment.
"Natsu," Lucy said, and grabbed his wrist. "I feel…a WHOLE lot better…but just to make sure…do it again?"
So...what do you think? Please review! I rarely write one-shots, but when I do...I find them very fun to write!