Day 1: Longing

Gold hair lay sprawled on the pillow beside him. Pale pink lips spotted with dried crimson patches were parted. The demon's sharp nails traced her jaw.

A pink-haired teenager tossed and turned in his hammock bed.

The woman's cheeks showed no colour, but rather they were ghostly white. His eyes moved down, a shimmery pale blue dress seemed to flow down her body, letting him admire her curves.

The teen continued fidgeting in his sleep.

Her hands were placed atop a gaping wound in her stomach, blood still seeping into the dress and bed sheets. Lucy's blank doe-brown eyes stared at the ceiling. He smiled sadistically.

She would be his forever.

The toothy grin went unseen in the night.

"LUCY!"

Natsu yelped as he tumbled onto the floor.

Panic gripped the dragon slayer's chest. His heart palpitated as he gasped for air. He needed to see her, desperately longed to touch her, breath in her scent, and hear her heart beating in her chest.

His feet carried him to her apartment, and he stood staring at the window.

A dark hallway filled with promises of evil.

The only light source was a single, small candle in her right hand. She started going forwards, but no end came in sight. She wandered through the corridors, turning and twisting but nothing changed.

There wasn't a single sound.

Natsu quietly jumped up to the window sill like a cat. His eyes closed as he took a deep breath, inhaling her scent of vanilla and strawberries. The fire mage dropped quietly into the bed, getting under the covers. He observed the face of the girl on the pillow next to him. Her eyes were squeezed shut, every muscle in her body tense.

It seemed like a hundred years had gone by before she came to a door. It was simple, but somehow menacing. It was a rich dark red, almost black, and it sent shivers down her spine. Blood seeped through the cracks, and she turned to walk away only to see the lonely black of the hallway.

Natsu's arms closed around her waist, pulling the blonde closer in a protective gesture, face to his warm chest. A sigh was heard, and Lucy unconsciously snuggled closer.

She retreated from the hallway, opened the blood door, and found a flame that was different than that of her candle. It felt comforting and cozy, and it pushed away the darkness.

Lucy dropped the candle and ran towards the light. As she reached it, the fire went out.

The darkness closed in, strangling her.

Lucy began taking small, sputtering breaths as if her throat was constricting. Natsu rubbed her back, trying to soothe her out of her dreams. She jolted awake, sitting up and hyperventilating, gathering as much oxygen as possible. A salmon-haired man slowly sat up beside her, rubbing her back.

"Luce?" he whispered.

Her big brown eyes turned to look into his onyx ones. A moment passed before the celestial mage launched herself at him, wrapping her arms around Natsu's neck and pushing him back on the bed. Natsu sighed when he felt tears in the crook of his neck.

"It's okay, it was only a dream."

"I missed you," she shakily whispered back.

She curled up against his chest, finding his hand and intertwining their fingers. Lucy hummed contentedly as she felt his calloused hand against her delicate one. Natsu didn't say anything; rather, he gently pressed his lips against her forehead. The two fell asleep in each other's arms, and this time they were welcomed by a gentle darkness that enveloped them like a warm blanket, shielding them from all harm.

Hoped you enjoyed this oneshot! I'll be updating my GrayLu fic soon, I'm kind of stuck at the moment though hehe.