The first in a series of fluffy one shots that I decided to dump in one place. These are all here because they didn't particularly fit into any of my other stories, but I wrote them and I didn't want them to go to waste just sitting unread in my laptop.

So far the only couple in this is NaLu, but I may add more later if I think about it.

The main difference between these and my stand alone one shots is the length. These will generally be much shorter and family friendly.

Cinnamon

Description: Lucy takes a bath and discovers that she's leaning towards a new scent of candle. Could this mean anything?

"Clean Linens or Cinnamon?"

Lucy's lips pursed, her intense thoughts knitting her eyebrows in concentration. The two thick, fat candles she held in her delicate hands weighed almost as heavily on her mind as they did on her wrists. Scented candles were a favorite of Lucy's; they helped her to relax before she turned in for the night, but at the moment they were doing anything but helping her to relax. Her mind was contorted in a state of indecision; which scent did she want?

On a normal day, it would be a no-brainer. Something about the smell of clean linens on a summer day was so comforting to her, she loved the scent and had the box full of wax coated slightly blackened jars in her closet to prove it. However, with her hand on the cool glass surface of the light blue candle, another one caught her eye on the shelf. This one was deep red, and smelled of spice.

It had been a gift from her father, back when he'd hoped she would turn out to be an elegant, obedient Lady. Jude had been convinced that a candle was the perfect gift for an aspiring noble, and the colour 'suited her', although she had hated red at the time. Lucy rolled her eyes; her father wouldn't have put any thought at all into the scent, it was a coincidental flavour on an otherwise beautifully coloured stick of wax.

Now this beautifully coloured stick of wax was causing her more frustration than she cared to admit. For some reason she just couldn't put down the stupid cinnamon candle. It was never a scent she consciously acknowledged she liked, but she didn't particularly dislike it either. Tentatively she held the jar to her nose and inhaled deeply.

The candle was old, so the scent was faint, but it washed over her in a warm wave. It wasn't the same feeling she got when she used her normal candle, but it was different in a good way. It only served to anger her more.

She'd been standing there in front of her hall closet, in a towel, for more than ten minutes now and the cold air was biting at her bare legs, her bath water was steaming, and she needed to make a decision.

Angrily, she slammed the offensively light blue jar back on the shelf and snapped the door shut.

Striking a match, Lucy set the cinnamon candle on the sink, lit the dusted wick, and took a step back. The flame sputtered and flicked, struggling with a thin wisp of smoke before bursting to life, tall and strong against her bathroom mirror.

She stared at it a moment longer before a sigh overtook her and she finally gave up on trying to add logic to her decision. With a swift flick of her wrist, Lucy switched off the bathroom light and was plunged into a serene darkness, graced with a soft yellow light.

Baths like these had become a rarity in recent memory, what with her intrusive guild members. Lucy missed the luxury of complete privacy, but it was a small sacrifice to make for the wonderful friends she now had. One of those friends, the pink haired loud mouth that frequented her apartment at ungodly hours, was away on a mission and had been for over a week; it had been the quietest week Lucy had ever known.

Natsu would be back any day now, she knew, and this would likely be the last time she'd be able to bathe like this for a significant amount of time. She had every intention of savoring the moment.

Dropping the thick cotton towel, Lucy slipped into the deep, encompassing warmth of her bath. Bubbles surged around her, tickling her skin with their feathery touches. Letting her eyes drift closed, Lucy leaned her head against the cold porcelain of the tub and sunk into a state of bliss.

It wasn't long before she was met with the gentle prodding of the scent of cinnamon. The candle wax had melted enough that spiced tendrils of smoke were weaving their way throughout the room, waking her from her heat-induced trance.

Lucy scrunched her nose. She couldn't put her finger on why, but the scent was pulling at her memory, trying to bring something to the forefront of her mind. She was becoming worse than Natsu for remembering things.

A small smile graced her face as she thought of him.

While Natsu suffered from the inability to respect or even understand privacy and boundaries, he had proved to be a loyal friend and one that Lucy was fortunate to call hers. She loved spending time with Natsu- as well as the others- and was looking forward to the time when he would return.

There was a soft thump from her bedroom window and Lucy was sure it meant the pink haired dragon slayer had returned, but after a few minutes of silence it turned out she had misinterpreted. Most likely a twig or an animal inspecting her window pane.

Her entire bathroom now smelled of cinnamon, the tangy spice circling her in gentle waves. Lucy inhaled deeply, nearly coughing when she realised what the smell was reminding her of.

Natsu smelled like cinnamon.

Lucy blinked in the dim light. Yes, that was exactly it. Natsu always smelled of cinnamon after he bathed- perhaps it was some sort of soap or shampoo that he used- but the scent was subtle and comforting, and in Lucy's subconscious she'd desperately wanted to smell it again.

Had she really missed Natsu that much?

She thought for a moment, playing with the bubbles scattered across the surface of the water. Yes, she decided after a while, she had missed Natsu that much. It felt as though there was a small hole in her stomach, one that had only appeared after Natsu left.

Did that mean something?

Staring at the quivering flame of the cinnamon candle, Lucy couldn't help but feel as though it did mean something. Maybe something she should discuss with Natsu when he returned.

For now, Lucy would enjoy her bath, thinking about her fiery partner, and make plans to purchase more cinnamon candles the next time she was out.

Super short, like I said, but just some nice little fluff. Favorite, Follow, Review! (: