Noodles and Snow

In the country of Fiore, magic courses through the lands and the blood of its people. There are those who have learned to harness it form themselves and use it to strive for what they believe in. If their heart and will is as boundless as the sky then so is the power of their magic. Many of these mages choose to band together to form guilds where their special skills may be sought after by clients who are in need of some magic to sort through their troubles. Fairy Tail is one such guild where the bonds between nakama are exceptionally strong and their hearts are of legendary quality. Natsu Dragneel and Lucy Hartfilia are both Fairy Tail members.

"I don't understand why you can't just eat at your place like a regular person instead of breaking into my house," Lucy whined.

"Hey, I brought you some delicious ramen so don't complain," Natsu said through a mouth full of noodles.

"Fine, fine." The stellar spirit mage giggled at the sight of Natsu with a big clump of noodles dangling out of his mouth. "You look like a weird monster."

"Ohmmhrleh, hmms dis? Hmmmrr," the pink haired mage said incomprehensibly. He stooped over growling with fire shooting from his nostrils and clawed hands advancing toward Lucy's face. She squealed and scooted away getting rug burn on her back side because her skirt was a bit short. The shortened noodles splashed back into the giant bowl when Natsu bit them so he could have a laugh at Lucy.

"If we're gonna share the same bowl, you can't go slobbering all over the noodles like that, honestly!" She flicked a piece of noodle stuck to his face as a small form of revenge. She sighed and reclined back on her elbows. "So, Happy is visiting Charle again isn't he?"

"Mmm," Natsu confirmed through another mouthful.

"He's been leaving you alone a lot to see his girl."

Natsu downed his glass of water and set it on the table with a final thud, "That's alright, she makes him smile." The blond stole a side glance at her partner with a grin. She thought to herself how good he was despite some of his annoying habits. His goodness felt contagious because the way he put faith in his nakama made her want to be a better person. She would never tell him, but Lucy was secretly glad he was showing up in her apartment more often. The brake-ins were annoying and a blatant invasion of her privacy, but it was some how comforting as well.

The dragon slayer broke through her thoughts, "Look Luce, it's snowing!" They stepped outside to a different world. There was about a two inch blanket covering all surfaces and it was still unbroken because the night was late. Lucy marveled at the falling flakes and the way it glistened in the lamplight until her eyes fell on Natsu who was also appreciating the scene. She grinned maniacally, scooped up a ball, and threw it at the back of his head. He didn't react immediately.

". . . This means war." She ran away with a yelp as he scooped up his own ball. Virgo appeared of her own will to help Lucy make snowballs and ask for 'punishment'.

"Hey, no fair!" Natsu shouted.

"All's fair in war!" Lucy retorted as she barraged her partner with the snowballs Virgo had made in super high speed. They carried on like children, shouting at each other and throwing snow until Lucy couldn't stand the cold anymore. She slipped on ice and plopped into the snow with an "Oof!", teeth chattering. Virgo disappeared with a puff of smoke while her partner ran over to her when she didn't get up. "M-mmm-my f-fingers," the blond cradled her raw frozen fingers but Natsu took them in his own hands to warm them up. Damn fire eater never got cold.

"Come on," he pulled her up then held her from behind, pressing her hands to her stomach.

Lucy's cheeks flushed, and not from the cold, "W-what are you d-doing?"

"What does it look like?" he asked with his chin resting on her shoulder. "You know, you should really wear more cloths in the cold Luce." She was acutely aware of his body on hers and if she wasn't careful she could get too comfortable. It would be so easy to melt into him and make herself look like a fool. They stayed like that until her shivering subsided, which probably only took a minute but it felt so much longer. They finally went inside for a cup of tea.

"Lucy, your place is so nice and comfortable," the dragon slayer sighed while Lucy poured the tea.

"Yeah, it is. But I won't be staying here much longer if I don't come up with the money for rent very soon."

"Yus! That just means we need to pick out a job tomorrow! Right Luce?" Natsu proclaimed excitedly.

"Exactly . . . but no cities this time! I don't feel like getting in more trouble for severe property damage," Lucy said.

"Aw, but blowing stuff up is the best part." Natsu stretched and yawned widely so his sharp teeth were prominent, "I'm beat. Oi, Lucy! Can I sleep in your bed tonight?"

"Hell no!"