A/N: Hello to all! This is the first story I am publishing here, so I found it fitting to start off with a bunch of NaLu fics! These will all be oneshots, and I will try my darndest to make them short, although that never really works out well for me. Anyway, I hope you all enjoy!
The world around her spun, and for a moment, Lucy questioned whether or not she could make it home in this condition.
Every step felt like a small portion of eternity clasped on to her tired feet; such a raw and heavy form of fatigue, weighing down on her even further with each second that passed. Her breathing was shallow and uneven, her heartbeat quickened, her pace jagged. Her lungs burned as she struggled to trek forward, pushing past her weakness and her deprivation to finally reach that thing which she craved most: a bath.
"Natsu?" She finally managed to breathe, though her voice was barely a whisper, to the one just out of reach a few feet ahead of her. Her call was quiet, but the rose-haired boy's heightened senses clearly picked out her hoarse voice from the surrounding sounds.
He cast a quick glance over his shoulder and replied, "What is it, Luce?" His tone was as bubbly and innocent as ever, and Lucy wondered how he could be keeping such composure after everything the two had been through that day.
"Are we almost there?" She asked, whimpering. "My feet hurt." She stumbled over her own heeled boots a moment after she said this, and growled.
"The town's just up ahead, so quit your whining!" The dragonslayer replied, followed by a murmur of agreement from Happy. The blue exceed sat comfortably on his companion's shoulder, his long tail swirling as he enjoyed a plump fish. Lucy scowled as her eyes fell upon him, seated so leisurely and effortlessly...
After a few more moments of strained silence with Lucy's groans of discomfort echoing all about, the drained girl moaned, "Are we theeerreee yeeeet?"
Natsu exclaimed, "Come on, Lucy! How many times are you going to ask me that?" The girl replied with a pained cry of anguish as she stumbled again.
"How are you so messed up, anyway? Natsu did a ton more work than you." Happy chimed in, looking over his shoulder at Lucy. She growled again.
"You have no idea how much magic power it takes to summon not just one celestial spirit, but six! Not to mention the fact that all of them were my most powerful Zodiacs!" She began, absentmindedly lifting a hand to the pouch that held her keys safely on to her belt. "I'm whooped! My magic power is almost completely gone!"
"Yeah, but Natsu still did more." Happy mumbled under his breath, instantly regretting it as he felt Lucy's chocolate eyes burn into him from behind.
"Shut it, cat! I'd like to see you fight a godslayer!" She snapped.
Happy was then silent.
That day, the three had left on a job that had evidently proven to be more challenging than they'd thought. Their task was to eliminate a young and poorly trained water godslayer wizard who found destruction to be his main strongsuit. He'd been wreaking havoc on all of the smaller towns in Hargeon city, flooding them with his dark rain and ransacking them when he was finished.
Natsu, Lucy, and Happy all managed to stop him without taking any serious injuries, though the fight did last quite longer than they'd expected. The boy was wild and not easy to persuade, and it took a lot of magic power from the partners to evaporate his own. Lucy called upon Aquarius, Leo, Virgo, Taurus, Capricorn, and Aries for aid, each proving to do little against an opponent such as this, while Natsu was forced to activate his lightning-flame dragon mode.
When they had at last finished the job, the boy was restrained and carried off to the Magic Council Branch via wagon, where Lucy guessed that he would be imprisoned for his crimes. The three were celebrated by the neighboring towns who had previously suffered the wild boy's attacks, granted their reward, and then finally set off to walk to the nearest train station.
As Lucy dragged her feet across the ground weakly, images of the tiresome battle began to flash through her mind, thus distracting her from the throbbing pain in her body for the moment.
She remembered the look in the boy's furious eyes the first time she gazed upon them; angry, confused, and determined. They shone with an immense longing for something—could it have been belonging? Understanding? Perhaps, or maybe it was something deeper than that. Perhaps he had lost a family member, and felt empty without them. Perhaps he had never met his family, and longed to see them so fervently that it drove him to destruction.
Lucy didn't know, and the strain of pondering it made her tired mind feel no better, but she had a hope, deep within her heart, that the boy would be helped somehow; that the wildness in his brazen eyes would go away someday.
As the girl lifted her foot to embark on another step, it was suddenly tangled in with the other, and Lucy's sore body went crashing down to the plump grass before she could stop herself. She landed squarely on her face with a loud thump, her keys jingling as they followed, and the blonde felt her entire self go numb as she lay there.
"Oowww...!" She grumbled, irritated and yet too exhausted to push herself up. Instead, she rolled on to her back with a heave and inhaled deeply, trying to make the throbbing of her muscles go away.
That fight really did a number on me. She said to herself, letting her eyes flutter briefly shut.
The soft swish, swish, swish of Natsu's feet hitting the ground stopped for a moment, and Lucy could just make out Happy snickering at her in the distance. She had half a mind to jump up then, to pounce on him and dangle him by his tail and really let him have it, but she could not. It felt so good—too good—to lay limply on the ground as she was then that nothing else seemed better. Even a bath.
"Hold this, Happy." She heard Natsu say quietly, and then the swish, swish, swish picked up again, getting louder and louder each time. Lucy wanted to open her eyes and look, but they remained shut despite her effort.
"We'll never make it back to Magnolia if ya can't even walk right." She heard him say enthusiastically, his tone much louder now than before.
And suddenly, the itchy, thick grass beneath the girl's body was no more.
She felt a warm sensation on her back in its place—no, make that two warm sensations—that seemed to raise her up into the air and envelop her in their comforting heat.
Surprised, Lucy's eyes shot open, and were instantly met with two sharp pools of onyx and a bright smile. For a moment, she was taken aback; she didn't know what to make of the situation, but as it set in, she felt her heart speed up in her chest, pounding so hard against her ribs that it felt like she was being punched. She choked on the air that she brought in, letting it out slowly and shakily as her mind raced. Her body almost trembled, despite the security that she felt being trapped in Natsu's strong arms. His smile made her heart melt, his determined eyes sending shivers down her spine. Every thought that had once occupied her brain had dissipated; evaporating into the deepest depths of her soul where they wouldn't be resurfaced for a long while.
With Lucy still numb and gaping up at her pink-haired companion, the swish, swish, swish started up yet again, and the two were then moving through the forest as one.
Time seemed to fall still as Lucy sank into the moment the two shared, her cheeks pulsing with her own heated blood, making them feel like they were on fire. She had trouble telling whether or not she was sweating because of Natsu's natural body heat or her own nerves—though Natsu being so warm and cozy to the touch definitely wasn't helping matters in the slightest.
But as time went on, all of Lucy's worries managed to slip away, along with her aches and soreness. After a while, the girl had completely given in to his soft skin and strong embrace, and she gratefully nuzzled her head into his chest and closed her eyes. Her breathing slowed and her body stilled, and after a while, Lucy had fallen victim to the greedy clutches of rest.
Her chest rose and fell slowly, steadily, her breathing level and soft. She looked up at Natsu, her round eyes gradually fluttering closed, the surprise that had made the chocolate irises shimmer now null. Her cream-colored body was still and light, and her ruffled blonde pigtails dangled down to the grass beneath them. Natsu stared down upon the small girl in his arms, watching her breathe thorough breaths in and out, admiring the rosy tint to her cheeks.
Lucy mumbled something in her sleep, producing a quiet, soft sound that sounded more like a drawn out sigh, and Natsu couldn't help the smile that quirked at the corners of his mouth.
He himself could feel his body rising in temperature, for a reason unbeknownst to him at the time, and he noticed that his heart seemed to thud against his ribs even more violently than usual. The feeling reminded him of the sensation of entering battle—the adrenaline, the rush of excitement, the unquenchable thirst to plant his fist square into his opponent's jaw. Though he recognized that misplaced excitement, the awkward giddiness and the speedy heartbeat, he knew perfectly well that he was not engaged in combat with anyone... so why was his body reacting this way?
"Ooh~!" He heard Happy coo from behind him. "They're in lOooOve~!" The blue cat was suddenly airborne beside Natsu, his hands over his mouth and his round eyes displaying worlds of intent. Natsu felt his ears get hot, but remained silent, averting his eyes to the terrain ahead of him instead. He mumbled something under his breath that the blue companion could not hear.
Lucy shifted in his arms, letting out another little mumble sound, and the fire dragonslayer sighed to himself. If only I'd pounded that brat a little sooner, he thought regrettably, then you wouldn't be so tired and weak all of the sudden.
Lucy's plump lips curved up at the edges and formed a sweet little smile, and she nuzzled herself even deeper into her companion's warmth, mumbling something again. The dragonslayer grunted in return as sweat began to trickle down the back of his neck.
With that, he once again brought his eyes back to the path in front of him, and focused his mind on his surroundings. Tilting his head up, he strained his nose to catch any whiff of a rustle in the wind, scanning its current for signs and scents of people in the distance. Sure, he had been the one to get them lost in the first place, but this was mere child's play compared to the severity of many jobs he had been on in the past. Natsu always managed to get himself out of trouble. He was sure that would find a way to get them out of that forest in one piece.
The only task at hand now was figuring out how.
"HEYY EVERYBODAYYY!" The fire dragonslayer screamed as he burst through the grand doors of the guild hall. All eyes landed on him instantly, and his greeting was responded to with various cheers from his companions.
"Welcome back, Natsu! How did the job go?" He caught Mirajane's voice through the crowd of bustling, half-drunk, half-hungover young adults, and shot his head in her direction.
"It was totally awesome! We finally got to kick brat godslayer butt!" Natsu replied, earning an earnest "Aye, sir!" from Happy. Mira's face lit up as she smiled, emitting a small giggle through her pursed lips.
"Where's Lucy?" Suddenly, Erza was beside him, a firm, armored hand on his shoulder. The pink-haired wizard shuddered, having been startled by her sudden appearance next to him.
"She passed out on the way back, so I carried her back to her apartment. She's probably asleep in there right now." He replied, and Erza nodded before she dropped her hand.
"That's what Natsu says, but he really just wanted to hold her~!" Happy chimed in from behind, earning a squeal from the ivory-haired she-devil and an eruption of cheers from his guildmates. Natsu's ears felt hot as Gray walked up and playfully punched him in the shoulder, his eyes portraying all that he was thinking very clearly, and then made his way out the doors to the hall, presumably out for another of his long walks. Juvia followed closely behind, trying desperately to keep herself hidden in his shadow.
"That's not true!" Natsu countered, his cheeks fading into a dark shade of pink similar to that of his own hair. "She was holding us back, so I carried her! That's all there is to it!" Before anyone else could make any comments about what happened, Natsu flung himself into a barstool and leaned over the table to ask Mira, "Oi! Ya got any of that delicious homecooked soup for dinner?"
The wizard appeared in an instant, replying, "Sure! I'll fix some right up for ya!"
Natsu waited silently, though not quite patiently, for his meal; it was the meal he had been looking desperately forward to all day. Everyone in Fairy Tail knew that Mira's homecooked soup could tame the wildest of beasts and lighten the darkest of people. Just thinking about it's swirling steam and intoxicating aroma made the dragonslayer's mouth water and his stomach twist.
The sky had grown into a fading canvas of gray and orange whilst he sat there, the sun sinking down behind the tall, stone buildings of Magnolia as it retired to the darkness to rest for the night. Natsu could smell the soup coming from behind the walls of the kitchen, and as he sat chewing his nails in anticipation, his mind trailed back to Lucy.
He wondered if she was sleeping well over in her soft bed, if she was having sweet dreams while she regenerated her strength. The rose-haired dragonslayer, deep down, really missed having Lucy around to annoy. A little piece of Fairy Tail was missing without her, and the thought made him restless inside.
But then Mira appeared from behind the kitchen door with one bowl of soup in each hand, and all of Natsu's worries went away as the smell enveloped him and his stomach took control.
Lucy's eyes burst open, her chest exploding in one large inhale and her fists clenching hold to her damp bedsheets.
She lay there for a moment, trying to adjust herself to this sudden dark atmosphere. Her heart pounded with such vigor and distress that she could feel it in her toes. Mind racing to catch up with it, Lucy blinked a few times, then gingerly pushed herself up into a sitting position.
All she could make out around her were dark silhouettes of her bedroom, outlined in a layer of white against the glow of the moon through her foggy windows. Beneath her, the mattress was moist—very moist—and when she lifted a shaky hand to her forehead, she realized with surprise that it was her own perspiration.
With a hefty sigh, the girl swung her legs over the side of the now uncomfortable bed and stood, wobbling. "That was some dream." She mumbled to herself.
She vaguely recalled some parts of the dream she'd had before waking up, and they still shook her as she pressed her mind to find them. Images flashed through her mind as she slowly made her way downstairs through the blanket of darkness, and Lucy whimpered.
She saw Natsu, laying motionless on the ground, his body bruised and bloodied and his eyes swollen shut. She saw herself kneeling beside his still form, tears falling from her eyes onto his own tan skin, her hands gripping tightly to his arm. "Wake up!" She had cried. "Please!" But he stayed still.
Quickly, she shook her head, her feet at last landing on the hard, cold wood of the downstairs floor. In that moment, she was thankful that she knew her apartment well enough to not trip down the stairs—anything to distract herself from her mind.
From there, she went to the kitchen, where she grabbed a glass from a cupboard and blindly filled it with water. She then pushed herself up to sit on the counter, leaned her head back, and let the icy liquid slip down her throat with ease.
The cup was empty in less time than she'd expected, and Lucy, now cleansed, felt like she should try to go back to sleep. Her initial thought was to flick some lights on and write for a bit to calm herself down, but she really did want to get some rest for the day ahead. So that's what she decided she would do.
Lucy placed the cup into the sink to deal with later and then made her way back upstairs, waiting silently as the dream began to dissipate in her mind. That would never happen. Could never happen. She told herself. Dying's just not his style.
The last fragments of the dream were gone, pushed away in light of her consciousness. Lucy opened the bedroom door that she had shut, willing her mind to prepare itself to sleep once more.
Instantly when she stepped foot into the room, she caught sight of a figure seated silently on her windowsill, the glass panes behind it hanging open.
She screamed.
"Hey, hey, hey, Lucy! It's me!" The shadow was up in an instant, its toned arms held up in submission. "It's Natsu!"
As quickly as it had come, Lucy's panic sunk back down into its depths and disappeared. A sting of irritation pricked at her insides as the figure lowered one arm, scratching its head of frazzled hair with the other. The blonde wizard could practically see his dorky smile through the darkness that surrounded the two of them, and she thought about smirking, but held back.
"Natsu!" She snapped. "How many times have I told you not to break into my house in the middle of the night?!" Her voice was angered, exasperated, and demanding.
"Sorry, jeesh!" Natsu said, letting his arm flop down to his side.
This happened every night. Lucy would be asleep, but would suddenly awaken when she felt a warm presence slip under the bedsheets and crawl up next to her. It never took her long to discover that it was none other than her own partner. Each time, she would either slap him, yell at him, or just shove him off of her bed in desperation, and yet each time, he would proceed to argue with her and complain that his bed wasn't comfortable enough for him to sleep in.
Although this was a constant, there were the rare times where Lucy slept through his intrusion, and would only wake up the next morning to find herself entangled in his searing embrace. Sometimes, she'd asked herself why she couldn't get used to it and enjoy it. After all, it wasn't entirely unenjoyable, but it was just the awkwardness of the situation and particularly who it was with that made her extremely uncomfortable. It was because his heavy breathing made her heartbeat quicken, and the way he pressed his warm body up against her own left her flustered and confused underneath him. It was because her mixed emotions drove her mind crazy, with her desperately wanting him off of her and yet never wanting him to leave at the same time.
"What are you doing up this late?" Natsu asked, breaking Lucy free from her bustling mind and racing heart. "I thought you'd be asleep." Underneath the goofiness and cluelessness, however, Lucy sensed that the dragonslayer's voice was tinged with worry.
"Well, I was, but I—" She suddenly stopped herself, wondering if telling Natsu about her nightmare would be a good idea or not. After all, it was he himself that she had dreamt of, and the thought of admitting that made her stomach flutter. "I woke up out of nowhere and then couldn't get back to sleep, so I went to get some water downstairs."
Natsu's face slowly began materializing before Lucy as her eyes finally started adjusting to the darkness of the night that sat like a cage around the world. She could see that his dark eyes were wide and bright and his smile was genuine.
The two of them stood there for a moment, their eyes locked, the tension between them thick, until Natsu finally stated, "Well, I just came by to check and see if you were okay." He hesitated for a moment before asking, "You... are okay, right?"
Lucy giggled, her heart seemingly bursting with happiness in her chest. He came to check on me. She was so elated at the thought that she almost forgot to answer him.
With a giggle, she replied, "Yes, I am."
She caught a shimmer in her companion's smile, which she returned happily before stepping forward. "Now, if you don't mind, I really need to get back to sleep." A smile still plastered across her face, Lucy ducked her head and maneuvered her way over to her bed, pulling the sheets back and beginning to lay down.
When she sat on it, however, she realized that the mattress was still fairly damp from her episode before she'd woken up. It smelled of her sweat, and when she ran a weary hand across it, she realized that it was even worse than she'd originally thought. It felt like someone had dumped a bowl of hot water onto her bed.
With a sigh, Lucy decided that the only other option was to sleep above it; she pulled all the sheets and blankets up to her pillows, and then laid down atop them with a huff. She rested on her side, her head resting on her bent elbow and her knees tucked up to her chest. She was suddenly angry at herself for wearing only her booty shorts and a loose tank top that night. The cold air swam across her smooth skin like waves on sand, swishing this was and that relentlessly. Lucy instantly began shivering as soon as she stilled, but figured there was nothing she could do about it now since she was too exhausted to get up and change again... not to mention the fact that Natsu was still watching her.
Ah, Natsu was still watching her. Lucy suddenly realized with a start that he hadn't moved since she last spoke. She cracked one eye to try and look up at him, asking, "Are ya gonna leave or what?" There was an edge to her tone that she hadn't intended, and she cringed at how demanding she sounded in that moment.
Suddenly, there was a rustle behind her, but before Lucy could roll to investigate, she was met with a soft blanket of warmth that had slithered its way around her. She gasped, alarmed at the sudden movements. "Natsu?!" She cried, her heart quickening its pace as her mind struggled to find a way to play this off coolly.
But the dragonslayer merely said, "Naw. I can't leave."
Lucy laid there for a few long moments, silent, unmoving, as she barely managed to register the situation. Natsu's grip on her tightened as he utilized the arm he had slung over her small body to pull her closer to him, and Lucy's breath caught as his body heat once again pulsed throughout her form.
"W-why not?" Lucy asked, her voice hushed to barely that of a mere whisper.
She felt Natsu's hot breath on her neck as he chuckled. "'Cause you'd get cold without me."
The blonde wizard laid still, her body tense, wondering what to say, if anything at all. Such a statement as what her partner had just said had left her completely and utterly breathless; she felt at a loss of her ability to do anything.
Slowly, she rolled on to her side so that she and Natsu faced eachother, him looking down on her with sweet, fiery eyes, while she stared up into them, flustered.
Then he smiled at her, a notion that set every inch of her on dancing fire, and Lucy stared up at him, waiting for it. Waiting for that moment which would set her free forever.
Gingerly, the wizard craned his neck and leaned his head down, brushing the tip of his nose against hers before he pressed their lips together.
His bicep kept her trapped firmly against him as their tongues danced together, his hand resting neatly on her hair. Natsu's rose-colored bangs brushed against her forehead as they nestled against eachother, and when he stroked the sides of her body and sighed against her soft lips, Lucy was lost.