wisp of heaven
notes: i don't know how much i like this...also i'm really bad at using themes, lol, as i'm sure you can tell. hey, i tried. it made sense in my head (at 2 am). anyway, i just thought it's been a while since i updated either collection (because i've been focusing on my nalu short story, Lost and Found, which is now COMPLETE WITH AN EPILOGUE YEEEAH). also, i'm gonna participate in ft angst week and ft fluff week even if it kills me (and my grades) so look forward to that! thanks and enjoy!
/lock and key
(also an imagineyourotp prompt from tumblr)
She'd never tell him but she thought they fit together like lock and key.
She first noticed that night she finally gave up on chasing him out of her bed. They went to sleep on opposite sides of the bed but woke up tangled in each other's arms, close as could be. She had blushed, hard, and wriggled to free herself, but then stopped when he groaned and shifted, not wanting to wake him. Since he was warm and comfy and she was still sleepy, she snuggled into him and fell asleep again.
Now, several months later, she was still awed by how well their bodies fit each other. The space between his chin and shoulder seemed like it was shaped for her head to slide in, the soft curves of her body slotting perfectly against the sharp slants of his, her arms looping around him at just the right crooks, her legs bent around his at just the right angles. he was the lock and she was the key that completed him.
It was fitting, wasn't it? For her to be the key? Given that her magic relied on keys.
She liked the analogy, anyway.
Still, just because their bodies were made for each other didn't mean she didn't want some nights to herself. She never got any writing done when he was around because he was too energetic and troublesome. So when he decided one day to go on a mission with Happy, she politely declined because she didn't need rent and she really wanted to get another chapter of her novel done.
"But Luuuuuuce!" Natsu whined, latching onto her arm pitifully. "Didn't you say it's more fun when we're together?"
Lucy blushed. "I-I-I - I did, but I haven't finished a chapter in months! You know how much Levy is looking forward to reading my novel so I really need to finish it as soon as I can!"
"But-but-but rent!" Happy cried, also not wanting to leave without Lucy.
"I've got it covered for the next month, thanks to the last mission where you only ended up wiping out half the town," she explained, rolling her eyes. "Besides, I think we spend too much time together. Don't you two need any time to yourselves?"
Natsu and Happy exchanged looks and shrugged. "Nope!"
She sighed. "Well...alright, I guess I can come..."
"Nah, it's okay, Luce, I don't wanna force ya." Natsu shook his head. "Should be an easy one anyway so we'll get it done and be back in time for bed." He beamed.
She gave him a look of exasperation. "You guys have your own house, you know? Don't you like sleeping in your own home?"
"Home is where you are, Luce!" Natsu cheered, looking to Happy for affirmation and completely missing Lucy's burning cheeks. "Right, Happy?"
"Well, aside from somewhere with fish, then yeah, I guess," Happy nodded.
"Oh, just hurry and go already! Get it done quick so I don't worry!" Lucy said as she pushed Natsu out of the guild. "I'll see you tonight!"
They waved and ran off and she grinned, eager to get home and get writing.
It was a productive day. She managed to get not one, but one and a half chapters drafted. Patting herself on the back, she noted how late it was and decided to shower and sleep.
I wonder where Natsu and Happy are? she thought as she brushed her teeth. Are they back yet?
She clambered into bed and pulled out a book to keep her company while she waited for her best friends to return home. The time passed quickly as she lost herself in the adventure of the book, but soon she was flipping the last page and it was well past midnight and both Natsu and Happy had yet to appear.
"Where are they?" she muttered to herself, frowning with worry. Hesitating, she checked the time and found that she really should sleep and so, forcing away her troubled thoughts, she turned out the light and burrowed under her covers after making sure the window was unlocked.
It was surprisingly difficult to fall asleep, despite how tired she felt. Not only was she worried to death about her partners, but the warmth of her bed just wasn't warm enough; it felt foreign, since she hadn't slept alone since the first week she came to Magnolia.
"Natsu, Happy, where the hell are you?"
Eventually she fell into a very fitful sleep and woke up feeling even more exhausted than the previous night. Natsu and Happy were nowhere to be found.
Worried beyond belief and a little angry - after all, Natsu had said they'd be back for bedtime! - she got ready to go to the guild. When she arrived, she immediately began to look for pink and blue, shoulders slumping over when they weren't there.
"Looking for Natsu and Happy?"
Lucy looked up at Mira as she approached the bar and nodded with a heavy sigh. "They left in the morning yesterday for a pretty easy job and told me they'd be back in time for bed."
"Hm. I haven't seen them." Mira frowned. "I hope they're alright. Why aren't you with them?"
Lucy explained what had happened and Mira nodded. "But now I feel like I should've just gone with them so I would at least know if they're safe or not! Ugh, those two, making me worry so much! I won't let them in my apartment for a month!"
"An entire month?" Mira raised her eyebrows with a sly little smile. "Don't you think that's rather harsh? You don't know what complications the may have run into during their mission."
"Yeah, complications, like accidentally destroying every town they walk through," Lucy muttered, laying her head down on her arms.
Suddenly, the doors burst open and there stood a proud Natsu, with Happy perched on his shoulder. "We have returned!" His eyes immediately found her and he ran over with a grin. "Luce! We missed ya! Didja miss us?"
Lucy got up and ran towards them but stopped and looked them over with disgust. They were both covered in soot, leaves in Natsu's hair and Happy's fur. There were rips in Natsu's clothes and Happy was suspiciously missing several small patches of blue. "Well, I was going to hug you but no. Where the hell were you guys? You're late!"
Natsu ducked his head. "Sorry, Luce. We tried to rush back, we really did, but we ran into these weird monster things that just wouldn't leave us alone! And then we accidentally blew up a village so we had to run away from their local authorities and then - "
Lucy had interrupted them with a hand. "Look, you can tell me everything later. Right now, I'm too tired to care and you know what? It's all your fault!"
He looked bewildered, as did everyone else in the guild (because obviously they were all eavesdropping). "Wha - me? I wasn't even here!"
"Exactly!" she snapped. "Do you know I haven't had such a crappy night of sleep since I got here? I feel like I was run over by a train and then punched in the face by Erza."
Somewhere in the guild, Erza gasped. "Lucy, I would never - !"
Lucy ignored her. "I waited up for you! Do you know what time it was when I finally decided to just sleep and hope you were back when I woke up? DO. YOU. KNOW?" She punctuated each word with a sharp poke of her finger into his chest.
He winced and rubbed the injured spot. "Ow, Luce, no I don't know!"
"NO, YOU DON'T!" she shouted. "YOU DON'T BECAUSE YOU WEREN'T THERE AND I WAS SO WORRIED AND I REGRETTED NOT GOING WITH YOU BECAUSE I DIDN'T KNOW IF YOU WERE SAFE OR NOT EVEN THOUGH I KNOW YOU'RE PERFECTLY CAPABLE OF PROTECTING YOURSELF BUT WHO KNOWS WHAT TROUBLE YOU MIGHT HAVE GOTTEN INTO AND WHY WEREN'T YOU THERE IT WAS COLD, DAMMIT!"
She huffed angrily, speech over, and glared at her dirty partner. Natsu scratched his head sheepishly. "Uh. Sorry?"
"YOU, YOU BETTER BE SORRY!" she roared, making everyone flinch. "NOW GO CLEAN UP AND MEET ME AT MY APARTMENT IN THIRTY MINUTES, NO MORE, NO LESS! I'M TIRED AND WE'RE GOING TO SLEEP!"
"Yes, ma'am!" he squeaked, spun on his heel, and ran away, Happy following closely behind.
Lucy exhaled deeply and collapsed into a stool at the bar, groaning. The guild was silent for a long while.
Then Mira leaned over the counter and asked, "So you can't sleep without Natsu anymore?"
© Copyright 2015 by The Siege
