"Today has been the longest day of my life," Natsu groans, sluggishly dragging his feet across the pavement.
"For you and me both." Lucy shuffles along with him with a worn out sigh.
The two have been awake since five in the morning, believing they'd be home by early afternoon. Neither of them were aware of how tedious the mission was going to be, but they soon understood as they find themselves lugging back home at ten at night.
Lucy only feels relief as they reach her apartment, her muscles begging her to sit down and rest. Natsu's muscles appear to be saying the same thing; he doesn't think twice to head towards her bed.
"So soft," he moans dreamily.
"How are you already asleep?" she asks with disbelief, being able to hear his faint snores after only one minute.
It's not unusual for Natsu to stay over at her home, so she doesn't mind sharing her bed with him too much. What she does mind is when he takes up all her space—which is what he's doing right now.
"You better have moved after my shower," Lucy mutters even though he can't hear her. It doesn't matter how exhausted her body is. She's in a desperate need for a shower.
Feeling brand new after her shower, she happily brushes her teeth and combs through her damp hair. This is definitely what she needed.
She exits the bathroom, finding Natsu in the exact position she last saw him in. Normally, she'd begin to feel annoyed since it's her bed, but this time, she isn't. It's obvious they've both had a rough day, and Natsu's half-open mouth is there to show it.
But even then, Lucy still wants to have at least some space. She attempts to gently push Natsu closer to the window. It's his favorite spot, after all. She frowns when he doesn't budge. He simply snores away, ignoring all her efforts.
"I guess we're sleeping extra close tonight," Lucy mumbles to herself after she eventually gives up.
Flipping off the lights, she waits for her eyes to adjust to the darkness before reluctantly sliding into her bed. Not even two seconds have passed when she feels Natsu's arm drape around her waist.
"You're awake?" she asks softly. "Sorry, I didn't mean to wake you up."
"Your hair smells so good, Luce," he sleepily whispers. "Is that watermelon?"
"Strawberry," she corrects him with a small smile.
"Sweet," he hums out, snuggling closer to her. His head seems to be a perfect fit for the crook of her neck. His warm, deep breaths tickle her neck, sending thrillful tremors down her spine.
As she previously thought, Lucy is used to this. Natsu says and does all sorts of things while he's half-awake, and his desire to touch her increases greatly. Though recently, Lucy has begun to wonder—if he can touch her, why can't she?
She starts gradually, slow enough that it'd be nearly impossible to feel. But as their ankles graze against each other, it's apparent what she is trying to do. Before she bails out of it, she tangles their ankles together.
Lucy feels heat creeping up at the back of her neck, certain that Natsu is able to feel her erratic pulse coming from her. There's even a chance he may be able to hear it, too. She's grateful that he isn't awake enough to see how flustered she is right now.
However, little does she know, Natsu has been watching this entire time.
"You know," he suddenly speaks up. "If you want to cuddle, just say so."
Lucy pauses before saying what she does next. "I want to cuddle."
"You got it."
Lucy isn't quite sure if the sudden wave of heat is due to her blazing cheeks or Natsu's abnormal body heat. Whatever it is, she's loving each and every second of it. With his secure arms now wrapped around her, she can't help but let out a sigh of comfort.
"You're warm," Natsu tells her while casually sliding under the edge of her shirt and placing his hand on her stomach. Her skin burns at his touch.
"So are you," she whispers.
"Your hair smells really good."
"You already said that."
"Yeah."
She smiles to herself in the darkness, being able to sense Natsu smiling back. In that moment, with the sound of a slight wind, Lucy doesn't want to be anywhere else.
But after a while, the snug position she is in starts to transform into a cramped one as she feels the urge to move. It isn't long until her arms have turned numb. The wind outside is starting to become stronger.
Lucy opens her mouth to tell Natsu that she needs to move or her arms just might fall off, but he beats her to it.
"Lucy, don't laugh, but my arms fell asleep."
"So did mine." She can't hold back her soft laugh. Natsu's chest vibrates as he chuckles with her.
"Do you want to move?" he offers.
"Yes, please," she responds immediately.
"Okay, we have three seconds to move into another position. Ready?"
"Ready."
"Go."
Natsu and Lucy pull apart from each other, searching for a new, comfortable position for them. During those three seconds, Lucy feels a painful jab to her chin.
"Natsu, your elbow!" she whispers frantically.
"I'm so sorry," he groans in embarrassment. Seeking for her chin, he takes a hold of her face and brushes his lips across the throbbing spot.
"You didn't need to do that," she mumbles with cheeks bright enough to be a nightlight.
"But did my kiss make it feel better?" he points out.
"Yes," she answers reluctantly after a few moments. She doesn't need to see his face to know that he's smirking at her.
"No need to thank me," he scoffs, shifting around on the bed. "How about another three seconds? I promise I won't hurt you this time."
"Okay, fine," she accepts. "Go."
Pulling away from each other once again, the two resume their search for a new position. Both of them are content as Lucy finds her back pressing against Natsu's chest, his arms around her waist.
"Better?" he asks.
"Much better," she replies. "I much rather have one elbow to the face than two."
"Sorry," he mutters as his lips skim across the tip of her ear.
Lucy hums in response, knowing that Natsu would prefer a different response. He squeezes her closer to express himself.
"It's okay," she assures him. "Anyway, let's go to sleep. We have another mission in the morning."
"Okay," he tells her before bringing her even closer.
With that, the two of them lie in a tranquil silence, being able to feel the faint beat of their hearts. Lucy is beginning to doze off when she hears his voice again.
"Goodnight, Lucy," he tells her softly.
"Goodnight," she says back.
And with those words, she drifts to a long-awaited sleep with the delicate sense of Natsu's lips sweeping across the nape of her neck.
Ahh, writing all this fluff is giving me a toothache. But I can't stop writing it... someone send help pls
Fun fact: I've been wanting to write a proper cuddling scene ever since I started writing and I never have until now LMAO. The wait was worth it though, I'm really happy how this turned out :-)
All of your reviews make me smile a lot, by the way! I love your reactions so much. It's so nice to be interacting with you all again. You guys all really mean a lot to me.
See you tomorrow with the next prompt: Festival!
