"Thank you, Laxus...I'll take care of him now," Lucy stated.
Laxus grunted, giving Natsu a warning glare as he stomped back to the guildhall, Gajeel meeting him at the front doors as he stalked away from the livid Gray on the other side of the clearing.
"I hate him," Natsu huffed as Lucy herded him to a picnic table on side of the guild property, "Stupid Ice Freak."
"You don't hate him," Lucy sighed, "He's your best friend. Things just went too far."
Natsu pulled away from her, gesturing to the right side of his body with his left hand. It was completely encased in ice from his shoulder down to his thigh, "Best friend? Like hell, Luce. Next time I see him, I'm going to -"
"You will not!" Lucy snapped, "We go through this everyday, Natsu. Tomorrow, you'll be tag-teaming against Gajeel like today never happened."
She glanced over to the picnic table on the other side of the property where Juvia was attending to Gray, likely having the same conversation. She could see Natsu's burn marks on Gray from here. Today's fight had definitely been a little worse than their average fights. There was no doubt about that. It had spiraled out of control within moments. One second, they were play-fighting...the next, Makarov had had to intervene with his giant fist. He sent them out opposite doors of the guild to 'chill out', Laxus and Gajeel elected as the bouncers. Natsu was literally chilling out. Gray would probably have to use his magic to control the burns that Natsu gave him. Currently, Juvia had a rain cloud over his head to soothe him.
Natsu smirked, interrupting her thoughts, "Yeah right. I don't care if I ever see Princess Popsicle again. Let's revert to the original Team Natsu...just you, me, and Happy."
"Let's worry about missions another day," Lucy suggested, "Right now, we need to thaw that ice. Can you use your magic to melt it?"
Natsu shook his head, his body shivering slightly as he concentrated. The ice began to drip, slowly.
"He used his Ice Devil Slayer magic. It's going to take awhile," Natsu seethed.
"Let's go to my apartment and see if we can speed up the process with my hair dryer," Lucy suggested.
Natsu caught Gray's eye across the clearing, the two of them shooting darts across the field. Juvia was pushing Gray toward his apartment, scolding him, but it wasn't audible to Lucy's ears. The way Natsu was snickering, she suspected his dragon slayer hearing had heard what Juvia was saying. She could see the snarl on Gray's face, and for a minute, she thought she'd have to call Laxus and Gajeel back.
"Let's go!" Lucy ordered, steering Natsu toward town before they could get into it again.
Natsu growled, but obeyed.
Part of her wanted to laugh as she noticed the trail of water that followed him as he walked, but she ran to walk beside him instead. There was no sense in fueling the fire.
"You're trailing water everywhere!" Lucy complained, grabbing a towel to kick across the floor as she followed Natsu to the bathroom.
"What do you want me to do about that?" Natsu snapped, "It's not like I can turn off the dripping!"
Lucy sighed, "Just get in the shower."
Natsu glanced down at this clothes, "I can't undress, Luce...half my clothes are frozen solid."
"Then don't undress! Just get in the shower and melt the ice block!" She pushed past him, turning the water on to a warm, almost hot setting, "Okay - the water is a good temperature. Get in there."
Natsu stared at the shower doors. Normally, he had no problem getting in Lucy's shower. He especially loved it when she was in there too...but the ice block was huge. Catching Lucy's impatient glare, he tried anyways, first attempting to put the frozen arm between the glass doors. He realized the ice block was too large...this wasn't going to work, so he backed out and tried backing the rest of his body inside first, the ice block wedging between the glass doors. The odd droplet hit the ice, causing heavy steam.
"I'm in!" he announced triumphantly.
"You're in," Lucy sighed, "but the ice block isn't. This isn't going to work."
"I could've told you that," Natsu hummed.
"Well, get back out here," she murmured, "We'll try something else."
"Small problem," Natsu grunted, trying to push his arm back out of the shower, "The ice stuck in the door."
Lucy face-palmed, "Seriously?"
"I'm not kidding, Luce...it's really stuck!"
Lucy assessed the width of the ice block, agreeing that it was completely wedged inside the glass doors...and Natsu was stuck on the inside.
"Maybe I should break it apart with a hammer," Lucy suggested.
"My arm is still inside of it," Natsu protested.
"Well, you'd feel it when the ice breaks, wouldn't you? You'd get out of the way in time!"
"Nope!" Natsu denied, "My entire side is numb now, Luce...this thing has been clinging to me for an hour!"
Lucy put her fingers to her chin, her eyebrows furrowing, "Well then, what if I used my whip? I could grab the ice and pry it off."
"Once again - arm is inside the ice!" Natsu stressed.
Lucy hummed to herself, thinking of other options, "What if Scorpio sandblasted the ice?"
"Sure...if you want a bathroom full of sand," Natsu mused, "What about having Taurus run into the ice? He's strong and it would shatter. He wouldn't have to use his ax."
"The glass doors would shatter too!" Lucy half-yelled, "Under no circumstances do we damage this bathroom! My landlady will charge me double the rent!"
"But -" Natsu protested.
"It's not happening!" Lucy shouted.
They both huffed out their frustration at the same time.
"Maybe Regulus -" Natsu started to say. He stopped mid-sentence, noting Lucy's glare.
They both went quiet, pondering their dilemma.
"It will melt eventually," Lucy said after a long silence, "I'll bring you meals."
"Luce!" Natsu cried out, "That's not funny!"
"Well, we could call Gray and ask him to reverse his spell!" Lucy ruminated.
"NO CHANCE IN HELL!"
Lucy's eyes lit up, "Then there is one option we forgot to consider!"
Natsu cringed, a little afraid of what would come out of her mouth next.
Lucy held a key in the air, "OPEN - GATE OF THE CANIS MINOR - PLUE!"
"Plue?" Natsu asked, dumbfounded.
The little dog appeared, his little tail wagging as he jumped into Lucy's arms.
"We're in a real bind here, Plue...do you think you could use your nose to peck the ice off Natsu?" Lucy asked him.
"Pun-pun!" Plue exclaimed, immediately jumping from her arms onto Natsu's ice block. He pecked furiously at the ice, small shards flying off in different directions.
Natsu heaved a gigantic sigh, "Luce...this is going to take forever."
"No, it won't!" Lucy declared, holding up her hair dryer, "Keep going, Plue! You're doing great!"
She plugged in the hair dryer, putting on max heat.
An hour and a half later, the last chunk of ice fell to the shower floor, shattering.
"Oh thank Mavis!" Natsu exclaimed, trying to flex his hand.
"What's wrong?" Lucy asked when he frowned. She dismissed Plue, thanking him for his hard work.
"My entire arm is numb," he told her.
"Well, now you can take a shower," she suggested, "The heat will help with that."
Natsu nodded, starting to shed his clothes.
"WAIT UNTIL I'M OUT OF THE BATHROOM!" she thundered, grabbing Plue.
She slammed the door behind her.
Natsu chuckled, wondering why it always amused him so much when he teased her. He stripped off his sopping wet clothes and lowered the temperature of the water.
"Hey Luce!" he called once he was clean, "Small problem here! My clothes are all wet!"
Lucy didn't answer. He could just turn off the water and use the towel she'd left for him, but where was the fun in that?
"LUCY! LUCY HEARTFILIA! CELESTIAL MAGE! LUCE! BUNNY GIRL! BLONDIE!"
"What do you want?" she yelled, opening the door.
Apparently, she'd forgotten he'd be naked. She stared, her eyes drifting down to his 'appendage', her mouth agape before closing the door hurriedly. He heard her cuss, then open the ďoor part way so that they could talk.
Natsu smirked. Not quite the reaction he'd anticipated, but close enough. Lucy's face was red.
"My clothes are wet," he stated, "I don't have anything to wear."
"Crap," Lucy muttered, "Okay. Use the towel I gave you. I'll throw your clothes in the washer. They're too wet to put straight into the dryer."
"Okay!" he grinned happily, turning off the shower. He grabbed the towel, wrapping it around his lower half with his good arm. The other arm was still quite numb and he couldn't grip properly, so the towel was quite loose around his midsection, "You can look now, Luce."
Lucy kept her eyes covered with one hand as she entered the bathroom to pick up his sopping clothes. She put them in the laundry basket, keeping her eyes cast downward as she realized she'd have to use both hands. She exited the bathroom quickly, heading straight for the washer.
"Hey Luce! All that strenuous ice-melting has made me hungry."
"Imagine that!" she hummed, "I can make you a sandwich. Just go sit on the couch."
She watched him head for the living room, his towel dipping dangerously low.
"Um...try not to move too much."
Moments later, she handed him a plate with a ham and cheese sandwich on it.
"You're the best, Luce," he grinned. He tried the grip the sandwich, realizing his hand was still numb.
"Now what's wrong?"
"I can't…"
He tried again, accidentally knocking half the sandwich off onto the couch. His eyes widened.
"Sorry!"
Lucy sighed, picking up the defragged sandwich, "There was must be something you can eat that's one-handed. I'll go see if I have an apple."
"You could feed me the other half of the sandwich," he suggested, "It would be a shame to let it go to waste."
Lucy stared at him, shaking her head. Something was different about Natsu today. She wasn't sure what it was. Clingy? No, that wasn't the word. Needy? That wasn't it either.
"Okay," she decided, sitting down beside him. The only way to find out what his game was -was to join in, "I'll feed you, Natsu."
She picked up the unscathed half of the sandwich and lifted it to his mouth, her mouth instinctively making the 'ahhhh' motion.
Natsu took a bite, beaming at her, "It's really good, Luce."
"Well, I hope half is enough because I don't have any more ingredients."
He took another bite, "Half is fine. We'll go out for breakfast. By then, I should be fine."
Lucy raised an eyebrow, "You're still numb?"
He poked his own forearm with the unfrozen hand, "Can't feel nothin'. Ice Prick got me good."
"I'm sure the sensation will come back on its own," she assured him.
"May I have a glass of water please?" he asked.
Lucy nodded, watching him out of the corner of her eye as she filled the glass from the pitcher in the fridge. He flexed the hand that was supposedly numb. He did have some movement there.
"You can sleep on the couch," she told him as she passed him the glass.
"It's so uncomfortable," he complained.
"Well, that's your option, so suck it up."
"An option is when you have more than one choice," he told her.
"Well then, it's the couch or nothing," she shot back, one hand on her hip.
He sighed, then swung his legs on the couch so that he could try to stretch out. That wasn't going to happen. It was a small couch and Natsu was too tall for it. He tried adjusting the pillow she threw at him behind his head, putting his feet up on the arm at the other end of the couch. The next thing she knew, he'd fallen flat on his face.
"I guess I'll sleep on the floor," he groaned.
Lucy was bewildered, "You've slept on that couch a million times! HOW did you just fall off it?"
"My side is still numb," he muttered into the carpet, "I can't feel the edge of the couch."
Lucy sighed, "Okay, fine. You can sleep in the bed."
Natsu was off the floor before she finished her sentence, heading straight for the bedroom, "Thanks, Luce! You're the best!"
She screamed, covering her eyes. Natsu chuckled, realizing his towel had fallen off his waist. He didn't bother going back for it, instead getting his ass into the bedroom before she changed her mind.
It occurred to her that he was about to sleep on her sheets...naked.
"NATSU!" she cried out, hurrying after him, "Let me find something for you to wear!"
He cocked an eyebrow, "What for? I always sleep naked at home."
"Well, you're not at home!" she insisted, heading to her closet. She made sure not to divert her eyes, her face as red as Red Happy. She found one of her nightshirts...one that stretched down to her feet. It was pink with a large teddy bear on it.
"I'm not wearing that," Natsu told her.
"Well, you're wearing something!" she insisted, digging further into her clothing.
A few minutes later, it dawned on Lucy that she should call Virgo and have her bring something from the Celestial World for him to wear.
Virgo appeared instantly, a small package in her hands, "Punishment, Princess?"
Her eyes glanced to the bed, "Ohh...maybe punishment for Master Natsu?"
"JUST GIVE ME THE CLOTHES!" Lucy yelled.
Virgo opened her mouth, probably to comment on the fact that Natsu was naked and in Lucy's bed. Lucy chucked a pillow, covering parts of his nakedness, then shut the gate before a sound could come out of her mouth.
"THANK you, Virgo - that'll be all!"
Virgo disappeared in a puff of smoke.
Lucy sat on the bed beside Natsu, resting her elbows on her knees, her face buried in her hands. His expression softened, his good hand reaching out to smooth the bangs out of her face.
"You okay, Luce?"
"Just exhausted," she murmured.
"I'm a pain in the ass, aren't I?"
She chuckled, "A little."
He paused, his face contorting slightly, "You would never leave me, would you, Luce?"
"Leave you?" she asked, turning to him.
"Like...join another team...or pick a new best friend or whatever?"
Lucy felt herself melt as she looked into his eyes. They were solemn and pleading. It was an expression she didn't see from him often.
She put her hand on his bicep, kneading his skin lightly, "I would never leave you, Natsu. You're my best friend and partner. Yes, you can be a pain in the ass, but we're a team. We help each other."
He nodded, contemplating her words.
"I told Dicksicle that," he murmured, "He said you're going to get tired of me one day and that you'd ditch me."
She paused, "Is that what your fight was about?"
He nodded again.
"Well, I won't leave you," she promised, "You're stuck with me."
"Thanks, Luce," he said softly. His gaze shifted to where she was still kneading his bicep, "That feels good."
"You can feel it?" she exclaimed, "Is your body thawing out?"
He pinched his own arm, then his torso, "Finally. It's about time. It helps when you massage the numb parts."
Lucy realized he was still naked, glancing down at the pajama bottoms Virgo had brought, "If you put these on, I'll massage you."
Natsu tried not to beam, taking the pants from her, "I might need help putting these on."
"Don't push your luck," she snapped, but her eyes were teasing as she exited the room long enough for him to put on the pants.
When she returned, he was lying on his stomach, his face buried in the pillow. His muscles were corded and she felt her heart quicken. Sitting on the bed beside him, she began to massage his frozen side, letting her fingers glide over his skin between movements.
"Why do you let Gray get to you like that?" she asked.
Natsu groaned in pleasure as her fingers dug deeper into his shoulder. The sensation of her hands on his skin was relaxing him. Lucy found herself enjoying the act of trying to massage his numb areas away, despite the fact that this was a new intimacy that they had never experienced together in all their years of friendship.
"He doesn't get to me," Natsu denied, "He just shoots his mouth off."
"And you react," Lucy told him, "Maybe look at what he says and what you know to be true and let his comments slide once in awhile. It would save you both a lot of time, pain, and heartache."
"Maybe," Natsu conceded.
Lucy's hands were venturing outside of the numb areas. She focused on his numb shoulder at first, feeling the knots inside. She worked at them arduously, then moved to the other shoulder.
"What if you meet someone one day?" he asked.
Lucy frowned, working her way down to his lower back. She pressed in with her palms, making Natsu gasp. The tension release was overtaking his whole body. He had never felt so relaxed.
"Natsu, where is all this coming from? You're being really weird."
She paused, watching his face twitch as he considered how to express his worry to her.
"Did Gray tell you I might leave you some day for another man?" Lucy guessed.
Natsu nodded.
She hesitated in answering, her hands stilling. The truth was, she'd always thought she'd get married someday. She hadn't considered that in order to do that, she would have to leave Natsu.
Natsu sat up before she could resume the massage, turning toward her. She couldn't read his expression. His bangs draped in his face, hiding his eyes. She felt her heart begin to pound as he buried his face in her breasts.
"Natsu…" she whispered, stroking his hair.
Normally she would kick him into next week for touching her so brazenly, but instead, she wrapped her arms around his shoulders, placing her forehead on the top of his head.
Natsu wrapped his arms around her waist, breathing in her scent.
She wasn't sure who moved first, but the next thing she knew, Natsu's lips were on hers. It was a soft kiss, both testing to see how the other would react. Her blood raced, making her light headed as he deepened the kiss, slowly lowering her to the bed.
His lips ghosted over her neck, Lucy arching it to give him better access. Her fingernails scratched his bare back as new sensations shot through her. His body weight felt surprisingly good...and natural. He moved back up to her lips, this time kissing her a little harder.
"I think I love you, Luce," he whispered next to her ear, his warm breath making her body tingle.
Lucy was stunned, completely shocked to silence.
"Marry me," he whispered, shaking his head instantly when he saw her about to protest, "Not now. Later. Neither of us are ready now."
Lucy gasped. She didn't know how else to react. This was sudden...and completely unexpected. She worried he took her reaction the wrong way as he rolled off her body, sitting on the edge of the bed. She sat up, swinging her legs over the bed so that she sat beside him.
"Do you know what you're asking me?" she asked after a long moment, her voice shaking slightly.
He nodded, "Yeah. It's not the first time it's crossed my mind. Ice Prick hit a nerve..because I've always been contented with the way things are. It never occurred to me that one day, you could fall in love with someone else. I'm afraid...afraid that you'll find someone better than me. Smarter. Less destructive. Less of a pain in the ass. You deserve someone like that."
The words were still registering in her head, swirling billows of emotion bombarding her. It broke her heart to see him so desolate, awaking a new emotion deep within...one that wanted to comfort him and protect him.
"I don't want someone like that," she whispered, placing her hand on his.
He glanced at her, hope lighting his eyes.
"It can only be you, you big dummy," Lucy grinned, hoping to wipe away his anxiety, "I just said I'd never leave you, didn't I?"
Natsu's mouth morph into a grin as he pounced on her, kissing her senseless.
Not even Gray's stupid ice could numb the feelings he had for the woman in his arms. Natsu would thank Gray one day for his big mouth and giving him the push he needed to get here, but for now he was happy to revel in all the sensations that was his love for Lucy.
A/N: OKAY I'M LATE! Nalu week is officially over and I still have this prompt, the next prompt, and bonus prompt to write. No excuses! No apologies!
Okay - here's my excuse. My boss is ill and needed to take a sudden medical leave. I have been contacting every patient and doctor in the lower half of BC, Canada to make sure they know she's away. I'm really sorry - I swear I'll finish the prompts!
Next up: Freedom/Chained. I've been working myself up to a lemon...seems like a good time for it, yes?
That said, thanks as always to the amazing Wordsaremyspells1331. I really don't know what I'd do without her. :D
Leave a comment! BLOW up the inbox! I love hearing your ideas!
(Wink)
~Shana~
