AU. This was written for no real rhyme or reason. I wasn't even sure if I should share it but hopefully some of you will enjoy it...?
Her heart pounded in her chest and the smell of antiseptic filled the air. She moved through the halls as fast as she could without actually running, heads turning in curiosity as she passed. In her mind she repeated the room number over and over.
187. 187. 187.
She stopped mid-step, her eyes catching on the room number plaque. A shaky breathe, a slow step towards the door, and her feet glued themselves there.
She counted to ten, an attempt to calm her nerves, before she reached for the handle and pushed the door open.
"Natsu." She breathed out when she saw him.
He was sitting on the hospital bed, a nurse wrapping gauze around his arm. Remnants of soot covered his face, his hair, his clothes. His entire torso was wrapped in bandage, along with most his right arm.
She began walking towards him and he looked up. His somber expression brightened slightly and she knew hers must be brimming with worry, as he gave her a small smile. The gesture didn't reach his eyes though and he winced as the nurse tightened the knot on his arm.
She closed the remaining space to reach his side, the nurse stepping out of the room now that she was finished.
"What happened?" Lucy asked, her eyes trained on the dressings that covered the burns on his back. "How did you..." Her voice trailed off, leaving the question hanging.
He was so reckless—it was the reason they met; he had done some crazy rescue in an office fire and she'd been the one to interview him afterwards—but even he knew his limits. And he had his gear should have protected him. Yet the burns covered his back and arms, his hair was even slightly singed. It was hard to see him like this.
"There was a kid still in the house, I gave my jacket to her when we got trapped." He answered after a moment. His voice was slightly raspy and she realized that on top of the burns, he must have inhaled some smoke too.
When she didn't say anything he spoke again. "Where's the camera man?" He asked, looking around her at the door.
"Huh?"
"You're here because of an interview...right?"
Lucy's brows came together. "N-no." She answered confused and then it clicked. Was that the only reason he thought she came to see him? For work? She felt like smacking him upside the head for thinking that but held back.
"Natsu." She sighed, gently taking his hand in hers instead. They both stared at their intertwined hands, she absentmindedly using her thumb to brush away soot from his knuckles. "I'm-I'm not here for work."
Natsu looked up at her but she didn't meet his eyes. She continued. "I heard you were injured and without thinking, I raced over here right away."
The room was silent for a length and then he spoke again. "Why?"
Her lips pursed together. He was going to make her say it. Say the reason why her heart fluttered around him, the reason she stayed up at night thinking about him, the reason his smile made her smile too. The reason she could barely breathe when she heard he had been hurt earlier.
Another stretching silence fell between them before her eyes traveled upward to meet his. She swallowed back her fear and hesitation.
"Because I care about you. So much." She confessed, her voice shaking at the last part.
Natsu sucked in a breath, and she realized he'd been holding it. Before she could react he leaned in the short distance between them that she hadn't even noticed had grown so small and kissed her.
It was soft, lasting only a few seconds and when he pulled away, his eyes met hers again. There was a hint of trepidation in them, like he was worried he made the wrong move. So she smiled at him and he visibly relaxed.
He grabbed her other hand and pulled her in front of him, where she rested her forehead against his. "That alone makes getting these burns worth it." He said softly, and Lucy opened her mouth to scold him for saying such a thing but when he looked up at her and laughed, she was distracted.
"W-what?"
"You have soot on your lips."
She blushed lightly, raising a hand to wipe it off as he grinned. When it was gone, she smiled back at him.
"So do you." She said, using her thumb to clean off the black smudge on his own lips. He murmured a thanks but her hand remained on his face, fingertips brushing the corner of his mouth. He sobered at her touch and she leaned in, intending to kiss him again when someone behind them cleared their throat.
Lucy's head whipped around while Natsu looked over her shoulder. The nurse had returned, her arms crossed.
"This is a hospital not a hotel, you know."
