AN: This is a request for millennial-star-gazer on tumblr. :)
"Sick Day"
Rated K.
Summary: Lucy's sick and Natsu takes it upon himself to nurse her back to health the best he can.
Sick Day
The first thing Natsu heard when he woke up were faint sniffles. Sitting straight up, he focused on the sounds, finding it was coming from the bathroom. Gently getting out of bed so as not to wake Happy, the boy tiptoed towards the bathroom, slowly turning the doorknob and peering inside to find Lucy sitting on the edge of the tub. Her golden locks were tied into a messy bun while a blanket was wrapped around her. Her nose was red, her eyes watery as she sniffled.
Natsu opened the door fully, stepping inside.
"What's wrong, Lucy?" he asked, his lips curled downwards into a concerned frown. He always hated seeing his girlfriend upset. "Why're you crying?"
Lucy looked up at him, cocking her head to the side. "What? I'm not crying?"
"You aren't?"
"No, I'm sick. It's just a cold, nothing too serious."
Natsu arched a brow. For someone with slobby behavior, he never got sick. He didn't know if colds were fatal or not, and he wasn't going to risk anything with Lucy.
"Do you want me to get Wendy?" he asked.
"No! It's just a cold, I don't want her to waste her energy on something small like this."
"Here, let's get you to bed then," Natsu said, taking her hand. He grabbed a roll of toilet paper as well. "For your nose."
"Ahh, thanks."
Natsu gently nudged Happy awake. Lucy was sick, so she needed the bed, and he didn't want Happy to get sick too.
"What time is it?" Happy asked, rubbing his tired eyes.
"Ehh, it's pretty early," Natsu answered. "Lucy's sick. How about you and I go sleep on the couch?"
Without bothering to reply, Happy flew to the couch and passed out in seconds. Natsu ushered Lucy into bed, waiting for her to get settled before taking the blanket and wrapping her up like a burrito. Then, he pulled a chair up so that he could be at her side. Brushing some of the strands of hair that were stuck to her face, he smiled at her.
"You're gonna be okay, Luce," he said.
"I know," Lucy replied, arching a brow. "It's just a cold. Do you know what a cold is?"
Natsu shrugged. "Sick is sick. And I'm gonna take care of you." His eyes brightened, an excited gleam glinting in his onyx orbs. "I'm gonna be your doctor!
"Oh boy, here we go," Lucy muttered. She knew better than anyone that once Natsu Dragneel set his mind to something, he was going to follow through. And even though a simple day's rest would've had her feeling better in no time, she knew that with him being this fired up about being her doctor only meant trouble.
"I'll go make you some soup!" Natsu exclaimed, rushing into the kitchen. Opening the pantry, he looked for cans of soup. "Lucy, where do you keep the soup?"
"We don't have any cans. You have to make it yourself. But I'll be fine, Natsu! I don't need any-!"
"Then I'll make it!"
From her spot on the bed, Lucy squeezed her eyes shut. "Please don't let him burn down the house, please don't let him burn down the house, please don't let him burn down the house!" Knowing that Natsu was a hazard in the kitchen, the girl tried to wriggle free from the blankets. To her chagrin, she was swaddled so tightly she couldn't escape. "It's no use. He's going to burn this whole place down… Again." At least she wasn't still living in her old apartment.
Meanwhile in the kitchen, Natsu rolled up his sleeves, an excited grin resting on his face. He never made soup before in his life, but he was going to make sure it was awesome. Grabbing the ingredients he thought he needed, he lined them up. Carrots, celery, chicken.
With a shrug, he began his efforts of making soup, cutting up the vegetables and throwing the chicken into the oven. It took a while for the chicken to cook, but he was actually really pleased with how it turned out. The smell drifted throughout the small cottage.
"Okay, now what do I do with all of this?" Natsu asked himself, cupping his chin in thought. He had the chicken and the vegetables, but where was the soup? Taking a pot, he filled it with water and put it on the stove. Once the water finished boiling, he poured some of it into a bowl for Lucy before throwing in the chicken and vegetables. "Finished!"
With an eager grin, Natsu approached Lucy at the bed.
"Ready for your soup, Luce?" he asked, practically bouncing in place.
"As ready as I'll ever be," the blonde replied. "I just hope I don't get food poisoning on top of this cold."
"Alright, then come get it!"
"Oh, I can't. You swaddled me so tightly, I can't get out."
Natsu chuckled, setting the bowl of soup on the nightstand before rubbing the back of his head. "Oops. Wanted to keep you warm." Grabbing a fistful of the blanket, he yanked on it with ease, pulling it off of her.
"Thanks," Lucy said, smiling at him. She sat up and accepted the bowl of… Well she wasn't sure what it was. Obviously, it was supposed to be soup. There was the chicken, the vegetables, but why was the soup so clear? Knowing that Natsu was watching her in anticipation, she scooped up some of its contents and brought it to her lips. She took a bite, her brows arching. "Natsu, is this water?"
"Yeah!" the boy replied, his grin growing. "How'd you know?"
"J-Just a hunch," Lucy replied. Instead of making a broth, he actually boiled water and put it into the bowl and called it soup.
"Well? Go on, Luce! Eat up so that you feel better!"
Lucy swallowed thickly. She'd honestly rather starve than take another bite. But, seeing Natsu's happy face, she pushed through.
Once finished, Lucy gratefully handed the empty bowl to Natsu, glad to be finished with his concoction. He went to put the bowl in the sink when he heard a knock at the door. Opening it, he found Gray and Erza standing outside.
"What're you guys doin' here?" he asked, arching a brow.
"That's what we were wondering about you guys," Gray replied going to shove his hands in his pockets before he realized he had somehow lost his pants along the way. "We were supposed to head out on a job but you guys never showed up."
"There had better be a good reason for that," Erza added, her features darkening as she glared at Natsu.
The boy held his hands up in surrender. "Oh! My bad, I totally forgot! Lucy's sick, so I've been takin' care of her."
"Sick?"
"Yeah, she's got a cold."
"And you're taking care of her?" Gray asked. "Poor thing is never going to recover now. Not with this idiot acting as her doctor."
"What'd you just say!?" Natsu shouted, glowering at him.
"You heard me. What? Wanna fight?"
"Hell yeah I wanna-!"
"Shut up," Erza interrupted, bashing their heads together like coconuts. "Lucy is sick. Quit your yelling and let's go check on her."
Natsu held his hand out, stopping them. "Nope. You guys aren't allowed to see her."
"The hell?" Gray asked. "Why not?"
"Because she's sick and I'm supposed to be the one to take care of her."
"Well I doubt you're doin' a good job so let us in already."
Natsu bashed Gray upside the head as the other boy took a step towards his cottage. "For your information, I just made some awesome soup for her that she loved. I got this. You would just make things worse, so go."
Gray rubbed the sore spot on his head, about to go in for a hit of his own when Erza grabbed his wrist.
"Alright," the redhead stated. "We'll be on our way then. Tell Lucy we said we hope she feels better soon."
"Will do." With that, Natsu closed the door, heading back to the bed. Approaching her, he found her peacefully asleep in bed, her mouth parted slightly as drool trickled out. She must not have been able to breathe through her nose with her cold.
Smiling, he sat at her bedside, watching her sleep. Despite being sick, she seemed so peaceful.
"Must've been the soup I made."
The next morning, Lucy's eyes blinked open as sunlight filtered through the cracks of the curtains. Sitting up in bed, she raised her arms above her head in a stretch. Glancing to her side, she found Natsu asleep while sitting in the same chair he'd been in yesterday.
A warm smile stretched across her face. He must've fallen asleep while taking care of her. Sure enough, her sniffles were gone, and she felt better than ever thanks to her slumber.
Hearing Lucy shuffling in bed, Natsu cracked a yawn before opening his eyes. Studying her, he found that her nose wasn't red like before and she wasn't sniffling anymore. She looked back to normal.
"How ya feeling?" he asked.
"Great," Lucy answered.
"Yosh! I nursed you back to full health! I didn't need Wendy after all!"
A giggle slipped past Lucy's lips as she nodded. Grabbing Natsu by the scarf, she pulled him closer and planted a kiss over his lips. "Thank you for taking care of me, Natsu."
The boy gave a lopsided grin, ruffling her hair.
"Anything for you, Luce."