A/N: Come on baby get serious! Yeah hay!
Disclaimer: Fairy Tail belongs to Hiro Mashima.
Chapter 10: Let's play hide and seek
Lucy felt horrible. Absolutely and utterly horrible...
A moan escaped her lips as she glared at her reflection in the mirror. She looked horrible too... there were small bags underneath her eyes, because she had cried for what felt like a small eternity, until she eventually fell asleep. But for some reason her mixed feelings seemed to haunt her dreams, leaving her with a weird and unpleasant feeling rummaging through her body.
Her stomach leaped unpleasantly when she thought about her outburst... Lucy wasn't sure why she reacted the way she did. Well yeah, she had been mad but still... that was a pretty lousy excuse...
So yeah go on! Throw a sick person out on the streets! That was reeeeally considerate of you... bravo!
Sighing she leaned forwards to rest her forehead against the mirror, making it fog from her breath.
It was just... all of the stuff that happened yesterday, had somehow made her feelings escalate on a scale she couldn't relate to. It was like it had been a tiny snowflake that fell down a hill, gathering a lot of snow until it was a huge snowball. As the ball became bigger it started to accelerate at a faster pace and eventually it slammed against something, making it burst into a million tiny snowflakes.
It was really confusing, especially because she got all flustered whenever Natsu did something intimate towards her. Like when he hugged her or showed affection somehow, even if it was just friendly gestures it made her confused...
That was one of the reasons she didn't tell him about the whole hug incident at the guild. Of course she was still confused how she felt about that, especially because it had suddenly grown into being so much more than it really was.
And who's fault was that? Happy! He was the one who said that Lucy hugged a person she might like. And it scared her! It really did! Especially because she didn't know how she felt herself, so she didn't want to be confronted or have the feelings pushed on her so suddenly, especially with something so large as love.
Or so she would like to think... the incident had left her rather baffled and confused...
She raised her hands and placed them on the mirror on each side of her head.
The reason she acted like she did yesterday was because she panicked. It was all too much and too scary... especially when she wasn't sure about her own feelings. Well of course she felt... something... maybe more than friendship towards the annoying dragon slayer... maybe! It was a possibility! But it wasn't something that was suddenly carved into stones!
Her mind sure acted like it though... especially when he said he wouldn't mind if she suddenly got a boyfriend... what the heck had that been about? And why did the thought of him being ohh sooo reliable and supportive break her heart? Well surely it was because...
Lucy furrowed her eyebrows in thought... hmm, it just seemed so weird that he would willingly throw her to another man, without thinking twice about it. It hurt thinking about it... that he would cheer with his idiotic grin and say something like: "good for you!".
"Argh!" she took a step backwards and started ruffling her hair with her hands "He says one thing and then suddenly does... that?! What the heck is wrong with him?!"
Yeah! Talk about sending mixed messages! Say one thing, doing another thing! Besides who gave him the right to just... do it? She didn't give him permission to steal her saliva... but... she stopped ruffling her hair... the whole kiss incident actually didn't make her mad... as such... of course it had when it happened...
"And for a good reason! He violated my private space! That idiot! Moooh!" she threw her hands up into the air, portraying in motional gestures how stupid the situation was.
But still... whenever she thought about the kiss, there was this weird tickling feeling in her stomach, making her feel like giggling. It was a nice and warm feeling that seemed to rage through her body. For some reason it felt like there was tiny butterflies who spawned in her stomach and was fluttering through every fibre of her, making her skin tickle in delight.
In contrast to that feeling, she felt guilty and utterly horrible about her outburst. Sure, she had been mad but still...
"Hmm!" she shook her head in determination. This wasn't the time to be a drama queen! No she had to find him and apologize. So! Stop wasting time Lucy! Time to get ready!
"Yosh!" she said to herself "Let's do this!"
Lucy quickly put some make-up on and in a flash managed to change into her regular clothes.
Once that was done she left her apartment, rushing down the streets towards the guild.
It didn't take long before she reached her destination, making her slam the guild doors open with a huge bang.
The people in the guild quickly raised or turned their heads to stare at Lucy. Some shouting a quick greeting or nodding their heads to acknowledge her arrival. But after the quick greeting they turned their heads again to glare at two people, who was having a rather loud argument.
Lucy eyes widened momentarily in surprise as she watched Laxus and Erza raising their arms to motion something to the other. It was a utterly weird scenario...
Shaking her head Lucy tried to ignore them as she made her way to the bar, turning her head occasionally to search for pink hair.
"Ohh my, that was quite an entrance" Mirajane said in her gentle voice, smiling warmly towards the blonde "Are you feeling dramatic today?"
"You could say that..." she sighed "Have you seen Natsu?"
"Natsu?" the other blonde blinked a few times "No, I haven't. The last time he was here was when Erza dragged him through those doors" she nodded towards the entrance.
"Ohh" Lucy's shoulders slumped visibly and a depressing aura was suddenly illuminating from her.
"Is something wrong Lucy?" Mirajane leaned against the counter and stared at the other blonde with concern "You know you can tell me anything, right?"
"Yeah, I know..." she forced herself to smile "... thanks, but I'm fine"
"Mmm... if you say so..."
"I do... I... have to go take care of something. I'll see you later, okay?"
"Take care" Mirajane smiled in encouragement.
Lucy smiled back at her as she walked over to the door. She was momentarily distracted when she opened them, so she didn't see the ball of fur that was flying outside aiming towards the guild doors. She felt it though when it collided with her chest, making her stumble backwards with a loud squeal.
"Ehhhh?!" her eyes bulged in surprise for a second, before she got a hold of herself and grabbed the creature that was suddenly squeezed between her jiggly things...
"Happy?!" she grabbed the cat and held him in outstretched arms "What do you think you're doing?!"
"I was flying too fast and I thought that your huge body would be the perfect place to land, because you're so soft and mushy"
"Oy! Do I look like a landing spot?"
"Aye!" the cat snickered teasingly.
"You..." her eyebrows twitched in anger.
Wait, you don't have time for this Lucy! She shook her head trying to erase her irritation and focus.
"Happy, is Natsu still at your place?"
"Huh?" the cat blinked in confusion "What do you mean?"
"Is Natsu still back at your house?"
"No?" Happy tilted his head to the side "He hasn't been back at our place because he's still visiting you?"
"Ohh..." her eyes widened momentarily in horror as she let go of the cat and started running down the streets.
"Lucy?" the cat spawned his wings and followed the blonde girl "What's going on?"
"I'm worried"
"About what?" the cat asked in a concerned voice "What happened?"
"Natsu... left... my apartment last night so I thought he was back at your place or at the guild"
"Wait... he's lost?!"
"It would seem so..."
"Ohh no! He promised he would go fishing with me when he wasn't sick..." the cat sulked "... now who's gonna go fish with me?"
"That's the thing that concerns you?!" Lucy's eyes widened "Fish?!"
"Well yeah... Natsu's fine! He's a fire mage!"
"But he can't use his powers at the moment because of that seal"
"Oh my gosh you're right!" Happy shivered in horror "We have to find him!"
He flew past Lucy down the streets shouting the dragon slayer's name out loud. Lucy shook her head as she followed the cat. They would find him! Yeah! And hopefully in one piece!
Lucy and Happy didn't search for long, before the cat caught the dragon slayer's scent, making them run down a few streets until they ended up in an alley. It was rather easy spotting him because of his pink hair. Plus he was snoring rather loudly making it way easier to locate him.
He looked rather peaceful as he laid there on the ground snoring, while hugging a pillow firmly between his arms. It was a rather large pillow so he could easily rest his head on it while holding it close to his chest.
Adorable... Lucy thought to herself blushing profoundly as she kept staring … It's good he managed to bring his pants and his scarf, before leaving the apartment...
Wait... wasn't that her pillow? She narrowed her eyes. Yes it was! And he was drooling profoundly on it! Ewww!
She shivered involuntarily from disgust, but ignored her trail of thoughts because there was more important things to do than being overly dramatic about saliva. All though it was pretty close to being her top priority!
No not really...
"Natsu!" the cat yelled as he started to shake the dragon slayer "Wake up!"
"Take it easy Happy..." Lucy smirked in discomfort as she watched the cat continue with his task of shaking his best buddy.
"No!" his voice was stern as he raised his paw "I said wake up!" the cat slammed his paw against Natsu's cheek, making the dragon slayer's head turn to the side from the force behind the slap.
"Mmmjjjurhh djaaaa..." Natsu responded with his tongue dangling out of his mouth "Bleehh..."
"Oh no! I think I broke him!" the cat shrieked before looking at his paws in awe "I'm stronger than I thought... wow!" Happy turned to look at Natsu again "But I didn't know... and now I used my strength on him and broke his brain!"
"I don't think you broke him Happy" Lucy knelt next to the cat and gently patted his head "Think about all the times Erza knocked his skull and that didn't break him... well almost didn't break him..."
"Maybe I'm stronger than Erza!" there was stars glistening in the cat's eyes as he turned to glare at Lucy.
"Perhaps" Lucy giggled towards the cat "Then you could make her your own personal slave"
"That would be sooo awesome!"
"Yeah" smiling she turned her head to stare at the sleeping dragon slayer. She wasn't sure how to wake him without using violence and she really didn't want to do that, because that would involve physical contact. The thought alone made her blush from head to toe! Jeez!
"Lucy what's wrong? You're face is all red all of a sudden"
"No-nothing... I just... uhm... it's kind of embarrassing..."
"Ohh?"
"Well... uhm... you see" she pointed her finger "... that's my pillow and... I would be so embarrassed if someone saw it and thought I drooled on it"
"You're weird... nobody would care about something stupid like that"
"..."
"Hmm..." the cat grumbled as he turned to stare at Natsu "... what do we do about him?"
"I guess... I'll try waking him too"
She ignored her blush and started shaking the pink haired brat while calling his name. Nothing happened though, other than he groaned a few times.
"What do we do?" Happy asked in a concerned voice.
"Hmm" Lucy was getting rather concerned too and gently placed her hand on his forehead. It didn't feel like he was having a fever. So what was wrong with him? "We should carry him back to the guild. Hopefully Wendy will get back soon or we could ask Porlyusica..." an image of the old woman chasing her with a broom entered her mind making her shiver in horror "... never mind..."
"... aye..." the cat closed his eyes because he was also experiencing a nasty flashback of the woman.
Lucy shook her head to focus her thoughts. Okay! Somehow they had to get him back to the guild. She could summon one of her spirits... wait... no... it wouldn't feel right if she forced them to carry him. It was rather weird why she would feel that way, it was just... she wanted to do it herself, because she still felt rather guilty about her outburst. Besides it could be her way of atoning for her sin without relaying on her spirits...
An idea sparked in her head and she explained it to Happy, who agreed with her plan. So with that said, they soon found themselves travelling down the streets of Magnolia. Happy was flying and lifting Natsu's legs, while Lucy was carrying his torso. Or well to be more specific his arms was dangling around her shoulders and his head was resting on one of his arms.
It was a pretty sight and it didn't lessen by the fact that her pillow was laying casually on Natsu's back, making him look like some weird human couch.
Lucy was blushing profoundly as they kept walking but she tried to ignore it. Which wasn't that difficult since Happy couldn't see it and make fun of it...
They had been walking for a while when she felt Natsu stir on her back.
"Natsu?" she asked.
"Mmm..."
"Are you okay?"
"Aaiiii... mmm... hmm... finnnne... ssch" his voice was sluggish for some reason as if he was drunk.
"You sure? You sound... weird"
"Yaaaarp... ssss..." he chuckled in a deep voice "sssnnn... totalssly...zzz"
"Ohh kay?"
"Hmm..." he snuggled against her neck with his nose and took a deep breath "izzz nice..."
"Eh?" she felt her cheeks flare even more at the sudden gesture.
"Lu... Lu...zy izz... cutezz... bestest... of best... like... cruel... mmm..."
"Huh? What did you say?"
She didn't receive an answer because he was already snoring again, oblivious to his surroundings.
Lucy sighed feeling a lot of peculiar and weird feelings at the same time. Fortunately they would soon reach the guild and when they got there they would figure out what the heck was going on with the dragon slayer.
Gray was so focused on the scarlet haired woman who was sulking and chanting "I lost... I can't believe it..." on the floor surrounded by a blue depressing aura, that he jumped in surprise when the guild doors suddenly burst open with a loud crash.
He quickly turned his head to see what all the commotion was about. Honestly he suspected it was the idiotic flame eating moron who was too energetic for his own good. Well truth be told his haunch wasn't that far off. The only thing that surprised him was the way he entered the guild.
Being carried by Lucy and Happy?
"What the..?" he questioned the situation out loud in to no one in particular.
"Please! I think I broke him!" Happy squeaked.
"I keep telling you, you didn't" Lucy exhaled loudly "But there is something wrong with him... he's acting weird"
"Come with me" Mirajane said and motioned with her hand for them to follow her "We have a spare bed in the back"
The other guild members started shouting and talking in worried tones, but let the small team have their space, as they left the guild hall.
Grumbling but curious Gray followed the small group into the next room, where he watched the snoring dragon slayer being placed on the bed.
"What happened?" he crossed his arms and turned his head to stare at Lucy and Happy.
"I hit him!" Happy sulked "I... was only trying to wake him... but then... and now he won't wake up"
"Hmm..." Mirajane placed her hand on his forehead "I wonder what's wrong with him"
"Well he woke briefly when we carried him here" Lucy said.
"He did?! I didn't notice that?!" Happy exclaimed.
"Yeah, he was mumbling something and sounded... well like he was drunk" there was a tiny blush on Lucy's face as she said that sentence.
"Hmm... did he do something or eat anything that could leave him in this state?" Gray wondered and was rather surprised that Lucy's blush seemed to escalate.
"He... well..." she started fidgeting with her hands "... was at my apartment last night but he left my place because... stuff happened... I thought he went home or to the guild, but he didn't. So me and Happy searched for him until we found him sleeping in an alley"
"I see" Gray scratched his chin in thought "Where was this alley located?"
"Uhm" Lucy turned her head upwards "It was the alley next to the Magic store Lendis"
"Ohh myy!" Mirajane gasped, bringing her hand up to cover her mouth "I think I know what happened to him"
"What? Please tell us" Lucy quickly asked.
"Well you see" Mirajane said in a knowing voice "Every now and then the magic shop lets out steam in that specific alley. It is poisonous but fortunately it isn't lethal"
"I fail to see why someone would permit that from happening" Gray raised his eyebrow "What if some innocent person wandered in there without knowing it?"
"There has been some drama concerning it, but no one has done anything about it yet" Mirajane answered.
"It doesn't surprise me though that this idiot was caught in it, I mean..." the ice mage smirked teasingly. But before Gray got a chance to finish his sentence, the dragon slayer suddenly shot into a sitting position, making the surrounding people jump in surprise.
"Natsu?" Lucy asked in a concerned voice.
He didn't answer, but very slowly turned his head to glare at Gray, with eyes that was blinking unevenly.
"Idiotzz... bleehh!" Natsu wiggled with his tongue making Gray twitch in anger. He tried to ignore the provocation though, because he didn't want to get in a fight with an intoxicated dragon slayer.
"Natsu" Lucy tried again and this time he turned his face to stare at her. His body was starting to sway back and forth, like he was having difficulties just sitting still.
"Eyyss! You..." it looked like he was trying to point in Lucy's direction, but his finger went everywhere other than that "... izz cute"
"Uhm" Lucy blushed profoundly.
"Butz..." he finally managed to point in her direction "iz stupid-dn-dn... eeeevil... zlike... auch"
"Natsu..." Happy said in a fragile voice "... are you okay?"
"Mmm-mm" Natsu shook his head slowly from side to side.
"Natsu..." the cat's voice was shaking with sadness.
"Hurtz..." he pointed his finger everywhere, but eventually seemed to figure out where he wanted to point which was his own chest "... herezz"
The dragon slayer coughed lazily and suddenly there was a small drool of snot dangling out his nose, making him sniff a few times, which caused it to bounce up and down.
Eww...
"Let me get that" Mirajane smiled and quickly used a napkin to remove the snot from Natsu's nose.
"Jeez, he's rather pathetic isn't he?" Gray said to no one in particular "Isn't there a cure for this?"
"It should be out of his system soon enough. He just needs to rest a bit" Mirajane smiled in encouragement towards the ice mage "So don't worry he'll be fine"
"... I never said I was worried..." he pouted in defiance.
"Natsu" Mirajane said and gently placed her hands on his shoulders "You should try getting some sleep"
"Mmm..." Natsu hummed already half asleep in his position.
"My, my" the white haired woman giggled as she very gently pushed Natsu backwards, until he was laying on his back on the bed.
A few seconds later the dragon slayer was snoring peacefully on the bed.
Guess that's it then, Gray thought to himself before turning around and walking out of the room. That idiot... first the seal, then he gets sick and now intoxicated. Heck, if Gray didn't know any better he would think some weird sadistic person was throwing a lot of misfortunes in Natsu's direction. But no, not even the pink haired brat deserved this. Sure, the moron had a lot of enemies, but no one would be so foul that they would do this to him.
If such a person did exist however, he sure as heck wouldn't want to met them!
A/N: Oy are you bad mouthing me Gray? o.O
Random info: Magic store Lendis is an actual place in Magnolia. I didn't know that but apparently there is, according to Fairy Tail Wiki (and the manga).
H: "Revenge is a dish best served cold... and it is coming in Erza's direction... ohh yes!" (wraps her black cloak around her body and cackles wickedly).
Natsu: "I can't wait for that to happen!"
H: "Me neither! Ungh! Honestly I'm soooo hyped about all the amazing chapters Hiro will be publishing the next 4 weeks. It's like... wow! Double up?! Seriously?"
Natsu: "It's cool..."
H: "Yosh! It's decided! If Hiro can be so super productive, then so can I!"
(Cracks her knuckles before smashing her hands violently against the keyboard)
Natsu: "Uhm... you know you're only damaging the keyboard... right?"
H: "Shhh... don't ruin the dramatic moment with realism"
Natsu: "Rea... what? Whatever! I wanna take a minute to thank all you guys out there! You rock! See ya in the next chapter!"
H: "He's right you guys are amazing! Byy~yye my hon-buns!" :3