xX Talking Body Xx

Xx Chapter 13: What Do You Mean? xX

From: Nasty-kun
Received: 3:13 PM
Message: I'm dying

To: Nasty-kun
Delivered: 3:14 PM
Message: Bullshit. Leave me alone.

From: Nasty-kun
Received: 3:15 PM
Message: No seriously! I've fallen and I can't get up!

To: Nasty-kun
Delivered: 3:17 PM
Message: Life Alert

From: Nasty-kun
Received: 3:18 PM
Message: Quit being a smartass and just get over here. I'm sick, tend to me

To: Nasty-kun
Delivered: 3:20 PM
Message: Isn't Lisanna staying for three more months? Have her do it.

From: Nasty-kun
Received: 3:21 PM
Message: She's out with Bixlow right now, something about an anniversary. Now get your ass over here and BE MY SERVANT!

To: Nasty-kun
Delivered: 3:23 PM
Message: Not with that attitude. I'll be over in 20. I better be getting paid

From: Nasty-kun
Received: 3:24 PM
Message: Don't worry, you will ;D

To: Nasty-kun
Delivered: 3:26 PM
Message: Don't wink at me. It's creepy.
...

The first thing she noticed when she walked into Natsu's house was his foot.

"Get off of the floor!" Lucy shouted as she removed her shoes and slipped on the slippers. Natsu groaned from his place in the living room and kicked his leg up in protest, letting it flop to the floor two seconds later.

"I told you," he croaked when she crouched next to him, "I've fallen and couldn't get up."

"And I told you, Life Alert." She poked his cheek and frowned when she felt how hot it was. Gently, she placed her hand over his forehead and jerked back in shock. "Mavis Natsu! You're hot!"

"I know." He coughed, but still managed a grin. Lucy rolled her eyes with a light blush and stood. She couldn't deny that fact.

"Did you take any medicine?"

"That shit don't work."

"I'll take that as a no. Where is it?"

"Still in the store 'cause that shit don't work."

Lucy sighed. "Get on the couch."

"Can't move. Carry me."

"No! You're heavy!"

"And you're strong. C'mon Luce! Push with your legs and put your back into it!"

"Quit acting like a spoiled child!"

"Waaah! Waaah!"

She raised her hand like she would hit him, but sighed and put it back down. She couldn't beat him today since he was sick, but when he got better...

Now she was sounding like a spouse.

"I'll help you, but I can't do it by myself, so you'll have to put some effort in too, okay?" He hummed and Lucy sat him up and lifted his arm around her shoulders. His scent assaulted her nose, and Lucy found herself inhaling slowly. He always smelled nice, like a comfy cabin during the winter. Her eyes fluttered shut for a millisecond, only to snap back open when she felt his arm tense around her. She returned to reality. "Alright, ready?" When he nodded, she stood.

He was heavy, but only because it was toned muscle. His weight bore down on her frail shoulders, and she scowled when she realized he wasn't doing anything to help her at all. He was dragging his feet instead of picking them up and moving them. "Dammit Natsu! Help!"

He took one step, then went back to lagging.

Lucy growled and tossed him on the couch. He landed on his face, limbs askew with one leg on the couch and an arm over the back. He groaned, the sound muffled by the cushions.

Close enough.

"Tea?"

"Beer."

"No. Tea, where is it?"

"Cabinet."

"Which one?"

"Dunno. Look for it."

"You're a real treat, you know?"

She walked into the kitchen and threw open the cabinet doors, scanning each one for the contents she needed to make the home remedy her mother used to make her when she had a fever in her childhood days. Two tea bags, a large mug, a tablespoon of sugar, some honey, and half a lemon later, the blonde walked back into the living room where Natsu lay. He still hadn't corrected his position, and Lucy groaned.

"Fix yourself!"

"Too weak."

"Quit being a brat!"

"No."

He had better be paying her when this was done. This was unreal.

The teacher placed the mug, straw, and the orange she had snatched on the nightstand next to the couch. She pushed him onto his back and rearranged his limbs so he wasn't twisted like a pretzel or sprawled out like a starfish. After he was settled, Lucy huffed and pushed her free-falling bangs from her face, pulling her hair into a ponytail. She took off her blouse, leaving her in an undershirt that showed a little more skin than was appropriate, and threw the fabric across the arm of the couch.

"I'm going to get some cold water and a washrag, alright?" She handed him the tea and the straw. "Can you try and drink a little bit of this? Please?" His hand came up and grabbed the mug, their fingers brushing.

Lucy blushed and snatched her hand back. She knew she was the only one who felt that spark, so she kept quiet and moved to the bathroom.

The blonde splashed her face and looked at the clock hanging on the wall (why did he even have a clock in the bathroom? Did he need to know how long he was taking a shit?) seeing that she had spent at least forty minutes just trying to get him to cooperate. She sighed and leaned on the sink, dropping her head to her chest.

It wasn't like she had a problem taking care of him if he was sick, she liked being helpful. She just felt so tired, and her back was hurting. A lot.

Lisanna had been staying with him for a month now because of work. Why she wasn't staying with her long time boyfriend, Lucy didn't know. As far as she knew, their relationship was a strong one, and they were lovey-dovey and all that.

Maybe it had to do with her boyfriend's roommates. One was a snobby woman who was obsessed with fairies, and one was a normal man, who happened to be obsessed with some dude named Laxus.

Wasn't that the name of the bouncer blond/stripper in Majikku?

Lucy wasn't even going to touch that.

The blonde wrung a clean washcloth she found in a drawer and filled a plastic bowl with cold water. Right now, she really wished Lisanna was here to care for the stripper in the living room. At least she knew how he worked.

Grabbing the bowl, she stopped in the living room and dropped the washcloth over his forehead. She could his breaths coming out in puffs, his cheeks flushed and a light sheen of sweat sitting on his upper lip. She dabbed it away.

"You wear a scarf all the time," she whispered, not wanting to startle him if he was awake, and not wanting to wake him if he was asleep. "I don't understand how you got this sick."

"Pure...skill," Natsu whispered back, and Lucy chuckled softly. Moving his now empty mug, she sat on the floor and grabbed the orange, peeling it quickly and pushing a slice in between his lips. He scrunched his nose.

"It'll help get rid of the mucus. You'll feel better." He bit into it, and she quickly pulled her fingers back before he could start sucking on them. It wouldn't be an unpleasant experience, she thought with a blush, but she doubted he'd like tasting finger.

The orange finished, the mug washed, the peelings thrown away and the washrag re-dipped, Lucy sat dabbing at his forehead, just staring at him.

She never really noticed that he had a sharp face before. High cheekbones protruding enough to be noticeable, but not enough to look weird. His eyebrows weren't as pink as his hair, leaning more to the light red side. She could see his laugh lines around his mouth, and his lips looked dry, but not too chapped. She smoothed the line in his forehead with the wet rag, taking away the stressed look.

He looked young. Too young.

Lucy sighed softly and pulled her hand away to re-dip the cloth, only to have Natsu catch her wrist in a tight grip. She let out a soft gasp and looked at him, his eyes wide open and staring at her.

"W-What?" she asked, tugging her arm.

"You know I like you, right?"

She nodded. "Yeah?"

"Like, I really like you."

Lucy grinned nervously, her heart thundering in her chest. "Is that a confession?"

Surprisingly, he was quiet for a minute, and Lucy felt her heart speed up. He just stared at her, and she started to get nervous.

"No. At least I don't think so."

"You don't think so? What's that mean?"

"I dunno." She shouldn't be taking this seriously. He was sick, he could just be talking out of his ass right now. Still, she couldn't help but hang on to his every word. "You're different from every other girl friend of mine. You're..."

"Not strict like Erza? Hyper like Lisanna? Nerdy like Levy?" she teased.

"Not annoyed by me."

Lucy paused. "What do you mean?" His eyes drooped closed, and she wanted to let him go back to sleep - she really did, but she wanted to know. "Natsu." She lightly slapped his cheek. "What did you mean by that?"

His hand slid up her arm, and Lucy felt goosebumps rise in his wake. Over the forearm, up the bicep, onto her shoulder - squeezing lightly - and cupping her neck.

Her pulse raced. And she knew he could feel it hammering under her skin. She gulped and he tugged her closer, closer, closer.

Their foreheads bumped.

Lucy flamed.

"Natsu?"

"You let me tease you and don't...get too mad at me." She could feel his breath on her lips, mingling with her own. Lucy was stuck, feeling overwhelmed by everything. His breath smelled like oranges and honey, and she could feel his sweaty forehead sticking their skin together. Said sweat was mixed with his natural scent of nature, and she found it positively intoxicating.

Oh. Oh no.

No no no.

Shit.

"You listen to me, and you don't judge me. You didn't try to get me to stop working either of my jobs like they did, and you trust me even though I do some crazy shit." He opened his eyes, onyx overwhelming her with flecks of green, clashing with her own chocolate brown. She could his lips brushing against her own with every word he spoke. It sent her stomach aflutter. "I really like you, and I hope you know that, so please-" he swallowed, "don't leave me okay? I don't want to lose you. If I do something wrong, tell me, alright? I can't fix the problem if I don't know what it is."

She inhaled, and exhaled shakily, feeling her eyes well up with tears. "Go to sleep Nasty-kun," she whispered.

"But-"

"I won't leave you, and I'll tell you if something's wrong. You're sick, and you need rest, so sleep."

"Promise?"

She swallowed. "I-I promise."

He let loose a breath she didn't realize he'd been holding and closed his eyes, his hand never leaving the back of her neck. And she stayed there, letting him keep her close so he'd know she was telling the truth, so that he could feel that she wouldn't leave until he was ready for her to. His calloused hand was warm against her soft neck, and she could feel his palm sweating, but she didn't move. She wouldn't.

His hand loosened, and so did every nerve in her body.

Her eyes filled and tears spilled. She cried, and the drops fell on his face, but he didn't wake. She cried, and her shoulders shook, but she didn't move, and he didn't stir.

She cried, and cried, and cried because she knew. She knew he felt alone sometimes, and she felt like that too.

And in the back of her mind, a voice told her that she wouldn't mind falling in love with a guy like him.

Two broken people fixing each other. Relationshit of the century.
...

"If you think you're getting away from telling me about this Gajeel character, you have another thing coming!"

Now Lucy hated surprises. With a passion. Surprises threw off her well put-together schedule, and caused her to rearrange everything in order to fit that stupid little surprise in. Frankly, they were wastes of time, and that's why Natsu irritated her sometimes. He was full of surprises.

Popping into her job unannounced, having her co-workers thinking she was involved when she really wasn't. Bringing food when she wasn't hungry, and making her eat it because 'you're wasting my hard earned money'. Taking her to random places and making her stay out late because he really wanted to see that movie.

She hated surprises.

But if she was the one planning them, they were alright.

Lucy barged into Levy's apartment while she was home. It was around 10:30 at night (Natsu was finally cured of his 'life-threatening disease'), and Levy had just finished bathing and was relaxing with a hot cup of coffee in her robe. The teacher immediately sat on her.

Interrogation mode.

"Did you not see how many piercing he has?! I bet TSA doesn't know what to do with him because of it. And his potty mouth, Levy! Do you hear his grammar? He's so violent - did you know he broke three of Natsu's plants and threw a plate at my head? Are you aware he works for a phone sex company? And don't even get me started on his fashion sense!"

"Ah...Lu-chan?"

"I admit he has really nice hair, but does he even believe in brushes? It's way too tangled!"

"Um-"

"He sounds like he's been sucking on sandpaper and drinking nails for a living! Like he just put his voice on a cheese grater and gave it to a kid and said 'Have at it'!"

"Are you done?"

"Why does he only wear gray and black? Is he trying to make a statement or something? Gah! Walking around with a tattered shirt like it's hot. It's really not!"

Levy quirked an eyebrow as Lucy panted. The blonde ran both hands through her hair before exhaling through her nose, calming herself down.

"When did you meet Gajeel?" the guide asked.

"About a month ago, I just haven't had time to confront you about it."

"Which means that you needed time to prepare your rant."

"Bingo."

They giggled and Lucy shifted in the small girls lap, wrapping her arms around her neck and pressing her blonde head against her friend's blue one.

"What do you even like about him?" she asked.

The way Levy's eyes lit up at the thought of talking about him made Lucy's lips quirk up in a small smile. She told her all about how he protected her from a groper who made his way on the bus. She told her about how he trailed after her as she made her way home to make sure she was safe. She told her about how she threw a book at him when she thought he was stalking her. She talked about how he let her play with his hair. She talked about how he walked her to work the next morning. She talked about how he knew Natsu, and how he made her laugh so much. How he was so much taller. How they were so different, yet so fitting. How he just sat and listened to her talk even if he didn't know what the hell she was talking about.

And Lucy watched her. She watched her gesture, flail, squeal, blush, giggle. All of this because a guy was interested in her, and she in him. And Lucy didn't have it in her to deny her friend this little pleasure. She didn't have it in her to say 'no, you can't date him because he will hurt you', because he wouldn't. Levy said he was gentle with her, treating her like a piece of fine china.

Lucy couldn't tell her not to pursue the man she wanted, because Levy encouraged her when she was interested in her Exes.

"Are you sure? Are you really, really sure?" the blonde asked, cupping her friend's cheeks to get her to stop talking and face her. "Are you really happy with him? He doesn't treat you wrong?"

"He's a little rough around the edges, but he's a good guy, Lu-chan. I promise."

"...Alright. Be careful. If he does anything, you let me know and he'll have a heel in nose the next time I see him."

"That...sounds uncomfortable."

1. Hm. I needed to end this chapter somehow. *splashes Gajevy in your faces*

2. I have three goddamn mosquito bites on one arm. Like you think I would feel the first one, and if not that one, maybe the second? Nope. My dumbass ain't feel shit. My arm is ashy now.

3. Iska, if you go there one more time...Punishment will be severe (oh God that sounded more weird than I planned).

4. I like heels. They're cute, they make me feel good about myself, and they make my legs look bangin', but fuck if you think Imma wear them over a nice pair of Jordans.

5. Is there really anything I can discuss in this chapter? I guess I can talk about the first part. You ever notice how different Nasty is compared to his friends? I decided to expand on that, because being different is lonely. Sure, it's good to be different, and you can make a whole group of different people, but you're you and they're them. You're a different type of different, and that makes it quite lonely. Or something like that. Quit trying to be philosophical Bonnie. You're pissing me off.

6. ARE YOU SERIOUS THERE'S ANOTHER MOSQUITO BITE? GET THE HELL OUT OF MY ROOM DAMMIT! PISS OFF.

7. Did you guys see the Natsu forehead thing in there? Yeah? Did it piss you off? Good, it pissed me off too and I wrote the damn thing.

8. There was some lip brushing too, you see that? I hate myself. So much.

9. Review and let me know if you drink Pepsi or Coke. There are two types of people in this world, and somehow I'm both.

10. I don't own Coke or Pepsi by the way, so why would you think I owned FT? I'm too broke for that.