Lullaby

Natsu moaned when he realized that he was awake. Judging from how dark it was behind his eyelids, it had to be the middle of the night. He grunted with dissatisfaction and turned onto his side, his eyebrows knitting together with annoyance. Why was he suddenly awake? Is Nashi crying?

…

No, he didn't hear anything. Nothing but the wind gently tapping against the window, and his own breathing. But then he realized, it was only his breathing that he heard. Without opening his eyes, he ran a hand over the sheets to the other side of the bed, blindly searching for another presence. But he didn't find one. Confused, he finally pried his lead-heavy eyes open, and saw that he was alone on the mattress. Lucy wasn't there, although the sheet below his hand was still warm. She must've gotten up to go to the bathroom or something.

With a tired groan, the Dragon Slayer pushed himself into a sitting position, the covers falling from his bare chest and pooling around his waist. He rubbed his eyes as he yawned, trying to get rid of the bleariness that distorted his vision. Holding his arms out as he stretched, he swung his legs over the side of the mattress and headed across the room towards the kitchen. His mouth was a bit dry. Might as well get a drink of water before going back to sleep. His feet lazily padded against the floor as he walked, one of his hands reaching up to ruffle his already disheveled hair, scratching the back of his head in the process.

He reached into the cupboard and pulled out a small glass, holding it under the faucet as he turned on the tap. He watched through tired, half-lidded eyes as the water filled up the glass. When it was a fraction of an inch from the brim, he turned off the faucet and brought the glass up to his lips. He tilted his head back and downed the whole thing in one go. It felt incredible, the water smooth and cold as it went down his throat. Setting the glass in the sink, he made his way back to the bedroom. He stopped in his tracks when he heard a voice coming from down the hall, toward his daughter's room.

He tensed, suspecting the worst. But he relaxed when he recognized the voice as Lucy's. He shook his head and laughed lightly at himself. He got worked up over nothing. He turned to walk back to the bed, but he stopped again. He heard a change in her voice. It took him a moment to figure out what the change was exactly. She was… singing. To Nashi, most likely. Without any hesitation, he approached her bedroom. Hearing his wife sing was a rare occasion, and he didn't want to miss it. As he got closer to the room, he noticed that the door was left slightly ajar. He stood against the wall beside the opening, wanting to remain hidden. He didn't want her to know he was listening. She would most likely stop if she knew.

Kotoba no imi sae mo kokoro no okiba sae mo
Koe sae ushinattemo boku wa koko de utau darou
Koko kara hibike tooku

Miminari ni kesareta seijaku no yoru
Mikazuki no akari nit e o nobasu
Kensou ni tatazumu ano hi no kimi wa
Katachi nai mirai o oikeketeta
Sono te wa kuu o tsukandekitakedo

Listen to it, listen to it
Deai ga tsumuideiku merodi
Listen to me, listen to me
Oto ni kawaru

Natsu smiled. He didn't know why she didn't sing more often. She had a lovely voice, better than Lyra's, maybe even Mirajane's. Her accent was amazing, pronouncing every word with perfect clarity. She had the voice of an angel, and he really wished he could hear it more often. He heard her say goodnight to Nashi, and then her approaching footsteps. She walked out of the room, and silently closed the door, failing to notice her husband standing beside her. Grinning, Natsu took the opportunity to step behind her and wrap his arms around her waist. She jumped and squeaked, causing him to chuckle as he rested his chin on her shoulder.

"Natsu!" she hissed quietly, smacking his arm. "Don't sneak up on me like that!"

"Sorry," he apologized softly, his arms tightening a fraction around her as he nuzzled into her neck. "I just wanted to hear you sing." Lucy blushed.

"You heard that?"

"Mm, hm." The pink tint on her cheeks darkened to a light red.

"I'm sorry, Natsu."

He laughed. "Why're you apologizing? I thought it was great. I like that song." There was a pause before a light chuckle rumbled in his chest. "Why were you singing in the first place? Did you just wake up and suddenly want to sing to her?" Despite her embarrassment, Lucy laughed breathily and shook her head, grabbing his hand as she began to walk to their bedroom.

"No. She was crying." She looked at him. "You didn't hear her?" He shook his head. "That's weird. You're usually the first to hear her." Natsu shrugged.

"Maybe I did, because I woke up soon after you left," he said, practically falling onto the mattress. He looked up at her like a sick puppy. "Or maybe it was because you left me." Lucy smiled at him, and crawled into bed beside him, pushing him to the side.

"Scooch over, you goof," she laughed, resting her head on his shoulder. She giggled when she heard him yawn like a lion. "Tired?"

"Yeah," he answered sleepily. "Your singing almost put me to sleep."

…

Lucy held up her weight on her elbows to look at him. "Am I that bad?" she asked despondently. Natsu's eyes widened when he realized his mistake.

"N-no! That's not what I—" The blonde turned away from him and lied back down with her back to him. "Luce, that's not what I meant. You have a beautiful voice!"

"Goodnight, Natsu."

"Luuucyyy…" he whined, trying to wrap his arms around her. She pushed him off.

"Goodnight, Natsu." He sighed in defeat. So much for hearing her sing more often.

Author's Note: hehehe. Hey, guys. Natsu just doesn't think before he speaks, does he? Smh. Anyway, I hope you guys liked it. Leave a review please!

P.S. The song is "Echoes" by Universe. Here's the English lyrics.
Even if my words are to lose meaning,
even if my heart is to lose its place to belong,
even if I am to lose my voice,
you know, I will always be here singing,
echo on from here to the far and beyond.

In the restful night that broke apart the resonation in your ears,
you reach your hand out to the halo of the crescent moon.
You, still entangled by the chaos back then,
have been chasing a vague future ever since.
Even though, your hand could grasp but empty air.

Listen to it, listen to it,
The melody that was weaved from the encounters.
Listen to me, listen to me,
I'll sing it for you.