29: The Problem


The smell, Lucy realized, once she had advanced within two feet of Natsu, was incredibly potent.

It was thick and cloying, a heavy, hazy fruitiness that bogged down on her tongue and made Lucy brace her hands against the stone counter. It was dense incense and charred pinewood and Lucy's own disastrous kitchen creations, such as the one time she had accidentally left the stove on while studying and nearly burned down her apartment complex. Natsu smelt as if he had rolled through a coal bed. Just—belly flopped straight onto one, and then made a beeline for Fairy Tail without taking a shower in between.

Overall, it was noxious. And more than a little unpleasant.

For the most part, Lucy had been ignoring it. Well, less ignoring and more studiously tuning the implications away, because Natsu usually didn't smell this bad and smoking was…

Smoking was bad. Okay.

Now, to communicate this without sounding overbearing.

"Natsu…" she started, hesitant "Smoking is… it increases your chances of lung cancer and heart disease, and because it's so expensive as well it's a poor lifestyle choice. I think everyone has their reasons behind their addictions but…"

Natsu blinked at her owlishly. "…Heh?"


Date first published: April 17th 2016