Hiya! Here's 22!

I gotta give you all a fair warning for excess fluff here. Like... It's almost ridiculous. You might even get cavities cause it's so damn sweet but AAAHHHHHH they deserve it, okay? And now, without further ado!

Happy reading!

Natsu was never cold. Even in the winter, he mostly only wore his scarf because it was a gift that he treasured. But he was never cold. Waking up with a shiver just felt so wrong. But he quickly came to realize he wasn't actually cold. Quite the opposite, actually. His body felt like it was on fire, yet his skin was peppered with goosebumps. It was only when another shiver shook him that he realized why.

Lucy. She had curled up against him in her sleep, her breath rolling in the crook of his neck. He could still feel her hand loose in his hair. She would be embarrassed if he woke her up. Would freak out for being so close to him. It must have been early morning because the light seeping in from the main room allowed him to see her. One of her arms was under the pillow, and that hand was in his hair, her fingers twitching every so often. Her other arm was hugging close to her body, then coming up against his arm, that hand resting on his shoulder. He couldn't see her face, as it was buried in his neck.

He tried to reach for the blanket down by his hips without stirring too much, managing to pull it over his chest. Not wanting to wake her up just yet, he leaned his cheek against the top of her head and closed his eyes again.

...

It was hot. So ridiculously hot. Did she have a fever? She stirred against a weight on her head and reluctantly opened her eyes. She saw hair that weren't hers, and a neck. It took a moment for her eyes to focus and distinguish the scar on that neck. Her eyes looked up to find Natsu's head leaning against hers and she froze, even as her heart started racing.

She could feel his leg against her own, and could see her arm resting against his, cupping his shoulder. Could still feel his soft hair on her other hand. For the first time, it seemed like he had kept the blankets on him throughout the night – which would explain the smothering heat, since it had nowhere to go. Yet she vaguely remembered him pushing them off before he even fell asleep.

She thought she ought to freak out a little bit. When had they gotten so close anyway? She tentatively and slowly moved her leg out to find the edge of the bed, quickly realizing she had been the one moving closer. Natsu didn't seem to have moved at all through the night, except for his head leaning against hers. And though she felt like she should be moving away, she didn't want to. She could blame it on not wanting to wake him up, could she?

Her left hand started to move in his hair again without her really thinking about it. Natsu made that purr-like noise again and she froze. He rolled his head and she looked up, finally catching a glimpse of his dark eyes looking into hers.

"Morning," he muttered thickly.

"Morning. Sorry I woke you up."

"I woke up earlier," he replied dismissively, his eyes closing again. "Just didn't wanna get up yet."

"Do you wanna get up now?" she asked.

"If I say no, are you gonna keep playing in my hair?" Lucy blushed, glad that his eyes were still closed.

"Do you… want me to?" she asked hesitantly.

"Yeah… It's nice." So she resumed doing it. He had moved so little through the night that his hair wasn't even tangled, and Lucy ran her fingers through it, massaging his scalp softly. He hummed, his head lolling with the motion, his expression content. It should be weird. They should both be weirded out by the proximity and pulling away so suddenly they would fall off the bed – well, Natsu would, since Lucy was well over to his side. Yet they seemed both contents to remain in that proximity. She must have been right when she said it would only be weird if they made it weird.

Natsu shifted a little bit, kicking the blankets off his left side. "It's so hot," he mumbled, half opening his eyes.

"Whose fault is that?" Lucy asked with a chuckle.

"I can't help it," he argued, leaning in her touch when she paused her hand in his hair and she couldn't help a smile as she resumed. "I just get over heated if I stay under the covers," he explained. His voice was getting back to normal, less and less affected by the sleepiness.

"I don't think I saw you under the covers before," she pointed out. He slept wrapped in a light sheet on the couch before, but even that had mostly ended on the floor.

"Did it earlier," he admitted. "Wasn't a good idea."

"Do you ever get cold?" she questioned.

"Only if I get wet."

"But you had goosebumps last night," she remembered.

"Your hands were probably cold," he offered. He was glad it took him a moment to even remember what she was talking about, because otherwise she would have known that wasn't it.

"Yeah, I get that a lot," she admitted. Natsu shifted to look at her and she grew uncomfortable under his serious gaze. "What's wrong?" she asked.

"It's morning," he realized. She looked confused. What else was he expecting? Maybe…

"I don't work until noon," she reminded him.

"No, Luce. It's morning," he emphasized.

"You can repeat it, I'm still not sure what you're getting at."

"You slept through the night!" he said excitedly. Lucy took a moment to realize. She hadn't had a single nightmare. She remembered dreaming, vaguely, but she hadn't had a single nightmare. She hadn't even woken up to go to the bathroom.

"You're right!" she exclaimed.

...

Lucy was growing uncomfortable under Laki's scrutinizing look as they sat together for their lunch break. "Do I have something on my face?" she finally asked.

"No, you're… Well, you're glowing."

"Glowing?" Lucy repeated, confused.

Laki leaned forward in confidence. "If I didn't know better, I'd say you had sex," she whispered. Lucy blushed enough at the bluntness of it that Laki rose a brow. "Well I'll be damned, maybe I don't know better!"

"No! I did not!" Lucy whispered frantically, not wanting to attract attention to their conversation. "I just wasn't expecting you to say that!"

"Well then, what is it?" Laki asked with a raised brow.

"I just had really good night of sleep," Lucy admitted. "I've been waking up in the middle of the night for months, but last night I didn't. I feel well rested. It's been a while."

"That's fair," Laki nodded. "So, anything different?"

"Not that I can think about," Lucy lied. No way in hell she would tell her she and Natsu slept in the same bed. Cana would hear about it in a heartbeat. "But I'm not complaining."

"You shouldn't be," Laki grinned. "That's great news!"

"Hey, Laki?" Lucy asked hesitantly.

"Sup?"

"Cana wasn't really planning to take me to a strip club, right?"

"Nah. It was a pool room and strip club," Laki replied. "It's really too bad Natsu's injured," she added with a sigh and Lucy looked at her, unsure on how it related. "Well, Cana's been talking for a while that it'd be fun to get him to put on a show for your birthday. She keeps saying he's got the body." Lucy couldn't help the image that flashed in her mind.

"Oh god," she whispered. "I don't think I could ever look at him again if he did."

"I wouldn't mind," Laki laughed, leaning back in her chair. "He's hot. Is it true he's got a six pack?" Lucy couldn't help but wonder. Laki shouldn't know that her and Natsu lived together. Had Cana said something to her? She decided she could still pretend that she only knew cause she had to help him with his bandages since he lived alone and didn't really have any other friends who lived near.

"He does," she admitted.

"I can't wait to see it for myself," Laki mused.

"Are you interested in him?"

"Eh… I mean, don't get me wrong, he's hot and all, but I wouldn't date him."

"Why not?" Natsu had been nothing but good to her. He lived alone, cleaned after himself and even cooked. Sure, he wasn't the most observant and he could be dense, but it didn't really matter.

"Well, I'm not interested in dating, for starter. And then there's the age gap. It'd be weird." Lucy frowned. Was Laki not the same age as them? "I'm almost twenty-six," she explained, noticing her confusion.

"I never would have guessed," Lucy admitted. "But again, I'm no good to guess people's age." And with that, the conversation finally stirred away from Natsu.

...

He was there three hours later to pick her up after work. "It's really sweet that he walks you to and from work every day," Laki pointed out as they were both grabbing their stuff from the employee room.

"Honestly, I think he's just going crazy inside," Lucy chuckled. "His doctor made sure he wouldn't try to work or train until she says he's ready to go back. He's bored out of his mind."

"And of all the things he could do, he still choses to come here to walk with you," Laki insisted. Lucy guessed she was right. He could have gone to class the day before, but he had come to walk her home instead. Though he was forbidden to even step on the mats, Erza had told him he was welcome to come and watch classes so he wouldn't miss anything.

"You're right," she agreed. "He's really sweet." She didn't notice the look Laki gave her as she turned to grab her bag. "See you tomorrow?"

"You bet. Hope you have a good night again," she added. Lucy thanked her as she walked out. Natsu grinned wide as she stepped out of the service area to join him.

"What did Mavis say?" Lucy asked as they walked out. Natsu held the door for her.

"She took them out," he grinned. "Check it out!" He lifted his shirt and Lucy was relieved when she saw the wound was covered, then she realized. The patch that covered it was probably just wide enough to cover the wound and seemed taped on.

"Well, that's gonna be easier!"

"Yeah! She said I'll need to keep it covered for a couple more day, then just at night for another week."

"Did she say when you could go back to work?" Lucy asked. He made a face.

"She said I could go back on modified duty as of Monday, but she doesn't trust me to take it easy, so she had Loke scheduling me for shorter shifts too."

"It's probably for the best. She already told you that you should stay home and rest."

"I am."

"And where are you now?" she asked pointedly.

"Walking you ho- oh," he understood. "I can't stay inside all day, I'm gonna lose my mind!"

"Just remember, the sooner you heal, the sooner you can train again."

"You're right!" he grinned wide. They kept talking about anything and everything as they were nearing his building.

"Lucy! Natsu!" Juvia called them, rushing over. Lucy opened her arms for Juvia's hug and they both stumbled from the momentum of it.

"You look like shit, man," a man's voice added. Lucy noticed Gray walking in Juvia's wake.

"I can get you looking worse, pal," Natsu growled.

"Come on you guys, don't fight," Lucy intervened. "It's nice to see you again, Gray."

"Is it?" Natsu mumbled.

"Said something, pyro?"

"You heard me," he snapped back.

"Gray, darling," Juvia tried. Gray and Natsu huffed.

"I'm glad you're okay," Gray admitted after a moment and Natsu looked positively surprised.

"Thanks," he eventually replied. "I didn't realize you were sticking around."

"Seriously? I told you in the winter that I was moving out here! I even reminded you at prom!"

"You did?" Natsu sounded genuinely surprised, but Lucy remembered Gray mentioning it.

"Man, you're useless. I'm lucky Lyon's got a place near-by, I would have been stuck if I was relying on you."

"When did Lyon get here?"

"You…" Gray groaned. "You know what, never mind. It was crazy to even think I could crash at your place without pounding you."

"We both know I'd be doing the pounding," Natsu snapped back. Some passerby gave them an odd look, obviously thinking the conversation was about something else entirely.

"Your face is saying otherwise, dude," Gray retorted.

"I'd like to see you go against five people!"

"I'd never get myself in that sort of mess in the first place!"

"Enough!" Juvia finally stepped in. Lucy couldn't hide the tears in her eyes.

"It's my fault," she whispered. "It's my fault Natsu got hurt." Natsu whirled, ready to throw down with Gray despite of his injuries, but the look on his frenemy's face made him pause. He looked confused and guilty and, for once, at a loss for words.

"It's not your fault, Luce," Natsu reassured her instead. "We've been over this."

Gray looked at them. He was obviously missing some key elements to understand the situation. "I didn't mean to make you feel bad," he apologized to Lucy. She shook her head.

"It's okay. You couldn't know. Sorry guys, but I just finished work and I'd like to go home."

"I'll text you later," Juvia nodded. "Looking forward to Friday!"

"Oh, yeah, the wa…"

"See you later!" Juvia called out, dragging Gray away before he could ruin the surprise.

"Bye…?" Lucy waved, confused.

Natsu was mostly quiet on the rest way home, and Lucy didn't notice because she was lost in thought herself. But as they walked in the apartment, he turned around and pulled her in a hug that took her by surprise.

"Natsu?"

"You gotta stop feeling bad, Luce," he pleaded. "I'm fine. We're safe. He's in jail. They all are. Don't beat yourself up over me. It's killing me." She blinked in surprise. "You don't need to worry about me."

"But I do," Lucy replied, a smile playing on her lips, "and you can't change that." Natsu pulled away abruptly, finding her staring with a teasing smile.

"You can't just use my lines against me," he pouted.

"You can't stop me," she dared him.

"Oh?" His expression turning serious as he studied her. She took a step back, though he could still see the playfulness in her eyes and she couldn't quite wipe the smile off her lips.

"Now, let's not do anything rash, you just had your stitches taken out," she tried.

"Should've thought about it before you challenged me, Luce," he replied in a low voice, moving toward her. She giggled as he moved closer and suddenly dashed through the kitchen toward the living room. Natsu chased after her, both of them soon laughing as they faced each other, the kitchen island between them.

"What are you gonna do if you catch me?" Lucy asked, surveying his movements closely.

"Good question," he admitted, looking at her. "I got the feeling you're ticklish." Lucy's eyes widened.

"Don't you dare!" she giggled.

"Oh," Natsu leaned in, "looks like I got your punishment for stealing my line, Luce."

"You still need to catch me first," she dared him. He started moving to the left and she ran to her own left, but he quickly turned the other way and she wasn't quick enough to turn back, his strong arms wrapping around her.

"Looks like I caught you," he pointed in a voice he wanted to sound dangerous, but he just couldn't wipe the smile off his face. "Now, for your punishment…" Lucy squirmed against his hold, already laughing. The moment Natsu released his hold to be able to tickle her, she dashed out of his arms, tripping on the stool that was behind her. Natsu still managed to catch her and soften most of her fall, but they both landed side-by-side on the kitchen floor, laughing. "You good?" he asked.

"Yeah," she panted from all the laughing. "You?"

"Yup," Natsu nodded, his grin changing into something more victorious. "I won," he added, tickling her sides. Lucy burst into laugh, squirming to get away.

"Ahahah st- haha- stop, I can't…" Natsu stopped as soon as she asked. "I can't… breathe…" she panted, still giggling.

"You better remember that next time you steal my line," he teased. She turned her head to look at him, her eyes sparkling, her face flushed, her chest heaving.

"I will," she huffed, not noticing that he'd almost stopped breathing and that his expression had turned serious. Natsu shook himself and pushed off the floor, helping Lucy to stand. "You're hurt, I should be the one helping," she protested, yet still grabbing his hand.

"Yeah, but I'm already standing," he explained matter-of-factly, pulling her up. She smiled, still trying to catch her breath.

"That was fun," she finally admitted. "It's been a while since I've laughed so much."

"I guess I'll have to tickle you more often," he teased.

"Don't you dare," she tried to sound serious, but she giggled instead.

"Don't you dare steal my lines, then," he chuckled. It took her a moment to realize he was still holding her hand, and she looked up in his eyes. He seemed a bit out of breath too, though not nearly as much as she was.

"Everything okay?" she asked.

"I meant it, Luce," he assured and it took her a moment to remember what they had been talking about before. "You can worry for me if you want, but you can't blame yourself for what happened."

"If it was me," she tested, her knuckles brushing softly against where his wound was, a careful, yet unconscious movement. "If I was taken and hurt because someone wanted to get through to you, could you ever forgive yourself?" She knew his answer the moment he looked away.

"No," he admitted. "But it still… It kills me to know you're suffering because of me." It was the second time he said it, she realized. She hadn't fully registered it the first time.

"Well, just don't let it actually kill you, cause I wouldn't forgive myself for that either," she teased. He looked too surprised to know what to say, then his expression softened. For the second time, Lucy realized he was still holding her hand. She also noticed how close they were.

"Fine," Natsu finally conceded with a grin. "I can't have you feel bad for that too."

"Say, Natsu?" He cocked his head ever so slightly. "Do you still feel bad? About cracking my rib?" His breath caught at the memory, and he nodded hesitantly. "Does it get easier?"

"Yeah," he admitted. "Every time we make good memory, it gets a bit easier."

Lucy nodded and slowly released his hand. As if only now noticing he was still holding it, Natsu let her go. "I'm gonna have a shower," she told him.

"I'll get started on dinner," he replied.

Fun fact: I was trying to re-visit a line in this chapter and ended up scrolling one of my original work instead of my fic (I have like 4 opened stories on my computer, it's getting ridiculous) and got really confused when I couldn't find it, before I realized it wasn't the right text. Slowly loosing sanity over here haha.
So that was 22. Honestly, it's such a sweet chapter, I had a lot of fun writing the tickle scene. And could be cause I'm ace, but I have no clue what people mean when they say someone is glowing, but I've heard it so I know it's legit haha. I'm sure a good night of sleep would do the trick.
Kinda feel bad to make you all wait for Lucy's birthday surprise, but like... Can you read this chapter and complain? I can't. So until Monday, hope this fluffiness is good enough! Thanks again for all the love!

Valerioux: Cuteness overload. I can't even, and I wrote the damn thing!

Copperreign12: If you thought the last one was cute, you're in for a treat! They're so adorable, it's absurd.

Bookwork129: I loved those scene too! Like, I can't imagine Natsu would even realize it's kind of a big deal lol. I hope I got you full goofball smile here ;)

SummeryNights: The purr is the best. Just one more little character quirk for a character we already love so damn much.