Hiya! This is 27!

I almost forgot it was Monday again. It was busy and I played Paintball for the first time. I got hit twice in the same spot, which sucked, but I had a blast!

To celebrate my 100 (already +) followers, I'm going to be updating daily from today to Monday, because hey, can't miss regular schedule just because I'm giving a bonus! So 8 days of update, coming up!

Happy reading!

It was almost 6 PM when Lucy woke up. She tried to sit up, but a weight around her waist was holding her down. She looked down to see Natsu's arm wrapped around her and slowly moved her head to the side, finding his head close enough that his hair tickled her cheek. She realized she could feel his breath on her shoulder. That was a first. A few times, she had moved closer to him in her sleep, because he was so warm, she would seek him in her sleep, but it was the first time he had turned into her like this.

Her heart started pounding harder as she became aware of their position. His left arm around her, the right one somehow under her neck, his hips and legs pressing against hers, his face buried in her shoulder.

"Uh… Natsu?" she called softly, but when she moved, his arm tightened around her. "Natsu!" she repeated louder.

"Five more minutes," he mumbled, snuggling even closer.

"Natsu!" This time he startled, tilting his head up to look at her. The adorable sleepy expression on his face quickly turned to mortified when he realized how close he was, and he moved back so abruptly he actually fell off the bed. "Natsu!" she called again, this time in worry. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah," he groaned, sitting up from the floor. Lucy realized she was well over on his side of the bed again. She stood and went around the bed, surprised that he wasn't standing up yet.

"Need a hand?" she asked. "Are you still dizzy?"

"No, I'm fine…" he replied, and she noticed a blush on his cheeks. "I just… uh… I need a minute."

"On the floor?" she questioned. He tilted his head down and Lucy took in how he was sitting, his arms crossed over his lap. "Oh…" she blushed too. "Erm… Sorry… I'll… uh… yeah…" and she quickly left the room, trying to calm herself down. Well, that was awkward. Maybe it was time for them to start sleeping in separate beds again, before something even more embarrassing happened.

It took a while for Natsu to step out of the room, his eyes cast down. "Err… sorry 'bout that," he mumbled.

"It's okay," she replied quickly, not quite looking at him. "I… I know it's not… your fault…" she added. Natsu sat on the stool, taking his head between his hands, heaving a deep sigh. That was quite out of character from him. "What's wrong?"

"I just… I don't…" he fumbled before groaning in annoyance. "I don't know how to say it."

"Say what?" she asked, then realized how absurd it was. "I mean… Take your time." He sighed and kept his head down between his arms.

"I… I like what we have," he finally confessed, still sounding pretty awkward about it. "I don't want to mess it up, but that's… I can't… I don't…" he groaned again, and his head smacked the counter once more. He moaned in pain. "I can't control that. I don't wanna make you uncomfortable, but it just… happens…" He had such a hard time expressing it, Lucy felt bad for him. "I'm sorry, Luce…" She hadn't realized she moved closer until she put her hand on his shoulder. She felt his muscles tense in surprise, but he soon relaxed again.

"It's okay," she repeated, and this time, she meant it. "I mean yeah, it's… it's awkward. For both of us…" And there she was, struggling to find her words too. Wasn't she supposed to be a goddamn writer? It was so frustrating! "But I know you don't mean anything by it. I know it's not your fault." She sat next to him and gently pried his arm away so she could see his face, and he didn't resist. "I like what we have too," she admitted, and he rose his head ever so slightly to look at her. "I don't want to mess it up either." He slowly sat straighter.

"You know I'd never do anything to make you uncomfortable. I'd never do anything to hurt you. I'd never…"

"I know," she reassured him. "As long as we sleep in the same bed, that stuff might happen again." She could see a bit of worry in Natsu's eyes, probably thinking she would break off that arrangement. "But it's okay. We don't have to make it weirder."

"Why are you so comfortable with me?" he blurted out, then looked down when he realized it. "I mean… you couldn't… sleep… with Levy… And even training… with Cana… Why is it… You used to be scared of me…" Lucy felt her heart sink at the pain in his words.

"I wasn't… I was never scared of you," she argued, wondering how true it was. "I just… I didn't know you… I had been through some traumatic stuff. I was scared, but it wasn't about you. It was about not knowing you."

"So why did you agree to come back with me?"

"Honestly… I didn't have a lot of options," she admitted with a sideway glance, not wanting to see the hurt in his eyes. "I thought… I thought maybe I could just wait to get back on my feet and leave."

"Why didn't you?" He sounded hurt. She would be too, she supposed, if someone had been using her like that. Or even just planned to.

"Because I like you," she admitted, forcing her embarrassment down, looking back at him. Natsu has said more than once he liked her, and he never meant it romantically. "Because from the moment I got here, I could see how careful you were with me. I could tell you wanted to come closer, to comfort me, but you never did. Never once pushed the limit I gave you, even if it hurt you. You prove me, times and times again, that you only had my best interest at heart. I know that you care. And then I didn't want to leave you, because we're friends. Because I like being with you."

"So why are you so comfortable with me?"

"Because you're honest. Because you respect me. Because I trust you. Because I know you wouldn't do anything to harm me even if I asked you to."

"And Cana and Levy wouldn't do the same?" Lucy sighed. That was a bit of a slippery slope.

"Cana means well, but she likes to nudge people out of their comfort zones. She never toned down the… sexual innuendo for me, even if it made me uncomfortable. I know it's not on purpose, but she's always been like that. She wouldn't do anything on purpose, but it would take her a moment more to realize it."

"And Levy?" This time, Lucy laughed.

"Levy is tiny, but she takes up three quarter of the bed, and she talks in her sleep. I could never sleep with her, even when we were kids." Her answer was unexpected enough for Natsu to laugh, and Lucy felt better now that he was smiling again, but he soon turned serious again.

"So I've never made you uncomfortable?"

"Not since I got to know you," she replied. He had made her really uncomfortable when he first took her to his place, but it had less to do with him and more to do with her own demons.

"Not even when I asked about the sexy nurse thing?" he asked.

"It could have," she admitted, "but you had a concussion, so it doesn't count." The smile he gave her made her heart skip.

There was a knock on the door and Lucy and Natsu both looked up at it, perplexed. Natsu stood first to go open and Cana pushed herself in.

"I see you two are still alive," she stated matter-of-factly.

"Erm… Yeah?" Natsu agreed, confused.

"So why aren't you answering your phones?" In a same motion, both Natsu and Lucy pat the pocket where they usually kept their phones, finding it empty.

"Must have left it in the room," Natsu shrugged. "Sup?"

"I get you had to sleep off your hangover, but Lu? I was supposed to paint your nails two hours ago!"

"Oh, I totally forgot, I'm sorry."

"Where is your phone?"

"Probably in the room too."

"You mean you slept all afternoon too?"

"We watched a movie until like… 3:30," Natsu argued.

"And you just woke up?" she asked.

"Maybe half an hour ago," Lucy replied.

"Good, cause you're gonna be up late, missy."

"Uh?"

...

"It's freezing in here!" Cana complained.

"Whose fault is that?" Natsu groaned, his head hanging upside down from the arm of the couch, the half-opened window blowing directly on his face.

"Yours," she snapped. "You're the one who opened the window."

"That stuff's giving me a headache, so it's your fault I had to open the window."

"Guys, enough!" Lucy stepped in.

"See, she's not cold," Natsu gloated, straining his neck to look at them after laying like that for twenty minutes.

"Her hands are turning blue," Cana pointed out.

"It's not that bad," Lucy argued.

"And she's shivering," she added like Lucy hadn't said anything. Natsu swiftly sat up.

"Luce?" She looked his way.

"Sorry. It is getting pretty cold." And without further arguing, Natsu stretched toward the window and closed it. "Thanks."

"No worries. I guess I'll go to the store quick."

"Take a jacket!" Lucy called back as he made to leave in his t-shirt. He flashed her a smile, tossed one over his shoulder and disappeared in the hall.

"He could have asked if we wanted something," Cana complained, applying another coat to Lucy's nails.

"Want me to text him?"

"Nah…" Lucy sighed.

"Talk to me, Cana," she requested, her friend's eyes snapping to hers. "I still know when something's bothering you," Lucy scoffed.

"Nothing. I'm just bummed I didn't get to see what type of drunk Natsu is." Lucy gave her a hard glare. "Seriously. He's got to be a happy drunk. I can't see him being a horny drunk. Though he could be a vio… Wouldn't it be adorable if he was a sentimental one?" Lucy kept glaring until Cana sighed. "Fine. I haven't heard from Bacchus in days. He got all weird when I asked him if he wanted to be my plus one at the wedding, and he's been avoiding me."

"Really? I thought you guys were doing well?"

"Yeah, so did I! I didn't think he'd freak out on me. Hell, even my dad couldn't scare him away."

"Maybe he doesn't like weddings," she offered.

"It's one thing to say no, but it's another to go under like that."

"You haven't heard anything?"

"Well, he's been tweeting, but he hasn't replied to any messages on anything. I don't want to look needy, but… I really like him, so it sucks."

"Are you sure it's about the wedding?" Lucy questioned. "Maybe something else came up."

"I don't really want to talk about it, unless you want to watch chick-flicks and eat chocolate ice cream with me all night with a bottle of tequila handy."

"Sounded good until the tequila part," Lucy tried to joke. Cana chuckled.

"Who are you kidding? Tequila is the best part."

"With how sick I got last time, I doubt I can ever drink it again." Cana suddenly perked up.

"How many drinks did it take to bring out horny-Lucy?" Lucy blushed.

"We are so not going down this road right now."

"Then dish me some gossip about your roomy," she demanded. "Come on! While he's not home? He came home wasted last night? What happened?"

"I don't know. I was asleep when he got home, I don't remember hearing him."

"Did he snuggle up with you?" Lucy blushed, remembering their afternoon nap.

"No! He slept on the couch."

"But?"

"Nothing! He said he should've stayed at Zeref's instead of coming home drunk."

"Come on, that can't be it! Gimme the juicy bit. Pretty please?" Lucy sighed, but quickly chuckled.

"Well, we may not know what kind of drunk he is, but he's a sloppy hangover type," she declared, and proceeded to retell the event of the morning.

"Did you see anything?" Cana asked when Lucy told her about the bathroom incident.

"Thank god, no," she sighed, and Cana cocked a brow at her, making her blush. "It would be so awkward if I did! Now hush, if you wanna hear the rest."

"Oh, fine," she agreed. Lucy wrapped the story up, judging safer to not mention she had gone for a nap with Natsu, but Cana wasn't easily fooled. "Oh? So why was your phone in his room, then?"

"Fine, yeah, I had a nap with him too."

"And…?" Lucy tried to act like nothing happened, but she blushed and Cana stopped putting the nail polish bottles away to lean closer. "Oh, looks juicy. Tell me."

"Nothing! We just had a nap!"

"You know you can't lie to me when you're flustered."

"Doesn't mean I have to tell you anything," Lucy argued.

"Did he wake up with a boner?"

"Cana!"

"He did! Ah! That's the kind of gossip I want!"

"I didn't see anything!" Lucy argued before Cana could push the matter. "It was just really awkward, that's all."

Natsu chose that moment to come back. Lucy was still blushing, staring at him in slight horror, and Cana was eyeing him. His expression turned confused.

"Did I miss anything?"

"No!" Lucy exclaimed just as Cana replied "Yes!", and he looked between them with a puzzled expression. "Cana, please don't!" Lucy implored her.

"Where's the fun in that?" she argued.

"The fun would be all yours, but you're just gonna make things awkward for us." Lucy was surprised to see Cana actually consider her words.

"Alright. Guess I wouldn't want to stand in the way of this blossoming romance."

"Whose romance?" Natsu asked, confused.

"Between the two of you," Cana deadpanned, gesturing between them. He looked at Cana with surprise, and his eyes turned to Lucy.

"Romance?" he repeated to himself.

"What did you buy?" Lucy asked, and Natsu's face split in a grin, completely forgetting about what Cana had been saying.

"Snacks!" he exclaimed proudly, brandishing his grocery bag like a trophy.

...

After a short night, where Cana agreed to not tease them if she wanted to sleep in a bed rather than on the couch, and an early breakfast, they got in Cana's car to drive to the next town over, where the wedding was happening. Natsu moaned and complained from the backseat, mumbling about Mavis not giving him a special motion sickness pill before she left – Mavis, Zeref and their bridesmaid and groomsmen had left the morning before. In the hour drive, Natsu made them pull over twice, and though he looked like he would throw up, he actually only sat on the shoulder for a few minutes until his stomach settled. Both times, it took Lucy coaxing him back in the car for him to agree that he would be late if he walked there.

"Can we stop again?" he groaned, slouched so far down on the seat Cana could barely see his hair in her mirror.

"We're almost there," she replied kindly. It had been a surprise for Lucy. She had expected Cana would make fun of Natsu's ailment, but she had been quite kind and understanding of it during the ride. Lucy expected her to tease Natsu once he wasn't at risk to throw up in her car or once he was feeling better.

"Just hang in there, Natsu," Lucy reassured him, turning in her seat to glance at him. "Five more minutes."

...

"That was like, twenty minutes," Natsu groaned, sprawled in the grass behind the car, about as far as he had made it on his still wobbly legs.

"It was fifteen," Lucy admitted.

"You said five," he whined and she gave him an apologetic look.

"You just gonna lay here all day?" Cana asked. "I'm freezing my butt off and we still need to get ready."

"You go on ahead then. I need a minute."

"I can't unpack everything myself," Cana argued. Lucy went to sit next to his head, shivering from the cold of the ground. Cana pretended like she wasn't looking, grabbing a few bags out of the trunk as Lucy stroke his hair, talking to him softly for a few seconds before he agreed to sit up, and soon he was back on his feet, still looking pale, but a bit sturdier. He helped emptying their things and they made their way inside.

The hotel was ridiculously big. They checked in at the desk, the hostess casting a disdainful look at their street clothes, and the strands of grass in Natsu's hair, before giving them the keys and briefly telling them how to get there. Mavis and Zeref had reserved the entire two top floor of the hotel for their wedding. Cana collided with Natsu when he froze in the entrance.

"Move it!" she groaned, and he stepped off the side. "What the…" She thought they had rooms, but it seemed like they had a suite, since the room opened on a living room. There was a bedroom on both side of the main room with in-suit bathroom. Cana whistled, setting her bags down and moving to the window. Far off in the distance, they could see the mountains. "I'm loving the view," she grinned.

"Woah!" Lucy exclaimed, moving next to Cana. "It's gorgeous!"

"We should do a trip to the mountains next summer," Cana decided.

"Why next summer?" Natsu asked, moving closer. "We could go ski or snowboard in a few months."

"You're insane," Cana scoffed. "There's no way I'm going in the winter, it's gonna be horribly cold."

"Actually, mountain weather can be nicer than city weather," Lucy piped in. "Last time I went skiing, it was ten degree warmer there than in the city."

"For reals? Well, guess we can check it out. Now, come on, Lu, we need to get ready." And with that she dragged Lucy away and it was three hours before Natsu saw either of them again. He had a shower and was lounging around, watching technique videos on his phone for most of those three hours.

"You're not ready yet?" Cana exclaimed when she stepped out.

"Just need to change," he replied, looking up. Cana was also wearing her prom dress and wore her hair in a similar style. Unlike her prom-self, Lucy had her hair down and curled elegantly, and if Natsu dared to notice, less make up than she had at prom. "You two look great," he grinned. "Are you ready?"

"Waiting on you, slow poke," Cana replied with a playful smile. Natsu huffed and went in the other room and was out in two minutes, all ready to go. They made their way to the top floor, where the reception would begin anytime.

That was 27, hope you enjoyed it! I definitely needed to have Natsu falling out of bed once. And be the one to cuddle. Don't judge me, I'm sure you enjoyed it too haha ;)
It's almost the wedding! Hope yall are excited for it! I'll do my best to have 28 up before the end of the day tomorrow!

Valerioux: I KNOW. That pause is everything

Copperreign12: Thank you! It was a pretty sweet chapter all and all, if I dare to say so myself

Nalu20: It will be clarified in story further down the line, but yes, he likes her for her

Bookwork129: The main reason he said it is because he knows Lucy's dad got violent when he would drink, and knows she had aversion for alcohol because of it. It's really just him being considerate of how she might have felt knowing he came home drunk, rather than "Sorry for having to manhandle my hungover ass" lol