Natsu awoke with the taste of stale cinnamon whiskey in his mouth and his tongue feeling like sandpaper. He cringed at the dull pounding in his head and the way his stomach twisted. He scrubbed his face with his hands and let out a soft groan.

Is this what Lucy was talking about last night? What did she call it, a 'hangover'?

It wasn't like last night was his first time drinking alcohol, as rare as it was, but it was his first time having enough to feel more than just a buzz. He questioned how Cana was able to justify drinking all the time when the result was feeling gross after the effects wore off. It was fun and all, but still.

He cracked open his eyes with some difficulty and inhaled deeply as his surroundings came into focus, Lucy's scent filling his nose. He found himself staring at her ceiling, and was reminded that he'd drunkenly stumbled through the streets of Magnolia before managing to find Strawberry Street and scramble up the side of her apartment. He had almost decided right then and there to just fall asleep in a heap beneath her window, but he had been looking forward to enveloping himself in her blankets, so instead managed to muster the strength to shuck himself down to his boxers and collapse into her bed.

He turned his head to look over at the celestial mage beside him and noticed the late morning sunlight caught her hair just right, causing it to look like liquid gold spilling over her pillows. He smirked as he considered asking Happy to grab a marker from his bag so he could doodle on her face, but he paused when he drank in more of her features.

She looked so calm and comfortable, he couldn't will himself to be the reason to change that. This confused him some since he'd seen her asleep plenty of times and had no problem doodling on her face before…but for some reason, seeing her so at peace this close to his face just as he woke up, was different.

He couldn't put his finger on why it felt different, though. As he puzzled over it unsuccessfully for a few moments, he inhaled deeply again and noted how much stronger her scent was in the bed when she was actually in it beside him. He was practically burrito-wrapped in Lucy Smell, which had him feeling so relaxed that he found himself wanting to wake up beside her more often.

His eyelids began to feel heavy again as sleep beckoned him once more. He was about to give in when he saw Lucy's eyes flutter open and slide up to meet his gaze. Her face flushed, her breath hitched, and he heard her heart rate speed up.

"G'morning," he greeted her, his voice rasping from the dryness in his throat. She let out a small gasp before one of her hands shot out and pushed him to create more space between them. Her getting flustered from any sort of close proximity to him wasn't unusual, though. He liked crowding her personal space often because he found the way she reacted to be entertaining.

"U-um," she stuttered. "Good morning."

Natsu furrowed his brows, rolling on his side to face her and putting the back of his wrist to her forehead to check her temperature. "You're really red. Are you feeling okay?" He asked. She squeaked at the contact and quickly removed his wrist from her.

"Fine! I'm fine" she replied, taking a deep breath. Her eyes flicked to his chest before darting to the wall behind him, her flush traveling to the tips of her ears. "J-just a little hungover."

"I think I am too," he said, scrubbing his hands on his face for the second time this morning. "How long does it take not to feel like a steaming pile of horseshit anymore?" The pounding in his head was getting really annoying.

"Depends on how big a pile of horseshit you feel like," she giggled, features relaxing and meeting his eyes again. "Probably only a few hours. How much did you even have to drink last night?" She asked.

"I think just the 4 shots Gray challenged me to," he felt a flash of irritation. "Dumb ice block didn't tell me that much would cause what you call a hangover," he grumbled. He saw her face flicker with amusement, and he quirked an eyebrow at her. "What?"

"He probably also failed to tell you to stay hydrated when drinking alcohol," the corners of her mouth pulling up in a grin. "For a lightweight, with enough water, you probably would've been fine this morning."

Natsu scowled. "That bastard must've set me up," he muttered. "And who you callin' a lightweight?"

She laughed. "You! You were slurring like a sailor when I found you here last night! And you're telling me you had 4 shots of 66 proof liquor," she teased. "It's not like you drank moonshine!"

He scoffed and rolled his eyes. "I dunno what you're talkin' about and why you're judging your proof with a number, but I wasn't that drunk." he lied, knowing full well he barely made it through her window last night without losing his grip on his way up the stone wall outside. He couldn't even remember who won the duel last night, but he refused to believe it was Gray without the others telling him as much.

"You totally were super drunk," Happy chimed in, yawning and stretching out before confirming what he didn't want to hear. "You shoulda seen him lose that fight with Gray. He was right!"

Natsu flashed his partner in crime a nasty scowl. "How 'bout a 'good morning' before you go insultin' me," he muttered, Happy flashing him a toothy grin.

"Y'know," Lucy smirked at the exchange. " I don't think I've ever been witness to a drunk Natsu before last night. Did you at least enjoy yourself?"

He shrugged. "Kinda. Alcohol's weird. It felt like my limbs were lead weights and my body had to take a second before moving when I told it to," he recalled. "But the nice thing was that getting punched in the face didn't hurt as bad coz my face felt numb! That would be a good thing in battle if it didn't also make it harder to move or think and make you feel like a garbage bin after."

She hummed in agreement at the last part. "I'll grab us some water, that tends to help speed up getting over a hangover." She peeled the blankets off herself before getting up, and he noted that she wore a tank top and shorts. The top rode up to expose a bit of her midriff as she stretched her arms above her head.

Lucy returned shortly with two glasses of water, handing him one before greedily gulping down her own as he eyed the water dribbling down her chin, down her neck, to the tops of her breasts. He shook his head, unsure why that made his mouth dry out even further, and brought his glass to his mouth and chugged it.

He let out a refreshed sigh before handing the empty glass back to her, and she set them down on her nightstand. He watched her as she sat back down on the bed, propped a pillow up as a backrest against the headboard, and pulled the blankets back over her legs. There was a moment of silence as she seemed to mull over something she wanted to say.

"Natsu," she said, with a hint of nervousness in her tone. "Why do you come over and sleep in my bed some nights?"

He considered her question for a moment. "Didn't I tell you why last night?" His memory was a bit fuzzy, though, so he told her again anyway. "It beats sleepin' in my hammock. And your bed is way comfier," he wasn't sure why she was asking.

"Why don't you just buy yourself a bed, then?" She probed.

He shrugged. "I guess I could, I just haven't gotten around to it." The hammock had never really bothered him enough to spend his jewels on something better. Besides, Lucy's bed was better in every way, and that was free!

"I can help you find one," she suggested quietly. "We could go into town today or something and pick one out for you if you've got the jewels for one."

"Um, okay," he said slowly. "I guess we could do that. Bisca and Alzack asked me to babysit Asuka for a few hours later today, though."

She had been avoiding looking at him, but with that, she turned to him with a small smile. "Maybe she could give you a professional opinion on the best mattress."

"Sure," he said, grinning. "That sounds like a plan!" She looked away from him again and shifted some, fidgeting with a loose thread on her blanket, sucking in a breath as if to say something, only to let it out after a moment instead. "You look like you want to say something else," he observed. She tensed and said nothing for long enough that he thought maybe she wouldn't answer him.

"I guess I'm wondering if, even with a new bed, you'll still try to sleep in mine some nights." Her cheeks flushed slightly when she said it, giving him a sidelong glance.

"Probably," he said nonchalantly. "It won't smell like you, though I guess it'll be comfier than the hammock." He saw her cheeks turn a darker shade of pink and he heard her heart rate pick up again.

"W-what does it smelling like me have to do with anything?!" She sputtered.

He raised a brow at her reaction, though she'd stopped looking at him. "Because your scent is relaxing? Don't people like feeling relaxed before sleeping, ya weirdo?" He wasn't sure why she was getting flustered by this.

"You make my scent sound like it's some sort of aromatherapy for you," she muttered. "And you say that like it's obvious!"

"Well, it's true!" He shot back. "And what's aromatherapy?"

"It's essential oils that people use for different purposes, lavender usually is the one for relaxation," she replied. He had no idea what essential oils were either and why they were so essential, but before he could ask, she finally turned her head to look at him again with an expression he couldn't read and studied his face for a long moment. "What do I smell like to you, then? Lavender?"

"You smell like Lucy," he grinned, knowing that wasn't the answer she was looking for.

She smacked his arm and pouted. "You know what I mean, you cheeky idiot!"

"Strawberries," he replied honestly. "And honey. But not like the processed stuff from stores. Fresh, all-natural honey like you'd find at one of the market stalls in town."

"Interesting," she studied his face again. "You smell like campfire and pine needles."

"Huh," he realized nobody had ever actually told him what his own scent was. "Is my scent relaxing for you, too?" He gave her a toothy grin, though he was pretty curious.

"U-um," she stuttered, flushing. "We should get breakfast! O-or, more like brunch," she checked the time. "We slept late, it's around 10. The others might be wondering where we are. You and Happy can go on ahead and let them know I'm coming, you guys always complain about me taking too long to get ready anyway!"

He wondered why she evaded answering what seemed like a simple question, but let it slide at the mention of food. He nodded quickly, stomach growling.

"Okay, we'll see you in a bit, Luce!" He slid himself off her bed and put on the rest of his clothes. "Happy!" He called over his shoulder as he opened the window. "Ready to go?"

"Aye, sir!"

"Learn how to use the door, you prick!"

"GRAY!" Natsu yelled as he kicked the doors of the guild open. "YOU SET ME UP, YOU BASTARD!"

Gray whipped his head toward the dragon slayer from his seat at their usual table and narrowed his eyes. "What do you mean I set you up, flame for brains?!"

Natsu marched over and leaned over him, crossing his arms across his chest and fuming. "When you challenged me to a drunk fight last night, you never told me about how crappy I'd feel the next morning! Lucy told me it's called a hangover and apparently, you didn't tell me I had to drink a lotta water too!"

Gray busted out laughing. "It's not my fault I didn't know you'd get a hangover after 4 shots, ya big baby! Take it as a learning experience, Mavis knows you need way more of those," he grinned at him. "Also not my fault you can't hold your liquor well enough to win a bar fight-"

Natsu grabbed his shirt collar, pulling him to stand on his feet. "I'm gonna beat that stupid smug grin off your face you fuckin' popsicle di-"

He felt someone fist the hair on the back of his head, and before he could register what was happening, his forehead was smashed against Gray's none too gently and he fell hard on his butt.

"You haven't even been inside this guild for two minutes," Erza snarled at him. "If I hear one more word about beating anyone up from either of you, I will castrate you both."

The boys clung to each other in terror. "Yes ma'am!"

Mira cleared her throat from across the bar as Natsu rubbed his forehead, grumbled, and dropped himself onto the bench across the table from the ice mage. "What would you like to eat, Natsu, Happy?" She asked.

"Ugh," Natsu groaned in response. "Make me something that'll stop making me feel like garbage, please."

"I want some fish!" Happy chimed in.

Soon enough, she brought him some scrambled eggs, toast, avocados, a bowl of oatmeal, and a mug of green tea. "I know it's not your go-to, but your usual choices would probably upset your stomach more," she told him, also handing Happy a plate of raw tuna.

"Thanks, Mira," he replied, shoving some eggs in his mouth and thanking Mavis for finally tasting something other than stale cinnamon whiskey. "Would you whip up something similar for Lucy? She should be arriving soon," he called after her as she walked back behind the bar.

Mira gave him a knowing look. "Sure," she tittered.

Natsu's eyes wandered the guild hall lazily as he ate, spotting Cana at the end of the bar with a mug in her hands. He cringed at the fact that it wasn't even noon yet and she was already drinking. "Cana!" He called. "How on Earthland are you able to drink so much and not regret it later?" He'd seen her do it all the time, but after actually experiencing a hangover, he was left dumbfounded.

She barked a laugh, taking a large swig of her drink. "I just drink more when I start feeling like shit," she replied. "Problem solved!" He scrunched his nose at that.

"How has your liver not completely shut down yet?" Gray gawked at her. "There's gotta be some typa magic involved," he muttered under his breath when she cackled.

It wasn't much longer until Natsu saw Lucy open the doors, and he waved her over. She made her way to them, everyone exchanging their greetings as she took up a spot next to him. Mira brought out her food, and she looked at the transformation mage in surprise.

"How did you know what I wanted for brunch? Did Cana do a card reading or something on what everyone wanted to eat this morning?" she asked.

"Natsu asked me to prepare it for you so it would be ready as soon as you arrived," she winked.

Lucy squinted and gave him a suspicious sidelong glance. "He didn't ask you to mess with it too, did he?"

"No, silly! He was just being sweet," she laughed. "I promise there were no alternative motives today."

"I'm not sweet," Natsu muttered, frowning. The word felt too soft for him. "She told me she had a hangover too so I figured she would want something for it."

Lucy hesitantly bit into her toast, chewing slowly before washing it down with her green tea. "I suppose it tastes normal," she remarked.

Erza cleared her throat from her spot at the table. "Now that we're all here, let's discuss our plans for this week," she said. "I took a look at the job posts earlier, and found one suitable for easing ourselves back into a routine." She set a paper down in the middle of the table so everyone could take a look at it.

Abbington family seeking A-class mages or higher to escort from the old estate in Hargeon to a new estate in Crocus. The journey will be made on foot and mules will tow belongings. Reward 300,000 Jewels.

"This job alone will cover this month's rent!" Lucy cheered. "'I'm sold."

Natsu, however, was not as pleased with this. "Aw c'mon Erza, I wanna do something with big monsters and bad guys to fight!" He complained. "Don't you think we're all pretty much S-class mages at this point anyway? This seems way too easy."

She shook her head. "Regardless of our rank, I think it's best we take on a job that will be simple enough for us to focus on regaining a smooth team dynamic. We've spent the better part of a month reinstating the guild and then immediately battling Avatar, Zeref, and Acnologia, either separately or with other people. And before that, we hadn't seen each other for an entire year. I think it's safe to say that we're probably fairly out of sync with each other."

Natsu saw a shadow fall on Lucy's face as she dropped her gaze to look at her hands, eyes dull and devoid of emotion.

"She's got a point," Gray interjected. "And these rich guys are paying us pretty well for the job, so we aren't entirely selling ourselves short. The Abbington family is decently well known in Fiore for their mining company."

Lucy took a deep breath before looking back up to meet Erza's eyes. "I wonder why they're asking for A-class or above for what seems like a pretty easy job?"

"Good question," Erza replied. "They might just feel entitled to high security for high-value items," she shrugged. "Natsu, don't give me that look. At least we won't be taking a 7-hour train to Crocus."

"Fine," he resigned, still a bit miffed. "When do we leave?"

Erza laid out the plan. "I think we should meet at the train station by 9 tomorrow morning. We'll take the train to Hargeon to save us some time, and meet the family at their estate. The journey should be about a 3 to 4 day walk if all goes smoothly. We can spend the night in Crocus on the last day before returning the morning after by train."

"We can't walk back from Crocus too?" Natsu huffed.

"That would extend an estimated 5 day journey into over a week," she replied dismissively. "No, thank you."

"Easy for you to wave off," he grumbled under his breath. "Not like you'll spend 7 hours puking your guts out."

"Alright then," she ignored his complaints and stood up from the table. "I'll let the client know we will see them soon."

Asuka surveyed her surroundings from atop Natsu's shoulders, Happy and Lucy beside them as they made their way into the shopping district. "Where are we going?" She inquired.

"We are on a grand adventure to scour the land of Magnolia to find Natsu a bed!" Lucy replied enthusiastically. Natsu scoffed, amused with her attempt to make mattress shopping sound more interesting than it truly was.

Asuka giggled in excitement, before pausing and furrowing her eyebrows. "What's wrong with the one he has now?"

"He doesn't even have one right now," Lucy replied, giving him a pointed look. "He sleeps in a hammock like a barbarian."

Asuka frowned, though he couldn't see it from where she sat behind his head. "That doesn't sound very comfy," she opined.

"It's not as bad as you guys are makin' it out to be," Natsu scowled. "I've made it this long just fine sleepin' in a hammock. It wasn't even my idea to go shopping today."

"Yet you still sneak into Lucy's bed sometimes," Happy interjected, giddy to poke fun at his best friend. "And you agreed to go along anyway. I think you're lying."

Asuka's eyes widened. "You guys sleep together?" Natsu saw Lucy's face flush. "Mama and Papa sleep together too."

"That's nice," Lucy said quickly. "But we're not-"

"They also kiss each other," she interrupted, giving them an accusatory look. "I remember last time when Natsu lost our bet and said he'd do anything I told him to for the rest of the day, you guys didn't kiss when I said to!" She huffed, crossing her arms. "You owe me."

He thought back to that moment, smirking when he remembered how entertained he was by her flustered stammering at the child's request. He always liked getting a reaction out of her.

Then he cringed, remembering how he ended up kissing Happy instead. He definitely would've preferred to kiss Lucy. He had played it cool and pretended like he was impartial to receiving a kiss from her, but he couldn't lie to himself and say that he wasn't curious about how soft her lips were…or that he didn't feel a strange twinge in his chest when she denied him.

"Hey!" He contended. "I didn't have a problem with it. Blame Lucy."

The celestial mage stopped in her tracks and glowered at him, cheeks flushed. "Don't make me out to be the bad guy here!" She groused. "It's not my fault a 7-year-old child has such adult ideas and compares us to her mom and dad!"

"But you guys already sleep together like Mama and Papa," she interjected.

He turned to face Lucy and tried to mimic the serious expression he'd given her the last time and moved closer, wanting another reaction out of her and secretly preparing himself to have Happy shoved in his face again at the last second. "It ain't like we're gonna die or anything," he recited.

Lucy let out a strangled sound, but instead of grabbing Happy, she brought her hand up to his cheek, touch feather-light. The unexpected contact made him stiffen. Wait. Is she seriously gonna-

"You're insufferable," she muttered and leaned forward, tilting her head up. His eyes darted to her lips, and his heart rate picked up significantly.

Are they soft? How do they taste? I wanna know. His brain felt like it had short-circuited. Why am I so nervous? His breath hitched as she narrowly evaded his lips and gave him a soft peck on the cheek before quickly turning around. "Hope that's good enough, Asuka! We're still not like your mom and dad!" Her voice was a bit shrilly.

"Sure," Asuka tittered, barely hiding her intense amusement at their interaction.

"She loooooves you," Happy sang with a cheeky grin.

"Can it, tomcat!" Lucy hissed over her shoulder as she began walking again.

Natsu said nothing, realizing the places she had made contact with his face tingled, especially the cheek she'd lightly kissed. It felt like those spots were burning him in a strangely pleasant way, and his entire head felt like it was on fire. Since the child upon his shoulders wasn't screaming about it literally being on fire, he figured he had his magic under control. I can't remember the last time my face felt this hot. What the fuck? I'm a fire dragon slayer, I don't get hot!

"Hey!" Asuka barked next to his ear, effectively tearing him out of his thoughts. "Giddyup! Why aren't you following Lucy?" He saw the celestial mage briskly walking away from them.

He felt a strange and unfamiliar feeling bloom in his chest as he watched her for a moment. It was almost as if a small, dormant flame had begun to flicker to life within him. He rubbed at his chest, but it didn't help. Maybe it's heartburn from the hangover.

"Sorry," he muttered, kicking himself into gear and running after her, Asuka cackling as she bounced on his shoulders.

"This is amazing," Happy sighed as he sprawled out over the new bed. "Asuka was right to pick this one out."

Lucy had to help Natsu clean and organize his cottage (for the hundredth time) before they could maneuver the mattress inside, which he was thankful for in more ways than one. The tornado disaster zone had been dealt with, and now everything smelled like Lucy. Both of these were temporary, but he would be sure to relish in it until the next time she decided to be so kind as to help him clean…again.

She joined Happy, sprawling out on his bed as well. "I agree, Happy," she said. "This one's almost softer than mine." She flashed Natsu a cheeky grin. "Oh, how the tables have turned! Now I'm hogging your bed."

He leveled his gaze at her and deadpanned. "And?"

She scowled at him. "You're supposed to get annoyed, dammit!"

He maintained himself. "Why's that? The longer you lay there, the longer your scent lingers. And I'm supposed to get annoyed with that, because…?" He knew he was purposefully being difficult just to get her worked up, but he also wasn't lying to achieve that.

She scoffed and looked away, failing to hide the pink that dusted her cheeks. "What's with you and treating my scent like it's some sort of aromatherapy?" She muttered under her breath, though he could still hear it.

"I still don't know what that is," he replied.

"I told you, it's diffusing essential oils for various purposes."

"But what are essential oils?" He furrowed his eyebrows. "That's the part I'm confused about now."

"Oh," she replied. "Well, they're essentially plant-based extracts that offer different smells for different purposes. As I said, lavender is usually the one for relaxation," she put her hand to her chin inquisitively. "Maybe for dragon slayers, it's strawberries and raw honey."

He took a moment to absorb this information before frowning. "No," he said slowly. "That's not a dragon slayer thing. That's just a Natsu thing," he furrowed his eyebrows again. "I thought associating certain smells with certain emotions was something everyone did. The reason strawberries and raw honey are so relaxing for me is because I associate that with you."

"Oh," she said quietly, a blush tinting her cheeks again. "That's...that's honestly really sweet," she smiled.

"I'm not sweet," he groused. "That word makes it sound like I'm a softie."

"Well, you are a softie sometimes!" She laughed and sat up. "Don't make that sound like a bad thing when it truly isn't. I enjoy when you talk about soft, emotional stuff." She told him. "And," her voice dropped down to a whisper. "I wish you'd do it more often."

He knew where this was going and he didn't like it. He shifted uncomfortably on his feet. "You know I'm not good with words, Luce."

"I know," she replied despondently, her brown eyes meeting his and flickering with sadness and something else he couldn't quite read. He didn't like seeing her eyes filled with anything except bubbly happiness, but this familiar topic they were headed toward made his stomach queasy like he was on a train. "You're an 'actions speak louder than words' type of guy," she looked down and fiddled with the hem of her shirt.

There were a few beats of tense silence before she sighed and removed herself from his new bed. He watched her, rooted to his spot beside the bed, as she grabbed her purse and made her way to his front door, his stomach twisting in vicious knots. He didn't want to end their day together with this sudden somber change in atmosphere, but every time they tried to breach this subject, he choked.

"Sometimes, though, actions can hurt more than any words could," she said quietly over her shoulder as she opened the door. "Good night, Natsu."

When the door clicked shut, he was left in silence to stare at where she'd last been, his lips pressed into a thin line.

Happy let out a low whistle. "Ouch. She's right, you know."

His shoulders slumped. "Not now, Happy," his voice was as hollow as he felt and devoid of any conviction.

The Exceed's face flickered with irritation. "If not now, then when?" He replied. "You've basically been telling her 'not now' with your actions for like a month at this point." There was a drop of sarcasm in there, but then his eyes softened. "You know I usually keep it lighthearted between us and I'm not good with words either. But you're my best friend, Natsu. This is getting hard to watch."

Guilt gnawed at him like an unforgiving beast. He gave his friend a sidelong, dejected glance. "I know, I'm sorry."