TRIGGER WARNING - There are big mentions of self harm, suicidal thoughts and attempted suicide. Also elements of abuse throughout the story. Please read with caution.

Gildarts was banging on Lucy's door. After taking her pills, Lucy made her way back into her room as she rubbed the back of her head, trying to tame her wild locks that had tangled in her sleep. She had been at the institution for a little over five months and she had grown accustomed to the timetable and the new group of people that she had little choice but to hang around with.

Natsu's night terrors had been decreasing drastically due to Lucy intervening late at night, people were so used to it that they didn't even get up when she did, they just knew she would take care of him. She nearly smiled. It was nice to feel trusted.

The relationship between Natsu and Lucy was a fickle one. With them both having such severe mental illnesses it was true that they clashed a lot but that was also the reason she thought they understood each other so well. They were both as stubborn as each other, which proved a problem and had often caused us to go over a week without speaking. They'd get over it usually. Lucy thought they were both just kinda new to the whole friend thing.

It never lasted though when they didn't speak. They always made up. But unfortunately, their banter had caught the attention of other patients. Especially since Natsu had a reputation for not having ever taken anyone's shit. They were teased a lot by Gray and Mirajane but that was effectively quietened with Natsu's glare.

Lucy huffed loudly as she slumped back down onto into bed, she had yet to put her jacket on and so her eyes drifted down to the marks on her arm. The marks that Natsu had apparently witnessed her make. The sudden… attachment she had for Natsu worried her, and she didn't doubt that it worried Natsu also. They were kinda alike but so different at the same time. Lucy didn't know whether she liked it or hated it.

"Lucy?"

Said woman lifted her head to see Natsu in the doorway, his eyes narrowed as he had followed her previous gaze to the marks on her arm. Lucy said nothing as she stood up and shrugged her jacket on. Natsu watched her with a bored expression before his dark green orbs met hers again.

"Hey," She breathed, stepping towards him so they could make their way from the room. Natsu didn't respond and proceeded to block the entrance as he closed the door slowly behind him. Lucy gave him a sharp look, ignoring his grimace.

"What are you doing? Let's go."

Natsu swallowed audibly. "My… parents, I guess are coming today."

Lucy recoiled.

"What? You're leaving the hospital?" She asked, her voice raising in pitch. Natsu shook his head.

"No, no," he assured her before continuing. "No, they want to… take me out for the day. They don't actually have custody of me anymore since I was adopted, but they're still allowed to see me." Lucy's eyebrows shot up at the sudden information. Natsu continued.

"When you reach a certain level, you get to go on days out with your family and come back at the end of the day. I reached that level ages ago, but my parents never pulled anything like this till now."

"Levels…?" Lucy trailed off.

"Most patients don't know but the staff mark the patients progress with levels," he rumbled, and she didn't have to ask how he knew this. "Level One is when you first got here. You're given some space to get used to the institution and shit but kept a close eye on. You were different since before you came here Ig… Because some social worker of yours give specific ways in which for you to recover, so some of the rules for the levels don't really apply to you."

Natsu shook his head when the blonde opened her mouth.

"Gildarts is shitty at hiding files," he explained. "I've read every file of the people in our ward. There isn't much on you – I think anything important went straight to Erza. The only thing I could find was that the levels are null in your case sometimes. "

Lucy frowned before nodding. They would come back to that later.

"Level Two is private sessions. That'd be when Miss Erza started taking you out of free time and Art and Crafts and all that. You moved up then." Lucy nodded and Natsu took the cue to go on. "Level Three is when you're allowed to join others of that level and above in outside games. You get a later curfew and can sleep in for longer, and you get access to other parts of the hospital. Level Four is where I'm at, you can go out with your family for a day or weekend, go the movies, restaurant so long as a staff member is with you and you're back at a certain time."

Lucy raised her brows as he trailed off. "It that all?"

Natsu shook his head.

"No," he said. "Then there is Level Five. And that's when you finally get out of this place."

The young woman blinked before leaning away. She frowned at the floor before looking back up to the older man.

"So, you're going out with your parents today?"

Natsu scowled before shaking his head abruptly. "Like hell I am. I need you to cover for me."

She didn't expect that. "Wait, what?"

Natsu scoffed and crossed his arms over his broad chest. He leant back against the door to look down at Lucy.

"Like I'm going anywhere with them - They're crazier than the people in here."

Lucy just frowned in confusion before running a hand through her hair. "What are you going to do then?"

"I'll just hide from the staff. It's easy, I know this place better than any of them do. Only Gildarts knows about the piano room so once I see that he's checked that I can just hide out in there for the rest of the day, that'll most likely be the first place he'll check, too."

"Won't any of the other staff check there?"

"No, none of the others know about that room. This place was a school before it was a hospital and Gildarts went to it. He's the only one who knows about the room."

Lucy rolled her eyes before turning her back to shut off the light before facing Natsu again.

"I'm staying with you."

Natsu's eyes widened before he hissed back at her.

"Lucy, don't start. If I take the new girl I'll get caught right away, you idiot."

"Fine, then I'll meet you in the piano room at dinner!" She countered hotly. "That way no one will find us, and you won't be all alone! Come on Natsu, I need a break from these dumb group sessions and music classes. I need a minute to breathe."

Natsu scorned at the blonde before taking an abrupt step back when he realised that they were in each other's faces. He cast her a dark look before turning his back.

"If anyone asks you haven't seen me," he said sternly before swinging the door open. He paused a second.

"… I'll see you at twelve."

The door slammed shut as a slow smile crept across Lucy's face.

Hell yeah.