Storyline: Lucy is acting very strange as she, Natsu and Happy make their way back from a mission. She does her best to hide her injuries from Natsu, but her injuries are much worse than she had imagined. Will Natsu notice before it's too late?
"Eh, wasn't that bad of a job, I guess," Natsu sighed as he sat beside Lucy at the train station, rambling somewhat to try and block out the ever-impending doom of the train that would be arriving soon, one of which he had to get on.
He cast her a look at her through the corner of his eye. Lucy sat up straight, only a little hunched, but she was probably just tired from the job, he figured. He sighed again before looking forwards once more.
"I don't see why we can't walk," he grumbled. He heard Lucy sigh before she looked over to him.
"When have I ever agreed to walk when we could just catch the train and be back a Magnolia in under an hour?" she asked. Her voice, usually firm and fiery, was quieter than usual and a little breathless. Natsu frowned at her but moved on.
"Like that'd stop me from askin'" he grumbled, glaring at the stupid tracks like they mocked him.
"What's wrong with you Lucy," Happy asked, flying above their heads before landing on Lucy's knee, tilting his head up at her. "You seem pretty down."
Lucy just laughed breathlessly and shook her head. "Just a little tired out from the job, is all."
"You did fight pretty hard," Natsu observed. "One got pretty close; I could hardly believe it when you fought him off."
"Yeah, Erza's been trying to teach me some self-defence moves in case they ever attacked me head on," she told them, quite proudly. "Still not quite there yet though."
"You kidding?" Happy asked, flying up to her face excitedly. "You really got 'um! I'm surprised, thought you were completely useless."
Lucy rolled her eyes but smiled at him regardless. At that moment, the rumbling of a train began to sound and Natsu groaned.
"God Natsu, here," Lucy fished in her pocket for a second before handing Natsu a small flask. He looked down at the bottle before back up at her incredulously.
"You try'na get me drunk? 'Cause I'll probably just throw up more."
Lucy rolled her eyes again before taking it back and unscrewing the lid.
"It's a charm thing Wendy gave me before we left. I forgot all about it on the way here – " she ignored Natsu's spluttering and continued. "But it's another type of motion sickness medicine, different from the other charm she used to use on you so this one should be effective. You need to take it before we get on the train, though. So, drink up."
Natsu nodded before taking the small flash back, throwing the medicine back and jumping up to his feet just as the train slowed to a stop before them. He threw his bag over his shoulder before looking back to Lucy, noticing she hadn't even stood yet.
"C'mon, let's get going," he said, gesturing at the open doors of the train. "What ye' waiting for?"
"One sec, just making sure I've got everything. You and Happy go and find us a good cabin, I'll catch up. Quick, before they're all taken up!" She said as she started shuffling in the bag at her side.
Natsu nodded and made his way on the train, Happy cast a suspicious glance at Lucy but followed Natsu.
When they were both out of sight, Lucy pulled away from the bag and leant back into her seat, releasing a long, painful breath.
"God" she muttered before finally pulling her bag strap over her shoulder and making a move to stand up. She wasn't prepared for how hard it would be to do. She managed a few stumbles before coming to the door of the train and straightening her back and taking a deep breath before sauntering onto the train as if it were no trouble.
"In here, Luce!" Natsu's voice called out as he popped his head out of their cabin, Lucy smiled at him and made her way over, her eyes casting down to her feet as though it would make it easier to walk. She closed the door behind them as Natsu took a seat beside the window, and she opposite.
Her brow twitched slightly as she anticipated sitting down but she managed to do so stiffly, releasing an unintentional sigh as she leant back into the seat.
"You good, Luce?" Natsu asked. Lucy looked up sharply.
"Yeah, yeah of course!" she said quickly, tilting her head at him as if he was being silly. "Just a little sore from the job, really. I hardly ever do some fighting myself!"
Natsu let it go and smiled. The train groaned before stuttering to a start and beginning their journey home. Natsu visibly tensed as it did, cringing as he awaited to usual waves of sickness to wash over him, but none came. He opened one eye, seeing the scenery pass the window with impossible speed before he sat up straight and laughed happily.
"Hey, look at that, it worked!" he yelled. Lucy smiled happily at him, leaning back in her seat while Natsu started to speak excitedly to Happy about the medicine actually doing its job.
Lucy managed almost the entire journey without causing Natsu or Happy any worry. She leant back in her seat with a book in her lap, though a horrible throbbing in her chest made the words on the page hard to concentrate on.
The blonde took a deep breath and noticed a wheezing sound that came out when she did. She stiffened, knowing that Natsu's sharp hearing would pick up the sound. She cleared her throat but that didn't help, it only caused a large lace of pain through her chest. She gasped.
That noise made Natsu's head instantly snap in her direction. His brow furrowed as he took in his partner's state. He knew that Lucy enjoyed train journeys. She usually sat back and enjoyed her book, so he relied mostly on Happy for conversation.
So, he hadn't noticed how pale she looked. Her skin was almost as white as the scarf around his neck, even tinting a very worrying blue around her mouth. Her eyes looked irritated, swelling around the bottom, and turning blood shot. His ears pricked and he could hear a prominent wheezing sound when she breathed, coming deep in her chest. She had noticed him looking and hunched over, though as she did, she released a pained squeak and a hand flew to her side, pressing over her padded coat.
"Lucy!" he gasped in shock, standing up to close the few feet that separated them. He kneeled before her, and she seemed to panic at the attention he gave her. She opened her mouth to console him, but she just started wheezing even more.
"Luce, what's wrong? What's the matter?"
She squeezed her eyes shut as she fought for breath, knowing she couldn't hide it anymore. The pain in her chest grew and grew till she couldn't even think straight. Her pride went out the window, and all she wanted was for the pain to stop. She pointed to the top of her coat, releasing a small cough as she silently asked Natsu to take it off.
He followed her instruction wordlessly, clumsily pulling down the zipper of her coat and the scent of blood hit him. He released a small sound of disbelief as his eyes scanned the state of her top. The right side was coated with blood, obviously seeping through the shirt this entire time. Her coat has successfully hidden the damage and absorbed the blood, so none fell onto the floor. Some has seeped into her pants, but they were black, so he never even noticed.
"Lucy," his whispered, his voice cracking. He was stunned he hadn't smelled anything, noticed anything.
Lucy squeezed her eyes shut and shook her head. Natsu's hand went to the hem of her top and pulled it up. He clenched his jaw as he revealed a gash, no doubt for the knife the bandits used. He looked back up to her face, ready to ask why she didn't say anything, but her eyes were drooping shut.
"Luce - No, no! Lucy, stay awake, okay? I'm gonna get you help." He said, unable to hide the desperation in his voice. He looked out the window to see the train was slowing as they neared Magnolia. He leant back and threw the strap of his bag over his shoulder before looking to Happy.
"Get Lucy's bag," he told the cat sternly, forcing his voice not to waver. "Get to the guild and find Wendy. She needs to be ready by the time I get there."
Happy nodded without a word, though his eyes betrayed his fear. Natsu knew why.
Things weren't looking good for Lucy.
"She's going to be fine, Happy," Natsu snapped, more to himself. "I won't let anythin' happen to her. She ain't goin' anywhere, I'm tellin' you now. She's going to be fine."
He silently fumed as he turned around to carefully pick her up, one arm wrapped around her shoulders, the other cradling her under the knees. He effortlessly made his way to the door with her in his arms before the train had even stopped and flew out the moment the doors opened.
Natsu paced outside of the guild's small infirmary. He had rushed Lucy inside and Wendy was thankfully already ready, ushering them into the infirmary. His young blue-haired guild mate had made him set her down on the bed before kicking him out. He fought her but she snapped at him, saying their friend's life was at stake. Gray and Gajeel had to drag him away.
No one asked him what had happened. He was freaking out too much for anyone to dare approach him. He was just so furious. At the bandits, at Lucy, at himself. He was angry at the bandits because they were the ones who had hurt her. He was angry at Lucy for hiding the fact that she was injured from him. The thought of it alone was enough to make him snarl out loud.
Why would she hide that? Was she some kind of masochist? Was she trying to scare him to death? Nothing he could think of justified her putting her life at risk like this.
And finally, he was angry at himself for not noticing regardless.
The door creaking open dragged him from his thoughts. Wendy looked exhausted. Any other day he might have tried to lay off her, give her some space, tell her to relax and update him in the morning.
But not today.
"So?" he asked, making his way over to her quickly, green eyes intense. "How is she? Is she gonna be okay?"
Wendy gave him a weak smile. "She'll be okay. She's asleep right now but she should wake up soon. I've healed one of her injuries. The other will have to wait till tomorrow, but I've patched it up."
He breathed a sigh. "Fuck, that's - Wait, one of her injuries? She had another injury?"
Wendy sighed. "It was very, very close, Natsu. It wasn't the wound on her side that almost killed her. That was just a flesh wound - It wasn't too deep and the blood on her shirt was as much as it bled. That wouldn't have killed her."
Natsu narrowed his eyes, turning his head to the side as he asked her quietly. "Then what almost did?"
Wendy shook her head, swallowing thickly as her eyes welled up with tears. "She had a punctured lung. And it was bad. That why she was wheezing, why she was turning blue and why her eyes were swelling up. Some impact must have hit her on the job exactly the wrong to cause damage like that to her lung - She was so, so close to not making it Natsu. So close."
Natsu's chest tightened painfully at the thought of losing Lucy. It hurt to even comprehend. He squeezed his eyes shut and shook his head in denial.
"Why didn't she tell you?" she whispered furiously. "You said you only noticed it at the end of the journey. What were you doing all that time? She must have been in so much pain – "
"Don't." Natsu interrupted sternly, his voice cold. "Just don't."
Wendy looked up at him in surprise. His eyes were as cold as his voice and his expression was downright scary. The young girl just nodded her head and made her way from the room, stopping when she got behind him.
"You can go in." she told him quietly. "Her side will still be sore, but I've healed her lung so she's going to be fine. But if I were you," she turned to eye him from the corner of her eye sternly. "I'd give her a good telling off. She can't pull something like this again, Natsu. It almost killed her."
Natsu didn't respond but Wendy knew he heard her from the way he clenched his fists. She walked away and Natsu grit his teeth as his hand went to Lucy's door handle.
"Yeah," he muttered darkly. "Like I need someone to tell me that."
Lucy felt disorientated.
It felt like she was lying on a bed. Not her bed because she didn't like the crispiness of the sheets - Her covers were nice and soft. She couldn't open her eyes to inspect her surroundings since her eyelids wouldn't respond to her brain's commands.
She heard a low, groaning like sound. It took her a second to realise it came from her. She found her mouth. She licked her dry lips and released another slight groan of discomfort. She heard some shuffling and pressure on her forehead. She relaxed at the feeling and a finger ran over her eyelid. That's where they were.
She blinked open her eyes groggily to see white. The picture finally focused and then she could see pink. She blinked a couple of times before she could make sense of what she saw before her.
It was Natsu. Her stomach flipped at his face, the face she adored so much. She was about to smile, her lips started to turn up but then memories came rushing back and she finally took notice of the angry, no, furious expression on Natsu's face.
The smile dropped from her face. Her eyes fell as she looked at the lumps of her feet under the white sheets.
"Lucy," Natsu rumbled, his voice low. It sent shivers down Lucy's spine. "Are you stupid?"
She wasn't even offended. She sighed, noting how it didn't hurt her to do so, (she'd have to thank Wendy later) and ran a hand through her hair.
"Natsu," she began. "Listen – "
"No," Natsu snarled. Lucy looked up in surprise. Only then did she really consider how furious Natsu really was. His eyes, usually so wide and child-like, were narrowed into slits as he looked down on her. His hands were clenched into fists at his side, and she felt a lace of guilt flash through her chest. He continued in that cold voice. "You listen. Do you have any idea how close you were to dying?"
Lucy's eyes widened. "B-but...No. No, it was only a flesh wound – "
"That wasn't the only thing wrong with you!" he snapped. "You had a very, very severe punctured lung. You were turnin' blue, your eyes swelled, you were wheezing – "
"The pain in my chest…" she said in realisation, her hand going up to press to her throat. Natsu narrowed his eyes and nodded.
"Yeah." He said in a chipped tone. "Yeah. The pain in your chest. Somethin' you neglected to tell me about."
Lucy closed her eyes. "Natsu – "
"Don't 'Natsu' me!" he shouted, throwing his hands up in outrage as he paced at the end of her bed. He stopped to round on her. "Lucy, why on earth wouldn't you tell me you were hurt?! What the fuck can justify you puttin' your life on the line like that?!"
Lucy just shook her head, closing her eyes, just adding the Natsu's frustration.
"Why, Lucy?! Why the fuck would you do something so stupid?!" He sneered, making his way to the side of the bed. Lucy's eyes snapped open to glare at him.
"You wanna know why?!" She shouted right back at him. Natsu's eyes flashed with rage.
"Yes!" he roared in response.
"Because I'm sick of being called weak!" she sat up, her face inches from his face as she spat the words at him.
Natsu recoiled slightly. He frowned at her as he leant away. "What?"
Lucy narrowed her eyes and shook her head, turning away.
"Don't act like you don't know, Natsu." She muttered bitterly. "You hear what people say as much as I do. How our team would be stronger if I wasn't on it, how I drag you all down. Because not only am I the weakest one in the strongest team in Fairy Tail, but I'm the weakest one in the entire guild."
Natsu's eyes softened.
"Lucy," he said softly, drawing a hand up to rest over hers. "You know that's not true."
"Of course, I know it's not true!" she snapped, pulling her hand out from under his as her furious eyes met his soft ones. "I am not weak. Just because I don't do as much hand-to-hand combat as the other guild members, doesn't mean I use any less magic energy! Hell, I use more magic energy than one team put together! They just don't get it! They make all these stupid assumptions that I'm weak and I just had to prove that – "
"Lucy," Natsu interrupted, cupping her face in his hands. Her eyes widened, but his eyes never wavered, they remained stern on her.
"You are not weak." He said slowly. "I know that. Gray knows that. Erza knows that. The old man knows that and so does everyone that needs to know. Don't go worrying about what irrelevant people think. The people you need to worry about knowin' your true strengths is the people's lives that will sometimes depend on you. And who are those people?"
Lucy hesitated but smiled slowly.
"Our team." she whispered.
"Our team." Natsu repeated strongly. "And one day, maybe the people who doubt you will depend on it too, and then they'll see what you're really capable of. But until then, you have nothin' to prove. Nothing that stupid is worth putting your life on the line for."
Lucy nodded, slowly resting her forehead on his. "I'm sorry. I promise it'll never happen again."
"I fuckin' know it won't," He replied hotly before sighing and releasing a long breath. Lucy's eyes shot open when she felt two strong arms wrap around her waist, pulling her into a lean, warm chest.
"…You have no idea how much you scared me, Lucy," he said, his voice suddenly very small. His arms tightened around her. "I really thought I'd lost ya."
Lucy released a sad laugh and leant away so that her eyes could meet his, she drew her hands up to cup his face, surprised that his eyes never left hers as she did.
"I know," she whispered, and he could feel her breath on his lips. "I'm know. I'm so sorry."
He closed his eyes for a moment, overlapping one of the hands on his cheek as he leaned into her touch. He opened his eyes again to see her eyes slipping shut too. Without really thinking about what he was doing, his eyes flickered down to her lips before back up to her face. And he leant in.
He pressed his hot lips to her warm ones very softly. He felt her stiffen and he nearly pulled back. But then he felt her relaxing into him and parting his lips against his.
The sensation was unbelievable. He slowly started to move his lips with her own, their lips slanting together perfectly in sync before he pulled away to look at her face. Her eyes were still closed, but she opened them slowly to look up at him hazily before a slow smile spread over her face.
His own lips curled into a smirk as he leant forwards to kiss her once more, his hands trailing down to grasp her waist before wrapping his arms around them. She trailed her own hands through his hair to cup the back of his neck as his lips pressed so deliciously against her own. Their lips danced together a few moments longer before Natsu finally pulled away, pressing his forehead against hers as he panted softly.
"Now it's certain," he breathed, and Lucy looked up. He grinned cheekily at her. "If you ever pull shit like you did today again, I'll be extra pissed off."
Lucy gasped a laugh before sighing happily. "I don't doubt it."