Extra scene for Surprise Guest: Take Two. Action!

(I have an idea for a NSFW scene, so if you're following those chapters, expect one over there soon!)

As always, thanks for all the love and happy reading!


"Natsu, this is crazy!"

"Shhh!" Natsu slapped his hand over Happy's mouth and pulled him into the corner. "I'm only going to try it once, okay? I'm just curious."

"She told you you shouldn't do it."

"If you're so against it, just go stand in the hall!"

Happy huffed and then floated towards the door. "Just don't kill her when she surprises you again."

Natsu froze as Happy's words floated across the space between them. Was he right? Was this a bad idea? He'd hurt her earlier, but that was because he'd been surprised. This was different. He was instigating, so surely he could keep himself in check, right?

She'll be fine. I got this. With a grin, he moved forward silently with his shadows and leaned over Lucy. She was slumbering peacefully in her bed with Plue curled up against her back. It was completely black in her room so there was little light to work with, but that was okay. He would just keep his hand near hers to stop her in case she tried to hit him. That was the goal here anyway, to see if she exaggerated.

Natsu grinned and then reached forward to nudge Lucy's shoulder. She didn't respond the first or second time, frustrating him. He reached forward with both hands and shook her once more-

And found himself flat on his back on the floor.

Natsu hissed as he covered his nose with both hands, doing his best to catch the blood that began to flow out of his nose. "Damn it, Luce," he whispered to himself. He used his shadows to slide across the floor out of the room and to the bathroom before getting to his feet. Happy appeared in the doorway, bluer than usual as he tried to stifle his laughter.

He didn't let go of his nose until the water was running and then allowed the blood to flow freely down his face. "Holy shit Lucy has a strong punch." He tried to wipe his nose, but as he rubbed it with his finger, he cursed out loud when his nose exploded in pain. Looking up at the mirror, he could see his nose bent at an odd angle.

Happy's laughter escaped then as he gasped to catch his breath. "She... broke... your... nose! Hahahahaha!"

"Would you quiet down already?!" Natsu's finger began to glow and then he pressed them against his nose and pushed it straight again with a groan. After a few moments he let go, the pain gone and his nose completely healed.

Happy wiped away his tears and then floated away. "She did warn you."

"Yeah yeah." Natsu sighed as he looked at the mess he'd made of Lucy's bathroom.

Happy appeared in the doorway again with a stern look. "And don't you dare leave this room until you clean up that blood! I don't wanna get chewed out again," he muttered before leaving.

With a chuckle, Natsu finished cleaning up his face and then ensured that every drop of blood was cleaned up before returning to his room.

The next morning, Lucy came into kitchen with a frown on her face.

"What's wrong?" Natsu asked as he stirred the pan in front of him.

"My hand is killing me," she said as she studied it. "My knuckles are even a little bruised. I feel like I punched brick wall, but I didn't hit anything yesterday so I don't know what's going on."

With the best poker face he could muster, Natsu sat next to her and took her hand in his. A pale green light surrounded his hands as he carefully healed her sore knuckles, his gut twisting as he did so. He hadn't even considered that she might get hurt hitting him. What an idiot he'd been.

"So, how did it feel?"

Natsu kept his eyes on his task, not trusting his face to not reveal something. "How did what feel?"

"Me hitting you." When his eyes flashed to hers, she chuckled. "As soon as I told you about it last night I saw the challenge in your eyes, and today I woke up with a bruised hand. It wasn't hard to figure out."

Face hot, Natsu glanced away. "I'm sorry, Lucy."

"Did it hurt at least?"

Natsu nodded. "You broke my nose."

Lucy gaped at him. "Really?" When he nodded, she began to smile.

He frowned. "Why do you look so excited?"

"Because I broke a demon's nose," she said in awe. "I'm amazing!"

Natsu chuckled as he got back to his feet and returned to the stove. "Half demon," he corrected her.

"You saying your dragon blood makes you weaker than full blood demons?"

"Are you kidding? It makes me even stronger," he bragged.

"Then I'm even more amazing than I thought."

Natsu's smile twitched as Lucy moved to make coffee, her humming louder than usual as she smirked at him out of the corner of her eye. With a shake of his head, Natsu finished making her omelet, buoyed by her happiness.

A broke nose was a small price to pay for happiness. Especially when it made him so happy in return.