Disclaimer : Fairy Tail belongs to Hiro Mashima.

Lucy's POV

She wasn't proud to admit she had spent the following days dutifully avoiding him. It has been blissfully quiet. She had all her flat to herself, treated herself to luxurious undisturbed baths. She had cleaned her place from top to bottom, had written her parents without interruption, had languorously stretched in her whole bed for once, had tidied up her clothes and even sat before her latest novel, pen in hand. And found she had nothing to write that made sense. Nothing to contribute to her story. Her mind had nothing worthwhile to provide.

It had been damn boring without Natsu pilfering her fridge and wolfing down her groceries. It had been mind-numbing without their bickering and Happy's teasing. Her bed had been cold without Natsu invading it, her flat silent. As much as she shouted at him not to make himself that comfortable in her home, she enjoyed his presence all the same. She missed her friends' laugh and energy. She missed his smell and company. So she decided to be brave and face the guild. She needed to work anyway. She needn't have worry; he was exactly the same as always. He flashed her his usual toothy grin and waved her over, telling her he had taken the liberty to choose a team mission and that they would be leaving soon for a few days. Neither mentioned that morning. She didn't know whether to feel relieved or affronted but a very small, hidden and repressed part of her felt slighted. She would not dwell on it.

Days turned into weeks. She dreaded missions when they were on their own. There hadn't been the slightest change and it seemed so natural for him, so effortless that she envied him. He would walk ahead of her, hands crossed behind his head nonchalantly and chat away with Happy, occasionally turning back to her with a grin, head slightly cocked and a question in his eyes. She even tried some solo mission but half the fun was braving dangers and adventure together. When she went alone, it was just rent money. So she took extra care to choose missions that involved their whole group as often as possible. It was so much easier to forget and ignore him when the others were there too. He would bicker with Gray while she would stay back and talk with Wendy. The ice mage had been looking at her strangely recently but she had waved him off with humour and a wide grin. He had looked dubious but hadn't pushed and left her in peace. It stalled him for now.

She loathed spending that extra time at home to choose her clothes or check her hair and yet, she couldn't break herself of this new habit. She had never thought herself vain but proof of the contrary stared back at her every morning in her mirror. She hated herself for it with a passion. She dreaded going shopping with the girls because she would inevitably stop and wonder whether Natsu would approve of her new outfit. And then she would be in a bad mood that she would usually take out on him as soon as she saw him. Her own behaviour made her shudder; how she would pull and push, entice and reject him equally. Knowing him, he hadn't a clue what was wrong with her. But Levy did. She had noticed her friend looking at her with worry and more insistently than usual. She watched them and analyzed all their interactions when they spent time in the guildhall. It was slightly creepy.

She sighed deeply. She was definitely feeling down. As blasé as he appeared, she had noticed the subtle differences. He had stopped touching her casually. He barely threw his arm around her anymore and the distance between them had increased by a few inches. She would lie if she said they didn't bother her. He would sit next to Wendy rather than her, his thigh never brushing hers anymore. He would still catch her if she fell but his arms wouldn't hang onto her as they used to. He hadn't touched her forehead with his in an eternity. It has been more than a month and he had never warmed her bed again. Not once. He had made himself at home and ate all her food all right, used her bathroom and rummaged through her stuff. But he had never entered through her window during the night and trespassed into her bed. His smell didn't linger anymore. His warmth had dissipated. She clenched her fists on her thighs, head bent down.

And gods, she ached for him. She missed him in her heart but she also missed the coziness and the intimacy. She missed his touch, pure and simple. She missed the physical contact and tingle it brought her. She missed the feeling of safety and protection he elicited in her. She felt cold and undesirable. She yearned for him and she was honest enough to admit it to herself. She looked around her flat and it was littered with reminders of him. Little tokens he had given her after his solo missions, little souvenirs from all their adventures. He had a toothbrush in her bathroom. She had even stolen him a shirt last time she had been by his house. An sweaty one, that she hugged and clutched against herself to fall asleep, her nose buried deep into his scent. He had been searching for it everywhere and she had given him her most innocent look while hogging it at night like a treasure. Right now, it was well hidden under her pillow. What the hell was happening to her? She didn't recognize herself. In fact, she was channeling Juvia. What was next? A Natsu-branded washcloth for her bath? Could she get more lascivious? This was becoming a problem.

Her feelings infiltrated her dreams and she both feared and craved going to sleep. Often, she dreamt of him and woke up frustrated and tense. And yet, only there did she allow herself the luxury of touching him. She moaned in despair and dissatisfaction. She had never touched herself before nor felt the need to. This couldn't continue. She would find herself a boyfriend and be done with it.

She would often wound up in the guild late at night when Natsu had gone back home, sprawled on a couch and watching the fire as if it held answers to all mysteries or complaining quietly to Mirajane about how pathetic her love life was, her head nestled in her arms. Her words of comfort flew over her unheeded, as her thoughts circled again to her best friend and lack thereof of any hint of interest. She was miserable. Kana was the only one who dared approach her about it. Now, she had not forgotten she owed her predicament to her but she was the most experienced woman around and she babbled easily. It could come in handy. And it helped to talk to someone, even if she never outright said what bothered her. Kana offered her a glass of wine silently and they drank companionably. An empty bottle later, she was half-accusing and half-sobbing to the older girl.

— Itsss your fau… faulllt," she slurred, tapping an angry finger into her chest. Kana looked at her with calculating eyes, her inebriated state not strong enough to wipe away all her mental faculties as opposed to her guildmate. "You did so…some…somesink!"

— What?" she asked in surprise. Why would she think she would play a joke on her? They were friends. She could not recall doing anything to her.

— Itss your f…fau…fautl he won't s… sleep wiv meee again," she whined. "Yer fautl, I'm … mmm… h… hot. Hot!" she repeated, fanning herself with her hand.

Kana just looked at her usually composed friend now completely smashed. She was hurting strongly and she knew only one person who had that much impact on her. Natsu. What had he done now, the idiot? And what was that about sleeping with her… again? The secretive little thing… She needed to loosen her tongue more. Where was she now? She looked around and found her slithering her way to the male members of the Guild. She latched herself onto Gray first and he looked distinctly uncomfortable with his friend's less than innocent interest. She threw her arms around him and smelled him deeply, her head in the crook of his neck. Kana's eyes widened considerably.

— Umm, she mewled forlornly. Zn't smell right." Her eyes locked on his mouth a moment and she wetted her lips in anticipation, biting the lowest one. "Can't, Juvia gonna flay me…"

His concerned eyes met Kana's. Worry and sympathy shone in their gazes. Unease settled in the pit of their stomach. Something was very wrong with Lucy. However outgoing she may be, this went over the top. She should share her sorrow rather than let fester whatever was bothering her. He tightened his arms around her waist but she had already escaped his grasp and was staggering away drunkenly, slinking through the aisles of the guildhall, enticing every single men she saw.

— Where are you going?" Kana called out anxiously. Lucy was upset and it bothered her.

— OUT!" she almost shouted. "I… am… going to fffind a pr… pretty, pretty b.. boy to ki…kiss hiccup…me," she stage-whispered. Kana was having serious doubts about this. Lucy would regret this in the morning, she knew it. If she just managed to get her comfy in her bed she knew she would be out as quick as a light.

— Well, now, why don't we go have a last drink at your place Lucy-chan? Eh? I'll bring the booze, you never have any." The blond girl smiled at her toothily and something was eerily reminiscent of Natsu in that impudent grin.

She was dead tired as Kana dropped her off in her room. She waved her away dismissively. She wouldn't be visiting a bar anytime soon. Dead tired, with a raging headache and still aroused as hell. She chucked her clothes away in anger and snatched his shirt before stuffing her face with it. It brought her no relief, no pleasure just a stronger heartache. She threw it as far from her as possible, slamming her bathroom door behind it for good measure. She wandered lazily to her closet and took out a crisp shirt that fell to her thighs. It felt cool to her touch. Her fuzzy mind took its leave and left her in an intoxicated haze that knew only about her immediate needs and wishes. The golden key in her hand shone bright in the lamplight and she studied a moment how pretty it was with the light breaking into a million iridescent spots. She experimentally tweaked it this way and that to get the best rays and reflections. She opened his door and stood patiently waiting for him, her equilibrium slightly off. She giggled when he appeared, his usual cool around him, hands in his pockets and suit perfectly in place.

— Lucy? What can I do for you? he inquired, looking around him in amazement. She had never called him inside her home. Nor that late.

In lieu of an answer, she threw herself in his arms and held tightly, raining sloppy kisses over his face. His arms tightened around her instinctively and she swooned in delight. Finally someone would hold her and wash the pain away.

— You're drunk," he declared unceremoniously and his body tensed with irritation. She giggled again.

— Kiss me, Loki," she demanded.

— No.

She started. Her spirits had always been rather peculiar but they never denied her their help. She pouted and ground her hips against him. Oh, that felt good…

— You're always such a womanizer. Aren't I pretty enough?" She rubbed herself against him.

— You are not in your right mind, Lucy. I won't take advantage of you.

She looked up at him with such sad eyes, so full of raw need and pain and silent suffering that he felt his heart constrict. Who dared hurt his master so much? She suddenly tore up and sobbed helplessly against his chest, little moans escaping her, her hands clutching his soaked shirt as if her very life depended on it. He stood there unmoving, rubbing soothing circles on her back, his arm never loosening around her and whispered sweet nothings into her hair. He didn't know how or when or who yet, but someone would pay dearly for making Lucy cry. When he found out, and he would, there was no doubt he would, nothing will hold him back. He would also have to apprise the others. Aquarius would not be happy. Despite their rocky relation and her attitude, he knew Aquarius felt it her duty to protect her as if she were her daughter. Nope, she would not be pleased at all.

— It hurts… she whimpered pitifully. "Hurts so damn much."

— Come on," he cajoled. "I'll stay with you tonight. I'm not going anywhere."

He put her to bed and slid next to her. She immediately cuddled against him, her head under his chin, her small hands fisted against his chest, and he waited patiently until her sobs lessened to occasional sniffles. He kept watch as she slept the pain away, the starlight illuminating her scrunched blotchy face until morning crept up on them. He watched her as she roused momentarily and rubbed her nose against him, circling his waist with an arm and burrowing deeper into his warmth.

— Natsu, she mumbled groggily and sighed contentedly, going back to sleep with a soft happy little smile playing on the corners of her lips. Unbeknownst to her, Leo frowned. He was going to have a word with the dragon slayer. Someone had to give and it would not be Lucy. He would make sure of it.

When she woke up hours later, her head was pounding, she had a horrible taste in her mouth and she was parched. Leo was still there, looking down at her sweetly and she suddenly found herself blushing violently with embarrassment. She had abused her spirit last night and still he had watched over her. A fierce surge of love shone in her eyes and he smiled affectionately at her.

— Gods, I'm sorry, Leo. I should never have called upon you like that. I am so sorry." She blushed harder.

— It's okay, Lucy. I'm glad I could help." She averted her gaze, looking at anything that caught her fancy. The buttons of his shirt for example with which she fiddled. "You were pretty shaken. Do you want to talk it over?" She shook her head violently.

— I'm fine," she said. She looked up at him and smiled but it didn't reach her eyes. She was not and they both knew it but she wasn't willing to confide. "Really, I feel better already."

And somewhat it was true. It had been cathartic and waking up in the secure and kind comfort of Leo's arms had done wonders for her self-esteem. She felt invigorated, strong and determined. She felt confident again in the love bestowed upon her by her friends. She would get over it. She would move on. She decided she would stop wallowing in pain and pathetic doubt. She would treasure every second and every memory. She would stash them deep inside her heart, deep where nobody could take them from her and cherish them. She was Fairy Tail. Some of her usual light returned to her eyes and Leo breathed an inaudible sigh of relief. He would monitor her from afar and wait a tick before having words with Natsu.

But first things first, he was due a visit to his best friend in the Guild. Gray would and should know and he would keep a watchful eye on his master. He trusted him to protect her and act in her best interests. After all, she was family.