Mwahahahahahaha! I did it! Chapter six is DONE! Don't mind me. I'm just super excited. So, I know a lot of people were excited for Drunk Lucy and Natsu to be alone in her apartment, but I didn't really go in that direction. I guess I could have, but I had a gut feeling, so I went with that. Never underestimate the gut feeling of writer at 2 in the morning. And I like to think that Lucy's words at the end are influenced by the alcohol.
BIG NEWS! THIS IS NO ORDINARY CHAPTER! IT'S FROM NATSU'S POINT OF VIEW! Did I just blow your minds? Did I? Probably not, but hopefully I made some people excited. I'm thinking every six or so chapters I'll write an opposite-POV chapter, just to keep things interesting. Another gut feeling. By the way, I would have posted this earlier, but my computer is old and slow and I'm pretty sure it hates me. Bear with it. FINALLY, this chapter is dedicated to gwb620 (again) and Miroyasha, who wrote a super long review which I was bratty about. (Check out the comments if you wanna know.) Special thanks to DazzTugz (check out Pieces of the Puzzle, my first dedicated one-shot), WhiteWinterStar (as always), bronzitewolf, Dark Shining Light, BlueCyanide, ThatGuyYouMetOnce (I suppose) and Rapunzel3! The biggest number of reviews yet! Thanks so much to all of you! Oh, and to the people I promised one-shots to by Sunday – some may get done. Most definitely won't. I'm terribly sorry for being so lazy. Rapunzel3, I'll write you one too if you want it. And WhiteWinterStar, I'm thinking maybe a confession next chapter. I'm trying to figure how I want it to happen right now.
SPECIAL NATSU EDITION!
"So you'll make sure she gets to bed okay and everything, right?" I nodded, bored, and shifted Lucy's now-limp body in my arms. She was cold, and she stank of booze. There was a suspicious purple stain on the side of her chest, rising and falling with each breath she took. Cana was still staring at me intently.
"What?" I grumbled irritably. I just wanted to get Lucy home and make sure she was okay. "Why are you so worried about this, anyway?" I probably should have been asking myself that question. She was just drunk and passed out. I'd seen my friends at Fairy Tail like that a thousand times, and it was never a big deal. It had happened to me, too. So why was I freaking out over Lucy when she had done the same thing? Well, she is my comrade and teammate and all, I reasoned. That's it. And she's a girl, so I bet she doesn't handle alcohol well. That's it.
Cana frowned, her cheeks turning red, and looked away. "I just... Feel kinda responsible. I was the one who gave her the stuff." I shrugged, laughing a little.
"Well, whatever." Lucy mumbled and grinned stupidly in her sleep. I couldn't resist smiling at her sleeping face – it was so relaxed and calm, like there was nothing to weigh her down. Lucy never made that face when she was awake. I glanced back up at Cana, who was watching me with a funny look on her face. I shrugged again, trying to shake off the feeling it gave me. "I'm taking her home now." I turned without another word and strode through the doors of the guild into the street. Taking a left, I walked absent-mindedly to Lucy's house. I didn't have to look where I was going – my feet knew the way by heart. When I arrived at her door, I realized it was locked and I had no idea where Lucy's key was. So I turned back around and ended up under her window. I grinned to myself and adjusted my grip on Lucy. As I thought, this felt more natural.
I leapt easily through the open second-story window and rolled onto Lucy's soft bed. She grunted and slapped my face with a flying arm, but she didn't wake up. I left her on the bed and went to the kitchen to look for food. It was back to the way it had been before I trashed it, the floor clean, the pantry full, and all the pots and pans in the right places. I poked through Lucy's ice-lacrima cupboard, looking for something tasty. It was all stuff like lettuce and yogurt, though. Just as I was about to give up and go check out a nearby restaurant, I noticed a container near the back. There was a note taped to it. I pulled it off and scanned it.
Natsu, it read, I made you some extra-spicy chicken so you wouldn't make anymore messes in my kitchen. Just give it a quick zap and it should be fine. There's also rice and milk if you want it. Lucy
Reading the simple message twisted my stomach like a pretzel. She went to the trouble of making a food she hated just for me, not knowing when I would be going through her food looking for something I liked. And not just that time. Lucy was always doing nice things for me, like washing my clothes or lending me extra money for food. Granted, she always had an excuse – I smelled awful, or if I didn't buy my own food I would go and eat all of hers. She always paid when we went out to eat, even though she was barely making her rent as it was. I found out that she was frequently going on side requests without telling us. Our team was pretty big, after all. And her rent wasn't really cheap.
But still. She could rely on me a little. She was always doing me favors, so why didn't she ever expect anything in return? I slammed my fist on the counter, suddenly angry. Why should she shoulder all the burdens? Why couldn't she let me help her sometimes? It wasn't fair. I wanted to help her. "Damn it," I muttered, clenching my fist against the cool stone counter. "Damn it!"
"Natsu?" Lucy's groggy voice called from her bedroom. "Is that you?" I blinked, feeling my anger drain away. I wasn't mad at Lucy. I was angry with myself, for not being there for her more.
"Yeah, Luce. Just a second." I grabbed a mug and filled it with water, bringing it with me to the next room, where the blonde celestial wizard was sitting up, blinking sleepily. "Did I wake you?' I laughed casually and handed her the mug, sitting on the edge of the bed. She smiled sweetly and sipped the water. My chest did this funny squeeze, and I tried not to frown. That was weird.
"No, I was already awake. Thanks for the water." I nodded and stared at the desk, where Lucy's manuscript had gotten thicker. I wondered for the millionth time what she was writing about, but I didn't dare to peek. She'd kill me for sure. "So, what was the yelling about?"
"Huh?" I turned to see her regarding me curiously, gulping more water. "Oh, well..." I laughed sheepishly and scratched the back of my head. "I'm almost out of food money," I lied, still grinning. "I need to go on another job soon." Lucy sighed, rolled her eyes, and winced, putting her hand to her head. Looked like her hangover was kicking in. That was fast.
"How much do you need? I'll lend it to you." I frowned. This was exactly what I had been thinking about – she was so quick to spoil me, give me whatever I needed, no matter the consequences to herself. I waved her off.
"It's fine. It's better if I do it myself. Your rent is coming up soon, right?" I smiled at her, seeing the crease between her brows. Don't get upset about it. "I don't want to be a burden to you." She laughed outright at that, her shoulders shaking.
"Please. If anything, I'm the burden. I feel like like I'm always just waiting for you to rescue me from whatever mess I've gotten mixed up in." I stared at her. She really felt that way? She stopped laughing and smiled, oh-so-gently, into space. "What an idiot I am, huh," she whispered. I cocked my head.
"What do you mean?" Lucy jumped and looked at me, flicking her gaze away and back nervously.
"No... Nothing. Never mind." I frowned, but let it go. Lucy was cryptic like that a lot. I'd learned that it wasn't something she wanted me to worry about. Tired of sitting up, I lay back on Lucy's lap. She was soft, and I closed my eyes contentedly.
"W-W-What are you doing?" she exclaimed too loudly above me. I could just picture how her cheeks were flushed pink and her brown eyes were wide with surprise and something else I could never identify. I smirked.
"Just let me. You're comfortable." Something large and puffy landed on my face with a FWUMP. I just chuckled and tucked the pillow under my back. "Thanks, Luce." She growled in frustration and thumped her fist on the mattress. "If you want to do something with your hands," I told her, still not opening my eyes, "put them here." I stretched out my fingers until I found one of her cool hands. I lifted and placed it my head, flat on my hair. She made a sort of gasping-choking noise and then coughed.
"Natsu," she said slowly. I smiled innocently, opening my eyes. Her face slid into focus, her smooth white skin and big brown eyes and sweet pink lips... Lips? I blinked, and the need to stare at her mouth was gone. Weird. Abruptly I noticed that she was breathing hard and her whole face was a color most lobsters would envy. "What... What the hell are you doing?" I grinned at her, and I swear her cheeks tinted a shade darker.
"I like it when people touch my hair," I explained, unable to keep a straight face. Her expression was just too adorable. It cracked me up. "Especially when I nap." Lucy stared at me, dumbfounded. Finally, she seemed to gather her thoughts.
"W-Well, don't make me do it. Go nap at home. Why should you get to do whatever you w-want with me?" she declared defiantly. I pouted at her. Her annoyed expression slipped.
"You won't?" I could see her waver. "Please?" Lucy sighed gustily. Her breath smelled good, like mint.
"Fine," she muttered. "But only for a little while, okay?" I grinned mischievously and closed my eyes again, sighing as she started dragging her fingers through the spikes of hair. "Your hair is really soft," she informed me, clearly surprised. I didn't reply, just absorbing the soothing feeling of her fingertips brushing my scalp. Her hands were cool against me, but I could feel as they warmed up. I drifted closer and closer to sleep, but my mind clung desperately to that moment, lying there with Lucy.
"You know, Natsu," Lucy said suddenly, so softly I wasn't sure I wasn't imagining things. So I just listened. "Will it always be like this? Will it always be me and you, friends and guildmates and nothing more? Will it always be Natsu and Lucy, Lucy and Natsu, our names always linked but never meaning anything?" She stopped. I listened to her breaths, still not making a sound. I didn't want to stop her from saying something important. When she spoke again, her words were nothing more than a whisper. Even so, they shattered my calm, my reason, my sanity. I couldn't breathe, couldn't move, couldn't think.
"I don't know how long I can go on like this. Maybe leaving is the only answer."
No.
I hardly noticed as my eyes snapped open, didn't register the tears on her cheeks, or the tilt of her head. I only realized how close her face was when I jolted upright and my lips connected with hers. She stared wide-eyed at me and I stared wide-eyed back at her. There was a split-second when neither of us did anything, just lost ourselves in the darkness of each other's eyes.
I found myself thinking I wouldn't mind staying in that place forever.
So? So? So? I know you guys are dying to scream right now. I would be. Just type a review saying something like AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA or OMFG. Seriously, I do it all the time when I have no words (which happens regularly.) If you have complaints that I didn't exploit the drunk-Lucy and Natsu thing, let me know. I will sympathize with you and MAYBE! even write you an alternative chapter, because even I am starting to have second thoughts about this. If you loved it, review and tell me so I don't change it! Please, guys. It's the best feeling ever to know people are reading this.