A/N: Ehhh, I wrote more, enjoy.

She rubbed her eyes sleepily as she sat on the old, warn, office chair, rubbing so hard that dark shapes filled her eye sight for a moment before she was able to focus back on the text she was reading.

Perturbation theory comprises mathematical methods that are used to find an approximate solution to a problem which cannot be solved exac-

THUD.

She buried her face deeper into the book, the mantra of "ignore the thud, ignore the thud," running through her head, but ended up to be to no avail as the book was wrenched from her grip.

"Come on."

She moaned and placed her head on the desk at the voice of the masculine voice, a flush covering her cheeks as strong hands took her waist.

"Nope, no complaining. Its three AM, time for something to eat."

"I can't, I need to-"

"Study, I know, I know."

Still with those strong hands around her waist she was gently pulled out from behind the desk and spun around, her bright brown eyes catching onyx ones instantly, her face flushing even more.

"How many times have you read that now? Six? Seven?"

"Eighteen."

He gave her a wide grin; "You'll ace the exam, Luce'. You always do." Shifting his hands slightly he stood her up out of the chair, with only slight protest, before flinging her into his chest, his strong arms holding her tight.

"Missed you."

She smiled into his chest; "It was only three days, silly." She tried her best to sound irritated, but it didn't work, hooking her arms under his and holding him as best she could.

"Mmm, I know. Happy misses you too."

She gave a small breathy laugh at the mention of his adorable cat. Perhaps the only living being on the planet he doted on more than her. She wasn't sure if the cat actually missed her, it seemed to enjoy causing her trouble more than anything else.

"He, uh, might have, maybe, unravelled that sweeter you left at my place…"

"Damn cat."

He pulled them out of the embrace and gently rubbed the side of her face, "You love him." She gave a sigh and a shrug, attempting to sneak backwards to her desk, in the hope of grabbing another book only to have her hand taken.

"No, eat now, and then sleep, then you can study more."

"Natsu, seriously, I need to study. If I don't pass this exam then I won't be able to-"He gave her a light peck on the lips, catching her by surprise;

"You will pass, Lucy." He smiled at her brightly. "Now that that's settled." He pulled her away from the desk, tugging her with him as he strode into the kitchen. "What do you want to eat?"

"You're gonna cook?" She placed her hands on her hips once he let go of her hand.

"Sure, why not?"

"Because you've been working since one this afternoon?"

"Meh. I wanna cook you something."

She gave a sly smile; "Only if you wear my apron."

"Oh, you're nasty, Luce'."

She unhooked the pink, frilly apron from its place on the wall and handed it out to the man before her, who looked at it like it was made of poison. She wiggled it about a bit, a mischievous grin plastered on her face.

"If you don't put it on I-"He snatched it from her with a grunt, forcing his head through the loop of fabric that kept it around the neck. His body too bulky for him to be able to tie it at the back, in fact, it only barely covered his front.

"Happy?"

"Mmmm, very."

"If you take a photo and send it to Gray, I will kill you Luce'."

"Nah, you wouldn't."

She pulled out a stool and sat as he dived into the fridge, his eyes scanning the contents in there and wondering what might still be edible, she hadn't gone shopping, nor left the house other than for exams, for a good two weeks.

"You need to go shopping, Luce'."

"After exams."

He shut the fridge door with his foot, a few items cradled in his arms;

"No, tomorrow."

"Natsu, I don't-"

"Lucy, please."

She huffed; she just couldn't fight back when he used the "P-word." He wasn't looking at her, he was still rummaging around in her cupboards for things that were edible, but she could easily see those dark black eyes in "puppy-dog mode" in her mind.

"Fine."

"I'll make Gray take us in the morning."

"Us?"

He turned to her, a slight smile on his lips; "You won't do it if I don't come."

She pouted, yes, that was true, she was more likely to lie to him that she'd gone and make sure he didn't take foot in the kitchen until she'd finished exams and actually gone shopping, however she was still glad that he was willing to put up with the excruciating motion sickness he suffered just to make sure she was taking care of herself.

"What are you making?"

"Dunno'. Something with chicken."

She hummed, swinging her legs back and forth while she watched him work, her mouth quickly becoming dry when she saw the large amounts of chilli he was chopping.

"Uh, I'm going to regret this."

"It'll clear out your sinuses, Luce'."

"That and some other things."

He gave a loud laugh, smiling to himself as he worked, happily listening and replying to her comments, keeping one eye on her just to make sure she wouldn't dash back to the study when he wasn't looking.

She leaned back on his large chest as they sat on the couch, plates emptied and forgotten, admittedly feeling a better now she had something in her stomach, even if her mouth was still ridiculously dry.

"Natsu…?"

"Hmm?"

"I don't think I've ever thanked you for this."

"For what?"

"Looking out for me."

Lips dusted her side of her neck;

"You don't need to thank me Luce'."

"But I do! You do so much for me; I don't think I've ever done anything this nice for you in return."

"Yes, you have."

She turned to face him, his onyx eyes glittering in the low light of the lamp that sat a little ways away.

"You love me, right?"

She smiled; "You're so corny." He smiled back; "You know you like it."