A.N.- I was supposed to post this tomorrow, but here it goes!
A big, big ARIGATOU! To everyone who followed, favorite and reviewed, you all made me SOOO happy! xDDDD
Disclaimer: Fairy Tail, its characters and locations belong to Hiro Mashima.
" Nursing "
2nd Chapter
" NATSU! " Lucy shouted as Natsu's body hit the floor, her heartbeat racing faster than Jet's magic.
Lucy run to where her friend laid on his belly, breathing heavily ' He's breathing… ', she crouched beside him so that she could turn him around, reaching for his right shoulder " Ooouchh, Ite. te. te! " she yelped in pain, " Oi Natsu, Natsu are you okay? ".
" Ha. ha. ha " his ragged breaths were the only sounds.
" Can you hear me? Natsu,Natsu! " Lucy was panicking.
" Ha. ha. ha " his respiration was distressing her.
Stretching her hand to his forehead, " ITE! " she pulled back imediateately as the scorching feeling grazed her skin, just like before " What's going on you're burning?! ". Lucy was at a complete loss of action, and rational thinking " Of course he's burning! But it is so much more than usual ".
" Ha. ha. ha " he kept making.
Shaking and screaming her mind off, she regained some composure. Reaching out for a little blanket that was folded on the couch, she used it to cover him and turn him over, with no skin to skin contact to prevent any more burns. His lips were slightly parted, he was heaving and sweating hard, his half lid eyes show no sign of this being one of his pranks, " What do I do? What do I do? ".
" Ha. ha. ha " that sound was nerve racking for Lucy.
" GET A HOLD OF YOURSELF! " she berated herself looking at him, breathing deeply and closing her eyes to think " What do I do? ".
A memory of her late mother nursing her when she caught a high fever, and later teaching her how to nurse her sick doll when Michelle too caught fever, flashed in her mind. " YOSH! Hang in there Natsu " she exclaimed running to her room and grabbing her celestial keys.
" Gate of the Golden Bull, I open thee! Taurus " she recited the words that she knows by heart. Bells rang and soon after the bull/cow spirit appeared.
" Mooo, Lucy-san's booobs are the best! " Taurus chanted striking a pose to a sweat dropping Lucy.
" Hurry up and help me! " she pulled the spirit to the living room, " He's too heavy and hot, I can't carry him on my own " she told him.
" Mooo, I shall mooove him for yooou " the summoning spirit replied picking Natsu up bridal style, seemingly unaffected about the Dragon Slayer's heat, " Where tooo Lucy-san? " Taurus asked in his perverted fashion.
" Hum " Lucy nodded creped out as usual with her spirit's bluntness, " To the bathroom please " she signaled.
As Taurus hold Natsu up, the Celestial mage was left with the embarrassing task of undressing the Salamander – she could've summoned Virgo to spare her from this, but the Maiden Gate bearer wasn't available today – so, after removing his sandals, capri pants and quilt, his vest and muffler – which she folded neatly and deposit on top of the cabinet – the young man before her eyes was left with only his curiously, dark blue and little golden stars icons boxers. Asking Taurus to lower Natsu on the tub, she then thanked her spirit and dismissed him.
" Okay. Natsu, let's see if this helps okay " Lucy reassured him – mostly herself really – and grabbed the shower hose, slowly showering him with tepid water, but the water would immediately evaporate once it touched his scorching skin, she bit her lower lip concerned.
" L-Luce!? " his voice was low, barely above a whisper.
" Yokatta! You're back " Lucy spoke relieved, showering his shoulders " How do you feel Natsu? ".
" Fu-Funny and w-wet " he mustered slowly.
" Yeah, it's just for a little while okay " she smiled lovingly, taking hold of his chin with her other hand and tilting Natsu's head back, soaking his hair " Is your magic doing this? " Lucy asked as she hold the shower hose above his head in one hand and the other brushing his pink, spikey locks.
" I-I don't kn-know " Natsu responded, " B-But I'm not in con-control of it n-now " he let her know, " Yo-You'll bleed Luce, I ha-hate the sc-scent of your bl-blood " he stated watching her bite her lip even harder.
" Hum " Lucy nodded, " I should get Porlyusca to see you " she declared, closing the tap and putting aside the hose.
" D-Don't lea-leave me " he said in a de-já vu like scene, " You're t-the only one I ne-need to get b-better " he stated to a tomato Lucy.
" H-Hai " was all she dared say to that.
" Can I g-get out n-now, and pu-put my clo-clothes on? " Natsu softly asked.
" Huh!? " Lucy was still out of it, ' I'm the only one he needs!... As in, I'm the only he wants?... '.
" L-Luce " he called for the blonde mage, breaking her daze, " You're spa-spacing out we-weirdo " he weakly smiled.
-xXxX-XxXx-
Ten minutes later, after Lucy got a hold of her fleeting thoughts and once more with Taurus's assistance, they were able to move Natsu to her room. Where the two young Fairys were now alone, displaying matching blushes - that both consider an effect from the still emanating heat from the Dragon Slayer - as Lucy attempted to put a pajama on Natsu and the Salamander tried to stop her from doing such thing.
" I can do this on my own Luce " Natsu spoke in vain.
" You can barely stay straight on your own " the Celestial summoner retorted, slipping his left toned leg thru the pants leg.
" This is embarrassing " he let out, turning his overheating - the fever wasn't the only cause to it - face away from her view, as she helped him to pull up the pants.
" It's not like I've never seen it " she said out loud and immediately regretted it as it sounded so wrong, " Your underwear, you in your underwear! " she tried to make it better.
" ... " Natsu was silent for a while as she helped him ease his arms thru the sleeves, " Luce? How come do you own a males pajama? " he finally asked the thing that had been bugging him, trying to button the front of the pj's shirt and not really sure if he wanted an answer.
" Let me do that for you dummy " Lucy softly said watching him struggle with the buttons, " Actually I bought it for you " she revealed, kneeling in front of where he sat on her bed.
" For me! " he exclaimed surprised, " Really? " he was beaming despite how dizzy and funny he felt.
" Hum " she nodded buttoning his shirt from the bottom up, " It was supposed to be your Christmas present but you need it now so " she explained fully concentrated on her task, " Besides, who else would wear a pj with little red dragons breathing fire? " she rhetorically asked, not daring to look up at him.
" You would! It has your scent in it " he bluntly stated, " Have you slept with it? " he curiously asked, the thought of it making him feel a whole different kind of funny.
" Th-That's impo-impossible! " Lucy stuttered flushed stopping with the buttons, " I-I washed it! " she muttered, suddenly reaching her nose up to the shirt collar, nuzzling Natsu's neck and sniffing it, " It just smells like soap to me ".
It was like the ice princess had frozen him over, or if Evergreen had turned him to stone. He couldn't move, he wanted to Mavis knows how much he wanted to reach out and embrace this girl forever, but it felt like he no longer knew how to control his own body. She's sniffing him, Luce is sniffing him, HIM. His eyes were wide open and his heart was trumering, and even though he wasn't hungry in the least he had this churning sensation in the pit of his stomach.
" I feel funny " he whispered.
" Well duh! You're sick Natsu " she replied, buttoning the last button and looking him in the eyes, " Baka's do get sick! " Lucy whole heartedly laughed, " But worry not, I'll be nursing you back to health just like Mamma used to do for me " she cupped his cheek rubbing her thumb along his jaw line.
Leaning closer to her palm and closing his eyes, Natsu was reveling at the overwhelming feeling that was coursing through his whole being, though he missed the hopeful sparkle that crossed Lucy's longing eyes as he did such, and the loving smile that spread on her serene face
" Does that mean that you'll be wearing a nurse costume? " the Salamander innocently asked.
" HENTAI! " Lucy screeched springing to her feet and crossing her arms over her chest, " What's your damned fixation about outfits and my own person!? " she puffed her cheeks and side glanced at Natsu.
" I'm just joking Luce " he shortly smile, blinking his eyes any other second, " Though it would look awesome if you did it " he kept teasing her, knowing full well what ticked her off.
" Keep dreaming buddy " she replied walking closer to Natsu and pressing her lips on his forehead, " You're not getting hotter, it seems the bath worked " she let him know as she rearranged the pillows and open the bed.
Again, he felt petrified, hypnotized when her lips grazed his skin, ' She kissed me... In a weird way... But this is Luce... She kissed ME... ' he was thinking. Lately every single touch from Lucy had the same reaction from him, he was entranced by her. The worst part is that he wants to touch back, but he knows he shouldn't, that he mustn't do it. But he does it regardless, Sometimes he is the one who reaches for her, and almost always she responds to it and does not Lucy kick him as he expected her to do. It is getting harder and harder though, to keep away longer, to not want more. He craved to touch her more and more as much as he craved for fire, which only ended up in him feeling frustrated and struggling within himself to restrain his instincts, to stop before he crosses than thin line where he might lose her forever. And he can not have that, not that. But in the end they're teammates, partners, nakama and that's it, that's all, right?
" Lets tuck you in sick little Dragon " Lucy giggled.
' Did her voice just sounded like music?!... ' he was baffled looking at the blonde mage, her sweetness still amazed him after all this time, " I'm not a kid Luce " he pouted, pretending to be ofended when he was actually giddy and excited inside.
" Gomen, gomen " she said wiping some laughter tears from the corner of her eyes, " You're right, lets get you settled for the night Mister Dragneel ".
" I'm staying over! " he sounded genuinely surprised, " And I can stay in your comfy bed? Without you Lucy kick me out? " he questioned, disbelievingly so.
" Yup, why else would you be wearing a pajama for " she answered him, pulling the comforter up to his neck, " You get a free pass, just for tonight you hear me " she said tucking him in and turning away, " Now try and get some sleep Natsu ".
" You're not staying? " he asked, already drifting off but fighting against it.
" I'll be right over here, working on my novel " she said sitting down at her table, " I told you before, I am not leaving you Natsu, ever " Lucy assured him, the last word came out hardly above a whisper.
He heard it, he was not supposed to but Lucy often forgot about his keen Dragon ears and so he heard as clear as if she had shouted it. And it felt good, he felt strong in a way he only felt when she was with him. Ever, he wished they could stay together forever, but he can't possibly bind her with him for that long. Sooner or later she'll probably want to move on with her live, a life that he has no right over, a life that may not include him as more than just a friend figure, worst of simply a work partner.
" Hey Luce " he called out to her.
" What is it " she responded, going through her drawers contents and picking out everything she needed.
" I'm not comfortable " he voiced, in his head the sentence having different interpretations, ' I'm not comfortable when other guys look at you drooling... I'm not comfortable when the guy talk about your, attributes... I'm not comfortable about you having a boyfriend, or even look for one in the first place... I'm not comfortable when Juvia calls you love rival or when the popsicle stripper is around you... I'm not comfortable when you cry... I,m not comfortable when I don't get to see you everyday... '.
" How come baka? You're the one always nagging me to let you sleep in my comfy bed and making a fuss about it being the comfiest bed ever in all the worlds " Lucy mocked him trying to raise his spirits as he was probably just uncomfortable due to being sick.
" I think that I need you in it to be comfy " he admitted without sounding to, but this was the truth, his truth.
" D-Don't say things like that silly " Lucy muttered after a short pause, eyes downcast on the white paper sheet in front of her, ' You have no idea what they do, and mean to me... ' she thought taking his words as him speaking his mind without thinking as usual. When she lifted her eyes to him, he was already breathing evenly, meaning that he had fallen asleep.
-xXxX-XxXx-
The cozy apartment at Strawberry Street was quiet, the two lone occupants can be found on the small bedroom where the only sounds are, the shallow and ragged breathing of the infamous Salamander who is fast asleep, and the noise of a pen swiftly skimming through the pages as the Celestial mage writes her manuscript.
Lucy had been immersed in her writing for the past half hour, when absentmindedly she began to pull at the collar of her pj and fanning herself with her free hand. As it always happens when she's working on her novel, Lucy focused on her task so intensely that she completely forgot everything around her, being in a world of her own just like now.
" Damned heat, it seems like we're in the middle of summer! " she grunted to her self.
' Summer... ' she thought.
' ... '.
" NATSU! " she exclaimed, jolting from the chair and hurrying to the bed, " Way to go Lucy, you'd be an awesome nurse alright " she berated herself walking up to the sleeping young man " How could you forget! Baka, baka ".
" Ite te. te! " Lucy shouted shaking her right hand and holding it to her chest, " This is not good, not good " she said running out of the room.
She returned shortly after, caring with her a basin filled with tepid water and some clean cloths. Putting it down on the bedside table Lucy soaked a cloth in the basin and squeezed it, laying it on Natsu's astonishingly over heated forehead and immediately after some steam could be seen coming out of the cloth in a surreal image. Pulling back the comforter she noticed that he was soaking in his own sweat and though he was burning madly Natsu was slightly shivering as if he was cold.
Picking up another cloth, Lucy wetted it before gently rinsing Natsu's face and neck, he began to flicker his eyes at that, though that simple action seemed to be really hard on him. He finally half opened his onyx orbs and stared at her.
" Hey, how do you feel? " she asked in a soothing low tone.
" Worse " he responded hoarsely, " My body feels all crampt up, my head's dizzy and my throat is stinging " he described releasing a tired sigh, " As your house turned into a form of transportation? I feel sick ".
" Yeah, I know " Lucy sighed straightening him up with the help of a small towel, " And this is no normal fever Natsu, I think your magic is doing something weird to your temperature " she said all serious replacing the cloth on Natsu's forehead, " We should get Porlyusca ".
" Not necessary, I already have a nurse of my own " he replied sitting on a chair while Lucy changed the sheets, " She'll take care of me just fine " he grinned a frail grin, gulping hard with his sored throat.
" That petty excuse of a nurse you got stuck with, doesn't know what else to do " Lucy let out in a whisper, biting her lower lip and feeling useless as always.
Why can't she do anything right, just this one time she would like to be useful, but no matter how hard she tries, things never come out the way she wanted them to. All she ever wanted is to be able to stand on her own and be helpful to her nakama, but every single time her good intentions and great plans backfire and she ends up having to be rescued like a damsel in distress, actually she's more of a liability to her team, a deadweight than anything else.
They don't hold it against her and they will never charger for it, they have never given it a second thought, but it is utterly frustrating. And here she is now, hopeless as for the first time the guy she's head over hills for needs her, she has never seen him so defenseless, so vulnerable as he is now and there is nothing that she can do to help. Honestly, how can she claim to love him if she's powerless against a simple cold?
" You think and worry way to much, loosen up Luce " Natsu told her as he caressed her furrowed brow when she came to help him get back to bed, " You're capable of doing anything you set your weird mind to, you charge against all odds and I trust you blindlessly " he had a good idea to what she was thinking, he had unwantedly heard her confide her insecurities with Levy, more times than he'd like to, and she always looked exactly like this, a defeated and worthless expression he hated to see in her beautiful features, " Its the suit, you need a nurse suit to a nurse! ".
" No suit Natsu " she was smiling as she tuck him in once more, he always has this effect on her, " I'm doing what Momma would do when I got sick, but I am not sure that it works on you " she sighed again sitting on the end of the bed.
" Can't help you with that, I don't remember ever being sick before " he said smugly " And Igneel was a Dragon so... " he emphasized the being a Dragon part, " What would your Mom do next? ".
" Chicken soup " Lucy automatically responded, " She would bathe me to lower my temperature and make me rest and sleep to replenish my energy, then she would make chicken soup to warm my belly, she would also read me a story or sing to distract me and she always slept with me to keep me safe and strong " the blond mage shared, reminiscing with a happy smile plastered on her face as she spoke of her mother.
" Can we skip it to the last one " Natsu said, shifting in the mattress slowly because he's whole body ached, making room for her, " I liked that one the most ".
" No, we're doing it one by one " Lucy retorted with a new sense of determination, " Sometimes, just some rare times I think you're not as innocent as you look " she stated staring him attentively.
" What do ya mean? " the Fire Dragon Slayer asked, feigning ignorance as many other times before.
" Nanimonai, I'll go make that soup now " she said getting up.
A.N.- This time I'll leave it like this xDD
How was chapter 2 minna? Did I screw it big time
Tell me your thoughts!
P.S- I know that the customary act to take ones temperature is to lay your forehead on the sick person forehead, though here in my country we use our lips cause they're more sensitive...
Ja na!
murasakiana n.n