I address my absences at the end~
The night started to set in over Magnolia. The skies are blanketed with thick white grey clouds, loaded with sparkling crystals of ice which slowly descended onto the cobbled streets. The air had turned unbearably cold; the only few who walked the cobbled streets were unfortunately caught off guard by the drop in temperature except for one. Natsu Dragneel walked through streets blissfully unaware to the snapping cold that drove everyone else into their homes. The streetlights battled the snow and the night to shine their golden light. A picturesque scene of winter surrounded Natsu and he would have found it breathtaking, if he had an eye for such things. Instead all he saw was that he would have to thaw out the waterway on Strawberry Street again, where Lucy lived. Natsu managed to manoeuvre his way up the buildings stairs and into Lucy's apartment using his own key. Lucy had given him a key because she would rather him using the door than her window. Natsu opened with familiarity.
"Yo Luce! I'm back." Natsu said still breathing a small cloud of vapour. The cold had stuck to him until he entered the cosy apartment. Lucy's head popped up from a mass of fabric on the bed. All she saw was the edges of his salmon hair poking out the sides of a pile of books covering his face. She heard his voice slightly muffled from the books, "Should I put them on the table?" As soon as they were out of his hands, he received a lung-crushing hug as thank you.
"Ack... Luce, I'm gonna fall..." Natsu pushed the words from his throat as their bodies were slightly leaning back. A split-second realisation from Lucy saved them from toppling into the rug-covered-wooden-floor. After the embrace, Lucy couldn't stop herself from going through the mass of books. Natsu watched her for a second, madly absorbing all the covers and blurbs. After a few chuckles escaped him, he moved towards the kitchen to prepare their third meal of the day like clockwork. Lucy noticed his form slip through the doorway into the kitchen and followed him but hung around in the doorway. "Hey, Natsu, don't tell me it's..."
"Yep, 'Dragneel Soup'!" He waved a wooden ladle as he set about his work. Lucy did a very over exaggerated slump and groan. "Ugh, come on, I've had that for ages now. Can't we have something else?"
"Nope."
"Why not?" Lucy pleaded the Dragon Slayer.
"Because I don't like it when you throw up."
"It's fine; I haven't done that it a couple of days." Lucy was touched by Natsu's concern. Natsu paused and turned to face her. "Do you think I'd let you have a normal meal just so you can puke it all back up again later?" Natsu had an earnest face with a faint smirk.
Lucy had been defeated in such a swift manner that all she could do was sigh. She started towards the books on the table but Natsu's voice stopped her.
"...But. I will let you put some spices in it. If that's any better." Lucy shuffled back into the kitchen next to Natsu, hiding her bashful face. "...I'll take that as a yes." The cooking began and Lucy didn't really process but she had a blast regardless. The weirdly fluent movements of the both of them moving across the kitchen, fetching ingredients, timing the heating of the soup, etc was a humorous and pleasant experience. Humour was just as present as ingredients. It was as if they were dancing a comical waltz in small apartment kitchen and the scarf wrapped around Lucy's shoulders made her feel just that little bit closer to Natsu.
Lucy was sitting on her bed with several books in her arms as Natsu clattered around in her kitchen after their enjoyable meal. She was excitedly taking in all the new books she had. Lucy was deciding which ones to read in what order, while occasionally getting distracted by the snowfall outside her frosted window. Although, there was something odd. "Hey, Natsu? Can you come here for a second?" Natsu was soon at the side of Lucy's newly made bed.
"I was going through the books you got," Lucy started, "and I've noticed some of them weren't on my list." Lucy didn't mean to sound vain or rude but she was placing her bets on Natsu's nature of being a dork sometimes.
Natsu's face lit up, "Oh, I got those for myself!"
...
"What?" Lucy was baffled. Did Natsu read? At all?
"I got them for myself," Natsu repeated slowly like speaking to a child, "are you sure you haven't hit your head or something?"
"Have you?"
"How rude." Natsu said unexpectedly, "I guess I won't tell you about Levy got me really into reading today at the bookstore." He huffed and turned his back on Lucy like an upset child.
Lucy then, quite literally, launched herself at Natsu. The one thing that Lucy had spent nights wishing that Natsu would do is become a reader and now it's a reality. Lucy had fantasised that it would be a storming night and Lucy would be curled up in a seat in a warm and aesthetically pleasing bookshop where the selves are spilling with books. Lucy would then sip a perfectly heated coffee that filled every single vein in her body with the most comfortable warmth ever. Then Natsu would stroll up with books in hand and snuggle up next to her and proceed to impress her with his knowledge of books and soon he would be leaning in close, their bodies touching, faces close and... Well, Lucy would be raspberry red if you knew the rest of that dream.
In reality, Natsu rolled around on the floor, laughing with tears in his eyes while Lucy battered him with questions so fast that Natsu couldn't answer them if he was trying. "Natsu, are you serious? I can't believe, I never thought this would happen, what did you read? What was your first book? Did Levy show you this one? You better not be lying or I'll-"
"I'm not! I'm not." Natsu reassured her and continued laughing.
Lucy now owed Levy several favours. Like, double-digits amount of favours. Maybe triple-digits. Lucy was the happiest she had ever been since joining Fairy Tail. To an outsider looking in, it just looked like a regular friend having something in common with another but it meant much more to Lucy. The only way to describe it is like your one true friend losing that one flaw and becoming perfect. Lucy was reliving that moment when she met Levy learned of her love of books but this time it was Natsu, which was arguably better. The entire evening was of them talking and discussing, of course Natsu was be dramatic and elated but it was surprisingly easy to get her point across and discuss with him. It was after hours of talking that Natsu looked outside the window and said: "Ya know, you should probably get some rest, do you some good."
"Oh come on, you're not my mum." Lucy said playfully.
"No, I'm not, your weird Luce." Natsu said nonchalantly but with same playfully undertone. "But you can read in bed I guess. That's a thing you do, right?" Lucy merely nods. As mentioned before, Lucy had no problem with Natsu sleeping in her bed with despite the weird looks and raised eyebrows, so when Natsu comical launched under the covers and started with the new concept of 'reading in bed', all Lucy could do was laugh.
Ten minutes in and Natsu was too tired.
"Ugh... My eyes are too fuzzy..."
"Go to sleep then you dork."
"But I want to reeeeead..." Lucy wouldn't get over him saying that for a while. All of Magnolia was as silent as the snowfall which buried it except for Natsu's tossing and turning before settling on the cover of Lucy's book, dimly light by a bedside lamp. "Can you read your book to me?"
"What do you mean?" Such a thing wasn't odd from Natsu.
"Just read aloud as you go as long, then you can still read your book and I get a book fix." Lucy couldn't resist the look he gave her. Lucy found enjoyment in reading to Natsu like that and he was a genially good listener and all interrupted twice. It seemed to have the effect of a lullaby on Natsu, which was oddly flattering. Just before he was lost into the folds of sleep, Natsu whispered:
"You have a nice voice...Luce..." Which was just plain sweet.
OH GOD I KNOW IM TERRIBLE PLEASE DON'T KILL ME I ACTUALLY HAVE EXAMS IN SUMMER OKAY IM REVISING ALL THE TIME AND I HATE I WISH I COULD BE WRITING BUT THEY ARE SUPER IMPORTANT AND IT DOESN'T HELP THAT I PROCRASTANTAT AND HAVE OTHER STUFF TO DO AGAIN IM SORRY AND NEXT CHAPTER I'LL DO SOME PLOT AND I HOPE THERE'S NO MISTAKES SORRY AGAIN THANK YOU FOR READING SORRY
P.S I TOOK SO LONG COZ IM WORKING ON A RWBY ONE SHOT BECAUSE THE SEASON 3 FINAL ACTUALLY BROKE SOME OF MY HEART STRINGS