I lied about the publish date, obviously. #sorrynotsorry
Rest of the fic will be NaLu. 'Nuff said.
Enjoy, ya bastards.
While Erza bustled about in the kitchen, Lucy occupied the nearby chair to keep her eye on the sleeping Natsu. She'd taken the seat moments after Gray had left, and since his house was a good walk from here, had spent the last fifteen minutes just watching the pink haired teen sleep peacefully.
A tap on the shoulder broke her from her mesmerized state, turning in the chair to find Erza smiling, but not in the way she had been on the walk here. It was a more motherly smile, her gaze warm and comforting as she broke the comfortable silence.
"He looks so peaceful; I just wish we'd figured this out sooner." Sighing, Erza started to turn back into the kitchen, only stopped by Lucy's hand on her wrist.
"Erza…why didn't he tell us? He didn't say anything. It was like he didn't want us to know."
Turning back around, the sword wielder found the sofa near opposite Lucy. She had to explain in the simplest terms possible as to avoid confusing the girl further…but how?
Ah, there it was.
"See, whenever someone gets like Natsu, they believe that they're really alone. They could have friends everywhere, but for them…it's just blank. Yet despite the fact that they do have friends, they don't wish to be a burden on those they consider special to them."
Confused, but still somewhat understanding, the girl nodded. "I sorta understand…but I don't see how his telling us would be a burden."
Oh, here we go. "That's partly society's fault. Mental illness is frowned upon, and to be quite frank, I used to think it as a sign of weakness. It wasn't until Gray convinced me otherwise that I thought things like depression were just made up; fake." She now looked to be on the verge of tears herself, but quickly composed her face as she went on.
"Natsu sees it as his own problem and nobody elses. He wanted to fight it on his own, but sometimes…it's just too strong." Her gaze went back to her sleeping friend, then flicked onto the blonde. "Lucy, right now, you're the best thing for him. Love is a very powerful drug."
Wa…was she implying that Natsu…?
"Even if that love may be one sided, having people around that care for him can only improve how he-"
A screaming kettle interrupted her thought, and she stole into the kitchen to take care of it.
While Erza was doing that, Lucy focused back on Natsu, his chest rising and falling steadily as he snoozed, looking so much like a child despite his age. It was cute, but still…the problem at hand nagged away at her conscience, and the girl wondered what she could do to help.
An idea did come to her not too much longer, and careful to make sure that Erza was still busy, slipped her hand into Natsu's loose fingers, suppressing a blush as she felt them tighten ever so minutely. It was probably involuntary, but the idea still remained. This was the closest had ever gotten to holding hands, but alas, Gray's arrival broke her hand free. She found herself idly wondering why he looked soaked.
"Raining like crazy out there. Man, when is this rain ever gonna let up?" Shrugging and shaking his coat off onto the hook, his nose caught scent of something rather delicious wafting from the kitchen, a smell that had previously gone unnoticed by Lucy. It smelled like apples, and whatever it turned out to be, they were sure to enjoy it.
Upon hearing Gray's arrival, Erza strode in from the kitchen, her casual armor replaced by a rather skimpy bathing suit covered by an apron. Her red hair was kept in a high pony tail, and after Gray managed to salvage his jaw from the floor, she smirked. "What's the matter, Gray? Never seen a lady in an apron before?"
Somewhat at a loss for words, Gray did managed to string a sentence – albeit with minor coherence. "I uh…I just….never seen you in an apron...just…" More than a smirk, Erza laughed this time, turning to Lucy.
"Lucy, will you wake Natsu up? I managed to make apple crisp from what I could find in this kitchen – I figured we could enjoy that while we played cards. Besides, with this rain, I'd prefer to stay in." She turned back into the kitchen, and as she did, Gray lost his jaw again – it really was a skimpy bathing suit, leaving very little to the imagination.
Lucy only laughed softly at his reaction, her attention back on Natsu as she gently, yet boldly, rubbed his shoulder, coaxing the Dragon slayer awake. It didn't last long, however, as all he did was mutter 'five more minutes' before rolling over and falling back asleep. His five minutes, though, would have to wait until this evening, given that Lucy prodded him awake this time with the promise of food.
'Jeez, if I knew he was this into food, I could have bribed him way earlier.' It was all the teen girl could manage to think of as Natsu stretched and sat upright, taking in the faces around him. It appeared as though he was confused as to why his friends were in his house, but as alertness returned, so did his recall.
"Oh." He sounded so dejected, all Lucy wanted to do was put her arms back around him and not let go, but instead settled for speaking gently.
"Hey, Natsu. Erza's made something called apple crisp, and we can play cards as we enjoy it. Sound good?"
To see his eyes light up like that, even for a brief second, gave Lucy hope. It felt so verifying to know that Natsu could be pulled from his depressed and beaten down state, and she promised herself that she would do everything she could to see that happen – no matter what it cost physically or mentally. She wanted to help him through this, and was suddenly surprised to feel herself being pulled up into a hug – Natsu was thanking her once again, his voice uneven.
"Lucy…I'm…I'm so…"
"Shh, you don't have to be," answered Lucy, her soft arms seeking comfort around his neck. "Erza told me enough, so I know that you're hurting…"
Gentle shaking made her pull back a moment, surprised to see Natsu crying silently, his gratefulness, not sadness, driving these quiet tears. All she did upon seeing this was smile warmly, her arms not leaving his touch. She felt comfortable here, and as far as Natsu was concerned, immensely enjoyed the contact.
However, with Erza calling their names, the two had to separate, much to both of their displeasure. It didn't last long, however, as the scarlet haired mage entered the living/sleeping area with plates in hand, a heavenly smell wafting from each.
Curiosity and hunger successfully piqued, Natsu pushed off of the bed and immediately went over to investigate, pleasantly surprised to find that Erza had made apple crisp – a dessert dish he'd come to love over the years. What confused him, though, wasn't where she'd learned to cook. No, what stumped him was how she knew it was his favorite.
Still, he knew better to ask, and after joining Lucy and Erza at the table, was all ready to dig in.
That is, until Erza gave him a look he knew better than to challenge, and idly waited for whatever reason, absentmindedly playing with his thumbs.
Lucy, meanwhile, had taken note of Natsu's idle appearance. He looked sad; beaten, even. She felt so bad for the Dragon Slayer; he'd been suffering for weeks, probably months, and nobody had said a single word.
That changed now.
"Hey, Natsu."
Looking up from his thumbs, he discovered it was Lucy speaking, a curious expression on his face. "Huh?"
"You want to play Cards against Wizards?" She posed, reaching into her bag for a black box of what appeared to contain playing cards.
A small, yet still present smile on his face told her exactly what she needed to know – he knew what it was and, if she was correct, had played it before.
"You bet, Lucy. Be prepared, however. I happen to be a master at that game."
A laugh from the celestial wizard as she opened the box, Gray appearing through the door moments later. A quick glance from the ice wizard as an evil smile broke onto his face, easily pulling up a chair the moment he set his belongings down. Erza grinned wickedly too, and suddenly, Lucy wasn't feel so confident anymore.
"Well, Lucy? You gonna deal them out, or what?" Natsu's voice reminded her to start the game, and soon enough, the four were laughing over the Wizard Slaughter of XX87, subjects like rape, as well as the occasional mention of a penis or vagina.
While they played, they enjoyed the apple crisp courtesy of Erza, and Lucy managed to keep an eye on Natsu – she smiled whenever he smiled, and the Drgaon slayer himself…he was feeling the best in hand in weeks…no months. And that felt good, really good to be able to feel that small spark of hope he'd been missing for so long.
Yet, despite the warmth in his home, it was still missing in his heart – likely would be for a long time. And he could live with that, so long as he kept his friends at his side. With them finally aware of what was going on, perhaps he'd find his way out of this mess.
More than four hours had passed since they started playing the game ((A/N: You just lost THE GAME)), and nobody had realized it until the remaining exterior light disappeared. Erza, as always, was the first one to noticed and check the time, and after letting her friends know, made the decision to wrap up the card game – one which Natsu had won by a landslide (much to the others' disappointment).
With the sun fully gone and rain still pounding on the windows, and with dinner already over, all Natsu wanted to do was sleep, a fact he shared by yawning loudly, and of course, everybody else did seconds later.
It was past eleven pm, and after today, seemed like the perfect time to hit the sack. Erza got up first to clear the table, and once it was empty of plates and glasses, Gray dutifully folded the table up and slid it back in its' home behind Natsu's bed.
The other two, meanwhile, were preparing themselves for bed – or more appropriately, Lucy was. Natsu's nighttime ritual was to take his shirt and shoes to and to hop into bed, and he was swift to do so as Lucy stepped into the bathroom to change. Only five minutes elapsed before she emerged, wearing a pair of cotton short shorts as well as a short tank top, stopping just above her belly button. Her hair was worn down as it typically is for sleep, but she couldn't slow her rapid heartbeat as she padded back to the sleeping area.
Erza was in the kitchen, taking care of the dishes with Natsu's less-than-ideal sink, but she too found her way into the main area, already requipped into her favorite penguin pajamas.
Smiling, she joined Lucy on the sofa, both of them watching Natsu as he was already sleeping – it didn't take much for the teen to knock out. Even so, Lucy couldn't help but feel protective over the sleeping guy; she'd felt so bad for basically ignoring what was a cry for help, but with Gray already setting up his sleeping bag on the floor, the time for thinking was over.
Moving off the sofa as Erza gathered up a few blankets, she turned off the last remaining lights in the apartment, the only source of light being the odd flash of lightning. In the dark like this, she was thankful that no one could see how red her face was as she carefully slipped into bed besides Natsu.
His warmth provided excellent comfort, though she was careful not to get too close lest she wake him up by jostling too much. Even so, with her back to him, she 'eeped' in surprise as she felt a pair of hands work their way around her lower belly, gently pulling the young woman towards the source – Natsu.
Could it be that he was doing whilst asleep? Yeah, that made sense, and it spared her from a large amount of shyness.
However, unfortunately for the blonde wizard, it was fully intentional. A fact revealed by Natsu pressing his face into the back of her shoulder and whispering a few words only she could hear.
"Thank you, Lucy. For today…for everything. I…" He couldn't find the words, but thankfully, he didn't have to as she turned over so they were face to face – only inches apart. "Of course, Natsu." Again, she was thankful for the minimum lighting, but as she pondered her words carefully, she was surprised to feel a pair of lips against hers, stunning her more than anything.
It had been so sudden, and the obviously flustered/embarrassed Natsu scrambled to cover his tracks. "Crap, I'm sorry, Lucy! It's just…just been a messed up day and…"
His apology was cut off by her just-as-sudden reciprocation, and it was his turn to be stunned.
She pulled back and found his gaze, her eyes reflecting what he felt – sadness, but there was something else, something he wouldn't have recognized before he met Lucy.
Love.
Fluff, fluff everywhere. Not gonna bother with giving release dates anymore - writing gets sidetracked all the time.
You thought this chapter was disappointing? Well, boohoo princess. I'm not gonna cater towards your idealistic views of romance or whatever shit you self-entitled Tumblr users think is good.
You liked it? Hey, look at that, I lost all my fucks in the fire. Too bad, so sad.
If you insist, stick around for the next chapter. I don't give a damn,
