Natsu guessed it was around three o'clock when Lucy stepped back out of the restaurant. She was dressed differently, a blue skirt and a white t-shirt instead of the brown uniform she had worn for work.

She had smiled at Natsu when she stepped out and held out a hand to help him up. He had refused the hand, silently knowing that he would only track filth onto her if he took it.

She hadn't seemed upset by the refusal, but was insistent on helping him walk to the parking lot, an area adjacent to the building. She had grabbed his arm and slung it over her shoulders, forcing him to lean his weight on her. Natsu had protested loudly at this, stating that he could walk by himself. Lucy had only rolled her eyes at him and continued on, chattering.

"Hmm, what should I make for dinner tonight? I've still got some rice from yesterday, and I stopped by the supermarket a few days ago for some carrots and lettuce. I could make a salad, but I'd need to get some dressing. Is Italian alright with you?"

"Shouldn't your parents be worrying about what to make for dinner? Isn't that what normal families do?" Natsu went rigid. Parents . . . they would surely turn him into the police! He hadn't even thought of that! Lucy just chuckled and eased the two of them around the corner to the parking lot.

"Yeah, but I don't live with my parents. I'm emancipated. My mom died when I was ten, and my dad . . . he . . . he doesn't really have the time to take care of someone." Natsu balked at that.

"O-oh. I'm sorry, I didn't mean to-"

"It's okay Natsu, really. I've gotten used to living by myself." Lucy nodded at the small blue car right beside them. "Hop in!" She let Natsu lean against the car as she pulled out her purse and keys. A button was pushed and the car lights flashed two times. She opened the passenger side door and eased him inside.

Natsu placed his backpack on the floor of the car and waited for the girl to climb in the driver's side. She leaned in and started the engine, closing the door behind her.

"Buckle up." He did as she said. "Is there anywhere you need to stop before we head home?"

Before we head home . . . Natsu liked the sound of that. She was including him in her house, in her home, in her life. He couldn't believe she had accepted him so quickly.

"Um . . ." it took him a moment to process the actual question, too overwhelmed with the implications. "What?" She chuckled at his obvious confusion.

"Do you have anyone you need to talk to or see before you leave here? A group of friends? A couple of older adults? Or maybe something you need to grab?" Natsu leaned back against the seat then leaned forward once more. "Don't worry about getting the seat filthy. It's leather, it'll wash off."

Natsu allowed himself to lean back and relax, although his heart was pounding. He was still afraid she would turn him in.

"No, I tried not to camp out with others. So no one really knows me. And I have all my stuff . . ." Natsu trailed off, wondering if there was anything he had left anywhere. Lucy nodded, put the car in drive, and pulled off onto the road. Natsu slumped against his seat and wrapped his arms around his stomach.

Don't barf, don't barf, don't barf . . . Lucy didn't seem to notice his predicament.

He tried to shrink into his seat to avoid being seen by the other people driving by. Thankfully they seemed more interested in watching where they were going and avoiding hitting pedestrians than staring at him.

A woman with three dogs walked down the sidewalk going in the opposite direction. I wonder if Lucy has any pets –

"WAIT!" Natsu shrieked through his motion sickness and Lucy shrieked as well, causing the car to swerve.

"WHAT?" She yelled back at him and rounded furiously on the boy beside her. "EYAH! Are you okay?" Natsu was leaning against the door limply, face colored purple and holding his mouth.

"Trans . . .portation . . ." He whined.

"You have motion sickness." She deadpanned and the boy nodded. "Don't you dare vomit in my car, Natsu! It would sink into the leather, and I don't want smell it!" He pitifully moaned and nodded.

"Hmph. Why'd you shriek like that?"

"H-. . . uhhgg . . . Happy . . ."

"You're happy?"

"N-no. Cat." He whined and viciously tried to roll down the window. Lucy aided him by pushing the correct button. Natsu leaned his head out the window and let his tongue hang out.

"You have a cat?" A slight nod was all she got. Lucy sighed.

"Do you know where he is?" Another nod. "Can you direct me?" He nodded once more.

"T-take . . . next left." Lucy turned the blinker on and turned down the road to where he was directing her.

"Now what?"

"Stop!" She braked and pulled into a parking space, turning the engine off. She looked at Natsu to see if he was okay, and found he was already bounding out of the car as fast as his injured leg and ribs would allow. Lucy sweat dropped.

"HAPPY!" He cupped his hands around his mouth and cried out down the street. People looked up and stared at him strangely. "HAPPY! IT'S ME!" His hands lowered to his sides, and he listened, searching the ground for movement. Lucy stepped out of the car next to him.

"What does he look like?"

"He's blue. Oh! There he is!" Natsu limped over to a newspaper on the ground and lifted it. Underneath sat a very frightened looking kitty. He had only a small amount of white on the tip of his tail and the underbelly. The rest of him, shockingly, was blue.

"He's some sort of Russian cat. I forget the actual name of it, but there's a guy I saw once who knew a lot about cats and told me that." Natsu scooped the kitty up and held him in his arms. He turned to face the girl, and his eyebrows creased. "Um." He trailed off. "Is it okay if he comes with us?" He stroked the top of the cat's head gently, earning a purr from the animal. Lucy scrutinized him.

"He's covered in oil!"

"And bits of trash, yeah. But I can clean him off!" Lucy looked up into his face.

"You're going to be the one to take care of him." Natsu smiled and nodded his head in agreement.

"Yeah." Lucy sent one last look to the feline, and then pet his head awkwardly.

"He can come." She turned back to the car and stepped in, waiting for Natsu and the cat. They sat in the front seat and Natsu opened up his jacket, allowing the feline to crawl inside. At Lucy's questioning gaze he explained.

"He doesn't like cars all that much."

"Does he get motion sickness to?" She teased and the boy blushed.

"Not that I know of." He grumbled and Lucy laughed. She turned the car on and pulled out of their parking spot.

"Next stop, home!"

Her home was an apartment in Magnolia, a town not very far from Hargeon. It was located on Strawberry Street, directly in front of a river. Natsu hadn't come through Magnolia on his way to Hargeon, but now he wished he had. It was a beautiful town, made even better by the people who lived there.

Everyone they drove by waved at Lucy. On their way into the building (her apartment was on the top floor) Lucy had been pulled to the side and dragged into conversation three times. She had dismissed them quickly, saying she 'had to get her friend inside and settled down'. Natsu was beginning to wonder how long she was expecting him to stay.

Finally they managed to get to her apartment. Lucy unlocked the door and allowed him inside.

Natsu almost didn't want to step into her home. It was pristine, the carpet recently vacuumed, the dishes put away. Lucy hung her keys up on the hanger and took her shoes off to leave by the doorway. She closed the door and clicked the lock shut.

"Can you take your shoes off?" Natsu nodded and then paused.

"Where should I put Happy?"

"I'll take him." Natsu opened his mouth to tell her that Happy didn't really like people all that much when the girl plucked him out of his arms. She pulled him in against her chest and made little cooing noises, petting him and disappeared around the corner.

Natsu's mouth gaped open. Everyone he had ever seen try to touch the cat wound up bleeding. He quickly shrugged the remainders of his shoes off and left them by the doorway.

"Would you prefer a bath or shower?" He heard Lucy shout from inside some room. He followed her voice and noticed that she was in the bathroom with Happy. The cat had curled up on top of her towels and promptly fallen asleep. Lucy was leaning inside a small closet, grabbing things and laying them out on the sink top.

"Natsu?"

"Uh, shower?" He scratched the back of his head in embarrassment.

"Okay then. I'll let you play around with the temperature of the water. There's shampoo here, conditioner here. They're both mine, so they'll make you smell a little bit like a girl, but if you don't use too much of it then it shouldn't be a problem. There's soap and a scrubby thing in the bathtub, and I just put some razors on the sink if you wanted to shave. Washcloths and towels are right there with Happy. I asked a friend of mine to drop off some of his old clothes for you, and he also bought some underwear, a toothbrush, and some shaving cream for you. Let me go grab those, I saw them in the living room." Lucy walked out of the bathroom to go grab whatever she saw. Natsu again had to swallow the lump in his throat.

"Here. It looks like he left a t-shirt, sweatshirt, jeans, a belt, and some socks. You don't have to brush your teeth yet, but you must after dinner." Lucy nodded and then looked up at the boy. "Take your time." She gave him a charmingly sweet smile and then closed the door behind her.

Natsu simply stood there and stared at the door, dumbstruck.

"You must be an angel is disguise, Luce." He muttered and wiped at his eye. He turned to look at all the things she had laid out on the sink top for him and the clothes her friend had donated.

Just this once, he would indulge. He would not run away from kindness like he had before. Natsu turned on the shower full blast and turned it to hot. The last time he had bathed was months ago.

He stripped out of his clothes, eager to get rid of them. He peeled off the bandages from around his leg, hands, and the other various spots on his body. When he was sure he was completely naked, he leaped into the hot water of the shower. Immediately the grime on his body began to fall.

He couldn't help but stand under the water, relishing the feeling. Then he got to work. He had to be careful of the cuts and bruises, but couldn't bring himself to care too much if it hurt. He scrubbed his entire body, head to toe, with soap. He washed the inside and outside of his ears. He used the scrub brush to get under his fingernails, knowing he would find a nail trimmer somewhere in the bathroom. He abused the soles of his feet with soap, and he used a washcloth to clean the worse off injuries. His hair was washed twice with the shampoo and he only bothered to use a pea-sized amount of Lucy's conditioner.

Finally, feeling so utterly refreshed he thought he could cry, Natsu turned the water off and stepped out of the bath. He wrapped a towel around his waist and looked into the mirror, astonished the see his reflection, void of all dirt and blood, looking back on him. He grabbed the shaving cream and a razor and lathered his face. He cut all of the little hairs off and then did the same to his neck. He washed the cream off and made sure to get every crack in his hand clean.

He grabbed the towel from around his waist and began to dry his hair. It stuck to the side of his neck, and he wondered if Lucy would be willing to trim it for him. The cut on his leg was bleeding again, so he grabbed some toilet paper and wiped it off. The same went for the cut on his temple, and several other smaller gashes across his body.

Bleeding was much better than infection.

He dried himself off then reached for the clothes she gave him. The shirt was black and fit him perfectly. It was faded somewhat from use, but Natsu didn't care. He tugged the underwear and jeans on, rolling one leg up so he wouldn't get blood on it, then wrapped the belt around his waist, tightening it to hold his clothes up. He shifted around in the new garments.

He knew that some of the wounds on his torso would need to be wrapped, but he didn't know how. Hopefully Lucy did.

Natsu unlocked the door and stepped out of the bathroom. He couldn't smell anything cooking yet. Maybe she had run to the supermarket.

Natsu peeked around the corner for her, but didn't find her. The door to her apartment opened, and the two locked eyes. Lucy slowly closed the door behind her, not breaking eye contact with the young man before her.

"You look very different now Natsu." He smiled at her and blushed lightly.

"Yeah . . . I can imagine." He looked down at himself, not quite recognizing his own body.

"Do you want me to try to trim your hair? I'm warning you, I'm not responsible if anything bad happens." She joked. Natsu grinned and nodded. Lucy pointed to the bathroom and told him to sit down on the toilet and take off his shirt while she put away the groceries.

He did as he was asked, no questions.

Lucy walked in behind him and grabbed a small pair of scissors from the closet. She mussed his hair up, spraying some water on it to get it wetter and dropped a towel around his neck to keep the hair off.

"I had no idea your hair was this pink."

"Shut up." He muttered petulantly and puffed up his cheeks in annoyance. She laughed freely at him.

She trimmed his bangs then moved on to the sides. Every now and then she would tilt his head or stare at him from straight ahead to make sure everything was even. She placed the scissors down when done and carefully untangled the towel from his neck to avoid dropping hair everywhere. She shook it out over the floor, and at Natsu's gaze explained that she would vacuum it later.

"Better?" Natsu fingered his hair. It felt very similar to the haircut he had back when Igneel was still with him.

"Yeah."

"Good. Now let me bandage you." Lucy grabbed the gauze, rubbing alcohol, some triple antibiotic ointment, a package of Band-Aids, the roll of toilet paper, and some tape. "Can you hold your hair out of the way?" Natsu flipped his bangs to the top of his head and held his hand there, waiting for her to get to work.

Lucy tipped the bottle of rubbing alcohol over onto a handful of tissue paper and then placed it over the gash on his face. Natsu cringed at the feeling, but didn't pull away.

"Did you find anymore glass in the wound?" He shook his head no.

"Good, cause I don't see any more." She pulled her hand away and with new toilet paper wiped away the rubbing alcohol and blood. She squirted some triple antibiotic ointment onto her finger and applied it over the cuts from the glass bottle. Then she took the gauze and gently began to wrap it around his head, making sure not to get any hair in it. She secured the bandage with some tape.

She finished quickly and knelt to his leg.

"This one might hurt more. Can you go sit on the edge of the bathtub?" Natsu complied. She followed him there and placed his injured leg inside the tub, then picked up the bottle of rubbing alcohol. "I need you to kind of part the sides of the injury so this can go in." Natsu leaned over and stretched the two sides of the wound open, allowing the rubbing alcohol to run over it. It hurt like a bitch.

Lucy then turned on the shower head, picked it up and rinsed off his leg. She dried it off gently with a towel, getting blood on it, and gooped it up with ointment. She wrapped gauze all along the length of his lower leg.

"Are either of these too tight? Too loose?" Natsu wiggled his leg. It didn't feel like it was cutting off the circulation.

"I think they're both okay." She turned to his chest and frowned at the random bruises and scars.

"I'll get you an ice pack for these later." She gently placed Band-Aids and ointment over the smaller cuts on his chest and back.

"Sit up straight. You need these ribs wrapped." Natsu did as she said. She placed her hand, palm down, on his side and Natsu gasped. Her eyes snapped to his. "Did that hurt?"

"N-no. You just . . . startled me."

"Oh. Sorry. Tell me where it does hurt." Her hand began to move, gently nudging his ribs and trying not to aggravate them too much. Natsu sucked in a breath and hissed.

"That. There." He wheezed out, and turned his head to the side to cough painfully. Lucy picked up the gauze and began to wrap it around his chest where he said it hurt. She bent him to the side to wrap it better then bent him back when she finished.

"Do your ribs hurt anywhere else?" She placed her hand on the other side, fingering different places and watching his face. He winced at once spot, but didn't react like he did earlier. "Looks like it was just that one place. I'll get you some ice to hold there during dinner and before you go to bed." She handed him his shirt, and Natsu slipped it on, now very aware of the wrappings on his body and the movement of his chest.

"Anywhere else need to be wrapped?" Natsu shook his head.

"It was mainly my leg and head. And ribs." Lucy smiled.

"If you need anything, tell me." Natsu nodded, although he knew he wouldn't ask for more than she had given him. "Alright. How about you clean up Happy, and I'll work on dinner. You allergic to anything?" Natsu shook his head. "How do you feel about spiciness?" He grinned widely, but turned his head away and covered his mouth to hide it. He didn't want her to go out of her way to please him. Beggars can't be choosers.

"I . . . like it."

Lucy leaned over and slapped the side of his head that wasn't injured.

"Ow! What was that for?" He rubbed his ear and pouted at her again.

"Don't lie to me! Don't hide what you're thinking or feeling! You're my guest and a friend, and friends don't do those things to each other! If you don't like spicy food, then tell me, okay? It's not like I'm going to force you to eat it." Lucy grumbled under her breath and stepped away from him, making her way out of the bathroom.

Natsu, stunned, watched her walk away.

Friends? He turned to Happy, who was watching with lazy eyes. Natsu picked up the feline and placed him in the bathtub. He closed the door and pulled the curtain to the side. If the cat didn't like water, he did not want him to ruin Lucy's curtains in an attempt to escape the wetness.

Natsu began picking off particles of trash that had stuck to the animals fur. There was a Hershey kiss wrapper, a piece of newspaper in between two toes, what looked like the covering of a straw stuck to his belly, and a lot of little pieces of dirt and mud.

Now came the hard part. Natsu turned the handle of the shower on and pulled the head down. He turned the temperature to warm, and the setting was put on "Shower". He turned to Happy, who was watching him silently.

"Sorry, buddy." He was careful not to get the cat's head when he suddenly sprayed him with water. The animal jumped when he felt the warm water, but other than that, did nothing.

Natsu stared at him. "You're not afraid of water?" Happy did nothing. Natsu shrugged. "Makes life simpler for me." He lathered his hands with soap, and then dove in. Grease and mud began to stick to his hands once more. After feeling how nice it was to be clean, Natsu almost didn't want to clean Happy. But if he didn't, the cat would most likely do it himself, and the stuff on him could probably kill him. Or Lucy would do it. And he didn't want Lucy to do more than she had to.

When he reached Happy's belly the cat began to purr. Natsu laughed (and then coughed in mild pain) when he rolled over, sticking his legs up in the air and stretching out. He let him go and reached for the shower head again. The spray of water washed out the grime, leaving Happy a brilliant (and unnatural) blue. The cat sat up, dripping wet, and shook himself off.

"Stop, Happy, I'm dry!" The cat jumped out of the bath and attempted to walk across Natsu's lap, but he stood before he could do that.

Natsu grabbed a towel and rubbed out the water from his fur. The cat was slippery, continuously sliding out of the towel and meowing in annoyance. At last he allowed himself to be dried off, and Natsu stood, leaving the towel in a pile with the others.

He scooped up Happy and walked out of the bathroom, letting out a fog of steam. He made a mental note to clean up the bathroom for Lucy later.

But right now it was time to make amends.

He peeked round the corner and saw the blonde at the counter. Her back was to them, but she peered at him over her shoulder when she heard the door open.

"What are you making?"

"Tacos! And salad." His stomach growled, and Lucy laughed as she opened the cupboards. "Still hungry." It seemed as though she had forgiven him for not speaking his mind.

"Starving." He muttered and sidled up next to her, placing Happy on the ground beside them. "What can I do to help?"

"Do you know how to operate a kitchen?" Her laughing eyes almost rendered him speechless, but Natsu saved himself in time.

"I used to be the one to cook when I was a kid. Dad didn't know how."

"And your mom?"

"Never met her." Lucy turned to look at her companion, eyes sad.

"I'm sorry."

"Not knowing your mom is not as hard as loosing her." He shrugged at his words. Lucy reached out and wrapped her arms around his chest, holding him tight, but not tight enough to hurt him. Natsu, shocked, tensed. Realizing she was trying to offer him comfort, he pulled his arms out of her grip (this was difficult, she didn't really want to let him go) and gently looped them around her body. He relaxed when she snuggled even closer.

"Luce?"

"Did you just give me a nickname?"

"No."

"Yes you did."

"Fine. Maybe. But . . ."

"Hmm?"

"I really, really, really like spicy food."

"Why do you sound so humiliated?"

"Cause . . . I . . . don't know?"

"It's no skin off my back. I have way too much stuff in my house. I'm well off financially Natsu, even if I am emancipated. Do you like Tabasco?" Natsu let out a very unmanly whine when he heard this.

"Yeah. Yeah I do."

"Good, cause that stuff burns my nose every time I smell it. I hate it." She pulled out of the hug and stepped right into Happy's tail. The cat let out an inhuman screech, which Lucy then answered with her own shriek, and the two jumped away from each other.

"YOU LITTLE-" Lucy caught herself, and placed a hand over her heart. Loud, obnoxious laughter and wheezes punctuated her fear and the girl turned to face her companion, who was leaning on the counter as he attempted to laugh. Lucy, alarmed, put a hand on his chest to try to calm him down. "You're gonna hurt yourself even more if you laugh like that!"

"Y-yeah." He stuttered and tried to calm himself. He wiped the corners of his eyes and jumped up to sit on the counter. "Tell me what I can do."

"You sure you wanna help?" He deadpanned at her.

"Yesterday I told you people don't do nice things without expecting something in return. You told me you were the exception." Natsu hopped off the counter and cornered her against it, staring at her and making sure he had her attention. "Luce, you are getting everything I can possibly give you in return for what you've already done."