Characters: Natsu Dragneel, Lucy Heartfilia, Cat!Happy

Genres: Romance, Hurt/Comfort

Summary: Flimsy walls were a nuisance to most, but not so much for Natsu. No, he couldn't be more grateful for what they brought into his life. A Nalu neighbour AU one-shot ft. references to reverse Tangled!AU: Dragon Tail

Prompt: "Listen, we have very thin walls and I heard you crying in the shower, are you okay?" AU via happylilprompts !

Not Alone

The gentle prodding at his cheek and soft weight on his chest told Natsu that it was time to wake up.

Sure enough, as he managed to somehow pry open his sleep-heavy eyes, he was welcomed with the sight of his cat, who continued prodding at his cheek grumpily.

"Alright, alright," Natsu mumbled, rubbing his eyes while slowly rising, "I'll get your stinkin' breakfast."

Soon enough, the cat was munching on his morning treats, while Natsu dragged himself for a scalding shower to really wake up.

Sleep was still really hard to come by. It had been only one week since he had shifted to the new apartment and the scars on his heart were still pretty fresh.

Well, at least the crying had stopped. Now if only the nightmares also decided to stop tormenting him.

The shower came on, and with it some relief. Natsu sighed as the warm (for him) water washed away the remnants of his troubled sleep.

A smile found its way on his face soon, Natsu tilting his head towards the cause. The soft humming from the neighbouring apartment, right on time. The sweet, gentle voice was so joyous and light to hear, especially after the nights he had been experiencing.

The humming always faded before he was done, and that was fine. It reminded him that he still had friends, still had her and still had a future worth fighting his grief for.

Taking a deep breath, he finished his bath, got dressed for the day and put on a smile.

"Today's my day, Happy," he told his cat, striding towards the kitchen. "Today's the day I get myself a job. I can feel it."

Happy seemed to meow in agreement.

Natsu made himself a quick simple sandwich, before setting aside the dishes to do later, and putting on his sandals.

Yeah, well, it wasn't like he was aiming for some huge corporate office job or anything anyway.

Happy hopped on his lap for one last good luck cuddle, something Natsu greatly appreciated. This was going to be his seventh interview and he really needed to get that job, if he wanted to continue having a roof over his head.

A few deep breaths, and he strode to his door, opening it expectantly. And frowning.

There was no note.

After four days, he had gotten used to the little handwritten notes waiting on his doormat. More disappointed than he expected to be, he turned to close the door.

Grinning wide as he saw the little yellow post-it on his door.

'The dragon had finally left the tower,
His adventure had finally begun.
The run-away traveller by his side,
A prize of extreme value, to be sought, to be won.'

Natsu barely contained his excitement. He had been really rooting for the imprisoned dragon and couldn't wait to know more of the story.

Even more than that, he drew strength from the dragon. If the dragon could finally step out of his high-in-the-sky tower-cage, then he could sure as hell find himself a good job.

With all the motivation he needed, Natsu pocketed the note and made his way to ace his interview, his good gut feeling evolving from vague positivity to absolute certainty.

When Natsu reached home that night, he was grinning stupidly and was more than a little buzzed.

He had secured himself a job, and while there was only so much he could earn doing dishes and cleaning up, it was enough to keep him somewhat fed, with a roof on his head and with some proximity to his dream job of becoming a world-class chef and feeding people for a living.

It felt good to celebrate with the gang after so long, none of them being as gingerly around him for a change, but as Natsu flopped onto the mattress on the floor that was his bed, it occurred to him — he had yet to thank his mystery-storyteller.

So, still wobbly from all the drinking, Natsu left his apartment towards the twenty-four-hour convenience store nearby. He was in a mood to splurge a bit, but it was going to be so worth it.

This was his mission to complete.

The next morning, he woke up feeling actually rested after a long time. Still maintaining his record of never having had a hangover, he woke up far more positive that he had over the past month. The sunlight pouring from the window told him he had slept in. But that was fine.

He had a job now and couldn't wait to begin the following day. Natsu flopped back in bed with a happy hum, feeling Happy crawl onto his chest. He pet the purring cat, savouring his little moment of peace.

Until...

Jolting as he suddenly remembered, Natsu got out of bed in a hurry, catching a flung Happy out of the air, and running towards the door.

He opened it, thrilled to find the small plastic lunch box no longer there. He looked up at the door to find the next installment of the story, this time with the addition of a small note scribbled in the corner in different ink, but the same loopy writing.

'A handmade gift left for li'l old me?
It smells delicious, can't wait to try it.

— Lucy'

Lucy. Her name.

Barely registering his huge grin, Natsu peeled off the note, before reading it a few more times and putting it with its predecessors in his pillow covers.

'So that I have more dragon dreams,' he'd explained to Happy.

Waking up late meant he missed the morning humming, but Natsu was too happy to care just then, sending out a small, earnest wish to the universe hoping his melodic neighbour was having an even better day than he was.

"And Lucy too!"

The next morning, and Natsu could barely wait, so much so that he had been awake far earlier than was necessary.

He was going to work today, and that was such a huge step forward after...everything. He still hurt, but the knowledge that he had come as far as he had brought a happy tear to his eye.

He just hoped his dad would've been proud.

He wiped his eyes and got up to get ready, pausing for a moment as he realised he would be leaving earlier henceforth. Meaning he was going to miss the singing. And would now have to wait for the end of the day to know what happened to the dragon.

The revelation made him sadder than he expected.

Nonetheless, he pulled through, putting an effort into being presentable and setting things aside for a still snoozing Happy.

Finally, he ruffled the kitty's ears, before quietly opening the door to his apartment to leave.

Only to find himself face-to-face with a startled lady.

And getting a note stuck on his forehead.

"Uh...oops?" she said, hand still in the air, mere inches away from his now note-bearing face. "That was supposed to go on the door."

Natsu on the other hand, was taking a lot of information in one go.

The face of the storyteller was nothing short of beautiful.

Her voice was really nice to hear.

Her smell, even nicer.

She held his lunch box in her other hand.

Her eyes were big, and a lovely brown.

She was beautiful.

And the next part of her story for him was on his face.

Natsu immediately shut the door, stepping outside, and forcing the lady to automatically take a step back into the corridor.

Not quite aware of her wide eyes watching him carefully, Natsu quickly got to peeling the note off his head, and quickly reading through it.

"HAHA, YES!" Natsu exclaimed, his volume and exuberance taking her further by surprise. "THEY FOUND THE DAD DRAGON."

The blonde caught herself almost forgetting to answer, more than a bit distracted by his dazzling smile.

"H-how do you know this dragon is the dad?" she asked, after clearing her throat, not as discreetly as she would have hoped.

"It's gotta be his dad. That red dragon they've been searching for," Natsu argued, and the urgency in his tone drew a smile from her.

One he couldn't help mirroring.

"Well, that's for you to find out next time," she said, mirthfully. "No spoilers from me."

"Aww," replied Natsu, actually pouting. "No, no, I understand," he added, "all part of the fun."

Lucy was prepared for his grin this time (kind of).

"Good," she giggled, before offering a handshake. "I'm Lucy."

"I know," said Natsu, taking her hand in the warmest of handshakes. "Natsu."

"Nice to finally meet you, Natsu," she said. "And thank you so much for the cake. It was just what I needed yesterday."

"Nah," he brushed off, accepting his lunch box back, noting how it wasn't as light as it should have been.

"I'm nowhere near as good as you," she answered his puzzled expression sheepishly, "but I can make a mean pasta."

Natsu took a moment to take that in. Here he was, receiving more wonderful gifts from her. "You really didn't have to," he said, honestly.

"I know," she said simply. "I just wanted to."

Natsu was about respond but -

"Ah, sorry, I've to rush," she said, looking at her watch. "Can we continue this sometime?"

"Sure!" Natsu said, around his disappointment, "Soon?"

"Absolutely," she replied, as she began jogging towards the stairwell. "…neighbour."

It took a moment to sink in, and Natsu nearly dropped the pasta then and there.

Much to Natsu's disappointment, soon didn't happen for a while. His job had him drawing at every last fibre of his being for strength and perseverance, and as he reached home he had just enough time to clean up, eat and crash, before waking pre-dawn and getting back to the grind.

However, the notes never stopped coming, and now they also had parallel conversations going on at the bottom right, little facts about her day, some dreams and other small facts about her that left Natsu wanting to know more. She would leave her note in the morning, his reply would be left for her that night.

Until one rainy night, with thunder that kept Natsu up, calming a terrified Happy. He was tired, and definitely needed his sleep, but Happy needed reassurance that the world wasn't ending, and he would be there to provide it.

A soft knock on his door had him reluctantly leave the warmth of his blanket, holding the shivering ball of fur close to him as he moved to open the door. All lethargy was shocked right out of his system as he saw Lucy at the other side of the door.

Looking no better than Happy did just then.

He immediately ushered her in, quietly offering her a seat on the mattress. He gave her Happy to hold on to, as he brought out the only other blanket he had, wrapping it around the two.

She hadn't said a word and that worried Natsu. Lucy had never seemed the quiet sort.

Unsure of what to say or do, he opted to give her her space, and not question her behaviour just yet. Instead, he then brewed some tea he hoped would warm her, along with some milk for Happy.

He offered her the warm mug, which she accepted with a small smile, nodding her thanks. She gently set Happy close to her on the floor, where Natsu had placed a small saucer of milk for him, Lucy scratching his head reassuringly the whole time.

Natsu took a seat on the floor opposite her and watched carefully, keeping an eye out for anything she would have needed, worry gnawing at his insides.

Finally, after a long, warm sip, she began. "I'm...sorry."

"You've nothin' to be sorry about," he replied promptly.

Lucy offered another small smile at that. "I, uh, usually go to Levy for stuff like this but she's with Gajeel and all and I couldn't..."

"You don't want to interrupt, I get it," Natsu supplied.

Lucy nodded, still not meeting his eyes. She seemed to be really picking her words carefully, and Natsu waited with uneasy patience.

"I...don't think I ever told you. I'd ran away from home."

Natsu chose to keep his surprise off his face, allowing her to continue.

"It's been two years already, and it's done wonders for me, but...I do miss him sometimes. My father. Or who he used to be."

Natsu swallowed thickly.

"Don't get me wrong, he wasn't very good at being a dad. Not after Mom died anyway. Sometimes, I wish we could start over, or that I could at least forgive him."

Natsu quietly inched closer, trying to physically reassure her, the way she had been doing for Happy.

"I'm sorry I'm piling this on you," she said softly.

"You have nothing to apologise for. Spill as much or as little as you want to. No pressure, no judgement," promised Natsu, the tenderness in his voice giving her the courage to look him in the eye.

His heart broke to see the depth of her sadness.

"Thank you," she whispered, tears finally spilling. She buried her face in her hands, leaning onto his shoulder as she did. Natsu instinctively set aside their mugs to draw her closer and lend her some warmth.

She felt so small, it hurt.

They cried together until it was late enough to be early.

Sometime after the last of her hiccups stopped, Lucy found herself in Natsu's lap, Happy curled up similarly in hers. She pulled off the cool, wet cloth Natsu had draped over her tired eyes, in favour of really looking at him for the first time that evening. He looked as exhausted as she felt.

His eyes were on her as soon as she had moved, alert for anything she might have needed. Dark, searching. Kind.

She wanted to cry again, for completely different reasons.

Lucy gently brought a hand up to Natsu's cheek, absently tracing the soft scar there. "I'm sorry," she whispered.

"You don't have - "

"Not for this," she corrected softly, leaning to look into his eyes better. "For what you've had to go through."

Natsu's eyebrows raised then furrowed. Then rose once more.

He understood.

"You heard me." he said softly. The thin walls would've carried soft sobs as well as they did soft melody.

"I'm sorry," she repeated softly, the hand on his cheek pulling his face closer to hers. "But you don't have to go through it alone," she said, as his forehead met hers.

Natsu believed her.

And that realisation took a weight off his chest he had almost gotten used to, and there was nothing he could have said that would have conveyed everything he felt just then.

Instead, he simply drew her closer, and they weathered the storm.

Together.

She was a frequent not-quite-a-guest thereafter. With working days taking their toll on the both of them, sometimes that simply meant them dragging Lucy's bedding from her apartment to his, and all three crashing in the same room.

Happy was quick to loving Lucy, not that that surprised Natsu. He still wasn't very vocal about his past experiences, but every time his anxiety spiked, or his nightmares resurfaced, he knew she would be around to hum away the crippling dread. To remind him of the things he was still blessed with.

To let him know he wasn't alone.

The notes were still a daily occurrence, now back exclusively to tell more of the saga of the dragons, two couplets at a time. Though they were no longer found outside, on his door.

No, now they were found with a packed meal he didn't have the time to make. With Happy's catfood that he didn't put out. With the flowers he didn't arrange. Or the empty bedding that wasn't his.

Before either of them really realised it, they were living together.

It wasn't until Lucy once found her way into his bed, that she discovered his little secret. It was a miracle she hadn't before considering how noisy the notes were in his pillowcase, but everything changed when she finally did find them.

"You kept all of them?" she'd asked, incredulous, turning away from the carefully curated fragments of her story towards where he stood, at the foot of his mattress.

"Of course," Natsu replied, surprised that she was. "I'm gonna mount them all on a wall when I get a bigger apartment. They're more important to me than you know."

He watched as her wide, brown eyes moved again from the notes in her palms to look right up into his. She then dropped the notes, which he would have protested at, had she not gotten up at lightning speed and thrown her arms around him.

Natsu felt his ears heat up, but absolutely loved the feeling, easily holding her close. A happy hug, wow.

It only got better, when Lucy whispered a soft thanks, before planting a gentle kiss on his cheek.

And promptly retreating to her old room.

Her act having left them both more than a little red in the face.

"We never go out together," Natsu announced, when she came back a few days later.

Being ignored stung a bit, but he also wanted to ensure she knew he was okay with giving her space to deal with things. And move in any direction they liked.

"Do you want to? You don't get days off very often," Lucy asked, her relief visible. Good.

"Yup, there's someplace I would like you to go, with me," he said, the calm in his voice a sharp contrast to his heart. He knew this was going to be a big step.

He finally resumed breathing normally when she agreed.

Soon after, they were making their way up a hill, Lucy having put two and two together on her own.

Nonetheless, as they stood in front of the lone tombstone there, Natsu explained, voice softer than Lucy had ever heard it before. "It's been six months. And this is the first time I've been able to make it here with someone else since."

Lucy gently held onto his sleeve, silently lending him her support, letting him know she was there.

"It was a huge fire. He died trying to save someone else. He was all I had, so I was so proud but so heartbroken and... I still can't really believe I'll never see him again."

His eyes were dry, but he drew Lucy closer for warmth and comfort.

They sat in front of the grave, and Lucy silently placed a bouquet in honour of Igneel Dragneel.

They sat there in silence for quite some time, before Natsu found it in him to continue.

"Hey Dad," he said softly. "I miss you. But you know that. You're watching, I know. But you will still be the first I tell, so — "

Natsu took a deep breath.

"This is Lucy. I love her."

Natsu then turned to see a wide-eyed, blushing Lucy, his gaze unwavering. "I really do."

His honesty and sincerity was rewarded with an unceremonious shove that had him tumbling backwards.

Having checked to confirm that she hadn't hurt him, Lucy turned back to the grave. "H-he didn't even warn me before springing this up all of a sudden! That's not how you do confessions!" she complained.

Natsu sat up, dusting the dirt from his clothes and hiding his face, almost missing it when she added, "It's a good thing I love him too."

He snapped up to see Lucy's stiff but resolute back, as she continued talking, "Well of course I do! He's nice, and sweet and caring and understanding and makes some of the best meals I've ever eaten!"

Her voice grew less urgent, in favour of a softer tone that did weird things to Natsu's already quickened heartbeat.

"He's so dedicated to his dreams but doesn't forget to enjoy the moment. He's always doing the best he can, inspires the best in me and helps me get through the worst."

He wasn't sure just what he was feeling, but then she sealed his fate with a few simple words:

"You must be so proud."

He crawled behind her and hugged her close, more grateful than he had felt in some time.

He wasn't sure when Lucy turned to him, held him, or how much time had passed with them unmoving, but as they made the small trek down the hill and back towards their home, he felt lighter than he had for months.

He was still grieving, and that pain wouldn't go away for a long time, he knew.

But now he could really look forward to tomorrow, and he knew why.

Her hand stayed intertwined in his the whole while.

Long after the story of the dragon and the princess was known to the world, long after the helping boy became a sous chef. long after his friends and her friends were now their friends, and all the nights staying up together, staying apart chasing dreams, and learning more and more about each other, they found themselves back on that hill.

Hands still intertwined, now decorated with matching gold.

A third, tinier voice greeting the name on the stone.

A brand-new future, ready to be fought for.

A/N: Thank you for still reading after all this time! Life's catching up, but there's a lot more writing to be done and I appreciate the support. Special thanks to DancesWithSeatbelts and MissVarta for your reviews, and to everyone who read, favourited and reviewed! :D