Unwell

"Where's Lucy?" asked Mirajane as she polished an already flawless beer mug. Natsu rested his chin on his hand, watching as Nashi played with her dragon beanie-baby on the bar table.

"She's sick," he answered softly without turning to the barmaid.

"Really?" Lisanna gasped from beside him. "With what?" The Dragon Slayer shrugged.

"She thinks it's the stomach flu."

Lisanna smirked. "That's what she said when she was pregnant with Nashi and didn't want to tell you yet. Is she…"

"No," Natsu cut in, finally turning to his childhood friend. "No, when she was pregnant with Nashi, she would feel better almost immediately after throwing up. But… she's vomiting once every hour now, almost on the hour. She's not even throwing up, anymore. It's more like dry-heaving. She has a fever, and she's sweating like crazy, too."

Mira's brows knitted together with worry. "Has she eaten anything bad recently?" she inquired, setting the mug down to clean another one. "Maybe it's food poisoning." Natsu shrugged again, turning back to his daughter, smiling gently when she looked at him with a toothy grin, uttering the word "Daddy" as she did. "When did she start feeling sick?"

"Last night, at around one in the morning. She was suddenly awake and ran over to the bathroom, nearly trampling me in the process. She drank some water, but she threw it back up fifteen minutes later. She woke up an hour later and barfed again, and after that, she kept getting up and running to the bathroom. She hardly got any sleep. You shoulda seen how cold she was when she came back after the third time. She was shaking as much as Plue."

"Maybe she should see Wendy," Lisanna suggested, taking a drink of her lemonade.

"Happy brought her over this morning," he said, reaching over to brush Nashi's bangs out of her face. "She said it's a virus, but not a serious one. She also said that she should be fine within three to five days."

"Thank goodness for that," Mira sighed. She brightened a second later. "Oh! I have just the thing for an upset stomach. I'll go—"

"Oi, Mira!" The she-devil turned to the sound of her name. Macao and Wakaba were waving her over. "Refill, please!"

"I'll be right there, Macao!" She turned to her sister. "Lisanna, could you get some of my herbal tea?"

"Of course, Mira-nee." The youngest Strauss sibling hopped off the bar stool and disappeared into the kitchen, while Mira left to tend to the boys. Natsu sighed and rested his head on the counter. He didn't want to be there. He wanted to be with Lucy, in their apartment, making sure she was okay. He wasn't exaggerating when he explained how cold she was. She was trembling violently, even as she huddled under the comforter, with his arms wrapped around her. She was freezing, but at the same time, she was sweating like she was out in the desert on a hot summer day. He yawned. Having her darting out of bed and running across the room to the bathroom several times during the night not only meant little sleep for her, but for him too.

"Natsu." He sat up when he heard his name. Lisanna was back, and handed him a package of tea. "Take this to Lucy. Mix one pack of this with some water and heat it up. It may not help with her sickness, but it should ease her stomach for a period of time."

"Thanks, Lisanna." Holding the tea in one hand, he lifted Nashi up in his other and began his trek home.

Lucy groaned wearily as she flushed the toilet, her hands gripping the rim of the porcelain seat. That was the third trip to the bathroom since Natsu and Nashi went to the guild. She hadn't eaten anything all day, so the only substance that had been coming up with nothing but stomach acid, and it left a truly horrible taste in her mouth. Her arms shook violently as she pushed herself to her feet. She passed on brushing her teeth. She knew she should've washed her moth, but the last time she did, she ended up gagging herself, resulting in another round of dry-heaving. Besides, she was freezing. She was wearing a pair of sweatpants and one of Natsu's shirts, but she was still far from being warm. Even as she slipped under the thick blanket on their bed, she was still shuddering like crazy.

She'll admit, she was the one who told Natsu to go to the guild. She didn't want him to stay here with her like this all day. But now she was really just hoping he would come home soon. She was sure she'd die of hyperthermia if he wasn't to return soon. She pulled the blanket closer, curling into a ball on the mattress. No matter what she did, she couldn't get warm! It was so frustrating! Mixed in with the sleep deprivation and constant vomiting, she was not one happy wizard right now. She just wanted to go to sleep. She jumped when she heard the front door open.

"Lucy, I'm home," Natsu called from the living room.

"Natsu…" she moaned, her voice coming out almost like a pathetic whine. She heard him set something down in the kitchen before he opened the door to their bedroom, holding Nashi with one arm.

"Hey," he said gently, setting Nashi down on the floor to play. He approached her. "How're you feeling?"

"Poopy."

Natsu snorted as he sat on the side of the mattress. "Poopy?" She slowly nodded her head, an uncontrollable shiver wracking her body. His smile fell as he reached toward her, sliding his hand beneath her bangs to feel her forehead. "You're burning up."

"It d-doesn't feel like it…"

"Still cold?"

"Freezing."

Natsu clicked his tongue, beginning to stroke her hair. "Lisanna gave me some of Mira's herbal tea. She said that it should help your stomach feel better for the time being. Want me to make you some?" Lucy sleepily nodded her head. He smiled softly, leaning down to kiss her forehead. He stood up and made his way for the kitchen.

"Daddy," Nashi uttered, reaching toward him. "Up." He chuckled as he kneeled down, lifting her up into his arms. He walked into the kitchen and set her down in her high chair. She pouted. "Daddyyyy…" she whined, holding her hands out to him.

"Hold on a sec," he said, opening a can of bananas. "I have to make Mama some tea." He turned to set her food down in front of her. She folded her arms and stuck her tongue at him. He did the same, earning a cute giggle. He smiled. "It's impossible for you to stay mad, amai." He began working on Lucy's tea, heating it up to scalding within a matter of seconds. He poured it into a glass, making his way back to the bedroom. He stopped when Nashi whined, looking over his shoulder at her. "Don't look at me like that. I'll be right back." He laughed lightly as he stepped through the door. Nashi was so needy sometimes.

He came back to retrieve his daughter after giving Lucy her tea. He sat down at the foot of the bed with Nashi in his lap. Both he and Lucy jumped when the child sneezed. Natsu's shoulders drooped. "Don't tell me you're getting sick too…" As if in response, Nashi sneezed three more times. The Dragon Slayer sighed. "Great. Now I'm gonna have two sick girls to take care of."

Author's Note: whoa! Two chapters in one day? This should happen more often, no? If only, though… I hope you liked it! Please leave a review!