The quiet bloop of an incoming email pulled Lucy out of her moment of concentration as she tapped away on her keyboard. Any other time, it would have been an inconspicuous sound that she paid no mind to, just a regular part of her business day, but things at the Heartfilia Konzern had been... complicated as of late.

Stepping into the position as C.E.O. and owner of Heartfilia Konzern, she had kept a low profile. Sure, she had expected massive changes in her life—that there would be more attention on her than she was once used to—but what she hadn't expected was the intense attention of one individual in particular.

It had started innocuous at first—a few social media posts expressing their infatuation with the pretty new girl in charge of the railway conglomerate—but it had slowly devolved into something much deeper and sinister. A few social media posts had turned into a few emails, turned into a few phone calls, turned into showing up outside one of the office branches one morning in a bid to catch her on her way in or out. Thankfully, it had not been one of the buildings she frequented, but it had sent her anxiety over the edge. This man was obsessed with her and was quickly becoming a threat to her safety.

She didn't read through the incoming email for the sake of her own sanity, but from the brief glance she had captured, she got the gist of it. They'd gone from pleading to threatening, an attempt to scare her into giving him the attention he craved. Her team had told her not to respond, and though she had heeded their advice, it had made her feel so helpless.

She was scared.

Even with her security team around, there was always the lingering thought about how there was someone out there who quite possibly wanted to hurt her, and based on his actions so far, he very much had the means to do so. For the most part, she could push it to the back of her mind to get through the work day, but reminders like this did her no good.

If she thought she had successfully masked her anxiety, she was quickly humbled by Natsu's worried expression from across the room.

Just as she was about to speak her reassurances, a knock came at the door, causing Lucy to jump and undoing all the work she had put into convincing Natsu that she was fine. Peering out the glass wall of her office, she saw her secretary, Aries, standing outside, and she let out a quiet sigh of relief. If someone were here to kill her, they probably wouldn't knock, after all.

"Um, Miss Lucy?" She meekly said. "Mr. Beaufort's assistant just called to say he's cancelling his meeting with you next Wednesday. He said something about… um… security concerns."

Lucy didn't bother to hide the frustrated groan she let out, her head falling into her hands, elbows thunking against the table.

It was easy to pretend the problem didn't exist when the problem wasn't making itself at home in her work emails. Admittedly, she was picking up a bad habit from her father before her of throwing herself into her work to avoid thinking about the problems in her personal life, but suddenly her personal problems were beginning to affect her work life too. This was not the first time someone had cancelled a meeting for safety concerns, and for as long as this issue was prevalent, she was certain it would not be the last.

"I-I'm sorry!"

"No, it's not your fault," she assured with a weak smile. "Thank you, Aries."

With her dismissal, Aries rushed out of her office, leaving just the two of them alone once again.

"Dunno what he's talking about worrying about security concerns," Natsu said, air quotes around the last two words. "You got the best security around," he added with a grin.

Lucy offered him a smile at his fighting words, but it didn't quite go up to her eyes, and she knew he could tell. Any other time, she would have wholeheartedly agreed. Natsu and his team were great; they had never let her down before now, but they had also never faced a threat like this until now.

She tried not to frame it like that. He wasn't a "threat," he was just some random with too much time on their hands, chasing after her like all the boys had in high school, but then again, those boys hadn't shown up outside of her place of work. She tried to convince herself that it wasn't a big deal, that she would be safe, but she still couldn't help but worry.

The only time she ever truly felt safe these days was when Natsu was in the room with her. If she was a little jumpy in the office, that didn't compare to how she got when she was at home. Given the current circumstances, Lucy had a member of her team with her at all hours of the day, but realistically, it couldn't always be Natsu. He was her employee who still had to go home at the end of the day. He had friends he drinks with on Saturdays, he had a cat at home to feed. There was no amount of money she could pay him that would take away the fact that he still had a life to live outside of her.

Natsu protects her during her work hours, while Erza and Gray take the night shifts at her apartment. They were both scary and more than qualified for their jobs, but she just seemed to feel at ease with Natsu in a way she couldn't with them. That wasn't a knock to them; there was just something about Natsu that she could never find in anyone else. She always felt calm around him, entirely at ease.

The rest of the afternoon came and went without incident, much to Lucy's relief, and before long she found herself being escorted into her apartment by Natsu behind her. That wasn't originally part of his job description—he would meet her at the office in the mornings and leave in the evenings, but now that there was the concern about her being jumped on her commute, it was better safe than sorry.

Gray was taking the evening shift tonight, and while it would have been reasonable for him to be the one to escort her home, these days it was always Natsu taking her to and from work. Even though he was technically off the clock, even though he wasn't paid for the extra twenty minutes before and after, he never complained about it, and Lucy couldn't be more thankful. Maybe having someone on her tail at all times could have been overbearing to some, but she didn't mind it so much when it was Natsu.

Gray was already standing outside her building by the time they arrived, and the pair escorted her to her apartment with only little fuss.

Though a little unnerving at first, Lucy had grown used to having someone with her at all times. It was better than the alternative, given her current situation. Gray mostly minded his own business, and Plue had gotten used to the company quickly, so it wasn't all that bad. Tonight, though, the company just didn't seem like enough to keep her from getting antsy through the evening.

She tried her best to busy herself to keep her mind off today's events. She cooked her and Gray dinner rather than ordering out; she finally got a start on that new podcast that she had been meaning to listen to, but even as she tried to focus on other things, she couldn't help but let her mind wander. It was bearable for a while—she could rationalise with herself when the lights were on and Gray was in the room, but as the sun dipped below the horizon and Plue yapped at her to get into bed, things quickly went downhill. Every time she closed her eyes, her brain would be washed over by a series of what-ifs.

What if the security wasn't enough?

What if when she opened her eyes, he was standing, looming over her?

What if he intended to make good on his threats?

Even with Plue snuggled up in bed with her, ready to go on the offensive and do whatever his little body could do to protect her should the need arise, she just couldn't seem to shut her mind up.

She wished Natsu were here.

He was the only one who could truly make all the voices in her head simmer down, if even for just a few moments. Natsu had proven himself time and time again as her protector, shown his willingness to go above and beyond for her to keep her safe. She knew that all of her team would do that—it was their job after all—but with Natsu, it felt like something more than that. It wasn't just the physical safety he provided her; it was emotional too.

Harm couldn't come to her when Natsu was around; he would never let it. That was even true when it came to the anxious thoughts plaguing her head.

She tried not to talk about these problems with anyone, to not let anyone in on the fact that she was struggling. She already had so much pressure put on her as the new head of a massive conglomerate. The media made sure everyone knew she was unqualified for her position, and they were right—she was just a nepo-baby stepping in to uphold what little of her family legacy was left behind for her. Still, she couldn't let the media, the public, or her peers think of her like that. She was a hard worker; she was well-spoken, smart, and kind. Given the time she knew she would flourish into something great.

She couldn't let them see that behind that confidence and composure, she was just a scared little girl, lost and confused.

With Natsu, she didn't need to maintain that image. Due to the nature of his position, he was the person she spent the most time with these days, and there wasn't anything she could hide from him. He was the only one who really knew the inner workings of her brain, the real fear and confusion she felt from everything that was happening around her. He was the only person she really felt she could confide in.

A soft sigh passed through her lips as she gazed at the dark ceiling. Yearning would not make Natsu magically appear, nor would it make all her woes and worries disappear. Figuring she wasn't about to get to sleep soon, Lucy crawled out of bed and made her way into the kitchen in hopes that a warm drink might ease her woes.

The lights were still on in the living room when she passed by, and the television was playing softly as Gray kept himself occupied. Though she tried to pass by unnoticed, Gray was still on the job and wasn't about to let anything slip past him.

"You alright?" He asked.

His voice stopped her in her tracks, leaving her standing static in the doorframe.

"Yeah, I just…" She trailed off, realising that Gray was no fool. There was no stepping around it, no pretending that she was fine. "I can't sleep."

"Yeah, I get that," he sympathetically replied. "I'm sorry."

He furrowed his brows as he tried to search for some words of comfort, but he was her guard, not her therapist. Though they were friendly, he wasn't close to her like Natsu was.

"You'll be alright," he settled on.

Lucy offered him a soft smile.

"I know."

She bit at her lower lip, hesitating for a moment before she made her way to the kitchen.

"What time does Natsu start?" She asked.

"He'll be here at six," Gray replied.

Lucy glanced at her phone, finding that it wouldn't be another four hours until Natsu would arrive. She'd usually be long asleep by now, but today's events had been weighing heavy on her mind, leaving her more anxious than usual.

"Okay," she said, trying her best to hide the disappointment lingering in her voice. "Thank you."

The taste of lavender overcame her senses as she sipped on her mug of tea, hoping that the warmth that spread through her body as it went down would soothe her.

Plue let out a soft whine as she crawled back into her sheets, roused from his slumber upon her return. She murmured a soft apology as she stroked his fur in an attempt to soothe him back to sleep. She would rather at least one of them get a good night's sleep tonight.

She didn't have a television in her room, knowing that one would just keep her up on nights she just needed to know what happened in the next episode of her soaps, but she had never regretted that more than right now. A distraction was more than welcome right now—a trashy reality programme to keep her mind off her own problems. Unfortunately, tonight it was just her and the flitter of moonlight that made it through the curtains.

She closed her eyes and tried to simply will herself to sleep, counting sheep until her consciousness faded into dreams, but as had become routine for this evening, that just wasn't the case.

And so she lingered awake, accompanied by nothing but the shadows on her walls and Plue's dreamy whimpers.

After what felt like hours of sleep evading her, a soft knock came on her door, and assuming it was Gray, Lucy let out an affirmative murmur to let him know he could come in. When she looked up, however, it was not Gray's gaze that she was met with. In her doorframe stood her day guard, Natsu, with messy hair, a dark grey hoodie, and a pair of pyjama pants covered in little cats.

"Natsu?" She croaked out. "What are you doing here?"

She wondered for a moment if she really had fallen asleep, if she was simply dreaming this moment up. What he said next proved that she was very much awake.

"Gray called me and said ya couldn't sleep, so I came over to make sure you were okay."

Lucy was quiet as Natsu made his way to her side, sitting down on her bed next to her.

"You didn't have to do that," she said. "Your shift doesn't start until six; I'm not paying you to be here."

"I'm off the clock, which means I get to make my own decisions, and right now I wanna be here for you," he replied, his hand reaching for hers in a comforting manner. "I'm not just your bodyguard, y'know. I'm your friend, too."

She looked up at him, even in the dark, still able to make out that trademark Natsu smile on his face.

Natsu was always a nice guy, always kind and friendly towards her. She was never sure how much of his friendliness was just part of the job that she paid him for. In his words, she realised that their relationship went beyond that of the paycheque she signed for him every week—he saw her as a friend.

"I'll stay for however long you need me."

His thumb ran gently across the back of her hand, and immediately she felt herself growing more at ease. The worry still lingered in the back of her mind—it had never fully gone away since the very first incident, but with Natsu by her side, she finally felt herself safe enough to let out some of the fear that had been plaguing her brain.

"Natsu…" She murmured, her voice soft and low as she spoke. "I'm scared."

"Yeah, I know," he replied, his brows knitted together in concern. "But I've got you, okay? Nothin' bad is gonna happen to you while I'm here."

She wholeheartedly believed him.

He had protected her from drunkards and catcallers; he had never hesitated to throw himself in harm's way to keep her safe. Nothing could dare touch her if Natsu had anything to say about it.

The thought of him fending off some perpetrator in his kitty cat pyjamas made the corners of her lips quirk up in a small smile. That sounded like exactly something the silly boy she had come to know would do.

"Get some sleep, okay?" He said, his voice more tender than she thought she'd ever heard it before.

"What about you?"

"I'll be alright," he assured her. "Me and Plue are gonna keep you safe, isn't that right, buddy?"

At the mention of his name, Plue stirred a little before giving out a huff of what Lucy liked to believe was affirmation before going back to sleep.

At his words, she slowly sunk back into her pillow and let her eyes fall shut.

She felt better, safe, comfortable.

She felt like grasping sleep tonight was no longer something well out of her reach, and as she faded out of consciousness, she was in no mind to consider the moral implications of falling asleep, holding her bodyguard's hand.