Cuddling Like the Good Old Days
"Please?"
"Natsu, no."
"Please?"
"Natsu, this bed literally only fits one person," Lucy said while massaging her growing headache, pointing to the bed that she was lying on, which was smaller than the one she had back in her old apartment in Fiore. When Lucy bought this new apartment in Crocus, she did not anticipate living with anyone, so she decided to buy a one-bedroom apartment with a bed only big enough for her. However, when Natsu returned at the end of the latest Grand Magic Games (which were shockingly won by Mermaid Heel), he, of course, decided to stay with her. This also meant that Natsu wanted to sleep in the same bed her, and didn't seem to want to take no for an answer.
"I know this bed isn't as good as the one in your old apartment-"
"Hey!"
"—I mean, it doesn't even smell a thing like you in here-"
"HEY!" However, whatever annoyance Lucy had towards Natsu evaporated when he jumped on the bed, and hugged Lucy close. "What're you doing!?"
"Well, you said that the bed was small, so I thought if we cuddled close together, we could fit on the bed," Natsu explained, pressing his cheek into the back of Lucy's shoulder. Lucy couldn't help but blush, as, despite all the time that had passed, she missed Natsu and the warm feeling of his touch. Lucy started patting the top of Natsu's pink-haired head with her right hand before laying down on the bed with Natsu, silently telling Natsu that the request to cuddle had been accepted. After several moments of cuddling together, Lucy turned her body, putting her and Natsu chest-to-chest with her chocolate brown eyes looking right into Natsu's.
"Why did you leave without me?"
"Lucy…"
"I'd have left with you if I knew where you and Happy were going," Lucy confessed, looking down at Natsu's toned body with her cheeks painted with a bright pink blush. Natsu looked down and started running his hands gently through Lucy's long blonde hair before letting out a long sigh.
"I…I didn't want to ruin your life," Natsu mumbled. Lucy looked back up at Natsu, her right eyebrow-raising in confusion.
"Ruin my life? What do you mean?"
"Lucy, you had plans with your life. I mean…you had a novel that you were working on, and look at you now. You're a reporter for Fiore, and covering a lot of the big events that've been going on while I left. And…I couldn't guarantee anything stable for you while I was on my training journey, so…I…I thought you'd be better off here while I was training," Natsu confessed. Natsu looked away, but out of his peripheral vision saw Lucy pulling herself off of Natsu's chest. Before he could ask her what was wrong, Lucy headbutted Natsu right in the face with enough force to almost send him rolling off the bed.
"OW! What the hell!?" Natsu yelled out, sitting up while holding his now-bleeding nose in pain. However, his shock and irritation evaporated when he saw Lucy's eyes brimming with tears, and Natsu had a feeling it didn't come from the bruise forming at the base of her forehead.
"You idiot…we've been dating since the Grand Magic Games and the whole thing with the dragons attacking us. If you had just told me what you were doing, I'd have gone with you," Lucy said while trying to wipe the tears off her face with her forearm. Natsu, after wiping some of the drying blood from his nose, wrapped an arm around the back of Lucy's neck, and despite how emotional she was feeling, Lucy laid her head down onto Natsu's shoulder.
"Lucy…"
"You don't know how much I missed you. I do love my job as a reporter, but things aren't the same without you or Fairy Tail around. Talking to you through the communication lacrima was nice, but it's never going to be the same as being here with you," Lucy admitted, her voice breaking as tears threatened to spill from her eyes again, with Natsu once again gently running his fingers through Lucy's hair. Lucy responded with a long sigh before nuzzling her cheek into Natsu's shoulder before he responded.
"I'm sorry. I really thought you'd be better off not being involved in my training. But I'm here now, and honestly, I don't want to leave your side again," Natsu said, giving Lucy a peck on the top of the head. Lucy looked up at Natsu and gave him a peck on the cheek in return before the two went back to lying down on the bed. All of a sudden, the cramped position she and Natsu were in didn't bother Lucy, as she was just happy to have the pink-haired Dragon Slayer back in her life. And Natsu was just as happy to have the blonde Celestial Spirit back in his arms as well.
"Hey guys! I got fish for everyone!" Happy announced as he flew through the open window with a bag of fish in his paws. Natsu and Lucy sat up, and while Lucy wiped the last of the dried tears from her eyes, Natsu kissed her on the top of the head again before walking over to the fish. While Natsu was cooking the fish with his flame breath, Happy flew right into Lucy's lap, allowing Lucy to pet his fur while they both waited for dinner. Lucy looked around her now, seeing Natsu cooking (well, his version of cooking), and Happy in her lap, smiling at the fact her makeshift family was back in full force. Lucy, while carrying Happy in her arms, walked over to Natsu, who had just finished cooking all the fish, and kissed the tip of the nose that she almost broke with her headbutt.
"I'm so happy to have you back," Lucy said with a wide grin on her face, more tears brimming from the corners of her eyes. Though, this time, these were tears of joy rather than tears of anger and confusion like they were earlier. Natsu smiled as he patted the floor next to him, to which Lucy responded by sitting down next to him and leaning her head onto his shoulder. Natsu responded by turning his body and wrapping his arms around Lucy for a hug, kissing the side of Lucy's neck a couple of times. Happy looked up at his best friend and her girlfriend, and smiled when he saw the two moving to continue cuddle each other.
"It's like we never left," Happy said under his breath, flying out of Lucy's arms to not only give the happy couple some privacy but to also enjoy some well-cooked fish.