The lights went down in Magnolia as the sun slowly came up. Its rays pierced the gloom, bringing warmth and promises of a new and glorious day.
In Lucy's bedroom, Natsu stared down at his sleeping princess. The sun shined on her hair to make the blonde strands gleam like purest gold. Natsu could hardly help but touch that hair, stroke it off her sleeping face, and smell the fragrance of her shampoo.
He missed this smell so much! He had been gone for far too long, off on another mission to find Igneel. Without Lucy around, missions simply were not fun anymore. He knew why she needed to stay home. She had rent to pay, food to buy, and his random searches for Igneel were never for money. They were simply his own thing, and Lucy could not afford to travel for weeks over a mere rumor.
Still, she never once called it "a waste of his time," not like that droopy-eyed ice jerk Gray. Whenever Natsu told Lucy he was leaving, she just smiled sadly and wished him luck. That sad smile always haunted him. It made him eager to get home again, to see her other smile, that sunny grin of happiness.
He had sat up all night, gazing at Lucy's sleeping face, listening to her soft murmurs of dreams, waiting to see that smile. Now the sun was shining on the satin sheets until they gleamed in shades of lemon and sakura, two colors Natsu loved to see together because they reminded the dragon slayer of Lucy and himself, blonde and pink hair, his golden princess and a cerise salamander. However, Natsu was growing impatient. He wanted to see Lucy smile already! He wanted her to open her eyes, reassure her he was home, and have that depressing vision of her complaisantly understanding face banished by the sunny grin, like storm clouds melted by the warmth of the summer sun.
"Lucy," he whispered, stroking her hair again, this time caressing her skin a little, hoping to wake her gently.
She moaned softly, her face twitched from his warm touch, but she did not rouse.
Natsu leaned in closer to her ear. "Hey, Lucy," he breathed warmly.
Her face twitched again. "Mmmm...Natsu," she grumbled in some dream.
"I'm home."
He waited in anticipation for her to open her eyes and smile in happiness, yet still she slumbered peacefully. Natsu pouted. He had learned that waking her up with a start just annoyed her, so he wanted to do it gently this time. However, just how was he supposed to wake her up?
"Lucy!" he whispered a little more firmly. Still, nothing.
He tried to think of ways to wake her. Shaking her was a bad idea, he learned that already. Tapping her shoulder and yanking the covers off her body, too. He had tried to wake her up many ways, each ending with a pillow tossed into his face. So, how did a person wake a girl up gently? Then he remembered something Happy did when he was hungry and Natsu did not want to wake up. It was worth a try.
He leaned in close to her face. He could smell her skin, always a nice smell. He looked at her cheek, such a healthy color and peachy soft appearance. Natsu stuck out his tongue and licked her cheek.
Lucy giggled in her sleep. "Natsu, quit it. Levy will hear."
Natsu's eyebrow quirked up. "Just what are you dreaming about?"
Lucy suddenly woke up. Her fantasy was suddenly replaced by her dream man sitting right next to her.
"Kyaaaaa!" she shrieked, moving away from his body heat as fast as possible. She grabbed her chest as her heart pounded way too hard. "Natsu, what the heck are you doing here?"
"Hi Lucy! I'm home!" he grinned widely.
A pillow smashed into his face. Well, that wasn't the reaction he had hoped for! He pulled the fluffy pillow away with a frown of disappointment. Lucy had yanked the blankets up to her neck, panting heavily at being so suddenly startled. Her hand gingerly touched her cheek and felt moisture.
"Did you...lick me?" she asked in disgust.
"It woke you up, so I guess it works."
"You...you licked me!"
Natsu tilted his head to the side, wondering why she was freaking out over an innocent lick. "Happy does that sometimes. It works to wake me up, so I thought it'd work for you, too."
Lucy's face went suddenly pink. "Why did you lick me?"
"To tell you I'm home."
"You could have waited until I woke up!" she screamed.
"But I've been waiting all night," he whined. "Just how long do you expect me to wait?"
"All night? You've been here...all night?" Lucy was mortified. Her dreams had been..well, honestly, a little naughty, and it shamed her that Natsu might have heard her talking in her sleep. "Did I...say anything?" she asked in trembling horror.
"Something about Levy."
"Oh...wait, Levy?" She had no clue what that was about, but so long as she did not confess something in her sleep, that was fine.
Natsu was beginning to feel disappointment. "Aren't you glad to see me?"
Lucy slowly got over her shame. A smile came to her lips, tugging the scowl away and calming her heart. Glad? Words of relief were not enough. She had missed this annoying flame-brain more than she dared to confess. Seeing him here, having him back in town, made her life feel complete. Of course, she could never tell him something embarrassing like that.
"Welcome home, Natsu," was all she said.
The joy in her smile was all Natsu really needed. The long journey was worth it, just to come back to Magnolia and see that sort of smile on Lucy's face. He kept staring at her silently until Lucy became self-conscious.
"What?" she mumbled. "Do I have pillow lines on my cheeks or drool on my chin?" She rubbed her face just in case.
"Nah," Natsu chuckled. "I'm just watching how the sun shines on the bed. It makes you look like an angel."
Lucy's mouth dropped for a moment, then she bashfully hid down into her blankets again. "Idiot," she mumbled, too embarrassed to say anything else.
At the window, two large eyes and a pair of blue ears hid down. Happy had been watching the reunion, and he giggled into his paws. "They lllllike each other!"
