Natsu suppressed another exasperated groan.
It was always fun and games chilling with Lucy, but as soon as alcohol was involved, whole vibe of the evening would change.
For the worst.
Like it just had.
Add that to the fact that they were fresh out of the hot-springs, and the team — including Happy — were now suspiciously nowhere to be seen, his dread only cemented further.
He sneaked another glance at her flushed face and dazed eyes. She was giggling at goodness-knows-what which would have been cute, had it not been unsettling at the same time.
Instinct and experience had taught Natsu as much.
But as easy as it would have been to shove her on one of the girls and skedaddle, he knew she was also the safest with him.
"Natsuuuuuu!"
Ugh.
"Natsuuu," she slurred again, crawling her way to where he was seated, at her wobbliest best.
"Y-yeah?" Natsu forced out, knowing he didn't sound anywhere near as patient as he wanted to.
Lucy paused trying to get closer to stare blankly into his eyes — which had his heart hammering fast enough (was it nervousness? Fear? That look?), but things got a lot worse when she smiled.
It was slow.
Full of meaning.
And deadly.
Natsu gulped.
"Scratch me," she then meowed, confirming Natsu's worst fears.
'She's kitty level drunk!'
Sweating (while remarking how not even Erza managed to do that to him), Natsu gingerly brought a hand under her chin and did as she asked, unable to stop himself from rolling his eyes when she started to purr.
He was absolutely torn between being there for his best friend, and his gross aversion to being forced to play along with her every sake-infused whim. It wasn't like refusing her was an option, though, oh no. No, kitty Lucy was still waay better than waterworks-Lucy.
Seriously, she could put the water-woman to shame.
He was jarred out of some very scary thoughts on both of them being sad-drunk together, when Lucy practically draped herself on his side. Curling her arms around his arm, she hugged him close, murmuring the whole time.
He'd known the clinginess was coming, but facing it was a whole new ball game each time.
His discomfort stemmed mainly from Lucy's own reaction to her drunken actions. She nearly always regretted the stuff she did when she was drunk (once witnesses were able to convince her they were really telling the truth about her drunk shenanigans). And it would usually bum her out so much, he could practically hear her overthinking.
To make matters even worse, she always ended up avoiding him for a while each time. And while he understood she'd always come back, and that their friendship was as important to her as it was to him, it hurt to have her be that way.
Natsu sighed, forgetting where he was.
Until he felt a finger prodding at his cheek.
"What?" he asked, turning to see Lucy watching him carefully. As carefully as one can while she was obviously seeing in twos, anyway.
"You're...mad at me?" she asked softly, her voice really tiny.
His heart broke a little. Setting aside his own negativity, he put on a smile. "Nah, not this time," he said.
