The gentle prodding at his cheek and soft weight on his chest told Natsu that it was time to wake up.
Sure enough, as he managed to somehow pry open his sleep-heavy eyes, he was welcomed with the sight of his cat, who continued prodding at his cheek grumpily.
"Alright, alright," Natsu mumbled, rubbing his eyes while slowly rising, "I'll get your stinkin' breakfast."
Soon enough, the cat was munching on his morning treats, while Natsu dragged himself for a scalding shower to really wake up.
Sleep was still really hard to come by. It had been only one week since he had shifted to the new apartment and the scars on his heart were still pretty fresh.
Well, at least the crying had stopped. Now if only the nightmares also decided to stop tormenting him.
The shower came on, and with it some relief. Natsu sighed as the warm (for him) water washed away the remnants of his troubled sleep.
A smile found its way on his face soon, Natsu tilting his head towards the cause. The soft humming from the neighbouring apartment, right on time. The sweet, gentle voice was so joyous and light to hear, especially after the nights he had been experiencing.
The humming always faded before he was done, and that was fine. It reminded him that he still had friends, still had her and still had a future worth fighting his grief for.
Taking a deep breath, he finished his bath, got dressed for the day and put on a smile.
"Today's my day, Happy," he told his cat, striding towards the kitchen. "Today's the day I get myself a job. I can feel it."
Happy seemed to meow in agreement.
Natsu made himself a quick simple sandwich, before setting aside the dishes to do later, and putting on his sandals.
Yeah, well, it wasn't like he was aiming for some huge corporate office job or anything anyway.
Happy hopped on his lap for one last good luck cuddle, something Natsu greatly appreciated. This was going to be his seventh interview and he really needed to get that job, if he wanted to continue having a roof over his head.
A few deep breaths, and he strode to his door, opening it expectantly. And frowning.
There was no note.
After four days, he had gotten used to the little handwritten notes waiting on his doormat. More disappointed than he expected to be, he turned to close the door.
Grinning wide as he saw the little yellow post-it on his door.
'The dragon had finally left the tower,
His adventure had finally begun.
The run-away traveller by his side,
A prize of extreme value, to be sought, to be won.'
Natsu barely contained his excitement. He had been really rooting for the imprisoned dragon and couldn't wait to know more of the story.
Even more than that, he drew strength from the dragon. If the dragon could finally step out of his high-in-the-sky tower-cage, then he could sure as hell find himself a good job.
With all the motivation he needed, Natsu pocketed the note and made his way to ace his interview, his good gut feeling evolving from vague positivity to absolute certainty.
When Natsu reached home that night, he was grinning stupidly and was more than a little buzzed.
He had secured himself a job, and while there was only so much he could earn doing dishes and cleaning up, it was enough to keep him somewhat fed, with a roof on his head and with some proximity to his dream job of becoming a world-class chef and feeding people for a living.
