Fairy Tail Furious

Chapter 19

Erza wasn't wrong. After a good ten minutes passed and both young men whacked each other around the stomach area at the same time, both went green in the face and fell over. Lucy was quick to jump to Natsu's aid, and Gray, too, but he seemed to have got himself handled well. Gray waved Lucy off of him and helped himself back up to the bar, ordering for another refill of the drink.

Natsu half-leaned on Lucy, who sighed and helped him over to the elevator. "Tummy hurts now..." he gurgled weakly, and Lucy couldn't help but roll her eyes at his childish whine.

"You're an idiot. Fighting after you just ate?" Lucy chided softly and watched as he stuck himself to the wall when the elevator began moving. Crossing her arms, the blonde sighed again when he slid to the floor. "You got hit in the stomach, Natsu. You're not gonna die."

"I think I'm gonna be sick, Luuuce," Natsu heaved and curled into a ball. Lucy took a step away from him for precaution.

"Jeez, you have abs of steel and you get one hit to the belly, and now you're all weak and whiney," Lucy complained.

Then, like a bubble, Natsu's face returned to normal and looked up to the blonde with a bright smile. "Abs of steel, huh?"

Lucy went absolutely red in the face and didn't hesitate to kick her shoe off to Natsu's face. The pink haired man stiffened from the blow and puffed the shoe off with a red nose. "Oww, that hurt!" Natsu whined and rolled to his back, rubbing his face. "Why'd ya do that, Luce?"

"You seem fine to me, dork!" Lucy huffed and looked away, refusing to let him see how red her cheeks were. Using both hands to cup her cheeks, Lucy ignored Natsu's constant poking on the rest of the ride up to their apartment.

Once getting inside, Lucy felt more relaxed and calm, even though Natsu was still occasionally rubbing his stomach. "I'm going to take a shower," she announced with an exhale. "Still have tons of dirt on me and I feel gross."

"Sure," Natsu nodded before diving to the couch, messing his pile of blankets and pillows to tumble down. Lucy shook her head with a half smile before going to the bathroom to shower. "I call after you, so please don't take all of the hot water, Luce!"

Lucy took a quick and easy shower, not really having a hot one like she originally thought about. Realizing she dealt on the lines between life and death, dirt sticking to your skin and hair like glue and an absolute bitch to wash out; Lucy seemed to have dealt with enough heat for one day, just wanting to cool down and go straight to bed. Combing her hair to a silky shine and dressed in her pajamas, Lucy picked up her mess in the bathroom and head out to slip into the bedroom. The apartment lights were off, and Lucy used the wall to make it to bed, falling face-first into the comfortable mattress and comforter before slipping underneath.

Vaguely hearing the footsteps of Natsu entering the bathroom and turning on the shower next, making Lucy close her eyes slowly and let her head sink further into the pillow. She dozed off on and off, listening to Natsu finish with his clean-up and the recognizable squeak of the couch with the sudden weight, but didn't bother with it at all. Lately, Lucy has been used to living with someone making noises, or even waking her up when she least expects it.

Back at the mansion, the maids and employees would act like cats. Tip-toeing around the whole estate and normally wouldn't converse with the higher ups. A couple, though, like the old maid who would be her personal helper or the butler who would have Lucy help prepare dinner, would talk and make Lucy feel a bit more comfortable in her old home. But, compared with Fairy Tail...

The sound of the bedroom door creaking open, Lucy rolled her eyes and stayed still, hearing the gruff snort when Natsu bonked his foot on the dresser, yet remained asleep. Peeking over the blanket, Lucy watched with amusement as Natsu slept walk around the large bed before plopping to the mattress beside her.

"Natsuuu," Lucy whispered quietly, turning her head and using her foot to nudge his leg. She bit back a snicker when he snorted again and scrambled in his spot.

Natsu's head plopped on the pillow Lucy was half using, burying his face in her damp hair. His muscular arm reached over and wrapped around her blanketed form, pulling her to him and the other arm slipped under her to hold her to him. Lucy didn't mind it, actually curling her form against his warm, hard chest.

"Natsu," Lucy tried again, and instantly felt him exhale in a puff against her head and holding her tighter. She briefly heard him grumble a 'five more minutes' excuse before snuggling his nose to the exposed skin of her neck, making her stiffen.

Feeling her heart rate rise from the contact, Lucy swallowed and shut her eyes when his nose brushed against her skin slowly. She swore under her breath that he was kidding with her again, like back in the elevator, but she knew better. Natsu was very specific when he was dead asleep, how his muscles were relaxed and his low, quiet snore that reminded Lucy of a little puppy she once saw on the internet. Natsu's hold was warm and gentle, and it made that fuzzy feeling inside Lucy's belly return and make her feel blissful.

Closing her eyes, Lucy fell asleep to the feeling of being home.