The Good Tails

Perfume

"Lucy, c'mon!" Natsu shouted back, laughing all the while.

Lucy, running behind him, yelled back. "I'm running, baka!"

Behind them, there were roars. Lucy shut her eyes tight as she pumped her legs even faster. Stupid stupid stupid stupid job! She knew what was behind her - it was a large wild boar. A giant wild boar. Its tusks pulled trees from the ground as it chased the two wizards. And Lucy didn't want to find out what it would do to her.

"Hey!" Natsu hissed as he grabbed her.

She squealed, but when she saw it was Natsu, she started to breathe again. He had pulled her up into a tree. He was crouching carefully in the upper branches. When he let Lucy go, she hugged the trunk of the tree.

"Baka! Baka baka baka!" She whined. "Why did you want this job so much?"

Natsu looked down at her. "Really? You don't know?"

Lucy hugged the tree tighter. She could feel the shakes from the ground climbing the tree. The boar was close by. Lucy peeked down, and right below the tree, was the boar. She looked to Natsu, with fear on her face. He simply put his finger on his lips and shushed her. The boar was unable to look up.

Natsu shuffled across the branch until he was directly over the boar. He grinned, and Lucy closed her eyes. She knew what was coming next. Lucy heard Natsu's cry as he jumped down from the tree. Then she heard the roar of the boar as Natsu landed on it. She heard Natsu cheering, and could almost imagine him sitting on the boar's back, riding it like a horse.

And he was. Natsu's one hand was gripped tightly to the boar's mane, and the other was up in the air. He let out a whoop. This is the best job! He looked up at Lucy for a brief second. Her eyes were still clamped shut, and she was still hugging the tree. Looks like I should finish this. Natsu looked down at the boar. As he lit his fire, he grinned. "You gotta go, buddy!"

Lucy could smell the burning fur. She opened one eye, then the other. And there was Natsu, waiting at the bottom of the tree. The boar was laying next to him, completely burned. Natsu grinned. Lucy wanted to groan, but felt herself smile.

"Natsu, if you burnt dinner again -"

"Nah," Natsu chuckled. "It'll be fine - I just burnt the fur. Now, c'mon. We gotta collect our pay and set up camp."

Lucy gently climbed down the tree. As she reached the bottom, Natsu walked up to her. Without a word, he started pulling leaves and twigs from her hair. Lucy ran her hands through her hair quickly, and shook the debris free.

"Alright, you go, Natsu. Collect our pay. I'll set up camp, right here."

Natsu shrugged, and broke off a tusk from the boar. "Proof." was all he said as he turned around. Lucy chuckled at her husband, and took off her backpack. She pulled out the tent and began to set it up. It went up easily enough, so she rolled out the sleeping bag. It was a sleeping bag large enough for both her and Natsu to fit in. She liked it that way. Once she began to set up the fire, Natsu came back.

"Yo!"

Natsu came and wrapped his arm around Lucy's shoulders. She smiled, and leaned her head on his shoulder. She loved how warm he was. Natsu nuzzled the top of her head. He loved how she smelled of lilacs. He rubbed her shoulder and looked at the pile of sticks.

"Forgot the matches, Luce?"

"Why should I bring matches when I have you?"

He chuckled, and lit the fire. Sitting down on the ground, he motioned for Lucy to join him. She sat down next to him, and he grabbed her wrist. Lucy squealed as he pulled her into his lap.

"Natsu!" She laughed.

Natsu laughed with her as he wrapped his arms around her. Nuzzling into her neck, he could smell it. The faintest bit of perfume.

"Luce ~ where'd you get the perfume from?"

She sighed and turned towards his face. "Am I not allowed to have perfume?"

Chuckling, Natsu patted her head. "I like it, I like it Luce."

Lucy rested her head on his shoulder. She could see the scar on his chin, and she traced it lightly. Natsu gently took her hand into his. "Hey, that tickles."

Lucy chuckled, and leaned up. She planted a small kiss on her husband's lips. He let slip a small smile, and ran his hand through her hair. Slowly, Natsu dropped his head onto Lucy's shoulder. He could smell her perfume again. She smelled like a wonderful mix of cinnamon and pine. And of course, there was the usual smell of lilacs. Natsu closed his eyes, content to be there with his wife.

Lucy smiled, and wrapped her arms around his shoulders. "Baka... don't you want to have supper first?" 

She felt him chuckle on her shoulder. Natsu raised his head to look at Lucy. It was his turn to plant a kiss on her lips. He turned to look at the boar. It was still there, only a few feet away. Both of them could smell the burnt fur. So Natsu looked back to his wife.

"Nah, your perfume is much better than that burnt stuff."