"I win…for the seventh time in a row!" Lucy exclaimed triumphantly.
Natsu threw up the cards angrily. "Ah, no way! You're cheating!" He accused.
" Happy shook his head mournfully. "No…I think we just suck," He said, obscuring his face behind blue paws.
" Lucy tried to hide a laugh as she turned her gaze to the dejected cat. "I'm sure if our game had anything to do with fish you would have won, Happy."
"Aye…" Was all she heard from him.
"No way, I demand a rematch!"
Lucy groaned. "Again, Natsu?! We've been playing for hours-""We're going to keep playing till I win!" Natsu exclaimed, quickly setting up the pieces again, nearly toppling the board in his determination.
"Keep it DOWN! Or I'll have you evicted!"
Lucy cringed at the shouts of her hot-headed neighbor Mr. Kelsey. Natsu however, didn't even look up as he finished setting up the board, and she smiled at his single-mindedness. He hadn't changed a bit. And now he was back, both of them were! It had been a long year, and between the guild disbanding and Natsu and Happy leaving without warning…tonight had brought back so many memories…
Natsu shifted uncomfortably on the couch in Lucy's living room, the sound of her soft snores echoing in from her bedroom. It was good to see her again, it had been too long…he just wished the others were there too. His stared at the ceiling, lost in thought, his expression almost stoic.
"Happy?"
"…Aye?" Came the groggy response from a pillow on the floor.
"Our guild…doesn't exist anymore." He whispered, his expression wavering.
He glanced down at Happy, who, while settled, was now fully awake. "Hard to believe it's true," Happy said back gloomily.
They sat in silence for a minute. Suddenly Natsu sat up, something akin to mischief sparkling in his eyes.
"I know! We'll draw on Lucy's face while she's asleep!"
Happy jumped off the pillow, grabbing a handful of markers from Lucy's desk. "Wouldn't be a sleepover without a little bit of prankery!" He exclaimed excitedly.
The duo crept into Lucy's room, barley holding in giggles as they tiptoed in front of Lucy's bed.
"She is completely out of it!" Natsu whispered gleefully as he uncapped a marker.
"Just be careful not to wake her up, okay?" Happy hissed back shoving a paw over his mouth to smother his laughter.
"I'm gonna do it nice and steady-"
"So what are you gonna draw?"
Natsu grinned. "Duh! A mustache, a big old unibrow, maybe even a full on beard!"
He leaned over and was about to start drawing when he suddenly stiffened and turned around.
He walked slowly to a wall covered in assortment of newspaper articles and pictures, as well as photographs. Long colored pieces of string tied around thumb tacks connected different scraps of paper, small handwritten notes occasionally next to them.
