Fairy Tail #10 Stay
Title: Stay
Author: kaerimichii
Fandom: Fairy Tail
Characters: Natsu/Lucy
Word Count: 1986
Rating: T
Summary: "I should've ignored Mira's advice and bunked with Levy..."
Disclaimer: Don't own Fairy Tail in the slightest!
“Are you sure this is okay? I mean… I won’t be in the way?”
Natsu shook his head, stretching his arms toward the sky. “Nah, ‘course not. Besides, we kind of owe you from all the times we crashed with you, right Happy?”
“Aye!”
Lucy raised her eyebrows in a moderately impressed fashion. That was almost… thoughtful of him. Sure, she’d never asked for compensation when one of her friends allowed themselves into her home, but it was nice to know she wasn’t being taken completely for granted, and that she could rely on their help in her times of need. Like that very week, for example, when her apartment building was undergoing some renovations due to an unfortunate plumbing fiasco which had resulted in the flooding of most of the ground floor, leaving her in need of a temporary home. And the cheaper, the better, in Lucy’s opinion, hence her current location.
“Welcome home, Lucy!” Happy sang excitedly as they reached their destination. Lucy had visited Natsu and Happy’s house once before, but they hadn’t been present at the time. She had been less than enthralled with the place, as to this day she still wasn’t sure she’d ever seen a bigger mess in her life. She’d tidied up the last time, and now as Natsu pulled the door open she found herself hoping with all her might that they had taken her initiative and at least attempted to keep the place in some semblance of order.
And of course, she was wrong. Inside, the small forest house was just as trashed-if not more so-that the first time she’d seen it almost a year ago. Lucy heaved a sigh and shook her head before following her friends inside, doing her best to step over the multitudes of clutter piled on the floor. “How do you stand this mess?” she asked incredulously, warily eyeing the assortment of unwashed dishes on the table near the overturned sofa.
Natsu looked at her and frowned. “What mess?” he asked seriously. He’s gotta be kidding… Lucy wondered, her mouth hanging open.
“Never mind,” she answered. She looked around for a place to drop her bags, but every corner of the room seemed so packed with junk she was certain her things would be swallowed up if she let them go. Natsu seemed to notice what she was doing, and made his way easily over toward the hammock hanging near the right wall. He shoved some things aside to clear a space, tossing them over his shoulder where they crashed against brothers across the room.
“You can sleep here,” he said when he was finished, gesturing toward the hammock that was typically his bed. As she fought her way toward the now visible section of floor, he jumped over some clutter toward the overturned couch, before kicking even more junk aside and yanking the sofa into an upright position. “I’ll sleep on this.”
“Thanks,” Lucy said as she finally set down her bags without the fear that she’d lose them. “I’m really not trying to get in the way, I just-”
“I told you, don’t worry about it.” Natsu grinned at her from across the room as Happy nodded in agreement, and she couldn’t help but smile in appreciation.
They had already eaten dinner before arriving, so instead Lucy had Natsu explain some of the pictures and ads he had posted on the wall by the hammock. She’d remembered from her last visit the many things that he’d kept as souvenirs, and it was fun hearing his stories and his reasons for all the hoarding. Each item reminded him of a time with one or more friends that he held special, many of which Lucy had been present for and remembered as well. She was enjoying it so much that it was very late by the time she couldn’t hide a yawn and Natsu decided it was time for bed. And when she turned away from the wall of memories, she was once again met with the sight of the untamable mess around her and her mood dampened.
As Happy curled up on a large pile of blankets near her feet, Lucy climbed awkwardly into the hammock, taking care to avoid the moldy-looking objects on the floor beneath it. It’s just four days, she assured herself. I can do this.
“’Night, Lucy,” she heard Natsu say from across the room as the only light went out. Judging by the light snoring originating from somewhere below her, Happy was already fast asleep.
She smiled. “’Night.” This isn’t so bad, she convinced herself. At least not when my eyes are closed. Just as she was drifting off to sleep, she felt a strange tickling sensation on her right forearm. She frowned and opened her eyes. It was too dark to see properly, so she brought her arm to her face to inspect it. To her surprise, sitting on her skin and staring back at her with beady eyes was the largest, ugliest cockroach she had ever seen.
She screamed and flung her arm out in front of her, tossing the bug into the air and causing her to twist so fast she turned the entire hammock over and fell onto the floor (thankfully missing whatever clutter rested beneath it).
“Lucy?” Natsu’s voice sounded from the darkness. “You okay?”
Lucy rubbed her nose and let out a dissatisfied whine. She picked herself up off the floor and shook her right arm a few more times for good measure. “Maybe I’ll just sleep outside tonight…” she grumbled, grabbing her sleeping bag and pillow and fighting toward the door.
“…Suit yourself,” Natsu replied after a moment, though she noticed he sounded just a tiny bit worried. “It might get cold out there, though.”
“I can handle it,” she almost snapped. He fell silent, and she felt a twinge of regret. It didn’t last long, however, when she stubbed her toe particularly hard against what she was sure must have been a brick lying on the floor (which wouldn’t surprise her in the slightest). As she opened the door and a stream of moonlight touched the room, Lucy glanced over her shoulder to find Natsu watching her through half-open eyes. She huffed and left the house.
Once outside, it didn’t take her long to set up a makeshift bed against the grass, in which she hastily lied down in, pulling her sleeping bag up to her chin (he’d been right-it was a little chillier outside than she would have liked. But she reminded herself that a bit of cold was better than giant cockroaches, and suddenly it didn’t seem so bad).
Lucy sighed again as she looked up at the starry night sky. “Maybe I should’ve ignored Mira’s advice and bunked with Levy…” she couldn’t help but wonder. In truth, many of her friends had offered her a place to stay upon hearing her news of temporary homelessness. Makarov had even suggested she simply stay at the guild hall. She had almost decided to stay with Levy, when she made the mistake of talking to Mira about it. Ever the matchmaker, and one of the few people who knew of Lucy’s more-than-friendly feelings for Natsu, Mira had urged her to take his invitation, saying it would be a great opportunity to get closer to him. It had sounded like a good idea at the time, but now she wasn’t so sure. She supposed she could always tell Natsu it wasn’t working out and spend the rest of her few homeless days elsewhere, but she also didn’t want to risk insulting him, especially not after the hospitality he had… well, tried to show her. Annoying as his messes may be, his heart was always in the right place. That was really what she loved about him, to be honest.
A little while later, as she was once again drifting off to sleep, she was awoken by a light rustling sound somewhere behind her. It was distant, but carried far in the silence of the cold night. A shiver ran through her body-a shiver she knew wasn’t caused by the cold.
“It’s alright,” she whispered in an attempt to convince herself. “It’s... just the wind. Yeah.” She almost started to believe it, when the ‘wind’ was followed by a low growl that seemed to shake the ground on which she lay. Lucy yelped in surprise and fear and jumped out of her blanket and to her feet so fast she might as well have teleported. She froze for a moment, eyes darting back and forth into the darkness of the trees. “On second thought… Natsu’s clutter doesn’t sound so bad after all. Heh heh…” So she gathered her things and crept back inside.
She meant to stay silent in case Natsu had fallen asleep, but in her frightened haste she closed the door a little harder than she’d planned, effectively shutting out the wind and cold but causing an audible click to reverberate around the quiet room.
“Lucy?” Natsu’s asked in a hushed, slightly slurred voice. She realized he’d been asleep after all, and that she must have woken him up. Now that her eyes had adjusted to the darkness, she saw him pull himself into a sitting position on the couch across the room. Happy was still fast asleep in his little nest of blankets.
“I’m sorry,” Lucy whispered back, her voice shaking. “I didn’t mean to wake you.”
“Did something happen?” he asked, sounding instantly more alert and only causing her to feel guiltier. “Are you okay?”
“No, I’m fine,” she assured him quickly. “I just… You were right. It’s a bit cold outside.” She decided not to tell him the whole truth. After all, she was probably just overreacting. They were in the middle of a forest, after all. Of course there’d be wild animals around. She felt a little silly after this revelation, and hoped he didn’t notice.
He was quiet for a minute, his gaze making her increasingly uncomfortable. She hefted her blanket and was about to head back for the likely-bug-infested hammock when he waved his arm in a gesture for her to join him on the couch. She shook her head, suddenly nervous. “I don’t want to keep you up,” she whispered, some part of her regretting the lie. But he just shook his head and waved her over again, pulling back his blanket to make room for her. This time, she hesitated only a second before crawling across the piles of junk and dropping down next to him on the soft cushion. A brief vision of a swarm of cockroaches leaping at her from the inside of the sofa crossed her mind, but she shook it away determinedly as he tossed the end of the blanket over her shaking legs. He leaned back against the back of the sofa and closed his eyes. “I warned you about the cold, you know.”
Lucy smiled almost sheepishly. “I know. I should’ve listened to you. I’m sorr-” She broke off as he draped his arm around her shoulders and pulled her closer to him. Her heart skipped a beat, but she forced herself to relax and leaned her head against his chest, curling her legs up under the blanket and away from the cold floor.
“Might not be much difference, but it’s at least a little warmer in here,” Natsu said quietly, and Lucy could tell he was already falling back to sleep. She smiled, and was thankful that the darkness hid the light blush on her face as the heat from his body warmed her cold skin.
“No, it’s much warmer,” she whispered so quietly she didn’t know if he’d heard, that is if he wasn’t asleep already.
As she finally let sleep take her as well, she decided that maybe Mira had been right after all.
Author: kaerimichii
Fandom: Fairy Tail
Characters: Natsu/Lucy
Word Count: 1986
Rating: T
Summary: "I should've ignored Mira's advice and bunked with Levy..."
Disclaimer: Don't own Fairy Tail in the slightest!
“Are you sure this is okay? I mean… I won’t be in the way?”
Natsu shook his head, stretching his arms toward the sky. “Nah, ‘course not. Besides, we kind of owe you from all the times we crashed with you, right Happy?”
“Aye!”
Lucy raised her eyebrows in a moderately impressed fashion. That was almost… thoughtful of him. Sure, she’d never asked for compensation when one of her friends allowed themselves into her home, but it was nice to know she wasn’t being taken completely for granted, and that she could rely on their help in her times of need. Like that very week, for example, when her apartment building was undergoing some renovations due to an unfortunate plumbing fiasco which had resulted in the flooding of most of the ground floor, leaving her in need of a temporary home. And the cheaper, the better, in Lucy’s opinion, hence her current location.
“Welcome home, Lucy!” Happy sang excitedly as they reached their destination. Lucy had visited Natsu and Happy’s house once before, but they hadn’t been present at the time. She had been less than enthralled with the place, as to this day she still wasn’t sure she’d ever seen a bigger mess in her life. She’d tidied up the last time, and now as Natsu pulled the door open she found herself hoping with all her might that they had taken her initiative and at least attempted to keep the place in some semblance of order.
And of course, she was wrong. Inside, the small forest house was just as trashed-if not more so-that the first time she’d seen it almost a year ago. Lucy heaved a sigh and shook her head before following her friends inside, doing her best to step over the multitudes of clutter piled on the floor. “How do you stand this mess?” she asked incredulously, warily eyeing the assortment of unwashed dishes on the table near the overturned sofa.
Natsu looked at her and frowned. “What mess?” he asked seriously. He’s gotta be kidding… Lucy wondered, her mouth hanging open.
“Never mind,” she answered. She looked around for a place to drop her bags, but every corner of the room seemed so packed with junk she was certain her things would be swallowed up if she let them go. Natsu seemed to notice what she was doing, and made his way easily over toward the hammock hanging near the right wall. He shoved some things aside to clear a space, tossing them over his shoulder where they crashed against brothers across the room.
“You can sleep here,” he said when he was finished, gesturing toward the hammock that was typically his bed. As she fought her way toward the now visible section of floor, he jumped over some clutter toward the overturned couch, before kicking even more junk aside and yanking the sofa into an upright position. “I’ll sleep on this.”
“Thanks,” Lucy said as she finally set down her bags without the fear that she’d lose them. “I’m really not trying to get in the way, I just-”
“I told you, don’t worry about it.” Natsu grinned at her from across the room as Happy nodded in agreement, and she couldn’t help but smile in appreciation.
They had already eaten dinner before arriving, so instead Lucy had Natsu explain some of the pictures and ads he had posted on the wall by the hammock. She’d remembered from her last visit the many things that he’d kept as souvenirs, and it was fun hearing his stories and his reasons for all the hoarding. Each item reminded him of a time with one or more friends that he held special, many of which Lucy had been present for and remembered as well. She was enjoying it so much that it was very late by the time she couldn’t hide a yawn and Natsu decided it was time for bed. And when she turned away from the wall of memories, she was once again met with the sight of the untamable mess around her and her mood dampened.
As Happy curled up on a large pile of blankets near her feet, Lucy climbed awkwardly into the hammock, taking care to avoid the moldy-looking objects on the floor beneath it. It’s just four days, she assured herself. I can do this.
“’Night, Lucy,” she heard Natsu say from across the room as the only light went out. Judging by the light snoring originating from somewhere below her, Happy was already fast asleep.
She smiled. “’Night.” This isn’t so bad, she convinced herself. At least not when my eyes are closed. Just as she was drifting off to sleep, she felt a strange tickling sensation on her right forearm. She frowned and opened her eyes. It was too dark to see properly, so she brought her arm to her face to inspect it. To her surprise, sitting on her skin and staring back at her with beady eyes was the largest, ugliest cockroach she had ever seen.
She screamed and flung her arm out in front of her, tossing the bug into the air and causing her to twist so fast she turned the entire hammock over and fell onto the floor (thankfully missing whatever clutter rested beneath it).
“Lucy?” Natsu’s voice sounded from the darkness. “You okay?”
Lucy rubbed her nose and let out a dissatisfied whine. She picked herself up off the floor and shook her right arm a few more times for good measure. “Maybe I’ll just sleep outside tonight…” she grumbled, grabbing her sleeping bag and pillow and fighting toward the door.
“…Suit yourself,” Natsu replied after a moment, though she noticed he sounded just a tiny bit worried. “It might get cold out there, though.”
“I can handle it,” she almost snapped. He fell silent, and she felt a twinge of regret. It didn’t last long, however, when she stubbed her toe particularly hard against what she was sure must have been a brick lying on the floor (which wouldn’t surprise her in the slightest). As she opened the door and a stream of moonlight touched the room, Lucy glanced over her shoulder to find Natsu watching her through half-open eyes. She huffed and left the house.
Once outside, it didn’t take her long to set up a makeshift bed against the grass, in which she hastily lied down in, pulling her sleeping bag up to her chin (he’d been right-it was a little chillier outside than she would have liked. But she reminded herself that a bit of cold was better than giant cockroaches, and suddenly it didn’t seem so bad).
Lucy sighed again as she looked up at the starry night sky. “Maybe I should’ve ignored Mira’s advice and bunked with Levy…” she couldn’t help but wonder. In truth, many of her friends had offered her a place to stay upon hearing her news of temporary homelessness. Makarov had even suggested she simply stay at the guild hall. She had almost decided to stay with Levy, when she made the mistake of talking to Mira about it. Ever the matchmaker, and one of the few people who knew of Lucy’s more-than-friendly feelings for Natsu, Mira had urged her to take his invitation, saying it would be a great opportunity to get closer to him. It had sounded like a good idea at the time, but now she wasn’t so sure. She supposed she could always tell Natsu it wasn’t working out and spend the rest of her few homeless days elsewhere, but she also didn’t want to risk insulting him, especially not after the hospitality he had… well, tried to show her. Annoying as his messes may be, his heart was always in the right place. That was really what she loved about him, to be honest.
A little while later, as she was once again drifting off to sleep, she was awoken by a light rustling sound somewhere behind her. It was distant, but carried far in the silence of the cold night. A shiver ran through her body-a shiver she knew wasn’t caused by the cold.
“It’s alright,” she whispered in an attempt to convince herself. “It’s... just the wind. Yeah.” She almost started to believe it, when the ‘wind’ was followed by a low growl that seemed to shake the ground on which she lay. Lucy yelped in surprise and fear and jumped out of her blanket and to her feet so fast she might as well have teleported. She froze for a moment, eyes darting back and forth into the darkness of the trees. “On second thought… Natsu’s clutter doesn’t sound so bad after all. Heh heh…” So she gathered her things and crept back inside.
She meant to stay silent in case Natsu had fallen asleep, but in her frightened haste she closed the door a little harder than she’d planned, effectively shutting out the wind and cold but causing an audible click to reverberate around the quiet room.
“Lucy?” Natsu’s asked in a hushed, slightly slurred voice. She realized he’d been asleep after all, and that she must have woken him up. Now that her eyes had adjusted to the darkness, she saw him pull himself into a sitting position on the couch across the room. Happy was still fast asleep in his little nest of blankets.
“I’m sorry,” Lucy whispered back, her voice shaking. “I didn’t mean to wake you.”
“Did something happen?” he asked, sounding instantly more alert and only causing her to feel guiltier. “Are you okay?”
“No, I’m fine,” she assured him quickly. “I just… You were right. It’s a bit cold outside.” She decided not to tell him the whole truth. After all, she was probably just overreacting. They were in the middle of a forest, after all. Of course there’d be wild animals around. She felt a little silly after this revelation, and hoped he didn’t notice.
He was quiet for a minute, his gaze making her increasingly uncomfortable. She hefted her blanket and was about to head back for the likely-bug-infested hammock when he waved his arm in a gesture for her to join him on the couch. She shook her head, suddenly nervous. “I don’t want to keep you up,” she whispered, some part of her regretting the lie. But he just shook his head and waved her over again, pulling back his blanket to make room for her. This time, she hesitated only a second before crawling across the piles of junk and dropping down next to him on the soft cushion. A brief vision of a swarm of cockroaches leaping at her from the inside of the sofa crossed her mind, but she shook it away determinedly as he tossed the end of the blanket over her shaking legs. He leaned back against the back of the sofa and closed his eyes. “I warned you about the cold, you know.”
Lucy smiled almost sheepishly. “I know. I should’ve listened to you. I’m sorr-” She broke off as he draped his arm around her shoulders and pulled her closer to him. Her heart skipped a beat, but she forced herself to relax and leaned her head against his chest, curling her legs up under the blanket and away from the cold floor.
“Might not be much difference, but it’s at least a little warmer in here,” Natsu said quietly, and Lucy could tell he was already falling back to sleep. She smiled, and was thankful that the darkness hid the light blush on her face as the heat from his body warmed her cold skin.
“No, it’s much warmer,” she whispered so quietly she didn’t know if he’d heard, that is if he wasn’t asleep already.
As she finally let sleep take her as well, she decided that maybe Mira had been right after all.