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Everyone had gathered around the four remaining dragons and their respective slayers, but Lucy had noticed that Natsu was conspicuously absent from the gathering. She had seen the red dragon fall from the sky; it must have been Igneel. Natsu would be absolutely devastated.
She turned from the gathering to find her partner, her best friend. The others could fill them in later, for now he needed her. She looked to the plume of smoke rising into the sky and ran as fast as her beaten body could carry her. If he wanted to be alone, he would tell her, but she would try to be there for him anyway. He deserved to have the comfort of a friend; he had been there for her in the same way.
She heard his agonized screams as he told his father of his life before she saw him, he was bowed down to the ground by the body of Igneel as he sobbed and begged for him not to leave again. She slowed as she neared him so as not to startle the mourning dragon slayer. Her heart was shattering in her chest. This man who had always been the picture of strength and perseverance was breaking apart all alone with his grief. She knelt next to him and placed her arm over his back in silent comfort. He would appreciate her actions more than her words, that was just how he was.
Natsu looked up at her with tears streaming down his face as he choked on his sobs, “Lucy...” He surged upwards wrapping his arms around her and burying his face in her neck as he let his grief escape him in a deluge of tears and broken cries. She returned his embrace, holding him tightly to her as she held him steady. It hurt to see him so broken and fragile, but it would be a disservice to him to not let him fall apart. She wouldn’t let him be alone when he so clearly needed someone to cling on to.
“What do I do now, Lucy? I’ve spent half my life trying to find him again.” He said when his sobs finally quieted down and his shaking subsided. He lifted his face to look into her eyes; cheeks stained with the traces of his tears and eyes red from crying. His lips trembled and he looked ready to break down all over again.
“For now, you don’t have to do anything. We both need rest, we can figure things out as we go.” She wiped the damp traces of salt from his cheeks and brushed his hair back from his face where it had fallen. “Come on, we haven’t slept all night.”
As they stood, they looked to the crater where Igneel had fallen, his body was disappearing into tendrils of magic as they watched. Lucy could tell that he was saying something to Natsu in his final moments, she could hear Natsu’s part of the conversation, but she chose not to pay attention. She held him as he had his final words with the dragon who had raised him, her arm around his waist for support and holding the hand that draped over her shoulder. She leaned her head against his shoulder as he shook with emotion, and she felt his resolve strengthen as his back straightened and he stood tall looking to the sky.
His eyes were dry as he smiled up towards the tendrils of magic disappearing into the atmosphere above him. Igneel was right, he needed to look to the future and find his reason to live from here on. He looked down at the woman whose head lay on his shoulder and smiled, he wouldn’t have to look far. He shifted his arm and squeezed her closer to him by the shoulder gently, "Come on, Luce. Let’s go home.”
They walked a short distance before a wailing Happy flew into Lucy’s chest and clung on to her, she just wrapped her free arm around him as they continued towards Magnolia. When they reached the point of choosing where to go Lucy looked up to Natsu, a question stuck in her throat; she didn’t want to go anywhere without him right now.
“Wherever you want to go, that’s where I want to be right now.” Natsu said, a new kind of intensity in his eyes. Something like the look he got in the heat of battle, when he finally got serious about taking his opponent down, yet distinctly different at the same time.
She blinked for a moment, trying to find the words she wanted to express that just wouldn’t come. Instead, she nodded and headed towards her apartment on Strawberry Street. It would be the most comfortable place for them to rest.
When they got inside, they all piled on the bed together. No one bothered about the impropriety of a young man and woman sharing a bed today, there were no trilling jokes from a blue furred exceed about having feelings for each other. Two humans tangled together in a comforting embrace and feline snuggled between the chests of the people he loved and trusted most. They fell asleep with the late morning sun beating down on them, peaceful for now.
~
Natsu woke at sunset, forehead pressed to Lucy’s and arms wrapped behind her back, caging Happy between them in a cocoon of their warmth. This was his family, the guild was too, but this was the most basic unit of family that he never wanted to lose. He had been pondering for a long time about his attachment to the girl he had met in Hargeon that day, it felt like he had known her his whole life. It was a short time in the scheme of things, but every moment had held such a special meaning in his heart.
As he watched her in wonder she began to stir in his arms, her eyes blinking awake slowly and widening when she took in their closeness. He gave her a gentle smile and lightly pressed his nose to hers, “G’mornin’”
She giggled, looking out the window over her bed, “Good evening, Natsu.” Her stomach rumbled at the exact moment his did and they both laughed loudly, waking Happy. The little exceed grumbled about them being loud and fluttered off to the couch to curl up. Lucy began to carefully untangle her limbs from his, Natsu didn’t want to let her go yet, but he let her and when they were no longer entangled, they both stretched luxuriously.
They went to the kitchen and moved about making a meal together. Normally Natsu would leave the cooking to Lucy, but he wanted to be near her and helping seemed like the thing to do. Normally Lucy wouldn’t allow Natsu in her kitchen while she cooked, but it seemed like he needed not to be alone for now, so she resolved to just keep an eye on him, so he didn’t burn down her kitchen.
As they worked, they both found a sort of peace to the rhythm of the work. Their teamwork in battle and on missions apparently translated to more domestic things as well, neither questioned this revelation. Both seemed to know where the other was at all times and neither questioned what their next task would be.
When the food was finished and placed on the table, Lucy moved to grab plates and silverware while Natsu woke their exceed partner for dinner. They ate in companionable silence, not even Happy working up the energy to converse or poke fun at his closest friends. They all cleaned up together after their meal and finally sat on the couch all huddled together.
The silence continued until Lucy began to sniffle quietly, which caught the attention of the dragon slayer wrapped around her. He peered at her face to see silent tears running down her cheeks. “Lucy, what’s wrong?” He asked so low she almost missed it. She looked up into his worried face and felt guilt for her own sorrow. His loss had been so much more permanent than hers was.
She shook her head and looked down again, “It’s nothing. Not compared to everything else that’s happened.”
He narrowed his eyes at her, “Lucy it’s not nothing, not if it’s making you cry. I know you’re a crier, but you don’t cry for no reason.” He tightened his hold around her, “Just tell me, it’s okay. You don’t have to hide your pain just because I’m hurting too.”
She sighed and sniffed before looking back up at him, “Okay. Do you remember the alegria curse? When we were separated and everyone got sucked into the walls?”
“Yeah, I was wondering how we all got out of that.” His forehead creased as his brows drew together, “Does this have something to do with that?”
She closed her eyes and sucked in a sharp breath as she nodded, “Yeah, I know what got everyone out. Horologium saved me from getting sucked in.” She opened her eyes to see the worry written all over his face and reached out to smooth the creases under his wild bangs. “I was the only one who didn’t get pulled into the curse. Mard Geer sent all of them after me, I was fighting for what felt like forever, but it probably wasn’t all that long really. I was running out of magic, and I had called Aquarius. She told me she couldn’t beat them.” She squeezed her eyes shut as soon as she said the spirit’s name and more tears spilled down her cheeks. She felt his rough thumbs brushing across her cheekbones, but kept her eyes closed as she continued, “She told me to summon the Celestial Spirit King. I told her I couldn’t, but she insisted that I could. She told me to...” Her voice broke as she sobbed and Natsu brought her closer holding her head to his chest as he pressed his lips to the crown of her head.
He shushed her gently, “It’s okay, take your time.” He gently rocked back and forth to soothe her, it was something like the way he had rocked Happy as a kitten when he had been fussy. It seemed to be working though as he felt her sobs ebb and her breathing even out again.
“She told me that I had to sacrifice her key to summon the King.” She admitted into his chest, hand clutching the fabric of his jacket for support.
Natsu stilled, he knew what it meant to Lucy to sacrifice one of her spirits. They were her friends, her family. And Aquarius had been with her almost her whole life. She had held on to this on her own for a whole day! He was amazed at how she had comforted him through those first hours of the loss of Igneel while she had been mourning the loss of her oldest spirit. He wished he had known at the time, he felt so selfish.
“I’m so sorry, Lucy. I wish you hadn’t needed to make that choice.” He pressed his cheek to the crown of her head and closed his eyes, “I’m sorry I wasn’t strong enough to protect you then.”
Lucy pulled back abruptly, and he sat straight, worried he had upset her further. She reached both hands out to hold the sides of his face, “No, Natsu I don’t blame you at all. I know that if you could have done anything, you would have.” She shook her head sadly and fixed her gaze on his with determination, “The only blame to be placed is on Mard Geer and Tartaros. How could you ever blame yourself; every other moment that I have ever needed you, you have been there without fail. This time I got to save you!” Her smile was determined, but decidedly sad as she continued to pin him with her eyes.
“Lucy...I-” He gave a loud exhale as he shook his head and pulled her into a tight hug, bringing her head to his shoulder and laying his forehead on her, “I always want to come help you, no matter what. Not being able to and finding out how much you needed me; it makes me feel like I failed you. And I know you don’t think of it that way.” He felt her relax and wrap her arms around his torso, laying her head on his shoulder so she faced his neck. He could feel her breath run across him from her steady breaths. “You and Happy are the most important people in my life. Losing Igneel hurts, it hurts so much I don’t know how to describe it. I know losing you and Happy would be worse, though.” He glanced over to the little ball of blue fur curled up next to them, the little feline had fallen asleep almost immediately after they had sat on the couch. He was glad, he wasn’t sure he could handle the teasing right now.
Lucy took in a deep breath, letting it out slowly, tickling across his neck, “I know how you feel. When you got sucked into the curse, I felt so lost. Like I had to get you back. When Aquarius said the King was the only way...well I think she knew how I felt and knew that was the only thing that would make me do what I had to. I know it was the only thing I could do to save everyone, but I still feel so guilty.”
They sat there for a long time after that, just holding each other in comfortable silence until Happy stretched with little feline yawn. He blinked up at them and gave a little mischievous smile, “You liiiiiiike each other~” he said in a sing-song tone.
Natsu shook his head in disbelief as Lucy giggled and turned to scoop the small cat-like creature into her arms, for the first time not showing any annoyance at his antics, “Almost as much as we liiiiike you~” she said in imitation of his tone. She burrowed her face in his fur as she snuggled him closer to her.
Natsu looked out the window at the darkened sky, realizing for the first time that they hadn’t checked in with the rest of the guild since the battle with Tartaros. He sighed as he turned back to his family, “I guess it’s probably a bit late to start checking in with people tonight, but we should probably get some rest and start early tomorrow.”
Lucy nodded and set Happy back on the couch. “I’m going to get a shower and change. I think there’s some sweatpants in my closet that would fit you for tonight and you left some clothes here a while back that are in there too for tomorrow. Our friends were probably all resting today as well or they would have barged in by now.”
Natsu nodded and settled in to wait for her to get ready for bed, he needed a shower too, but he knew better than to offer to share the shower by now. He wasn’t so healed up that he was ready to endure a Lucy-Kick to the face. As he watched her gather her things and head to clean up, he realized they had slept in their grime and blood covered clothes all day, so he busied himself changing the sheets on her bed and set the dirty ones up to wash after their showers.
It was close to midnight when they finally all fell into bed together, tangled up the same as that morning. None of them caring what anyone else might think and just enjoying the comfort of their little family. While no one said that was what they were, they all knew. The bonds of love between the three were strong and unbreakable. In the morning, they would find the rest of their family and apologize for their absence, if need be, but for now they would revel in the security of the ones they loved most in the world.