The morning light entered timidly into the room, filtered by the turquoise curtain that swayed lightly with the breeze coming from the canal. The world seemed suspended in that silent instant, as if the residents of Magnolia were still waking up, which was a fact....
Natsu woke up gradually.
First came the sensation of warmth. Then, a comfortable weight on his chest.
He blinked a few times, shaking off the drowsiness, until the perception finally clicked into place. His body was lying on his back, too relaxed for someone who usually woke up in constant alert. His arms enveloped something soft, warm, perfectly fitted against him, as if he had pulled it toward himself while lying on his back....
When he looked down, he fully woke up.
Lucy was sleeping on top of him.
Her face was turned to the side, partially hidden against his chest; her lips remained slightly parted, and her breathing followed slow and peaceful. Her blonde hair spread across the pillow and his right arm, with some strands gently tickling his skin. She wore a short pajama top, and her voluptuous breasts, full and rounded, were shaped by the gravity of relaxed sleep, yet firm enough to stand out even under the thin and elastic fabric of the piece.
The light pink pajama, almost translucent under the filtered morning light, stretched over her generous curves, outlining soft and inviting contours effortlessly, as if the material had been made specifically to highlight every detail. Without the support of a bra, they spread slightly against his chest, the palpable softness transmitting a warmth that seeped through the thin shirt he was wearing. The low and casual neckline of the top revealed the deep valley between them, a tempting line of shadow that invited the gaze to get lost, while the sides curved outward, almost overflowing the limits of the pajama, as if defying the very containment.
They were lying on the familiar sofa in her apartment, though that was the least of his concerns. The soft weight of her breasts pressed against his chest was impossible to ignore.
But honestly, he didn't even try.
The heat rose immediately, instinctively, an old reflex that he knew all too well. It wasn't new to wake up like this in another life, but in that new existence, it was the first time this happened. And, being honest with himself, Lucy or Juvia were much more beautiful than any woman he had ever slept with in the past. And that was no small thing. In his previous life, he had been a true playboy, someone who had gotten involved even with famous models and singers. His friends never understood how he managed so many conquests and, not rarely, called him, half in jest, half with envy, the "supreme pimp."
For those who have friends, they know they give the most unusual nicknames.... And no, he had no pride in that nickname. If he could choose, he would prefer something like Apollo or Adonis, much more fitting for his aesthetics and personal ego. But that was just his preference. His friends, of course, would never call him that....
Setting aside his restless mind, which insisted on wandering through random thoughts upon waking, he activated his [Thought Acceleration] to better analyze this situation, and that's when he realized: he was hugging her unconsciously, his arm firm around her waist, keeping her close throughout the night.
He began to analyze the situation for a moment.
The night before, after piling the gifts on the bed, they had talked about everything and nothing; about her father, about the guild, about how the time on Tenrou Island had stolen years that now seemed irrecoverable. Lucy opened up gradually; the tears gave way to shy laughter and, at some point, exhausted, she leaned against him on the sofa. He hadn't pushed her away. There was no reason for that.
She needed that support… and, in turn, he didn't mind offering it. As always, he preferred a thousand times to demonstrate and help someone in emotional situations with simple gestures, a hug, a pat on the shoulder, as he did with friends in his past life, rather than trying to put feelings into beautiful words or analyze them deeply.
In the case of the blonde now in his arms, she ended up receiving that "privilege" in an almost natural way. Still, he believed he felt "regret," not for hugging her, but for not having foreseen that he would wake up like that, with her so close without having enjoyed that wonderful body all night. Part of that regret came from an unwanted, more carnal thought, of not having taken her to bed yet. He recognized that as desire speaking louder, and he knew that allowing it to control him would be something for someone who puts a woman on a pedestal and who has never even seen one naked in life… something he had never been, nor intended to be....
A true playboy simply chills and lets nature take its course. The priority is always to improve oneself. Take care of your own garden so that, at some point, the butterflies appear. That saying spoke volumes about how investing in one's own appearance, making money, and keeping a nice body naturally attracted women.
In that world, however, the logic was a bit different. The culture valued the strong, while the weak were ignored or trampled, even if less explicitly. In Fairy Tail, magic had enormous weight, and he calculated that what most attracted women there was a combination of appearance, magical power, and personality, possibly maturity as well.
After all, most men in that world seemed excessively "idiotic" and childish. They were almost like cavemen, which even made some sense: there was no technology, much less a solid system of laws or social norms, and there was still the factor of magic, which made brute force a solution for almost everything.
Damn… all that was really interesting to think about.
Really, [Thought Acceleration] was extremely useful. He wished he could keep it active all the time, but he hadn't reached that level yet; the mental strain was too great. Upon deactivating it, he sighed softly and began to observe Lucy for a few seconds, attentive to details that normally escaped him. The long lashes cast soft shadows on her face, and the peaceful expression betrayed someone who, after emotionally exhausting days, finally managed to rest....
She seemed... at peace.
Unfortunately, he needed to get her off him. The classic problem that every man faces upon waking in the morning was making itself present in a quite inconvenient way, pressing against her in a manner that could easily be misinterpreted. With extreme care, he tried to adjust his own position—just enough to relieve the pressure and regain a minimum of control.
It was a mistake.
Lucy stirred.
She let out a low sound, almost a grumble, and drew even closer, her face settling better against him. One of her arms rose slowly, hugging him by the side of his torso, her fingers closing on his shirt as if she had no intention of letting go.
Natsu sketched an ironic smile and decided to use [Command T] to reduce that "inconvenience" to a practically microscopic size, before gently waking the blonde in his arms.
"....Lucy?"
Lucy stirred again.
This time, her eyes began to open slowly, still heavy with sleep. She blinked a few times, trying to understand where she was. Her blue gaze scanned the room, confused, until it finally focused on him.
For a few seconds, she just stared at him.
Then she realized.
Her face flushed almost instantly when she became aware of the position they were in, of her own body pressed against his, of his arm around her. Still, she didn't pull away immediately, remaining where she was for a few more seconds, without moving, while her heart beat too fast for someone who had just woken up. The awareness of her own position came accompanied by an immediate wave of shame, not just from the physical contact, but from the silent intimacy that it represented. She knew exactly how that could look, and part of her feared that Natsu would interpret the situation wrongly, even though another part, much more honest, wished he wouldn't mind at all.
The proximity made everything seem more intense. His warmth, the firmness of his chest where she was lying, the sensation of security that seeped into her without asking permission. She had always been someone sensitive to the environment and emotions, and in that instant, her body and mind were aligned in a single dominant feeling. Comfort. A comfort so rare that it was almost frightening.
Still, the insecurity came right after, almost automatic. She became aware of her own state upon waking. Her hair was certainly messy, without any shape, far from the neat image she usually presented. She hadn't put on perfume, there was no makeup, there was no conscious effort to look beautiful. For her, who always worried about how she was seen, especially by Natsu since he "matured," this was almost a silent nightmare. The idea of him noticing details she considered ugly or sloppy made her face heat up even more, even without her saying anything.....
"Good morning, Natsu..." All she managed to squeeze out was that, her voice hoarse from sleep.
Natsu smiled calmly and replied: "Good morning, Lucy...."
There was a brief silence. Charged.
Lucy seemed to consider pulling away... but she didn't. Instead, she breathed deeply and lightly rested her chin on his chest, her eyes still half-closed.
"Sorry." She said, without much conviction: "I must have moved while sleeping and ended up in this position...."
Natsu let out a half-smile.
"It's all good..." He replied calmly: ".... It's not like it's bad to have a beautiful woman sleeping on my chest like this...."
She raised her gaze to him, surprised by the response. The blush on her face intensified, but there was something more there. Something warm, contained, but present in her look. She felt a shy happiness grow in her chest, almost too contained to exist.
A kind of silent joy, the type that doesn't explode into wide smiles, but warms from within and makes the world seem a little less heavy. After the loss of her father, after so many accumulated emotions, realizing that there was still someone by her side, firm and present, made that "passion" she had for the pink-haired boy seem even deeper.
Lucy blinked a few times, as if she needed an extra second to organize her thoughts. The blush still hadn't completely disappeared when she finally moved, supporting her hands on the sofa to pull away carefully. She got up too quickly, as if she wanted to break the mood before her heart decided to betray her.
"A-and I... I'm going to get up." She said, adjusting her pajama top and averting her gaze. "You... want to have breakfast?"
The question came out in her typical tone, too casual for someone who was clearly nervous. Still, there was a hint of expectation there, almost imperceptible.
Natsu stretched on the sofa, his arms extending above his head while letting out a lazy yawn, completely at ease.
"I'm fine with that." He replied. "If you want, I can prepare something."
Lucy stopped mid-step.
"You... prepare?" She repeated, turning to face him, surprise evident on her face. "Since when do you cook?"
In the last week, despite everything they had talked about and experienced together, that had never come up. For her, Natsu was still the same in that aspect: someone who survived on ready-made food, guild meals, and anything that could be swallowed without much criteria.
He shrugged, as if it were no big deal.
"I learned recently."
Curiosity overcame the shyness almost instantly.
"So..." Lucy breathed deeply, pointing toward the kitchen. "Make yourself at home."
She sat back on the sofa, now with her legs together and hands resting on her lap, watching as Natsu headed to the apartment's kitchen. The space was simple but organized. Basic utensils, clean stove, few ingredients in sight. Nothing that seemed sufficient for anything beyond the ordinary.
Still, he moved with a naturalness that didn't match the image she had of him.
Lucy heard sounds of pots, the soft crackle of the fire lighting, the calm rhythm of someone who knew exactly what they were doing. The smell began to spread shortly after. A warm, appetizing aroma that mixed fresh coffee, toasted bread, and something more elaborate that she couldn't identify right away.
She swallowed dryly without realizing it.
A few minutes later, Natsu returned to the living room carrying an improvised tray. There were well-arranged plates, carefully prepared eggs, bread golden to the perfect point, cut fruits, plus two steaming cups of coffee. He placed everything carefully on the low table in front of the sofa and sat across from her, as if that were the most normal thing in the world.
Lucy stared at the scene for a few seconds, in absolute silence.
"This..." She began, then stopped, searching for words. "This looks... too beautiful to be real."
Natsu smiled, clearly satisfied with the reaction.
"Taste it first."
She hesitated only a little before picking up the utensils. The smell was too good to resist. When she brought the first forkful to her mouth, her eyes widened slightly.
"...It's really good." She said, genuine surprise in her voice. "Seriously."
The compliment came quickly, almost automatic.
"Since when do you know how to do this?" Lucy asked, still chewing, looking at him as if trying to fit that new information into the image she had of the boy in front of her.
Natsu began to eat without haste, relaxed.
"In the last week." He replied, simply. "I read some cookbooks. I had plenty of free time."
Lucy blinked.
"Cook...books?" She repeated, almost laughing. "That's definitely not something I expected to hear from you, but I suppose it makes sense for the new you to want to know more about food, since you love eating....."
She brought another forkful to her mouth, still processing everything. It wasn't just the food. It was the fact that he had learned something like that on his own.
Natsu chewed a bit more before responding, calm, as if it were too obvious to need explanation.
"You're right." He said, wiping his lips with the improvised napkin. "I like eating well. If I'm going to fill my stomach all the time, it makes sense to learn how to make something decent."
Lucy smiled sideways, bringing another forkful to her mouth. The atmosphere between the two settled into something calm, almost too domestic for two mages accustomed to chaos, explosions, and constant fights. They ate for a few minutes in comfortable silence, only exchanging occasional glances and brief comments about the taste of the food.
It was Natsu who broke the silence.
"Tomorrow I'm going to take a mission."
Lucy raised her gaze almost at the same instant, her eyes shining with expectation.
"Seriously?" She said, excited. "Then we can go together, right?"
Her reaction was immediate, natural. Since his return, shared missions had become something almost automatic between the two. Part routine, part excuse to stay close.
Natsu, however, didn't respond right away. He finished drinking his coffee, set the cup on the table, and then spoke, with the same calm tone as before.
"Actually... I was thinking of doing this one alone. If that's okay."
Lucy froze for a second.
The smile diminished, almost imperceptibly, before she averted her gaze. A slight crease appeared between her eyebrows.
"...Alone?" She repeated. "You don't need to ask my permission, you know? Or even tell me."
The tone came out drier than she intended. Arms crossed, defensive posture, as if she were more annoyed than she really was.
Natsu observed her for a moment and then let out a soft sigh, not of tiredness, but of understanding.
"I know." He said. "But you're my partner. It wouldn't be fair to just disappear without saying anything."
Lucy blinked.
Her heart gave a small treacherous leap in her chest.
Partner.
The word echoed more than it should. It wasn't something romantic said out loud, but it carried enough weight to mess everything up inside. The irritation lost strength almost immediately, replaced by a strange warmth and a silent confusion.
Still, she kept her expression firm.
"Even being partners..." She began, looking back at him. "You're still going to take a mission alone. Why?"
Natsu leaned back on the sofa, crossing his arms behind his head while thinking about the response.
"I just want some time alone." He said, simply. "The last time I tried that, Juvia ended up going with me. Of course, it wasn't bad. In fact, it was even better that way. But... still, there are things I need to do alone."
"Are you okay?" Lucy asked, more softly.
Natsu smiled lightly.
"I am."
And he really seemed to be.
Lucy breathed deeply, leaning her back against the sofa. Part of her still felt slightly left out, but another part, larger and more sincere, understood.
She averted her gaze, trying to hide the small smile that insisted on appearing.
"So..." She murmured. "Just don't take too long."
Natsu turned his face to her.
"I won't."
As they went back to eating, Lucy remained silent, but inside her thoughts didn't stop. Even going alone, he had made a point of telling her.
And that, for some reason, made her strangely happy.
Meanwhile, Natsu, despite his calm expression, was thinking about something else.
The mission was just an excuse. He needed to organize some things and make certain preparations before the Grand Magic Games using his knowledge about the future.
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