She picked one book up, she put it back down. She flipped through one, thumbed through another, heaving a sigh when none of the printed words caught her attention.

Lucy was bored.

It was a slow day at the guild. Most members were off on jobs and the ones that weren't were scattered around the guild hall, quietly minding themselves. They were too tired to do much else on their time off from the slew of job requests that came in after the GMG.

Lucy was one of those who had decided to take the day off from jobs. She had plenty enough jewels to pay her rent for this month and then some, she figured a break would be good. So Natsu and Happy had gone off on a job without her.

While it was nice earlier in the day to just kick back and do nothing, Lucy now felt uneasy by her inactivity. She thought maybe reading could occupy her for a bit though that clearly wasn't working.

She shoved the books aside on the table, laying her head in her arms. She stared hard at the wall across from her, trying to think of something she could do. Nothing came to mind. Lucy sighed again when a hand touched her shoulder.

"Oh, Lucy you're awake." Natsu said, grinning wide at her. He had a fresh cut on his cheek and a large scrape on his visible wrist. Noticing her attention on the wound, Natsu rubbed the back of his head. "I had some trouble on the way back from the job. It's fine."

"Natsu," Happy piped up, landing on the table beside the books. "You fell off a cliff."

Natsu waved him off but flinched ever so slightly at the action.

"Why did you fall off a cliff?" Lucy asked, gently taking his wrist in hand. She looked it over and could see bruising already.

"This little kid fell off so Natsu jumped after." Happy answered. "I had already run out of magic at that point so I couldn't fly down to help. Natsu landed funny on his wrist but the kid was okay."

Lucy glanced up to meet Natsu's eyes briefly before looking back down. She didn't say anything right away but her lips pursed together. The wrist had started to swell. "Let's put some ice on this."

When Natsu opened his mouth to challenge her, she shot him a glare and he silenced.

Lucy stood and then pulled him by the arm past the bar counter and into the kitchen with Happy trailing behind. She directed Natsu to a wooden stool to sit while she rummaged through the freezer.

Once she found the ice, Lucy grabbed a spare towel to wrap them in and returned to his side. Gingerly she pressed the ice onto Natsu's wrist and he bit back a hiss.

"If Wendy were here I would have her look this over. It's pretty bad, Natsu." Lucy said with a frown. She let go of the towel so Natsu could hold it himself. She leaned against the counter beside him. "Once the swelling goes down, I'll clean and wrap it."

Natsu gave her a lopsided grin. "Thanks, Lucy."

Lucy hummed in reply, her brows pulled together and a frown still in place. She wondered what would have happened if she had gone on the job with them. Would Happy have expended less of his magic during the job and been able to save the kid himself? Would she have summoned Horologium to do it instead? If she had been there, would the kid have fallen off at all? If she had gone, maybe Natsu wouldn't have gotten hurt.

She didn't like that thought.

Especially not since she didn't do anything productive or worthwhile in the meantime. It was certainly more likely the child's lack of parental supervision and Natsu just being reckless again that this happened, she felt a little like it was her fault.

"Hey, Lucy," Natsu said, startling her out of her thoughts, "when do you think I can take this off? It feels like Gray is holding my hand or something and it's gross."

Lucy ignored the last comment. "After the swelling goes down, I told you. And, before you ask, I'm not sure how long that'll be. Probably awhile."

Natsu's shoulders slouched. "I'm kind of bored."

"Mwe shoo." Happy perked up. Somehow he had nabbed some fish jerky from the pantry while Lucy wasn't watching, so his mouth was full and the words came out mumbled. Lucy understood it though.

"How about I read to you guys?" Lucy suggested. "I brought a lot of books with me so I have a couple options."

Both brightened at the idea and agreed so Lucy went to grab one of her books. First instructing, of course, that if Natsu took off the ice while she was gone, that she would take the book and hit him with it.

She quickly returned with one of her more action-packed novels. Happy climbed onto her lap, while she sat on the counter—she hoped Mirajane wouldn't mind—and began to read from the first chapter.

Oddly enough, when she was reading to them she easily got engrossed in the story. She exaggerated certain parts and the voices and the two ate it up.

Lucy could tell that Happy felt bad about what happened too, and Natsu as well for making them both worry, but it didn't matter that she wasn't there. She couldn't change what has passed. What mattered was that she could make them feel better and do this for them now.

She smiled as she read a particularly fierce battle in the story. Lucy wasn't bored anymore.