This part is based quite late into the first part, when the relationship between Natsu and Lucy is pretty established but not yet public.

There were a few things that Natsu had grown to love about waking up with Lucy in his arms.

First of all there was knowing that she was there, close by and alive. A couple of years ago these wouldn't have even been concerns that had crossed his mind, so confident in all of the guild's strength and power to know that everyone could take care of themselves, no matter what. But with so many trials that had been thrown their way and seeing friends, family and even a version of Lucy herself ripped from the world, he no longer took such things for granted. Waking up to the rise and fall of her chest and the tiny little hums she made in her sleep and the delicate tickle of her hair against his skin were things he treasured and allowed him to relax into the warmth of the morning light streaming through the window.

Then there was the way she smelled, the sweet and light fragrances that laced the soaps and lotions she used intertwining with her natural scent that he could pick out from miles away across an entire city. He was even more familiar with Lucy's scent than he was with Happy's and it was always a much gentler experience for his nose to pick out the different flowers used in her perfumes than to tell what fish Happy had bartered out of Mirajane for his last meal. Breathing in the scent of her hair and pressing his mouth into the skin at the back of her neck every morning were things he hadn't been able to resist since the first time she had kissed him and he had realised that the smell and taste of her were things he wanted to remind himself of every day. The way she would sigh, contentedly as she dozed, at the feel of his mouth against her was another little moment he treasured.

Then there was the feel of her warmth against his, the heat of her pressing against his body and causing him to curl around her as if he could somehow absorb and keep every speck of heat she emitted for himself. Although she didn't burn as hot as he did, not that many did, feeling the blaze of her smooth, soft skin under his hands as he rested them on her stomach or stroked them up and down her arms or ran a finger down the thigh that had been slung over his hips during the night, always made him feel hungry for more of her. And not in a way that the guys at the guild would get slapped or glared at for, but in a way where they were bound together for as long as she could bear him. Would keep her warm by his side every night and keep her laughter in his ears and her smile in sight every time he closed his eyes.

But stirring from sleep this morning, he had instantly known that something was wrong.

His hand was resting against her hip, slipped under the soft cotton of the loose top she had worn to sleep, but the skin he touched was like a furnace, hot to even his touch. And the quiet little hums and mewls he expected to hear from her as she slept were like little whimpers, laced with discomfort and pain.

He sat up, pulling the bulk of his form away from her and, as she fell back against the mattress, he could see the way her form shivered and the deep furrow set in her brow, even in her sleep.

He reached down to touch her, to pull away some of the hair that was stuck to her face, sweat forming at her hair line despite the shivers racking her form, or to shake her shoulder and try to wake her from her troubled sleep. But before he could put his hand back on her her eyes cracked open and she grasped, weakly, across the mattress for him.

'Natsuuuuu…I'm so cold...' Her voice was crackled and the shivers caused her teeth to chatter, but her hand managed to clutch weakly at his wrist and she tugged, with so little strength he barely felt it, as if to try to drag him back towards her.

Instead, he realised that he could smell the acrid scent he had come to associate with illness in the air and he desperately wracked his brains on what he was supposed to do.

Normal illnesses had never bothered him before, normally burning up inside him before they could take hold, even when everyone else in the guild came down with the latest bug taking grip of the town. But he'd seen the others being taken care of before, even Lucy herself when she'd caught colds and sicknesses, and he tried to remember what he should do to help her.

He remembered Wendy washing down Juvia's sick body, when they had found her in the Rain Village, and he wondered if he should be doing so with Lucy. But she was shivering and he remembered Juvia complaining about how hot she had been with her fever...he didn't want to make Lucy worse.

He also remembered Mira taking Lisanna's temperature when they were children and, whilst he was still trying to remember if he should try and keep Lucy warm or if he should cool her fevered skin down, he leant his forehead down to hers, pressing them together to try and compare the temperature between them.

He'd realised his error, instantly. His body temperature was no good as a gauge against Lucy's, even though he could still tell she was unusually warm. And leaning down over her had just given her more to weakly clutch at and he found himself with the fingers of one hand tangled in his hair whilst the other still grasped at his wrist. This close he could also smell salt in the air, and he realised that she was close to crying, with tears gathering at the corner of her eyes.

'Natsu...please, it hurts…'

His heart lurched at the pain in her voice. 'What hurts, Lucy?' He untangled the hand from his hair and lifted his head back up, kissing gently at the tips of her fingers in apology for pulling away. He wanted to help her, and he couldn't do that just by cuddling her.

'My head...my arms and legs...my back...I can't stop shivering...I'm so cold, Natsu.' The words came out in a slurred whine, like she could barely spare the strength to force them out, and he couldn't help but feel a little frightened at how weak and pained she was when she had seemed so cheerful mere hours ago when they had turned in for the night.

He looked around the room, wondering where Happy had gone to, and spotted the clock reading 6:23am. Happy normally flew to the morning market to get fresh fish and milk before he and Lucy woke, so he would probably be back soon. Then he could send him to fetch Wendy or the old bat in the woods. They would be able to help Lucy.

But until then, he couldn't watch Lucy suffering, so he pulled her and the blanket up, wrapping it around her back whilst he sat up against the headboard and pulled her against his chest. She sank into him, easily, her form still trembling, but desperately latching onto the heat between them. Her hands slipped around his back and were like little pinpoints of fire where they were pressed against his bare skin. Her whole body still felt unusually warm, but he hoped that giving her more heat like she obviously craved wasn't going to hurt her.

He was rubbing his hands gently along her back, taking a little comfort in the way that her shivers had calmed, slightly, and that she seemed to relax a little into the touch and seemed a little less distressed, when the door creaked open and Happy flew in, a basket clutched in his paws.

'Happy…' He tried to get Happy's attention, but as soon as he spoke and Happy realised he was awake, he started talking a mile a minute about his trip to the market.

'Natsu, the fish lady gave me an extra fish for being cute, this morning. Why doesn't Lucy give me extra fish for being cute? And I even remembered to get more rice like Lucy told me to so she should think I'm cute, right?' Happy carried on talking even over repeated callings of his name and when he looked over and saw Lucy draped over him his nose crinkled. 'Are you guys being gross?'

'Happy, go and get Wendy.' His voice was stern, and he didn't normally talk to Happy like that, but he was feeling a little desperate and wanted some help for Lucy ASAP. He could apologise to him later, after he knew she was going to be okay, but until then he needed Happy to focus and go get help.

'Wha…' Happy looked at the bed curiously, confusion painting his features, but before he could prompt him to go a second time, Lucy groaned in pain again, and curled up into him even more. 'Lucy? Is she okay?' Happy started to fly over, worry starting to eat away the confusion, but he stopped him with one pleading look.

'Please, Happy, go and get Wendy.'

Happy didn't even leave an 'Aye, sir' before flying out of the room, and he sighed a little in relief, glad that help would probably soon be here.

He turned his attention back to Lucy, and she slipped one of her hands out from around him in order to press weakly at her temple, obviously trying to give herself some sort of relief from a headache. He lifted one of his hands to card through her hair, hoping that the gentle sensation would help ease the pain slightly. She leaned into the touch, so he figured it wasn't making it worse, at least, and he impatiently waited for Happy to return.

They didn't have to wait long, though, and the door soon burst open with Carla carrying Wendy as they flew into the room, Happy leading the way and flying over to the bed as soon as he could.

'Luuuuucy, are you okay?' Happy landed beside them and snuggled into her side, not being able to see her face with the way she was curled into his chest.

'I'm guessing,' Carla interrupted, sounding a little put out but not too stern about it, 'That Lucy isn't dying like Happy claimed when he woke us up.'

Wendy had ignored Happy's hysterical cry and Carla's observation and instead approached the bed. He saw the way she blushed a little at seeing them pressed together under the blanket, but she could obviously see how strained and tense Lucy was, and the hand held to her head was telling.

'She said she's in pain and she feels really hot to the touch.' Wendy reached her own hand out and placed it on Lucy's forehead. 'I don't know what's wrong...or what to do.' He hated the fact that he didn't know how to help her.

'Hmm,' Wendy's hand glowed a little as she kept it held against Lucy's brow, and he felt Lucy relax against him just a little, as a little of Wendy's healing magic seeped into her. 'She definitely has a high fever.'

'Wendy, don't push yourself.' Carla had made her own way to the bed and, although she looked at Lucy with a concerned eye, Natsu knew her priority was always Wendy's wellbeing. 'You've only just came back from a difficult mission.'

He could see that Wendy looked a little tired, and she looked a little conflicted at Carla's words.

'Don't...don't waste your magic on me like this, Wendy.' Lucy's face was still buried into his chest, and the strained words were muffled, but clearly heard.

'Ahh, Lucy-san. I've given you a little pain relief, at least.' She looked relieved that Lucy was responding, but he knew that she probably felt a little guilty for not doing more. Wendy was picking up a nasty habit of putting others before her own well being, although he was aware she was probably picking said habit up from everyone in their extended team, including him. 'Can you please tell me a little more about what's wrong?'

He felt Lucy shift a little against him, although a shiver racked through her again when she tried to pull away and she ended up curled a little on her side against him so she could look Wendy in the face. Even that small movement seemed to have taken more strength than she had to spare.

'My head hurts and my throat feels sore.' That explained the strained voice. 'And...my arms and legs ache. And my lower back, but...I think that is because I can't stop shivering.' He rubbed at her lower back, trying to ease the ache away and she sighed a little at the soothing warmth.

Wendy nodded at her, contemplating her words, and put a hand back on Lucy's forehead and opened her senses.

'I think it's a simple sickness, although it seems to have hit you pretty hard.' Wendy wasn't the only one who had been on difficult missions, and Natsu knew Lucy had been tired and low on magic, too. It had probably left her a little vulnerable to whatever was floating around the town. 'I can get you some medicines that will help reduce the fever and pains and I'm pretty sure Polyursica-san also has some tonics that sooth sore throats.'

She stepped away from the bed, and Natsu could practically see her running through lists of herbs and treatments in her mind, the many lessons and training sessions she'd had with the old bat obviously top of her mind right now.

All of a sudden, Lucy pushed away from him, throwing the blanket off her back, and flopped down on the mattress to the side of him. Happy leapt out of the way, and looked down at her in surprise whilst both Wendy and Carla focused their attention back on her.

'Ughh, it's too hot.' Lucy groaned and he could see beads of sweat forming on her skin, where previously shivers had been vibrating through her limbs.

'What the…' Natsu was so confused and looked between Wendy and Lucy, trying to work out what they should do for her now. 'She was cold, just now.'

A horrible thought came over him. 'Wait...I didn't make her worse, did I? By keeping her covered up and giving her warmth?' He almost wanted to shuffle back across the bed from her, frightened by the idea that he could have hurt Lucy whilst trying to help her.

'No, Natsu-san,' Wendy was quick to reassure him. 'If she has chills then you should keep her warm. And if she is hot we should try to cool her down. The human body generally knows what it needs to fight the illness, so don't worry. You didn't do anything wrong.'

He let out a sigh of relief and reached across for Lucy, resting his hand on her shoulder and feeling the burning skin grow clammy under his touch.

'Right,' Carla leapt off the bed and transformed into her human form, reaching down to feel Lucy's temperature for herself, 'Happy, you take Wendy to Polyursica so she can get some medicines and I'll help Natsu cool Lucy down.'

He looked over at Carla, grateful for some sort of plan to help Lucy. 'What do we need to do?'

Wendy nodded at Carla and grabbed the basket that Happy had left on the low table, emptying the contents. 'You could get some cool, but not too cold, water, and wipe her down with it. Or, Carla, perhaps you could help her take a cool shower, first? It will probably be easier and make her more comfortable.'' Wendy beckoned to Happy and they flew out of the room before Natsu had a chance to thank her for the advice.

He turned to Carla, who had started to pull Lucy upright, so she could help get her to her feet and suggested 'I could help her take a shower, although you should probably check the temperature. I'm not that good at judging it.'

The look Carla aimed at him was sharp and he flinched a little at it. 'Of course you can't, that wouldn't be appropriate!'

He was about to ask her why not when Lucy giggled a little, sounding almost drunk. 'Aww, it's not like...not like he hasn't seen me naked.' She was swaying in the position Carla had managed to manoeuvre her to, and he reached forward to steady her a little. Carla, on the other hand, had blushed and pulled away at Lucy's slurred exclamation, looking between them both and looking a little awkward.

He didn't really get it, pretty much everyone in the guild had seen Lucy naked so he didn't know why it was such a big deal. But then, he realised, being given permission to see her naked was a far different thing. And the fact that he was allowed to touch and kiss her body wasn't exactly public knowledge.

'Natsuuuuuuuu…' Lucy was still swaying, and she fell back against him a little whilst Carla still looked like she wanted to send Natsu away. 'I'm soooo hot...please...a cold shower sounds really nice…' She definitely sounded a little off, not quite fully coherent, but Carla huffed a little and turned to make her way to the bathroom.

'I'll set the shower up, can you bring her in here?'

He stepped out of the bed and picked Lucy up, a little worried about how limply she lay in his arms, even though she managed to at least raise her arms around his neck. She did squirm a little, probably at the heat blazing between their skin where it touched, but he was able to carry her into the bathroom quickly.

'This feels like a good temperature.' Carla was just pulling her hand out of the spray when they entered, and when she turned to them it looked like she was going to argue with him about helping Lucy again, so he avoided the argument by walking straight past her, stepping over the drain with Lucy still in his arms and putting them both under the spray.

The cool water was uncomfortable on his skin, and he tried to avoid his body's instinctive reaction to heat up against the chill whilst he was touching Lucy, but Lucy sighed and moaned a little at the cool drops hitting her skin and soaking through the thin shorts and top she wore to sleep.

He set her to her feet and guided her more fully under the spray, supporting her weight when it became clear her legs weren't going to support her fully, and turned to Carla, who was both glaring and trying to avoid looking at them both. She kept sneaking awkward glances at the way Lucy's clothes and his boxers were clinging to them now they were wet and then crinkling her nose and looking away.

'Can you grab us some clothes to change into? Her bedclothes and underwear are in the top drawer of the large dresser and mine are in the bottom drawer of the wardrobe.'

Carla let out another little huff, but turned to do so after passing him a hair clasp that Lucy left in the bathroom and telling him to avoid getting Lucy's hair too wet as it would be a pain to dry and it wouldn't be good to leave her with damp hair whilst ill. Only a little of the spray had reached her hair, so he pulled it all back away and clipped it up as best as he could. It certainly wasn't as tidy as the way Lucy did it, but her hair was now piled on top of her head and he could grab a washcloth resting on the nearby stool and use it to wipe the sweat from her face and limbs.

She was sinking back against him as he worked, and he glanced at her face to see that her eyes had closed, but the furrow in her brow was a little more relaxed and the little whimpers that she been making since the heat became unbearable for her ceased. She was still squirming, a little, and picking at the hem of her top, so he put his own hands over hers and asked 'Can I?'

She let out a little hum of affirmation and took her own hands away, letting him pull the top up and over her head, her arms loosely following the way he pulled them up to free them from the straps before flopping back down, and dropping the sodden fabric into a wet pile on the floor outside the spray. He made quick work of wiping the cool water down her chest and stomach and turned her so she could lean forward against him whilst he wiped down her back and allowed the water to cool the expanse of skin.

He was just dampening the cloth to run it over the nape of her neck again, where the hair was too close to keep the skin under the showerhead, when Carla reentered the bathroom.

She jumped a little, seeing Lucy, naked from the waist up, pressed up against his bare chest, and released a little exasperated puff of air. But when he merely wiped the cloth over Lucy again, she just laid the clothes down nearby and turned to see if she could find any towels, avoiding looking at them.

'Don't let her get too cold. We should probably get her out and dry, soon, in case she swings back into chills.'

He looked down at her, seeing that she looked a little less flushed. But he wasn't sure if it was just the absence of sweat beading on her skin that made her look a little better. He leant his forehead against hers, once more, and thought she felt a little less warm, but was still useless at judging his own temperature against hers.

'Carla, can you check?' He lifted his head up to look at where she was fussing open one of the large towels Lucy liked to wrap herself in, and he guessed that he must have looked as worried and confused as he felt, because her face softened a little and she approached them in order to lay the back of her hand against Lucy's cheek.

'Hmm, she feels a little better.' Lucy raised her head a little, and looked at Carla, squinting her eyes a little, before burying her head back against his chest.

'I still feel hot.' She murmured, 'But...I feel a little less icky.'

Carla pulled her hand away and reached over to turn the spray off. 'We should probably get her back in bed, again, before Wendy returns. Can you sit her on the edge of the tub, and I'll dry her and dress her?'

He looked down at the edge of the tub and pictured Lucy falling off and cracking her head on the tiles. 'Are you sure?'

Carla scoffed at him. 'I can fly Wendy through the air and manoeuvre through forests. I think I can keep Lucy sat upright and manoeuvre her safely into her nightdress.' He picked Lucy up and stepped over to the bath, placing her in a seated position on the thick tiled rim. Carla passed him a towel, a clean pair of boxers and a loose pair of pants, before taking over supporting Lucy's arms. 'Now, please go and dry and dress yourself.'

He moved his hand to the waist of his boxers but before he could strip the soaked fabric from his skin, Carla screeched at him 'IN THE OTHER ROOM!'.

He rolled his eyes and stepped away from the bath, making sure that Lucy was secure in Carla's grip before he turned away. People were so weird about nudity.

He was dry and dressed before Carla pulled aside the curtain separating the bathroom from the main room and stepped through carrying Lucy on her back. It looked a little awkward, since Lucy was taller, but she was handling her with ease, as promised. It didn't stop him from stepping forward and plucking Lucy up into his arms to carry her back to bed.

Lucy accepted the change easily, tucking herself into him, but she still looked a little unfocused and not entirely switched on. She reached one hand up and pulled, slightly, on one of the tufts of hair falling into his face, to try and get his attention.

'Psst, Natsu,' He was rather amused at the fact that she said the word "psst" rather than made any attempt to whisper, 'I think that is Carla.'

She waved her hand mostly in Carla's direction, only just avoiding hitting him in the nose, and he could see Carla raise an eyebrow, clearly hearing Lucy's statement.

'Um, yeah, that's Carla.'

Lucy didn't look impressed with his confirmation. 'But...that's not right! Carla is...she's s'posed to be small and cute...like Happy! How're we...s'posed to get grandkittens...if she's not Happy sized!'

Natsu didn't know what he found funnier. The fact that Lucy looked genuinely devastated at Carla being the 'wrong' size, the way Carla looked shocked, offended and yet a little red and flustered all at the same time or the fact that Wendy and Happy had re-entered the room during this latest feverish exclamation and Wendy was currently hiding her giggles with a hand raised to her mouth whilst Happy looked absolutely star struck.

Whether it was because of the idea of kittens or because Lucy had called him cute, like he'd wanted earlier, was beyond Natsu.

Wendy managed to stifle her giggles, quickly, and asked Happy to get a jug of water and a glass and he put staring at Carla with heart eyes aside so that he could flit into the kitchenette to grab what was needed. Carla slipped back into the bathroom, avoiding looking at anyone else as she did, so Natsu carried Lucy back over to the bed and placed her gently down on the edge, sitting her up so he could pull the blankets away from where they were haphazardly laying over the mattress.

Wendy stepped over to them, and took in Lucy's form and the way she still leaned weakly into him as he stood in front of her. She reached a hand out and pressed the back of it against Lucy's forehead once more, humming as she felt her temperature and released a touch more healing magic.

'She feels a little better, but still warm.' She placed the basket down on the floor and crouched down to pick a small jar and a bottle out. The jar contained a powder, finely ground and smelling of plant seeds. The bottle contained a gloopy liquid that smelled strong but sweet and a little like alcohol. He wrinkled his nose a little at it.

'She already seems a little like she's drunk.' He nodded his head towards the strange bottle. 'That's not gonna make her worse, is it?'

She smiled up at him and stood, placing the powder aside on the bed and opening the bottle. 'This will help ease her sore throat. It's isn't as alcoholic as it smells, Natsu-san.' Obviously, Wendy knew what it smelled like to him. 'And it's normal that she's not quite as sharp as she usually is. Please don't be surprised if she is a little distracted or even a little delusional.'

She placed the bottle against Lucy's mouth and put a hand at the back of her neck to encourage her to tip her head back and accept the liquid as Wendy tilted the bottle. Lucy's face scrunched a little as the liquid entered her mouth, surprised by the taste, but it obviously wasn't offensive as she swallowed it with a pained gulp. Wendy only gave her a little, but the next few swallows Lucy made, clearing the taste from her mouth, seemed less forced, and Wendy looked satisfied with the apparent improvement.

'Wendy, is this enough?' Happy flew back into the room, the largest jug from the kitchenette in his paws, water splashing a little over the rim as he placed it on the floor next to the basket. She looked a little surprised at the size, and Natsu knew that Lucy had owned the large, rather ornate jug to summon Aquarius from, but Wendy smiled gratefully at Happy, thanking him before he rushed back to grab a glass. Natsu couldn't help but think that Happy had chosen the biggest jug in the hope that it would be the biggest help to Lucy.

'It's important to make sure she drinks a lot of water. It will help with her temperature and she'll lose a lot of water whilst she fights off the fever.' Happy returned quickly with a glass and Wendy picked the jar of powder back up off of the bed, uncorking it in order to tip a small quantity into the glass Happy held. 'This powder will help ease her fever and it will also help with the pain.' She reached down and grabbed the water, and Natsu carefully judged how much powder she had put in the glass and made a note of it for later. 'Get her to drink a little mixed with water every 6 hours until her fever breaks.'

She poured the water in and sent a little swirl of wind through the glass to mix it and dissolve the powder, and Natsu grabbed the glass out of Happy's paws in order to hold it against Lucy's lips and encourage her to drink.

She gratefully gulped at the water, but almost immediately tried to spit it back up at the taste. He took the glass back, whilst she swallowed the first mouthful, a disgusted look on her features. He couldn't help but throw an accusing look at Wendy for Lucy's violent reaction.

'Oh, sorry, Natsu-san. It is a little bitter.' Wendy looked apologetic that she hadn't warned them, and she turned her attention to Lucy. 'Sorry, Lucy-san. I know it isn't very nice but it really will help you.'

A little pout formed on Lucy's face and Natsu couldn't help but truly relax a little for the first time that morning. She always was so cute when she was just a little put out, with puffed out cheeks and a little scrunch to her nose and eyes. Seeing a little of her personality shining through, even though she was not one hundred percent, put his heart at ease.

She weakly reached for the glass again, and he moved it back to her lips so that she could finish off the medicated water. She made little faces the entire time and he wanted to memorise each and every one to tease her about them later. When she finished the glass, Wendy topped it back up with plain water and Lucy grabbed for that, too, so he let her drink more, even though he could see her eyes drooping and feel her weight falling even heavier against him.

Carla returned to the room whilst Lucy was draining the second glass and she brought a pan of water and some washcloths with her, as well as a hair brush and hair tie, that Wendy spotted and took off of her.

'Ah, Natsu-san, let me tie her hair back properly before we settle her back in bed.' Wendy unclipped the hair that he'd clumsily fixed, and shuffled onto the bed so that she could kneel behind Lucy and gather the long locks to brush through them.

Natsu loved watching Lucy brush her hair, finding the motions calming and loving the way it shone and glistened as the bristles ran through and the way it fluttered softly around her when free of tangles. Watching Wendy run the brush through Lucy's hair had that same calming feeling, and he felt some of the panic and worry from the morning fade as Lucy burrowed a little against his chest, shoulders relaxing whilst Wendy started braiding the strands neatly away from Lucy's face and neck. He watched her fingers move quickly and surely through the motions and he wondered if it was something he could learn to do. The thought of burying his fingers into Lucy's hair and weaving it into the neat plaits she sometimes favoured filled him with longing.

Perhaps, when Lucy was better, he would ask Wendy to teach him. Wendy never teased or mocked him when he made unusual requests and he knew she would be patient with him, probably more so teaching him than he would be learning.

By the time she tied the end of the braid off, Lucy was dozing against him, still warm and with sweat starting to form against her hairline, again, but without tension in her arms or legs. Wendy climbed off the bed and pulled the blankets completely out of the way so that he could lift Lucy up and place her down in the centre, letting her head rest on the pillows.

Happy flew up onto the bed and snuggled into Lucy's left hand, resting loosely on the bed. 'Wendyyyy,' Happy drew out her name, worry in his voice, 'Lucy's going to be okay, right?'

Wendy had reached down to the pan of water and had dampened some cloths with the cool water, rising up again at Happy's question. She placed one of the neatly folded cloths over Lucy's forehead before smiling at Happy, and nodding, looking between Happy and himself as she spoke. 'She'll be fine. Just keep her cool unless she complains about being chilled, give her the powder every 6 hours and make sure she drinks plenty.' She handed Happy one of the other cloths, obviously recognising Happy's desire to do something to help, and he took it in his paws and started to gently dab it over Lucy's exposed skin. 'I'll come back later and bring something gentle for her to try and eat.'

Natsu was filled with gratitude at how caring and kind Wendy was. But he was even more thankful for the trusting way she looked at him as she rose and prepared to leave.

He knew that people didn't think he was capable of delicacy. That he was reckless and thoughtless and careless. And, yeah, sometimes he knew they had a point. But there were certain things he would slow down for. That he would handle with respect and treat with care and attention.

Lucy's health and happiness were things he had learned to prioritise. He wasn't perfect and he still made mistakes sometimes, but there was nothing he wanted more than to help her get better and to have her smiling at him and teasing him and bickering with him over what job to take. For her to complain at him for not putting his weights away or for her eyes to light up when he slow roasted meat for dinner, in the way that she loved where it practically fell apart when it hit your tongue.

For all those things, he could be careful with her and treat her gently and ease her back to health. And he was pleased that Wendy knew that.

'Thank you, Wendy.' He reached over to rest his hand on her head, hoping that the gentle touch got across how thankful he really was, and she smiled timidly up at him, accepting the affectionate pat with a little of her customary shyness.

'You're welcome, Natsu-san.' She bowed a little at him, her manners always too formal and precise, even though they were all like family now. 'Send for me if you need anything, but I'm sure everything will be fine.'

Carla de-transformed into her normal Exceed form and she flew over to Happy to pat him on the arm, before flying out of the room ahead of Wendy. Happy was so distracted with carefully patting the cloth on Lucy's skin that he barely noticed the comfort Carla offered to him, even though Natsu was sure she had a little blush as she flew off.

He got Happy's attention, though, when he plucked the quickly warming cloth out of his paws to dip it back in the water and cool it again, wringing it out before passing it back.

'Okay, buddy, we're going to take such good care of Lucy she is going to forget all about the fact that we spilt ink all over her new book!'

'But, Natsu, she doesn't even know we did that, yet. And didn't we already buy her a new one?' Happy had returned to his task, crawling down to run the cloth over the bare expanse of her lower legs.

'Yeah, so whilst she's resting we can read it to her, right? Like she does to me when I'm hurt.'

He didn't often manage to injure himself to the point where he was bedridden, but on the occasions when he had she had always sat with him whenever she could. Sometimes she would play games with him, if he was able, but often she would bring a book and read it aloud to him. The books she read for herself tended to be soft and romantic, books he wasn't that interested in, even if he had sneaked more than a few looks at them since they had started making their relationship more intimate. But the books she chose for him were more fun, filled with adventures and action. She loved those books, too, and she read them with great animation in her face and voice as the words tumbled out. He was pretty sure it was books like that that had fanned the sparks of her wanting to leave her father's home and join a guild into a full blown flame.

He grabbed the wooden chair from Lucy's desk and set it next to the bed, placing the pan of water and the glass and jug onto it, so it was in easy reach. Then he wandered over to his pack and dug the new, replacement book he had secretly brought for Lucy on their last job.

He wouldn't be able to read it as quickly as Lucy would. And he definitely wouldn't sound as smooth and the voices wouldn't be as good as hers. But if he could give her even a fraction of the relief he felt when her words trickled through his drowsy senses when he was lying in pain and discomfort, he would struggle through the pages and do his best.

He returned to the bed, settling down next to her, but not so close that the heat of his skin would disrupt Happy's work in keeping her cool, and cracked open the book.

When Lucy woke, her head clearer than it had been for what seemed like days, she felt sticky and uncomfortable and twitchy, her skin oversensitive and her throat sharp and painful when she swallowed. But the memories she had of waking up with sweat dripping off of her skin and writhing away from sheets that seemed to be radiating heat back into her body or of shaking furiously from the cold and curling into Natsu, sat beside her, and begging for him to warm her up made her feel like this awakening was certainly an improvement in her state of being.

Her memories were fuzzy, though. She could remember Natsu getting her to drink things and eat things and holding her close when she was cold and helping Happy wash her down when her skin felt like it was on fire. And she could remember Happy patting her down with cloths and begging her to be okay and she was pretty sure she had told him off at one point for not letting her turn over, because she had been convinced that she couldn't move unless he had that cursed doll that Kain had once used on her. And she could remember snatches of Wendy, which made sense because Wendy would probably be called if she was sick.

The rest of her memories were little things like Natsu's voice washing over her, slow and steady. Or Happy purring when he was curled up into her neck when she was cold. Or hands catching her as she stumbled on the way to the bathroom, movements weak and unsteady.

She still felt a little unsteady, and she wasn't sure her legs would support her, but she really needed to relieve herself and her bladder wasn't going to wait for her to feel like she could walk halfway across Fiore to take on a dark guild.

She hadn't even managed to pull herself upright, though, before Natsu's tired face filled her vision and she felt his hands pulling her upright and into his chest.

'Hey.' The simple word seemed to say so much more, filled with relief and affection and, she couldn't help but notice, a touch of exhaustion, and she happily leaned into him and rested her cheek against his shoulder, feeling the way he tightened his arms in a brief hug before pressing a kiss to the top of her head.

'Hmm,' The hum irritated her throat, and she didn't hold out much hope for how her voice would affect it, but she asked him anyway, 'How long have I been out of it for?'

The words were crackled, and pain lanced through her throat with every word. Natsu must have felt her wince, as he pulled back away from her and reached across to the nearby chair to pick up a half empty bottle of thick liquid. She could vaguely remember the syrupy liquid and she took it off him gratefully and drank a little of the soothing tonic, feeling it ease and warm on it's way down.

'Two days, in and out. You've slept through most of it, but you've woken up quite a few times. Your fever broke last night.' He paused and looked back at the chair, where a jug of water also sat. 'Do you want some water, too?' He'd started to rub up and down her arm, the careful touch helping her feel grounded and secure. But although her lips felt dry and she could do with a drink of water, she really wanted the toilet first. And maybe, whilst she was up and out of bed, a shower. She really did feel sweaty and grimy and she was sure she smelt worse than she felt.

'Not right now,' She shook her head, glad that it didn't send any pain shooting through her skull, and tried to shift to the edge of the bed, 'But could you help me to the bathroom?'

Natsu got up off the bed, quickly, missing knocking into Happy who was curled up asleep, looking bedraggled and worn out, and moved to help her to her own feet. She was surprised that her legs didn't collapse under her when she stood up, with how shaky she felt, but she didn't need to worry about how long they would hold her for when Natsu kept hold of her hands the entire way across the room, gently guiding her into the bathroom.

She managed to stumble through the curtain on her own, and she was grateful when Natsu didn't follow her in, even though she could see his feet through the gap under the curtain, standing guard ready to come if she needed him. As much as she loved him, there were certain things she wanted to take care of without him.

However, when she finished relieving herself and went to walk over to the shower head, to turn on the water and clean the dried sweat from her skin, she found herself clinging onto the side of the tub and calling his name.

He was with her in moments, holding her up and checking her over to make sure she hadn't hurt herself when she fell.

'I'm okay.' She reassured him, but he still looked at her with a worried expression. She guessed she had scared him a little over the last couple days, and he was obviously a little overstrung with regards to her health. 'Can you help me get over to the shower?'

He looked a little uncertain, as if he wasn't sure she was ready for that right now, but she couldn't bear to feel unclean and she was sure it would make the lingering aches in her limbs feel better to feel the water on her skin.

'Please, Natsu?' He caved pretty easily with her looking pleadingly at him, and he supported her with an arm around her back and one on her forearm so he could guide her to the shower.

She was overwhelmed by a sense of deja vu and she vaguely remembered him washing her down with cool water, the feel of a cool cloth being passed over her back whilst she rested her forehead against his shoulder blades stuck clearly in her mind.

They had only rarely shared a shower before, and the experience hadn't really been all that erotic like she had hoped. Natsu didn't think of nudity as something sexual, unless it explicitly was sexual, and it had been difficult to turn his mind to a more romantic mood as he was used to bathing being a familial thing. So the few times they had stood under the spray together had been nice and had certainly helped her be more comfortable in her skin with his gaze upon her, but not like any sort of fantasy she may have read in her books. Strangely she felt that she preferred this new memory of him gently taking care of her whilst she couldn't take care of herself over any sort of tryst.

He guided her down to the wooden stool and she relaxed as the weight was taken off of her shaky legs. His hand rested on her back for a little, steady and secure, before she straightened up a little, feeling confident that she could stay upright and not fall over. She leaned her head back, eyes meeting his as he looked down at her from behind, and she smiled gently at him, letting him know she was okay. He grinned back at her, looking relieved despite the traces of exhaustion lingering in his features and he let go of her to reach for the controls of the shower and turn the spray on.

She reached for the hem of her nightdress and managed to pull it up and over her head, letting the sweat soiled fabric fall to the floor and shimmied her hips until she could remove her underwear without having to get up again, something she wasn't sure she could manage. Natsu glanced over a few times to make sure she wasn't going to tip off the stool, but otherwise focused on getting the water to a good temperature.

She reached a hand out, catching the spray where it was currently falling, and felt the water trickle over her fingers. It was comfortably warm without an overbearing heat and she sighed at the thought of it washing over her body.

'Is it too cold…?' Natsu was looking at her, concern and relief both invading his expression and she hummed in disagreement, nodding towards the water and encouraging him to adjust the head and angle the spray to wash over her.

The droplets of water felt heavenly, when they started to fall over her skin, and she had to stop herself from relaxing so much that she slipped right off the stool. Natsu reached out for her, briefly, but when he saw that she was in control of herself he turned around to pick up some washcloths and her favourite scented wash. She could smell the delicate fragrance the moment he opened the bottle and it made her reach out for it, hoping to wash away the grimey feel on her skin and the tang of sweat she was trying to avoid.

Instead, he took poured some of the wash on the cloth and took a gentle hold of her outstretched arm. He rubbed it up and down her skin, lather coating her in pleasant bubbles, and she allowed herself to give into his care for a little longer.

He moved around her, softly washing the lingering traces of her fever from her body and she could almost feel the weight of her heart grow heavy in her chest from how tender her was being.

Natsu was one of the strongest and most powerful people she had ever known. She had seen him fight and battle and destroy and rage. And yet here he was holding her foot carefully in his hand so he could wipe the soap down sole of her foot. But then, when he raised his eyes mischievously to hers and ran the corner of the fabric teasingly over the skin causing her to flinch and giggle, she couldn't help but recognise her silly, teasing and carefree best friend under the devoted partner and she swore she had never loved him more.

She regretted a little when the giggle turned into a light cough, her throat still irritated, and he pulled away from tickling her toes and let the amused grin fall from his face.

'Natsu…' She reached out for him, not wanting him to pull away from her, and he put the cloth to the side in order to pick up the end of the plait that was brushing against the small of her back, letting her hands brush over his shoulders as he remained crouched next to her.

'Want me to wash your hair for you?'

Lucy watched as Natsu and Happy got tangled in the fresh bed sheet they were trying to tuck over the corner of the bed, and her soft chuckle was interrupted by a yawn, deep and wide enough that she felt like her jaw would crack.

She felt drowsy, and a little achy, but she was comfortably warm and was still relaxed from her shower and relieved to be clean and surrounded by the pretty fragrance of her toiletries. She was dressed in loose but warm pyjamas and they felt soft against her still slightly oversensitive skin.

Even though Natsu washing her hair had involved his inexperienced fingers getting gently tangled in her long locks and him having to carefully tease the knots out, it had still been a pleasant new memory to keep in her heart. The way his face had scrunched a little as he unwove the plait and the way he rubbed the conditioner into his fingers before following her instructions on how much he should run through her hair and where to focus his attention. The moment hadn't even been broken when Happy had woken and noisily flew into the bathroom in search of them, crashing into Lucy and clutching at her in relief that she was awake. Natsu had had to send Happy off to get a fresh change of clothes for her so that he could rinse the blue hairs that had stuck to her wet skin away.

But, still, it was nice that her boys had taken such good care of her. Were still taking good care of her, trying to get the bed ready for her to go back to sleep. They had already reheated soup for her, left by Wendy according to Happy's pleased babble at seeing her not only awake but coherent and on the mend. And she had watched Natsu carefully mix a small measure of powder with the water he had brought her to drink, attentive to the way she still winced a little at sharp movements. And Natsu had sat there and carefully dried each lock of her hair by carefully running his hot but not quite burning hands over the strands, making sure there was no trace of dampness to seep the warmth from her and send her back into sickness.

Her eyes drooped, as another yawn racked through her, and she barely felt herself be lifted from the couch, not even thinking much about anything other than snuggling into Natsu as he held her and gently placed her down on the bed.

She clutched at him as he started to pull away, not wanting to open her eyes again but also not wanting him to leave. She was relieved when his weight settled down next to her and she felt his hands rest against her back, not quite pulling her against him but just encouraging the way she was already leaning into him. A soft weight pressed down in between their stomachs and, even without looking, she knew it was Happy-the gentle vibrations comforting and familiar.

'Natsu...Happy…' Her words were drawled, weighted down by the sleep that was trying to pull her under, and she forced them through her lips before they became too heavy to say. 'Thank you.'

Natsu tightened his grip around her, briefly, in a hug that she was too tired to return but that she felt down to her very soul.

'Of course,' Natsu sounded almost as tired as her, and she wondered how much sleep, if any, he had gotten whilst she was ill, 'We're family, right?'

Family. Not team mates. Not friends. Not comrades. Family.

'...family.' The soft whisper, coloured by the rush of love and affection that rushed through her at the thought, was all she could manage before sleep finally took her.

.

It may be noted that this series doesn't quite fit with the canon ending. Although I was careful to leave the story open as to what the final events of the manga would be when I wrote the first part, I wasn't expecting the time skip (or for Makarov to come back). That being said, I think I managed to predict the tentative feel of Nalu as something there that was ready to be explored (certainly from Lucy's POV) and this series doesn't hurtle too badly away from post canon. As well as Lucy's separation anxiety being something damned valid after Natsu's disappearing act. (Also...I wrote the 'Tadaima/Okaeri' reunion first!)

However, I'm not sure if I will explore this series more, as it is likely that any future fic inspiration I get will be based more on the actual post canon and not my several-months-early-prediction. But never say never :)