Hello everyone! Sorry I haven't been updating much lately. See, most of my stories are for glee or avatar, and I'm not as passionate about wither of those fandoms anymore, so I haven't had much inspiration for those stories (also I lost the document for the atla story and I have to start over entirely goodbye friends I am gone). Anyway, my main fandom right now is Fairy Tail, and I'll probably be posting more FT fics on here than anything for a while. This is the story I wrote for the NaLu week bonus prompt "Sleep." Enjoy!

"So sleep tonight, but sleep dreamlessly this time; when we awake, we'll know that everything's alright." -"Arise," Flyleaf

Natsu rolled over in his bed for the umpteenth time that night, growling under his breath in frustration. It was three thirty in the morning, this was the first time he'd gotten the opportunity to actually get a good night sleep since future Rogue showed up, and he was still awake. Somebody out there must have cursed him.

The truth was, he had been asleep…for maybe an hour tops. He hadn't been able to fall asleep until around ten forty five, and woke up in a cold sweat around midnight, his breathing heavy. There were tears on his face and he felt like he was choking on the one word caught in his throat. Shit, he'd probably said her name in his sleep, and Happy must have heard. Stupid cat would get the wrong idea. He'd ran his shaky fingers through his hair, trying to calm himself. Lucy was alive, he reminded himself. The version of her from the future had died in front of him, but that future didn't exist anymore. Lucy was absolutely fine, and yet, every time he closed his eyes, he saw her coughing up blood, saw her collapsing on the ground, limp and lifeless. Every single damn time he saw her bright brown eyes turn dull and stare blankly up at him. It had only actually happened once, but he just kept seeing her die, reliving it over and over. It was hell.

And that was why he couldn't go back to sleep.

Natsu was tired. So tired. They'd only managed to defeat future Rogue two days ago, and he hadn't slept properly since before the dragons arrived. Ultear had spent the last couple of days restoring Magnolia with her Ark of Time magic (which was surprisingly strong enough to rebuild the most of the town when it was in shambles), and everything was mostly back to normal. Everyone was finally going to get a proper night's sleep. Everyone, it seemed, except Natsu. He couldn't possibly go back to sleep, not knowing what awaited him in his nightmares.

He was afraid that even closing his eyes for two seconds would result in something horrific. But his eyes were closing on their own accord, and he was just falling asleep when…

"I will make sure Lucy takes her last breath."

That's it. That is so it.

Natsu threw the covers off himself with an annoyed growl and hopped out of bed before making his way to the front door. "Natsu? Where're ya goin'?" Happy was just barely awake, peeking groggily up at the rose-haired teen from underneath is heavy eyelids. "Lucy's," He responded easily. "But Natsu, it's—"

"Yeah, yeah, I know what time it is. I just…I need to check up on her, that's all." Happy mumbled something that Natsu didn't catch before falling back asleep. Quietly, Natsu pushed open the door and stepped out into the night air.

It didn't take him long to get to Lucy's house. As he approached, Natsu felt himself panicking for no reason at all. "She's fine, she's alive…what the hell am I freaking out about?" "But what if she isn't? What if she's actually dead and this is all some sort of dream? What if there's someone in her house right now…?"

Natsu wasn't usually one to worry so much, but this time was different. He'd always been a bit more protective of Lucy than he was with the rest of the guild (he wasn't entirely sure why, she was no more vulnerable to danger than the others were, and he knew for a fact she could hold her own in a fight). Now that he'd seen what he'd seen, he couldn't stop worrying about her. He didn't know why, but the thought of Lucy being hurt put a sickening knot in his stomach.

Natsu climbed clumsily up the wall to her window, hoping he didn't wake her up. Once he'd somehow managed to reach her window, he perched on the windowsill and directed his gaze at her bed. He'd just stay there for a while, make sure she was sleeping soundly and in no danger, and then he'd leave…

That was the plan, until he realized she wasn't there.

Natsu's brain went into hyperdrive. She wasn't there. Where the hell was she? What if she'd gone out earlier and been kidnapped? What if someone associated with future Rogue had found her and tried to kill her again, or worse, future Rogue himself wasn't actually dead and he found her? Shit, what if some creep cornered her in a dark alley and…

"Natsu?"

Crap.

Slowly, Natsu turned in the direction of the voice. "Ehe…hey there, Luce…" He mumbled, embarrassed. "What are you doing?" He grinned sheepishly, stepping off the windowsill and into her room. "I, uh…I couldn't sleep. What were you doing?" Lucy tugged nervously at her pajama shirt, and he noticed briefly that it was an old t-shirt he'd left behind once. "I couldn't sleep either…" She rocked back and forth on the balls of her feet, still playing with the bottom of the shirt. "But I don't see how coming here would help you sle—"

Before she could finish talking, Natsu pulled her into a tight hug. He buried his face in the crook of her neck, trying to pull her closer, even though that wasn't really possible at this point. Lucy's arms were pinned to her sides, but she hugged him back the best she could. "Natsu, what's this all about?" Her voice was a mere whisper, and he felt her breath on his neck when she spoke. "Nothing important," He breathed, running his fingers through her soft blond hair. "I just wanted to make sure you were okay."

"Of course I'm okay, why wouldn't I be?" There was a smile in her voice, as if she thought he was just being silly. Natsu said nothing, but refused to let go of her. "Natsu," The cheerful bounce in her words was gone this time. "Is this about future me?" He nodded. She made a noise between a laugh and a sigh. "Natsu, that future doesn't exist anymore. I'm okay. I'll be okay. I don't want you to worry about me," She pulled away, and he felt a little disappointed, until he saw the happiness in her eyes. "I'm not going anywhere."

Natsu felt like a weight had been lifted off him when she spoke. A smile crept onto his face, and he hugged her again, chuckling at her surprised squeak. He let go of her quickly this time, grinning down at her. "Thanks, Luce. I feel a lot better hearing it from you." She smiled with her eyes in that way that he loved seeing. He was too busy admiring that look in her eyes to realize that she was standing on her tip toes and moving closer. He didn't even snap until he felt her place a kiss on his cheek.

Natsu felt his face grow hot, and he was sure she could see the blush that accompanied it. Lucy giggled. "Anyway, come on. Let's go to bed." He froze, his eyes wide. "Wh-what?"

"You said you couldn't sleep, right? Well, it's late, so just sleep here. Not like you don't already anyways." His face was getting hotter by the second. "You mean…in your bed? Both of us? But you hate it when I do that!" Lucy blinked at him. "You never seemed concerned before," She deadpanned. "Besides, you said you wanted to make sure I was okay," She smiled sweetly. "This way, you'll know I'm safe, and I'll know you're safe, too."

"Uh…okay, I guess. But you don't get to yell at me if you forget in the morning!" Lucy rolled her eyes. "I'm not going to forget in the morning. Come on," She scooted over, making space for him. Hesitantly, he crawled into the small bed and laid down beside her. She sighed contentedly, burrowing herself under the covers. "'Night, Natsu," She yawned. He watched her closely, and she opened one eye expectantly. Should he…? Oh, what the hell. "Natsu? Are you…hey!"

He wasn't really sure why he did it, but on some wild impulse, Natsu pulled Lucy into his arms, holding her close to him. "Natsu, what are you—?"

"This way, I know you're really here. You're safe." She stared up at him for a moment, then smiled and looked away from him bashfully. "Yeah," She whispered. Lucy closed her eyes and leaned into him, a peaceful smile on her face. "'Night."

"'Night, Luce."

Natsu closed his eyes as well, smiling in spite of himself. Now that he knew she was safe, he could get some sleep.

(The fact that she was actually there with him made that more likely).

So, Thoughts? I'd love to hear your feedback, this is the first Fairy Tail story I've posted on here (I have other ones on tumblr that I'll get around to posting here eventually). I'd really appreciate reviews :D And like I said, expect more Fairy Tail from me these days! :)