Bonds of Mates

Ch 2

Lucy's pov

I roll over trying to get comfortable when I feel something heavy weighing down the blanket, preventing me from pulling it with me. I groan and sit up slowly and blink a few times. It's dark still. Wait, hang on, I'm in the guild's infirmary. I look down to my hip and see the gash is gone and in it's place a slight scar. I rub it lightly with my fingertips. Still pretty sensitive but so much better than before. I still don't feel 100% but I don't feel dizzy, no headache, my nausea is gone. I start to get up from my spot when a voices startles me in the dark. "You're awake." A mix of pain and anger in that voice but I recognize it. "Natsu?" He stands up and turns on a desk lamp from across the room then returns to his seat at my bedside and leans on the bed. He must have been why I couldn't move the blankets. He was leaning on them. 

The look he was giving me made me feel uneasy. He looked relieved but also really angry. I fiddled with my fingers in my lap. "You feel better?" He asked me making me jump. "yeaa, I think so. I don't feel completely better but better than I did." He nods his head then stands up sits right across from me on the bed and gets really close to my face making me blush. "Um, Natsu..?" He grabs me into a tight hug and squeezes me gently. I stiffen at first then slowly relax and bring my arms around him as well. I rest my forehead on his shoulder and I feel him move his hand from my back to the back of my head. He slowly let's me go and I do the same but bring my hand to his cheek. "Natsu, are you okay?" I ask worried. I notice a flash of anger cross his eyes but as quickly as I see it, it disappears. "No. I'm not." I stayed silent waiting for him to finish what he's going to say, "You almost died, Lucy. You were at death's door practically banging on it to go though it."

I didn't know what to say to him. I felt so guilty and really stupid. "I was scared this was it." I could see he was trying hard not to tear up. "I'm sorry Natsu.." I pulled him back into me and he relaxed into my chest. Just like back on the train, I hear and feel him breath me in deeply and sigh out in satisfaction. "I didn't mean to have you go through this Natsu I'm so sorry.. I can explain wh.." He sits up out of my arms and places a finger to my lips. "Let's talk about that once you're feeling completely better, okay?" He says suddenly exhausted. He lays back and pulls me down with him.. and I lay just under his chin and feel myself get comfortable and drift deep into restful sleep.

*time skip one week later*

Lucy pov

I feel so much better. The poison I had and how sick I got just feels like a bad dream. Natsu told me we'd talk when I got better but we haven't yet. It's like he's avoiding me. When we do talk? He's short tempered with me. Barely keeps conversation with me like he doesn't WANT to talk to me. He's almost never in the guild when I'm there, and he's stopped coming to the apartment. I'd be lying if I said that it didn't bother me, cause it does. It kinda hurts. Natsu's my best friend and honestly, I felt like I liked him more than that. A lot more than that. I've only hinted at my feelings towards Natsu to one person and she's been sworn to secrecy about it. I trust Levy to not say anything. She doesn't even touch on the subject in a teasing way. Which I'm grateful for because several others in the guild already tease us both for us "liking each other" but it's from pure speculation. Especially Mira and her wanting her "ship to sail".  All I know he loves is fighting, food, family and Igneel. No romantic love to speak of. If he's ever felt that way, you'd never know it with the way he acts. 

I'm sat at the bar with some tea watching Natsu and Gray but heads for what felt like the millionth time today. Over what? I couldn't tell you. Probably over something dumb as usual. Natsu just seemed to be extra cranky this last week. Pretty sure it's my fault. I tried getting him to go on a job with me. I didn't need the jewel, from the plant job I had more than enough for my rent so I was set, I just wanted something to do and get out of the guild for a while but he flatly said no and suggested I take a break from jobs for a little while. I guess that's understandable given how severely sick I was from the last one. But what hurt the most, was instead of doing jobs with me, he'd take them with Lisanna. Don't get me wrong, I have nothing against her, but every time I saw them together, hanging out, giggling, talking.. it hurt.