Lessons in Love » NaLu A.U.

chapter » twenty eight

Merry Christmas, little star.

Lucy's mother greeted her every morning at the bottom of the staircase to those cooing words. Her outstretched arms would provide a perfect room to leap right in to as she tried her best not to tumble down the steps.

The last time Lucy vaulted into her mother's arms was years ago, and she never got used to the feeling of Christmas without it.

In order to distract herself from the pains of her earlier life, Lucy set to baking. It was the least she could do to remind herself that she chose to spend another Christmas alone instead of with someone and repay her friends for their hospitality. A moot gift of sorts.

Lucy had her hair safely tied back in a bun and headband to keep the hairs away, and her arms felt a bit chill from constantly being run under the water to get dust storms of flour off her. She wasn't the best cook, but she definitely had spirit.

The knock at Lucy's front door made her bump her phone with her elbow to cease the music. Wiping her hands off on a dish towel, Lucy trotted over to the peep hole to see Natsu standing outside with a paper bag of groceries.

"Hey," Lucy stepped aside to let him in. "Thanks for going shopping for me. Did you get those chocolate chips?"

Natsu nodded his head proudly and pulled out a big bag of chocolate morsels. "There's that and more. I also got those fruity gumdrops and some other minty thing that I'm not sure what it is but it looked good."

"Sounds about right." Lucy laughed softly. She leaned up to give him a welcoming kiss to his cheek before moving back to the kitchen.

There was never really a definitive point when Lucy and Natsu became anything. They're relationship progressed in unspoken stages, and she liked it that way. This stage seemed to be the normal relationship one, and she kind of admired it.

"Wanna help?" Lucy wondered aloud, tearing open the bag of chocolate chips and dumping it into the batter.

Natsu nodded his head, his scarf already around his hairline like a protective headband or a ninja warrior. Either way it was fitting. He jumped right into the kitchen, knowing good and well that his first stop was the sink to wash off his hands.

As he dried them with a clean towel, he nodded his head to gesture at the cinnamon candies on the counter. "I don't think you can bake any cookies with those, Gray's allergic."

Lucy laughed heartily. "He can either not eat any or he can suck it up."

Natsu deadpanned silently beside her. "Luce, he's allergic. You can't suck up an allergy."

She wasn't sure what to say to it. "Well...you know he's not actually allergic, right? He's just being overdramatic."

The pink haired boy was silent for a moment before turning away from Lucy to hide his reddened cheeks. "Yeah, I - I know. Just...being a considerate friend." He mumbled. Natsu grabbed a handful of chocolate chips and stuffed them in his mouth.

"Natsu!" Lucy whined, bumping him with her hip. "Don't eat 'em all! Besides, that's gross and you just spilled a bunch on my floor."

A mischievous grin blossomed on the boy's face. He picked up a single chocolate morsel before tossing it harmless at it, where it bounced off her cheek. "What, don't do that?"

Lucy stopped everything she was doing and stood still. She needed all of her focus to regain her composure.

Natsu threw another one, hardly able to contain his smile. The chocolate chip went down the cleavage showing from her shirt. "He shoots, he scores!" Natsu cheered to himself, hands in the air.