50 days • {Nalu}

Day 16

"I quite like it." Happy claims from above the two.

"Easy for you to say when you're flying." Natsu mutters with an eye roll. Even the ever so energetic Natsu was tired.

"The sun is starting to set. That train ride was too long." Lucy noted.

"Hopefully we can find a cave or something to sleep in over night."

"That sounds terrible, Happy."

"If worse comes to worse, it's our only option." Natsu agrees.

"But Natsu! That's creepy. What if there's bugs?"

"Then I'll burn them to a crisp."

"Is that your solution to everythi-" Lucy started to say but slipped. Luckily, Natsu grasped her hand before she could fall off the side of mountain.

"Lucy, don't look down." he instructed. They were really high up and if she were to see that, she would most likely freak out.

Instead, she looked into his onxy eyes that held calmness.

"I'm scared, Natsu." she whispered in a trembling voice.

"I'm right here with you. Don't worry, I got you and I am not letting go. On the count of three, I'll pull you up."

Lucy gave a firm nod. "One.."

"Two..."

"And three!" Natsu shouted as he tugged her up. He held her against his chest as they fell back on the mountain path. Lucy scrambled off him and sat up, holding onto her injured ankle.

Natsu sat up himself and looked over. Happy, finally snapping out of his frozen state of shock, flew down and rested by Lucy.

"Lucy's not dead, right?"

"Jeez, cat. Why do you always want me dead?" she muttered.

Natsu stood up, holding his hand out to Lucy. "Let's go. Be careful, okay?"

She grabbed his hand and as she went to stand, she hissed in pain and fell back down on her butt.

"What happened?" he asked, kneeling down in front of her. She pulled her hand away from her left ankle to show him. It was bruising and slightly cut; he figured it was also sprained.

"I twisted it on a rock since I wasn't watching where I was going. I must've cut it when falling and not felt it due to adrenaline." she explained. "I can't walk on it."

A tearing sound was heard, breaking the short silence. Lucy looked up to see that Natsu had ripped the long sleeve off his coat and began to wrap it around her injured ankle. She gazed at him in awe, not quite understanding why he ruin his own belongings for her.

"Happy, fly ahead and try to find a place for us to take shelter for the night." He told his exceed to which he nodded and flew off.

Natsu moved himself to a crouch in front of Lucy. He then made a gesture to her and she looked at him confusedly.

"What are you doing?"

"I'm going to piggy back you up the mountain until Happy comes back and says he found somewhere. We can finish the job tomorrow seeing as you're injured and it's getting darker."

"Are you sure you can carry me? I'll only make you even more worn out."

"Trust me, Lucy. I can handle this." he looks back at her with a smile. She hesitantly wraps her arms around his neck and legs around his waist as he moves into a standing position. Once they are both steady, Natsu resumes the hime up the mountain.

They travel in silence, letting the sounds of the wind being the only thing they heard. As it got darker, Natsu used his magic to light a fire on his hand to guide them.

"Natsu! There's a cave a little ways away!" Happy declared as he caught up with them.

"Lead the way, lil buddy!"

"Aye!"

He followed Happy a little ways away in to a hollow cave. Happy left to retrieve some firewood while Natsu gently set Lucy down in the middle of the cave. When Happy returned, he made a small bonfire.

The wind was picking up since they had gone farther up the mountain, causing it to be quite cold. Lucy crawled her over to the fire to warm herself up.

"Is your leg okay?" Natsu asked. He sat on the opposite side of the fire, roasting a fish for him and Lucy that Happy had brought along with him. Happy sat next to Natsu, nibbling cheerfully on his raw fish.

"It just hurts a lot. Hopefully Wendy is willing to heal it when we get back."

"We're talking about Wendy here. She would never refuse to help anyone." Natsu chuckled.

"You're right."

They ate silently, hearing the creepy sounds of the wind being blown into the cave. Happy fell asleep with a full tummy and a blissful smile on his face. Lucy couldn't sleep due to her constant shivering.

Natsu moved to sit beside her and pulled her into his side. She looked up at him in shock to find his cheeks flushed pink.

"Just stay next to me. As a Fire Dragon Slayer, I'm naturally warm. It wouldn't look good if I let you freeze here." he said.

She smiled up at him, "Thank you, Natsu."

Lucy laid her head in his lap, finding herself warm and comfortable almost instantly.

"Use this too." he instructed, throwing scarf around her. She curled herself into a ball, wrapping the scarf around her body.

"Better?"

"Mhm." she hummed, finding herself falling asleep. A few seconds passed and Lucy's small snores were all that he heard.

He began absentmindedly play with her hair with one hand, while the other carassed her cheek. He would sometimes bring his thumb over to trace the small scar that lived under her eye.

It calmed him down as he leaned against one of the large rocks centered in the cave and drifted off to sleep himself.

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slightly long chapter.

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