Natsu tumbled out of the bedroom, engulfed in the fluffy comforter, to find Lucy writing in a notebook on the couch. Still drunk of sleep and waking up to the uncomfortable chill without his usual snuggle-buddy with him, the racer walked into the doorframe twice in search for the blonde.

And here she was, still clad in pajamas and writing with a notebook he recognized from her backpack.

Tilting his head to the side, Natsu let out a childish whine before scurrying over to the couch and letting himself fall to the cushions, his face planting itself on Lucy's soft thigh. He ignored Lucy's startled squeak as he fixed himself to lay on his back, eyes tightly shut.

"Natsu!" Lucy whispered harshly, but her hand was gentle when it lightly pat his forehead. "What are you doing?"

"I woke up," he gurgled, sniffling, "and I was starting to feel gross, and you weren't there..."

"Honestly," Lucy sighed before tangling her fingers in his pinkish hair. Natsu really liked the feeling whenever Lucy did that to his head, making feel like he was in heaven by her gentle touch. She didn't sound too upset about his sudden entrance, so Natsu felt a little swell of pride in his chest at how Lucy is really sweet with him.

"Whadd'ya doin', Luce?" he breathed tiredly, cracking his eye open to look at the notebook in Lucy's other hand. It was worn down and kinda messed up from years of use, with little notes and doodles all over the back and front cover.

Lucy's brown eyes darted to look at his line of sight before smiling a little. Fixing Natsu's head on her lap to make her legs more comfortable and letting some of the blanket cover her feet; Natsu noticed her movement and held her legs in somewhat of a teddy bear-hold, resting his cheek against her leg.

"I'm just writing some stuff," Lucy shrugged after finishing. "I woke up early after our job and I just felt like writing. It's been a while since I've last done it."

"You like writin' stuff?"

"Mmhm. I was going for journalism while I was still in school," Lucy said softly, bringing the notebook down to rest on her other thigh to continue on writing with her pen. Natsu watched her face continue to concentrate on her writing, but a form of nostalgia in her smile. "I wrote ever since I was little with my mom. She kinda inspired me to take it into a career."

His head tilt against her skin, blinking. "How come you didn't finish, Luce?" he asked, but then regret his question when she stopped her writing hand and bit her lip. "You don't need to tell me, if you don't wanna. I was just -!"

"My dad forced me to quit school," Lucy explained with a little shrug. "I was in the second semester of my first year, and he said I couldn't go anymore. He already got my classes dropped and credits terminated, so I could stay home and take on the family business one day and I didn't want to."

"Why would he do that?" Natsu frowned darkly. Lucy looked to see him getting irritated, and it made her smile and brush her fingers through his hair again to silently tell him to calm down. "I mean, you were already an adult by then and you already decided what you wanted to do with your life - It's not fair for you that he did that."

"My dad...he changed a lot after my mom passed away when I was in high school," Lucy said quietly, her hand still gently touching his hair and cheek unconsciously. Looking to the scribbled words on her lined paper, the blonde woman's eyes went to a hooded stare, as if she was lost in her thoughts. "He used to be super awesome at being a dad, but I guess my mom's death did something to him to make him think that I would die, too. It was weird, but I hated being sheltered like that to the point I couldn't go anywhere."

"Sounds like those princesses trapped in towers, or somethin'," Natsu grumbled before crossing his arms underneath the blanket. Lucy giggled at his idea and agreed with his childish pout.

"It got to the point of him telling me what would be best in my favor and whatnot that made me leave with my backpack and sneakers," Lucy went on. "I got sick of having someone telling me what was right or wrong in their opinion; I wanted to go to school and go to parties, and even check out races and car shows, like my dad used to take me and my mom to when I was little..."

"I've always wanted to go to college, but I never knew what I wanted to do with my life," Natsu hummed suddenly, making Lucy look down to his gentle face. "I grew up in Fairy Tail with my dad, so all I knew was cars, races and working for the good guys. My dad would make sure I made it to school during the day - like kindergarten, junior and high school, you know? - and pick me up on time and bring me back to the garage to do homework. And, when I finished my homework correctly, he would take me to the races to watch him.

"I used to fall asleep in the crowds, even with the music practically killing my hearing," he snorted with a grin, making Lucy smile a little. "Macao would watch me until Dad finished, then he'd drive me home... That's how I would get sick, by the way; I would eat tons of junk food before passing out, and then I'd wake up screaming to tell my old man to pull over."

"Ew, Natsu!" Lucy giggled and pat his forehead again, making the racer snicker.

Grabbing the hand on his face, Natsu pulled Lucy's palm up to look at the creases and marks on her hand with great interest. "After high school, I wanted to think about my options for college, but nothing ever came up. All I could really think of what to do with my day is working in the garage and racing at night."

"I think it's okay to do that," Lucy offered, letting him fiddle with her fingers. "Not everyone needs to go to college, Natsu."

"Yeah, but I think it's great that you tried," Natsu shrugged, looking up to her. "And who knows? Maybe you can go back to college again? The station and big shots are pretty nice in helping with tuition and all that, since Mirajane is going for a medical degree and Levy is going for another language and biology."

Smiling bigger, Lucy held Natsu's hand. "Maybe someday," she nodded in agreement. "But, for right now, I'm pretty content with where I am now. I'm enjoying what I'm doing here in Fairy Tail and being your partner and doing races. It's kinda like what I missed when I was locked up at my old home."

"What, like parties?" Natsu blinked with confusion.

Shaking her head, Lucy laid back on the couch and closed her notebook on one hand. "No, having friends and making good memories...even if it means throwing a bomb out the window and trying to take down drug dealers in heels."

"So you're gonna finally throw bombs during races, Luce?" he perked hopefully.

"I'm still sleepy, Natsu. I promised Lisanna that I'd help make breakfast around nine, so lemme nap!"

"Aww, Luuuce! C'mon, I know you wanna try it. It can be a little one, if you want.""

Lucy grinned at the noise Natsu made of a whine. "Hey, Natsu," she peeped and waited until he grunted again. She didn't need to look to see him still pouting like a child. "If I ever do go back to college, wanna come with me? I'm sure we can sneak you into some of my classes so you can check it out. It's just long lectures and tons of quiet time."

Natsu made a noise that was like an interested 'ohh', but also like a whiney cat. Raising her head to look back down to see him actually thinking about it; a little sparkle in his hazel-colored eyes looking to the ceiling before looking to her. "If I can't be in the classroom, I can wait outside in my cool car and wait until class is over. Kinda like what my dad did with me, but my car is so much cooler and everyone is gonna be jealous that you got an awesome car, Luce!"

Lucy didn't hesitate to agree with him, but she wasn't expecting him to push himself up with his arms and meet her nose-to-nose, exciting her heartbeat and blush to rise from her cheeks. He grinned so wickedly before dropping his weight against her, making Lucy squeak and tumble down on the cushion, their faces smushed together by the cheeks while the blonde laid against the couch. Natsu brought the big, white, fluffy blanket around his shoulders and wrapped himself and Lucy like a burrito on the couch.

"N-Natsu! What are you -?" Lucy stuttered in a whine.

"I'm gonna be blasting music and roll the windows down when classes get let out," Natsu laughed loudly, snuggling his roommate. "I'll sneak into your classes like a ninja. Nin-nin!"

"Stop it, Natsu!" Lucy tried not to laugh when Natsu snickered against her.

"Nin-nin, Lucy! You gotta say nin-nin!"

Gray woke up to his cellphone going off on his nightstand. Cracking his tired eyes open underneath his dark blanket, Gray stared darkly to his cellphone vibrating against the wooden surface next to the lamp; reaching over to just check the Caller ID, Gray shut off his phone and rolled to his back.

A distant noise of a 'thump!' and an easily recognizable cry of Natsu could be heard over the layers of walls and floors between his apartment and his friends'. Gray quickly assumed that both Natsu and Lucy were awake by now, yet it could just be his new blonde friend wacking his childhood buddy again. He was glad that Natsu found another snuggle buddy and actually left him alone to get a good night's sleep for once.

He knew Laxus was more than grateful to have his bed back with his fiancee again, too.

Sitting up in his bed, Gray boredly let his chilly bedroom hit his exposed chest and back like a morning shower. Still tired from sleep, Gray blinked slowly while looking around his boring bedroom with both clean and dirty clothes all over his floor, hanging from a lamp post and the plushed chair in the corner.

Gray Fullbuster was a relatively clean and organized man living alone in his apartment. Since he moved in at the age of fifteen as an official racer for Fairy Tail, Gray always made sure that he kept his things in order in the livingroom and kitchen of his quarters. His bedroom, however, was more like a hell for any clothes he owned to his name. It was always a habit of Gray to wear lack of clothes (saved for his favorite white leather jacket he got for Christmas that would sometimes run away from him), so it was a normal sight Gray to wake up to a collaboration of clothes in his bedroom.

Pulling himself out of bed and ignoring his phone going off again on the nightstand and looked for a pair of jeans to yank on. Once obtaining that miracle of the day, the young man made his way out of the bedroom in time to hear his door being knocked on delicately. Groaning, Gray slouched his way over and opened the door a crack to see the petite mechanic dressed in skirt and a frilly tank, her makeup light and lips glossy.

One of those rare moments when Levy McGarden wasn't covered in oil or smelled like gasoline.

"Wha'ya want, Levy?" Gray sighed, bonking his head on the doorframe tiredly. He didn't even check the time yet, but Gray knew that his body would not fully awaken for another few hours. Gray was never the morning person, unlike his mother who would yank him out of bed during school with a sunshine smile on her face.

"Mornin', Gray!" Levy chirped loudly, making his ears ring a little bit and hit his head on the doorframe again. "Wow, you seem like you're hungover. Did you drink last night?"

"No," Gray frowned. "What do you want, nerd?"

The small woman smiled. "Makarov approved me and Lulu-chan going to the Phantom Lord for today to see Juju-chan with Erza," she explained sweetly. "It's just us girls, but I wanted to ask if you wanted to come and see Juju-chan too!"

Gray pinched the creases of his eyes before blinking them open by force. Swallowing thickly, Gray tried to his best to hide his pink cheeks with his large hand. "No. Can't today," he muttered. "Gonna help Jellal with his engine and work out today with Elfman..."

"What, did you get in trouble at the bar again with Gajeel-kun?" Levy smiled a bit brighter, but more teasing. "He's not gonna hit ya when Juju-chan is working, or if I'm around. I'll be your bodyguard today!"

"No," Gray said again, but he refused to meet Levy's brown eyes.

Levy pouted then, standing her ground in her cute sandals that she got as a birthday present last year and hands on her hips. "That's not like you. You normally jump at the invitation," she said in a huff. Noticing his tired eyes, she narrowed hers and raised her brows. "Did something happen, Gray? You look like you had a hard night, like you had a bad dream."

"Not bad dreams, nerd," Gray yawned. "Can you just go so I can go back to bed?"

"You're worried, too, aren't you?"

Silence took over between the two friends, Gray looking more offended while Levy looked calm and sincere to him. The small woman's eyes softened as a tiny smile started on her lips, her shoulders relaxing from her previous up-and-chipper behavior she previously had when she knocked on his door. Gray looked away from her to a much more interesting spot on the wall behind her (which he recalls being made when he and Natsu went at it in the hallway one night), and did his best to ignore Levy's sigh.

"It's okay to be worried about Juvia, Gray. No one is going to get upset that you have feelings for her and you want to make sure she's okay," she said quietly, trying not to allure any one else to open their apartment doors and ask for quietness. When the dark haired man was about to snap back at her, she raised her hand and gave him a hard stare. "No, don't try to pull that crap on me, Fullbuster. I know you like my cousin - hell, you probably feel something more than like at this point, now that I think about it - and you can't tell me otherwise. I'm not saying that to tease you at all, because I see nothing wrong with that."

"You make it sound like it's simple and easy," Gray sniffed bitterly, crossing his arms and leaning against the wooden door.

Levy shook her head. "No, it's not easy," she said, looking down to her shoes. "I understand you though, Gray: what it's like to really, really care for someone romantically, but you can't do much about it because of gangs and stuff. Especially when you're in Fairy Tail, right?"

"You and Gajeel get along just fine with each other," Gray rolled his eyes. "Now that I think of it, besides Juvia, he probably listens to you better than anyone else."

Levy peeped and clapped her hands to her cheeks to hide her blush, her eyes full of fury as she pouted at Gray, who didn't bother to hide his own smirk. "You little shit!"

Gray shrugged it off before going serious. "Makarov has told me to keep my visits to a minimum to the bar, especially when I go to check on your cousin," he explained, thinking back to the old man reminding him the other night when Gray was thinking about heading to his bike and taking off to get a drink. "Jose and that Sol guy know me well enough to keep a sharp eye on me, 'specially with all this shit goin' around with Acnologia and whatever. You, however, and Erza and pretty much anyone else isn't looked at as a threat when they walk into the place."

"You do spend a lot of time there," Levy said pointedly, making Gray flinch. "Even when Gajeel isn't kicking your ass left and right, I remember how you spent nearly every day in the summer trying to keep an eye of Juju-chan."

"Your point?"

"I feel bad that you can't see Juju-chan as often anymore, with what's going on," Levy huffed somewhat sadly, but smiling up to him again. "How's Natsu taking all of it? He doesn't seem as jittery as he usually is."

"I haven't really spoken to him about it," Gray confessed. "I think Gramps told him what is what and made him leave it as that, but I'm not too sure. He seems to be okay around Lucy though, so I assume he's taking it seriously for once."

"I see," she hummed. "That's good though. Him and Lulu-chan are pretty cute together."

Gray raised a brow. "Seriously?"

"You don't see it?" Levy grinned naughtily, clapping her hands together. "Haven't you noticed how Natsu isn't as loud and rowdy as he used to be? Whenever Lulu-chan says something, Natsu actually pays attention; he's always next to her and making sure she's alright, Lisanna and I are trying to figure out how long it will take until Natsu comes running to us about how to properly ask a girl out!"

"Ya shouldn't be doing stuff like that, Levy. This isn't high school, you know. You're acting like a gossiping sixteen year-old looking at the prom king and queen."

"Well, Natsu is certainly doing a lot more progress than you are with Juju-chan, so I'm setting my bets for Natsu. You've been at it with chances since we were teenagers, so you're getting pretty dry with the polls," Levy sighed and shrugged. Turning her heels, the blue-haired mechanic made her way down the hall. "Sorry for bothering you so early, Gray! I'll tell Juju-chan that you were too busy, but can get a to-go bag or something."

"Wait...wait! What did you just say?" Gray practically screeched in shock as he leaned out of the apartment and stared daggers at the retreating woman, who was skipping joyously to the elevator. "Levy! Get your tiny ass back here and tell me -!"

"Gray, shut your mouth, for God's sake!" Gray's neighbor, Elfman Strauss, the middle child of the Strauss siblings in Fairy Tail, groaned in annoyance beyond the wall. "It'd be the most manly thing to remain quiet while it's still early for some of us!" For all Gray knew, Elfman went out with his partner and not-so-secret-girlfriend, Evergreen, last night for a long job given by Makarov. Evergreen drives while Elfman served as a mechanic and muscle.

Gray purposely smacked his forehead to the door before letting out a lame apology, ignoring Levy's faint laugh as she disappeared and he remained alone in the hallway. Gray mentally cursed before closing his door and deciding to return to bed for another few good hours, at least before Jellal came searching for him for their plans on working on his engine.

Then, Gray remembered that his cell phone was still in his room. 'I'm...just going to hide it between the couch cushions.'