. Home .

His eyes never left her sleeping face as he slid into the room, making sure to close the window behind him. Maybe he'd be able to lessen her anger that was inevitable come morning when she woke up. And maybe, just maybe, Lucy wouldn't kick him out of her bed the second she realized there was someone in it with her.

He had a good reason for sneaking into her home, he told himself as he shrugged his usual vest off, carefully unwrapping his scarf and setting it on Lucy's desk. Usually, he didn't ever take it off willingly, but he'd long since learned that he could usually keep her asleep longer if the strange material wasn't brushing against her skin. She didn't appreciate him breaking in, but he had his reasons. Which may or may not have consisted of the fact that he just couldn't sleep without Lucy beside him.

The problem had started only a few months after they'd become partners. After a particularly difficult job, he'd woken up in the middle of the night in a panic, terrified that she was dead and it was because he hadn't been there to save her. He'd ended up annoying the hell out of Happy for the rest of the night before going to meet Lucy at her home first thing in the morning, eager to walk her to the safety of Fairy Tail's guildhall.

So, now, even years later - and especially after the events of what had happened surrounding the Eclipse Gate - he couldn't sleep without her at his side.

He kicked off the sandals he wore, and then carefully eased his way under the comforter, where Lucy was curled up into a ball, a troubled look on her face. Natsu narrowed his eyes at that; was she in the midst of a nightmare? She didn't deserve those. He wanted to take all of those from her, just as she wanted to take the ones he had of her death from him.

Once sure he was safe under the blanket, knowing she wouldn't wake up for a while, Natsu got comfortable. He spread out, waiting with a knowing smirk on his face that nobody could see in the darkness.

As expected, Lucy was soon curling into his side, her head coming to rest on his shoulder, one arm thrown across his bare chest, and his legs tangled with hers. Natsu happily pressed his face into her blonde hair, breathing in her scent and relaxing letting his arm wrap around her waist to trap her there, completely unaware of the smile that crossed her face as one brown eye opened to glance up at him before closing again.

She'd wake up in the morning, pissed off that he'd sneaked his way into her bed again, but he didn't care, grateful and contently happy for the time being. Lucy was safe, in his arms.

And he was at home.

So...making up for my depressing one-shot earlier. :) Today's prompt was "Happy". This actually caused me issues. . How strange.