Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail, or it's characters. They all belong to their rightful creator, Hiro Mashima.

Canine Lucky

It was completely on a whim. There was no thought into the decision other than the fact that it would have been really nice to come home to someone who was waiting eagerly for her to return. Lucy Heartfilia was eighteen years old, and by that fact alone, she was an adult. She lived on her own, she paid her bills almost always on time, and she took on the most dangerous of missions. It was about time she did something for herself.

She opened the door to her apartment. The place was naturally spotless and clean. Lucy turned to her new friend and smiled. She knew he wouldn't have cared in the least bit if she lived in the biggest pigsty known to man, which made her love him even more. He held no judgments against her, and all he wanted from her was her own undivided attention.

Instantly, he shot out for the furniture, jumping and clawing his way to sit on the cushions. Lucy gasped, dropping the bags of food to the floor.

"No!" Lucy's voice was stern, her index finger pointed at him for emphasis. "You don't climb on the couch!" She picked him up and set him down. She tried her best to put on a serious face, but the adoration that he held in his eyes when he looked back at her was making it really hard for her to be strict. Lucy sighed when she felt herself give in. "Alright..." she said. "But just this once!"

She picked him back up and set herself on the couch. He crawled over to her lap where he laid his head. Lucy cooed, complete bliss settling over her heart. She buried her fingers into his soft black fur and she lightly scratched behind his ears.

He turned over on his back, his paws trying to grasp her hands as she teased and tickled his exposed belly. Lucy giggled at his playfulness. He yelped and growled, his young vocal cords making him sound all the more adorable. How cute could one creature be? Why had it taken her so long to do this? The wagging of the tail, the excitement and the total trust for her in his eyes. She definitely had the right idea to adopt this puppy.

"What should I name you, hmm?" she asked, looking him over. His fur was black with patches of white and brown around his body. His hair was shaggy, but not too long. He had a short nose and the deepest brown eyes she had ever seen. He wasn't a huge breed, but a perfect medium. Lucy wasn't a fan of the tiny lapdog yelpers, and she believed the little guy was perfect for her.

"You don't look like a Tucker," she murmured. "Or a Rocko."

He looked up at her, almost expectantly.

"How about Biscuit?"

He whined.

"Duke?"

He blinked.

"Rebel, Shadow, Bear?"

He growled.

Lucy laughed, setting him back in her arms. She stood up. "Naming you might be the hardest thing I've ever had to do," she teased him.

She placed him back on the floor where he stumbled over his own feet. She picked up the plastic bags, and her newly purchased dog items and made her way over to the kitchen area. Immediately, she set his food and water down next to her writing desk. He didn't seem to be interested in the bowls.

She reached into one of the bags and pulled out several chew bones and a couple pouches of doggy treats.

His eyes lit up like a firecracker at the crinkle sound that was most likely imprinted into all of his senses. It was like he could smell the dog treats before she even opened the bag.

Lucy smirked. "I have all the power here, Pup!" She peeled away the top, and pulled out what smelled to be a strip of dried bacon. She dangled the food in front of his nose.

"Sit!" Lucy commanded. When he didn't obey, she tried again. "Sit!" Her tone was deeper and more authoritative. Still, the dog seemed to be more interested in eating the treat than pleasing his master.

"Sit, sit, sit!" He did nothing but whine and plead against her ankles. Lucy sighed and smiled, letting him have what his heart desired so much.

He greedily munched, his tail wagging in happiness.

She turned just in time to catch Natsu slipping through her window. Happy closely following after. She had witnessed him do this many times before, but it never failed to set her anger off.

"Natsu," Lucy warned, sighing in agitation. "Can't you use the front door like a normal person?"

Before he could respond, her new partner in crime was on the ferocious attack. The small bundle of fur skidded across the floor to where Natsu stood and immediately started barking.

"What the hell!?" Natsu exclaimed, jumping onto the couch just seconds before his feet was mauled by this creature.

Lucy observed the scene before her eyes. Here was Natsu, the bravest, the most fearless dragon slayer she had ever come to know. He once barraged through a council meeting with an Erza costume, he had fought against the most powerful and evil Master of Grimoire Heart, he even took the infamous Acnologia dragon head on. But here he was, seemingly scared and very afraid of a small and defenseless puppy.

It was too hilarious not to laugh.

"Relax, Natsu," Lucy teased him, a smirk splaying across her pink lips. "It's just a puppy."

"Yeah, an evil puppy bent on gnawing my toenails off," he cried, then turned to Happy who was completely still in shock.

"You... got a dog," he simply stated. His eyes began to water, and he looked at Lucy, his face full of betrayal. "You don't love me anymore, Lucy?"

Lucy rolled her eyes at the pathetic whine she heard in his question. Happy always had a way of making things more dramatic than they had to be. Always. "Of course not, Happy," she reasoned.

"But you have me and Plue, don't you?" he asked, frowning. "Why do you need a dog?"

"Plue..." She thought of the celestial Nikora she had a contract with for years. "You're right," she said. "I do have Plue. He is cute, and adorable, and I love him to tiny bits. But I know he is fine in the celestial world right now. And you, Happy, you are not a pet, and more importantly, not mine."

Then her gaze settled over to the puppy sitting happily at her feet, finally finished with terrorizing her pink-haired friend.

"But this guy..." Lucy carefully set him in her arms where he licked and slobbered all over her clothes. "When I saw him in that animal shop, behind the cage looking at me with those hopeful brown eyes, I just had to get him." She ruffled his hair which seemed to make him all that more excited.

"I guess..." Lucy began, a smile on her face. The small ball of fur in her arms had several locks of her blond hair in his mouth. He began to tug. "I guess I got him because it looked like he needed me."

She didn't really understand how the dog called out to her, but he did, and it was the understanding of her own loneliness that had her responding to him.

"You're always needed, Lucy." Natsu's voice was soft, like he was admitting a secret he promised to keep.

Her smile was tight, her head shaking. "Not really," she said. "You guys don't really need me."

"That's not true!" Happy flew over to her. "Who would keep Natsu in line if you weren't there?"

"Is that all I am?" A blond brow raised. "A mediator?"

Natsu looked dejected, and she hated it when he looked like that. Especially since she was the reason for his sadness. She set the dog back to the floor where he twirled and flopped, and chased his own tail. "Look, I'm sorry, Natsu. Happy. I got a dog because I wanted to. It didn't have anything to do with you guys, so don't take it that way, okay?"

Natsu shook his head, gathering the courage to set his feet on the floor. "No, it's fine," he said, his smile not really reaching up to his eyes. "I just... didn't know you felt that way."

Lucy sighed, feeling like she just opened a huge can of worms. She didn't mean to blurt the bit where she didn't feel like she was needed, even if that part was kind of true, but knowing Natsu, he took it to heart; an attack on him personally.

"Don't think much of it." Lucy tried to dismiss the whole thing with the wave of her hand. It really wasn't a big deal to her. Sure, there was a lot of times where she felt like she was completely in the way, but that was her own insecurities taking a front seat. She knew the rest of her guild members didn't feel the same way, especially Natsu.

"Luuucy!" Happy gasped, looking panicked. He pointed accusingly at the dog who looked back up at her with those huge chocolate doe-like eyes. "He peed on the floor!"

"No!" She whined, ripping a couple of paper towels and taking the pet bottle spray in her hands. Even though she was ready for the accidents the dog would most likely make, it didn't make cleaning them up any easier. Thank goodness she didn't have carpet.

"What's his name?" Happy asked, keeping his distance from the animal. He wasn't sure if he wanted to make friends just yet.

Lucy wiped at the floor, her brows furrowed in concentration. "I haven't figured that out," she said. "I'm sure it'll come to me soon."

"I should warn you that Erza is very keen to dogs, especially small ones," Natsu stated.

"Oh, really?" Lucy laughed at the image of Erza on her back, mimicking the playful antics of the puppy as they both kicked and barked at each other.

Natsu sat down to the floor, the fear gone from his face replaced with curiosity. He immediately made friends with the small furry animal. Soon, they were both in a sparring match. But it wasn't long before the dog had enough of the rough play and slipped out of his fingers, toward the safety of Lucy's feet. "You're lucky you got away!" Natsu yelled in mock anger.

"So what's up, Natsu?" Lucy asked, pulling food out of the fridge. It was getting late into the day and she was admittedly famished. All her excitement about getting that cute little dog earlier had her forgetting everything else that was important. In her peripheral vision, she saw Natsu stand up and approach her.

"Well, Happy and I were leaving for a mission tomorrow and was wondering if you would like to come." He reached into his pocket and unraveled a folded piece of paper. He showed it to her. "It's a hunt, actually. Someone has had problems with wild animals eating their crops and attacking the children. It's not far from here, a quick train ride up north. The reward is 100,000 jewels, and I thought it was perfect for the three of us."

Perfect for the three of us...

Lucy blushed and took the request from his hands. It was difficult to pay attention to the words on paper when he stood so close, when she could practically taste his scent on her tongue. He was constantly including her, despite it being work related. But that was how Natsu was. She briefly wondered why he didn't asked Gray or Erza to go with him instead. They were two very important parts of their team, after all. Seldom did they travel to missions with just the two of them.

Were they finally going to be alone together?

"It wouldn't take more than a day to complete," he stated, shrugging. "Perhaps Happy could stay here and keep your little guy company."

Okay, she would be completely alone with him.

Lucy turned away to hide the growing redness of her face, and pushed the strange nervousness she was feeling down. This shouldn't have been a huge deal, but for some reason, she couldn't shake off the weird giddiness that was running rampant along her nerves.

"Lucy?"

Lucy composed herself quickly, facing Natsu once again. "Uh, sure!" she said a little too loudly, hoping against her odds that Natsu couldn't read her mind as well as he could read her scent. "If Happy is alright with that."

She wondered when her feelings for him became so complicated. Natsu was the closest thing she had to a family, and he had been her best friend for a while, years actually, if she wanted to count the seven years they slept on Tenrou island. They had been alone numerous times before, even in her apartment where he slept in her bed, so there was no reason for her to be so nervous around him now. He was Natsu, after all. Strong, capable and brave Natsu.

Lucy blushed again, knowing her face was inventing a new shade of scarlet.

"We should leave early tomorrow morning," Natsu suggested, totally unaware of her inner turmoil. "So we can get back before the night falls."

On the other end of the spectrum, he was also oblivious, quick-tempered, and completely reckless with a one directional mind when it came to fighting. She will definitely have to be there to make sure he doesn't destroy the entire town. Any amount of jewel that could be saved from him, she would gladly take it.

"Make me a sandwich, Lucy, I'm hungry." Natsu's tone was flippant as he walked away.

Her eye twitched in annoyance.

"Luuuuucy!" Happy cried, his paws over his mouth where he sheepishly giggled. "He peed on the floor again!"

Lucy sighed, finally irritated.

Tonight was going to be a long night.

End.

A/N: If anyone is wondering, Lucy finally decided on the name 'Lucky' after the poor little pup narrowly escaped one of Natsu and Gray's brawl balls that same night.