The soft, cushy surface of Lucy’s thighs has Natsu fading in and out of consciousness as he rests his head on them. It feels like he’s sleeping on a cloud; only this cloud has the same comforting smell as his best friend, and that’s what makes it all the better.
It’s a position he frequents when they’re travelling and he has to do all he can to try keep his innards from becoming outtards, so he’s never really had the chance to appreciate it until now.
Now that he’s had the chance, he never wants to leave.
Thankfully, Lucy makes no protest.
Instead, a hand makes its way to his scalp, and he feels it gently tangle through his hair, nails running softly against his skin, and the feeling practically jolts him awake in the best way possible.
Something about her touch makes him want to purr in her lap. She has him like putty in her hand, and he’s never felt this way about anyone else before.
If anyone else were around, he might have been mortified for them to see just how soft and mushy Lucy makes him, but when it’s just them, he doesn’t mind.
“Keep doing that,” he murmurs, his voice muffled as his lips brush against the skin of her thigh, but he knows he can hear her when it’s the only sound in the room. At the last moment, he remembers his manners and speaks up before Lucy can remind him of them. “Please.”
He can practically hear the smile in Lucy’s voice as she softly laughs at him, looking down adoringly at her napping partner in her lap.
“Of course I can,” she replies, and Natsu knows he’s about to have the best nap of his life.
made with love
ship: zelda x link (skyward sword)
summary: Wholehearted contentment can be found in many places. Today Link finds it in his best friend and a bowl of whipped cream.
ao3
my loftwing letters gift to @cjracingpnf ! I felt so inspired by the prompts you gave and I probably could have written a million words but I hope you enjoy this!
thank you @zelinkcommunity for hosting <3
Speckles of light sneak their way through the cracks in the window as the sun announces the coming of another day. It doesn’t bother Link until the rays of light begin to slowly creep their way to his bed, where they flitter across his eyes, forcing him to throw his arm across his eyes before eventually giving in to the start of a new day.
Rubbing away the morning floaters in his eyes is only enough to momentarily distract him from the scent of bacon that seems to be sizzling in the kitchen downstairs. It’s much too late for breakfast—Link rarely finds himself up in time for it on weekends—and even when he does find himself down in time, it’s rarely anything more on offer than a bowl of porridge with a selection of fresh fruits from the bazaar.
The halls are empty when he trudges out of bed; not much of a surprise given the warm weather that has washed across Skyloft today, but it only serves to pique his curiosity as he makes his way to the kitchen. Henya doesn’t work this late on weekends, and the professors don’t use the student kitchen, so it must be one of his classmates. He expects to see Pipit or maybe Karane when he turns the corner, but the soft hum that is almost obscured by the sizzle of the pan is unmistakable.
Although he makes no announcement of his presence when he walks through the door to the kitchen, he seemingly doesn’t have to, as Zelda's eyes flick from the pan to him, and almost as if a switch flips inside of her, her eyes light up and a smile crosses her face. There’s something in that smile that makes his insides gooey, and Link can’t help but respond in turn with his own.
“Good morning,” she greets, her voice honey-sweet.
He meets her with a hum of acknowledgement, his voice still hoarse from sleep.
Students aren’t typically allowed to use the kitchen like this—Henya doesn’t like people touching her things, but no one can really say no to sweet, pretty, responsible Zelda. She’s trustworthy enough to leave the place just how she found it, and with a flash of that smile, who could say no to her?
Being the headmaster’s daughter certainly helps too.
“Can you please pass me the ladle?” Zelda asks, tearing Link’s eyes away from her to the bowl of batter that sits on the bench next to her.
Half of the cast iron pan has thick-cut strips of bacon, the fat seeping out to cover the rest of the pan, which, no doubt, is about to house a dollop or two of pancake batter. She flips over a slice of bacon while Link rummages around for the ladle before passing it over to her.
He watches over her shoulder as she pours the batter into the pan, his chin eventually coming to rest on it. If it bothers her, she makes no mention of it—they stand like that for several minutes with Link’s eyes drooping shut as the scent of his Zelda wraps around him like a warm blanket, her soft hum almost lulling him back to sleep.
If he could stay in this moment forever, he would.
Stacks of pancakes build up on a plate next to the stove, and the batter in the bowl begins to look shallower by each passing minute. Link’s stomach gurgles at the sight of it, eliciting a laugh from Zelda.
If anything must break this moment, he supposes breakfast isn’t the worst reason.
“Since you’re so eager to eat my breakfast, why don’t you whip us up some cream?” She tells him.
Any attempt at reprimand falls short because he can hear the smile in her voice, but he concedes to her request anyway. A fresh bottle of cream flows into the glass bowl, nearly splashing over the lip before Link adds in the sugar and begins to beat it to the perfect consistency. He’s done this many times for her before for other cakes and sweets she’s cooked for him and their classmates.
She claims it’s because he’s better at it. He knows it’s just because she doesn’t want to do it herself.
Link does it regardless, because there’s not much he wouldn’t do for her.
He pulls the whisk out of the bowl, and a firm dollop of cream sits atop it in a stiff peak. With his pinky finger, he takes a small dollop off the top to taste, and a content sound passes through his lips. Zelda glances over at him, and his eyes glance from the cream to her and then back to the cream.
“Don’t you dare.”
By then it’s too late—he’s already smeared some cream across the tip of her nose, which scrunches up in disgust, eliciting a hearty laugh from him.
“Link!” She squeals, only serving to make him laugh even harder.
She tries to reach for the whisk, no doubt to enact her revenge, but he holds it up above her head and just out of reach. One hand grabs onto his wrist, trying to pull his hand down, their chests pressing against one another as she tries to grab it from him. When that proves futile, she lets out a huff and steps back. Losing the feeling of her being close to him almost makes a sound of discontent escape his lips, and that is just enough to keep him distracted when she drags her finger through the bowl of cream and plops it on his nose. It’s enough to catch him off guard, nearly dropping the utensil on the floor, but it makes Zelda howl with laughter, so he doesn’t have it in him to be mad at her.
Once she seems to have cooled down, the two are left standing there, smiles painting their lips and adoration in their eyes. She looks so cute in that moment that he finds it in himself to do something he might not otherwise, and he leans down to lick the cream from her nose.
A deep flush quickly takes hold of her cheeks, and in a moment of embarrassment, Link sheepishly ruffles his hair, eyes darting away from her. She doesn’t say anything for a few seconds, and he wonders if he should apologize, but before he can open his mouth, her hands are on his shoulders, and she pulls herself up to reciprocate, leaving a cool wet feeling on the tip of his nose to juxtapose the warm feeling that spreads across his face and down into his heart.
When he gains the courage to look back at her, there’s a shy smile on her face, and there’s no doubt in his mind that the one he returns to her is a large, lopsided grin.
“You’re such a pain,” she tells him, but the words don’t mean much when neither the smile nor the flush leaves her face.
She turns back to the pan, saving a pancake from the cruel fate of a charred top while Link’s heart thurms all the way inside his ears.
He buries his face in the crook of her neck while she finishes up, and she lets him.
There’s still a tinge of pink on the apples of her cheeks when she plates the food up, placing an extra slice or two of bacon on his plate and pouring a generous amount of maple syrup on hers, even though she’s already sweet enough.
In that moment, the only way Link feels as though he can describe it is content.
Just Link, just Zelda, and a little something made with love.
As per the instructions, Natsu readied himself in both body and mind, his hands in fists and his knees bent in preparation.
“Set.”
His eyes were trained firmly in front of him, where he would soon meet his target. His body was eager to bolt, but he held still until he was given permission for release.
“Go!”
He dashed quickly through the sand as soon as Lucy’s voice rang out, and the stick went soaring through the air. Little Plue ran alongside him, though his little legs were simply no match for Natsu. The stick landed in front of them with a thud, and Natsu skidded through the sand to come to a stop and grab it before Plue could. He held it up in victory, pumping his hands in triumph, only to be met with an eyeroll from Lucy and a whimper from Plue.
“I win!” He declared, a grin plastered across his face as he held his trophy out of reach of his girlfriend’s dog at his feet.
“It’s not really fair when your stride is three Plue’s long,” Lucy said, unimpressed by his win. “He’s just a baby.”
He wasn’t sure her just a baby comment was warranted, given Plue was at least five years old, but nonetheless, Natsu tossed the stick to the side, already having had his moment and letting Plue chase after it. He let him have his fun before he delivered it back to Lucy, and they let the cycle repeat all over again.
The streets of Magnolia were illuminated by little more than a few flickering lampposts and a wash of moonlight from above. The sound of footsteps against pavement was all that filled the air as Gray walked down the streets, Juvia’s boots clacking against the ground in tandem.
Though the quiet was comfortable, it was promptly broken as Juvia spoke up in observation.
"Hey, look, there’s Natsu and Lucy,” she hummed as she gestured over to the pair.
Looking up, Gray confirmed her claim, finding both of his teammates standing outside the familiar apartment building on Strawberry Street. He hadn’t seen either of them all day, neither having shown up to the guild that morning. He had assumed that the two of them had gone on a job by themselves—something that was happening with increasing frequency these days, even for them.
In recent times, the two of them had been attached at the hip, which had never been unusual for them, but the more he thought about it, the more Gray realised how long it had been since he saw one without the other.
Though they were rather far away, he could still notice the crease in Natsu’s brow as he listened intently to what Lucy was saying. He couldn’t hear what they were saying, and though he never considered himself nosy, he couldn’t stop the way his interest was piqued.
Plagued by curiosity, Gray stood in place, and Juvia did not protest.
Lucy’s hands nervously wrung together behind her back as she spoke, and Gray had never been more envious of Natsu’s keen hearing than he had been now, a sentiment Juvia seemed to share as she watched on intently.
A few moments passed of not much more than talking going on, and just as Gray was about to suggest their leave, Lucy’s hand suddenly came up to cradle Natsu’s cheek before her lips were on his.
“Oh!” Juvia breathed out in a gentle gasp, clearly taken by the soft romance of a kiss under the moonlight.
Based on Natsu’s bewildered expression as they parted, Gray could safely assume that they had accidentally witnessed his first kiss.
For a beat, he stood there, gaping like a moron, as Lucy nervously looked away.
Gray grimaced as he was plagued by sympathy for Lucy for Natsu’s painful obliviousness, but before that could linger much longer, he practically threw himself onto her, Lucy stumbling back slightly from the force as Natsu almost violently kissed her. She desperately grasped onto his hair as he held her close to his chest. He could practically see the way that Natsu shoved his tongue into her mouth, and now he was grimacing for another reason.
“Oh,” Juvia repeated, her voice less filled with wistful romance and more tainted with slight repulsion at the overt public display of affection.
“We should go,” Gray suggested, tearing his eyes away from the train wreck unfolding before them.
Juvia meekly nodded in agreement.
Natsu could practice kissing in his own time; Gray simply did not want to be the one to bear witness to it.
“Hey, wait,” Lucy called from behind them, prompting the trio to stop walking and turn to face her, where they were met with their friend bracing the wall with one hand and slipping her heels off with the other. “My feet hurt…”
Gray and Erza continued down the street once she had removed her shoes and tottered to catch up with them, but Natsu waited behind, holding his hand out expectantly. She looked up at him, confused for a moment before she realised what he was offering, where she then promptly passed her shoes over to him to carry.
“Thank you.”
She was still a little wobbly without the shoes, but she was much faster without the ache of the arch impairing her. They hadn’t had much to drink, but considering how much of a lightweight she could be, he wouldn’t be surprised if that had contributed.
Their decision to head home early was reaffirmed when Lucy let out a yawn, soft and squeaky, not much unlike a kitten, and Natsu quietly laughed at how uncanny it was.
Even as he slowed his pace, she still struggled to keep up with him, so when he reached out his hand for her to grab, she took it quickly. Their fingers comfortably intertwined, and she pulled herself closer, wrapping her arm around his, resting her head against his shoulder.
The feeling of her sudden closeness caused his heart to skip a beat or two. That seemed to be happening around her a lot, as of late. A pleasant warmth spread from his heart to every single nerve ending in his body, and suddenly all he could think about was how he never wanted her to let go.
“You okay?” He asked, keeping his voice gentle and sickly-sweet, the way it only ever was with her.
Sleepily, she nodded her head against his arm, letting out a small murmur of affirmation that Natsu surmised to mean, okay, just tired.
“You want me to walk you back to yours?”
Lucy didn’t answer, merely squeezing his arm tighter to get her answer across.
Natsu thought he understood what she meant.
Together, they walked in content silence for just a little bit longer before Lucy finally mustered the energy to speak.
“Can you stay?” She murmured, her voice so quiet that he wasn’t sure he heard it at all.
Natsu’s body aches with every step he takes through Magnolia. It’s been a while since a guild fight roughed him up like this, and while he knows it’s nothing that’s going to hurt long-term, it’s still not a pleasant sensation in the moment.
The path he’s decided on is different from his usual but not one that’s unfamiliar to him. He could go back to his little cottage in the woods, but Lucy’s apartment is much closer, and she hadn’t shown up to the guild today, so he’s still in need of his Lucy fix. He doesn’t have to think much about where he’s going; he’s taken the route so many times before that his feet bring him there as if on instinct, and before he knows it, he’s standing outside that little building on Strawberry Street.
He lets himself inside the way he has many times before and greets one of Lucy’s neighbours, whom he has come to recognise, with a light nod as they pass by in the hall. The stairs make his legs ache with each step, but he perseveres because he knows what’s waiting for him at the end.
The door’s unlocked when he arrives, and he doesn’t bother knocking when he lets himself in.
When he enters, he finds Lucy still in her comfy clothes, indicating she hasn’t left the house today and doesn’t have plans to soon. She’s curled up on the couch, half way through a book, which he assumes she started that morning and has yet to put down in that time, but her eyes flick up to meet him when she notices his entrance.
“Hey, Lucy,” he greets, and she responds in turn with a warm smile.
“Welcome home,” she hums, shuffling to the side of the couch to allow him more room when he eventually flops down to join her. “How was your day?”
Natsu merely shrugs as he makes himself comfortable next to her, finding the most comfy position to be the one where he lays in her lap.
“It was good,” he replies, which isn't a lie, but there’s something he feels he needs to add. “But it was lame without you there.”
Lucy lets out a soft laugh with an air of nervousness to it as she averts her gaze.
“What?” He asks, tilting his head at her strange reaction.
“Oh, it’s nothing, really,” she breathes. “You just say the sweetest things, sometimes.”
The view of the dark ceiling was not great company on nights like these. The eerie silence that lingered did not do her much better.
Usually Natsu’s snores could rattle the house, but for once in his life, he seemed to be sleeping peacefully. On a night where Lucy couldn’t seem to reach the grasps of sleep, a quiet Natsu would do her good, but instead it provided a sense of disquiet that only served to keep her up.
With a soft sigh, Lucy rolled over on her side to be met with the darkened walls instead. The new view didn’t do her much help.
She felt so deeply aware of her body, of her limbs, of every ache and pain she had ever experienced. Every position she moved into was more uncomfortable than the last, and yet she continued to shuffle and move around until she had tossed and turned every which way.
It was a good thing Natsu was a deep sleeper, or she would worry about waking him.
Her gaze lingered on him for a few moments. He lay on his back, sprawled out across his side of the bed. His face was scrunched up slightly in a way that she could only describe as soft—cute. It eased the tension in her mind, giving her something to think about that wasn’t about the anxieties or fears this time of night drew out of her.
Unfortunately, it did not ease the tension in her shoulders or legs that made this position uncomfortable to lay in for much longer. She rolled onto her other side to face away from him, hoping that maybe this time would be different.
And it was.
Sort of.
Natsu let out a groan from beside her, and before she could understand what was going on, his arm was around her waist, and he pulled her into his chest.
There wasn’t anything she could do to stop the surprised squeak that slipped past her lips as she was dragged into his embrace.
“Stop movin’ around so much,” he mumbled, voice hoarse as his lips brushed against the back of her neck.
His arms were tight around her—she couldn’t escape his grasp even if she wanted to.
She wasn’t sure she did want to.
“Sorry,” she murmured.
Natsu let out a soft but incoherent mumble that Lucy hoped was a noise of forgiveness.
Her hands came down to rest on top of his, and she eased into his touch. If this was the position she had to sleep in tonight, she supposed that wouldn’t be too bad.
The feeling of her bare feet against the cool grass is a pleasant sensation—something that would have never been allowed at the estate back home. But she’s not at the estate and that’s not home anymore. This is her home now and she can walk barefoot in the grass of the courtyard if she wants to, so she does.
It’s a little overgrown now with no gardener to tend to it, but neither of the residents seem to mind that. It suits the feel of the rest of the property with greenery making its home in the cracks of the stone walls, ivy running up and down the cobblestone. It looks like it came straight out of a children’s picture book right down to the centrepiece of the yard who is currently sprawled out across the grass, wings draped comfortably over his back as he basks in the sun.
His stature is massive and intimidating but the size of the castle makes him look measly in comparison. Still, the presence of a dragon laying in the middle of ones’ property would be enough to have any one cowering regardless of size, but Lucy knows better.
She has no issue approaching and subsequently, she has no issue reprimanding him to rouse him from his slumber.
“Are you going to do anything today, or are you just going to sleep in the courtyard all day, you lazy dragon?”
Natsu doesn’t say anything but he slowly opens his eyes and lets out a huff that subsequently wakes the little Russian Blue stretched out in the grass beside him. Lucy is still standing before him, hands on her hips, expecting an answer out of him but instead, all she gets is his snout nuzzled into her stomach in a sign of his affection.
She stumbles back slightly from the force but quickly regains her bearings and clutches onto him. When she is fully balanced, Lucy rests her forehead against the top of his snout and nuzzles her nose against the warm scales that line it. It’s maybe a strange, unconventional show of affection, but they have a strange, unconventional relationship, so it just feels right.
