"Natsu, you can't go into work, you just got knocked out!" Lucy's voice squeaks, her voice always squeaks when she's nervous.

"Babe, I'm fine." I rest my hands on her shoulders "I've gotta make more money and since the nights already been ruined, you can relax with your book or put on your show and I'll be back soon, I don't have to do dishes when I get called in."

"But…" Lucy brushes her hand over my eye. "I'm so sorry, Natsu." She rests her head on my chest.

"Sorry for what?" I shake my head, She can be so ridiculous sometimes.

"I should have gone with Juvia when she went to find Grey." She wraps her arms around me "I put you in an uncomfortable position and I'm just really sorry."

"Baby," I cup her face in my hands and gently push her back enough to see her eyes, they're big and misty and her bottom lip is curled under in a pout.

"You didn't do anything wrong." I tell her "and I don't care if I don't know how to fight, I'm never gonna let anyone hurt you even if it means me getting hurt."

"I don't want you to get hurt." She whimpers.

"Would you do anything you could to protect me?" I ask already knowing her answer. She nods.

"Then let me do anything I can to protect you." I swipe a tear off her cheek with my thumb. "I'm really okay, it looks worse than it is." I assure her. She doesn't look like she believes me but she also doesn't look she's going to cry either.

"You have to go to work?" she asks. I nod and kiss the top of her head.

"You know we could use the money." I cradle her head in my hands, she nods but she's still not happy.

"It's just…" she sighs "you're hurt, because of me and I just want to make sure you're okay." She's so hard on herself sometimes. I wrap her in my arms and ignore the ache in my wrist.

"I wanted to protect you." I tell her firmly "I wanted to do that for you because it makes me happy, okay." I kiss her nose "So if it makes me happy, you want me to do it, right?" I ask her kissing her left eye. She nods, her eyes still on my eye.

"then it's not your fault at all." I kiss her other eye, "okay?"

"Alright." She sighs but turns a small smile on me and tiptoes to press a kiss to my nose. "but take it easy tonight, please."

"That I can do." I give her another squeeze before letting her go. Worry put tiny creases between her eyebrows but she's smiling. Everything is okay if she's smiling.

"Have a nice night." She waves to me "I'll see you at three."

"I'll see you at three." I peck a final kiss onto her lips before heading out and to the right. Lucy loves this apartment because it's on the bottom floor and right at the front so it's like we have a house.

I rush in through the doors, the parking lot is slammed, the restaurant is crowded and my hand and face are aching.

"Natsu!" Makarov looks relieved to see me "good man, good man." He points at his eye "who gave you the shiner?"

"Some guy at the club was coming onto Lucy and wouldn't back off." I shrug it off like it was no big deal, like I didn't need Grey to come save both of us.

"She alright?" Makarov stops his rushing around, he looks genuinely concerned. Makarovs a good guy though, usually a fair boss unless he's this crowded and has this many call offs.

"Yeah, she's fine. The guy was just drunk and trying to dance with her and she turned him down." I shrug as I hang the apron over me and tie it.

"Yeah, she's a sweet girl." Makarov shakes his head "it's ashamed people can't just mind their own business."

"Yeah," I agree "so where do you need me?" I ask.

"You're serving station three." He barks the orders out back to boss mode.

"Got it."

I balance the tray on my opposite hand because my right hand has a sharp pain in it but my left hand isn't as balanced so I can't even carry what I'm used to carrying.

"You okay?" Makarov asks me as I head out to deliver the food to the right table.

"Yeah, I'm good." I lie not stopping. Normally he might ask me again, but he's swamped here and he can't afford to lose any hands, even if I only have one to offer.

"Alrighty, guys." I carefully lower the tray to the table. "sorry for the long wait," I apologize as I set out the plates.

"Oh, that's alright dear." The elderly woman pats my hand, I can tell she's looking at me eye.

"Is there anything else I can get for you?" I ask politely.

"Oh, no." The older man waves me off. "thank you, this is just fine." He smiles at his wife and I can't help but think of the park. How happy it made Lucy to watch the older couples dance together. Still enjoying each other after years of being together.

"Alright I come check on you in a bit, let me know if there's anything else you need." I depart from that table and run back for the next tray for the neighboring table.

I run back out, the ache in my hand is getting harder to ignore. I push through weaving around other servers and dodging customers.

"So, sorry about the wait." I apologize immediately. It's a group of girls, friends from the sound of their laughter. They look like they're maybe in their thirties.

"How are you ladies doing this evening?"

"Fantastic!" the red head giggles sounding a little tipsy.

"Alright, I live to hear that." I set their plates out.

"You are cute." The red head says, her friends laugh.

"Yeah." The brunette agrees "you should be out with your girlfriend on a night like this." The brunette sounds a little bit more together than the other.

"Oh, I was out with my girl and our friends just before I was called in." I laugh it off ouch I wince when I bump my wrist against the table.

"What happened to your eye." The red head slurs her words a bit. I stifle a laugh.

"A guy at the club I took my girlfriend to, came onto my girlfriend and wouldn't back off so I hit him, he hit me," I shrug as if to say, and so on.

"Poor baby." The red head grabs my arm, not the one with the hurt wrist thankfully.

"You stood up for your girlfriend!" The red head is being loud "that's so sweet."

"Are you okay?" there's a darker brunette that doesn't look like she's had anything to drink.

"Yeah, hurt more when my head hit the ground." I joke I don't remember hitting the ground.

"That looks pretty nasty." The darker brunette scrutinizes me.

"You must love her, you don't even seem angry about it." The red head says, sounding a few sips past tipsy but still sincere.

"Oh yeah." I laugh at that "she's amazing, I love everything about her."

"That's so sweet." The red head giggles.

"What's her name, doll?" The brunette asks leaning cross the table.

"Lucy." I try not to laugh at the red head slumping against the table and giggling,

"That's a pretty name, got a picture?" the brunette asks.

"Of course." If only they knew how many pictured we have. I take my phone out and show them the one on my screen saver. It's one of my favorite, she's wearing this whit lacy top that ends at her ribcage and these flowy matching shorts and she's got this bright red lipstick on and a flower tiara thing on her head. she looks like some kind of mother nature personification.

"You two are adorable." The darker brunette snatches me phone away and she examines it, her features soften and she hands me back my phone.

"Thank you." I take a step back from the table. "is there anything else I can get you?" I ask.

"No, thank you." They all say.

"Alright, I'll let you ladies eat and I'll be back to check on you soon." I depart, they call a thank you after me but I've wasted enough time. I run back and grab the next tray and go to deliver the next tray.

My wrist is throbbing and a sharp stabbing kind of pain shoots up my arm every time I jostle it against something. I did get really good tips though, the elderly couple tipped me twenty bucks and the group a ten each. They must have felt bad for me because of my eye, but hey, I'll take pity tips. Maybe I should get punched before work more often.

"Hey, Natsu." Makarov clasps me on the back "thanks for coming in, it was a huge help."

"Yeah no problem." Pain stabs at my wrist and I wince. Makarov stares at my eye,

"You sure you're okay?" He asks now that the craziness is over.

"Yeah, I'm good." I assure him "I mean it doesn't feel good but it's nothing I can't suck up for the night."

"Right." Makarov nods. "make sure you take care of that girl of yours, she's a special one." He pats my shoulder and lingers off, he must have just remembered something.

Course I'll always take care of Lucy. I use my one good hand to scrub the dishes and put them away. Makarov's doing the vacuuming out in the dining area and as soon as he finishes that and I finish this final stupid dish I'm headed home to get some sleep.

"Shoot." I wince when I bump my wrist on the edge if the sink. I look down at my wrist, it looks a little swollen. It's probably nothing. I just want to go home, Lucy'll be up waiting for me.

"All finished?" Makarov calls to me as I finish drying my hand.

"Yep." I hang up my apron and meet Makarov at the door. He looks more exhausted than when I came in.

"See you tomorrow night." Makarov yawns and locks up.

"Night." I call back and start walking to the subway station. Manhattan is well lit, Lucy loves it here, the lights, the people, the stores. I wish I could afford to bring her here more, eat an actual meal here, buy her something nice at one of these stores.

I walk these streets almost every day on my way to the subway but the jewelry store catches me this time. The ring is tiny and mostly silver but the stones in the center are shaped like a flower. It looks so much like something Lucy would wear I want to buy it right now but the store is closed and the ring is three thousand dollars.

"Dang, Lucy would love that…" I sigh and step away from the store. There's no way I can afford that anytime soon. I glance down at my phone and see an unopened email. I skim through until I see one labeled QUERY.

Thank you for thinking of us for your project. Unfortunately, we don't feel you are the right fit for us. We wish you the best in your pursuits.

"Fantastic." I drop my head back, my hand aches along with my pride now. How does Lucynot think I'm not a loser? I couldn't even protect her tonight. Grey had to come and save her and me.


Dear yeah,

It's getting better. I don't even know the point in writing this down when I don't really have anyone to give this to later. I mean I already tell Juvia all this stuff. Well, most of it. Not the really important thing but I don't really tell you either because I don't want anyone to know.

Anyway, I was actually able to spend my day off at the park walking, listening to music and just enjoying me time and it was glorious. The knot that's been in my stomach is fading and I'm getting less calls. I've also stopped answering though.

I think it's gonna be okay. I think I'm gonna be okay.

Lucy


thank you so much for the comment Copperreign12

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I am on track to continues posting every day and will hopefully get another post later tonight

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