❝ BURNT TOAST ❞
natsu/fem!reader

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"You smell like burnt toast," she whispered.

It was an undeniable truth that anyone who utilized Fire Magic—or Fire Dragon Slayer Magic, in this case—would, over time, end up emitting a stark, smoky body odor. Natsu Dragneel was no exception. The thing was, this was the first time anyone had ever pointed that out to him. Had he always smelt like burnt toast?

Of course, to figure that out, his first instinct was to start smelling himself.

"Really?! Where's it coming from?!" Running in circles, Natsu tried to catch whiffs of his own arms and pits and under-knees. (Y/n) was forced to unhook her arms from around him, watching, bewildered, and on the brink of cracking up.

Here they had been sharing such an intimate moment before! And she went and ruined it with that silly little comment. But Natsu's reaction was definitely worthwhile to watch; she couldn't stop cry-laughing now.

...Until Gray decided to join in.

"You've always smelt like something nasty burnt," he said. He was always eager to drive Natsu absolutely livid. And he got what he wanted: because Natsu immediately stopped in his tracks, flames sprouting from his fists.

"Did I ask you, Ice Princess?!"

"You sure as hell look as though you're asking for something, Slanty Eyes!"

...Cue another brawl between the two (quite literal) personifications of Fire and Ice.

(Y/n) couldn't hide a smile at that—as violent and aggressive as they sounded, their fights were always good-natured, and to her, they signified that she was home.

Erza didn't appear to find it so heartwarming, though. "Both of you, knock it off," she hissed. "We're going shopping."

"Shopping?" (Y/n) asked. Erza had used such a menacing tone that (Y/n) wasn't expecting to hear something so... normal.

"Haven't you heard about the new mall that opened up?" Lucy said. "Apparently it's targeted mainly at wizards! They've got all kinds of magic stores, the newest Lacrima inventions, and even a Celestial Spirit hub!"

(Y/n) gaped at that news. Magic stores were rare enough already, but an entire mall? She could hardly contain her bubbling excitement. But she wasn't the only one—Natsu had also overheard every word Lucy said, and immediately broke away from punching Gray in the face.

"A magic mall?! Where?!"

"It's just a few cities over," Lucy explained. "As soon as you're done fighting, then we can go."

So the six members of Team Natsu piled themselves into Erza's magic vehicle, with Natsu chanting "Magic mall! Magic mall! Magic mall!" until the car engine spurred—and then his head slammed down to rest on (Y/n)'s shoulder.

She lifted a hand to soothingly pat his head, while he gurgled in despair.

Lately, Natsu had been choosing to drool all over her instead of Lucy whenever they boarded trains or cars or any other moving vehicles. Of course she would always ease him as best as she could, but he became such a baby the second they started moving! She only hoped he didn't decide to use her as a nausea catcher.

After a few moments of Natsu's pitiful groaning, Happy chirped up from the seat next to them. "Hey, (Y/n)~ What are you smiling like that for?"

The girl in question paused, before realizing that she had, in fact, been smiling, and then her cheeks grew warm. She didn't mean to smile—it had just appeared on her face while she was stroking Natsu's hair.

"O-oh!" There was no hesitation when she retracted her arm, smile wiped clean off her face. "That was nothing!"

"Reallllly~~" Happy's little mischievous smirk never left his face. (Y/n) wished desperately for him to stop putting her on the spot like that, but her attention was taken away when Natsu groaned out again.

The sudden lack of her gentle touch weaving through his hair bothered him more than she had thought it would. And like a cat, he latched onto her hand and brought her fingers back down again.

"What the—Natsu?"

"I'm never getting in another car again..." he despaired. "I'm gonna get sick..."

(Y/n)'s shoulders tensed. "...For real?" She wasn't sure if he was being serious or not. But, as much as she loved Natsu, he was dead to her as soon as he revealed that he might need to throw up on her.

So she thrust him away with as much strength as she had in her, flinging him across the car, and he weakly toppled over with a loud thud!.

Happy didn't even bat an eye at that. He couldn't envision the situation ending up any different—what else would (Y/n) have done when someone threatened to hurl all over her?

Lucy only let out a sympathetic sigh.

Natsu gurgled again.

But, things took a drastic change once the car arrived at their destination. As soon as they stopped moving, Natsu leapt up, his bubbly energy instantly firing up again. He swung open the door and threw himself out of it, fists practically flaming already.

The rest of Team Natsu huddled themselves around the mall's directory, awestruck by the sheer amount of magic-related stores this place had to offer. But (Y/n) was the only one who noticed that Natsu never came back from wherever he ran off to when they first got there.

She looked around, wondering where he could have gone, when she caught sight of a blue, white-tipped tail and a tuft of pink hair disappearing behind the mall's glass doors.

"Natsu ran away," she sighed. "I'll go get him."

No one decided to chase after her once she sprinted inside, as they were all preoccupied by the myriad of other shops that piqued their interest here.

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It didn't take long for (Y/n) to find her fire-wielding partner. She should have known he and Happy would be drawn to a restaurant before they went anywhere else.

And this place happened to be a grill, run entirely by Fire Mages.

"Natsu!" (Y/n) called. But both he and his Exceed were far too distracted by the menu to pay any attention to her. They had already ordered by the time (Y/n) caught up with them—way, way too much food—but what surprised her was not how long their order receipt was, but the fact that both their eyes lit up when they saw her. They looked so excited, so ecstatic... to what, see her?

"Oh, (Y/n)!!" Natsu yelled. Her cheeks reddened when she saw the sheer delight on Natsu's face. ...Why was he smiling like that? It made her feel warm inside, for some reason.

But that warmth quickly froze over when he continued.

"Perfect timing! You can pay for our food!"

(Y/n) felt her soul crack and shatter into a trillion pieces.

"I'm not paying for your food," she deadpanned. Natsu brushed it off without caring at all whatsoever, while (Y/n) let her gaze drift over to the chefs. They were sizzling up their chopped meats and vegetables with their own magic... and her mouth started watering.

"...But..." she said, "I might wanna get something here too. Look how amazing those chefs are! You don't see a lot of talented mages who dedicate their careers to cooking—especially not at a mall."

She looked back at the menu and sifted through the delicious-sounding entrées available.

Natsu, on the other hand, had paused once he heard her rave about the chefs. He looked over at those Fire Mages, who looked experienced and impressive and perfect in every way, and then he remembered that he was a Fire Mage himself. But (Y/n) hadn't complimented him.

Suddenly he sprung into the air.

"IS THAT A CHALLENGE?!"

He landed in the chefs' cooking zone, face hardened with fierce determination. Horror slowly overtook some customers' faces, while others simply looked annoyed, as if this was a daily occurrence. (It may very well have been, given that this was a wizards' mall.)

Natsu tied his hair back with his scarf, snatched a few order receipts from the ticket wheel, and then focused himself wholly on cooking up orders. He was 100% prepared to make his work better than the other chefs' in any way possible.

"I don't think it was, Natsu..." Happy murmured. (Y/n) slapped a hand to her forehead.

"Natsu... get out of there. You're embarrassing..."

"Watch me!" Natsu shot back. He tossed a handful of ingredients up into the air, and tilted his head back. Bright red flames spiraled up from his mouth, cooking the meat and veggies midair.

...But it didn't turn out like he was hoping for. The now-charred black crisps came soaring back down, pelting his face, and ultimately landed, dirtied, on the ground.

"Excuse me, sir, but um... please get out of here," one of the chefs urged.

"Fight me!" Natsu hissed. He meant it literally. His fists burst into flames, while the chef backed up, raising his own hands in defense.

"Sir, please..."

"You call yourself a Fire Wizard?!" Natsu started throwing punches, while the poor chef looked around for help. (Y/n) buried her face in her palms, cheeks bright red—and this time, it was most definitely not because of her silly little crush on him. This was pure shame.

"What the hell is wrong with him...?" she muttered. Happy struck his signature evil grin.

"I think he was jealous," he said. (Y/n) blinked.

"Can Natsu actually get jealous?" ...What would he even be jealous of?

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Eventually, the mall security stepped in to deal with their fire-breathing nuisance. Of course, (Y/n) had to apologize profusely for his actions, but regardless they were both escorted outside and asked not to come back.

So they sat on the pavement together, waiting for Erza and Lucy and Gray, while the heat of the summer sun pounded down on them.

"Not even ten minutes inside and you already got us kicked out," (Y/n) sighed. Natsu grunted.

"Did they smell like burnt toast?" he asked, kind of randomly. (Y/n) knitted her brows.

"...I mean, I wasn't exactly trying to smell them, but... I don't think so. I think they were Holders, not Casters like you."

"HA!!" And with that, the Fire Dragon Slayer's spirits were immediately lifted. "(Y/n), smell me again!!"

(Y/n) was too busy thinking about how ridiculous that sounded, when Natsu approached her and wrapped his arms around her. She was squeezed tight, and piped out a straggled, "What th—!" before she was overcome with a wave of smoky, burnt toast-like odors. It was bitter to the nose, but it was familiar, and it gave her a strong sense of security.

"....She liiiiikes you~" Happy snickered from beside them. (Y/n) immediately pulled away.

"I do not!"

"Ya-huh!"