The Night He Forgot

"Mmm..." Natsu grumbled in his sleep as he felt something brush against his face. He vaguely felt something move in his arms and wondered if it was Happy. No...it was too big to be Happy. And what was that scent? He unconsciously sniffed, his dragon senses filling with a sweet strawberry scent and he smiled, suddenly hungry.

Once again he felt the brush of something on his face and he wrinkled his nose as he gradually opened his eyes to find a weird blonde mess right in front of his face. For a second, he gazed confused and blinded by the filtering sunlight, but then his eyes adjusted and he felt his heart stop. That blonde mess belonged to Lucy, his friend and partner. Lucy lay asleep in his arms. Her hair was what he smelled and her body was what he had felt. Her back was to him so he couldn't see her face but he could tell from her steady breathing that she was still sleeping. His mind raced with a million thoughts before stopping on two crucial points. How had they ended up sleeping together and how was he supposed to get out of it?

They were covered by a sheet but he was sure they each had their clothes on so he knew nothing of that sort happened, but he still couldn't figure out how they had ended up on the same bed in such a compromising position. All he remembered was crashing at Lucy's place the night before because they had been playing card games late into the night. They had shared a couple of drinks but nothing too serious.

Natsu's arm ached a little and he moved it but immediately froze as Lucy moved too. He did not want her to wake up to seeing him and her like this, that would make the situation a hundred times more awkward.

When Lucy settled down again, Natsu moved very carefully, slowly raising her head and removing his arm before gently placing her head back on her pillow. He quickly rolled off her bed and snapped his head around to make sure she was sleeping before he bolted for the door.

He didn't even bother to grab his scarf that had rolled off him as he slept, already well on his way home. Natsu breathed a sigh of relief once he got closer to his home, glad that he was able to avoid such an embarrassing situation.

Once he got home, he realized it was still early and Happy was fast asleep in his bed so Natsu made his way to his bed and crashed. Too tired from his hectic morning, he fell asleep quickly.

Several hours later, Lucy woke alone in her apartment. She was sure Natsu had been there and that he must have left in a hurry since his scarf lay in a pile on her carpeted floor. What the hell Natsu, at least say goodbye before you leave.

Lucy got up from her bed, picked up the fallen scarf and placed it on her bed before making her way to her bathroom. She undressed quickly, determined to take a shower before starting her day. Once she showered and brushed her teeth, she wiped the steam from her mirror ready to start her daily routine of moisturizing when something caught her eye. A dark bruise like mark covered an inch of skin on her neck. She took a closer look at it and her eyes grew wide as she realized what it was. A hickey.

There was only one explanation to it. Natsu had given her that hickey. Lucy's heartbeat quickened as she tried to remember what happened the night before. She was sure nothing of that sort happened for obvious reasons, but something had happened which resulted in a love bite!

She remembered the two of them playing games, Natsu drinking a tad bit more heavily than her, her saying she was sleepy...and then Natsu complaining about the hard ground and coming to climb into her bed. She herself was too tired to kick him out and allowed him to stay next to her.

The warmth of their bodies in the cold night, wrapped in one comforter drew them to each other, the alcohol doing a fantastic job of blocking their better judgement. It started with a simple hand brushing against her hand, then Natsu's arm hanging over her body, pulling her closer towards him into an awkward hug. They lay like that for a bit before Natsu pulled her closer, her chest pressing against his, her head buried under his chin as he embraced her. Natsu had kissed her forehead and then her cheeks, but he teased her by not kissing her lips. He had moved on to her neck, slowly biting and nibbling at her soft skin until he had formed a hickey then concealed by the darkness. Things would've almost gone out of hand if there weren't a loud bang that rang out from the street causing Natsu to come to his senses a little and groan and roll away from her. He still held her though and as silence fell over them once more, the alcohol worked it's magic and both were knocked out cold.

Back from her flashback, Lucy gaped at her reflection, her cheeks flaring red as she recalled what had happened the night before. She bet that was why Natsu had left. Should she go see him? She was planning to return his scarf, but knowing this, and knowing him, wouldn't it be awkward. Then again, maybe he didn't remember anything as she didn't when she first woke up...

Lucy pondered on it for a while longer before deciding to get some chores done and then setting out to go return Natsu's scarf. There was no way she could avoid him and as for the mark on her neck, well that was what makeup was for.

Lucy donned one of her cutest outfits, suddenly aware of what she wore, and was about to set out when there was a soft knock on her door and she opened it to reveal a smiling Natsu standing there. Unlike every other time she may have slammed the door in his face, Lucy felt weird, nervous somehow and slowly stepped aside to let Natsu inside.

"Hey sorry, I think I forgot my scarf when I bailed this morning." Lucy observed him carefully to pick up on any sign of awkwardness or anything that would give off his knowledge of what happened the night before but she found no such sign. Lucy did not know if she should feel relieved or disappointed and that scared her. Of course she should feel relieved. Nothing of that sort was normal between to pals and something like that could really ruin their relationship and that was the last thing she wanted.

"Here." Lucy walked over to her dresser where she had kept the washed, dried, and pressed scarf and handed it to Natsu.

"Wow, you washed it and pressed it! Thanks Lucy! You're the best." He stopped and stared at her for a moment, recalling what happened that morning. Should he bring it up? She seemed normal though, maybe like him, she remembered nothing either. He assumed it was for the best. Explaining a situation like that would be tough.

"You're welcome." Lucy said as she watched him look her over. Why is he looking at me like that? Does he always do that or is it something new?

"How come you're all dressed up?" Natsu asked, blushing a little as he realized Lucy actually looked cute in her white top and pink skirt.

Should I tell him because I was going to see him, Lucy thought. But then that would imply I was dressing up for him and that was far from the truth. I don't dress for Natsu Dragneel. I dress for myself.

"Nothing. I felt like dressing up and going outside." She said and waited for him the say something. Never had she felt this stressed in a conversation with Natsu and it bothered her.

Natsu felt the unease between them and it unnerved him but he couldn't figure out why.

"Cool...well I'll get going then. Happy's waiting outside with Pantherlily and Carla." He stood up and made his way towards the door.

"Oh, yeah, tell them I said hi." What the hell was up with them being so formal to each other?

"Hmm, yeah okay, take care Lucy." Natsu dragged himself out of her apartment as fast as he could. Somehow the sight of Lucy was making him uncomfortable as his heart beat quickened and his face grew hot.

Lucy watched as Natsu disappeared past her front door and once again she was left alone. In the end, one thing was for sure. Something had happened between them and each thought the other remembered nothing.

Natsu and Lucy dropped the topic, forgetting that night into the past. As the weeks went by however, each of them found it harder to look each other in the eye wondering what was happening to them. Lucy felt an awkward sense of self consciousness when she was near Natsu, always feeling as if his eyes were judging her. She found herself unconsciously reaching for the faded hickey, rubbing at the spot it once possessed on her neck.

Natsu found himself being easily distracted by Lucy whenever she was around. He noticed every little thing she would do, things he wouldn't have cared to notice before.

Neither of them quite understood what was happening and it frustrated them. Those around them noticed the change too but decided it was best to stay out of it.

Erza, Levy, and Juvia, being in love themselves knew Lucy's symptoms all too well. They saw Lucy smile at the mention of Natsu's name or blush whenever someone said something about him. They noticed how antsy she got when he wasn't around or how nervous she was when he was. They even noticed her slightly jealous gaze towards Lisanna as she spoke openly with Natsu.

Natsu's guy friends weren't strangers to Natsu's symptoms either but instead of helping the poor guy, they tortured him with this newfound information.

Little did they know a simple teasing session would end up in a disaster.

(To be continued. Please review if you want to read more chapters!)