A one shot for Natsu and Lucy

I don't own Fairy Tail or any of its characters.

.

Naked Flame

.

.

This was supposed to be a brief mission. It had sounded so simple.

JOB ALLERT: FOR FAIRY TAIL

PAYMENT: 90,000 JEWEL

JOB DISCRIPTION: BODYGUARD

TO SHADOW THE ARTIST, WATSIN, FOR ONE WEEK, AND MAKE SURE NO HARM COMES TO HIM. YOU MUST NOT DISTURB HIM IN HIS WORK! DO NOT BE SEEN!

Well, it's almost been one week, and I'm exhausted. I had no idea that artists were so crazy! I mean come on! Will anyone even buy his work?

First day: He obviously wanted a picture of the world upside down. So naturally he climbed up a mountain to do it, tied his feet to the top, and let his body hang limp suspended in mid air. And then got out his multicoloured oil pastels and started to draw.

Second day: he thought it would be a good idea to paint trees as if they were walking. So instead of using his imagination he bought a potion that would enable trees to move of their own accord. I was shocked when I saw how it worked. It literally altered the roots of the trees into feet, and had them walking about for a few hours. Natsu, Happy, and I had to dart in and out of the trees without being seen or crushed. And keep an eye out for Watsin to make sure he wasn't crushed either.

Anyway, you get the gist of it all. Today is the last day, thank the lucky stars, Last day! We get paid! And then I can go home and get warm and cozy in bed. Have a hot bath, soak in heaven, have no more cares for another week or two. I'm soooo looking forward to that. Because of how the week had been previously, I had decided to have a collection of clothes designed for all different sorts of climate changes and stored them into My time keeping friend. I am very glad I did. For the first time, I was prepared to brave the weather conditions on top of a glacier. I was wrapped up from head to toe, but somehow the wind froze me to the bone. Happy had conveniently become ill the day before so he couldn't come.

"I'm cold. I'm cold. I'm cold. I'm cold. I'm cold. I'm cold!" I whispered to myself.

"Nat … su?" I called out. My teeth were chattering, and I couldn't feel my fingers anymore. I can't see our target anywhere. The snow and wind in front of us had become a blizzard.

"What Luce?" I heard his chirpy voice come back to me through the stormy winds.

"I … I … c … can't … see … him, … can … you?" We have about two hours left. I'm not sure I can last those two remaining hours. I could barely see Natsu through the snow.

"Yep!" He bent down in front of him to pick up some snow. Grinning, he bunched it up in his hands and compressed it into a ball. "Oi Luce! Do you want to play a game while we're waiting."

"Ok," He wanted to play in the snow I'll let him, I need to get out of this snow. "but Natsu … instead … of making snow balls, … why don't you … make a house of snow."

"A house?!" He looked confused as if he had never considered the possibility of making a house in the snow. He crossed his 'bare' arms, and pouted his 'still pink lips', the idea didn't seem to be very fun to him. "Why?"

"Because … we could use … it to spy on him … and …"

"Don't want to!" He emphasized each word, and then said. "Houses are made to protect people not to spy on others!" Great, so he didn't even notice that I wasn't feeling very well and that my skin is probably the same colour as the snow.

"Okay, … I get it. … You won't … do it because … You can't make … a snow house."

"I CAN! I JUST DON'T WANT TO!"

"Gray … would be able … to make one … in 3 seconds … if he was here." I managed to answer. My voice was getting scratchy and my throat was sore and cold.

"I CAN DO IT! FASTER AND BETTER THAN GRAY!" Nastu stated with absolute certainty.

"Without it … falling down?" I asked.

"I CAN! JUST WATCH!" He spun around, and started to work on the ground at our feet. Pulling the snow this way and that to make a barrier around me. He ran off to the side and kicked a wall of ice to which large icicles began to fall around him. I looked on in horror as he darted this way and that to catch them as they fell, and then ran back to me with his arms full. He lifted the icicles high into the air and threw them into the snowy ground where he had built up lots of snow on a side. Until they were all in a line next to each other, and then went off to get some more.

I was very impressed with how fast he was able to create a wall, then another wall, and another, and then the last wall, and he thoroughly surprised me when he chucked some long icicles over the top for a roof. He had boxed me in on all sides.

"Natsu? … How are you going … to get in?" I spoke through some of the gaps between the icicles.

"I'll make my own way in later, I need to melt the outside edges first so no wind gets in." He grinned at me. He was really enjoying this challenge. I wonder if he had ever made one of these before. He circled the ice house and piled up snow in the places where the icicles didn't join and melted them together.

"Natsu we need … to keep a look out … for the artist, ... Wastin." Being inside this beautiful ice prison was like being in a fridge. I was shaking from all the cold. I need to go back soon. But Natsu had done such a great job! I sort of didn't want to go. It was sort of weird being in here alone though it was pitch black and no a splinter of light could be seen anywhere. I lifted up my coat to cover my mouth. At least that made it a little warmer to breath. "We don't want … something to happen … to him when we're here.

"I know! He is still there, doing his stupid stuff." Natsu had finished and come around the front. 'The front was the opening facing outward toward the artist so we could keep an eye on him.' "I'm coming in!" He called out as he melted away some of the ice. He created a small hole at the entrance and crept through. "He, He," he grinned like a small kid, "Well, what do you think? I made an awesome house didn't I!?"

"Yes, you did. … I think even Gray … would be impressed." I answered. "I love it." Natsu beamed and scratched his head with his hand.

"Now, we can look out for Watsin without..." I got an agonizing pain in my forehead and curled up to try and keep warm. I can't feel my hands. I can't feel my ears, I can't feel my nose.

"Oi! Luce? You okay?" Natsu reached out and touched my forehead. "AHHHH! LUCY! You're as cold as ice!" He started to panic, "LUCY! Stop feeling the cold! Just warm up!" then he looked me over as if checking for something that was out of place. "These clothes are supposed to keep you warm right? So why and how did you get so cold!"

"Not so... loud." I answered. "I've got a headache. … Not all of us … have our own … all weather conditions … heating system." Why did he not use his brain?! It wasn't the first time I had gotten cold on a mission.

"But why aren't your clothes working to keep you warm like you said they would?"

"They did." I took another freezing breath in, "But we've been up him for 7 hours." I let out a long moan. "We are not getting paid enough for this."

"Ha Ha! You're still thinking about money when you're like this? You're so weird Lucy!" He took a hold of my right hand and pulled the glove off. I couldn't even feel how warm his hands were. I leant forward against him and buried my face in his chest. I should have done this earlier.

"Natsu..." I curled my fingers up just under my chin and then flattened them against his chest.

"Hum?" He looked down at me. "What are you doing Luce?"

"You're so warm..." I tried to snuggle up even more.

"Lucy?"

"Yes? … What?" I felt like I just wanted to go to sleep. He was warm and it was getting very dark.

"You are way to cold. Do … do you want me to heat you up?" He was doing that already wasn't he? He moved his arms and wrapped them around me.

"Yeah, … let me sleep here."

"NO LUCY! You can't sleep in the snow!" He pulled away from me, started to take off my jacket. Wait a minute, why was he doing that?

"Natsu?" I waited for an explanation, but he just slipped it off and threw it to the other side of the ice house. He then stood up and started to look very serious.

"Opansion." Natsu ignited his left hand, "Hatasahi!" then his right hand was alight, "Katahan." at that word his entire body lit up. I started to back away. If he wasn't careful he would melt the ice house he had spent so long on, and maybe burn me. He was glowing in the dark. The walls glistening in the light coming from his body.

"Natsu? What … are you … doing?"

"Farshahi!" He slapped his hands together and the fire that had been around his entire body disappeared, or seamed to, but a few seconds later he opened up his shut palms to reveal a tiny ball of fire condensed and glowing in the dark. Natsu beamed again, thank goodness he was acting normal he had me scared there for a second.

"Okay! All done!" He held up his handy work and admired it. Then he knelt down infront of me. "Now open wide Lucy." What?! He didn't expect me to eat that did he? What if it burnt my insides.

"Is … is it … safe?" He was still holding it out as if was the most natural thing in the world to eat something that had just been condensed from flames.

"He, He," Natsu giggled, "If you eat this, it means you will be fire proof!" The grin spread across his face. "When Happy was younger he sometimes got burnt by accident when he was with me so I made him eat these and he found it protected him."

"So … if I eat this … I won't burn?" I don't know if this could be real? I wonder? It does make sense. There are times when Happy is carrying Natsu around when he's on fire and it doesn't seem to bother him. Why hadn't I noticed this before? "But … what does that have … to do with me being cold?"

"Silly!" Natsu smacked down his head into mine. Ow! That hurt. "If you eat it then I can warm up properly without burning you!" He placed one hand under my chin and the other held up the glowing ball of magic.

"Wait!" I was just about to eat something that Natsu had put together. Was that wise? "Are there any side effects to eating this?"

"No, none that I know of?" Natsu pondered to himself. "Nope!" he answered turning back to me with a smile.

"Okay then," I opened my mouth cautiously. I would be lying if I said that I wasn't worried about it, but Natsu was trustworthy if he said it worked, it worked. He lifted up the ball of glowing, incased fire again and plopped it into my mouth. It was harder than I had expected … nothing was happening? I looked up to Natsu. What was I supposed to do now? "Nastsuuuu?" I said around the ball.

"Bite it! Crunch it!" He answered.

So I did, it didn't really taste like anything in particular. It was just crunched up into lots of little pieces in my mouth. I started swallowing the pieces, and noticed that Natsu was staring at me with an almost hungry expression. What was he thinking? I kept on swallowing until all the pieces were gone. "What happens now? Natsu?"

"Just a few more seconds." He gently place his right hand on the front of my neck, and then moved it around to the back. A hot seething pain shot down my throat and into my stomach. Was this what fire felt like inside your body. I moved and squirmed a bit under its pain, and I reached up to scratch at my throat. "It's okay Lucy," he held my hand back, "it's okay."

The pain stopped and then the heat started. It grew fast spreading out from the core of my being into bone, muscle, and out to my very finger tips then it stopped and cooled off. I wish it hadn't I could do with that extra heat.

"You feeling better now?" Natsu asked.

"Mm," I nodded. "but I still feel quite cold." Natsu had taken off my snow jacket after all.

"That's what I'm here for!" He sat down cross legged, slipped his arm around my waist, and then pulled me onto his lap.

I had seen him do it plenty of times, lighting up and becoming a giant, living, fireball, but never when I was sitting on top of him. It was a totally different experience. Heat was surrounded him, creating its own wind, and it latched itself onto me and wove in and out of every inch of my body. If I had been anybody else I would have been reduced to a black smoldering crisp by now. I pulled myself closer to his body. I could get used to this. He was so Hot! And comfortable. And …

I felt him tense up suddenly. "What's wrong Natsu?" I began to pull away from him, but then it became abundantly clear to me what was wrong with Natsu. His fire had died down a bit and the air was breathable again, but that wasn't what was wrong. Natsu was blushing. Natsu was at a loss for words and was blushing.

I could feel his hands on my back, I could feel the watery ice under my feet, I could feel Natsu's clothes underneath, and my chest could feel Natsu's. "AHHHHHHH!" I yelled, and pulled my arms in to cover my nakedness. I am naked! I'm naked in front of Natsu! Why!? How did this happen?! "You said it would protect me!"

"It, um, it did." he stuttered, "but I forgot..." his dazed green eyes unconsciously seeing everywhere. "... to cast the object spell." He looked too shocked to move. Well, at least I feel better now. The cold was gone. NO! That was not the idea! I can't be naked in front of my teammate. I looked about the ice room, and could see the remains of shreds of clothes everywhere sticking to the slightly melted ice. Wait a minute! My coat? The one Natsu took off at the beginning that was intact. Great, that is just perfect. I could wear that, but that would only cover the top half. "I really sorry Lucy." Natsu interrupted my thoughts, he sounded mortified.

I glanced back at him. He said he was sorry, but that didn't stop him from looking. Oh my gosh! He was staring, come on Lucy!, I didn't have time for this! "It's okay Natsu, just go outside for a bit and I'll get my coat on. Besides, we need to check on the artist." I'll call one of my spirits to give me new clothes. Hang on was that a good idea? What if they spread the news about. Just don't stay like that for too long or you...

I pulled away from Natsu, and … I pulled away … "Natsu? Let go of me. Please." His hands still supporting my back.

"Oh, Yeah," Natsu let go, and I moved off him, accidentally giving him full view of everything, and grabbed my coat. Once that was on, I turned round to find Natsu with the same expression, in the same spot, in the same position as when I left him. Why did he make me feel so guilty? Why was he still there? He didn't really think we would …

"Natsu?" I asked. "Would you mind going out?" I pointed to the door.

"Right!" he shook his head, and stood up. "Check on the Artist. Make sure he's okay. Mustn't be dead." he wiped his mouth. Had he been drooling? He crouched down to get out of the door he had made, and slipped through it, out into the stormy winds outside.

.

.

That was the last day we had too watch that artist do his work.

It was also the last time we took a job that involved artists who work on location, especially when you don't get paid for a 'weeks' work.

It was the first time that our guild decided to host an artist's exhibition.

It was the first time I had been the centre of attention of news reporters, I've never been so embarrassed, and ran away to hide for a week.

It was the first time that Natsu bought a painting.

It was the last time that Juvia was mean to me,

and the first time Aquarius cheered for me.

.

It was the first time Natsu kissed me.

It was the first time I kissed him.

It was the last time I called myself single.

It was the last time I slept by myself.

It was the first time I truly cherished what sort of perfect friend and companion I had in Natsu.

.

He was the only one who would ever see me like that.

He was the only one who I would allow to love me like that.

He was the only one who could kiss me like that.

And he was the only one who knew I loved his naked flames.

.

By Lucy Heartfilia.

.

Hello dear readers! If you liked this story please post me a review! I tend to let myself be dragged on to write long fanfictions. So this is my first short one shot sort of fic. Let me know what you thought of it.

Abigail Skywalker.