Softly
by KyuubixChocolateCake
She was pretty when she was shy, he mused as he hovered over her.
All yellow hair, white skin, and pink cheeks, caught in the buttery light of the afternoon. Her brown eyes wouldn't hold his for very long as she squirmed beneath him, arms crossed hesitantly over her chest to cover herself.
The image was strange – normally she was so bold and unfettered, unafraid to be herself and present her thoughts; but now, in the moments where their frenzy had calmed and they had a chance to restore their breath and realize the gravity of their decision, she was so unsure of herself. It made him smile slightly.
"Don't worry Luce," he said softly, placing light kisses from the corner of her jaw, where it curved into her skull, across her heated cheek. "It's just me."
"I-I know that!" she stuttered, pouting when he snickered slightly under his breath and looking away. "It's j-just embarrassing!"
"I know," he soothed, carefully grasping one of her arms and tugging it away, allowing her to maintain her protection, but entangling their fingers together and kissing the back of her hand.
Her gaze softened at his gesture, and when he shifted, wrapping a strong arm around her waist and pulled them both into an upright position, she did not protest, her body willing and pliant as he cradled her to him.
"Do you want to wait?" he questioned, nothing but understanding in his voice. As much as he wanted to take the next step in their relationship, he would never force Lucy into an intimate situation that she wasn't ready for as well. "We can; I won't mind."
She shook her head stubbornly, "No! I want this, Natsu. My head is just a little behind my heart." He grinned at her choice of words, and she rested her forehead against his with a small sigh, her eyes closed, before opening them and smiling apologetically.
"I'm sorry."
"Don't apologize Luce. It'll happen eventu-" he broke off when her other arm suddenly dropped and wrapped around his shoulders to join the first.
His blonde spitfire of a girlfriend, whose natural shyness kicked in whenever her body was at high risk of being on display, had finally overcome her nerves and now sat straddling his lap. Her lips, which had been pursed timidly, stretched into a smug smirk at his speechlessness.
He'd seen Lucy naked on numerous occasions, – not all of them accidental, if he was being honest – had once covered her with his own hands after she'd been flung into him bare as the day she was born, and had never once felt this feeling of reverence overcome him before. But now, as she willingly offered herself for his eyes to feast on, he found that whatever words he'd been about to say had caught in his suddenly parched throat, and subsequently been completely erased from his mind.
She was only half-naked – her lacy, pale blue panties still clung delicately to her enticing backside – but the sight of her still made his own cheeks pink, and he stumbled over his words when they finally came back to him.
"L-Lucy, wha- I thought you were…"
Rendered nearly immobile, he made her giggle softly, her eyes slipping shut once more as she beamed at him. "Mavis, you're adorable, Natsu."
He was unable to formulate his retort to dispute her claim of his 'adorable'-ness – clearly, since he was a flippin' Dragon Slayer, he represented all things manly and awesome! – and was further silenced when she pressed against him and breathed warmly over his still parted lips,
"I love you…"
The rest of the summer afternoon was spent tangled amidst the sheets and blankets of her amazing bed, silky caresses and soft sounds the only communication passed between them.
Later, he would think to himself that it had been strange – whenever he'd fantasized about the two of them, he'd always seen a steamier exchange, where he'd been able to be rougher with his more-than sturdy partner.
However, as she curled into his side, her bright hair spilling across his chest as she dreamt, he understood that all of that could come later. For now, he was more than willing to love her in this way.