Ember Romance
The air smelled like chocolate and roses everywhere you went; Magnolia was bursting with fresh baked chocolates and every door had a rose wreath on it. The blonde groggily strut down the main street and entered a café. The walls were decorated with fake flowers, pink and red ribbon, and even some lace here and there. She paid no heed and went straight to the barista and ordered her usual coffee. She sat down outside with her morning mocha and relaxed as the sun's rays woke her from her dreamy state.
The smell of her latte combined with the chocolate baking next door and all the flowers about wafted to her nose. She took a sip of her coffee then inhaled deeply. She casually glanced all around herself, every inch of town was flaunting itself to her. Then it dawned on her. Lucy's eyes lit up like fireworks, today was Valentine's Day and she knew this was her best chance.
'Valentine's Day! Finally I have an excuse to give Natsu the gift I made him!' she squirmed in her seat in delight. As her mind reeled with all the thoughts of how Natsu would react to her present she felt a slight tap on her shoulder. She was forced back into reality when she glanced over her shoulder to see a man with a pink rose held out to her.
"Hi there sweetie, why are you all alone today?" he asked with a melty grin. This man was attractive, but Lucy had no time to flirt with strange men.
"O-oh! I'm killing time until my date tonight!" she lied with a fake smile. He pouted fakely at her.
"But you're too cute to give up on just yet. Mind if I have coffee with you?" he asked gingerly as he motioned to sit down next to her.
She leapt up and grabbed her drink. "No, I'm sorry. He'd be mad if he saw me with another man. I have to go!" she said quickly then bolted off of the café patio and down the street.
Her heart raced as she sped through town and made her way back to her apartment. She managed to avoid colliding with a guildie before making it home in one piece. She chugged the rest of her mocha latte then dove under her bed to retrieve a box. It was a plain brown box, but inside was a most precious gift; a handmade hat and pair of gloves to match Natsu's scarf. They weren't made out of real dragon-scales, but they were the perfect color and pattern to match.
She'd been holding onto them for quite some time now, at least four months, she was too nervous to give them to him on Christmas. She gave them a quick inspection before stuffing them back in the box and grinning widely to herself. All she had to do now was make some homemade chocolate and corner Natsu at the guild hall. She ran to her kitchen and scrambled through her cupboards for cocoa powder, sugar, and all the other ingredients. She was pleasantly surprised she had everything she needed and went to work. It had to be the perfect combination of salt, sugar, cocoa, and affection.
'Affection….?' She thought to herself as her hands worked fast. It was no mystery to her what the thump and ba-bump in her chest was all about when she saw the fiery Natsu. Admitting it to herself was the easy part; confessing it to Natsu was the fun part; exposing it to the entire guild was the impossibly embarrassing part.
The scent of cocoa powder hit her as she placed her heart shaped chocolate bar in the oven. She licked her fingers as she sighed happily. She thought back to the first moment she'd realized her heart had fluttered for the goofy Natsu. Of all the times he'd saved her life, those weren't the moments that made her go all googly eyed for him. It wasn't when he was being nice to her, inviting her to missions or events that made her stomach flip flop. It wasn't even the close near-sexual encounters they had that sparked her heart to beat faster.
It was when he laughed.
His laugh was the key to her heart and it made her insanely happy for no reason at all. She wasn't sure if it meant because he was happy when he laughed, or if it was the way his voice echoes in her mind. All she knew was it made her smile spread like wildfire across her ruby cheeks. If only she could hear him laught at least once a day she'd be happy.
She shook herself out of her corny thoughts and focused on the chocolate. She knew Natsu loved caramel in his chocolate, even if he didn't eat it very often. She'd begun paying great attention to the little things about him. On one mission they were duped out of a reward and a baker was only able to pay them in candy and confections; Natsu had chosen a caramel filled chocolate over everything else.
She stirred the molten caramel every few moments as she worked on the second heart shaped piece of chocolate that would overlap the one already in the oven. Within the hour the caramel had cooled and was placed between the two heart shaped chocolate slabs and melted together. She got out her red icing and drew the Fairy Tail emblem on the top and wrapped it up all nice and pretty. She glanced at the clock and it was already passed noon, she needed to hurry if she wanted to spend any quality time with Natsu before the day ended.
She re-wrapped the hat and gloves in a prettier red bag and stuffed the chocolate heart in with it. She merrily made her way to the guild hall where she passed up Juvia mowing Gray down with an armful of gifts, flowers, and chocolates. She smiled, she understood how Juvia felt, but she wasn't quite as ambitious as her however.
With a beating heart full of courage and effervescence she took the first few steps into the guild hall where nearly everyone was drinking, eating candy, and goofing off. Hardly anyone takes on missions or quests on holidays, so just about everyone was present. Natsu was no different, he stood in the corner of the room with a mug of some sort of drink in hand while he looked at the mission board thoughtfully. She hoped he wasn't considering going out on a new mission today, it'd ruin her chances of being alone with him.
She braced herself mentally then made her way straight to his side. He didn't seem to notice her at first, but Happy did.
"Lucy! Lucy! Natsu found a great mission that rewards a lot of money!" Happy chided as he floated lazily over to her. She tried to put on a smile, but she knew her day was going to be a train wreck if Natsu spent all day on a mission and she was left all alone. "What's wrong Lucy?" Happy asked seeing the distain in her eyes.
"N-nothing! I was just thinking about how….how since it's Valentine's Day that all the good missions are available because no one else is taking them!" she lied quickly.
"You're smart Lucy!" Natsu said with a grin as he turned to face her. "Not many people figure that out this early in the day. That's why I'm taking the highest rewarding mission!"
"I…I see…" she said slowly as her shoulders slumped and she looked down and away.
"You don't look so happy, you should come with me and split the reward. That'll cheer you up!" Natsu said enthusiastically as he nearly slammed his hands onto her shoulders, his mug sloshed a bit. She jolted slightly at the rough touch, but regained composure as she realized that his idea made them alone all day. She'd have him all to herself.
"Great idea!" Lucy's vibrant smile returned and clutched the handles of the gift bag tightly. Natsu's eyes were forced downward at the gift and he blinked several times rapidly. She blushed, she wasn't sure how he'd feel about receiving the gift or if he'd even react well to being confessed to. What if it made their friendship awkward or distant? Last she knew that Lisanna and he didn't end up in a relationship when she confessed to him. Maybe Natsu just wasn't the type to date so early in his life? She sighed lightly with a girly noise escaping her lips.
Natsu leaned off of her and took a small step backwards to regain some personal space, but his ember eyes never left the red gift bag. The look in Natsu's eyes told Lucy that maybe she should hold off on giving him the gift until after the mission. Something twinged inside Natsu's mind, something uncomfortable and off-putting.
'Who is that gift for exactly?' he wondered. Part of him wished it was secretly for him, but another part of him wanted it to be just full of obligatory little chocolates for everyone in the guild. He'd curse and glare down the bag if it were for Gray or Loki.
"N-natsu…?" Lucy asked unsurely. The murderous look on Natsu's face made her slightly fearful for her safety.
"Oh sorry, I was thinking about what kind of horrid monster I'd have to slay for this reward!" he giggled it off. "I got a little worked up in my own imagination."
"Ahh, I've done that before too." She said nervously. "So wanna get going?"
"Yeah, the sooner the better." He said as they left the guild hall together.
It took them two hours to get to the quest location by foot. The whole way there they made small chit chat about who Erza might be going on a date with, if Levy and Gajeel were officially dating or not yet, or where Gray's next hiding place from Juvia was. Lucy was embellished with Natsu's wonderful laughter almost the whole way there. It was making her a bit dizzy if not faint, she feared falling over but she managed just fine.
"You know, Erza actually asked me if I was dating Lisanna this morning. I don't think I'd laughed that hard in a long time!" he snickered loudly. Lucy joined his laughing, but she was a little uneasy about the topic.
"What made her ask that?" Lucy pretended to not notice how Lisanna looks at him sometimes.
"Well Lisanna came to the guild hall this morning, super early, with one piece of chocolate. She said it was for someone special, but I don't know who she ended up giving it to. Wasn't me that's for sure." He said nonchalantly.
"Do you liiiiike her?" Happy asked with a cat laugh.
"Not like that, or at least I haven't in a long time." He replied boredly as his eyes were dead locked on the road ahead of them.
"So you did like her at one time though, right?" Lucy asked with a wicked grin. She felt like she was winning some sort of imaginary contest.
"Well….I don't know. I don't really remember how I felt about her asking me to marry her back then, but I do know that I wouldn't agree to that nonsense nowadays." He scoffed almost proudly.
"Do you ever want to get married?" she asked as casually as possible.
"Not really, I mean I don't have anyone that special yet." He mumbled.
She immediately regretted asking that question. Her entire mood shifted from light and cheery to depressed and gloomy. She almost considered turning around and going home to stuff the chocolate in her face and cry herself to sleep. Natsu picked up on her silence and her refusal to look in his general direction.
"But I want to find that person someday." He said quietly with the edges of his lips gently curved upwards. Lucy's eyes wandered back over to him with a wistful gleam of hope and curiosity.
"Maybe you'll find that person. Maybe I'll find mine too." She said softly.
Suddenly she felt so small. The world was huge and with as many people in it as there were, one of them was going to eventually win Natsu's priceless heart. She had a whole world to beat out and it made her feel like a tiny child in a land of giants. The feeling was both scary and thrilling to her, because she knew that she already stood a better chance than Lisanna did. The red gift bag in her hands suddenly felt heavy and she leered down at it.
"Happy! No!" she screeched as she yanked the bag away from him.
"But I'm hungry and it smells so good!" Happy whined.
"It's not for you! I'll make you some when we get home!" she shrieked as she hugged the bag up to her chest.
"Can't you just give me that one and make a new one when you get home?" Happy pleaded.
"N-no! I spent all morning on this one! It's too perfect to not give it to him!" she pouted.
Natsu's ruby eyes lit up like embers in a hearth, if the gift was for him, she'd of given it to him already. He had to find a way to dispose of it. He considered lighting it on fire or 'accidentally; bumping into her and squishing it. He caught himself and wondered why he felt so compelled to interfere. He watched intently as Lucy struggled to convince Happy that the chocolate was for a special guy and it was irreplaceable. He looked down the road to see the small town of Ikana Valley just ahead.
"Happy, we'll stop and get you something to eat in town, so just chill out." He said as he grabbed Happy out of mid-air and cradled him in his arms. Lucy stood mystified as she watched Natsu walk down the dirt road towards the town. Maybe Natsu thought it was selfish of her to not share the chocolate, but that's an unreasonable thing to assume. She silently followed him as he made his way into town and went into a random tavern. She sat facing him at a booth where they were served.
Natsu ate while Lucy picked at her food. She noticed how out of it he suddenly seemed and was contemplating if she should ask him if he's alright. She wondered if she should even give the gift to Natsu at all and just eat the chocolate herself and use the hat and gloves during the rest of winter. She glanced down into the bag and thought deeply, she groaned in despair. Natsu heard her cutsey whimper and noted the thoughtful expression on her otherwise elegant face.
"What's wrong Lucy?" he asked between bites of food.
"Oh nothing, I just don't know what to do about my gift is all." She pouted as Natsu's eyebrow quirked.
"Are you sure you'll be able to give it to him before Valentine's Day ends? I mean this mission could take all day ya' know." Natsu mumbled lazily. He was trying to hide how crazed his mind was at the moment. Everytime he'd open his eyes the bag would be there, right in his line of sight, mocking him. If the bag could actually laugh at Natsu, it would have.
'He doesn't know it's for him…' she thought in despair. 'Wait, that means he hasn't rejected the idea yet. I still have a chance!' She smirked evilly.
Lucy set the red bag on the table and crossed her arms. "This gift is for the strongest, most handsome mage in all of Magnolia! I bet if he were here he'd get this mission done so fast we'd have enough time for a date and movie." She said smugly.
"Just because you're hot doesn't mean-Hey! I'm the strongest mage in Magnolia!" he roared as he pointed to his chest with his thumb. "I can get this mission done faster than that loser can!"
"Is that a bet?" Lucy snickered mischievously.
"It sure is! What exactly are we betting on though?" he asked suddenly dumbfounded.
"I'll make you a deal, if you can get this mission done by six o'clock then I'll have no choice but to admit you're the strongest and the gift will technically belong to you!"
"Deal!" he cackled then dashed out of the tavern. Lucy was stuck with the bill, even if it wasn't Natsu's intentions. Happy fled the scene as Lucy stayed behind to pay.
"Natsu! Are you sure this is a good idea?" Happy asked nervously as he closed in behind him. "Why would the strongest mage in Magnolia date Lucy of all people?"
"Are you kidding me?!" Natsu screeched. "Any guy in the world would date Lucy! I can't let some random guy steal her and shmooze all over her in the guild hall! We'd have a loser for a new guildie!"
"Doesn't that mean you would date her too, Natsu?" Happy giggled.
"Now's not the time for such nonsense! I have to stop a wimpy loser from joining our holy guild!" Natsu shouted as he floored it to the large mansion in the distance.
The fireball of wrath burst through the front door of the mansion and shouted "Fairy Tail is here!"
Every servant in the mansion turned to gawk at Natsu standing triumphantly in the doorway.
"I see as though I hired the right man for the job." Said a pleased landlord in luxurious garb. The man walked up to Natsu and placed a hand on his shoulders. "You're just the wizard I was hoping would help me out in my time of need!"
"Anything you need gramps and I'll handle it!" Natsu cracked his flaming knuckles. "How big is the demon I have to slaughter? I wanna know how much firepower to put into one hit!" he drooled with excitement.
"There is no monster." The man said with a throat clearing cough. Natsu's flames went out and his vigor was replaced with confusion.
"Bwaahhh…?" was all that floated out of Natsu's gaped jaw.
"You see, my lady friend will be back this evening to enjoy the festivities with me. She has agreed to be my Valentine. This is a woman I have pined over for many years now, and she has finally agreed to one evening together. I need everything to go smoothly. My main grounds keeper is out sick and I need someone to light the fireworks for tonight's viewing over the garden." The man explained.
Natsu sighed in defeat, this won't look very impressive to Lucy. "Oh…okay…"
"Oh, but I forgot to mention….we have a tiny problem." The man frowned.
"Eh?"
"The fireworks were ruined in last night's stormy weather. I was hoping you knew how to turn your fire into different colors and patterns."
Natsu gave the man a dumb look and leaned forwards slightly, just barely enough to let his arms dangle forwards in a slump. "You're joking, right?"
"I am certainly not. I was told that Fairy Tail's fire mage could do anything with fire! Was I mislead to think that Magnolia's strongest wizard cannot perform such a simple task?"
"Oh I can do it!" Natsu hissed. "Just tell me what time to start shooting off!"
"As soon as the sun goes down, about eight o'clock." The man said stiffly.
"But I need to be done by six o'clock!" Natsu cried out as his shoulders drooped.
"I'm sorry, but fireworks aren't as pretty during the day, they're much harder to see."
Lucy finally had made her way to the mansion she entered the front door to see Natsu haggling some sort of time frame with the client.
"I'm telling you old man, I can't stay here longer than six." Natsu crossed his arms defiantly.
"And I assure you that it's too hard to see fireworks during the day."
Lucy groaned, Natsu was taking the bet too seriously. "Natsu, not even the strongest wizard in Magnolia can change time. He wouldn't be able to do it sooner than six either. You won't lose the bet because the sun won't set early enough. Just take the deal."
"Fine." Natsu rolled his eyes.
To pass the time until sundown Natsu and Lucy took a walk through the town. Their hometown was much cuter than Ikana, but they got to enjoy the scenery nonetheless. They came across a hiking trail in the woods and thought it was a good place to relax. They found a nice open area at the top of the hill where the trees cleared out just enough to see the mansion off in the distance. Side by side they sat closely as the sun took its sweet time falling down the horizon.
The cool air was rich with the scent of a promised spring in a few short weeks. Lucy shivered slightly as the chill swept over her in the form of a gentle breeze. She silently cursed herself for wearing a skirt in the winter. A sudden wave of warmth hit her from the left side where Natsu sat. He was warm like a cozy campfire. The scent of the crisp winter air mingled with Natsu's flames, it reminded her of the smell of the hearth at the guild hall. Her blonde head instinctively leaned onto his shoulder.
As soon as she caught her actions she deemed it too late to straighten out without seeming awkward. In an instant Natsu's cheek rested atop her head. She became very soothed by the warmth radiating from his magic. It was no wonder he could stand the frigid weather in short sleeves without a jacket.
Slowly… Time passed slowly as the sun rested its weary self against the horizon of trees. The stars twinkled as the time to start the show drew near.
"What's his name?" Natsu asked quietly. He wasn't entirely sure if he meant to ask it out loud or not.
"Mr. Handsome Von Sexyberger the third." She purred out jokingly. Natsu made a noise of a musement, but he wasn't satisfied with the answer.
"Why do you like him so much? Why haven't I ever seen him around?" he asked trying to pinpoint if he'd ever crossed paths with the ugly bloke before.
"I like him because when he laughs I know that everything is as it should be." She sighed out with a little whine of content.
"Where does he live?" he wanted to know more. The closer this man lived the worse the situation was.
"Somewhere in the depths of my dreams, we dare only meet there. If we were to ever meet together in my bed I'm afraid I'd have to pounce on him like a wild animal. I'd take his clothes off and then we'd-"
"Lucy! That's disgusting!" Natsu practically screamed at her. He wasn't so sure he wanted this succubus clinging to him anymore. She might steal his innocence and corrupt him into the vile being he secretly wanted to be.
"I'm joking! He lives on the outskirts of town." She giggled madly at his dismay. Natsu was still leery of her, she was now forever on his 'who in the guild is a secretly a massive pervert' list.
"Oh damn, it's dark now! I gotta get to work!" Natsu jumped up and poised his arm up in the air. In a flash his entire being was set aflame. He hurled a large fireball upwards into the sky where it exploded inelegantly.
"That was….hideous…" Lucy groaned out through a frown.
"I just realized that I have no idea what I'm doing…" Natsu gave Lucy a look implying he needed assistance. She stood up beside him and took his hand in hers and aimed them up at the sky together. Her magic merged with his as they were both engulfed in a fiery haze of red and pink.
"Now shoot." She whispered dangerously close to his ear. Their faces were within an inch or two of each other. He took his opportunity to use his free arm to hold her around the waist and she put her other arm over his shoulder.
They channeled their magic together into a Unison Raid. With Natsu's fire and Lucy vivacious magic combined, they made sparky fly. Their linked hands glowed a vibrant pink before they launched a large orb into the sky where it scattered like flower petals in the wind. With sheer glee they shot another one. It shot across the skyline and burst in every direction. One after another they shot out pink balls of embers above the mansion courtyard.
"Blue!" Lucy cheered and the flamed turned a neon blue before the flames bolted into the air. It burst far over the winter stars and shot azure cinders into the heavens above.
"Green!" Natsu laughed out loudly and that infernal feeling of romance thrashed its way through Lucy's chest.
"No, purple!" Lucy exclaimed vibrantly as an enormous green fireball scorched through the air where it erupted into a violet blaze.
"Yellow!" Happy cheered from behind them as he held the red gift bag away from their fiery passion.
An amber blaze overtook the view as the old man and his mistress looked on in awe. Not even the best fireworks looked as beautiful as Natsu and Lucy's flames. The ground beneath them was scorched and the embers of their romantic escapade burned vibrantly. Lucy was safe from the flames of passion in Natsu's grasp. As long as she clung to him his flames would never consume her.
"I think it's time for the finale." Lucy said as she focused her arcane prowess into one with Natsu's flames.
What burst forth from them was a spectrum of contrasting hues and lights that entranced not just the old man and his lady, but everyone in Ikana. Hundreds of people got to see the mystery fireworks show for miles around. When they shot off that last fireball they collapsed back down on the ground in the embers of amorous magic. Their hands remained connected with their fingers intertwined.
"One more!" Natsu grinned cheeky. "Red!" he shouted as a small flame escaped from their burning clutches. In the sky was a burning crimson symbol of their guild; the tailed fairy.
"Lucy! Your bag almost got set on fire!" Happy whined from behind them. Their attention was diverted to the cat holding out the bag to them.
"Oh, that's right, my gift!" she exclaimed then sat upright and tried to make her way over to Happy.
"Wait, don't let go of my hand!" he shrieked as he struggled to hold onto her.
"Let go!" she groaned as Natsu's physical strength overpowered her own.
"If I let go you'll get roasted by my fire!" he gasped out as he nearly fell face first into the coals.
Lucy stopped struggling and looked to the ground to see herself ankle deep in burning ashes. She shrieked in a panic, but Natsu scooped her up bridal style and carried her off of the charred circle of embers. Her arms cloaked themselves over his shoulders and behind his neck. The scent of his fanned-flames reached her nose and she inhaled it then sighed out lightly. He half wondered if she was sleepy and about to fall asleep, or if she was just delighted to be held in his arms. A warm smirk befell his lips as he set her down safely beside Happy. Her eyes opened to look straight into his rozen eyes that the embers reflected off of.
"Natsu, I want to give my gift now." She said softly as she reached out to Happy who handed her the gift.
"Let's head back then. I bet your date is wondering where you are." He sighed with a heavy heart.
"I think I'd rather give it to him here." She chuckled gently. "Afterall, the most handsome and strongest mage in Magnolia happens to be in town right now." She said seductively.
"That loser followed us?!" Natsu growled lowly. Lucy let out a small laugh as Happy giggled with her.
"Lucy! I don't think he gets it!" the cat managed to say with his paws over his mouth.
Natsu became bewildered and grit his teeth angrily. Lucy was making fun of him and Happy was laughing with her about it. He felt humiliated and betrayed. Not only was his best friend siding with someone who was intentionally embarrassing him, but Lucy was flaunting her feelings for someone who Natsu had never even met before. How could there be such a strong mage that knew Lucy well enough to win her heart, and he'd never even heard of the guy before?
The more he trapped himself in his thoughts the more enraged and annoyed he became. Just as he was ready to lose his cool Lucy outstretched the bag in his direction. His anger ceased and his eyebrow quirked. Did she want him to go give the gift to her date instead of doing it herself? Maybe she wanted him to hold it for her while they walked back to town?
"I'm not giving it to him for you, he's too stupid. He might get the wrong idea." Natsu chided as he crossed his arms and gave her a look of disapproval. Lucy cracked an amused smile and shook her head.
"You fool! It's for you!" she spoke with fondness in her voice. Natsu's crossed arms fell to his sides and his eyes softened.
"You're…not gonna give it to that guy anymore?" he asked dumbly. Lucy wanted to faint, why must he be as dense as six bricks?
"There is no other guy, it was for you the whole time silly!" she pushed the bag into his chest where he was forced to accept it.
"Wait, you said this was for someone handsome. You think I'm attractive?" he asked nervously with a trace of hope in his tone. Lucy immediately looked to the ground with rosy cheeks.
"Well of course I do. Lots of girls think that you're…cute." She stammered as she realized how awkward her words must have sounded.
Natsu's entire face turned bright red as he looked anxiously into the opening of the red gift bag. With only the dim moonlight and the faint glow of the embers it was hard to see exactly what was inside the bag at a first glance. He reached into the darkness of the gift and pulled out the first thing he touched. He examined it in the moonlight; it was a big brown heart with their guild symbol on it.
"It's chocolate!" he cried out happily. "A girl has never given me chocolate before!"
He tore the clear wrapped off and took a large bite. Much to his satisfaction it was filled with a sweet and salty caramel that melted with the chocolate in his mouth. He swallowed harshly and gasped for air.
"How did you know I liked caramel? I don't think I've ever actually told anyone that." He asked in awe as his mouth watered.
"You picked it out one day at a bakery, so naturally I assumed it was your favorite." Lucy's face burned with excitement, it was going better than expected thus far.
"I couldn't have asked for a better thing than caramel filled chocolate, thanks Lucy!" he flung his arms around her in a hug that she returned graciously.
"There's something else in the bag too." She said through his tight squeeze.
"Huh? Another thing?" he let go and inspected the bag to see the hat and gloves. He pulled them out and the first thing he noticed is that they were a near perfect match to his scarf that Igneel gave him. The goofy grin on his face told Lucy that she'd done well in crafting them.
"Sorry if they don't fit right, I'm fairly new to knitting and sewing." She blushed as she watched him slip them over his eager hands.
"They're a perfect fit!" he exclaimed giddy then placed the knit hat atop his head. His smile faded when it dawned on him that he hadn't gotten Lucy anything. He felt extremely selfish and guilty and his expression showed it heavily.
"Natsu?" Lucy asked with a low tone. Her mind ran through every scenario in which Natsu might be unhappy in this otherwise perfect moment.
"I'm really sorry…" he whispered softly with his eyes averted to the ground. "I didn't get you anything like a good friend should have of."
Lucy giggled sweetly. "You're new to this Valentine's thing, aren't you?" she asked him with a wicked smirk. He stared blankly at her, unsure if he'd misunderstood the holiday. "Boys don't give girls things on Valentine's Day in Fiore, only girls give out chocolate and gifts. Boys wait until White Day to give the girl a gift in return."
"Ohhhh….well I'd of felt stupid giving you something then." He blushed and puffed out his cheeks. "Well, th-…." He swallowed hard. "Thank you, Lucy." He said warmly as he felt his nerves settle.
"You're welcome." She blushed a deep red.
'Well, I gave him the gift…which was fairly easy, but now…now is the hard part.' She thought as she took a tiny step closer to him.
She was a little closer to him than for even an intimate conversation, Natsu almost felt the need to take a step back, but he hesitated. Lucy's Earthen eyes gleamed in the moonlight, the reflection of the embers behind him made her eyes look like they were lighting up. His heart fluttered gently as he felt a small wave of endorphins and adrenaline course through him. He felt something deep within his heart shift; a strange phenomenon occurred just then.
"Lucy…" he mumbled with no reason to.
She opened her mouth to speak, but she wasn't sure if she should just dive right into the rest of her life so easily, or if she could savor the moment. Her future, if she ended up with Natsu at all, was relying on this very moment. She wanted to ensure that he got the full effect of her desire.
In her time of relishing she questioned why she'd waited until today to confront him and why she hadn't done so sooner. She blinked slowly, but in that instant Natsu's face was suddenly only a few inches from hers. His cardinal eyes intruded her vision and she was left with her lips parted open.
"Natsu, I wanted to tell you something." She said heatedly. She breathed in and out heavily through her mouth, the hot air brushing against his skin in contrast with the chilly winter air.
"Is it something I want to hear?" he asked anxiously. His ears were pensive as he waited impatiently for her to speak again.
With shaky cold hands she reach up and placed them tenderly on his humid cheeks. Being a fire mage meant being warm all the time, but right now Natsu was blazing from the inside out. She was colder without his unison raid to light her up and she fancied a smoldering touch of his lips to warm her cool body.
Their mouths were but a mere inch apart before he felt the sweet breath of her words hit him. "I want the warmth of your fire, forever."
"Why would you want such a thing?" he asked as a chill ran through his molten body. He was dense, but not dense enough to not see what was happening here. He wanted to hear her say it with yearning and affection.
"Because I love you." She moaned out and his mouth enclosed on hers in an instant.
His amorous flames engulfed them both as her left hand want to the back of his head to grasp his fairy-like hair and her right arm held him around the middle of his back. His gloved hands wound themselves around her lower back as his mouth locked hers against his with a craving for attention. Her magic became one with his again as the embers spawned beneath their feet. Happy ran for cover.
"N-mmnatsss-" she tried speaking, but he wasn't allowing it.
He wanted more of this new element of their friendship. His hands slid up her back, causing her to tilt her head back and gasp elegantly against his parted lips. She panted as his mouth was removed from hers and he took a shaky breath. For a moment he wasn't sure what he was doing anymore so he leaned his head away from hers and looked far into hers, looking for his next words. She blushed under his intense gaze, she wasn't sure how he was feeling about their kiss or what he could be thinking about.
"Lucy, I like you, but I don't know where we're going with this." He said with a soft sigh. "What do you mean by 'love'?"
All she could think about was her sudden urge to cry, she wasn't sure if he was rejecting her or enticing her to say her confession again. "I meant that I love you more than as a friend. I know this sounds selfish, but I love you more than I do our other friends." She paused to look down then close her eyes. "I don't know where we're going from here, but I want to be by your side for the rest of my life."
A well of emotions pooled in her eyes, she didn't think about how he would react beforehand and she was entirely unprepared. He became fascinated with the way she felt in his grasp and how her dainty words made his heart struggle to keep beating. He pulled her into a tight embrace and squeezed her a little tighter than he meant to, earning him a faint groan from Lucy. The feeling of holding her entire body against his was magical and foreign to him. He'd hugged her plenty of times before, but this one felt more sensual. It took a moment, but it finally clicked in his mind what he was feeling.
He cracked a wicked grin that she couldn't see as he got an idea what made him giddy. He pushed her back away from him at arm's length. "I know what you want me to say, so pry the words out of my mouth!" He said with a raspy, demonic voice.
She gawked at him for a second before she realized it was an invitation. With all her courage she grabbed him by the sides of his head and rose up on her tip toes to capture his mouth with her own again. This time she nibbled at his lower lip and forced his lips apart.
"Say it!" she hissed between pants of hot air.
"Try harder!" he demanded, thoroughly enjoying her meager attempts at seducing him.
She growled lowly against his kiss and used her tongue to slither into his mouth. At first he pushed her back out, but then he drove his tongue into her mouth and took control. She squirmed as she breathed out of her nose heavily. His flames were getting too hot for her to handle. Her aura fused with his and twisted the colors of the embers in their wake. Her hands reached under the hair and scraped at his scalp.
"Say it or I'll scratch you harder." She commanded.
"You're being too soft on me woman." He chuckled before reclaiming her lips in a blaze of passion.
One of her hand pulled at his hair just enough to reward her with a rumble from his throat while the hand went under his arm and jacket to his back to paw at his back. Her nails scraped down his spine, making his lurch forwards and lean her over. All the was supporting her was the strength of his arms.
"I crave those words, so let me hear them and I'll cherish them forever." She gasped out as she clung to him. "Tell me what I am to you."
His crimson eyes of feverous affection opened to glance upon the woman who now brought order into his life. "Lucy Heartfillia, I am terribly in love with you and I'm sorry for all the burdens my troubled heart will cause you in the future. But if you'll have me then I'll remain with you for as long as I live." His voice tremble slightly as he spoke, but he managed to not crack. "You are the embers to my fire woman, and I don't think I can finish this life without you."
"Oh Natsu…" she whispered tepidly then pulled him back into her.
Their mouths only brushed again for a brief moment, but the feeling lasted even after they parted. Happy was behind a tree eating away at the chocolate heart he'd stolen from Natsu. He wondered when they'd be done setting the forest on fire and if they could go home yet or not. It was likely well passed ten o'clock and it'd be midnight before they made it back to Magnolia. He pattered out from around the tree to see Natsu and Lucy sitting side by side in a pile of burning coals and embers. Lucy leaned her head against his shoulder and drifted off into a dreamy state.
"Natsu." Happy said as her walked up to his other side. "Can we go home now?" he asked desperately. "I'm freezing!"
"I'm sorry Happy!" Natsu whined. "I kind of got side tracked."
"No shit!" Happy giggled. Natsu felt guilty, he hadn't considered that Happy isn't accustomed to cold weather and they'd been outside for hours now.
"Let's go home." Lucy whispered and leaned over Natsu's lap to pick Happy up. She cuddled him against her warm chest. Together they walked home with Natsu's flames keeping them warm. The fire lit their path all the way back to Magnolia.
"Natsu! We forgot our reward!" Lucy squeaked in shock.
"It's ok, I got my prize already!" he cackled with a silly grin. Lucy's heart thumped at the wonderful sound of Natsu's laugh; a sound she'd be hearing for the rest of her life.
Bolmung LK: Yeah, shut up. I know it's not Valentine's day, not even close.