Natsu knelt by the fading form of his dead father.
"Igneel…" He whispered, tears cascading down his face. He had searched for so long to find him, not only to find out that Igneel was within him the whole time, but now as soon as he had him back Igneel was gone.
Natsu could hear Igneel's voice telling him to be strong but he couldn't. This was one thing he couldn't be strong about. He hadn't felt this intense sorrow since he watched Lucy die. She may have not been his Lucy but it had been Lucy all the same.
A slender hand gently squeezed his shoulder. When he didn't turn, he heard someone sink to their knees next to him and throw their arms around him burying their face in his back.
Lucy. She was also crying. The loss of Aquarius was ripping her apart from her inside out. Natsu slowly turned, pulling Lucy into his chest. Natsu's bare chest was warm, as were the arms around her. Lucy found the comfort she had been seeking in these arms, just like she had always did. Natsu breathed in the scent from Lucy's hair, trying to focus on Lucy rather than the grief that was numbing his thoughts. Lucy was the first to speak.
"Come on Natsu, we should go. You should get some sleep, it's been a really hard day for all of us." Lucy's muffled words, spoken into his chest jarred him slightly. He sighed.
She was right. They stood, Natsu partially supporting Lucy. She was still pretty drained from her fight. Natsu was wounded but he gritted his teeth so that he could help his partner home.
Lucy felt a little guilty for leaving and not saying anything to anyone else but she wanted to get out of this area and back to her apartment, if it was even still there.
When they finally got to Lucy's neighborhood, she let out a sigh of relief. Her apartment still stood there just as it always had. Natsu started to turn to leave, thinking that Lucy would want to be alone, she caught his tattered sleeve. He turned to see Lucy looking down at her feet.
"If you want you can stay here…" He gave her a look. She never gave him permission willing to stay at her house.
"What I mean is, can you please stay…?" She looked at him from under her lashes. Natsu was surprised, not only did she say he could stay in her house but she wanted him to stay. She must have been hurting pretty badly if she needed him to stay with her.
"Okay, I'll stay." They walked up to her door quietly. She began up the stairs, only to stop and grimace in pain. She tried once again to take a step up the stairs but it wasn't going to happen. Seeing this Natsu sighed and scooped Lucy into his arms, forcing a surprised little squeak from her. She was too exhausted though to try and struggle out of his hold.
At the door he rearranged her to hold out a hand.
"What?" She said.
"Key?" He jerked his head toward the door.
"Oh here." She handed him hers so he could unlock the door. He didn't really want her to know that he had his own key to her house. He pushed the door open with his foot and set Lucy down just inside the door. Lucy's heart ached. Natsu was so quiet, and it made her worry. She remembered back to the day she found out her father died. She could understand how he was feeling.
"You want something to eat?" She asked her companion quietly, who had his hands in his pockets and was staring at her floor. He shrugged.
"I'm not really hungry." Natsu not hungry? He really was upset. Lucy looked at him. He was covered with cuts and bruises.
"Do you want me to ty and bandage you up?" He shook his head.
"I should be fine." He murmured. Lucy huffed, before seeing a small trickle of blood coming from his hair line. He was trying to act tough. She sighed grabbing Natsu by the hand and dragging her into her bedroom, sitting him promptly on her bed.
"Stay here, and take off your shirt." She stalked into the bathroom trying to ignore the blush on her face at telling Natsu to take off an article of clothing.
What's your deal Lucy, you see him basically half naked every day.
Lucy rummaged around for antiseptic and bandages in her bathroom. She had recently started adding them to her list of supplies because a bruised bleeding Natsu always seemed to show up on her door step, or in her window for that matter.
Natsu was still sitting on the bed when she returned, his tattered shirt lying next to him. Lucy tried to ignore how the dying sunlight streaming through her window, fell on his pink hair and how his muscles in his chest rolled when he breathed. She forced her eyes up to meet his. They were dull and red from crying. She sighed seeing this side of her partner. He was always the strong one, and it tore at Lucy's heart to see him like this. She wondered if this was how he felt when he saw her cry.
She set the bandages down and soaked the cotton balls she grabbed with antiseptic and went to work. When she touched the cotton ball to Natsu's hair line he clenched his teeth and hissed with the pain.
"Sorry." She whispered. When she finished cleaning the wound she wound bandages around his head, lifting his hair out of the way as she did. She had forgotten how soft Natsu's hair was. A low rumble spread through his chest, making Lucy realize she had been running her fingers through his hair, messaging his scalp as she went. His eyes were shut lightly, enjoying the feeling of her fingers in his hair. It made him calm and forget his grief, almost.
Lucy stopped to assess the rest of him. His ribcage was visibly bruised and she worried that it went down further than skin deep. He hands ghosted over the bruises, looking at his face for signs of pain. She lightly pressed on his left side, earning a groan of pain.
"I can't tell if they are fractured but they are definitely bruised. She placed the end of the bandage near the end of his sternum holding it place with her left hand. She reached under his arm to wrap the bandage around him. She came to a slight dilemma. She couldn't reach all around his muscular body to grab the other end without letting go of the front end. Natsu raised a brow at her. She furrowed hers in concentration. Grumbling she eventually pressed herself against the bandage so she could free her left hand.
They were nose to nose, brown eyes glued to black ones.
"Luce…" He whispered, his breath warm on her cheek.
"This would be much easier if you were laying down." A blush formed instantly on Natsu's face. He sputtered mistaking what Lucy was saying.
"I meant bandaging you, weirdo." She said back. Natsu seriously doubted this would be easier for him if he was laying down. That meant she would probably straddle his hips, and he was already having issues with her pressed against him. Lucy figured it out though, bandaging Natsu's torso and stepping back to admire her handy work.
She leaned on his leg and he gasped in pain.
"What!? I'm sorry! Are you wounded there too?"
"Apparently…" He said through clenched teeth.
"Take your pants off and I'll bandage that up too." Natsu's blush darkened.
"What?" Lucy said seeing his face.
"Um the problem with that…"
"What's the problem?"
"I was kinda naked when I put these clothes on so…." Lucy blushed now as well. He didn't have on any boxers.
"Well I have to bandage it. Here ill turn away while you take off your pants and just cover yourself up okay?" Natsu nodded, his blush reaching to his ears. A modest Natsu. That was somewhat surprising. She turned around. She could hear the fluttering of clothing as Natsu slid his pants off. Lucy blushed, imagining it. Bad Lucy she mentally scolded herself. Natsu would probably call her a pervert for trying to picture him naked.
"Kay." He said quietly. She turned around to see a very naked Natsu sitting on her bed, only the sheet form her bed covering that. Her blush darkened and she approached him. The gash on his leg was large, but it didn't seem to need stitches. She cleaned it, all the while listen to Natsu hiss in pain. As soon as her fingers touched his bare leg, Natsu stiffened. Lucy lightly caressed his leg as she wrapped the bandage around his upper thigh. Not being able to take it anymore Natsu grabbed Lucy's wrist.
"Huh? What? Did I hurt you?" Her shocked eyes looked into his. Lucy didn't find pain in his eyes though. His gaze was heavy and there was something there that she hadn't ever seen on Natsu's face; Desire.
Natsu's hand stayed firmly around her left wrist and his other hand placed itself on her hip. He pushed her so she was standing between his legs. He stood and Lucy kept her eyes glued to his, hearing fabric hit the floor. Natsu's hand traveled up from her hip to her lower back, pressing her against him.
Lucy was frozen in shock. Natsu of all people was making a move on her. She pegged herself being the one to finally move their relationship forward, but it was Natsu, the thick headed Natsu, taking the lead.
Lucy let out a shaky breath, Natsu's lips inches from her own.
"Luce…" She gulped, gathering her courage, and closed the distance between their mouths.
Natsu was a little shocked at first but then he responded kissing the celestial mage back. He had wanted to do this so many times after Asuka had brought it up when the two of them had been babysitting her.
Lucy's lips parted slightly and Natsu took that as an opportunity to invade her mouth with his tongue. Natsu sighed. Kissing Lucy was everything he thought it would be, if not more. Lucy's head was spinning. She was kissing Natsu, her best friend and he was kissing her back.
She wrapped her free arm around his neck and tangled her fingers into his hair. Another rumbled went through his chest and he pressed her tighter to him, releasing her wrist so he could get her even closer. Lucy could feel his hard arousal pressed against her. The bare skin of her belly was pressed against his, the temperature of his skin escalating as they kissed. His mouth left hers and he pressed kisses down her jaw line to her neck, leaving a fiery trail. She tilted her head, giving him more access to her neck. He nipped the skin at her collarbone making Lucy shudder.
Natsu cupped Lucy's butt, lifting her up. She wrapped her legs around his muscular waist. She could feel him against her bare leg now and it was turning her on.
Natsu turned around, setting Lucy on the bed. His hand found its way up her skirt. He caressed her upper thigh, much like how she had done to him. He found her lips again, his kisses more intense than before. He couldn't get enough of Lucy and she couldn't get enough of him.
He pulled her shirt off, ignoring the sound of ripping fabric, he needed her right now. He cupped one breast in his large calloused hand and latched his mouth onto the other exposed nipple. Lucy moaned making Natsu continue his task.
His hand left her breast and traveled back down to her skirt waistband. He hooked his fingers in hit pulling it down along with her underwear. Realizing she was completely naked Lucy started to feel less courageous, of course now that they were both naked Natsu's courage sky rocketed.
He dipped his fingers into her folds, eliciting a squeak then a moan as he began to circle her clit. She rocked her hips against his fingers, commanding him to move faster. When his speed quickened so did her hips.
Natsu left her clit and pushed his fingers into her. Lucy cried out a bit as he drove them in deeper.
Lucy had done this before with guys but this experience left them all behind. There was always something missing when she had sex with previous boyfriends, and now she understood. None of them had been Natsu.
"Natsu…" She moaned. She wanted him, now. To tell him this she pulled lightly on his hair making her look up at her.
"Now…" She breathed, barely able to form words. He gave her a confused look. She realized he must not really know what she was talking about. Lucy rolled her eyes and reached down, grasping his manhood. She lightly pulled on it, trying to tell him what she wanted. Natsu made the connection. He was poised at her entrance, his courage slowly retreating. Lucy lifted her hips, dragging her folds on him. That shot him into hyper drive and he pushed himself into her. She moaned, his massive girth filling her completely. Natsu groaned, and started to move. With each thrust Lucy let out a little sound, a sound that Natsu enjoyed very much. He quickened his pace, quickening the little sounds escaping from Lucy. She wrapped her legs around him. Her hands found his back, dragging fingernails across the skin, leaving little red lines.
Natsu groaned in the slight pain, which, surprisingly made him harder. Natsu pushed himself deeper into Lucy, the blonde's walls squeezing him in a way that made his head spin. Natsu continued on pounding himself into her, her noises getting steadily louder. And as her noise grew so did the fire that started forming in his belly.
Lucy could feel herself reaching her climax, and by the look on Natsu's face so was he.
His brow was furrowed in concentration, his mouth slightly open, his teeth gritted together and his eyes closed.
A cry escaped Lucy's lips as she shattered. Natsu following soon after, feral growl filling the air.
They collapsed together in exhaustion, now totally past the limits of their energy.
Natsu pulled himself out of Lucy, who felt empty now without him there. He looked into Lucy's hazy eyes. She was beautiful, especially with the look of bliss on her face. He smiled down at her, the first smile to cross his face since the death of his father. Lucy reached up and cupped his face. He covered her hand with his own, closing his eyes and sighing.
"I love you Lucy." He opened his eyes to see Lucy smiled up at him tears in her eyes. He was suddenly worried that he had hurt her.
"I love you too Natsu." He pressed his forehead to hers. He moved under the covers, bringing Lucy with him. She snuggled into his chest as he wrapped his arms around her and she drifted off to sleep.
Natsu looked down at his new mate, and ice crept back into his heart. He was going to have to leave her. He needed to get stronger in order to protect her. He would only be gone a year, plus the guild could protect her till he got back. He sighed not wanting to leave her now that he had found her.
He could wait till morning.
"Natsu?" He looked down at her.
"Hmm?"
"Igneel was proud of you. He saw everything you did since he left. He saw how you fought, you protecting your nakama, and what a great man you have grown into." She whispered.
"I know, I just wish he could have stayed to see who I will become in the future." Lucy knew what he meant. She felt the same about her mother, her father, and now her violent water spirit Aquarius.
"Aquarius loved you in the end that's why she made that sacrifice." She nodded into his chest. She was crying again, he could feel her tears on his skin.
"Don't cry Lucy, just get some sleep.I love you." He fell to sleep then, with the girl he loved asleep in his arms.
The sun streamed in and hit Lucy's face. She groaned. Even half asleep she could tell that everything hurt. The battle yesterday really took it out of her. Her eyes shot open. That and she had slept with Natsu. She squealed in delight. She and Natsu were mated… It was almost scary especially knowing that dragon slayers mate for life. She could be with Natsu forever, she really did love him. She rolled over expecting to see pink hair and she found a piece of paper with Natsu's handwriting on it.
No…
Lucy,
I know this is hard for you, because it's hard for me too. But I have to go. Happy and I are going to travel for a while and train. We will be back in about a year. I love you and because of that I need to get stronger so I can protect you. Until then I know that the guild will protect you. Goodbye, I love you.
No! He couldn't leave, she needed him. She jumped out of bed, threw on some clothes and dashed after him.
He couldn't have gotten far yet.
"Natsu you damn idiot you can't leave!" She yelled into the air.
She got to his cottage pounding on the door,
"Natsu! You answer this door! You can't leave I need you here! You can't just do that with someone and leave, its bad manners…" She slid down the door, knowing he wasn't there. They were gone. She cried.
Later that day the master made the announcement that the guild was to disband. Not only had Natsu left but she lost her family. She felt hollow.