Fairy Tail and the plots and characters therein, including setting for and the dialogue at the beginning and end of this story, belong to Hiro Mashima and so forth.

I don't know how well I captured the delicious tenderness of Mashima-sensei's depiction of this moment, but hopefully you like it! If you do, let me know in the comments or by following and I'll do a Natsu and Lucy chapter.

413 Minutes

"C'mon Natsu... stop it... Not out in public."

"It'll be fine! C'mon, just a little?"

Do they even realise what they sound like? Well, Juvia certainly does. She's openly gawking at them. If the flame-brain and Bunny Girl want to make a spectacle of themselves, that's their own business. I got more important shit to think about.

Alright, that's it. I've decided and there's no going back this time. The table's shaking... oh. Must've hit it. Well, at least I wrenched Juvia out of whatever perverted fantasy she was in. She's rubbing her eyes with her sleeve. Pretty furiously. If I'd imagined Salamander doing what it sounded like they were doing I'd want to scrub it out of my mind pretty quick and thorough too.

And here comes my chance. I've caught a reflection in the large bottle to my right. She's coming up from behind me and she comes bearing gifts. There's a stack of books in her right hand, balancing on her hip. But in her left hand is a plate of food. Too much for her tiny frame to gulp down in one sitting. And she's headed right for my table. And she's smiling. And best of all, no sign of her useless teammates. I'll get her all to myself. It's the perfect opportunity.

Levy leans over my shoulder to place the plate of chicken and potatoes in front of me. Things are looking good. She brought two forks, her breasts are just brushing across my shoulder, and I know from the way her body's twisted that if I just leaned back I'd get a great view of that ass. She's got a short dress on... in this position it might not even... But I'm playing the long game. What's a quick stolen peek compared to what I could have if this plays out how I want? And the element of surprise and immediate action is crucial here.

As she turns to take her place on the other side of the table, I spin myself around on the bench, keeping my legs wide, using speed only a true dragon-slayer could have at his disposal. I grab her right forearm and twirl her back towards me, causing her precious books to go crashing to the ground. But she doesn't even have time to protest as my right arm pulls her torso in to meet mine, sandwiching her left arm between us. My left arm drops her right arm around my neck and moves in for the kill, gently weaving through her hair as I bring my lips down to hers. Down? Her legs must've buckled when I spun her. I know she's short but she's not that short and far too much of her weight is on me for her feet to be supporting her too. I don't mind at all. Her left hand twitches slightly against my shoulder as I breathe her in, trying to let her know what I need her to know without words. Words are her thing, action's mine. But I don't need anything more than this right now, just a simple kiss, chaste but lingering. It's perfect. I press her to me, gently. I ain't gonna force myself on her. Gotta build the trust. She could easily get away if she was trying. But she isn't. I feel her lips hum against mine as she lets out a little moan. Oh yeah. Everything according to plan. Now that's suave. Elfman will yell out "Man!" any second now... any second...

A sound like a boiling teapot cuts through my concentration. Now I'm the one Juvia's staring at. And Levy is across the table. She'd walked right past me and I'd been too busy dreaming about what I should've been doing that I completely missed he chance to... you know... do it. Shorty looks like she just got wrenched out of a fantasy too... Oh. She's reading. Or she was until Juvia shrieked or whatever the hell that inhuman sound could possibly be called.

"Ah, Juvia, you're out pretty late tonight."

Well, if Levy can forgive her for the interruption, I have to at least try to be civil. Nothing for it. "If you're looking for that ice-bastard, he ain't here. He's outside." That'll get her out of everyone's hair but Grey's, and who cares about him. But I am not impressed. I can tell I'm shooting her a dark glare and I'm trying to keep my hands unclenched but it just isn't working. Even if it was just a fantasy, it felt real enough to me.

She will suffer for this.