Prologue:

"I wonder how many people don't get the one they want, but end up with the one they're supposed to be with."
― Fannie Flagg, Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe

[...Need...]

Natsu was the kind of guy no woman would consider for as serious relationship. While there was no denying his kind heart: never one to look away from someone in need, he had the reputation of taking in the misfits and shy...whether they wanted the friendship or not, he eventually wore them down. It was that very sweet, playful, and relentless nature that made it near impossible to see him as an active member within an 'adult' relationship.

An everlasting, mature relationship was the last thing on Lucy's mind when she encountered the classmate acquaintance during the end-of-the-term party she had wondered into after completing the last final she would have to take within her foreseeable academic career. Unless she decided to acquire her masters or attend law school, both had been options that her father had voiced interest in during the years.

Thinking of her father reminded her that she should have returned home rather than procrastinate the inevitable, knowing what awaited her...her father and all his expectations, which would either include her being fit into an office at one of the family's company or—more likely—a long string of marriage meetings with the eligible sons of business contacts...would not go away, no matter what distractions she found along the way.

All she wanted was one last night of harmless fun and freedom before she had to face that unwelcoming scenario.

Maybe she had allowed it to get a bit out of hand...

The music blaring three floors below was almost enough to drown out the sensual cries purring from Lucy's throat as her hands reached behind her, grabbing onto the metal rungs of the pink-haired frat-boy's bed. Sweat plastered her hair at the temples and beaded along her skin from the exertion. As one time turned into an insatiable three.

Breasts bounced in delicious pain in time with the administrations of the lean, muscular body stretched above her. Hands, covered in callouses and burns of unknown origin, twined one of her supple legs about his hips and draped the other over his shoulder, grating him the perfect angle of entrance. Thrusting in deep, there was no mistaking the smug satisfaction gained from her reactions to his attentions: shuddering in need and completing multiple times to each of his.

Pushing herself onto shaking elbows, Lucy took the initiative by moving into the next wave and managed to contort about, trapping him under her straddled thighs. Maintaining their pace, she ran nails of one hand down his chiseled torso, leaving faint streaks of red, while the she ran the tips of the other over his lips, feeling the heat of his panted breaths, before lifting both her palms to ran along the curves of her body. Cupping and playing with her breasts as his grip dug into the lushness of her ass with a groan that spoke of him nearing his limit.

"Oh...God...yes..." She moaned out, head rolling back as an internal tightness began to gather and throb where they were connected.

This was what she needed.

Carnal bliss before her life was taken from her.

"Fuck…Lucy…"Natsu groaned; teeth clenched in restraint. "I'm about to come. Slow down."

No.

Not when she was this close.

Gasping before teeth buried themselves into her lower lip, Lucy's mind went into an euphoric spiral away from reason as her body continued to move. Faintly hearing Natsu reach his completion before collapsing onto his body, drawing him in even deeper and instantly creating another fresh wave of pleasure that had her gasping. Legs turned liquid, all she could do was remain where she fell. Breathing heavily, chest to chest, Lucy could feel Natsu slowly begin to harden once more.

Was he even human?

As far as Lucy knew, as limited as her experience in such being, no man could manage four times within one night.

These questions, the source of which being what caused him to be perfect for her purposes, didn't cause her any pause from responding as his clever fingers began to massage her body, stroking the fiery passion that had barely time to cool.

"Fuck..." He growled, hooking her knee on rolling her onto her back. "Looks like I'm not the only one not ready to call it quits." Reclaiming his position between her currently useless thighs, a wicked smirk played on his lips before he lowered his head to take one of her damp peaks into his mouth and suckled. Fingers kneading the other so both gained attention and Lucy's breathing began to quicken once more. Unintelligible words murmured through her quivering lips as his teeth gave her nipple a playful bite. Turning her head to the side, Lucy had to bury her teeth into the pillow's cover to keep herself from screaming profanities.

"Come on," Natsu urged, usually laughing voice turned into a husky rasp, and rocked back on his heels to take in the sight of her sprawled before him—as if he didn't believe the turn his night had taken any more than she had. Licking his lips at what he saw with ornery delight dancing in grey eyes. "Tell me what you want."

What did she want?

Him to fuck her hard enough that she forgot her whole life had been designed and mandated for her, no one ever once thinking to ask her what she wanted…

Instead of speaking the truth, Lucy released her clenched grip on the pillow and climbed to unwilling knees. All the better to push Natsu onto his back. Slowly, she lowered herself onto him, inch by searing inch. Hands buried in her hair with chest thrust forward as he strained up to meet her. To be inside her to the hilt. She might never be able to get what she truly wanted out of life: a nothing more than a quiet existence of her choosing far from her father's influence, but she could content herself with riding out Natsu's seemingly endless stamina until they both collapsed into unconsciousness.

While not be exactly what she wanted, it sure as sin felt good…and that was exactly what she needed at the moment.

[...Terror...]

There had to be a mistake.

There was no way that this could be the truth.

There had to be a mistake.

Checking the box once more, Lucy managed to read the beginning half of the directions before throwing the thin cardboard across the room and sank onto the edge of the tub, missing the rim and collapsing onto the floor, in terrified sobs.

The plastic strip in her hands clattering to the tiles so that the damning pink plus, the only color in the sea of white, stared up at her.

"Lucy?" A worried voice followed the tentative wrap at the door. "You in there?"

The sound of her best-friend, and foster-sister's, voice caused Lucy's sobs to strengthen, becoming audible even when she pressed her shaking hands to her mouth.

It was enough for Levy to forgo strict manners and enter without leave.

One look at her friend caused the petite young woman, same age as Lucy but several inches shorter, to not hesitate in crouching down on the cold floor in front of where Lucy seemed to be trying to hold her body together. Toes nudging the damnable strip in the process. Large brown eyes watched the test skid along the smooth surface to hide behind the toilet.

She could only stare at the encroaching shadows the evidence now resided for heavy heart-beats before slowly turning her gaze up to where fat tears were rolling down Lucy's face from burning, red-rimmed eyes.

Not asking for an explanation for the obvious truth, all Levy did was wrap her arms around Lucy, generating as much security as her small body was able.

Lucy had never loved her friend more than that moment, unable to explain to one of the people she held in the greatest esteem how she managed to so thoroughly screw-up her life, knocked-up from a guy she barely knew the name of, all in the desire to achieve one frivolous memory of unattached passion.

Shame had settled about her even as she was getting dressed when they finally finished that evening over two weeks ago. Once Natsu had passed-out, she had crawled off the mattress, self-disgust erupting the moment she was no longer in his close proximity, and gathered her clothes in record speed. Lucy had maintained her silence about her primal, irresponsible actions of that night to anyone. Including Levy, who she valued the high opinion of more than most.

How was Levy ever going to look at her with the same amount of comradely respect after realizing what Lucy had foolishly committed?

Not bothering to speak the lie all said at such a time, the blue-haired bookworm spoke the only truth she knew.

"We'll figure something out." Cupping Lucy's face so the blonde couldn't continue to hang her head in mortified self-loathing, Levy forced their eyes to meet. "Do you hear me? You're not in this alone."

"My dad—"

"Does not need to know." Levy cut off Lucy's frantic words, wobbled with tears. "You already denied his job offers and made it known that you're not interested in his match-ups. It won't come as a surprise to anyone if we move out. Not when we've been saying how we always would since high school. From there, we'll figure out the details."

"How?"

Kissing her friend's temple, Levy smoothed Lucy's tussled hair—sticking about from her stressfull tearing at the golden locks while waiting the longest five minutes of the heiress's life. "Leave that to me. Just be ready to leave in the morning."

"That soon?"

"Do you want to stay?"

"No." Trying to wipe at her face and stem the tears, Lucy violently shook her head. "But…where are we going to go? How are we going to make ends meet?" Her father wasn't going to back this idea, not when keeping her near enabled him better command over her actions.

"I have a few ideas."

[...Resolve...]

It was a seedy hole-in-the-wall, grease darkened the windows and the grime of the HELP WANTED sign stained her hands from where she ripped the stiff paper from the brick wall in order to carry inside the gas stationed garage.

A bell tried to add some cheer as she walked through—into air thick of the telling scents of oil, anti-freeze, and fuel—and made way for the counter at the end of the short aisles in long need of a dusting. It was impossible to tell where the dirt ended and the rusty metal began.

Rock music setting pace to her steps on approach to the man sitting behind an antique register placed within sight of an opened door leading into the mechanic portion of the, for lack of a better word, business. The source of the music along with a myriad of crass comments and guiltless profanities that were the only sounds available.

The only force keeping her feet maintaining their ability to continuously fall in front of one another being the memory etched into her mind of how helpless and terrified Lucy had been, sitting in the middle of her bed and watching Levy's departure with an expression of groundless hope.

Lucy had always been there for Levy in any capacity needed, from a sympathetic ear when the socially-awkward geek's heart was broken over discovering all a crush's interest in her resided with obtaining her notes to ensuring Levy had a home when her parents crashed their car over a bridge's barrier and died on impact. Now, it was Levy's turn to do some protecting.

The man looked up from where he was sitting on a rickety stool and seemed to be filling his shift with sketching on a length of curling receipt. Shaggy black hair, the top half pulled back, hung into crimson eyes that sharpened on seeing her approach. The small smile he gifted was enough to sooth some of her frayed nerves.

The crooked stitchery on his canvas button-up proclaiming him 'Rogue.'

"Can I help you?" Gaze noting the sign she held, his smile dimmed the slightest degree. "You're looking for a job?"

"Has it already been filled?"

"No," dropping his pen, Rogue starched the back of his neck, "not yet. But it's a mechanic's job."

Levy could feel her brows lift. "And you don't think I would be interested in that because I'm a woman?"

"No, it's obvious you won't be interested because you look like you just walked out of a fucking kid's store." The voice did not come from Rogue's lips but shot through the air beside him, where a giant stood in the door's frame with a visible scoff at the sight she presented. Not thinking job searching when she got dressed that morning, and in too much of a hurry when she formed this half-plan, Levy wore a lacy camisole and a flared skirt with fashion boots, the structure very much unlike the thick soled numbers the giant wore.

Well over six-feet, having to duck a degree on entrance, he seemed to be a study in harsh angles and hard pans. Unable to be anything save the brother of his gentle-mannered counter-part, both having the same coloring of crimson, black, and sun-kissed skin…though the abrasive one was a few shades darker from prolonged exposure.

Where Rogue's appearance was slightly disheveled, an absent-minded appearance of an artist or other creative sort who dwelled within worlds unseen, his brother blatantly flaunted his unkempt demeanor. Levy doubted his mane of hair had met a comb within months with numerous rips running along his jeans. Where Rogue maintained an overall clean appearance, the elder wore a shirt under his opened button-up, the buttons seemed to have fallen off and never been fixed, that might have once been white and the bandana at his hairline could have been green in another life.

"Even if you were interested, you probably wouldn't be able to keep up with the demands."

Steeling herself, Levy forced her spine to lift her height to all its meager glory.

"I've been working as the Heartfilia's personal mechanic for the past seven years, and did overflow or minute for their friends for five. I was even certified for inspections last year." All the means to feel of use after having her interests spiked in mechanics after visiting a garage after a break-down during one of her and Lucy's weekend long shopping trips. As with all things, general car maintenance had been a quick study for her and soon surpassed the hired staff Lucy's father had been grossly overpaying from lack of interest.

She was fixing cars even before she could drive them and dared the Neanderthal to try to call her out on such. Any test his unimaginative mind could develop, she was confident she could pass.

"If that's the case, why are you looking for a job here? There's no way I could meet the salary you're getting there."

"You don't know how much they pay." That being nothing and, therefore, whatever he would offer being significantly more than her one useful trait currently offered. There being no quick money in a love of literature and, despite its appearance, having heard nothing but rave reviews about the garage.

The high-end cars currently inhabiting the bay being enough of a testament to the truth in the reputation.

"Rich types always pay top dollar, even if it's inferior work." The parallel bars strung through the end of his right brow tugged at the skin when he lifted the feature. "Besides, the job is only part for the shop."

"And the other part?"

"Working pit for a cycle crew." Rogue answered far more congenially than his brother. "We've been accepted into the professional circuit, right after a former employee resigned—"

"His balls rolling about his wife's purse." The elder of the brother's muttered with a roll of his eyes. "And, as you see, I doubt there is room for you here—"

"What kind of bike is it?"

"What?"

Levy's inner self wanted to burst into tears and hide under the rickety table hosting a coffee pot. All she could do was ball her trembling fingers into fists and continue fighting against her timid nature. "Factory made or custom?"

The two, even gentle Rogue, looked at her with horror about the insinuation of using a bike straight off a lot for serious racing.

Levy inclined her head in apology. "Sorry, needed to know how serious you were."

"How serious we were?"

"Well, you're right in part, there's no way that I would invest the needed time and energy of crewing for a cycle if those in charge are only in for the thrill while shoving heads so far up their collective asses that it turns out they don't know the first thing about how to actually race." The words were far more brazen than she felt, knees about to give from the strain of standing while her heart was racing from nerves. She just had to hold on for a few more minutes and then she could collapse into hysterics, once out of their sight.

Laughter, this time coming from behind her, nearly caused Levy to startle with a shriek.

"She's got spunk; I like that. She's in."

"Natsu," the giant growled on adjusting how his bandana rested on his brow, the action causing the numerous piercings spanning his face to glint in the dim lighting, "how many times do I have to remind you that this isn't your fucking garage."

"Yes, but it's my crew." The speaker seemed vaguely familiar, someone Levy might have encountered on campus in passing. Pale-pink hair spiked about an impish face perfect for smirking, he crossed his arms and leaned against the nearest shelving, not seeming to care about the dust covering his leather jacket and lifting a brow of assessment. "What's your name?"

"Levy?" Why did she have to phrase it like a question? Where was a fake confidence of seconds before?

Either he didn't notice the crack in her faked self-assurance, or he pretended to. Either way, she was grateful for his continuation of conversation. "I say we give her a shot. If she doesn't make the cut, no harm done."

"Sounds fair to me," Rogue chimed in, smile returning to put Levy at ease as she looked back to him with the hope that her gratitude wasn't blaring above her head.

All the mammoth owner did was give a non-committal grunt before turning back into the bay. "We open at five in the morning, don't bother showing if your going to be late. And find some decent clothes to wear."

A/N: Know that there are plenty of typos…it has been a while since I wrote anything, skills are rusty.

While this chapter was of a more 'mature' nature, I assure you that this is not the overall theme the story will hold (though there will be sexual content...it's just not the only aspect of this story...if that makes sense). Lucy/Natsu's inevitable story will actually be of a more wholesome nature from this point on.

I hope you all enjoy and PLEASE send me your thoughts. For better or worse, such would be appreciated.