Natsu growled as he slammed the door and sent his bag skittering across the dirt floor of his shack. Their mission was supposed to be an easy one, save some kidnapped heiress and return her to her family. Granted it had hit a little close to home for his blonde partner but they finished their job. Just barely.
The dark guild that had taken the girl turned out to be worse than the Fairy Tail wizards originally anticipated. Their lightning mage had been directing every blast at Natsu, obviously because they saw him as the bigger threat. That had left Lucy completely open and unguarded but she had made the best of it. The Celestial wizard had called both Loke AND Capricorn at the same time, the four of them battling it out to the bitter end. The spirits eventually had to be sent back to their own realm, for both their own good and the good of their master, leaving Natsu and Lucy to duke it out with the last wave alone.
Unfortunately for the spirit wielder, Natsu allowed himself to become distracted by his unyielding desire to end his main opponent's existence, but most importantly, his need to protect his partner. Lucy had been too tired to call another spirit so she resorted to utilizing her whip, biding her time. When they were both down to the last enemy, the odds favoring them immensely, the opposing mage saw an opportunity and struck at it.
The Dragon Slayer would never forget that sinister sneer for the rest of his days. Before he could move a muscle, a bolt of lightning whipped around and took Lucy from behind. The blonde screeched in pain, flying off to the side like a forsaken ragdoll and giving Natsu the (unfortunate) advantage. As much as he wanted to run to her side to make sure she was alright, there was a job to do and Fairy Tail wizards always got the job done.
Using the fact that their enemy was too busy watching Lucy writhe in pain, Natsu bellowed a tremendous, fiery roar, engulfing the lightning wizard entirely. He didn't even stay long enough to see what became of the other assailants. Commanding Happy to grab their objective, Natsu bent down and cradled his partner in his arms, never setting her down until they reached her apartment a day later.
Natsu sent his flaming fist straight through the wall of his living room, Happy soon coming behind him to extinguish what threatened to burn their entire home to a pile of ash. He couldn't get over the fact that everything that happened was his fault. He had become distracted. He couldn't protect her. Gods knew that she was plenty strong on her own but that didn't satisfy his need to keep her safe. Lucy Heartfilia was like a precious treasure and Natsu's inner dragon would protect his treasure for as long as humanly possible.
Another hole in another wall. She wasn't his. Natsu had to keep reminding himself of that. Lucy saw him as family, her Nakama. That rarely translated into something more, he wasn't stupid. Gajeel already teased him mercilessly about being perpetually stuck in what he called 'The Friend Zone'. There was no need for him to continue pining for someone who would never want him back. The only things that could cure the aching in his heart were a fight with Gray (which was not possible given his 'appointment' that was probably with Juvia) or a glass of firewhiskey at the guild hall. Looking up at the clock on the wall, he noticed it was pushing midnight. Mira would be closing the doors soon. Guild Hall it was.
When he finally reached the doors, Natsu was shocked by what he found. Instead of a certain silver-haired bartender and a room full of people, the entire hall was empty sans for one blonde woman sitting alone at the bar, her back turned to the front door. The familiar scent wafted in the air and filled his nostrils, setting his skin on fire. He would have known that girl anywhere.
"Luce-" he murmured, his eyes tracing over her form as he closed the gap between them. Her soft, pale skin was littered in bruises and bandages, the obvious work of a particular Sky Dragon slayer. Natsu's heart wrenched at the very sight, his inner dragon screeching in agony. The marks served as nothing more than a reminder of his failure. They infuriated him. There was nothing he wanted more than retribution for his Lucy.
With bloodshot, puffy eyes, Lucy turned and smiled weakly at her partner. A third-empty bottle of firewhiskey sitting on the bar before her. Natsu could tell that she'd been crying, no doubt due to the pain she was in.
"N-Natsu if you've come to l-lecture me…" Lucy stammered, her glass shaking in her delicate, bandaged hands. Her chocolate eyes glistened with unshed tears as she knocked back the rest of her drink. She stood on her stool and reached across the bar, grabbing a glass for Natsu so he could join her.
But the sight planted Natsu right where he stood. When she leaned over the tabletop, her skirt lifted just high enough to give the Fire Mage a glimpse of what exactly laid underneath. Emerald eyes locked onto a pair of sheer, pink lace panties clinging deliciously to her pert ass. His brain shouted to him in order to get him to move, to speak, to breathe, but the more primal part of him glued him to his spot as he breathed in the scent of her.
Wait, did she say lecture? Shaking his head in order to break the trance Lucy's body had over him, Natsu hurried and sat down on the stool beside her. "Luce, why would I come to lecture you?" he asked, his voice a tad more snappy than he intended. How could she think that? She should have been lecturing him about leaving her wide open! "There's nothing to lecture you on."
Grabbing the bottle, Natsu poured himself a glass and shot it back immediately, pouring himself another before setting it between the two wizards. He could feel her heated gaze on him but the Dragon Slayer couldn't bring himself to look her dead in the eyes. How could he? Instead, he downed the remaining alcohol and sighed loudly. "I left you exposed," he explained as strongly as he could. "You're my partner and I couldn't protect you."
"And I couldn't protect YOU!" Lucy screamed, her glass hitting the oak bar loudly yet not shattering. Her response confused him. How could she have protected him?
Then he remembered.
Lucy had called Loke so that he could help Natsu take on the lightning wizard. Since the Lion spirit could keep his own gate open, he didn't require as much energy from Lucy, therefore serving as the perfect aid to her Dragon partner. He had thought it was a bit strange when he kept sending Loke away, only for the spirit to reappear. Of course, she'd tried to help him. She'd used the only way she knew how.
Natsu sighed once more and looked Lucy square in the eyes. "You did everything you cou-".
"And it still wasn't enough." Lucy's voice was shaking as if she were on the verge of tears. She poured them both another drink all while she tried to avoid Natsu's gaze. "I had two of my strongest spirits pass through their gates and you still had to baby me." Gesturing to herself, she continued. "None of this would have happened if I could actually help you."
How could she think that? Fighting beside Lucy gave him strength. She made Natsu feel like he was on top of the world, like he could win any battle. It was when reality set in that he saw the consequences of his lofty desires. "None of this would have happened if I would have protected you," he stated firmly, standing in order to close the gap between them. "You gave it your all and all I wanted was to win a fight. How is any of this yo-".
Lucy's lips were what cut him off. Natsu could feel the urgency in her actions but surprise was what overcame him. As if they had minds of their own, his scarred, calloused hands reached out and gripped onto her waist as if she was the only thing tethering him to the ground. His heightened senses picked up on traces of whiskey left behind on her lips but there was something so unique that it felt a million times more potent than any alcohol Natsu had ever tasted. It was sweet yet spicy, only figuring out that it had to be Lucy when he finally broke apart from her long enough to take a breath.
The blonde immediately blushed a shade of deep crimson, her entire body taking on a reddish hue. "Natsu, I'm so sorry," she breathed only mere inches from his lips. He could tell she was about to speak again when he snapped, unable to tame his desires any longer. The pinket wrapped one of his hands around the back of her head and drew her in again, kissing her more fervently than before.
This time he was prepared. However, the longer he kissed her, the more of a drug Lucy became. Natsu's blood ran hot beneath his skin, his more basic instincts yearning to taste, smell, touch, and see every part of her. Their lips moved together in perfect harmony, and the tiny moans and gasps that escaped Lucy's only egged him on further.
Pulling away, Natsu leaned his forehead against Lucy's as he caught his breath. Every voice in his mind called out to him "Claim her, mate her, claim her, mate her…" and he growled when they wouldn't shut up. Lucy wasn't helping matters any by clutching onto him like he was life incarnate, her flushed cheeks glowing in the candlelight, tiny pants falling against his cheek. Couldn't she see, or feel, what she was doing to him?
"Luce, tell me what you want," he growled again, his fingers gripping into her hip possessively. Natsu knew exactly what he wanted, what he'd been wanting for years by that point. They'd fought side by side since he brought her to Fairy Tail all those years ago and it had been that way ever since. All he had ever wanted was to be her best friend, partner, and mate. But he needed to hear that she wanted the same.
The Celestial Mage blinked a moment, her eyes locking onto Natsu's without batting an eyelash. Lucy looked at him like she was looking into a fire, with apprehension and excitement. He scanned her face for any signs of rejection, pleased to nothing but arousal. Closing her eyes and taking a deep breath, she leaned forward to press herself further into Natsu's arms, cheek settling against his shoulder. "I want you to take me home," she breathed into the crook of his neck. "Please?"
Placing a swift kiss to the top of her head, Natsu turned around and wrapped Lucy around him like a knapsack. He quickly took off for Lucy's apartment, only rushing once her lips had found one particular spot on his neck. All he could think about was what he would do to her once they arrived and it was getting harder not to stop and pin her against the wall of a nearby alley along the way.
After what seemed like an eternity, the two mages finally made it to Lucy's and wasted no time. Natsu threw her down on her plushy bed and was on top of her so fast it made their heads spin. He was practically drooling at the scent of her arousal as it slowly overcame him, driving him crazy with need. "Luce, if we do this," he murmured, grinding down on her wantonly. "This will be it for me. I won't pretend or forget." As if to show her just how much meaning was laced into his words, he bent his head down to kiss her passionately, leaving them both breathless. "I'll be okay if you changed your mind. I promise." And he'd keep that promise no matter what it did to him.
Lucy's answer was to card her slender fingers into his salmon-hair and pull his head down to hers in order to kiss him again. All she could do was whisper "Please" against his lips as her hips bucked upward. Not being able to hold back any longer, Natsu dragged his fingers from her hair to the buttons on her blouse and began to work on them. He went slowly, mostly to give her time to change her mind if she needed it. While he wanted to believe Lucy actually wanted to be with him, a small voice persisted in the back of his head, reminding him of his shortcomings every time his fingertips brushed against a purple spot on her ivory skin.
Without thinking, Natsu brought his lips to her chest and kissed every bruise he could find. He removed her shirt and threw it onto the floor next to them carelessly, only paying attention to the goddess beneath him. Every time he came to a bandage, he placed a string of kisses across the linen, making Lucy giggle under his careful attention. That sound was like the trumpets of Heaven and it only spurred him on.
Once the marks began to dip underneath the band of her skirt, Natsu looked up at Lucy as he removed it. She blushed heavily once she was left in her lace lingerie mainly because of the Dragon Slayer's predatory gaze. He removed his vest and added it to the pile before taking up his task again, starting at Lucy's hips.
"Natsuu…" Lucy cooed, twitching beneath his adorning ministrations. While he wanted to hold out and worship every inch of her body, he knew neither of them could stand to wait that long. There would be plenty of time for foreplay because they had their entire lives to do everything and anything. Apparently Lucy shared the same idea because it wasn't long until her fingers were catching on the inside band of his pants and sliding them down this toned thighs. There was something strangely intimate about that moment and it ignited a new fire inside him, causing him to pin her to the bedspread once more.
With one final, loving gaze, Natsu took himself in hand and aligned his hips with Lucy's. He bent down, took her lips between his own, and entered her slowly, tensing as her nails gripped into the fleshy muscles in his back. Everything in him screamed to keep going, to keep staking his claim, but he reeled in his more primal urges the best he could. Lucy was his priority and nothing would change that.
Quiet moans and whimpers filled the room as the two adjusted to one another, moving gently in fear of ruining such a pivotal moment. Once Natsu was firmly seated inside her and Lucy was practically begging for more, the Fire Wizard experimentally snapped his hips forward eliciting the most delectable sounds from the beauty beneath him. Lucy cried out as she asked for more of whatever Natsu was willing to give her, earning her quite the response. Before he knew it Natsu had clutched onto her hips and penetrated deeply, only adding to the black marks that were already taking up real estate on her gorgeous frame. Each thrust felt as if he were pumping every thought, emotion, and aspect of the years they had shared together into the woman he cherished more than anything in all of Earthland.
As Natsu grew closer to his climax, the primal voice became louder, demanding that he sink his teeth into Lucy's supple neck, claiming her for the world to see. All his dragon senses cried out to finally claim what they had craved for so long but Natsu held firm. Speeding up slightly, he continued his actions until he could feel his Lucy tightening around him, practically pulling him further inside her. All it took was one more passionate cry of his name before they were both falling apart at the seems, Natsu having just enough cognition to pull out of her at the last minute and finishing across her stomach.
Taking a minute to breathe, Natsu allowed his eyes to pour over the panting, glistening mess that was his Lucy. He could already smell his signature smokey scent mixing with hers in the sex ridden air. The blonde's body blushed from head to toe under her Dragon's hungry eye before she reached for something on her nightstand.
Of course. The tissue box.
Leaning over, Natsu grabbed a handful and sweetly wiped away the reminders of their escapades before rolling them both over and wrapping his entire body around Lucy's, lazily making sure to cover them both with her quilt. Like a dragon protecting its treasure, the two Fairy Tail mages breathed each other in and allowed sleep to take them, knowing that one hell of a conversation awaited them come morning.