The Right Time.
"Gray! Hey! Wait up!"
The ice wizard sighed and paused, turning to face his salmon-haired friend as he slid to a stop and then rested his hands on his knees, slightly out of breath from running. "Whattaya want, Natsu? I've got a job to get to."
Natsu took a deep breath and straightened up, suddenly looking a little uncomfortable. "Uh...so you know stuff about girls, right?"
Gray blinked, completely taken off guard. "What?"
Natsu fiddled with the edge of his scarf, avoiding eye contact with Gray. "I mean...you've had girlfriends before, so you've gotta know about girls a little."
Gray scratched his head. "Uh...yeah I guess. Look, Natsu, what's this about? Since when do you ask my advice on anything? Let alone girls."
Natsu became defensive. "Hey, I wouldn't be asking unless I really needed help! And besides, you're the only one I feel like talking to about this stuff. Who else am I supposed to ask, anyway? Gramps?"
Gray rolled his eyes. "Calm down, you've got a point I suppose. So what do you wanna know about girls?"
Natsu brightened up. "How do you do that dating thing?"
Gray sighed and rubbed his forehead, glancing down at the job request in his hand before stuffing it in his pocket and motioning for Natsu to follow him. "Come on, let's go find somewhere to eat, this is going to take a while…"
As Natsu and Gray walked back toward the Guildhall, Natsu mentally ran over all that Gray had told him. "So...girls like flowers and chocolate?"
Gray nodded. "And make sure to open doors for 'em and stuff, try and be polite and as much of a gentleman as you can, they love that sort of thing."
"So what do ya do after the date's over?"
Gray shrugged. "That depends on how long you've been dating."
Natsu glanced over at him. "What do you mean?"
"Well...say you've been dating for a little while, you might get back from your date and hang out at their place for a little while, or if it's been just a few dates you could drop her off at her home and kiss her goodnight."
Natsu blinked. "Kiss her after the date?"
"Not on the first date, you've gotta wait and see if she likes you first. After a few dates, when the time is right, that's when you can kiss her."
Natsu scratched his head. "How do you know if the time is right?"
Gray shrugged. "You just know."
Natsu rubbed his temple. "Agh, my brain hurts, dating is complicated."
Gray smirked. "Yeah, but it's not so bad."
"What about after you kiss her? What do you do then?"
"Well, if it's the first time you've kissed her, you just do it then say goodnight and go home."
"And what if you've been dating for a while and 've already kissed?"
Gray coughed, suddenly realizing that they were treading into awkward territory. "Uh...then if the time's right you might go inside with her…"
"And then what?"
Damn, how clueless is he? Gray thought, trying to think of a way to skirt around the current topic. "Then, uh...see where things go…"
Natsu frowned slightly. "I don't get it."
Gray sighed, exasperated. "If it's the right time then you might...you know." He raised his eyebrows suggestively.
Natsu stared at him blankly, dark eyes wide and innocent. "No I don't know, that's why I'm asking you, moron."
Gray shook his head. "You're hopeless, didn't Igneel ever tell you about what happens when two people love each other?"
"Yeah, he said they get married and have babies, so? What has that got to do with dating?"
Gray suddenly realized that maybe Natsu had never been given "the talk", he was only a kid when Igneel left after all, and even though it was hard to believe that a teenage boy wouldn't know about...that, if there was one person who would be completely oblivious to something like that, it would be Natsu.
"Uh...did Igneel ever explain where babies come from?" He asked hesitantly.
Natsu shook his head. "He said he would when I was older. Why? Does that have something to do with what happens after you've been dating someone for a while?"
Gray stopped walking. There was no way in hell he was going to be the one to give Natsu the birds and the bees speech, there were some boundaries he wouldn't cross. "Uh...listen, why don't you ask Gildarts about this? Since Igneel's not here to tell you, I'm sure he won't mind talking to you about it." He pulled the job request form out of his pocket. "Besides, I've got this job I've gotta go do…"
Natsu nodded. "Okay, I'll ask him about it."
Gray waved as he turned and started back down the road. "Alright, see ya later."
"Hey, Gray!"
He paused and glanced back. "Yeah?"
Natsu had his hands in his pockets, staring at the ground. "Thanks."
Gray smirked, then waved. "Yeah, anytime."
It had been several years since he'd had that conversation with Gray, but Natsu remembered every bit of it, silently thanking his dark haired friend for the advice he'd given him on girls and dating as he pressed his lips against those of the girl he loved.
Her blonde hair shimmered like gold as he pulled out the ribbon that had been holding it all up, letting the soft locks fall down around her shoulders.
"I like you hair when it's down." He said, brushing his fingers through the silky strands.
Lucy smiled and then laid her head on Natsu's chest. "You should've told me earlier, I would have worn it down more often."
Natsu shrugged, still playing with her hair gently. "Well now you know."
They fell silent, each content to just be in the other's company. They were currently in her home, Lucy sprawled on top of Natsu who was lying on the couch.
Candles flickered all around the room, dimly illuminating them in a warm glow. They'd been a surprise from Natsu, to celebrate their one year anniversary as a couple, figures a romantic gesture from him would involve fire in some way. He'd even asked Mira to cook a dinner for him and Lucy, which she -all too willingly- agreed to, they'd eaten by the candlelight on a blanket on the floor and then migrated to the couch for snuggles.
"This was really nice, Natsu." Lucy said quietly, her finger tracing the design on his shirt.
"I'm glad you liked it...I wanted to do something special for our anniversary."
She smiled. "It's perfect, thank you...it's kind of weird to think we've been dating for a whole year."
He shifted slightly, settling her into a more comfortable position in his arms. "Weird how?"
"Oh I didn't really mean weird, I just…" She trailed off.
"Something wrong, Lucy?" He asked, gently rubbing her back.
"I love you, Natsu."
He froze. Her voice had been a soft whisper, the words coming out in a breath. Even though they'd been dating for a year, neither one of them had ever said those three words. They both knew how they felt, it had always just gone unspoken, a mutual understanding that didn't need to be said. He hadn't thought it mattered that they'd never actually said it, but hearing her say it aloud…
"Natsu?" She said hesitantly, her voice apprehensive. She pushed herself up so she could look him in the eye.
His brow was slightly furrowed, his eyes flickering with different emotions.
Lucy suddenly grew fearful, should she have said that? What if it wasn't the right time? "I...I- its...well- you…"
"Lucy?"
She stopped stammering and met his gaze, his eyes suddenly focused and full of amusement. "Y-yes?"
He reached up and held her face in his hands, smooshing her cheeks together slightly as he grinned. "Think you could stop talking long enough for me to say, I love you too?" Her eyes lit up, and the sight made his heart soar.
"You do?" She said breathlessly.
He released her face and chuckled. "I just said I do, didn't I, weirdo?"
She laughed and threw her arms around his neck. "You're the weirdo."
He smiled and wrapped his arms around her. "Fine, we'll both be weirdos." He pulled her head back slightly so he could place his lips over hers.
She ran her fingers through his hair as their lips parted and tongues came into play, bringing up the heat of their kisses.
Their make-out session was put on hold as Lucy straightened up. She looked down at Natsu, her cheeks flushed. He was looking back up at her with wide eyes, his own cheeks tinged pink. She hesitated, then pulled her shirt off over her head.
Natsu's eyes widened in surprise. "Lucy…"
She took his hands and placed them on the curve of her waist, his calloused palms felt pleasantly rough against her soft skin, his hands alive with that warmth that was always present, as if an ever burning fire lived just under his skin.
"I...I'm ready." She said quietly, knowing in her heart she was telling the truth. She was ready to take their relationship to the next level.
He frowned slightly, his eyebrows furrowed in concern, his expression was careful. "Are...are you sure?"
She nodded. "I'm sure." And to prove it, she bent back down and kissed him with more passion and fervor than she ever had before.
That was all the invitation he needed, and soon his hands were roaming over her smooth skin, his lips and tongue drawing whimpers of pleasure from her lips.
Sensible thought had flown from both their brains, their bodies and minds driven by pure passion and instinct. Somehow they eventually ended up on Lucy's bed, leaving a trail of clothes behind.
Natsu's heart was beating a million times per second, partially due to the adrenaline and chemicals racing through his blood, and partially because he was terrified. He'd never done this before, and if it hadn't been for Gildarts lengthy -and overly detailed- conversation years ago, he would've been even more scared. He figured he knew a pretty fair amount about this sort of thing now, but even with the knowledge, he felt inadequate from lack of experience.
But then he looked into Lucy's eyes, dark and hooded with passion, her lips parted and full, waiting to be kissed, her hands roaming over his body eagerly, and as he looked at her, the fears flew from his mind.
This beautiful, amazing girl had no doubts that this is what she wanted, that he was what she wanted. She loved him, and he loved her, he didn't need experience to make her happy, she was already happy.
He ducked his head to the curve of her neck and placed several soft kisses against her skin before dragging his tongue over the race of her pulse.
She gasped, winding her fingers into his hair as she arched into his touch, her legs pressing against his hips.
He hesitated for a moment, then closed the distance between them. A low groan dragging from his chest as a fresh wave of intoxicating chemicals flooded his brain and set his blood on fire.
Lucy let out a muffled whimper, and her hands suddenly tightened in his hair.
Natsu could barely drag his mind back to the surface of the hormone induced stupor he'd fallen under long enough to realize something was wrong.
He lifted his head from her neck, anxiety suddenly driving most of the stupor away. "Lucy? What's wrong?" He asked, his voice was low and husky still, but tinged with concern.
She was biting her lip, her brow furrowed as her eyes shone with tears.
Realization suddenly hit Natsu, and part of the conversation with Gildarts came rushing back to him.
"You've gotta be careful though, it can be pretty painful for girls when they do it for the first time, so if you're not gentle it could really hurt them."
The anxiety doubled, and he suddenly felt panicked. He had no idea this was Lucy's first time, he'd known she'd had other boyfriends before him, and as much as he hated to think about it, he'd assumed she'd already had her first time with someone else.
"Lucy I'm so sorry, I-I've never done this before and I assumed you had and I didn't know you hadn't and I didn't mean to hurt you, I'm so so sorry." He tried to move back, but was halted suddenly as her legs wrapped around his hips, keeping him in place.
"Don't...move…" She gasped out, voice tight.
He frowned. "But...you're in pain, I don't want to hurt you anymore, I'm sorry."
She took a deep breath. "Stop saying you're sorry, I said I was ready and I am."
"But…"
She smiled slightly. "It's not so bad now. Natsu...I wanted my first time to be special, to be with the person I love...please?"
He hesitated, then slowly slid his hands into hers, lacing their fingers together and holding onto them tightly, steadying her trembling hands with a calm reassurance. "Trust me?"
She nodded. "Always."
He placed a soft kiss against her lips and whispered. "I promise to be gentle...this time." The little growl he added at the end of his sentence sent little shivers up and down Lucy's spine.
And he was gentle. It was sweet and wonderful, both of them so full of love for the other that the act had been so much more than something purely physical.
As Lucy lay curled up in his strong arms, listening to the beat of his heart and the gentle sound of his breathing, she couldn't help but smile, beaming with the joy she felt in her heart.
"What are you grinning about?" Natsu asked drowsily.
"Hmm? Oh, just...thinking."
"'Bout what?"
"What we just did."
He chuckled. "That was pretty awesome."
She rolled her eyes. "Typical, summarizing something so important and wonderful into something 'awesome', honestly I don't even know what I expected."
Natsu closed his eyes and slid his arms more securely around her. "Well it was awesome." There was silence for a moment, then he added. "I...I'm glad it was you."
"What do you mean?"
"My first time, I'm glad it was with you."
"Oh...me too, with you I mean."
He chuckled again and kissed the end of her nose. "Let's get some sleep."
She snuggled against him and rested her head against his chest. "Okay, in the morning we can go look for a job to do."
"Or we could sleep in and try that again after breakfast."
She smacked him lightly, but couldn't help giggling. "Oh hush, is that all you're going to want to do now?"
He shrugged slightly. "Nah, I'll still pick fights with Gray, think we could work out a schedule to divide the time evenly between the two?"
She sighed. "Oh hush and go to sleep."
He smiled and rested his head against the top of hers. "Goodnight, Lucy."