Fairy Tail belongs to Hiro Mashima.

Between Two Fires

The smell of whisky-soaked wood invaded Natsu's senses. His face, pressed against Fairy Tail's party-worn bar, was slowly going numb. His eyes drooped.

"Hey." A warm hand touched his shoulder and slid over his back.

Cracking an eye, he blinked and focused on Lisanna's pale, freckle flecked face. As soon as his eyes met hers, the girl's red mouth broke into a radiant smile. She was always looking at him like that, sweetly, almost reverently. He wasn't an idiot, though he played well at it.

Maybe he just didn't want to see.

"Hey, Lisanna."

"So…" The youngest Strauss sat on the stool next to his and caught the hem of her dress. She started plucking a loose thread,.

Natsu glanced at her from the corner of his eye while he listened to her heartbeat speed. She's worried about something. The faint smell of deodorant-laced sweat drifted to his sensitive nose. The scent she wore was peach. "What's going on, Lisanna?" His first thought was maybe someone was bothering her. If that were the case… He sat up and looked around. Everyone seemed to be minding their own business.

"Um…" Her cheeks were bright. Flicking out her tongue, she moistened her lips and pushed her feathery hair behind her ear. She looked radiant, even in in her uncertainty.

"What's wrong?"

"I… I wanted to talk to you about something." The girl pulled harder at her dress, inching it up just a little over her thighs. The dragon slayer's eyes dropped to the pale skin there; flushing himself, he looked away. Into Mira's probing gaze. She studied them carefully from behind the bar. He ignored her and went back to looking at Lisanna.

The girl asked, "Are… you free tonight?"

Natsu froze. He wasn't the only one that stopped. From the other side of the bar, Lucy looked up from where she read Sorcerer Weekly, and Mira halted drying a crystalline glass.

"I mean... to… um…" Lisanna floundered when Natsu didn't immediately reply. "To go out with me."

Oh. He wished he didn't know what she meant. Hoping he misread, he said, "If you want to hang out, I'm cool."

Maybe, in retrospect, it wasn't the best thing to say.

Lisanna's face broke into a relieved smile, the laugh that bubbled out of her mouth hectic and manic as she released her nerves. "Yeah?"

And now that he'd said yes, he certainly couldn't say no. "Yeah. You want to come over, play some games with me and Happy?" You think that's going to help things?

Lisanna caught her lip between her white teeth and nibbled it. "Mmm…"

Natsu laughed nervously. "Or, you know, if you just want it to be you and me…" He didn't know his words could ever make someone so happy, but Lisanna's bottomless blues glowed and he knew he could never go back on his word now.

From the opposite side of the bar, Lucy clutched her magazine hard and reread the same line again and again, trying not to eaves drop but failing miserably.

"So… I'll come over to your house then, around seven?" Lisanna tried not to be shy, telling herself that she and Natsu had been friends for a long time. It was a natural progression in their relationship. Maybe it would have happened already if she hadn't been sucked into Edolas.

Natsu gripped the bar's ledge. "Yeah. I can make dinner or something." Really? Yep. He just said that.

The takeover mage smiled and stood. "Good. Alright. Okay." She laughed again. "I'll… I'll see you tonight then."

Then she was gone. Natsu stared at her retreating back, trapped between horror (what the hell did he just agree to?) and relief. He wouldn't ever have to wonder if he and Lisanna could have been anything more. His only regret was that she was the one that was brave enough for the both of them.

Mira set down the glass she'd been drying and pegged Natsu with a severe look. "Do you know what just happened, Natsu?"

Like he was dense. He looked at her blandly. "I'm not an idiot, Mira."

"Well, that's up for debate most days," she returned. Then her face blanked into something like shock. "So you do know that Lisanna thinks this is a date?"

A few tables near the bar quieted. His neck heated, feeling the eyes of his guild mates on his back. "Not so loud, Mira."

But she was glowing, an excited look in her eye. "Holy. This is exciting. Lisanna's been sweet on you forever. I told her one day this would happen, but she didn't believe me. Now look." Her teeth flashed in a grin. "Natsu and Lisanna, I can see it now. Maybe I'll get Reedus to paint you guys a welcome sign for your house—"

"Woah." The dragon slayer lifted his hands and patted the air, trying to stop things before they got too crazy. "It's just… we're just hanging out, Mira, not getting married or anything."

The takeover mage turned serious. "If you think that, then you really are an idiot."

Tell me about it. He didn't ever think he was particularly dumb, but agreeing to this made him feel that way. He could feel Lucy's eyes boring into him. Lifting his gaze, he dared to meet her eye. Her cheeks and neck were bright red and the magazine she held was suffering, its pages crinkled and ruined where she clenched it so hard. He didn't need a translator to realize that she was upset. Maybe if he thought about it, he could even discover why.

Things never used to be this complicated. In seconds, Lisanna had turned his life on its ear. Grumbling, he slapped some money on the counter for his earlier meal. "If Happy comes in…"

Mira winked. "I'll tell him not to come home tonight."

"That's not what I was going to say," Natsu barked.

"Dress nice, Natsu, and make sure to make her dinner. Don't invite her over and stuff yourself with fire while she watches," Mira said. "You can cook, right?"

Yeah. Things were definitely getting out of control. "I—"

"You want me to come over and be your chef?" Mira offered. "Well… on second thought, I'm sure Lisanna doesn't want her big sister hanging around on her first date. You cook, right, Lucy?"

Lucy let out a strangled noise, put on the spot and shocked into silence.

"I can cook," Natsu said hurriedly, mortified.

Mira looked at him skeptically. Maybe she would have pursued it, but Natsu sensed the closing trap and finally managed to pull himself out of it. Standing so fast he almost knocked over his stool, he put the door in his sights and didn't stop until he was looking at his cottage.

"So, Natsu and Lisanna, eh?" Gray came to sit beside Lucy.

"Yeah, I guess," Lucy grumbled.

"I always thought Natsu was too stupid to take an interest in girls. Guess I was wrong," the ice mage said depreciatively.

"Well, I knew it would happen, Lisanna and Natsu go way back." Mira came around and grabbed Lucy's cup. "Lisanna's loved him for a long time. I'm glad that they're finally acknowledging that."

Love. Lucy wanted to sink into her chair and disappear.

"I don't know. I always thought she'd realize he was a tool and move on," Gray said.

"Gee. Don't you have anything nice to say, Gray?" Mira questioned. "That's my future brother-in-law you're talking about."

As calmly as she could, Lucy folded Sorcerer Weekly and stood. "I'm going home for the rest of the day, Bye, guys."

"Lucy—" Gray started.

The blonde didn't slow to listen. Boots smacking over the wooden floor, she escaped as quickly as she could manage.

"Looks like someone isn't very happy," Mira mused.

Gray said nothing, just stared after his friend thoughtfully.

Lucy stumbled down the walk beside the canal and fought off a wash of tears. 'Do you want to go out with me?' Maybe she was jealous of Lisanna's bravery. Maybe she was just jealous of Lisanna. You're being petty. She and Natsu… they've been friends for a long time. You know that.

Yeah. And it hadn't ever been a problem before.

She wasn't ever interested in him before.

Running her fingers through her hair she pulled it hard, a frustrated cry on her lips. Stop being like this. It was easier said than done.

At her apartment, she tore open the door and clopped up the stairs, thinking of all the things she could do that night to keep herself from wondering what Natsu and Lisanna were up to. Nothing. Absolutely nothing. Her home was the first one on the second floor. Stopping outside, she slipped her key into the lock and opened it.

It didn't take her very long to realize that she wasn't alone. As always, her eyes were drawn to Natsu. He sat on her bed, head tipped back to the ceiling until he felt her eyes on him, then he rolled his head on his shoulders and fixed her with onyx eyes. "Hey, Luce." His smile was boyish and infectious, as always. Lucy's heart panged.

"What are you doing here?" She tried to put rage into her words, but they just came out sounding defeated.

"Just thought I'd stop by and say hi," Natsu said casually, ignoring her anger. "Before… ah, earlier, I saw a job on the board I thought maybe you'd be interested in… It'll be a quick one, maybe a two day'er, but it was decent cash…"

Again, her heart panged with his sentiment. Hardening her resolve, she crossed her arms over her chest and said, "You can't just come into my apartment whenever you want. Especially now."

Natsu looked at her in confusion. "I always come here."

Lucy glared at him. "Not if you and Lisanna are a thing now. You can't sneak into my window and just… lounge on my bed like that."

A light seemed to go on behind Natsu's eyes. "It's just a date, Luce. It's not like we're a couple or anything."

Lucy shook her head sadly. "Sometimes you're a real idiot, you know that? Trust me when I say, Lisanna will not be happy to learn that you were sitting on my bed hours before you agreed to make her dinner."

Again, he said, "I always come here." He almost sounded panicked, like maybe everything was just coming into focus.

Lucy flushed. Am I really going to have to explain this? A look at Natsu's face told her yes, yes she was. "Alright. Listen." She dropped herself down beside him, careful to keep a safe distance between their knees. "I'm glad that you and Lisanna are trying this out—" Fucking liar. "But girls get jealous when they find out the guy they like is hanging around in other girls' bedrooms. It's just a thing. She'll think that we're more than what we are."

Natsu pinched his nose, understanding. "But we're partners."

Lucy nodded. "Yeah, and partners don't usually sleep in each other's beds." There. She said it. One way or another she was going to break Natsu of his habit of barging into her room. It had gone on for so long, she let herself imagine that it meant more than it actually did, but now that he and Lisanna were going out, all that would stop.

Without another word, Natsu stood and left out the window. Lucy looked after him until her eyes felt dry.

Four times the dragon slayer decided to call off his 'date' with Lisanna. Four times he didn't have the guts. He kept remembering her beatific smile, the brightness of her eyes. Is it really so bad? He'd loved Lisanna before. Maybe you can love her like that again. It was worth a shot.

When he'd arrived home, his cottage was blissfully empty, Happy occupied elsewhere. For the first time in weeks, he cleaned, though, admittedly, not all that well. Doing dishes and picking soiled clothes up off the floor was as far as he was willing to go. Lisanna knew what kind of man he was.

When he was done, he stared at his stove thoughtfully and tried to think of something date-worthy to cook. The last time he'd really used it was two months ago. Eating at the guild was better. Mira was a good chef, and he never had to do the dishes. Come on. You can think of something.

Right?

All he could think about was what this meant. What would happen if Lisanna showed up and they did this and decided that it could work? What did that mean?

He'd never felt more clueless.

Aggravated, he dug through his fridge for something to cook. The only thing in there was a fish that Happy had caught that morning and a mostly limp sprig of broccoli. That's a start. Even if Happy would be pissed that he ate his fish. I'll get him a new one. Going to his cupboard, he searched for some rice.

It wouldn't be a fantastic dinner, but with any luck, that would set the tone for Lisanna's expectations.

The next few hours passed agonizingly slow. Natsu changed twice in that time, first into a suit, then, deciding that was far too formal, he ditched the jacket and the dress pants and went with the dark blue button up shirt and a pair of black jeans. At 6:40 he started making dinner, roasting the fish, frying the broccoli and boiling the rice. As he worked, he tried to remember Lisanna's take on fish. Did she like it? There were a lot of people that didn't share his and Happy's fondness of ichthyology. Too late now. There was no time to go to the store and buy something else.

At five to seven, a sharp rap of knuckles on the door told him that Lisanna had arrived. Stomach turning with nerves, he rubbed his suddenly sweaty palms on his pants and went to let her in. Pulling back the door revealed a face he'd known for most of his life. Lisanna's silver hair was pinned back by black flowered hairclips, her lips were painted bright red, and her blue eyes were rimmed with dark makeup, the effect stark and startling. It was difficult to take his eyes away from her.

"Hey, Natsu." She sounded nervous.

"Hey."

Looking around his body, she peered into his home. "It's clean." Her smile was bright and sweet. "Did you do that just for me?"

Natsu laughed nervously and opened the door wide, stepping back so she could enter. "Heh, it needed to be done anyway." Really? You're a shitty date.

Lisanna didn't seem to mind. Entering, she undid her long, black coat. Beneath it, she wore a tight, purple dress that dipped low to reveal the rounded tops of her breasts. Combined with the short hem that sat high enough on her thighs to be distracting, it was all Natsu could do to remember to take her coat. Turning away from her was a blessing. Going to the closet, he hung the material next to his winter jacket and wondered what it would be like to have Lisanna come over all the time, so she felt comfortable going through his things, doing stuff for herself.

Except, she already was. When he turned back around, she was at his stove stirring the rice in her bare feet. Suddenly, he was glad he remembered to sweep the floor.

"I'm glad that you said yes," she said while she looked into the pot. "I was worried that…" She laughed. "I don't know. I was worried that you wouldn't know what I meant, or that you'd say no." Lifting her eyes, she looked at him. He could tell she wanted to say something else, but he didn't dare ask.

"Yeah, Lisanna. I'm not dumb, I know what a date is," he returned, again feeling his throat get hot. For fuck sakes. It was just Lisanna. Why was he getting nervous? He'd spent plenty of time with her before, and alone at that. This is different. He couldn't say exactly why, maybe it was that smile she wore, shy and heartbreaking, or because she'd dressed up especially for him, wearing one of his favorite colours, in a dress that was specifically designed to draw his attention. Do you think Lucy would dress up like this for you? Yes. Maybe, if he asked. Her words chased each other through his head, 'She'll think we're more than what we are.' Would it be so bad to be more with Lucy? It felt like he didn't know much of anything anymore.

Lisanna flicked off the burner. "I think this is done."

"You look nice," Natsu said.

Lisanna paused and looked at him. "I don't know what that has to do with the rice being done, but I'll take it. Thank you." Her cheeks were bright red. Again, he was reminded of how beautiful she was.

Desperate for something to do, Lisanna went rooting through his cupboards for plates. She found two matching ones and brought them down so she could dish out their dinner. "Did anyone give you a hard time for this date?"

Again, Natsu thought of Lucy. "Not… not exactly. Mira wanted to come cook for us."

Lisanna laughed. "That's my big sister for you. always meddling." Her smile was full of endearment.

Could you love this girl? This conversation seemed so benign and natural, he thought, maybe. Crossing the room, he took the spatula from Lisanna's hand and set it down on one of the plates. "Lisanna." His guts twisted with nerves.

Lisanna grabbed her cheek between her teeth and chewed on it. "Yeah?"

He made himself ask, "Can we do this?"

"Have dinner?" she asked facetiously.

He gave her an expressionless look. "You know what I mean."

Lisanna smiled widely. "Isn't that what dates are for?"

I guess so. Grabbing up the spatula, he finished what Lisanna had started, doling out their meal.

Thirty minutes later, Natsu was starting to remember why he and Lisanna were so close when they were kids. Though Elfman and Edolas had separated them, nothing could truly keep them apart. She made him laugh, and got him in a way that few could, aside from maybe Happy and Lucy. He tried not to think of the blonde, every time he did, there was a guilty pang in his heart. You're not doing anything wrong. Though that didn't ring exactly true. It doesn't matter, then. Lucy doesn't feel the same way. Maybe that was right. But Lisanna does.

The girl in question had totally cleaned her plate. Standing, she took his dirty dishes from him and brought them over to the sink.

"You don't have to do that," Natsu said when he heard the water turn on.

"If I don't, who is?" Lisanna asked, "Happy? He can't even reach the sink, and I know your policy on cleaning."

Natsu screwed up his face. "Yeah, yeah. You said yourself, you were surprised that the place was clean."

Lisanna stuck out her hip and looked over her shoulder. "Yeah, I said I was surprised, Natsu, which means it's out of the norm. Just let me help you, it's the least I can do for inviting myself over and eating your food."

Inviting myself over. Natsu ran a hand through his hair, then stood and joined her at the sink, standing close enough that their shoulders touched. It didn't even feel that awkward. It would be easy to be with her. Comfortable and comforting. That hole she left in his life after he thought she'd died… it would forever be filled. And what about Lucy? He couldn't totally push her from his head.

Lisanna lifted her eyes when she felt Natsu stand so close to her. The expression he wore was mixed and difficult to read, but she could tell he was deep in thought. "What is it?"

Maybe… Reaching out, he shut off the sink's tap. The silence echoed throughout his cottage, definite, taunting.

Lisanna glanced up at him nervously, but didn't try to pull away. That was good, because if she did, he didn't think he'd have the courage to haul her back. With shaking hands, he reached out and brushed her short hair back behind her ear—it was as soft as he'd imagined, like spider's silk sliding through his fingers—and leaned in. carefully, giving her ample time to pull away, he laid his mouth against hers in a gentle kiss. She tasted like jasmine rice and the mango juice he'd served for dinner. She tasted like Lisanna, sweet and soft and everything he ever thought he wanted. Before he could break away, she seemed to come alive. Animatedly, she pushed him back against his counter and kissed him the way she'd imagined for years and years and years, brushing her tongue over his lips until he opened his mouth for her. Unthinkingly, Natsu grabbed her waist and dug his fingers into her skin, pulling her even closer. It felt good and it felt mostly right, however, even though his body responded, his mind wandered, torn between Lisanna and Lucy. Lucy and Lisanna. Unwillingly, he imagined kissing Lucy like this. The guilt that bloomed was a real thing.

"Lisanna…" He broke away and mumbled her name just inches from her lips.

Lisanna's stomach turned with excitement. "Yes?"

Natsu squeezed her waist tighter, feeling the undeniable hardness between his legs. It could be so easy. It would be nice, and good, and, he knew without questioning, that he could love Lisanna. He had once. Maybe he still did.

Lisanna's hands found the edge of his shirt and wormed up just under its hem. When she was touching the bare skin at his waist, she tucked her face into his neck and whispered, "What is it, Natsu?"

Stop before you can't. Swallowing, he gathered his courage and said, "I—I can't."

Predictably, the girl he held stilled. "You can't?"

"I can't do this," he rephrased. The wall he stared at was so perfectly blank. Ludicrously, he thought, I should get some more paintings or something. That way, he'd have something to look at while he broke his best friend's heart.

I can't do this. Lisanna fought to compose herself. "No?" Then why the hell did you kiss me, was her first thought. Wasn't that unfair? Then she remembered herself. With false composure se asked, "It's Lucy, isn't it?"

Natsu squeezed her hip, still so close he could smell the cream she'd applied that afternoon: lilac and honey. "Lisanna…"

Lisanna stared at the tile wall over his shoulder and said with false cheer. "It's okay, Natsu. I thought… I prepared myself for this." Not this exactly. She never imagined that he'd let it get so far if her suspicions were real, but… she was adaptable. Sort of.

Natsu leaned back so he could look at her. there was a stricken expression on her face. "What do you mean?"

"I mean… the Lucy in Edolas had a thing for that Natsu, so I just thought… I assumed that you and this Lucy… there'd be feelings there too," she admitted. "I just thought…"

Me and Lucy. Breathlessly, Natsu pushed Lisanna's hair back from her face and looked into her blue eyes. "You're important to me." He willed her to accept that.

"I know," Lisanna said after a moment.

"Nothing will ever change that." He didn't know if she believed him or not, but he needed her to.

Lisanna turned her face away. "I know, Natsu."

Grabbing her chin, he forced her to look at him. "I'm serious, Lisanna. I'm not—I'm not fucking around."

Before she could fall into tears, Lisanna said, "You should tell her how you feel, before it's too late." The words were bitter on her tongue. It wasn't fair, Edolas had taken her away and stolen so much, but she'd never complain, she'd just move on, because that's what she did.

"Lisanna—"

The takeover mage pulled out of his grasp and made for his closet. Her body was cold where his hands had been.

"Hang on," Natsu called.

Lisanna didn't listen, she went rooting for her coat and shrugged it on. "Thank you for dinner, and thank you for trying."

Natsu didn't get a chance to say anything else before she threw open the door and escaped.

He hadn't meant to go to her, but after Lisanna left, he decided he needed a walk to clear his head, and his feet dragged him inexorably towards Lucy's apartment. Twenty mindless minutes later, he stared up at her window. Inside, the light was on; he could see her working on her novel at her desk.

You shouldn't. No, he shouldn't, but he did. Using the vines draped over her building, he pulled himself up the wall to her window. It was unlocked and open a fraction of an inch. Pushing it wide, he popped his head into the lime and coconut smelling space and said, "Hey, Luce."

Lucy peeped and jumped, reeling to face him. Tonight, she wore light blue short-shorts and a pink t-shirt, the curves of her body pushing through the material, making Natsu's skin heat. Staring at her like that… that's not what partner's do. Nope. Not one bit, but it didn't seem to matter.

"Natsu," Lucy scolded when she'd recovered. "Where's your date?"

Natsu came the rest of the way into her room, hesitating by her bed. "I couldn't do it."

"You stood her up?" Lucy asked incredulously.

Natsu shook his head. "No… I just…"

"Just what?"

"I, um…" He looked at her nervously. What if she turns you down? What if? Everything else was fucked, so why not this too? He couldn't make the words come out, so he depended upon his actions to convey what he could not. Crossing the room on wooden legs, he invaded her space. Lucy was too shocked to pull away when he stooped and pressed his mouth against hers. At first, Lucy was unresponsive, but gradually, when he pressed harder against her lips and flicked his tongue against them, she opened for him, a small, muffled moan escaping her. Kissing her was like coming up for oxygen after being deprived, kissing her was like burning alive when fire had only ever obeyed him. It was simultaneously the greatest and worst thing he'd ever do. The greatest because he felt alive. The worst because he couldn't get away from his guilt.

A/N:

No, this story is not stolen. Yes, you've seen it on this site before under a different author's name. Yes, SleeplessComplication is a pseudonym created for my one-shots. Yes, it has a third name. I'll stop changing things now :)

Thanks for reading!

-Freyja