The usual disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail or any of the characters, I just enjoy writing about them. They all belong to Hiro Mashima.

Natsu walked with his hands shoved deep in his pockets, his eyes uncharacteristically downcast. He wasn't paying any attention to where he was going, his feet knew the way, allowing his mind to turn to the less than pleasant events of the day. His mouth turned down in a scowl as he kicked a loose rock out of his way and tried to figure out where everything had gone so wrong.

The day had started out ordinary enough. He and Lucy had arrived at the guild late in the morning, as was usual for them since he hated getting up early. The guild had seemed abnormally quiet and empty – most of the teams were out on jobs due to the sudden influx of requests after the Grand Magic Games. Gajeel was out with Team Shadow Gear, Gray had gone on a mission with Juvia – something that surprised everyone else just as much as it surprised Juvia, the Thunder Legion was nowhere to be found, Elfman and Lisanna were on a mission together, and even Macao, Romeo, and Wakaba were out on a mission. That left a few loafers to loiter around drinking, eating, and talking quietly amongst themselves. Wendy had been curled up on the sofa reading, Erza had been at the bar eating a piece of cake and talking with Mira, and Cana had been drinking from her barrel of wine in her usual spot at the bar. The quietness, the tameness of it all had been more than a little unsettling for the fire dragon slayer.

"Let's go on a job, Luce!" he called, immediately running over to the request board.

Lucy was a little slower than usual, but she quickly joined him at the board, her eyes turned up to the still numerous remaining quests. "Let's do something a little easy, okay?" she asked softly, turning her large brown eyes to him for a moment before returning to the board. "I do need to pay rent, but I don't feel like doing anything too crazy right now," she elaborated.

A little surprised at Lucy's lack of excitement for jewels, Natsu had simply nodded, turning to look for a job similar to what she was asking for. "Okay," he agreed easily, his hand on his chin as his eyes narrowed.

"What about this?" Happy called, pulling a request from near the top as he hovered above them. He quickly dropped it into Natsu's waiting hands.

"Please help. A small band of robbers have been terrorizing our library for weeks, trashing the books and stealing some of our more valuable works. We could not make a request sooner due to our lack of funds, but please help. We will offer as much as we can, 150,000 jewels, and a rare book of your choice," Lucy read aloud, peering over Natsu's shoulder. "This is perfect!" she exclaimed a second later, snatching it out of his hands.

The job didn't sound particularly exciting, but there was a chance for a fight, and Lucy would get a book out of the deal, so it couldn't be that bad. "Where is it?" Natsu asked the inevitable question, feeling a sense of dread worming into his stomach as he thought about having to ride the train.

Lucy's eyes scanned the request and when her face lit up he felt a wave of relief wash over him. "Not far at all! We can walk and be there in a few hours tops!"

Now it was Natsu's turn to snatch the request from her, a wide grin spanning his face. "Perfect! Let's do it, Luce!" he called, immediately putting his hand up for her to smack it. She quickly did, her cheeks turning pink for a moment, before he turned to hand the request in to Mira.

"We're taking a job, Mira," Lucy explained as they came to the bar. Mira looked at them with her usual sweet smile, her eyes practically closed as she reached out for the request.

Erza leaned forward to read the request upside down before spinning slightly on the stool to look at her two comrades. "You two going to need any help?" she asked, one eyebrow raised. Like Natsu, the guild's unnatural quietness had her feeling on edge.

"Nah, Lucy and I got this," Natsu immediately dismissed.

Lucy blushed, clasped her hands behind her back, and looked at her boots. "Plus, it's not a very big reward since it's an easier job, and I need to pay rent."

So basically you don't want to split the reward three ways, Erza translated in her head, but she still smiled. "Very well, then. Be safe."

Mira had just finished adding the request to the logbook. "All set!" she said, giving them another smile. It was as Natsu and Lucy turned to leave that she added, "If you end up needing a place to stay while you're there, there is a wonderful inn called the Moon Star. I think you two would like it!"

Erza gaped at Mira's brazenness, Lucy's expression very similar as she turned around with her mouth open and her eyes wide. Once she shut her mouth, her cheeks turned a deep red. Natsu scoffed and waved Mira's comment off. "Why would we be worried about that?"

"He's such an idiot," Erza mumbled after the door to the guild had closed behind the two retreating wizards. She turned back to her cake still shaking her head, while Mira continued to smile as she turned to fetch something else to clean.

They had been on the road for just over an hour when Natsu's stomach started growling. "Ugh," he whined, clutching his empty stomach. "When are we going to eat?"

"We just ate an hour ago, Natsu," Lucy chastised, studiously ignoring him as she kept her eyes forward. They were headed toward the mountains and her eyes were on the skies above. "You think it's going to rain?" she asked suddenly, feeling a chill.

Natsu stopped clutching his complaining belly and laced his fingertips behind his head. His eyes traveled up the back of Lucy as her pace slowed in front of him, before his cheeks grew hot and he quickly looked up at the sky. Thick, gray clouds were descending, casting their surroundings in a soft shadow from their darkness. A breeze was picking up, though it wasn't uncomfortable, but when he sniffed, he could smell rain. "Yep," he answered simply, with a shrug.

Lucy immediately started digging in her bag. "Damn it," she grumbled, "I didn't bring an umbrella."

"Don't worry, Luce." He elbowed her in the side softly and offered her a smile. She seemed to get worried a lot easier now that the Grand Magic Games were over. She didn't smile quite as readily as she used to, and he hated it. He loved it when she smiled. "We'll just keep walking until we come to the next village, and we'll hole up and wait the storm out. Okay?"

Her large brown eyes were soft and appreciative when she looked up at him, and she smiled softly before nodding. "Okay."

Happy, hovering just over Natsu's shoulder, started snickering. Without looking at him, Natsu swung his arm, brushing the Exceed away with just enough force that he was flown backwards nearly fifty feet, but still remained unharmed. Before Happy had even stopped his backward momentum, Natsu and Lucy had started forward once more without so much as a glance in his direction.

"What the hell, Natsu?" Happy raged, flying forward as fast as he could with his head lowered, meaning to ram his head into Natsu's back. A dark chuckle resonating from beside the road caused him to pause.

Natsu's sensitive ears also heard the chuckle, his nostrils immediately flaring as he searched for an unknown scent. Lucy still hadn't heard it, and kept walking until he reached out and grabbed her wrist, his firm grip immediately bringing her to a stop.

"Natsu?" she asked, just as a large black shape rushed them from the bushes beside the road. Even with his reflexes, the attack caught Natsu off guard and the two of them went sprawling.

"Ow!" Lucy cried, coming to rest on her butt after several tumbles through the dirt.

"Damn it!" Natsu growled. He had managed to turn himself around and land on his feet, one hand still touching the ground for balance as flames suddenly enveloped his body. "What the hell?" he demanded, his eyes darting to Lucy for a moment before returning to the black blob before them. How did something with no shape do so much damage?

"Oops, sorry," the blob's voice taunted them with a snicker. "I'm afraid I didn't see you there."

"Bullshit!" Natsu snarled. Lucy was getting to her feet behind him, her hand going for her keys. "You just go around attacking anyone you pass on the road?"

Before them, the blob shifted its shape, the blackness reflecting back a near purple color when caught in the right light like a jar of ink would. It never ceased moving, never stopped shifting, as it stared at the wizards before it. "You aren't just anyone." A white spot in the blob shifted, pointedly looking at Natsu's right shoulder. "You're with Fairy Tail, aren't you?"

"Yeah, so?"

"Natsu," Lucy whispered harshly, waiting until he looked back at her. "Look." She pointed at the blob, squinting her eyes. When Natsu looked where she pointed, he gasped, taking a surprised step back.

The blob held no shape and was as dark as it was because it was ink. When they looked close enough, they could see words dissolving into letters, dissolving into ink within. Occasionally a barely visible page of a book would flutter through it, often exiting the ink blob and falling to the ground completely devoid of any markings – the blob was absorbing them all.

"We're looking for some bandits that have been messing with a library not far from here. You know anything about that?" Natsu asked, his lips twisted in a sneer and exposing his slightly elongated canine teeth.

The blob shifted again, wiggling as though pleased. "Oh! So you figured me out, huh?"

Her love for books and concern as an author taking over, Lucy stepped forward, level with Natsu, her keys in her hand. "You're destroying the books and absorbing the ink? Why?"

The blob moved up then down as though shrugging. "It's how I survive."

"You bastard!" Natsu cried, pulling his arm back and charging. "Fire Dragon Iron Fist!" he called as he connected with the blob… and punched right through it.

His momentum powered him through before he could stop himself, and Natsu wound up on the other side of the ink blob, coated in a dark layer of the liquid.

"Natsu!" Lucy cried, a wave of shock rolling over her to see his flames extinguished so easily. Gritting her teeth together, she whipped a key out. "Open! Gate of the Maiden! Virgo!" A magic circle appeared under her feet as a ding-dong rang out around them. Virgo appeared with a poof, bowing forward slightly as she looked at Lucy, then at the ink blob that held Lucy's gaze.

"Would you like to punish me, Princess?"

"No, punish that! Bury that thing!"

Without a word, Virgo disappeared with a spin, creating a hole in front of Lucy and reemerging just as the blob disappeared down another hole. Virgo hovered over the hole she made, peering into the darkness that held the blob captive. Before she could disappear, Lucy called forth another spirit. "Open, Gate of the Lion! Leo!" Another magic circle appeared under her feet and when the ding-dong sounded, this time Loke stood before her, pushing his glasses up his nose.

"This thing bothering you, Lucy?"

"Finish it!"

Smiling, Loke burst forward in a flash of light. "Nebulus impact!" he called, bringing his hands together in front of his chest and pointing them at the hole Virgo had dug. Yellow light exploded from his hands, droplets of ink splattering into the air around them.

Natsu stood behind the hole, watching Lucy fight this battle on her own with his eyes wide. His lips melted into a proud smile as he stood, his feet braced wide and ready to fight, but letting her have her moment. When ink exploded from the hole, it splattered all around them. A few blank pages fluttered to the ground but a few of them still had remnants of the writing that once covered them. There was no sign of the blob.

"Is that it?" Loke asked, walking to the edge of Virgo's hole and peering into it.

Virgo, Lucy, and Natsu joined him a moment later, each of them looking into the darkness. Natsu and Loke had the best eyes, and should have been able to see anything that might have been there. They saw nothing, sensed nothing. Looking back on it, it seemed too easy.

"All right, Luce!" Natsu cheered, putting his hand up so she could high-five him. She quickly did, a grin crossing her face as she jumped up and down. She was so happy, he didn't have the heart to tell her that she was covered in ink.

"Would you like to punish me now, Princess?" Virgo asked again, her bright blue eyes serious as she bowed before her. Her pink hair and white apron were spotted with black ink.

"Heavens, no!" Lucy shouted. "Thank you, Virgo." The celestial spirit disappeared with a poof, leaving Loke to take her place.

"Can I get a kiss for a thank you, Princess?" Loke asked, leaning forward expectantly.

"Can it!" Natsu shouted, his flaming fist connecting with Loke's jaw and sending the celestial spirit to the ground with a grunt. Lucy rolled her eyes even as her cheeks flushed and her heart felt warm.

"Can't blame a guy for trying," Loke explained with a smile before disappearing.

"You did it, Luce! You defeated that thing all by yourself! I couldn't do a thing!" Normally, Natsu did not like to admit his faults, or even acknowledge that they existed, but he knew how much Lucy wanted to be a valuable part of their team, how much she strove to be just as good at combat as the others, but he didn't think she needed to. She was just as valuable as the rest of them, if not more so in his eyes. Regardless, he saw an opportunity to make her smile and wouldn't pass it up. The light in her eyes, the blush in her cheeks, and the cute way she fidgeted made it all worth it.

"Awe, thanks, Natsu!"

Happy dropped out of the sky in front of her to wrap his tiny arms around her. "You saved the day, Lucy!"

Natsu's smile fell a level when he saw Happy bury his face in Lucy's chest, but it was returned the moment Lucy shoved the blue Exceed away. "Happy!" she shouted, annoyance clear in her voice.

Reaching out to take her hand and get her attention, Natsu smiled. "Want to head on to town and claim our reward?"

"Sure!"

They arrived in town not thirty minutes later, making their way through the abnormally quiet village and to the library. Although the scent of rain still hung on the air, so far none had fallen.

"Hello?" Lucy called as they stepped into the library. Her voice echoed back to them from the stone walls. Many of the wooden shelves that would normally contain books were broken and empty.

"Hey! We came from Fairy Tail! We took care of your book problem!" Natsu shouted with much less finesse.

"Maybe no one's home?" Happy offered, his eyes looking around them.

"Come to think of it, I didn't see anyone on the streets or in any of the shops we passed, did you?" Lucy asked Natsu, feeling worry trickle into her belly as she moved further into the library. Her hand trailed along many of the broken shelves, her eyes taking in the destruction even as she searched.

Frowning, Natsu sniffed the air; smelling only musty books, dried ink, Lucy, and Happy. "I don't smell anyone."

A gasp drew his attention and he turned to see Lucy holding a book in her hands, her eyes wide and her mouth opened slightly in surprise. "What is it, Luce?" he asked, immediately coming to her side.

The book Lucy held was old and worn, the corners worn down so that they were no longer pointed. "I can't believe this is here," she breathed, wiping a hand across the front cover as though to clear it of dust. There was none.

"What is it?" Natsu asked, stepping closer and restraining himself from pulling it out of her hands. She would hate it if he did that.

Lucy looked up at him as though surprised he didn't know, then her face melted into a soft smile. "This is one of the rarest books I've dared to want. Through the Heart, it's called."

His brow furrowing, Natsu gently took the book from her and flipped through the yellowed pages. "Careful!" she shouted, pulling it back from him and clutching it protectively against her chest.

"If it means that much to you, we should take it," Natsu offered innocently enough.

"You mean steal it?"

"The reward did say you would get a rare book."

"But no one is here to actually give us a reward." She was already moving to put the book back where she found it, although it was obvious she hated to part with it. "It wouldn't be right, Natsu." Her brown eyes dared him to try anything as she walked past him, turning to head back outside.

Once she was around the corner and couldn't see him, Natsu looked up at Happy, who held the same expression he did. While Happy kept an eye out for Lucy, Natsu snatched the book off the shelf and handed it to Happy, who tucked it into the small pack on his back. "She'll love it," Happy spoke Natsu's thoughts as they turned to follow Lucy back out into the storm.

They found Lucy on the steps in front of the library, looking down both sides of the street. There was no one in sight. Once Natsu joined her, he sniffed again. More nothing. "This is really weird," Lucy muttered. Thunder from above drew their gazes upward, and just as they turned their faces to the sky, large drops of rain fell from the heavens, splattering Lucy on the cheek before she could look down. "Great," she grumbled.

Natsu had no idea what was going on. How could they get a job request only to find no one there? The town looked perfectly fine, except for being deserted. Lucy was whining about the rain beside him, but he was still trying to wrap his brain around their situation – Lucy was much better at figuring out such riddles. "What was the name of that inn Mira was talking about?" Lucy was asking him.

"What?"

"The Moon Star," Happy offered, his eyes scanning the horizon before he spotted the sign. "Over there!"

Without waiting for acknowledgment from Natsu, Lucy took off toward the inn at a run, Happy flying behind her. Natsu realized what was happening once it was too late. "Lucy!" he cried, launching from the steps to try and intercept the attack.

Lucy turned at the sharp sound of Natsu's voice, and was hit head on by a solid black mass. She and Happy went flying, Lucy immediately seeing stars, as Natsu's resounding roar suddenly filled the air. Blackness took over her before she even landed, but when she did, she landed hard on her shoulder. Happy bounced to the ground just a few feet away from her. Natsu winced at the sight, even as he was charging the thing that had attacked them. "Bastard!" he roared.

The black mass was giggling as once more Natsu's flaming fists went right through it, causing him to spill out the other side. "You never learn, do you?"

"Where'd you go earlier?" he snapped. He was genuinely curious. He hadn't been able to sense any part of the blob before.

"Part of the benefits of being a liquid is that I can break up into smaller pieces and rejoin them together later. That explosion of light only appeared to take me out." It smiled, revealing sharp and pointed teeth. "All I had to do was bring myself back together and track down the pieces you so conveniently brought along with you."

Natsu's eyes narrowed as he realized that the mass before him was a little smaller than it had been earlier – shorter and thinner. But even as he watched, Natsu was suddenly aware that the ink blots coating Lucy's clothes and hair as well as his own, were moving, trickling down their legs to join with the mass before him. Although the rain could be seen creating ripples in the black blob of ink, the droplets simply rolled harmlessly down its sides and into the dirt. "What is this?" he asked, disgusted. "Where is everyone?"

"Hahaha!" the blob laughed, the sound full and loud even against the pelting rain. "That's right, you two said you were here for bandits that had been trashing the library?" It smiled, its teeth shining in the shadows. "Let's just say I have run out of material and needed more."

"But why," Natsu started to ask, cursing himself for not being able to figure it out. "You didn't ask for books," he growled, his hands once more curled into fists. He risked a glance at Lucy, who was still lying as she had landed, but her chest was rising and falling with her breaths. She was only unconscious. Thank you, Mavis.

"True, I didn't ask for books, but I knew such a request would bring someone who loved books. Someone who could bring me more books or write them for me!"

"Why do you need that if you just take the ink?"

"The more ink I absorb, the stronger I become. The more stories and characters that become a part of me, the more I understand." It looked at Lucy and made a gesture that made Natsu think it was licking its lips. His lip curled up in anger. "And the fresher the better," it added, its voice low.

Again, the blob moved, making its way to Lucy. Natsu's hands burst into flame only a moment before the rest of him did. His hair cast his face in shadow, but his eyes glowed red from the darkness. "Don't you dare touch her!" he threatened with a snarl, launching himself into the sky. "Fire Dragon Talon!" he shouted, doing a flip and extending his leg out as he meant to land on top of the blob. Once again, he passed right through it, his impact shaking the ground, but still placing him between the blob and Lucy, which had been his true aim. Where's Gray when you need him, he grumbled to himself, not wanting to admit that Gray's powers would prove more useful here than his own. "Lucy!" he called to her over his shoulder. She didn't move. "So you wrote the request?" he growled, turning his attention back to the enemy before him.

Cackling laughter rang through the night, accented by a thunderclap overhead that would have made Natsu cringe had he not been so consumed with rage. "Finally, he gets it! Now move so I may take my prize."

Natsu's teeth ground together at the blob's taunt. "I told you not to touch her," he snarled, taking a step forward while his hands spouted flames once again.

"What are you going to do about it?" the blob taunted, weaving its way toward him as though engaged in some odd dance. "You know you can't hit me."

"Maybe not," Natsu admitted, concentrating his flames to his hands. He had a different idea. "But I won't let you hurt her." His voice was low and threatening as he bristled like a dragon protecting his treasure. He was so focused on the enemy before him that he didn't hear Lucy groan behind him and roll herself up, holding onto her shoulder in pain.

Just as the blob made its next weave close to Lucy, Natsu stepped to the side, intercepting it by putting his hands out. The ink immediately swallowed his flames but once he concentrated, focusing his magical power into his hands, the flames flickered to life once more within the ink blob. Once the fire took root, it quickly grew, Natsu's lips parting in a grimace as the blob started to scream in pain. It tried to move back, but Natsu followed, keeping at least one hand inside it at all times, keeping the flames burning as the ink began to boil and evaporate from the heat. What few pages remained inside of it quickly caught fire and disintegrated into ashes. When that didn't satisfy him, he shouted and lightning crackled through him, erupting from the palm of his hand that was keeping his flames alive. Now the blob was yowling as it sizzled, its size rapidly shrinking.

From where she sat in the mud, Lucy peered through the rain at Natsu literally burning the ink blob up from the inside. The look in his eye terrified her, even though she knew he was just protecting her. Just before the ink sizzled into one last puff of black smoke, she felt a sting in her neck, her hand immediately slapping the skin there as though a bug bit her.

"Luce?" Natsu's face immediately snapped in her direction at the sound.

Lucy paid him no mind as she looked at the hand she had slapped herself with as though expecting to see some squished bug. There was only a black smudge.

"Are you okay?" Natsu asked, suddenly kneeling before her and gripping her shoulders in his hot hands.

"Ow, Natsu," she breathed, reaching up to grip her sore shoulder. "What happened?" she asked once he released her.

"That thing came back," he growled, gently pulling her to her feet and into his arms. One arm wrapped protectively around her back, while the other hand held onto the back of her head.

At first Lucy didn't know what to say. His entire body still radiated heat from the ferocity of his flames. His shoulders were practically steaming from the rain that pelted him from above. Even so, she could feel the slight trembling to him, and it made her brow furrow. Was he that worried? "How?" she asked instead.

"Something about it being a liquid," he answered, releasing her to scratch at the back of his neck. He couldn't look her in the eye. "And it hitchhiked on our clothes."

For seemingly the first time since their journey began, Lucy looked down at her clothes, stained here and there by dark splotches of ink. Most of them appeared to have run from the rain, black and gray lines forming on her normally white and blue shirt, and even down her arms and legs. "Awe, man," she whined. "This is never going to come out!"

Natsu cocked his head to the side, smiling that that's what she was concerned about. He opened his mouth to speak again when another clap of thunder boomed above, vibrating the air around them.

At the sound of the crash coming from above them, Lucy jumped and yelped, immediately grabbing onto Natsu's arm. She pressed into him from behind, her cheek against his shoulder, before she giggled nervously and quickly stepped back. "Hey, Luce," he started once more.

"Yeah?" she asked, brushing her hair out of her face and leaving trails of ink and mud in its place.

"The job wasn't real. The blob wrote it to bring someone here so that it could get more ink and stories." He watched as her face fell at his words. "I'm sorry."

Lucy swallowed and tried to smile. Natsu could tell it didn't reach her eyes. "It's okay."

Just then, Happy crashed into Natsu's shoulder, tears flowing down his muddy cheeks. "Don't tell me you forgot about me!"

"Happy!" Natsu cried, prying the blue Exceed off of him before hugging him tightly. "Of course we didn't!"

Lucy snatched the Exceed away from his best friend, briefly hugging him to her chest once more. "Happy, I'm so glad you're okay!" She released him and looked at Natsu.

"Now what?" he asked, bringing his hands up and then back down in a helpless gesture. The trip, the job, and the jewels were all a complete bust.

"Where is everyone?" Lucy asked, looking around them. No one had come out from the sounds of their fight, and the town was just as dead as when they first entered it.

"It never told me that part."

"Let's look for them!" Happy finally suggested, and the three of them started knocking on doors.

Nearly an hour later, they were completely soaked and tired, and still no one was to be found. Even though Natsu had taken his shirt off so Lucy could use it to shield herself from the worst of the rain, they were both drenched. Every door in the town was locked, with the exception of the library. Lucy's shoulder still hurt, and she rubbed it every so often, rolling it around as though to work out the stiffness. Every time he saw her flinch, Natsu would grind his teeth together, still upset at himself that he hadn't been fast enough to protect her. "I guess the library is our only choice," Lucy admitted once the three of them came back together. "Maybe we should just go home." She sounded defeated.

"We could still make our way to the inn," Natsu offered, a mischievous glint in his eye.

Happy's eyes immediately shined as he rubbed his paws together with a dark chuckle. Natsu immediately followed suit, both of them pleading with Lucy to let them have their mischief. "Fine," she allowed. "But I'm not paying for anything the two of you break!"

"Oh, come on! We aren't going to break a thing!" Natsu promised. And then kicked the front door in off its hinges. "Except for that!" he quickly amended, pink suddenly peppering his cheeks.

As much as she didn't want to admit it, Lucy was indeed relieved to be out of the rain. The streets were now pure mud, the going slippery and dangerous, and she was chilled to the bone. All she could think about was a hot bath and a warm bed as she stood just inside the door with Natsu's dripping shirt draped over her head and shoulders. Her arms wrapped around herself and she shivered as Natsu made his way to the counter, ignoring the mud he was tracking inside. As if to chastise him for dirtying the floors, thunder boomed just overhead, shaking the chandelier and making the lights flicker.

"Which room should we get, Luce?" Natsu called with a grin as he jumped over the counter to paw at the rack of keys.

As Lucy approached the counter, the idea that maybe they should get separate rooms only fluttered through her mind for the fraction of a second. Natsu would end up in her room anyway, and she didn't want to be left alone in this strange ghost town.

"H-Suite," Natsu read off the key ring. "Hey, H for Heartfilia, Luce!"

Smiling, Lucy nodded. "Sounds great!" she called, and shivered.

"Come on," Natsu murmured as he came to her side, offering her his hand. His brows were drawn down in a frown as he looked at her.

"This way!" Happy was already calling to them from the stairs.

Pink darkening her cheeks, Lucy placed her hand in Natsu's, welcoming the solid warmth his hand offered, and followed him up the stairs.

Their room was the last one at the end of the hall. Natsu reluctantly released Lucy's hand as he put the key in the lock. Lucy stood beside him, shifting her weight from foot to foot, waiting for him to open the door. His stomach took that moment to resume its growling. "Man, I hope there's something to eat in here," he grumbled as the lock turned and he pushed the door open.

"Wow," Lucy breathed as she stepped inside, momentarily forgetting her coldness as she kicked out of her boots and Natsu pulled his dripping shirt off of her head.

Having clicked the lock and kicked out of his sandals, Natsu turned to see what Lucy was so surprised about. "Uh," he breathed, scratching the back of his neck as a flash of heat radiated through his body. "I think I chose the wrong room."

Giggling, Lucy could only hold her hands in front of her chest and nod, still taking in their surroundings.

"I think H stood for something else," Happy offered.

"Like Honeymoon Suite," she ventured. The bed was large and plush, covered in white sheets and a thick blood red comforter that looked all too inviting. The fireplace was already stocked, a sofa sitting across from it with small end tables on either side. A plush mat in the shape of a heart was just in front of the sofa, as though a place to lay and watch the fire. Lucy's blush deepened as her imagination got the best of her and she imagined what else could be done in front of the fire. A small fridge was in the area that could only be described as the kitchen, where a bottle of champagne sat on the counter with two champagne glasses beside it. The stems of the champagne glasses were wrapped with a ribbon the same blood red color as the bed, the bows situated to form the shape of hearts. Chocolate covered strawberries sat out on a cooling tray on the counter, along with a can of whipped cream. When Lucy felt brave enough to step further into the room, she could see the door to the bathroom standing open, the large claw foot tub dominating most of the space. It was twice as big as the tub she had at home!

Natsu was scratching the back of his neck again. "Should we change rooms?" he asked pointedly.

Turning over her shoulder, Lucy did her best to give Natsu a seductive expression, her lips twisted softly to the side as she pushed her hip out, her back naturally arching and accentuating her chest. "Well, you did say H was for Heartfilia, Natsu, and I, Lucy Heartfilia, demand the best," she drawled huskily, adding a haughty accent to her voice. Her smile widened when Natsu's face fell, his mouth gaping open, and she couldn't help the thrill that went through her heart as his hands dropped helplessly to his sides.

"Wha," he began, his cheeks darkening as his eyes wandered.

Lucy burst into laughter, losing the act and pushing him in the chest. "You should have seen your face!" she teased, then quickly looked away when he frowned at her, feeling a wave of heat come from him that she mistakenly took to mean he was angry. "This is probably their best room, Natsu, let's just enjoy it." Heat crept up her face as she racked her brain for something else to say. "And look, there is food," she amended, pointing at the chocolate covered strawberries.

As Lucy made her way to the kitchen, Natsu was still staring at her, his mouth slightly open and his eyes wide. What the hell was that supposed to mean? He continued to try to wrap his brain around her words, and why his heart had raced at the way she stood when she teased him. These types of things were starting to happen more often between them, even before the Grand Magic Games, but even more so now that the games were over. While he greatly enjoyed the evolution, he didn't quite understand it either. By the time he came to his senses and joined her in the kitchen, Lucy had pulled the door to the fridge open and was peering inside.

"Oh, yeah!" Natsu exclaimed, bending forward beside her and catching a glimpse of what was in the fridge. He reached in and quickly started pulling items out, his stomach's rumbling resuming with new fervor.

"Food!" Happy cried from the air above them. His eyes shined with stars as he saw Natsu set aside several fish.

Lucy looked at the food with an unreadable expression on her face. "You work on the food, I'm going to take a bath."

Natsu looked up at the sound of her voice, his eyes moving to the bathroom that could be seen just over her shoulder. "You sure you're okay, Luce?"

The concern was plain in his voice, and Lucy couldn't help but look into his eyes, the slightly hazel green pulling in her chocolate brown ones. They were standing closer than they normally did, and the moment she realized that, she felt blood rush to her cheeks. Mavis, have I been blushing too much today! "I'm fine," she answered with a smile toying with the corners of her lips, "Just tired and sore, and not getting any money for the job doesn't help any."

"I'm sorry, Luce." His voice was low and melancholy, like he blamed himself. He did.

Reaching out to touch his hand, Lucy brushed her skin to his before nervously pulling her hand back. His lips twitched at her touch, so minutely she almost missed it. "It's not your fault, Natsu. I just want this storm to end so we can go home." Why is my heart beating so fast?

Feeling like the mood was shifting into a darker place, Natsu felt his ears burn as he tried to figure out what to do, what to say, to make things better. He had no ideas. "We'll leave as soon as the storm stops."

"Ah, Natsu, what if it's in the middle of the night?" Happy whined.

"If Lucy wants to go home, we'll go home," Natsu snapped.

Lucy caught the way he used her name and not his nickname for her. Butterflies fluttered in her stomach as she realized why she was stalling and what she wanted so much to say, what she wanted to ask him. What would he think if I invited him to join me? Wait, why do I even want him to join me?! "Thank you, Natsu," she murmured instead, turning and heading for the bathroom before he could see how red her face was getting.

More thunder boomed from outside, causing the whole building to shudder as the wind picked up, howling against the windows. Lucy squeaked when thunder shook the building and jumped, her eyes darting to the window. "I won't hold my breath for the storm to end," she called at him over her shoulder, her voice sounding lighter than it had a moment ago. Natsu could only smile after her.