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Chapter 2
I woke up to a strange noise and my body instantly tensed up, my ears attuned to whatever it was shuffling across the floor. I turned my head and just as I did, a door slammed closed and startled me, making me gasp and jump. That's when I realized I was in Natsu's house and not my own and that the noise was more than likely Natsu walking into the bathroom. Sure enough, a minute later the door slowly opened again and Natsu came walking out, clad in only his boxers as he scratched his belly and yawned loudly.
"Good morning, Lucy," Natsu said as he yawned again and walked across the room to plop down on the sofa that I was sleeping on. I had to wiggle all the way over against the back of the sofa for him to fit and I groaned as I complained.
"Go away."
I tried to close my eyes and roll back over but the sight of his bare chest and stomach caught my attention and was way too tempting so I kept them slit open as I admired the view. He leaned back, his body lying partially over my own with his arms crossed behind his head against the back of the sofa and closed his eyes. "The bed felt sooo good," he said.
"That's good. Now leave me alone. I'm still sleeping," I said and pulled the covers up to my chin, my eyes still slightly open.
"Get up. We gotta do a job today," Natsu said, pushing my shoulder with his hand.
I groaned in response and slapped his hand away but he persisted and when I rolled over so that I was lying flat on my stomach he fell on top of me and pinned me to the cushions.
"Natsu! Get off me!" I cried, suddenly way too aware of his body against mine. Sure there was a thick blanket between us but I could still feel every inch of him and it was very unsettling. Besides that, his face was mere inches from mine; so close that I could feel his breath on the back of my neck as he struggled to stay on top of me while I wiggled fruitlessly beneath him.
"Wake up!" he said, grabbing hold of my hands and pinning them against the sofa above my head. Something about the position made my entire body react, fire blazing through my veins and my innards twisting as strange sensations exploded in my belly. His hips fit snuggly over my own and his legs were resting between mine. Oh boy, this was way too intimate.
Natsu must have noticed it too because he immediately jumped up and off of the sofa, standing beside it with wide eyes and scratched the back of his head nervously. "Uh, I'm gonna go take a shower," he said quickly and then darted across the room, practically slamming the door behind him as he entered the bathroom.
Ha! So Natsu isn't completely immune.
By this point, I was wide awake and knew there was no way I was going back to sleep so I got up and started folding my blanket then grabbed myself something to drink from the kitchen. I could hear the water being turned off a few minutes later and then the door swung open, Natsu walking through with only a towel wrapped around his hips. Ugh! Why does this have to keep happening?!
Thankfully he walked straight to his bedroom and closed the door behind him and I quickly made my way into the bathroom, a pile of clothes in my hand. When I emerged a little bit later, Natsu was fully clothed (thank goodness) and lying on his hammock as he flipped the pages of some book he was reading.
"You ready to go?" he asked, putting the book down on a side table and standing up.
"Mmhmm," I answered and we walked out the front door together on our way to the guild hall.
"Natsu… Lucy!" Mira hollered across the room as we walked through the door. She was waving a piece of paper in her hand as she skipped over to us and when we reached each other she stopped and smiled her beautiful, sweet smile at us. "I have the perfect job for you guys," she said and I seriously wondered if she had psychic abilities.
"What is it?" I asked.
"It says…
Wanted: Fire breathing wizard. Payment will be an experience you will remember forever.
"A fire breathing wizard? Why would someone need that specifically?" I asked. Natsu was standing beside me, his arms crossed over his chest as he listened to Mira and I speak.
"I'm not sure but it sounds perfect for you guys."
"Payment will be an experience you will remember forever? Sounds like no money," I said and Mira only smiled at me.
"Sounds interesting if you ask me," she said and I looked over at Natsu to see what he thought.
He shrugged his shoulders and grinned, "Let's do it. I want to know what the reward is."
"Great!" Mira cheered and handed us the flyer. "You should probably get going now though. The place is all the way at the edges of Fiore and Seven, at the base of the mountains. If you leave now the train will be able to take you near where Cait Shelter was but from there you will have to find other means."
"Train?" Natsu groaned and his face already looked slightly green just thinking about it.
"Yea, go on! The train leaves in less than an hour and you still need to pack! Hurry up!" Mira said, practically pushing us both out the door. Why did it feel like something was up?
"Bye guys! C-ya soon!" Mira called out as we walked along the path outside of the guild hall back towards Natsu's house. "Pack warm!"
After a few minutes and the guild was no longer in sight behind us, I turned to Natsu and asked, "Does it feel like Mira isn't telling us something?"
"What do you mean?" Natsu asked.
"Well, it just seemed like she was awfully eager to get rid of us."
Natsu simply shrugged and continued on. When we got back to his place we quickly packed our things and then headed out, making our way to the train station. We found an empty booth and sat down, throwing our bags in the corners of the seats.
Natsu was sitting in the opposite seat, facing me and already his face was looking sick. "We haven't even moved yet. How can you be sick?" I asked, leaning forward to look up into his face.
"Lucy," Natsu groaned and the next thing I know, the train is starting to move out of the station and Natsu falls forward, his cheeks puffed up like he was about to get sick.
I caught him just before he fell to the ground and I had to move across to the padded bench he was sitting on to push him back into his seat and before I was able to move back, he fell on top of me, his head resting in my lap. "Natsu… get up!" I said but it was no use. I've seen him get motion sickness enough times to know that at this point he was going to be utterly void of any cognitive thought.
With a deep sigh I leaned back against the seat and turned my head to look out the window. We were just leaving Magnolia and the trees were blurring by as we picked up speed. It was going to be several hours before we reached the final stop near Cait Shelter and then after that, several hours of trekking on foot to the small town where the job was supposed to be at.
I looked down at Natsu when an agonized groan slipped from his lips and I smiled when he turned his face into my stomach. His pink hair was sticking out in random spikes as usual and I had a sudden urge to run my fingers through the thick strands. Slowly I lifted my hand and just barely touched the ends of his hair, careful to not disturb him but eventually my fingers started to sift deeper into the mass, amazed by how soft it felt between my fingers.
A long, low moan escaped Natsu's mouth and I tensed before suddenly Natsu's hand shot up and he pressed my fingers against his head. "Rub… more," he mumbled against my belly and I tentatively started to lightly rub my fingers over his scalp. "Feels good."
I smiled at his words and stroked his hair, softly caressing him with one hand while the other fidgeted nervously at my side. Somehow though, Natsu didn't seem as sick as before; his face not nearly as green or distorted as it usually was when he was riding some sort of transportation and then a soft sigh escaped his lips before he snuggled against me and seemed to almost drift asleep.
"Natsu?" I said quietly, not wanting to wake him up in case he actually did fall asleep.
"Don't stop," he moaned when my fingers stilled.
I started playing with his hair again, watching his facial features ease as I asked, "Are you feeling better?"
Natsu nodded his head and moaned when I slightly increased the pressure of my fingers against his scalp and I grinned. He had no idea how cute he was. His features were always so expressive, anything he was feeling clearly written on his face and right now he looked like he was in heaven. He had his lips slightly parted as he took in slow, deep breaths and his eyes were closed, his forehead and nose pressed against my belly which thankfully was covered in a full length shirt.
Leaning my head back against the seat, I closed my eyes and let myself relax while my fingers continued to play with his hair. The gesture was even soothing to me, lulling me to sleep but every time my fingers slowed, Natsu would groan and nudge me till I started again.
The time passed easily, Natsu falling asleep at some point and me as well. When we both woke up we were approaching the last stop and Natsu grinned up at me from where he was still laying in my lap. "Wow, I made it the whole trip without getting sick," he said and I smiled back at him.
"Yea, I guess we sort of found a cure huh," I said, reluctantly removing my hand from his hair when the train came to a complete stop. We grabbed our bags and made our way out of the train. The station was quiet, only a few people walking around and we found ourselves in a small town when we exited.
"It's almost 6pm. Do you think we can make it to that town tonight?" I asked, hiking my backpack farther up my shoulder.
"I don't know but I'm hungry," Natsu complained so we decided to stop in a small restaurant nearby.
The waitress led us to a small booth and we slid in to our seats. Before she left I asked, "Do you know how far away Rosendale is?"
The lady ran a hand through her grey hair and answered, "Umm, if you're walking then it'll probably take a good 4-5 hours. Why are you going there?"
"Someone requested help with a job out there," I answered and then was interrupted by Natsu slamming his menu down on the table.
"I'll have this," he said, pointing to the 2nd page of the menu.
The waitress leaned forward to look where he was pointing and narrowed her eyes. "Which meal?"
"The whole page," he answered and the ladies eyes widened in shock.
"The whole page?"
With an embarrassed smile I cut in. "He hasn't eaten all day and he has a big appetite."
The lady simply smiled and then asked me, "Do you know what you want yet?"
I told her what I wanted and the lady left us then, disappearing behind a large black door and I leaned forward on the table, resting my head in my hands which were propped up by my elbows on the table. "I guess we should find a hotel or something here. It'll be too late if we try to walk there tonight."
"Ok," he answered. "I hope it has a pool."
"Why? Did you bring your suit?" I asked and the waitress came back with our drinks.
"Yea… didn't you?"
"Err, no," I said, taking a sip from my glass of water. The waitress left again and I continued, "But I could probably get something from Virgo if I needed to."
Several minutes later, the food came and we quickly ate, both of us hungry after not eating barely at all throughout the day. The waitress suggested a place for us to stay and we made our way there when we finished, the sky already starting to darken as the sun moved behind the huge mountains in the distance… the same mountains we were going to be walking towards the next day.
"There it is!" Natsu said, pointing down the road at a small sign dangling in front of a large brick building. We walked inside of the hotel and ordered a room then made our way up after the man at the front desk passed us a key.
"Oh, this is nice," I said as we walked inside and I threw my bag on the closest bed, claiming it for myself. The two beds were neatly made and there were even fresh flowers on the small table separating them. On the far side of the room was a large double door made of glass that looked out at the back of the hotel where the pool and (YAY) a spa were. Several people were already out there, kids running around and then jumping in the pool that was surrounded by small blue and purple lights which made it look almost magical with the way it reflected off the water.
"Let's go!" Natsu said, indicating the pool.
"Go ahead. I gotta get a suit first."
Natsu grabbed his suit from his bag and ran into the bathroom, emerging a few seconds later and running out of the room to the pool area. I reached for the keys at my hip and called for Virgo to come out which she immediately did, holding out a black bikini for me.
"You needed a bathing suit, Master?" she said in her obedient manner.
I grabbed the suit from her hands, saying thank you as I looked at the tiny pieces of fabric dangling from my fingers and then cringed. "This isn't a suit," I exclaimed in horror but before I was even able to lift my head back up to look at Virgo she disappeared. Ah crap!
The bathing suit was black except for several metal studs lining the edges. The triangles which were supposed to cover my breasts were better suited for Wendy rather than my well endowed form and the rear section looked like it might successfully cover half of my cheeks. "Virgo!" I screamed at the empty room and took a seat on the edge of the soft mattress.
Looking out the window I could see Natsu running around with the kids that I'd seen earlier and I watched him do a huge cannonball into the pool, spewing a small stream of fire before he splashed in and making the kids scream in excitement. Nearby was the spa which was empty at the moment and I decided that I could just jump in there and no one would notice that my suit was quite indecent before I was covered, for the most part, by the water.
After coming to that decision, I walked into the attached bathroom and changed into the dominatrix looking suit, assessing myself in the large mirror and cringing at the sight. As expected, my body was practically clad in nothing. If anything, the suit somehow managed to make me feel even more naked than if I wasn't wearing anything at all. I cursed Virgo one last time and grabbed the complimentary robe which was hanging off of the back of the bathroom door, shrugging it on and then stepping back out to the main room. Natsu was standing at the glass door, poking his head inside and I was thankful that I'd decided to put the robe on before I'd stepped out of the bathroom, rather than afterwards.
"Hurry up Lucy. Everyone's already left," he said and opened the door wider when I approached.
I walked through the glass doors and made my way over to the bubbling hot tub, noticing the family that had been outside before walking into their room. At least complete strangers wouldn't be seeing me in this ridiculous bathing suit. I looked around, making sure no one else was around and as soon as Natsu turned his head I threw off my robe and quickly stepped into the wonderfully hot water.
Oh, it felt so good…
My skin tingled from the heat and I could feel my muscles easing. I groaned as I slid further in till the water was just below my chin and then Natsu jumped ungracefully into the water, taking a seat on the opposite side of the small pool as me. My arms folded over my chest, slightly self-conscious having Natsu so close by although at the moment he didn't seem to notice anything.
"I hope Happy doesn't wonder where we are when he gets back," I said, closing my eyes and leaning my head back against the rim of the hot tub.
"Maybe he'll stay with the Exceeds for a few days and we'll be back before he gets home," Natsu said.
"Yea, maybe."
We sat there for a while, the only sound being the water gurgling from the jets. I opened and looked across the way at Natsu. He was leaning back, his arms crossed behind his head and his eyes were closed. Sweat clung to his skin, tiny beads forming and then dripping down into the water. My eyes watched one drop slide down the side of his face, over his neck and then skim along the crease between his pectorals, disappearing when it hit the surface of the water. I could imagine the path it would have taken if the water hadn't been there, the droplet continuing down the center of Natsu's torso, between the ridges of hard muscle on his stomach to his belly button.
Without realizing it I groaned and I found myself leaning forward slightly, my hands gripping the seat on either side of my legs. Man… what was with me? Even without alcohol I was thinking indecent thoughts.
I shook my head to clear my thoughts but inevitably when I opened my eyes they fell on Natsu once again. On his forehead he had several strands of hair plastered to his skin and I admired the dark lashes that framed his large eyes which were closed at the moment.
"I wonder what this job is going to be," Natsu said, interrupting my thoughts.
"Yea, I'm curious too. I hope it's not something stupid like acting again."
"Maybe the reward will be a life time supply of fish! Happy would be thrilled!" Natsu said.
I huffed and narrowed my eyes. "It better not be something so stupid." I sat up and spread my arms out on either side of the tub, taping my fingers on the hard tile that surrounded the edge of the pool of water.
Natsu's eyes grew wide and suddenly I realized that my breasts were above the line of water. I quickly hunkered down, crossing my arms over my chest and bit nervously on my bottom lip.
"Uh, Virgo has weird taste," was the only explanation I mumbled as my face flamed bright red.
Across the way, Natsu slumped further into the water, his hands disappearing beneath the surface. He looked uncomfortable sitting there and I couldn't help but feel an overwhelming disappointment in his reaction. Apparently I didn't affect him the same way he affected me.
Oh well then, I guess I don't need to worry about covering myself. Who cares if I make him a little uncomfortable?
I knew my thoughts were a little bit harsh but I couldn't help it. My pride stung and I was more bothered than I thought I would be by his rejection. Maybe rejection isn't the right word considering I hadn't made an advance of any sort but I hadn't realized, until now, that I cared whether or not he found me attractive. The reality of my feelings confused me and made me wish that the object of my confusion wasn't sitting mere feet away from me.
I decided to get out of the water and go back to the room so I stepped out of the hot tub and grabbed my robe but didn't bother to put it on as I strode angrily across the space towards the room. I glanced back one last time before I practically slammed the glass doors behind me and for the briefest of seconds I saw Natsu watching me but it was so quick and he turned around so fast that I wasn't sure if I had been seeing things.
A trail of water followed me all the way to the bathroom where I threw off my suit and jumped into the shower. I turned the hot water on full blast and stood beneath the steady stream, my head leaning back as the drops cascaded down my face and along the rest of my body. It felt good to stand there like that, the water washing away my perplexing anger. I placed my hands on the smooth tile and leaned forward, letting the water slide down my back. Yes, this felt good.
I started to wash my hair, methodically lathering it up as I let myself forgot about my crazy emotions. It was silly. I don't know why I let something like that bother me. What did I expect? Natsu was… is, my best friend. Anything more would just be too complicated. I liked things the way they were and if I found myself admiring his many finer attributes then… so be it! I'm a young adult; it's only natural to find someone like Natsu attractive.
By the time I left the shower and dried my hair I was feeling much better and was even humming a happy tune as I tightened the belt of my robe around my waist and walked out of the bathroom. Natsu was back, sitting on one of the large chairs on the far side of the room near the window and when I came out I could see him tense up briefly but then quickly smile and stand up.
"I'm gonna take a shower too," he said, walking across the room with a towel bunched up in his hands in front of his hips… almost like he was trying to hide something.
"Natsu? Are you ok?" I asked with concern.
The corner of his lips lifted up in a half smile and he scratched the back of his head as he answered, "Yea. I'm just tired."
The door closed behind him and I shook my head. 'What the heck was that all about?' I didn't let myself think any more about it and I took the opportunity to change into my pajamas while Natsu was still in the bathroom. I pulled out a light blue tank top and threw it on then slid on a pair of white cotton shorts with little yellow stars. Then I pulled out a little notebook and pencil from a side pocket in my bag and walked over to my bed, taking a seat on the soft mattress and arranging the pillows so that they propped me up against the headboard.
"What are you doing?" Natsu asked, startling me. He was standing at the foot of my bed, a single towel knotted around his hips while he rubbed another towel over his still wet hair.
"I'm outlining a new story," I answered and struggled to not look at his half naked body.
"Can I watch?" he asked, moving around the bed to the side closest to where I was sitting.
"No!" I almost shouted as I hugged my notebook against my chest.
"Come on! Let me see!" he complained and plopped down next to me on the bed, reaching his hand out for my notebook.
"Natsu!" I whined and rolled away, turning to my side but he reached his arm around and grabbed at the small book. I struggled to keep it away, rolling across the bed till I was lying precariously close to the edge and then had to hold my arm out over the side while Natsu reached across my body to grab it. Half of his body was lying on top of mine, me on my back while he was on his stomach.
Suddenly my entire body started to pulse with excitement, a strange fluttering building in my lower belly and I gulped, looking up into Natsu's way too close face. "N-Natsu," I whispered, my arm going slack and the book falling to the floor… forgotten. His eyes stared into mine, his lips slightly parted. I could feel the heat radiating off of his body which was practically naked, his towel the only thing covering him. I was frozen where I lay, unaware of anything besides Natsu's body and face.
His head moved down a fraction of an inch closer to my face and then I heard a low groan rumble up his throat and he closed his eyes briefly before looking down at me again and then rolling back across the bed and standing up. My chest heaved as I took in deep breaths, trying to control the raging feelings coursing through my body as I continued to lie in the same spot, unmoving and unbelievably frustrated.
Ahhh! I wanted to scream!
I got off the bed and bent down to pick up the fallen notebook. I didn't bother to try writing again and instead shoved the book back into my bag and returned to the bed. I crawled under the blankets, switching the light off beside my bed and curled myself into a little ball, facing away from Natsu who was lying on the bed a few feet away.
Rejected again.
To be continued…
Hi all! I hope this chapter kept you interested still.
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