Now Beta-ed By (8-26-2011): Forbidden-Hanyou

"Speaking"

'Thinking'

"Stressed Words"

Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot of this story.


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Changeling Chapter 3: The Curse of Feelings (Chapter 3 Revised & Edited by Forbidden-Hanyou on 8-26-2011)

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{Natsu POV}


It wasn't hard finding the place at all. I overheard a local vender talking about people being out of town, so I put two and two together. Asking the vendor about the people who had left town, he told me about the Duke and his fancy carriage that went down the road this morning. I knew exactly whose house Luce was babysitting now. He gave me the directions to 'Take a left at the fountain, keep going straight, and up the hill, and that is where the Mansion is located.'

As I approached the Duke's mansion, I could smell Luce's shampoo from here; light lavender and chamomile. The wind was blowing from the west so she should be around the corner. I looked up to see a light on through the balcony doors.

'Too bad Happy's training with the other two Exceed,' I thought sadly. Looking for a way up wasn't hard as soon as I saw the trellis leading up past the balcony. Well, I knew my plan as soon as I saw that.

I climbed the trellis, breaking a few pieces of wood off here and there; but they wouldn't notice from all the vines wrapped around it, I think. I hopped over the concrete railing onto the balcony. I looked through where Luce was facing away from me, sitting in a big fancy sofa. As quietly as I could, I crept forward. I was curious; I wanted to see what she was doing, since she always shoos me away from everything she does in her house. I leaned over her and started to read the book over her shoulder.

- and so Fredrick started to undress Elizabeth one article of clothing at a time. He stood up and cupped her breast.

I could feel my face starting to heat up.

'What the hell is she reading?' I thought in shock.

- Elizabeth moaned into his mouth. "More!" she called out as his kisses were trailing from her jaw line, down past her collar bone, and onto her right nipple. She grabbed a hold of his blond-hair and guided his lips lower….

'Ok! Ok! I can't keep reading this! It makes me feel very weird; especially when Luce is right here!' I thought in desperation, as I slid my arms down and grabbed the book off of her. I already knew the storm that was about to begin.


+…+


{Lucy's POV}


I froze when I felt two strong arms running down the length of both of mine, and I was about to get my celestial keys until I turned around to the book thief.

"Natsu!" I shrieked as I jumped in surprise. You could actually hear the birds fly out of their comfy spots in nearby trees for the night.

"What?" he questioned innocently, scratching his head.

'What? I'm gonna what him!' I thought furiously.

"I was reading that and you took it from me, that's what!" I shouted in anger, my face turning red.

"Luce, I don't know how you can stand reading this," he said as he held up my book, as he flipped through the pages sideways as he walked over next to my bed, then placed it by the bed side table.

"It is a classic!" I yelled, fuming. I was trying to calm myself down, until the moment I got a real good look at Natsu.

"Oh…My…Gods! Natsu why are you a mess!" I shrieked, horrified, as I pointed at him. Natsu simply shrugged.

"The bandits actually showed up and we fought, but they were no match for me in the end!" he exclaimed, making punching fists and fighting with the air. Typical Natsu. I sighed as I put my hand to my face. I could see the mud he had dragged in with him. I traced it from the bed, over to the couch, then right where he had climbed up to the balcony. So much for calming down now!

"You should have been there!" Natsu finished excitedly. I growled.

"You're full of mud and who the hell knows what else!" I yelled angrily, pointing to his mud-covered form. I must have been too pissed off and not in the right frame of mind, because in the next instant, I had grabbed his wrist and dragged him into the bathroom. I then quickly bent down and turned the water on.

'He would try to break it if he couldn't figure it out within two minutes' I thought, as I turned back around and started grabbing his vest, pulling it completely off. I then ripped the scarf from around his neck and deposited it with his vest. My hands stopped after I grabbed his belt buckle. I look up at his face in horror.

'What am I doing?' I thought, bewildered. He was giving me a look that was between a scared, bewildered, and very curious as to where this was going.

I quickly turned around in embarrassment. What should I do now? I was looking around and thinking fast and then I spotted an extra robe hanging from a hook on the wall. I ran over and grabbed it quickly and dropped it down next to the bathtub. He was still standing there looking at me.

"Just get yourself in the tub and put this robe on," I said, my face red with embarrassment.

"What? I know you're not going to leave. The least you could do is get clean. I don't want you to mess anything up in here!" I yelled, as I made my way to the door, my heart hammering in my chest as I slammed the door behind me.

'What was that Lucy? You better pull yourself together,' I thought with a sigh.


+…+


{Natsu's POV}


'What was that all about?' I thought in confusion. I couldn't help but to be confused. I couldn't get myself unfrozen from where Luce was previously getting me undressed. The sound of water was the only thing in my ears now. I touched my belt.

'Then again, I really don't want to think about it,' I thought. So many things had happened today with dealing with local authorities and snatching up the left over bandits. I am supposed to collect my ten thousand jewels tomorrow, and I am excited about that. Then there was mental stress from climbing the trellis and finding Luce reading naughty stories; or 'romance novels' as she puts it, and lastly with her basically stripping me. I tried to shake the feeling of where her hands were just before I finish getting undressed. I tossed the rest of my clothes to the side and climbed in. The water is warm but not as warm as I usually liked, so I took the opportunity to do it myself. I began to heat my body up to heat the surrounding water. The steam was rising and it was getting hard to see around the room. I could still hear the water pouring down and it reminded me of a waterfall.

I was lost in thought about Luce underneath a waterfall in the middle of a forest, naked. Thinking of Luce in that way made me become aroused. It's not that I knew what she looked like completely naked, but with all the outfits she wore, they left nothing to the imagination. Now I had to wait for it (my little stick) to go away before I attempted to get out. But first, I had to turn the water off before it started to flood the floor. I was starting to stand up, trying to figure out how to turn the damn thing off.

'Who makes these things with this many damn buttons?' I thought, irritated as I looked over the many knobs and buttons. That's when there was a soft knock on the door. As the door creaked open I almost drowned myself as I quickly sat down to hide 'it' beneath the water.

"Natsu! Are you ok?" Lucy asked from the doorway.

"Yeah, yeah! I'm fine!" I choked out, as I coughed out some tub water.

"How did you make the room this…You know what, never mind. I'm just here to turn off the water," she said. I could hear her foot steps and see her figure walking through the steam. My heart started to pick up its pace and I was covering myself up the best that I could.

"Are you sure you're fine?" Lucy said as she walked forward some more. I started to panic and moved further back.

"…" I kept silent as I looked away.

Luce stopped just shy of an arm's length away from me, then bent down and turned off the water.

'Can she see me?' I thought in fear. I couldn't believe that out of all the times 'this' happens, it had to happen here.

The only thing I heard was dripping from the faucet; I think Luce was holding her breath because I could've sworn that she wasn't in the same room as me if I wouldn't have been able to see her figure over the tub.

"Well if you're sure…Anyways, I will be going to bed here in a few. You can take the couch," she said.

'Figured…' I thought bitterly.

She then retreated from where she stood and headed for the door. But I didn't relax at all until I heard the door shut. I then ran up to the door and locked it.

"That was close!" I whispered, relieved.


+…+


{Lucy's POV}


I ran away from the bathroom to lean over the balcony railing to catch my breath.

'Tonight has just been about the most uncomfortable atmosphere between us,' I thought. After about an hour of waiting for Natsu to get out of the bathroom, I became fed up. I was going to go to sleep, but the only light source was at the side of my bed.

'Is that even a good excuse for myself? After all he is a fire mage!' I scolded myself.

I could only watch the moon and stars for so long!

'What is taking him so long?' I thought in irritation. He never usually takes this long anywhere else. Waiting for Natsu to get out of the tub was starting to piss me off. I had to get up and feed Moofy and Puudy, with the other entire maid like chores to do. I blushed as I remembered seeing him in the water. He seemed weird; well weirder than usual from what I could tell through all the steam. I know secretly I was trying to see him (yes, likethat!), but he was well covered up with his arms and legs. What? Given the chance he would have done the same! I let out a sigh and turned in time to see Natsu finally getting out of the bathroom with the robe on that I had left for him.

I headed back inside and closed the balcony door behind me. Things just hit the top of the weirdo meter. He wasn't arguing to sleep next to me; he just went over to the couch next to the fire place and laid down. I walked over to the end of the bed where there was a dark blue blanket and took it over to him. As I placed it over him he seemed too deep in thought to even acknowledge the fact I was even there. This was not the Natsu I knew. Giving up on getting a response; I went over to the bed, turned out the light, and climbed in.

"Goodnight Natsu," I whispered softly, but I knew with his incredible hearing that he could hear me. I wondered if he was mad at me for undressing him or for walking into the bathroom while he was in there just to turn off the water.


+…+


The next morning I woke up before him. I opened up my pink suitcase to grab my clothes for the day. On my way to the bathroom I stopped to look at Natsu. His left leg up on the back part of the couch, and the only thing that was covering his junk was the blanket I gave him. His robe had even come open in the middle of the night due to his sleeping habits. (i.e. always moving) I leaned in a little closer, and it was nothing that I hadn't seen before, right? He shifted and I bolted to the bathroom.

'If he would have caught me, it would have been twenty questions all morning,' I thought in fear.

As I brushed my teeth I noticed his clothes were still on the floor; which meant he did not have clean clothes to wear. I shrugged and grabbed his clothes.

'Well I have to do mine anyways,' I thought. I brought the map with me as I went downstairs in search for a laundry room. Across from the massive stainless steel kitchen, and across the hall was another door, so I opened it. Lo and behold, there it was.

"I found it!" I cheered, congratulating myself. I then went over to the washing machine. Before I threw the clothes in the washer, I played with the fabric of Natsu's clothes in my hands and slowly brought it up to my nose. It smelled like…well…Natsu.

'Ok, I like him more than nakama. There, I admitted it. But I will never say it,' I thought as I inhaled deep and then threw them in the washer along with my outfit from yesterday. I then left the laundry room.

I was then walking around the mansion right after throwing the clothes in the washing machine. The sun was climbing higher, and was making its way through the windows. Opening the front door, I just stood there watching the radiant colors of the sun rising. I couldn't help but think what my life could have been like if I would have stayed at home with my father. Would I be married by now? Pregnant? Living far away with someone I didn't even know?

I heard creaking noise behind me, and I turned to see Natsu coming down the Elliptical Staircase still in the robe from last night. He had tied and fixed it, of course. He stopped at the bottom and when he gave me the biggest smile ever, I couldn't help but to return it. I knew that if I wouldn't have run away from home, I wouldn't have ever met such an awesome Guild, all my nakama, and my best friend of all in front of me.

"Come on Salamander lets go eat!" I said happily, grinning.

"Sweet!" Natsu cheered.

+…End of Chapter 3: The Curse of Feelings…+