Chapter 10

~#~

The textbook definition of sex: either the male or female division of a species, especially as differentiated with reference to the reproductive functions.

Making love was different. Different to Lucy anyway, the way their bodies moved as one was different and a completely new experience for her.

Don't get her wrong! She was most definitely not a virgin, however she had never made love with someone that she had only known for just a little over two weeks. It was crazy, in another lifetime she would have been called a harlot. However something was different about him.

Lucy thought back to the days where her teacher would tell her about all sorts of old Japanese folklore tales and how two certain people would be connected by the red string of fate.

She let out a short giggle and shook her head,

"No way, I don't believe in all that mumbo-jumbo!" She thought as her body shook slightly with laughter.

"What's wrong?" Natsu asked as he felt her body shake next to his.

"Oh it's nothing!" Lucy replied while sitting up on her elbows with her stomach still against the soft mattress.

"If you say so." Natsu smiled and began running his fingers up and down her back like he was previously doing.

"A-actually, Natsu?"

"Mmm hmm?"

"You don't have to answer me or anything, however I was just wondering what you were going to do about them men?" The blond asked while turning a little pink.

"You heard then?" Natsu sighed and rolled onto his back, pulling his hand away from Lucy.

"Y-yeah, the walls are pretty thin in this apartment... It's not like I was hiding around the corner or anything...!" Natsu laughed at her exclamation and made the soft material of the bed shake underneath them.

"I don't mind that you listened, Luce." He said, looking at her. "I just really don't know what to do."

"Well, you could go work for them...?"

"I'm not leaving you for five years Lucy!" Natsu sat up and cupped her face. "I just found you and I made a promise didn't I?"

"I won't leave you, Luce. I promise." A toothy grin stretched over his face, while his eyes looked straight into hers.

Lucy smiled at the memory from the previous night and held out her pinky. The pink-haired man looked into her eyes and wrapped his pinky around hers. He leant forward a pecked the tip of her nose.

"Okay! No matter how much I'd love to lie in bed all day, we have to get up!" Lucy told Natsu as she reluctantly rolled out of her bed and gathered some clothes up.

After washing up in the bathroom, she was greeted by a smiling Natsu in the kitchen cooking some rice. They ate together at the table with casual conversation, when Natsu asked,

"What do you want to do today then?"

"Hmm," Lucy thought, "Ooo! We can go pick out some paint!"

She remembered how earlier she commented on how plain her apartment was and now was the perfect time to give it a lick of paint while she had an extra pair of hands at her disposal.

"Sure, but no pink." Natsu scowled.

"You'd think you would like pink, since it's the colour of your hair...?"

"I didn't ask for my hair to be this colour!" He complained.

"Okay okay! No pink." Lucy giggled.

The pair cleaned away their dishes and headed out the door in pursuit of the DIY store.

~#~

"Master will see you now." The red haired woman called out to her fellow members who were sat on the plush leather seats that were placed outside the dingy office in an abandoned warehouse.

Nullpuding and Kurohebi stood and followed Flare into the small office. In the center of the room stood a large wooden desk with a dark figure sat on the large chair, facing away from his visitors.

"I hope you brought me good news." The deep voice asked.

"Well Master, we told our little Natsu everything you told us too..." Nullpuding started.

"But he didn't seem too convinced..." Kurohebi finished.

Flare snickered from a dark corner of the office.

"Shush Flare and well, boys, we'll have to change that. Won't we?" The figure stated.

Nullpuding and Kurohebi looked at one another with doubt written on their faces.

"H-how will we do that Master?" The tall one asked.

"Obra tells me that he has a little friend now... Am I right?"

"Ooo, yes! Yes! The pretty blonde!" Nullpuding exclaimed as he rubbed his hands together.

Flares ears perked up at the sentence the stocky man had just said,

"B-blondie..."

"I said shush, Flare! and boys, know what to do." Ivan swiveled his large chair around and waved the gang members off.

The three figures left the room, full of excitement for their new mission; capture the pretty blonde.

~#~

Lucy stood, staring indecisively at the two colours. "Turquoise or teal? Turquoise or teal?" She kept repeating in her head as a very bored Natsu stood next to her.

"Lucy, they're both blue. Does it really matter?" He moaned.

"I can't believe you would even think that?!" She exclaimed, "Of course it matters!"

The pink-haired man groaned and his shoulders dropped in defeat.

"Oh lookie here, do we have some first-time home-makers?" A perky violet haired shop assistant came walking over.

Natsu and Lucy looked at one-another and the blonde started laughing,

"Oh no!" She said, "It's my apartment, he just moved in."

She waved her hand in the direction of Natsu.

"Okay dokay! Can't decide on a colour I see?"

"No, I really can't!" Lucy sighed in defeat.

"So what room is this for?"

"Living room."

"Hmm, I'd put this one in the living room." The shop assistant pointed at the teal, "And this one in, say, a bathroom?"

Lucy's eyes widened at her words.

"What do you think, Natsu?" She asked.

"Yeah, as long as it's not pink. I don't care." He fake smiled at the blonde while the shop assistant stifled a giggle behind her.

"Fine! We'll take them both! And the mulberry as well." She practically jumped up with excitement.

After purchasing the paints, rollers and brushes from the store. The pair were finally, in Natsu's case, on their way back to Lucy's apartment building with several plastic bags hanging on their arms.

"Hello Percy." The blond greeted the door-man as he held the door open for them. "Ooo, you haven.t met Natsu yet! Natsu, Percy. Percy, Natsu."

The two men nodded heads at one another while they entered the building. Lucy giggled at the strange greeting and made her way over to the elevators.

Finally reaching the apartment door, Lucy took her keys out and hastily pushed the door open so she could put the heavy tins of paint down. She noticed her answer phone flashing and pressed play,

"Hello, Princess you keep ign-" A husky tone came through the speakers and Lucy quickly jumped on the machine and pressed delete.

Upon hearing the word 'princess' Natsu straightened up and asked,

"Who was that and why were they calling you 'Princess'?"

"Oh! I... erm... I-it was probably just someone from work!" Lucy stuttered while her palm started to sweat slightly, "Shall we get started anyway?!"

"Sure..." Natsu said while eyeing the girl suspiciously as she walked down the hall to get some old cloths from the linen cupboard.

"Oh shit!" Lucy cursed as she retrieved the cloths.

~#~

A/N: I'm going to start with how sorry I am for not updating, it's been and very busy two months! But anyway, I hope you enjoyed this chapter and the next one will be up sooner, I promise!

Also, I'm currently looking for a beta for this story, so if anyone is interested please PM me! :)

The paint scene in this was actually a real scene that happened to me, I thought i was going to have a mental breakdown the other week when i couldn't decide on a colour for my bedroom! So why not make Lucy go through the same pain that I did! ;)

Please review! They make me happy... and I'll give you cookies if you do!