Hey guys it's Mslead, I'm back! Please enjoy your chapter, it's a long one!

CHAPTER 37

Overhaul

To gain upon in a chase; to overtake.

Natsu let out a whoop of joy as he swam in a tight circle, doing a flip around and settling down in front of the two newbies with their tails. It was hilarious watching them try to figure out how to swim now that they didn't have legs, and he couldn't help but take a little glee out of their swearing.

After all they had made fun of him and teased relentlessly when he was learning with his legs.

Still he held his hands out to Lucy when she nearly swam into a patch of coral, not wanting her anywhere near the sharp edges. He pulled her away with a smile and held her hands tenderly, "None of that. You don't want to leave any scars on that pretty golden tail of yours."

Lucy's eyes travelled over Natsu's unusual tail. It didn't seem like it was a normal merman Tail, showing the striping and webbing of a dragon in many areas. Her tail and Grays looked mostly normal in comparison, although Juvia had commented that her golden coloring was exceptionally rare and very sought after.

She hadn't realized the tails coloring flow were a sign of beauty for merfolk, but it seemed to make sense for them. Her eyes travelled over a patch of bare scales on Natsu's Tail, right over one of his stripes. She remembered that spot had been particularly skinned when she rescued him from the pirates. She was a little sad to see remaining scars on his tail from his harvesting.

It was a wonder he trusted humans at all after that.

He didn't seem to pay it any mind as he flicked his tail, pulling Lucy along with him, "Feel the current and let it carry you where it can. You have a strong tail, so you can use it to go places you wouldn't normally!"

"Like this?" Lucy asked, trying to mimic his movements, and gasping a bit as she kicked too hard and rocketed into his chest. Natsu caught her with a yelp when the top of her head crashed into his chin.

His arms secured around her though and he grinned at her, his eye watering, "Yup! That's exactly it, hell Luce I won't complain about your little stick legs ever again! Damn you got a hell of a kick!"

Gray looked up from where Juvia was helping him get used to his own dark blue tail with a cross between awe and horror, "You complained about her legs?" He asked, "And lived to tell the tale?"

Natsu looked between them in confusion, and Lucy blushed, "He hasn't annoyed me enough to warrant a deliberate Lucy kick."

"Lucky man." Gray muttered and eyed Natsu, "The last guy that pissed her off enough to earn a kick left a dent in her cabin door."

Natsu blinked at her and grinned, "I gotta see that sometime!"

Lucy laughed a little, "I'm sure you'll annoy me enough someday I'll be happy to demonstrate on you." She flicked her tail a little, "Now, let's try this again?"

Natsu beamed at her, though he kept his arm around her shoulders as she jerkily moved forward, "Relax." He told her, "You're thinking about it too much. Swimming is natural. As natural as breathing."

He pressed himself along her side, and shifted against her, "See? Just follow my movements."

Lucy nodded held onto his shoulder tightly and attempted to mimic his movements. Bit by bit, as they made their slow and patient way to Zeref's kingdom, she started to relax and even enjoy the experience.

By the time their escort had set up camp for the evening, the trip back being a lot longer than the trip out with two newbie swimmers, Lucy was exhausted but grinning broadly as she and Gray swam slowly around the camp on their own.

"How was that?" She grinned to Natsu and Juvia.

"That was wonderful!" Juvia exclaimed happily, "You're both naturals!"

"I'm starting to actually like this." Gray grinned as he glanced down at his tail, "It's a lot easier than trying to keep your legs together for the same motion." He rubbed a bit at his lower back, "Though not completely."

"You'll get used to it." Juvia promised as she led him over to a place to sit, "Rest for now."

"Begging pardon m'lady." One of the guards said diffidently and held out a small jar, "Me ma works in the palace kitchen. When she heard I was comin' to help retrieve the cap'n an' her first mate, an' they was gonna be swimmin' the whole way, she told me to bring this."

He wriggled a little in an approximation of a human shuffle as Juvia took the jar curiously, "It's her special ointment. Works wonders on strains. Thought maybe it'd help."

Juvia smiled brightly at him, causing him to blush, "What a wonderful gift!" She exclaimed, "Thank you! That was very kind of you!"

The guard's face burned even brighter, revealing how young he really was, and he hastily swam back to his giant seahorse mumbling disclaimers.

"So how's that work down here?" Gray asked, inspecting the jar curiously, only for Natsu to snatch it out from under his nose.

"Same way it does up there dummy." Natsu snorted, and gently nudged Lucy where she was absently rubbing at her back too, "Lemme show ya."

"I was unbelievably sore when I started walking on land the first couple of days, not used to using those muscles. You two ain't used to swimming like this," Natsu slid Lucy's hair over her shoulder to get it off her back. He watched the golden hair float through the water, smiling a bit when some of it got in her face.

"Everything you think of that you do above the surface you can do below," Juvia took a dollop out of the jar from Natsu and swam behind Gray.

She massaged her fingertips into his back, the warming gel tingling and sinking into the aching muscles. He let out a groan of surprise, a blush working over his face as she kneaded it into his skin.

"Ughhhhh, damn that's great stuff," Gray shuddered.

Lucy blinked and turned towards Natsu, whose lips whispered against the back of her ear, the current bumping him closer to her.

She could practically feel his smile in her skin as rough fingertips pressed into her back, seemingly knowing precisely where to touch.

Her tail flashed through the water in an arch of light and shimmering scales, surprised by her own actions by that simple touch.

"Easy Lucy, you're a little knotted up but this should hold until we get to where we're staying," Natsu laughed, "And you'll have plenty of time to get to feeling better about swimming. We will be here a little over a moon."

"If you keep massaging me like that I'll stay under the water forever," Gray groaned to Juvia, who giggled and rubbed the back of his neck.

"Don't test me Gray, this is my dominion." Juvia smiled at him and then looked back at the bashful young knight, "My blessings to you and your mother for such a kind gift to ease the burdens for my companions. The generosity is much appreciated."

"Train well Lord Knight, I look forward to seeing you in my temple one day perhaps," Juvia smiled and motioned for the rest to follow her.

"Can't wait to say hi to Zeref, Juvia will you be staying in the palace with us or returning to the temple? And what about you Gray?" Natsu asked, the implication that they were welcome to stay together there, but also knowing Juvia had her own temples...

And Gray might want to join her in one of them.

Gray glanced at Juvia, who looked between them indecisively for a moment, "In truth, I would prefer the comfort of my temple." She admitted, "I of course mean no disrespect..."

Nastu waved her off, "Nah, I remember these days remember?" He grinned, "I know about gods preferring their sanctified ground. It's no big deal."

Juvia relaxed and looked at Lucy and Gray, "You are, of course, welcome to stay in the temple as well if you like."

Lucy immediately shook her head, "I appreciate the offer Juvia, but I'd prefer the palace. Most temples just feel weird to me. I'd never get any sleep. So far Levy's the only exception to that."

Juvia nodded understandingly, "That's to be expected." She replied and looked at Gray hopefully.

Gray didn't miss the look and decided to throw caution to the wind, "I wouldn't mind staying." He replied, "I get invited to stay at temples even less than palaces. It'd be fun."

Juvia grinned broadly at him and Natsu chuckled softly under his breath, "'bout time Frostbite."

-::-

Natsu swam through the palace gates, grateful to finally be home and rest his aching tail. He knew the others were practically tied in knots with as little experience as they had in swimming. After seeing Lucy curl to the side a couple of times, he realized that they were in a bit of pain and had pulled Juvia to the side to get her to summon them some dolphins.

It was a hard trek for experienced swimmers, it was only thanks to Fairy Tail's pure stubbornness that they hung on as long as they had.

Juvia apologized without pause over how she hadn't thought to get them sooner. And also shifted to scolding them for not mentioning something to her sooner.

When they parted ways at the ocean center, Natsu reached out to take Lucy's hand to pull her along now that the dolphins had taken off.

"It's a bit of a workout if you're not used to it captain I guess. But it's not too hard for dragons," he grinned at Lucy, who gave him a jealous pout.

"Rub it in why don't you?" Lucy grumbled when she looked at the beautifully decorated gates opening up for Natsu.

"I'll rub something to you later." Natsu smirked back at her, the grin on his face impish. Lucy's mind plunged straight into the gutter until he held up the salve the guard gave them earlier, "How about it?"

"You're doing that on purpose." Lucy huffed, unable to keep a grin off her face as his went completely innocent looking.

"Why Cap'n!" He gasped, "I have no idea what you could possibly be insinuatin'! My motives are as pure as snow!"

"Sure they are." Lucy drawled dryly as they swam up the path, "You couldn't possibly want anything other than getting knots out of my back."

"Oh but I do want nothing more than that." Natsu purred, swimming close to her ear, "A very thorough massage is the best kind don't you think?"

Lucy shivered at his tone, and the slightest brush of fang against her earlobe. He pulled back with a smirk that was pure sin and made her want to simultaneously kiss him senseless and smack him.

She was saved from deciding which option was better though by the appearance of Zeref and his now very heavily pregnant wife. She smiled broadly at them and awkwardly swam over to greet them, flailing a little as she tried to stop. Fortunately, Zeref reached out and steadied her with a smile.

"Hello Captain Heartfilia." He greeted, "I'm pleased you were able to make it down here without too much trouble."

"Please, I insist you call me Lucy after everything." Lucy replied, "And thank you so much for your hospitality. I was starting to worry I'd be stuck sitting in a rowboat for a moon!"

Zeref shook his head, "It's a pleasure." He replied, "It has the benefit of getting my brother home in time to see his nephew born."

"Niece." Mavis spoke up with a grin that told Lucy it was a long standing joke between the couple.

"Yes dear." Zeref replied in amusement.

Lucy giggled a little at that, "You've trained him so well!"

Mavis giggled back, "It only took a couple of centuries." She replied, looping her arm around Lucy's, "I could teach you how if you like."

Zeref shook his head as Mavis led the captain off to gossip and turned his attention to Natsu. He regarded him thoughtfully for a moment and then pulled him to a rough hug, "It's good to see you again in person brother."

Natsu laughed and slapped his brother on the back, embracing him tight.

"It's been far too quiet without me down here, eh?" Natsu gave Zeref a happy grin, pleased to see his brother after so long as well. So much time had gone by already, Mavis looked like she was ready to give birth to their heir any day now.

"It has," Zeref admitted without remorse or pause. He released Natsu and pulled away to eye him more closely, "As much as I have missed you though, I can tell this journey has helped you in many ways. You no longer look incomplete."

"Did I look like I was missing parts of myself before?" Natsu asked with a wry smile, but knew it was true. Zeref was shrewd, and so was often right with his observations.

"It looked like you were functioning with a part of your heart broken. Without the truth depth of your passion," Zeref looked over to where Mavis was laughing with Lucy, "I'm glad you found it. Found her."

Natsu rubbed a hand along his arm, a soft smile melting over his face as his eyes were wrapped wholly on Lucy.

"I found her, but she's not mine," He corrected, "I laid my feelings out for her, it's in her court. But I know she feels it too. I can't explain it, but in my gut I know. Every touch we share, I can feel it."

"I don't think she notices it yet though." Natsu smiled at her dreamily, "The pull. I feel it to her, it's hard to stay away."

"Seems like staying away is all you two are doing with one another," Zeref snorted, "Perhaps the Renewal festival to honor the Spirit King will raise your spirits. The season is arriving soon."

Natsu jolted at the reminder, doing the math in his head as he remembered when that was supposed to take place. With as long as they had been out on sea it almost slipped his mind!

"I... forgot about that." He admitted, a flicker of worry coursing through him. With as tight as his bond to Lucy had gotten over the years, the season affected him almost as much as it did the celestials themselves. Jellal had liked to tease that it was because of how much time in bed they spent together.

Something that was... probably not far wrong.

"Something wrong Natsu?" Zeref asked in concern.

Natsu shook himself and flashed Zeref a reassuring grin, which did nothing to distract his brother if the bland expression on his face was anything to go by, "I'll explain later."

Getting into his sudden worry about what the season would do to him wasn't something he wanted to bring up with Lucy nearby.

Zeref raised an eyebrow, but nodded agreeably, "Come on then." He smiled over at the ladies, "I know you must be tired and hungry. I remember what it was like for Natsu when he first got here, and Mavis and I took the liberty of preparing a small feast."

"Family and friends only." Mavis assured Lucy at her suddenly worried look, "And it only counts as a feast since we weren't sure what foods you might like down here."

Lucy relaxed a bit and smiled back, "Thank you, that sounds lovely." She allowed Mavis to pull her along, "So have you decided on a name?"

"Not yet." Mavis sighed, "We can't seem to find one we both like."

"Still?" Natsu asked, shamelessly eavesdropping, "Sis you're about to pop!"

"You don't have to remind me." Mavis sighed, rubbing her belly absently, and leaned close to Lucy, "Zeref wants a noble name for his heir, but I prefer something more natural."

Lucy cocked her head slightly, "What about the seasons?" She suggested, "August for a boy, and Summer for a girl?"

Mavis stared at Zeref and he blinked back at her, "It has a simplicity that is regal enough of its own, while still being natural."

"I like them," Zeref agreed.

"Well in that case, I hope you have a girl!" Natsu laughed, knowing full well he would have taken great joy in having his little niece named after him. No matter how unintentional.

"I'm afraid you are out of luck Natsu, August will be here soon to give you his reasons." Zeref smirked.

Zeref opened his arms to Mavis, wrapping them tenderly around his wife the moment she saw an opening to him. He guided the heavily pregnant woman into their private quarters for their dinner.

Natsu trailed behind them, his eyes following the golden curve of Lucy's spine down to the shimmering flashes of sparkling scales. Gods she was he most distracting thing he ever laid eyes on.

He hardly even noticed when they sat across from one another, trying hard just to keep his dopey smile from drifting into his face when he wasn't paying attention.

The food was piled on before them, but Natsu wasn't finding himself very hungry at all. His mind was already in his bed. Cold and empty.

And he couldn't help but wonder what it would be like filled with Lucy. Natsu could remember the times they had curled together, just quiet moments either lying beneath the stars or the blue sky.

Or when Natsu would be trying to take a nap in his hammock, a headstrong princess would slither into the lion's den so they could both be rocked to sleep by the oceans currents.

The thought kept him occupied all through the meal, though Zeref and Mavis did an admirable job trying to cover it. Still, he wasn't entirely sure it was enough if the concerned glances Lucy was casting him were any indication. She said nothing however and chatted happily with the monarchs as she made her rather hilarious way through the various sea delicacies.

"I don't think I could eat another bite." She groaned after a while, "Thank you." She grinned at Zeref and Mavis, "That was an experience I won't soon forget."

"I don't think we will either." Mavis laughed, "But at least we have a better idea of the things you like." She smiled, "I promise we'll make sure the chefs know from now on."

"I appreciate that." Lucy replied, casting a wary eye at some of the less palatable offerings.

Natsu grinned, "Aw, you mean you don't want Jellyfish heads on a regular basis?" He teased, "C'mon, they're practically like the sea's version of gelatin!"

"Considering it was still twitching when they brought it out... no." Lucy replied dryly.

The three merfolk laughed, and Mavis stretched a bit, "My love, I'm afraid I must take my leave. Our daughter is being especially energetic tonight."

Zeref immediately wrapped an arm around his wife and glanced at Natsu, who waved him off, "Don't worry about it." He promised, "I can show Lucy around. You two go relax with the hatchling."

Zeref nodded and signaled the servants as he got up. Natsu just grinned and held his hand out to Lucy, "C'mon, lemme give you a quick tour, then I promise we'll get that massage in."

Natsu grinned and took her hand, pleased by how readily she reached out for him. She grinned when he pulled her along, watching as Natsu showed her the throne room and parlor.

"And this my lady is where the Kings of Alvarez pass on their legacy to their progeny through the ancient rite of tail slapping," Natsu said solemnly when they swam into the impressive room.

"Tail... what?" Lucy tried, her eyebrow lifting towards Natsu, whose lips were twitching at the corners.

"Ah Yes, Tail slapping. There's no sport more beloved or important down here, except for maybe Coral Curling," Natsu sighed and settled his hands on his chest, "I remember the Great War. The shortage of coral, the plagues in the reef!"

Lucy snorted at his obvious dramatics and shook her head, "Oh yeah, the coral droughts huh?"

"Must have been terrible," Lucy patted his shoulder with false sympathy.

"Yes, we had to use sea sponges instead. Like barbarians!" Natsu wiped a fake tear.

Lucy giggled and Natsu erupted into peals of laughter. They made their way through the tour, Natsu making up stories for the rooms they visited, each one more outlandish than the other. 'And this is where a giant goldfish with a hook for a fin and a fake eye came to Zeref asking for him to be his bride! That one may or may not have actually happened, but you should definitely ask him about it!'

When they were done with the tour, they were laughing with one another like a pair of silly drunks while they leaned on each other. Natsu helped her swim straight as he guided her to the spare room across the hall from his.

"Come on giggle-gills!" Natsu laughed, tears pricking at his eyes. He wrapped an arm around her and steered the crookedly swimming Lucy into the bedroom.

She flopped gratefully onto the bed and curled her arms around the spongey pillow, "Oh this is delightful!"

Natsu grinned and slid into a chair across the bed. His eyes closed and he gripped the armrests. Lucy peeked over at him, watching how he stretched out, his body tensing and relaxing as his tail unfurled in a shimmer of flashing ruby. She hid a smile in the blankets, unable to help herself from thinking how he cut a very nice image.

Though there was that small frown that had been there off and on since shortly after they'd arrived, "What's wrong?" She asked curiously rolling over to get a better look at him, and unable to resist silently marveling over how freeing the lack of clothing was.

Though it was still weird to know she was naked and yet all the important bits were covered.

She'd never thought about it before the transformation, but scales covered rather more of a mermaid's body than she'd realized. Even her breasts. Though past her tail they felt less like actual scales and more like leathery skin. It made her hands itch with the urge to explore more of this new body of hers, but she hadn't had a chance yet.

She reminded herself that she could do that later and focused on the startled looking Natsu.

"What do you mean?" He asked, and she rolled her eyes.

"Natsu, I've seen that frown on your face no less than five times since we got here. Something is bothering you. What is it?"

He shook his head a little and smiled, "Don't worry about it." He shifted a bit, "Shall we get to that massage?"

Lucy frowned a little and sat up instead, "Does it have to do with me?" She asked, "About your feelings for me?"

Natsu hesitated and sighed, "Luce... I meant what I said." He insisted and smiled affectionately at her, "I'll wait as long as I have to. I'll court you for as long as you need." He shrugged a little, "Just... you can't expect me not to feel a little lonely when I've got a big, cold, bed waiting for me."

Lucy sighed and bowed her head, "I'm sorry Natsu." She apologized, "I don't want it to be this way. I have dreams nearly every night of you making love to me and holding me. It's driving me insane. And even before that I was attracted to you." She blushed, "I am right now. Even when you're ridiculous and a brat there's just something about you..."

A tear formed at the corner of her eye and melted into the water, "I just... I couldn't stand it if my curse hurt you like it did my father!"

Natsu stared at her, uncomprehending and swam towards her, pushing off his chair to settle next to her on the bed.

"Hurt me like your pa? How did it hurt your old man?" He asked, setting a gentle hand on the back of Lucy's head.

She scrubbed angrily at her eyes and lifted her chin, her lips tightening around the corners as she steered herself.

"My parents used to be so happy together, back when they were always together on the sea, but when my father no longer had to stay out for his merchant business and began to build a home for my mom to retire on when she had me, he began to change," Lucy's voice waivered, "He had never been particularly religious, but he always paid offerings to the Creator."

"But he stopped doing that, it was like something in him began to warp and turn ugly. He no longer went out to sea with my mother, becoming more and more hungry for money," Lucy said softly, "And eventually he began to worship the Destroyer. Wealth, power — it all means the same thing."

Natsu frowned and pulled his hand away from Lucy, bending his head down to her eye level, "And you think your mothers curse did that to him?"

"The Heartfilia luck when it comes to men has always been too poor for it not to have been tied with that bastard," Lucy growled, fingers curling into a tight fist.

"I'm sorry Lucy," Natsu said quietly, reaching out to hold her shoulders. His tail curled under his body, bubbles floating through the currents as he kicked through the water to get comfortable, "That asshole has been screwing with you for too long. Talk about not being able to let go, jeez."

His hand shifted up and he cradled Lucy's cheek. He gave her a broad grin and bumped their foreheads together, "You don't have to worry about that with me if that's what stopping you, my bond with my goddess can't be influenced by outside forces. Not even Acnologia."

He scooped up her hand and pressed it into his chest, "My faith was carved out long before him. I was chosen as your champion in my past life, and that's followed me into the next one. You are far stronger than Acnologia. Even if gods cannot kill other gods, you are a Celestial, so have faith in the magic you cast in me that has lasted thousands of years."

"Besides, Acnologia can't do shit to me when we're underwater," He slammed his fist into his open palm, a fierce grin on his face, "And after we get the last pieces of the key, we'll kick his ass anyway!"

Lucy's heart pounded as she stared at him in awe. That was... right. Somehow in all the fuss and excitement about finding relics and returning memories and fighting the demons... she had forgotten they were also fighting Acnologia himself.

They were fighting the god that had cursed her family and been the source of so much misery!

And they certainly had no intention of losing to that bastard! Not until he'd paid for everything!

Joy unlike any she'd ever known bubbled up inside her. Freedom. She would have her freedom when this was over! She could go anywhere, be with anyone. The prospect was so overwhelming she wanted to cry.

Except she wanted to smile more.

A smile slowly blossomed across her face. Wide and happy and maybe a little drunk with giddiness. She beamed up at Natsu like she was just seeing the sun for the first time in far too long, and gave into an urge she'd had since she'd first heard him speak. She curled her hands around his shoulders and pulled him into a hungry kiss, pouring everything she felt in that moment into it.

Natsu flailed a little in surprise at the sudden kiss, but he quickly recovered and pulled her close, returning her kiss with the ardor of a man who had been too long deprived. It was like stars were bursting behind her eyes, a sense of golden light spilling inside her heart and flooding her nerves. It was as if she were returning home, his warmth surrounding her like a blanket.

She moaned under the weight of it, and before she even realized they were moving she felt her head hit the pillow as Natsu moved over her.

"Natsu!" She panted when they finally broke for air, and groaned softly as he twined their tails tightly together and gently ran his hands down her sides.

"Gods Luce..." He panted, resting his forehead against hers, "Reality's so much better'n my memories."

"Yeah," She gasped breathlessly, her hands twisting into his pink locks. Her eyes burned with desire and she bit her bottom lip. The memory of his firm mouth against hers filled her senses. Soft and Smokey, like the burning of a campfire on the beach. He tasted like just a hint of spice and cinnamon, something she was able to pick up on even under the water.

Her lips grazed against his, coaxing him back into another lingering kiss with her. He laughed into it when she rolled them over, pushing her tail against his to drive their hips together. She could feel the brush of his fins against hers, grazing and gentle.

She pulled apart, watching his chest heave and eyes lock on hers. Natsu's hands settled onto her hips, his palm drifting around to cup her rear.

Lucy let out a quiet laugh and bent over to press her forehead against his, grinning back at the mischievous smirk on Natsu's face, "Better than my dreams."

"I wouldn't want to let you down," He wiggled his eyebrows, "Maybe we should practice more?"

"I think we maybe should," Lucy grinned, sinking back down into his embrace to draw her lips against his.

For the first time in her life, she felt something in her settle. Like something in her was finally coming to rest, almost as if she were returning home.

"But you're not getting out of that massage just yet," Lucy reached up and plucked at his nose. The smile that broke out over his face was positively buoyant.

He smirked at her and surged up in a rush, never once disturbing their tangled tails. He flipped them around in a tight roll and relaxed his fins, letting hers slide free of his.

She thought perhaps his tail might have been shining with a more vibrant hue of ruby, wondering if perhaps mermen were similar to some other creatures that showed off their physical attributes to draw a woman's attention. Like peacocks.

Or idiots in a tavern.

Except she found Natsu's tail beautiful with its deep shade, unable to stop herself from reaching out to him and running her hands over his smooth scales. Her fingers dug into his tail, massaging lightly in some areas and rubbing over others. Natsu's breath caught, expression torn as he let her explore his tail. No doubt she found the changes a little unusual from legs.

However when her fingertips began to press in areas that were more sensitive than others, he almost choked on his tongue at the band of fire it sparked in his gut.

He swiftly collected her wrists in her hands and lifted them away from his tail.

"I think that can probably wait for right now Luce," Natsu growled, voice thickening. He released her hands and lowered his hands to her own tail, "let me show you how it's done."

Lucy raised an amused eyebrow at his tone, "From the sound of it, I think I was doing pretty good on my own."

Natsu chuckled huskily, "Aye cap'n." He purred, "But you're still gettin' used to this body." He leaned over and kissed her lingeringly, "Much as I would love to show you how merfolk pleasure each other... might be a good idea for you to get used to havin' fins first." He smirked a little, "I can wait a bit longer."

"I'm not sure I can." Lucy huffed, but there was a smile on her face as she rolled onto her stomach and pulled her hair out of the way, "But alright sailor. We'll play it your way. For now."

Natsu's mouth went dry at the sight of that lovely expanse of skin and scattered gold scales. So similar to a dragon's scales and yet so different. His groin throbbed at the thought of touching such perfection and being allowed to do so however he wanted. He resisted the urge to rub at the small patch of scales just above his back fin at the small of his back and instead laid his hands gently on Lucy's.

He kept his touch gentle as he began kneading her flesh, wincing a bit in sympathy at the knots he felt in her spine. It was a wonder she could move at all as knotted up as she was, and his ardor slowly faded to something manageable as he focused on bringing her a different kind of relief.

It made him glad he'd insisted on not going further though. Especially with Lucy still unconsciously moving like a human. Between that and the strain there was a real chance she could've hurt herself.

He smiled at her back as she made noises somewhere between pain and pleasure as he worked. Stubborn woman. It was both one of her more exasperating and endearing traits, and he couldn't resist leaning down to kiss the back of her neck once she'd finally begun properly relaxing.

"I love you." He whispered, unable to keep the declaration to himself.

"Mmmmmmm... love you too." She mumbled, more than half asleep and curled her hand around his, dragging it insistently to her chest, "Stay?"

Natsu's heart throbbed at her sleepy confession, his fingers curling light around hers.

"For as long as you want," he smiled at her.

Sorry guys! No sneak peek this time, we didn't make our cut off! Don't fret though, the next chapter will be out here soon, and I think you'll like it. Back into the plot! Look out for Empire, we have that cooking in the pipeline and it'll be out as soon as I draw a good picture for it. The only one I have for it is Natsu getting- well you'll see.