"I love you." Natsu told Lucy, his eyes locked onto hers. Her lips parted and she gave a little gasp before sitting up.

"What?" She asked, her voice soft. He saw the shock in her expression and thought about all the possible ways this could destroy their friendship. She could've told their friends she loved him just to shut them up. They could date and break up, making things weird between them. She could decide that she needed someone who would be there to protect her from getting abducted. He could still get out of this, he could laugh and play it off as a joke. But then Natsu remembered that night on the balcony, how she met him half way when he leaned in to kiss her. He thought about the way she gripped his shirt, pulling him back towards her and pressing her lips against his after they broke apart. There was a lot he would give for another moment like that. When he studied her expression, he saw the look of longing in Lucy's eyes and he yearned for her. Natsu believed their relationship was solid enough where they could remain friends if she didn't feel the same. It might be awkward for a little while, but he was confident Lucy would not sever ties with him just because he fell in love with her. Natsu could survive a temporary awkwardness, as long as he didn't lose her completely. And there was the possibility that she really did feel the same way. He wanted at least take a shot at something more, before shutting these feelings out entirely. He sat up too and grabbed hold of both her hands.

"I love you." Natsu said again, sounding more confident now, his eyes never leaving Lucy's. She stared back at him, eyes wide, mouth ajar. Natsu's expression turned tentative, silently hoping he didn't just ruin everything.

"Really?" It was impossible to gauge her reaction, she spoke softly, her tone was one he'd never heard from her before. It's too late to turn back now, he thought to himself.

"Well, yeah." He told her, scratching the back of his neck awkwardly. "I tried telling you at the resort, but I chickened out." Despite her suspicions, Lucy was still surprised by his confession. She was especially surprised to hear him admit to chickening out. "Then that creep took you, and I…" he trailed off. Natsu was bad with words, and this was a lot harder than he thought. But looking at Lucy's face gave him some courage. "I was really scared." He admitted quietly, his face taking on a light shade of red. "But now that you're safe, I just needed you to know how relieved I am that you're okay." He brought his hand back up to cup her cheek, giving her a gentle smile. "And that I love you."

Lucy continued staring at him, her mouth agape, and Natsu was getting more anxious by the second. He could hear her heart racing, her scent shifted slightly, and he felt panicked as he noticed her eyes well up with tears. Shit. His hand dropped from her cheek to her shoulder, he didn't know how to recover from this. Natsu felt his heart shatter a little at Lucy's rejection, and he watched her nervously, alarmed by her unshed tears. "Sorry, I didn't mean to upset you." He told her sincerely. Lucy gave him a laughing smile, and threw her arms around Natsu's neck, pulling him into a deep kiss. Natsu didn't give it a second thought as he wrapped his arms wound her waist, intensifying the kiss. When they finally separated, Lucy looked at Natsu affectionately.

"I love you too." He gave her a toothy grin, tightened his grip on her waist, and kissed her zealously. Lucy was seeing stars, she couldn't remember a time where she was more happy than she was in that moment. Natsu lit a fire inside her, and she ran her fingers through his pink hair as they kissed again and again. The hands on her waist pulled her in even closer and she climbed in his lap, straddling him. She had her one hand around his shoulders, the other making it's way up the front of Natsu's shirt, feeling his defined muscles. Lucy was tracing fire in his body everywhere she touched. He let out a quiet growl as she bit his shoulder, and he felt himself start to lose control.

With his hands still on her waist, he brought his mouth back to hers, gently biting her lip. Lucy gasped as Natsu quickly flipped her over, switching their positions. He pinned her to the bed, straddling her and capturing her lips in another deep kiss. Lucy ran her fingers up his back, pulling his shirt off over his head. She wrapped her arms around his neck again and he nipped her earlobe. Natsu began kissing down Lucy's collarbone, leaving love bites, and making her inhale sharply. He moved his hand up the front of her shirt slowly, testing the waters. When he got no opposition, he brushed his thumb lightly over her areola. Lucy moaned her encouragement and he tweaked her nipple tenderly. Lucy ran her hands down to Natsu's hips, and hooked her thumbs under his waistband.

Natsu suddenly wrenched himself away from her, unsure if they should really be moving so fast. He loved her, but that's why he was so hesitant. He knew Lucy was a virgin, he could smell it, and he didn't want to do anything she wasn't one hundred percent ready for.

"Natsu?" She asked questioningly, confused as to why he pulled away. He still had her pinned down, uncertain as to whether or not he should let this escalate.

"Are you sure about this, Luce?" He asked her hesitantly.

"Why wouldn't I be?" She traced her fingers up and down his back, sending chills up his spine. He looked at the dark bruises around her neck, she was still recovering from her attack. She was vulnerable, and he didn't want to take advantage of that. Reluctantly, he climbed off her and she sat up, confused.

"I don't know if its a good idea." Natsu told her honestly. Lucy wasn't sure if she was more hurt or offended. Natsu could tell Lucy was getting the wrong idea about his reluctance, and quickly tried to explain himself. "I just think a lot has happened recently, and I want to make sure this is really something you want to do." He told her kindly, hoping she understood. "I'd feel better about this if you thought about it for a bit. If you decide this is really what you want, then we can. But if not, that's fine too." Natsu wrapped his arms around her, trying to convey his affection for her. "I just don't want this to be something you regret later."

Lucy's heart swelled at the love and concern he held for her, and she leaned into his embrace. "Okay." She told him, flattered by the consideration he showed for her feelings. Though Lucy knew this is what she wanted, she also wanted Natsu to feel comfortable, and for him to know that she didn't have any uncertainty about her decision. Lucy knew this wasn't a choice she'd ever regret. Natsu was her best friend, he was everything to her, and she was in love with him. Despite his immaturity, he was always very respectful, and Lucy knew he would never do anything to hurt her. She ran her hand along his jaw bone, brushing her nose against his cheek before lightly pressing her lips to his. They pulled apart, just barely, and gazed into each other's eyes. "I'll think about it." She told him. Natsu gave her a sweet smile, hardly able to believe he could be so lucky. The two of them laid down on Lucy's bed, so wrapped up in the other, they didn't even notice as the time flew by. They spent hours talking, laughing, kissing, and eventually, they drifted off to sleep, still wrapped up in each other's arms.

They next day, they woke up in the middle of the afternoon to find Gray and Erza breaking into the apartment, yet again.

"You guys are still in bed?" He asked them incredulously, before taking in the scene. They were both laying in bed, their limbs entwined, Natsu's shirt strewn on the floor. Lucy had fresh bruises, ones that were not a result of her abduction, that trailed down her neck and to her collar bone. Gray and Erza's face went bright red as they stood there, awkwardly processing the situation.

Once they were fully awake, Lucy and Natsu realized the way this must look, and they blushed too. Lucy thought about saying It's not what it looks like! But then she realized, it kinda was. Though they never actually had sex, that was the direction they were headed when she pulled off Natsu's shirt and threw it across her room. Nothing happened, but it would be hard to convince anyone that with the love bites Natsu had scattered on her neck. He seemed to have the same realization, and he looked over at her sympathetically. All four of them were quiet, none of them knowing how to react. Suddenly, Natsu took on a mischievous grin. He grabbed Lucy, and quickly pinned her down against the bed.

"Natsu!" She hissed, embarrassed as he stared down at her, playfully.

"Alright, we're outta here." Gray told them, swiftly turning away. Erza was quick to follow, her face matching the color of her hair.

As soon as they were gone, Natsu got off Lucy. He smirked, noticing the angry shade of red Lucy's face took.

"Now they're definitely gonna think we were doing something!" She told him, exasperated. He shrugged, waving her off.

"Well, weren't we?" He asked her suggestively, wiggling his eyebrows at her playfully. She laughed, rolling her eyes at him. "Even if we said we weren't, they wouldn't have believed us." He told her, and she knew he was right. "Besides, its a lot funnier this way. Did you see the look on Gray's face?" Natsu sniggered and Lucy thought she should be angry, but she just couldn't get mad at him. She tried to keep a straight face, one that expressed annoyance, but he saw right through her. "Don't give me that look, I know you love me." Natsu teased, smiling broadly at her.

Natsu had always been a bit goofy, but Lucy had never seen this side of him before. It was hard to describe, she was used to his frequent teasing and playful affection. But this all felt so… different. He wrapped his arms around her from behind, resting his chin on her shoulder while he kissed her cheek. Lucy felt like she was melting in his arms as he held her tightly. She turned to face him, her body still pressed against his, and kissed him. There was nobody else's arms she would rather be wrapped up in, Lucy couldn't help feeling as if she was the luckiest girl in the entire world, because her friends had been right. Natsu is the person who makes her happy, and she knew nobody could come anywhere close to caring for her the way he does.

Later on in the day, they decided to stop by the guild hall. Lucy rummaged through her closet, unable to find anything suitable for her current state.

"I don't get what's takin so long!" Natsu whined as Lucy continued pulling clothes out of her closet and drawers.

"I can't find anything to wear." She told him.

"You're kidding, right?" He deadpanned, looking at the giant pile of clothes she discarded.

"I can't wear any of that. I need something to cover these!" She told him, referencing to the hickeys that lined her neck.

"But why?"

"Because they're really noticeable! Everyone will see them."

"Okay?" He started. "You know, they all probably know by now anyway." He told her.

"That doesn't mean I wanna go around flaunting it!"

"But they let everyone know you're mine." He gave her a sultry smile, gazing at her as she blushed. After realizing that all of her shirts were low cut, she dug through her make up, hoping her concealer would be enough to cover it. Once she was satisfied, she grabbed her gate keys and they headed out.

Thank you again for the reviews and private messages, you are all so kind. I hope you enjoyed this chapter, I'll try to update soon.