I woke up in Natsu's bed, but this time, no Natsu.
I didn't have enough mental capacity to wonder where he was and certainly not enough to process my sense of disappointment. I told myself there should be no disappointment at the absence of a man who would handcuff me to his bed against my will, so I shoved it aside.
It was twenty past six, and I had decided, when I had all that time to think when I was handcuffed to the bed, that Fairy Tail was going to close for the weekend.
Sometimes it was good being the boss.
Truth was, working there wasn't tough. There were four of us, five when Cana was around, which was most of the time. We were open seven-thirty to six on weekdays, eight-thirty to six on Saturdays and ten to four on Sundays. Outside of the morning rush, most of that time was spent hanging around. We all came and went when we pleased.
With two staff down, it was beginning to seem like work. With me and Cana gallivanting across town looking for Vijeeter, Kinana was taking the burden.
I didn't make shifts or assign hours. Everyone worked whenever they wanted, which was pretty much seven days a week, give or take a couple hours here and there to run errands, go to lunch with a friend, go shopping at Angel Creek Mall, come in late if you were sleeping it off, leave early whenever or tie one on at 8 Island, the best local restaurant and bar. People took days off whenever they wanted and no one did more than the others. Grandma had set the precedent. We all pitched in, and somehow it worked.
I needed a break after the last couple of days, and I was sure Cana and Kinana needed one, too. Hopefully, by monday, now that the police were involved, this would be sorted and all would be back to normal. That was to say, normal with Loke back, and normal as it would ever be.
Vijeeter, I knew after last night, was likely never coming back.
I just hoped whatever he did in not coming back, he did it breathing.
This made me sad, but I pushed that thought aside too.
I got up, staggered to the bathroom and brushed my teeth. I was running on empty, not just my morning caffeine jolt, but also the fact that I'd had a lot less sleep than I usually required. I stared in the mirror noting the bruising on my face was subsiding, but not by much, or perhaps the scary dark circles under my eyes were running interference for the bruising.
I walked out of the bedroom to make coffee and stopped dead, staring at the Command Center door, which was open.
I expected that Natsu was gone. Off for a run, off to command mercenary troops in a drug war in Altair, off to put tracking devices on my car.
Instead, I heard him talking on the phone like it was an everyday room and not the nerve center for an international commando cartel.
Normally, curiosity would have forced me to walk right in or at least eavesdrop on his conversation.
Instead, I went straight to the coffee pot.
Priorities.
The pot was almost full. I emitted a sigh of delight.
I filled a cup, splashed in the milk and walked it to the balcony off the living room, sipping my coffee and staring out at the beauty that was Magnolia in the early shimmerings of sunrise.
Natsu had a killer view.
As the caffeine permeated, I allowed my foggy brain to plan my day.
I was going to call Kinana and Cana and go put a note up at Fairy Tail. I was going to get Max and Warren's car, go home and make macaroni salad so it had time to ferment before the BBQ. Then I was going to go to bed until I had to wake up to make the brownies and get ready for the BBQ.
If I felt like it, I might lay out in the sun rather than sleeping in my bed.
That was going to be my day.
It sounded like a good day.
Two hands, undoubtedly connected to arms, which connected to Natsu's body, settled on the balcony railing on either side of me. I felt his warmth at my back.
I had a moment where I felt I should turn around, screaming like a banshee and scratching his eyes out for having the audacity to handcuff me to his bed. Then I thought about how he held me while I trembled, and played with my hair until I fell asleep and decided against it.
"Hey," I said as he moved my hair with his chin and kissed my neck.
"How're you feelin' this morning?" His voice sounded in my ear and tingles slid across my skin.
"Okay."
I realized I forgot to factor Natsu in my plans for the day.
I didn't have time to perform any mental recalculations as he turned me around, took the coffee cup and put it on the teak table that was just within reach. Then his arms slid around me, I opened my mouth to say something, anything, and then he kissed me.
The tingles intensified by about one hundred percent and started to target specific zones.
After the kiss, his lips trailed along my cheek to my ear. I had my hands pressed against his chest and I said, perhaps stupidly and definitely shakily, "What are you doing?"
He answered, "Saying good morning."
He said 'good morning' really, really well, Far better than he said 'thank you'.
Okay, I decided something had to give here.
All this playing around was all well and good (some of it really good). The thing was, I'd made a decision about keeping my distance from Natsu a decade ago and I wasn't so sure I wanted to go back on that decision.
Well, if I'm honest, I had to admit I wanted to, no doubt about it. It was Natsu and I'd spent a lifetime wanting exactly this.
But there was a lot at stake here. What happened if it didn't work out? What happened if he got bored and moved on? It would change everything. I'd be devastated, but also there were relationships to consider, family and people that meant a great deal to both of us.
"Natsu, we need to talk."
"Mm?" This was mumbled before his tongue ran from the skin at the hinge of my jaw, down the line of my neck.
"Natsu!" My toes were curling, my nipples were hard.
This was getting serious.
"Talk," he said. "I'm listening."
He was not listening. His hands had gone up under my shirt and were sliding up my sides.
"We need to talk about what's happening between us."
His mouth came to mine again. "Okay, shoot."
Then he kissed me, this time serious tongue action, and I was forced to put my arms around his neck to remain standing. When his mouth went away, one of his hands went to cup my ass and pull me closer and I could feel his Mavis given talent pressing against my belly. Tingles shot down the insides of my thighs.
"I'm not sure about this," I told him, even though I was kind of sure and my body was definitely sure, and getting surer by the second.
"No?" he asked, his head coming up and he was looking at me. His onyx eyes were melty, and one look at them made me catch my breath.
The hand at my ass came up and in and then cupped my breast, the rough pad of his thumb sliding across my hardened nipple. I bit my lip as electricity shot straight from my nipple to my nether regions.
"That feels pretty sure," he said.
"That's not what I mean," I whispered.
"I see. You mean something else. I'll check there too." He grinned, his hand moving from my breast down my belly straight to . . .
"Natsu!" My body jerked, half to get away from him and half in surprise, but I had nowhere to go except over the railing and to an icky death on the sidewalk fourteen stories below.
He smiled, full-fledged, causing my stomach to do a quick dip, and his hand detoured back to my ass. "Let's have this talk after I make love to you."
My stomach had lurched at the smile, my legs went even weaker at his hand at my ass and I knew I couldn't take much more. And somehow, don't ask me why, that made my eyes sting with tears.
Both his hands went to my ass and he lifted me up. I gave a small cry of surprise and my arms tightened around his neck as I threw my legs around his hips.
Holding me by the bottom, he turned and strode back into the condo. One hand left my ass and went into my hair and he tilted my head back with a soft yank, kissing me as he walked to the couch. He put me down and came down right on top of me, his mouth still on mine.
I moved my head, and using the last shreds of my ragged control, tried one last time to talk. "We fuck this up, Natsu, we fuck everything up. Cana, Gajeel, your parents, my dad. Are you prepared for that?"
His body went still over mine.
After a moment he slid a hand in the hair at either side of my head and held my face to look at him. And when I did, it felt like a lead weight settled in my chest at what I saw.
Something significant had changed. Something significant and scary. He wasn't happy, the melty look was gone and something hard had come into his face.
"You think I want a quick fuck?"
I shook my head and bit my lip. Honestly, I didn't know what he wanted, but at that precise moment, I wasn't going to say that.
"You think I'd touch you unless it meant something?"
Holy crap.
I held my breath thinking about what that might mean. My eyes widened and the tears stinging them began to threaten to fill them.
His hands moved from my face to my hips.
"Christ, Lucy, there's more to me than this." He yanked my hips, putting them in brutal, intimate contact with his and the hardness between them. He held me there for a minute and stared into my eyes.
Then he bit out, "Forget it."
He put his hands on the couch, pushed himself up and got off of me.
"What?" I asked, dumbfounded, my body in temporary shock at the loss of the weight of his, my brain not caffeinated enough to think clearly.
He stared down at me, his face hard and blank. Just like it was when it closed down when Dad asked him if he hit me.
"Get dressed, I'll take you home."
I blinked.
"What?" I asked again.
He hauled me off the couch and set me on my jellied legs.
"I said get dressed, pack your shit. I'll take you home."
I blinked again. Then I did it again.
Say what?
"Hang on a second . . ." I started.
He was walking away, muttering to himself. "I knew I shouldn't have started this. You're more trouble than you're worth."
Um, say what?
I narrowed my eyes at his back. "Excuse you?"
He was gone.
The tears were no longer threatening in my eyes. They'd filled them and they were flowing over. But instead of them being full of the confused emotions of a woman who was close to getting everything she ever wanted and was scared to death of it, they were tears of a pissed-off=woman-on-the-edge who was close to murdering someone.
Emotional tears were unacceptable. Pissed-off tears were perfectly fine, so I let them flow.
I stomped into the bedroom and started to tear through it. I pulled on a pair of jeans, my bra and my Def Leppard T-shirt, my black belt and Vans from the night before. I found my handbag sitting on my clothes in the arm chair, which Natsu must have recovered for me last night.
He'd get no thanks from me for that act of thoughtfulness.
I shoved anything I found that was mine in my bag, rifling through drawers and the closet, making an utter mess along the way. I didn't care. I was way beyond caring about tidiness.
I went into the bathroom and got my face soap. He could keep the goddamn toothbrush.
Natsu was leaning against the door jamb when I walked back into the room.
"Ready?" he asked, his face stony.
"Damn straight," I answered, stalking to my bag and pushing stuff into it, zipping it with a vicious tug. "You're a crazy man. You're nuts. You and Makarov should form a club. After years and years, you think you can crook your finger and I'd come running, no questions asked. I just wanted to talk! I wasn't asking for an act of devotion akin to wrestling a tiger."
Some of my stuff poked out of the bag and I jammed it in and carried on with my rant. "Getting me all hot and bothered, twice . . ." I stopped and held up two fingers at him as he stood in the doorway then I went back to my bag, lugged it up and looped the strap over my shoulder. "Then walking off leaving me that way. I'm more trouble than I'm worth? Ha!"
I grabbed my handbag and stomped toward him with the intention of going right by him.
"Don't bother taking me home. I'll call a taxi. I'll call Cana. I'll call my dad. No more favors from you!" I had made it to him and said (maybe yelled) the last bit up on my toes and leaning into his face.
When I was done ranting, he stood in the doorway and I stood in front of him, too close for comfort. I was still crying and I was sure my face was red and wet with angry tears.
"Get out of my way," I demanded.
He didn't move.
"I said, get out of my way!" I shouted.
"Why are you crying?" he asked conversationally.
"Because you piss me off."
"You're crying because you're angry?"
"Seems like it. Now get out of my way."
Quick as a flash, he grabbed my purse and threw it across the room.
I watched it sail and land in the armchair again, then I turned back to him, eyes wide.
"What the-?" I started.
He pulled the bag off my arm and also threw that across the room. It landed on the floor with a soft 'phunf' a foot away from the armchair.
I watched it go and then turned back to him. Words escaped me so I just stared.
His hands came up to my face, his thumbs running along the tears on my cheeks.
"Stop crying," he demanded.
My mouth dropped open.
"You can't just tell me to stop crying," I informed him.
"How hot and bothered were you?" he asked.
That was the time to try my knee him in the balls maneuver, I was pretty much sure of it.
"Get out of my way." I jerked my face out of his hands and started to walk back to my bags.
He stopped me with a hand on my arm and swung me around.
"Quit it!" I yelled as he pulled me to him. His face was no longer blank and stony, it was soft again and I was pretty certain he was a raving lunatic.
"No. Now I'm gonna take you to bed and make love to you. Later, we're gonna go to your dad's BBQ. After that, we'll talk."
I shook my head and tried to pull free. "Sorry, I have different plans for the day."
His arms slid around me. "Honey, it occurs to me from what you asked me earlier that you have the wrong impression about me. Today, I'm gonna show you who I am. Tonight, I'm gonna tell you what I want. Tomorrow, you can make up your mind."
I blinked at him.
"I've known you all my life," I reminded him.
"You have no fucking clue."
I stared for a beat, and fear, curiosity and elation shivered through me at the promise I saw in his face. I shook my head. "I have to go to the bookstore, get Max and Warren's car, make macaroni salad."
"Erik returned your neighbor's car last night. Cana can go to Fairy Tail. The supermarket has macaroni salad."
"No."
One of his hands slid into my hair and pulled my head back and to the side, exposing my neck. His mouth, all of a sudden, was there.
"Yes," he said against my neck while walking me back to the bed.
"Stop it, you're crazy! One second you tell me to pack my bags, the next second you're on me like white on rice."
The backs of my knees hit the bed and we both went down, him on top of me, his lips on mine. "Gorgeous, give me ten minutes and I'll be in you."
At that promise, and him calling me 'gorgeous', an electric spasm went straight through my lower belly. He kissed me and that was it.
I'm a slut. What can I say?
To tell you the whole truth, I wanted him to show me who he was and tell me what he wanted, and I didn't want to wait another second to find out.
And then the buzzer went. Three quick blasts and then one long one.
Natsu stopped kissing me and put his forehead on mine. "You have got to be fucking kidding me."
"What is it?" I asked.
"It's code, urgent, Goddamn it." He put his hands on either side of me, pushed up and started to walk away then turned back. "How hot and bothered are you now?"
"On a scale from one to ten?"
His eyes crinkled at the corners and he walked out of the room.
Fucking Natsu.
I lay on the bed and stared at the ceiling thinking to myself, what was that?
My phone was ringing, so I rolled off the bed, grabbed my bag, sat in the chair and saw it was Sherry. Probably calling for a Natsu and Lucy Sex Update. Boy, was she going to be disappointed.
I answered the phone with, "No, we haven't done it yet."
"Uh-oh, I feel bad vibes," Sherry replied.
"We're on the phone, how can you feel bad vibes?" I asked.
"I've known you since you were twelve. I can sense bad vibes."
So I told her. About Natsu, about his getting pissed off and essentially kicking me out then changing his mind again and this whole 'who I am, what I want, you decide' speech.
Sherry was silent for a moment then she said, "Well, he's fighting his reputation. And that man has a reputation. Only boy worse than him was his best friend Gray. It was like they were in a competition to see who was the worst rutting dawg out there."
"Can't be fun to be practically famous for fucking anything that breathes and being able to do so by expending the immense effort of just sending a smile their way. Then, later, you find yourself in a position where you're serious about a woman who's known you all your life and knows this fact real well and have to convince her you're serious."
Man, Sherry was a mother and she still had a mouth on her. Still, it was true.
I sat down on the chair and I tried to ignore the fact that my stomach was clenched.
"Do you think he's serious?"
Sherry was silent for a second. "Are you being funny?"
"Funny 'ha ha' or the other kind of funny?" I asked.
"I can't believe . . ." Sherry started. "Girl, at Grandine and Igneel's New Year's Bash you were there with what's his name . . ."
Oh lord, I didn't remember his name. "Um," I muttered. "Brad? Brett?"
"Whatever," Sherry cut in. "Anyway, when Natsu wasn't looking at you with a look in his eyes that, let's face it, made every woman in the room breathe heavy, he was looking at Brad-Brett like he wanted to rip his head off."
"No way!"
"Way."
Holy shit.
"So yeah, I think he's serious," she went on. "And I can't imagine that Natsu Dragneel is the kind of guy who appreciates the woman he's serious about questioning his seriousness when he's right in the middle of . . . you know."
Holy shit.
Holy, holy, shit, shit, shit.
"Anyway, call me when you actually get around to doing it. I want details."
Great.
Sherry disconnected and I put the phone down. It rang again immediately. It was Cana.
I took a deep breath, pretending everything was alright (which it wasn't) and answered, "What's up, chickie?"
"Girl, I've had half a dozen calls. Everyone's seen Vijeeter and Loke. We got leads coming out of our ears. We gotta go."
I immediately got excited. I had to admit, I was kind of digging this super-sleuth stuff.
Then I remembered last night. I let out a sigh.
"No can do. Makarov, the cat sitter and me kinda broke into Reedus's last night. Found him dead in the kitchen, and it wasn't pretty."
Cana was silent for a beat and then she said, "You went without me? You went with the crazy cat sitter?"
"I was breaking and entering! Makarov showed up in the middle of it. We found Reedus dead, Cana. Trust me, be glad you weren't there. This is over. Natsu's turned it over to Gajeel."
"What about your bet?" Cana asked.
I thought about Natsu's plans for the day. I thought about what Sherry said.
"I think I lost."
Truthfully, I wasn't too broken up about it.
"Well, at least that's a piece of good news," she mumbled.
I told her about Fairy Tail and she told me she'd call Kinana if I put up the sign. Then I hung up and walked into the kitchen.
Erik was there and so was another guy. The other guy was at least six foot six and reminded me of Makarov, except with a little bit more of his mental health intact.
Erik said, "Hey."
I tilted my head and smiled. "Hey yourself."
Natsu was standing in the kitchen with his fists on his hips and he watched this exchange, his mouth set.
I noticed, belatedly, that Natsu had already showered that morning. His pink hair was still slightly damp, curling a bit along his neck and behind his ear. I also noted he needed a haircut, but it looked good on him. Very good. Too good. He wore supremely faded jeans and a red T-shirt that was tight in all the right places. His feet were bare.
When I got within reaching distance, his arm shot out and pulled me to him with a hand hooked around my neck. My front pretty much slammed against his side and his arm cured further around my shoulders. From the blood draining out of Erik's face, I'd say that Natsu's point had been made. If he banged on his chest and grunted 'Lucy, my woman', he wouldn't have made the point any clearer.
Men.
Natsu introduced the other guy as Orga and then said, "We've found Loke."
My stomach clenched and my body tensed. At that point I simply could not handle bad news, especially about Loke. I tilted my head to look up at Natsu and before I could control my reaction and not look like a total girl in front of the guys, I breathed, "Please."
Natsu's eyes went melty again as he looked at me and his hand went from my shoulder to stroke my jaw. "He's fine, took a detour to Balsam Village. He's been briefed and he's on his way back home now."
I nodded, reassured of Loke's safety now that he'd been found. The door buzzer rang and I disengaged from Natsu to answer it. It was Gajeel. He smiled his greeting at the door and we walked in, his arm slung around my shoulders.
"I guess you were wrong about being broken up with Natsu by your dad's BBQ," he teased.
My eyes shot to Natsu and his eyebrows went up.
Oopsie.
"Yeah, guess I was wrong," I muttered.
Gajeel dropped his arm and looked at Natsu, no more teasing, all business.
"We gotta talk about last night."
"Yeah?" Natsu said.
"Anyone want coffee?" I asked.
Gajeel's eyes slid to me then back to Natsu.
"Maybe we should go into the Command Center," Gajeel said.
Natsu's lips twitched at Gajeel's reference to the Command Center, but he said, "You can talk in front of Lucy."
Gajeel quickly sucked some breath into his nose, and then on an exhalation said, "I was afraid of that."
I passed coffee all around. Everyone took it black except me. Once I accomplished this, I jumped up on the counter to listen.
Gajeel started in after I settled. "They think they caught a break. Jonah had been dead more than a day. Looks professional, but they found fresh blood at the scene. Whoever broke in cut themselves at the window. They're hoping that the killer went back in search of something."
Without thinking, I looked to my shoulder, where I'd landed on the glass, pulling back my tee to see if I'd been cut. I hadn't noticed any cuts or felt any, but the time since the break-in had been pretty filled up with emotional mayhem. A cut could go unnoticed.
Then it hit me how very, very stupid I was and turned, slowly, back to the men.
Natsu had a hand at his waist, the other one holding the mug and he was looking at his feet. I was pretty sure he was trying not to smile (at least I hoped so). Erik and Orga, who were undoubtedly recruited for clean up last night and knew the whole story, were both watching me and smiling, flat out.
Gajeel was staring at me like I was a particularly gruesome roadside accident. His eyes swung to Natsu. :I was worried it was yours."
Both Erik and Orga pulled in breath at this shocking statement. Even Natsu was incredulous. "I wouldn't leave blood at a scene. Hell, I wouldn't even break a fucking window."
I stared at Natsu, wondering uncomfortably how often he had the opportunity to 'leave blood at a scene'.
Gajeel's eyes swung to me.
Uh-oh.
"Please tell me you didn't have anything to do with this."
I tried to look innocent. Since I was not, it was hard. Especially with Gajeel. Gajeel was a smart guy and he knew me too well.
"With what?" I asked.
"Lucy, I swear to Mavis-" Gajeel started.
Natsu's coffee cup hit the counter. He grabbed mine and set it down, pulled me off the counter and into the bedroom where he closed the door.
"Shirt off," he demanded.
"What? Now?" I stared at him, confused.
Lightning quick, he had the shirt pulled over my head. At this point, I was pretty glad I put on my bra.
"Where'd you land?" he asked and I stared at him. "When Makarov threw you through the window, where'd you land?"
Oh. That's what he was talking about. "Back right shoulder," I told him.
He whipped me around and his hands roamed my skin, then before I knew what he was doing, they came around to the front and undid my jeans and the jeans were down to my ankles.
"For goodness sake, Natsu!" I cried.
He'd disrobed me in nary a second. I would have thought it was impossible if he hadn't just done it. I tried to bend over and grab my jeans but his hands were all business and running down the backs of my hips, thighs and calves.
He pulled up my jeans and turned me again. Pulling my hands away from doing up my fly, he checked the palms.
"You're clean," he announced.
"Thank you," I said it snippy, as I should. As anyone should.
His hands ran up my sides, forcing my arms over my head, and he put my shirt back on me. I finished my zip, buttoned my jeans and hooked my belt buckle. "Was that really necessary?" I snapped.
He smiled The Smile, pleased with himself. "Nope, but it was fun."
He kissed my nose and then strode out of the room.
I was on his heels, staring daggers at his back and plotting his murder when we made it to the kitchen.
"She doesn't have anything to do with this," Natsu told Gajeel, and I could swear I heard Orga do a mini-snort laugh.
Gajeel's eyes were narrowed. "Do we need to send someone over to check Cana?"
I shook my head, all innocence and light, a halo could be shining over my head. "Can't imagine why you'd need to do that."
"Would you like me to give you half an hour to answer that question so you can call Cana?" Gajeel offered.
I looked Gajeel in the eyes. "Why would I need that?"
"Thank Mavis," Gajeel breathed, rolling his eyes to the ceiling to make sure Mavis knew he was taking his gratitude seriously. Then his eyes focussed on me. "Anything else you want to say?"
I thought about it and then said, "Just when you find out whose blood it is, remember there are all kinds of breaking and entering. There's the naughty kind and the nice kind."
Natsu's arm shot out again, this time his hand hooked around my mouth and he pulled me head first into his side, hand still covering my mouth.
"Hey!" I said, but it came out as 'Hrr.'
Orga had walked into the living room and I could hear his quiet laughter. Erik was staring at the ceiling as if it was fascinating. Gajeel looked from me to Natsu, then back to me.
"I've been lookin' into Makarov Dreyar and he has a record. He's a Trade-War Vet who didn't deal when he got home and he got into some deep shit with drugs. Not takin' them. Vigilante justice against the ones who sold them. He didn't handle prison well. That kind of confinement was not his gig. Fucked with his head He got out and has barelt left his porch in twenty years."
"Every once in a while, he'll aim some buckshot at someone who tries to steal a car radio on his block, but won't go so far as nailing them. It won't go so good for him if he's involved in a homicide and he'll never make it through another jail sentence, and as an ex-offender, even with a nice B and E, he might be facing one."
Natsu kept me where I was with his hand over my mouth. Gajeel kept watching me.
"You got something for me that might help Makarov out?"
I pulled Natsu's hand off my face and said, "I know Makarov. I do my shopping at Mr. Yajima's corner store down the street from him. Makarov wouldn't hurt a fly, unless you're Gran Doma. He doesn't like Gran Doma much. Since Gran Doma's dead then the rest of the human population is pretty safe. If he's messed up in this some way, I'll be happy to stand as a character witness."
I could hear Orga's laughing in the living room. Erik was leaned over on his elbows on the counter that separated the kitchen from the dining room, his head hanging down and his shoulders shaking. Natsu pulled me deeper into his side with his arm around my neck.
"This isn't funny," Gajeel said quietly to me. "This is a homicide. A man is dead, his brains splattered against a wall."
Just as quietly, I said, "I know."
Gajeel cut his eyes to Natsu. "Tell me she's done."
Natsu's face was serious. "She's done."
Gajeel nodded. "Now, do you have anything for me?"
Natsu's hand moved to my shoulder. "Loke's been found. He knows what's happening and he's coming home. His house has been tossed."
I froze and asked Natsu, "Someone was in his house?"
"Yeah," Natsu answered.
"A good someone or a bad someone?" I pressed.
Natsu looked down at me. "Both, but only the bad someone tossed the house."
"Do they have the diamonds?" I went on.
Natsu exchanged another glance with Gajeel that I didn't understand and then shrugged. "Loke wouldn't say where he stashed them. We won't know until he comes home to check."
I looked between the two brothers and I got the distinct feeling that something was going on. Gajeel glanced at Erik, who'd straightened and was quietly watching and listening.
"I hope you and your boys are being careful," he told Natsu, and I had this weird feeling we were on a different subject.
"We're working this for a client," Natsu answered.
There were more looks passed around, then Gajeel sighed the sigh of a man beleaguered, kissed me on the top of my head and left. Erik and Orga waited around expectantly. Natsu turned me into his arms.
"Don't let Gajeel scare you about Makarov. He's trying to mess with your head enough to keep you out of this. Makarov'll be alright."
I nodded.
"We're gonna have to postpone our plans for the day," Natsu continued. "I'll take you to the store, then I have to go check a lead on Vijeeter. I also need to have a chat with Makarov. I'll be at your place no later than three. Earlier if I can make it."
I nodded. "Do you think Vijeeter went into Loke's house?"
His hand went to my chin and tilted it up. "You have to prepare for the worst. Vijeeter may no longer be of this world, and if he is, he may no longer be able to walk free amongst its citizens."
I nodded again.
Then, right in front of his boys, he kissed me, full-on, full tongue, full throttle. His arms wrapped around my back and mine went around his neck.
He lifted his head and I breathed, "That shot me straight to a six."
Good ole boy Natsu used to laugh all the time, but when he went into the army that changed. The grins were few, the smiles were rare, and a laugh from Natsu felt like a gift.
After I said that, for the first time in a long time, I watched as Natsu threw his head back and laughed.