Hey Peeps! Back again this time with nothing but some good Nalu fluff. :)

Chapter 45

Lucy felt the heat of the sun shining on her face and the smell of sea salt was in the air. Her first thought was they had made it to Tenrou. She stretched, mentally preparing herself for the next step to come. She laid back on the curved rock she had found herself on and smiles remembering this exact rock, her and Cana were sunning themselves after being woken from their 7-year sleep. They were taking a break from all the chaos of loading up the ship to sail back home. Both were still in shock and wanted to do something trivial before all the madness came crashing down. They just so happen to find a couple rocks shaped like lounge chairs. Her heart ached as she remembered Natsu sneaking up behind her and scaring her awake. Then Happy dumping water on her head calling her lazy. She wondered if they'd ever have another silly moment again.

"Of course, we will Luce," Her eyes snapped open, and she looked around, finally spotting him lounging in the tree above her.

Her heart started to pound as a huge smile spread across her face, "I'm glad to hear that. Although I'll admit I could live with a few less pranks."

Natsu chuckles, rolling off the tree branch to land beside her, "ah where's the fun in that?"

Lucy felt the worry, concern, and fear well up in her, "ca-can you promise?"

The Fire Dragon's brilliant smile dims feeling her emotions wash over him, and his spine straightens at the smell of her tears. "awe Luce, don't cry I'm really sorry I dragged you into all this. I'll make it up to you I swear." He pushed the curtain of golden hair back to see her face clearly, only to have her jump back. He couldn't stop the throbbing ache in his chest.

Lucy gasped at the rejected feeling wash through her, knowing it wasn't hers. "Natsu was…, was that your feelings?"

"Yea, and you don't need to talk out loud Luce. I can hear your thought like you can hear my thoughts." Natsu smirks a little as she sputters upon this news. Then bursts out laughing as her cheeks puff up and she huffs at him.

"Does this actually work? Testing, testing, Gray's a better fighter, 1, 2, 3," Lucy grinned at the indignant shock that washed over her from Natsu, no doubt.

"OI! He is not you take that back right now!" Natsu growled reaching for her, only to have her dance away again. Doubt and rejection stabbed at his heart and stepped back as Lucy gasped.

She held a hand to her chest, trying to ease the ache there, "Natsu what was that?"

"I-I'm sorry you felt that I'll control it better and I won't touch you." Natsu shoved his hands in his pockets.

"No Natsu, I-I didn't, I don't, UGH!" She stomped her foot frustrated. "Natsu," She took a calming breath, "I know this isn't a normal dream I'm just worried if you touch me, it'll mean you "caught" me."

Natsu snorts a laugh watching her do the air quotes, "Well I don't think it will, I'm not all crazy in here. Do you feel pain being so close to me?"

Lucy looks surprised, "Hmmm no, so that means your essence isn't poisoning me. So that means…." Natsu grunts in surprise as Lucy plows right into him, wrapping her arms around him in a big hug. Then his chest ached as he heard her sniffle then he smelled her tears. "Awe Luce, I'm so sorry to put you through all this."

"What?" the celestial mage looked up, confused, and saw the guilt written all over her best friend's face. "No Natsu I don't regret this or you! Sure, I was mad that it took this happening for us to move forward but," She grabbed his face and looked him in the eye, "I love you with everything that I am, don't for one second doubt that." She touched her forehead to his, "I'm so happy that you chose me, and I was and am afraid for you. I don't want to lose you before we can even start and I'm so worried I'll mess this up. And…"

Natsu interrupts her, "say that again…please."

Lucy's face flushed red, she looks down at his chest and says out loud, "I love you Natsu." Her eyes widen as he lifts her chin, leans in, and whispers against her lips, "I love you too Luce."

She wrapped her arms around his neck and closed her eyes as she presses her lips fully to his. They were a little chapped but soft and he smelled of wood smoke. Natsu purred at the contact making Lucy giggle causing the purr to turn into a playful growl as he returned her kiss in earnest.

To him she tasted sweet like whipped cream and maple syrup; he pulled back and gave her an almost accusatory look. "What?" she looked at him confused, her first thought maybe her breath smelled bad.

He scoffs at her line of thought, "you had some of Mira's pancakes without me, didn't you?!"

She covers her mouth and looks just a little guilty she tried, "well she did say we needed a hearty breakfast."

Natsu looked thoughtful and the celestial mage was starting to get worried. She tried to slowly ease away from him, she knew that look and it never ended well for her. He tapped his chin, "well don't I deserve a hearty breakfast too, cause you know all this chasing is making me hungry like REALLY hungry." He set a hungry predatory look on his mate, smirking as she looked just like metal heads nickname for her.

Lucy straightened her spine and growled, "I AM NOT A BUNNY!"

"No, you're just my mate that happens to taste like breakfast, while I'm over here starving." He loved watching the red blush spread across her face.

The Blonde's cheeks puffed up, taking offense to his emotions, "Stop it! I'm not adorable when I'm mad."

"Pft sorry Luce, that's not gonna stop me from thinking it," Natsu shoots her a smirk. "Besides, that's Happy's favorite pastime, I just like the results."

Now it was Natsu's turn to slowly ease away from his mate, "I should've known this would be how it ended up. I've been dreaming of hearing those words from you for what seems like forever." She shakes her head, smiling as her anger just disappears, "Natsu, why didn't you tell me?"

Natsu thoughts stuttered to make an excuse but she stopped him, "Wendy told me all slayers have a general idea of who their mate could be when meeting them. She also told me you could….um smell pheromones, so you had to know I was at least attracted to you."

"I… well," the fire dragon slayer scratched the back of his head, "honestly I didn't think we were ready. Me especially, I just wanted to go on adventures, eat, fight, and sleep. Not to mention all the stuff I saw you go through on your dates. It just seemed boring," he paused feeling the offended ping coming from Lucy.

Confused he thought about what he said and sputtered, "no not like your boring, anything we do is fun. Its just the whole putting on a suit, showing up, and taking you to dinner just seems predictable, ya know? And I know each and every one of those guys was just trying to buy their way into your bed." Natsu growls, then looks up at Lucy, who is trying very hard to keep a straight face. Natsu narrows his eyes at her, "you know I can feel that right?"

"I know but I didn't want to interrupt," Lucy giggles and snorts at his unimpressed look. "B-but you were just so jealous, and you still are! Even though after every date I came home to you! Besides I haven't been on a date in a long time."

"Ya, why was that? All of a sudden you just stopped going and from what Loki told me those perverts didn't stop trying."

"Um well," the celestial mage sputtered.

Then Natsu got a sly look on his face, and Lucy started to panic. "Wasn't that also around the same time you stopped kicking us out of your bed? So, what happened Luce? What changed?"

Lucy took a deep breath and looked him in the eyes, determined, "Because of you," she paused letting out her breath and trying not to speed through her embarrassing thoughts. "I was reading this book and one of the main characters had feelings for her best friend but didn't think he returned them. So, she buried her feelings and forced herself to go out on dates. Eventually, another guy came along and feel in love with her but no matter how hard she tried she couldn't return his feelings. She ended up hurting him and her best friend distanced himself because it was hurting him that she was with someone else. It was a huge mess, and her girlfriends pointed out that was almost cruel of her to do that. To try and date someone, knowing you couldn't fully commit."

Natsu's eyebrows rose as that familiar feeling, "um where did you get that book?"

"Huh?" Lucy shook her head a little dazed and panicked from remembering that story, "Oh I got it from Levy, she said it called out to her in the guild library. Why?"

The fire mage groans, "you've been Mira-ed. She had a book enchanted so it would tell you a story made from your hearts greatest fear. I guessed from your feelings, cause it got me too." Natsu shudders, "she asked me to grab it one day from the guild's library and ..."

Lucy watched as his eyes glazed over and he got the saddiest look on his face, "it basically told a story about how this guy's desire to find this holy grail ate him up and he ended up old and all alone. His friends, that he left in the dust to go on a never ending search, had moved on with their lifes. They'd reached out to this guy again and again but he was always apart from everyone."

Natsu shakes himself out of his haze, "wonder what she wanted Levy to see? Since her and metal head have been together for a while now. Maybe something to do with the baby?"

"THE BABY? WHAT BABY?" Lucy stared at Natsu in shock.

The fire wizard in question grabbed his head in pain, "ah jeez Luce, watch the yelling would ya'?! I don't know how but my ears are even ringing!"

Lucy completely ignores that, "I mean, I thought I heard something whispered about it at my awards ceremony but to think she's already pregnant and didn't tell me!" Then she straightened and looked at Natsu suspiciously, "how can you tell that? Is it something you can sense?"

"Yea, she smells like bolts for brains and not like she's been hugging him. It's like their scents are combined." Natsu started to get a little nervous as Lucy narrowed her gaze at him.

"Natsu just how much can you smell? Like what can you figure out about a person," The celestial mage asks.

"Umm well, I can smell strong emotions, each one has a different undertone. Like anger has a burnt smell, jealousy is sour, and so on. Then I can track someone by the scent trail they leave behind. I can tell when two or more people have been in close contact."

"Oh no, Natsu are all of us girls going to get this," Lucy thought horrified.

Natsu scrunched his face at the feeling of dread coming from Lucy, "yea I think so as long as you stay away from us long enough. Why?"

"Mirajane," was all Lucy had to think and Natsu groaned and then started laughing.

"Think that's going to be bad, wait until she learns how to figure out whose pregnant, and each girl's fertility cycle."

"Natsu, I thought you didn't really know much about all that?" Lucy turned pink at where the conversation is going.

"Come on Luce, I have epic hearing and an amazing sense of smell. Not to mention I was raised in Fairy Tale. You can't tell me you haven't learned a few new things since joining." Natsu waggled his eyebrows suggestively causing Lucy to giggle. "Besides," the fire mage shudders, "Porlyusica and Gramps made sure all the teens in the guild knew about the birds and the bees."

At this Lucy couldn't contain her laughter and Natsu grinned and laughed right along with her. She leaned against him, cheeks pink and Natsu draped his arm over her. "We can do this," both thought together and grinned like idiots chuckling at the shared thought.

Their foreheads touched and both hummed at the feeling of contentment as it washed through them. "I love you Luce."

"I love you too Natsu."