A/N: Sorry, I decided to add the first night together scene here, instead of the new chapter. I'm making a mess of things, with changing my profile name and deciding things on the chapter. So sorry, I think I'm done now. :*
...
The next day, Gray arrived early at the hospital. He was going to help Lucy to carry Natsu, if needed, back to his apartment. He also wanted to catch up with his friend alone.
"I opened the door for the cleaning lady you hired, so your apartment should not scare Lucy away". Natsy nodded his head from his bed, while he ate a hospital jelly. He had sent a message to Gray the night before with these instructions. House chores were far from his strength, and he wanted his place to feel welcoming to Lucy. "Also, I will bring Happy to you tomorrow. Juvia is enjoying her time with him and said that keeping him for one more day is interest over her taking care of him for the past week".
"Haha… I'm glad she is having a good time… I'm sure Happy is enjoying himself being pampered by her"
"Yeah… because you don't spoil your cat...", Gray took a seat and turned the TV on. "Which time will she arrive?"
"Around 12h." Natsu knew whom he was talking about. "She wants to talk to the doctor about what I need and all that... My discharge is only at 13h, anyways, when Dr. Porlyusica will come for a final examination".
"So, when are you going to ask her out?"
"I'm not asking Dr. Porlyusica out", said Natsu deadpanned, with his attention focused on scraping the remains of jelly from its container
"You know who I'm talking about", said Gray, without raising to the bait, and with his attention focused on the TV, as was Natsu's.
"Probably as soon as I am done with the bed rest"
"Hummm… you will make a move as soon as you can do the horizontal tango...", Gray kept his voice level.
"Are you 12? Where do you take these expressions from?", so did Natsu.
"So?"
"It has nothing to do with that… when I ask her out, I actually want to be able to… you know… move… walk with her somewhere, eat whatever I want…", here Natsu's expression grew soft. "Go dancing with her…"
"That is gross, man"
"Shut up, don't you take Juvia dancing?"
"Not that… Your face is gross".
"Your butt is gross".
"I never saw you so taken by a girl before… I almost didn't recognize you yesterday".
Natsu didn't answer. It was true enough that Lucy was bringing sides to him, that he didn't know were there.
"I mean, I liked her, but she is kinda stup… I mean, naive." Gray quickly corrected himself. "How can she not tell that guy is into her?"
"Don't call her stupid. She said she was brought up sheltered. Apparently, her family is super rich, but she kinda rebelled and now she is living on her own… but that is about as much as I know".
"Oh… that is actually nice".
"Yeah"
"Still… are you ready for some competition?"
"What competition? The guy she doesn't see as a love interest at all?"
"Well, she would have to be blind to not see how much you are into her, I will give you that… But just make sure you are clear what your intentions are… with her, there is a risk she might misunderstand your actions with 'being nice'".
"I don't need advice from you, stripper. You wouldn't have Juvia if I didn't help you…" Natsu's voice didn't even raise. They were still engrossed in the TV.
"You mean Gajeel, right? The only help you gave me was scaring Juvia away from yourself…"
"Still… you are welcome".
"Tsc… Are you gonna be okay having her at your place?"
"Of course… why wouldn't I?"
"You just said she was sheltered and I know you… you will be insufferable in a matter of hours if you are forced to be in bed… not to mention the raging boner you have for her…"
"Watch it", for the first time since the TV was on, Natsu looked at Gray with a dangerous gleam in his eyes.
"Oh… I'm sorry… you are in love with her", for the first time, his voice changed to adopt a sarcastic tone, but he kept his eyes on the TV.
"Tsc", Natsu returned his attention to the TV.
"I'm just saying… if you are not careful you might do something that scares her…", after staring at Natsu intently since sitting down, Gray's eyes returned to the TV. "You might be rude to her, stubborn or even pull her to bed with you and have your way with her…"
"I wouldn't do any of those things…"
"I know you are a virgin, but sex is not something to frown upon".
"I will not do anything to hurt her, Ice Princess", Natsu's voice had a more contemplative note than before. He may have hated to admit it, but he was glad he was having this conversation with Gray.
"Good… at least I trust in whatever it is you feel for her to keep your dick in check".
"Yeah… and I also want to wait to make sure that she feels the same for me...".
"What?", said Gray, turning his head in shock.
"Well… she admitted she still feels guilty for the accident… and I'm trying to convince her that that is not true..."
"Oh yeah… We heard it yesterday… disgusting…", interrupted Gray, in a dry tone of voice.
"Then don't listen to other people's conversations behind closed doors, you ass… But yeah… I want to make sure that she is happy with me and not acting out of guilt…"
"Makes sense… I think she is pretty infatuated with you already… clearly a sign of concussion… was she also hurt in the accident?"
Natsu ignored the last comment, "and I think I'm reading the signs right here…"
"Well… for all that is worth, Erza and I agree with you… at least she is not treating you like an older brother, like she considers that Hibiki guy…"
"Ew… don't mention him… she is free to have breakfast with him, I don't care, but don't bring it up either…"
"So jealous…"
"Shut up"
"But really, you guys had sex right? And you told her you were looking for her", Natsu had messaged Gray about his conversation with Lucy already. "You are far from the friend… or better, brother zone…"
"Yeah… I think we are on the same page".
"With all that hand holding, hand kissing, face touching, I'm pretty sure you are… same paragraph even".
"Shut up…", repeated Natsu, looking straight up and blushing lightly. Gray just laughed. They continued watching TV until Lucy arrived.
"Hi guys! Good afternoon", she had that beautiful smile on her face and Natsu felt his heart skipping a beat again. He supposed he would have to get used to the effect she had on him.
He didn't even listen to Gray's answer, he immediately took her hand to pull her to him. All of Gray's teasing about how handsy he had been with Lucy were forgotten. She came willingly to his arms and he held her face while he kissed her cheek and inhaled her aroma, as they hugged.
"Hi you", he finally said, looking at her eyes.
She was blushing again and just chuckled a bit before biting her lower lip and straightening up.
"How are you feeling today?"
"I would have been better if Ice Dick weren't here, but I guess I can't complain". Gray just laughed in the background, while focusing on the TV to avoid witnessing the PDA.
"You bet you can't", Lucy lightly slapped him in the arm, and Natsu laughed and squeezed the hand he still had in his hold.
"Has Dr. Porlyusica stopped by yet?, she brushed some of his fringe out of his forehead.
"She will come in a few hours. They are waiting for the test result I had this morning", he could feel her soft breasts pushing against his arm, so close she was.
"I hope everything is okay", she said with a note of anxiety in her voice.
"Don't worry, Flame Brains already peed, pooped and farted. He is good to go", Gray chimed in from his corner in the room.
Natsu grew really red in his face and threw a pillow at him. "Shut up, stripper! I will tell Juvia all of your disgusting habits".
"Hahahaha! Don't worry! I didn't hear anything he said", Lucy said putting an arm on his shoulders and hugging him from the side. She really didn't want him to get mad right now.
Natsu turned from Gray and hugged Lucy's waist and hid his face in her neck. He felt better already and she ran her fingers through his hair.
"You keep doing this, and this bed rest period will be a piece of cake", he said from the depths of her neck. Lucy gave a soft chuckle.
"Find a room, you two! Oh wait… you can't! Ha ha!", Gray said in a dry tone.
Natsu felt Lucy's hands go still in his head. He looked up at her and she avoided his gaze, embarrassed.
"Ignore him, what does a stripper know of anything?"
She chuckled again, and stepped away from him. He still held her hand in his.
"What about work?"
"All good, since I am still on my deadline to deliver my piece, I can take it easy today. But tomorrow I have to get back at full speed". He smiled at the excitement in her eyes over her work.
"Was it ok driving here?"
"It was! I missed driving. I remember when my dad gave me that car…" she added with a nostalgia note in her voice.
"My dad loved cars too…"
"Really?" She asked, surprised he mentioned his dad. This was a first. She missed Gray looking at them from the corner of his eyes.
"Yeah. He taught me how to drive…" he saw the silent question in her eyes, "I will tell you more later, ok?"
She nodded. Before it got awkward, Gray changed the subject, calling their attention to whatever was on the TV. Without realizing what she was doing, Lucy approached Natsu's bed again and put her arm around his shoulder.
In the afternoon, the doctor stopped by Natsu's room for the discharge.
"Everything looks fine, Mr. Dragneel. I already signed the papers and you can now go home."
"Do you have the instructions about his bed rest?", asked Lucy.
"Yes, here they are", she said handing the blond a piece of paper. "It is not too much work, basically he will have to have soup, bread and fruit for the next 30 days. Here is also the medication he has to take and the exact time". The doctor handed more papers. "Now, I know I said this already, but if you want a full recovery, you will have to rest. I understand you plan to have Miss Heartfilia take care of you, but no funny business is allowed".
Lucy and Natsu blushed, and Gray tried to cover his laugh with a fake cough. Natsu still heard something that vaguely reminded him of 'no boom boom for you'.
"I took the liberty to scheduling an appointment with me, in my office in one month. We will do a tomography of your intestines, some other exams and then I will confirm if you are free from the bed rest. See you then". She left the room.
"Well… That is that. Off you go, Natsu, can you stand up?"
"Don't worry. Here is a wheelchair for you", said the nurse that has been attending Natsu since the beginning, entering the room unannounced.
Natsu felt a bit bad for having to use a wheelchair in front of Lucy. He wanted them to get to know each other better before having her seeing him in that situation. He looked at her, and saw she was carefully putting away the documents the doctor gave her on a clear file she had taken from her purse. He could clearly feel his heart missing a beat at how naturally she was taking it all.
"We will stop first to get the medication, Gray".
"No need. Here it is", the nurse handed Lucy a little plastic bag with boxes inside. "I took them from the hospital pharmacy. Mr. Dragneel's insurance will cover that too".
"Thank you so much!", She said with a smile.
"Don't worry! Ah…" and here his smile broadened. "You will find my phone number there too. If you need anything… medical help, questions, a coffee…"
Natsu and Gray startled at the nurse's boldness. Lucy's expression closed in the same glare Natsu knew well from that night, before she, somehow, agreed to have a drink with him.
"Thank you, but no thank you. Good evening". She rummaged inside the bag and took the paper out, which she handed to the nurse without another word.
Turning her back to him, she motioned to Gray and Natsu, who already had his bags on his lap.
"Let's go", she said briskly. They left without another word. Natsu and Gray were slightly surprised with her reaction.
"So… people hit on you everywhere you go?", Gray asked when they reached the hospital entrance.
"Of course not".
"How do you explain that?"
"A rare incident." Lucy handed the parking ticket to the hospital's parking lot driver, so she would bring her car to them.
They got quiet for a moment, as they waited for the car, while Natsu tried to wrap his mind around what just happened. Maybe being in a relationship with her in the future would mean dealing with situations like this often, as much as she tried to pass this off as a rarity. Well, this was really not going to be a problem, as he enjoyed how she handled the situation. He knew she could take care of herself.
"You know? You looked pretty cool turning him down", said Gray, "I thought you were a bit stu… I mean, naive with these kinds of things, but you were actually pretty on point".
"Well… I can be stupid for this kind of things, as my friends tell me all the time", Lucy said unfazed with the word, "but not always, I guess. And I mean… he knew I'm…" she suddenly stopped talking, and a strong blush came over her face. She cleaned her throat and continued. "Oh, look! my car"
"Hahaha… he knew you were with Natsu?" Gray kept the conversation going, as the car parked in front of them. "I thought the same… it was bold of him… he deserved what he got".
Lucy didn't answer, focused on moving the bags to the truck, as Gray helped Natsu to get inside the car. Once all were seated, Gray in the passenger seat, Lucy was setting the GPS up to Natsu's address.
"Wow, Lucy… not only your taste in man sucks, what is up with these songs? All show tunes?", Gray said rummaging through her things in the car.
"Hey", Natsu exclaimed from the back.
"Shut up, Ice Princess", said Lucy, maneuvering the car outside the parking lot.
For a moment, there was a shocked silence in the car, in response to the blond's unexpected outburst, until Gray burst out laughing.
"Hahahaha!" He patted her head. "Very good! You are way cooler than I thought."
"Well, yeah... And sorry for calling you that… I know only your boyfriend is allowed", she said looking ahead, following the GPS directions.
"Hahahaha! Good! Very good! You found a good one, Natsu". Natsu, sitting on the back, thought to himself that he knew that very well. He saw Lucy blushing from the rearview mirror and his smile broadened.
They arrived in his apartment without much trouble, as Lucy was a very good driver, in Natsu's opinion. Gray helped open the door and gave the pink haired man some support on the way up.
When they opened the door, Lucy was mesmerized at how bright Natsu's apartment was, with lots of windows and space. She noticed the apartment was clean, and imagined what might have happened, since Gray called his place a 'pigsty' the day before, but she didn't want to ask to not be offensive to her host.
"Lucy, you can take your things to the closet. I asked the cleaning lady to open some space for you", said Natsu from his place on the couch, that he sat as soon as he got inside.
"Oh, you have a cleaning lady?", she asked, having her silent question, from before, answered.
"Fire Brain didn't want to scare you with his messiness and called this lady who comes to help him with cleaning and organization once a month. Erza also came by this morning and brought groceries. Hopefully she guessed some of the stuff you will need for his meals."
"Yeah… I don't want you to clean my apartment for me, Lucy. I asked her to come once a week to straighten things up. At least I will not be on my feet to mess things up hehe"
Lucy smiled at him. "Hehe… By the way, you seem a bit winded, why don't you rest for a while and then go take a shower? Better do it now, while Gray is here, because if you fall, I won't be able to carry you. I will go put my things in the closet. I hope to not take too much space". Natsu smiled at her as she left the room to put her things away. As soon as she was out of sight, he slumped down on the sofa.
"Pheww… man, I'm so tired!", he said, covering his eyes with his arm.
"I can imagine. You gotta take it easy now. Want me to scrub your back?"
"When have I ever said no to that?" Both men looked at each other and started laughing.
"Go to the bathroom before you collapse on your feet, jackass, I will help you out". As he was helping Natsu up, Gray shouted, "Lucy, Natsu asked you to scrub his back for him, come quickly".
Lucy poked her face out of Natsu's bedroom, with a slight blush on her face, but said firmly. "Nah, I will not get in between you two. You do it, I don't want to steal your boyfriend away". With a little wink, she went back to the room.
Gray was left speechless, and got out of his trance when he heard Natsu undressing and laughing.
"I told you she was not stupid"
"Man… I want to see her flustered, it is cute and funny".
"You gotta step up your game, man".
"Whatever, I will still get my revenge on your girlfriend".
"She ain't my girlfriend", said Natsu entering the shower. He made sure to put his clothes to wash.
"Yet", said Gray while leaving the bathroom. He would wait outside, close by, in case he needed to help Natsu.
"Yet", agreed Natsu, starting the shower.
Once Natsu was securely in his bed,Gray took his leave, not without another attempt to fluster Lucy.
"You guys behave now, ok?", he said at the door. Lucy had set up her computer and books on a corner of Natsu's living room, close to the bedroom, should he need her, and was seeing him out. "Natsu might want to wiggle the toothpick to you, but don't fall for his charms again, Miss Heartfilia".
"Toothpick your ass, stripper", yelled Natsu from the bedroom.
"I don't think we have to worry about that, since you are the one that gives him these urges, Gray", Lucy answered with a level head and looking him in the eyes.
"Hahaha… you are really good, Blondie! I will stop by tomorrow, ok? But call if you need anything. If he is misbehaving, talk to Erza, she will beat him into obedience".
"Haha… thanks! See you tomorrow then… get home safely!"
"See you, Blondie!" Lucy figured the nickname that has plagued her since forever would stick for Gray too. Oh well… not that it bothered her anyways.
She went to Natsu's bedroom and saw that he was watching something on his phone. Lucy moved to his side and ran her hands through his hair, as she noticed he really liked it. He stopped with the phone to look at her, and hug her waist, like he did at the hospital.
"Are you hungry? I'm thinking about preparing something for us. Is there anything I can get you now?", she asked softly, enjoying the feeling of his arm around her.
"Just stay here for a while. I'm feeling weird…", he said moving his head so she could scratch different sides.
"What?", she asked, concerned, not stopping her hands.
"I don't know. Tired, I guess… what you're doing now is helping"
"Are you in pain? Maybe water will help?"
"No pain… I don't know... But this is really helping", he said, closing his eyes in a clear sign of pleasure.
"He he… Was Erza right yesterday? Are you really like a little kid who wants head rubs?"
Natsu looked at her with this well known intense gleam in his eyes. "I promise you there is nothing childlike when I want you to touch me".
Lucy blushed and fidgeted in place. Natsu smiled triumphantly, as he was still able to fluster her. 'Take that, Gray', he thought.
"I'll get you some water". She let go of him, but he grabbed her hand in his.
"Thank you for doing this for me", he said, kissing her hand, before letting it go. He noticed Lucy spaced out looking at him and didn't move. "Aren't you going?", he asked her, with a smug smile on his lips.
"Oh… y-yeah", she squealed and left the room in a hurry.
Lucy spent the rest of the afternoon making meal preps for them, after bringing him water and some allowed snacks (cut out apples). The doctor's recommendations were pretty simple, involving 3 different types of soup, low fat bread, water and fruits. It would become boring and repetitive after the first week, but if he were to recover, then it would be worth it. She decided she would support him by eating the same food; maybe this would help her lose some weight? Erza had been surprisingly accurate when buying the ingredients, so only a few things were missing for the making of the last soup. Having exchanged contacts with Erza and Gray the day before, she texted the red haired woman, thanking her for the groceries and letting her know what was missing, but that there would be no hurry to deliver.
Also, the instructions to take the medication were easy to follow. She attached it to the fridge, along with the meal recommendations, with a cute magnet. She couldn't identify the shape, though, but she liked it. It was a little girl, with wings and what looked like a tail.
She was worried that he would grow bored in bed, as he really seemed athletic and energetic. At that, memories of their only night together came flooding to her and she shivered. What he told her before still resonated with her and she could not stop her heart fluttering every time his lips touched her skin. Like earlier: not only did she get flustered with his words, but she totally spazzed out in front of him - how embarrassing! One thing was to answer Gray's teasing, and Lucy cursed herself for not being able to do the same with Natsu's.
She never lived with anyone except her parents before, and she left her home when she was still pretty young. How would it be to share an apartment with someone one is clearly still attracted to?
The blond was very much aware of Natsu's intentions and, to be honest with herself, she would be receptive of them, but better not to do anything at the moment. She would have to wait until after he was out of forced rest… This way she would also have time to show him that she was over the whole debacle involving the lost note and any guilty feelings she had about the accident. Lucy smiled at this thought, as she cleaned the kitchen after finishing her cooking and preparations, he was already showing how supportive he could be and kind and nice and hot… Oh wait - Lucy shook her head: 'Stop that, woman!', then she laughed to herself, 'I only hope I affect him just like he affects me', she thought before leaving the kitchen on her way to take a shower.
Meanwhile, Natsu was growing bored out of his mind. How could one stay in bed for so long without getting a loose screw up there? What was more, he could totally hear his shower running and he couldn't stop remembering the night he spent with Lucy: her smooth skin, her soft lips, the feeling of being connected to her… and kissing her. God, he loved just kissing her. 'Ok, stop it, Brain', he thought to himself, as he started getting hard. That is why he told Gray he would have to wait before making a move on her. Just thinking about her gets him like this, and he needed absolute rest for now.
'Maybe that stupid stripper was right and beign with her will be harder than it seemed at first', Natsu thought resentful at the admission that Gray's observations might be on point. Well, he would have to use some meditation technique to keep his body calm and mind serene. If nothing else only, because he could not, nor would, live in a world where the Ice Princess was right.
He heard the bathroom door open and she knocked in the bedroom before entering.
"Is it okay if I go to the closet?"
"Of course! No need to ask permission". She smiled at him and entered the room. His breath stuck to his throat at what she was wearing. It was not revealing by any means, but it was definitely cute and, because she was such a bombshell, it hugged her curves beautifully, and he thought she was not wearing a bra (he forced himself to remember some gruesome fires he worked on, to erase the memories of how her nipples felt in his mouth). It was a two piece pajamas, with long gray pants and short pink t-shirt with a weird looking animal in the front: it was white, with what seemed like a carrot for a nose. He noticed there were similar designs in the pants, near her ankles, too.
"Cute pajamas", he couldn't help himself to comment.
"Haha, thanks! I love Plue merchandise", she answered with a smile.
"Plue?"
"The dog", she said pointing to her shirt.
"That is not a dog", he deadpanned. And made an effort worth of an award to ignore her breasts.
"Well, it is a weird dog, I will give you that", she picked up pillows and a blanket and started heading off to the living room.
"Where are you going?", he asked.
"I'm going to make my bed on the couch"
"I can't let you sleep on the couch, you changed your life to help me. You take the bed"
"You need to stay in bed"
"I didn't say I was going to leave the bed", he answered in a hoarse tone of voice with that dangerous gleam in his eyes. She hesitated at the sight.
"O-oh, w-well… you will definitely be more comfortable on your own, though…"
"I definitely won't", he said in the same tone. Lucy bit her lips and blushed. "Come on, we are both adults, we can share a bed"
She still seemed hesitant.
"I know it will be hard for you to contain yourself, but please, spare me tonight, I am in bed rest", he said, at an attempt for levity with an amused sparkle in his eyes.
"S-shut up", Lucy blushed harder and stuttered at the memory of how she pushed him down on bed when they first got together - 'thanks for nothing, brain', she thought bitterly, as she fought off arousal.
"Ha ha… Come on, I won't do anything… Although if the circumstances were different, I wouldn't make any promises", he kept teasing her.
"N-Natsu, don't say that!", she said, her face so warm now it was heating up the air around her.
"Ha ha ha! Okay, okay… I want you to do that thing with your hands you did before… It was seriously good, and I have been so bored here. Don't leave me alone?", and now he adopted a technique that melted Lucy's heart: the puppy eyes.
"Oh, you are impossible!" He gave her a sly smile that only further the melting of her internal organs. "I will just get some water and then I will come over". She threw her things on the bed and hurriedly left the bedroom, before giving in to her imagination and jumping on him.
'God, this is going to be harder than expected', she thought, as she leaned on the kitchen wall to get some much needed air, before heading back to the bedroom and to what she imagined would be a very agitated night.
Natsu could tell Lucy was still a bit uncomfortable with the sleeping arrangements when she entered the room again. She had taken such good care of him with the food and medication that first evening, that he felt a bit bad for bullying her into sharing the same bed as him. But the firefighter was not feeling sorry, though, as he was going for what he wanted and would not apologize for it. Natsu would, however, try to make her feel better. So, without saying a word, he stretched a hand towards her. When she saw it, still blushing and avoiding his gaze, she willingly came to him, as she had every time he did it.
He suppressed a conceited chuckle, as she climbed into bed, with one of her hands trapped in his. Natsu pulled her to him and made her lay down in the cocoon of his embrace.
When she looked at him, from the place where her head was resting in his arm, he kissed her hand and felt her body shiver with the contact.
"Cold?", He asked, touching his lips to her soft hand again.
She blushed and looked down, shaking her head no.
He had a smug smile, as he nuzzled her face until she was looking back at him.
"You finally looked me in the eyes", now he was rubbing her palm and enjoying its softness. She blushed at his words and shifted her eyes again.
He chuckled and said: "If you stay here with me, this bed rest will be a piece of cake".
"You said something like that earlier", she murmured.
"Because it is true'', he was now caressing her face with the back of his hand. Without warning he moved to place his lips against her cheek and heard her sigh.
"I also wanted to do that the whole day".
He started kissing her face and when he reached her neck, he heard her gasp.
"Hum… I remember this is a weak spot of yours", he said, with his face in her neck.
"N-natsu… d-don't say that"
"Why not?", He asked, nibbling at her neck until her ear. She didn't answer, too lost in his touch.
"Won't you do that thing I asked you before?", He asked in her ear, before lightly sucking on the lobe.
The blond froze and looked at him in shock, because, for a moment, her brain turned off and she believed this was their first night again, when he showed her how he liked to be touched.
Natsu read all of this in her eyes and grabbed her hand again to plant another kiss in her palm.
"About that hair thing you did earlier today, silly. What did you have in mind?"
Lucy's face burned in embarrassment, and Natsu hugged her to him, laughing in her hair.
"Are you really ready to jump on me, Miss Heartfilia? Such a sheltered lady, so naughty..."
"N-natsu!" Instinctively, she buried her face in his chest to cover her embarrassment. Apparently, her body automatically reached his for shelter, even if it was to be protected from himself.
"Ha ha ha! I'm sorry, you are just too easy to tease and I love your reactions". He forced her to look back at him with a gentle hand to her face.
"Please, don't be mad" he then proceeded to place soft kisses in her eyes, cheeks, nose and the corners of her mouth. She shivered again, then.
"I think this is the happiest I've been in my whole life", he said softly, touching her forehead with his.
"You are going to be tied to a bed for the next month", she whispered back.
"Don't care, as long as you are in my arms", he said looking her in her eyes.
Lucy could feel her heart beating with such force it was a miracle he couldn't hear it. Gathering her courage, she put a hand in his hair and gave him a small kiss to his cheek.
"And I said this before, but I'll say it again: thank you", she whispered looking him in the eyes. She proceeded to run her hand through his pink locks and it was his turn to close his eyes and sigh.
"This is so so good. I'm not letting you out of the bed, as long as I'm here".
Lucy chuckled and, growing bold, decided to kiss his jaw, as she really liked the texture of his skin there. Natsu gave a very low moan.
"I love that we smell like the same soap and shampoo too"
"Ha ha… you pay attention to the weirdest details"
"I have a good nose"
"Yeah?"
"Uhum… and you have the best smell I ever smelled"
"You are incorrigible, Mr. Dragneel". She quietly laughed and pulled his hair with a bit more strength.
"Well… you like it", he said, gasping.
"he he… do I, now?"
He nuzzled her ear, and tightened his grip around her, "I sure hope you do". Lucy moaned softly at his breath on her skin.
"Okay… maybe I do", she said, still stroking his locks. He exhaled in relief on her neck and she shuddered.
"I'm glad…", his voice was muffled by her skin.
"Why is that?"
"You know why", he started playing with her hair and it was her turn to moan. "You also like it?"
"Uhum", her movements became slow until they almost stopped.
"is this how I will convince you of staying with me in bed?"
"I think you should try and see what happens", she had a small satisfied smile on her face and her eyes were closed. His heart, yet again, skipped a beat at the sight and he decided that this would be enough for the night. Otherwise, he might, indeed, do something that was strictly against Doctor's orders. And he had a feeling that angering Dr. Porlyusica would be a very bad idea.
After a few minutes of stroking her blond hair, he moved her to press her back to his chest. She just widened her eyes in surprise, but complied. His touch really made her soft all over.
"Can I hold you?", He asked in her ear, with an attempt at delayed chivalry.
"Y-yes", she whispered, and his heart melted a bit.
But suddenly, he felt her grow stiff in his arms and realized she was feeling his erection touching her.
"W-want me to go over there?" She motioned with her head to the space in front of her, where she would not be touching him.
"No", he tightened his hold onto her
"I-Isn't it painful, though?"She was too adorable for his good. It was painful, but it would be worse, if she weren't in his arms.
"No", he answered in a gruff. "it will stop soon".
"I think this is our pattern", the bombshell in his arms whispered out loud, as if in thought.
"I can't complain"
"Really?"
"Really", Natsu's tone was unshakable.
"Even if it can be frustrating?"
"Even then". After a moment, he asked "is it too frustrating for you?"
"Hum…" she said in thought, "a bit, I will admit, but I wouldn't have it another way"
"Yeah… me neither", he snuggled to her and tried to sleep, lucky for him, his medication would be helpful. For Lucy, without warning, all that happened in the past few days weighed on her and she swiftly fell asleep in Natsu's arms to have a dreamless slumber.
…
A/N: Thank you all who read my story and followed and favorited! I cannot express how grateful I am to all of you!
Let me answer the comments here, please:
samurai of sunflowers: Always NaLu boom boom! hahahah… Thank you so so much for your kind words.
Niomei: Thank you so so much! I love their interaction in the manga and I can't get enough of that! So glad you also liked it.
Naraku's Phoenix: Right? Romantic Natsu is EVERYTHING to me. My favorite stories are like this. And I really really hope I don't disappoint you, but I really liked your ideas. This is only the second story ever that I write, so I don't think I am good enough just yet to make it more complex than I intended, but I will keep everything you said in mind. Thank you so so so much!
skelekc: Thank you! I still have more to the story. It is not written, but I am having the time of my life writing it. Thank you!
Rmz. lilian : I live for cute NaLu stories! Thank you!