Chapter 46

After applying sunscreen to the last part of his body, Natsu puts it into the locker they are renting and closes the door. Then he turns to face his girlfriend. "You good to…" His voice trails off as he watches her. He still cannot get over how great she makes that maroon bikini look.

Lucy is busy retying her hair into a pony tail. "What?" she asks, taking note of his silence.

He shakes his head, as if snapping himself back to normal. "Nothing."

"Don't you "nothing" me, Natsu," she says. "What?"

He steps towards her, arms wrapping around her waist to bring her against him. "You're great. Wonderful. Perfect."

She giggles. "Oh, do go on."

"I can go on and on with you, Luce. Could probably write a saga about you."

"A saga?" she snorts.

"Sagas. Chronicles. Tales." He grins at her. "Whichever works best for you."

"All of the above," she teases.

Natsu smooches her forehead. "All of the above it is then."

Her eyes steal a glance at the Band-Aid still on his face. "Are you going to take that off?"

He knows what she is referring to. "Yeah, I guess it should be fine." So he steps back and works at peeling off the Band-Aid. "It's really on here." Then he manages to get it off. "How's it look?"

The little cut itself is fine. Perhaps something from a finger nail. It will heal just fine. What Lucy is focusing on is the slight tan line from the Band-Aid. It is noticeable enough for her since she is close to his face. She starts laughing.

"What's wrong?" he asks, tilting his head to one side in confusion.

She points to her own right cheek to mirror image him. "There's a small tan line from it."

His eyes grow wide. "How noticeable is it?!"

"It should be fine by tomorrow," she assures him.

"I'm gonna hafta sunbathe just my face to even it out," he deadpans.

"Then you'll really be red."

"I think I'd rather be that way than have a Band-Aid tan line on my face." His face falls. "My old man won't lemme live this down if he sees me this way…"

"So I'll make sure not to take photos with it showing. Easy as that."

"Okay, enough about my face. Whatcha wanna do first?"

"Actually, I think I want to try out the lazy river," Lucy admits.

He arches an eyebrow. "Really?"

"I want to relax a little before some excitement. Then take on the boogie board challenge." She is excited to try that out.

Natsu takes her hand and leads the way. "Your wish is my command."

She smiles, giving his hand a gentle squeeze. "Same goes for you. Just because I haven't been here before doesn't mean that we can't do things that you like."

"Making you happy makes me happy. Simple as that."

When the duo reaches the lazy river, named Splash River rightfully so, Natsu goes into the water first to grab a free single tube for Lucy. He stands there, holding it for her. "C'mon, Luce!"

She steps down into the water, enjoying the refreshing feel of it. Lucy walks over to her boyfriend and takes a hold of the tube. "You get in."

He blinks. "Huh?"

She pats the tube with a hand. "I'll get in after you. You first."

He laughs, going along with it. "Okay, then." So Natsu steadies the tube with his hands before nestling in. His feet hang over it while his arms rest on the tube. "Onward!"

"Aye, sir!" Lucy moves Natsu along, guiding him past people so they do not accidentally bump into anyone. At one point, she takes a hand and splashes water at him.

"H-Hey!" he laughs. "Not funny!"

She only laughs. "I'm having fun!"

Then he smiles because she is smiling.

Lucy purposely steers Natsu under a steam of water so just he gets wet. He has no chance of escaping it. "Luceee!" he whines.

"I have to cool off your hot head somehow," she teases.

"Pfft, that's impossible!"

She leans her face close to his. "Do you want a surprise?"

His green eyes grow wide. "Y-yeah."

She grins a little. "Close your eyes…"

He does as he is told, starting to lean his head towards her in order to kiss her.

Then she does what Natsu is least expecting. Lucy grabs the bottom of the tube and tips it over, flipping her boyfriend right with it.

He splashes into the water with flailing limbs and a shout.

She busies herself with the flipping the tube right-side up and positions herself to sit inside of it.

Natsu surfaces and runs a hand through his hair, sending droplets everywhere. "Hey! What was that for?!"

She playfully sticks her tongue out at him. "Like I said, you first and then me."

He grins. "Oh, it's on, Luce!"

x-X-x

Lucy is watching what is happening before her in amazement. She is practically in awe. She has never seen anything like this before.

The large wave machine itself shoots water out, making the waves hard enough to be ridden on. The water curves around as it just out. There is plenty of space to move around. There is a ride attendant at the starting point and a life guard sitting on their stand on the other side.

The current guy riding the boogie board is highly skillful. Practice clearly shows. He started out by lying on his stomach, but now he is on his knees. He is in control as he rides.

Natsu is slightly jealous that Lucy is looking at other guys with that expression. But then again, he is impressed, too.

Then the guy on the boogie board purposely wipes out in a dramatic fashion. It is time for the next person in line to take their turn. The strong waves carry him and the boogie board up to the end point at the top of the ramp. He stands up straight, grabs his board, and bows to the people in line. When he straightens up, he shoots Lucy, the only girl in line, a wink.

Showing that she has no interest in him, Lucy tears her gaze away from him to look back at Natsu. "So when's the last time you did this?" she asks.

"Last year," he replies. "I spent hours here. Got really burned."

The next guy starts his turn on the ride, but neither of the two pay attention to him.

"More pink than your hair?" Lucy teases.

Natsu cracks up. "My skin put my hair to shame."

When the current the guy washes up, the next one, an older guy with his own board, starts his turn. Now Natsu is next up and he has a bright yellow board supplied by the park.

Lucy nudges him with an elbow. "Are you nervous?"

"Pffft, no way. I'm gonna rock it."

"Surrre."

He holds a hand over his heart, feigning injury. "That hurts, Luce."

She playfully rolls her eyes. "Whatever you say, Dorkneel."

Natsu grins a little. That nickname is growing on him a bit.

After doing some more tricks, the current rider steers his boogie board up the ramp to end his turn.

"Good luck," Lucy says as Natsu walks away.

"Woo!" he shouts.

"So have you done this before?" the guy next to Lucy asks.

She looks at him, shaking her head. "No."

He shoots her a little grin. "Want any tips?"

"I've been watching what people have been doing. I think I get the gist of it."

"You'll pick it up quick. Girls do quicker than guys."

"So I've heard." Then she turns her attention to Natsu as he drops down.

He does not last long. Perhaps only a few seconds. Then he gets all washed up. Natsu grabs the board and walks over to Lucy to hand it up to her.

"Not bad after being away for so long," she teases.

"Hey, no smack talking from you until you go." Then Natsu heads to the back of the line.

"Your boyfriend or something?" the guy next to her asks.

She nods. "He's great." Then she walks off to have a go at the ride.

The ride attendant at the start corrects how she is holding the board since she is holding it upside down. Then he tells her what do before letting her go.

Lucy's stomach is in slight knots. She has never done anything like this. The power of generated waves now seems intimating since they are right in front of her. But she will not back down. Then Lucy goes for it.

The water instantly sprays up in her face. She can feel the waves underneath the board that her body is pressing against. Her feet slightly drag in the water behind her. Lucy tries adjusting her left arm for control, but the opposite happens. With only one arm pressing down on the right side of the board, the board moves right along with the flow. Before she can tumble off the board, she clings on and ride the board up the ramp without getting washed away from it.

Lucy made it out all in one piece.

Natsu shoots her a grin from where he is. "You did it, Luce!"

She laughs, totally wanting to give the ride another go and beat her current time out on the water.


A/N: When I went to Kings Island, me and my then boyfriend (now fiancé) spent hours doing that ride. We both burned, but he was much worse off than me XD It was a lotta fun, and more to come on the boogie board portion!

Happy Halloween! :D


Guest: I swear to you that I proofread the last chapter before posting… Shame knows no bounds… But thank you for pointing out my mistakes! I already went ahead and fixed them.

kura-chan13: Ayyyyy, thank you :D

Fairy Tail Lover: Aww, thank you! I eat rather slow all thanks to my mouth -_- My braces messed up the right side of my jaw so I can't open it all the way like I could before. Been like that for a few years now :P

Soul-of-glass: Haha, you're cool XD Nopeeee, you getta drown in fluff :P