I'm enjoying this, I really am. I should write more.
leoslady4ever: Cobra really is fun to write, and I'm glad you're enjoying their interactions. Also, I feel Lucy would absolutely be the type to pull mostly harmless pranks on her friends.
AGreen2222: Good catch, the cupcakes are absolutely an ode to GemNika's Poison Fairy, which if everyone else hasn't read, you definitely should. It's incredibly well written, and I may have squealed like a 5 year old on 90's style red cordial (y'know, the good stuff, before they took out the compounds that increased hyperactivity... I'm showing my age here) when the latest chapter was released. I might go back and read it again.
Anyway! We've had a lot of Cobra over the last few chapters, so this one is all Natsu. And a dash of Loke, because I can. Also, because he's a pervert and demanded to be written into the story. Can't have a story about seducing Lucy without our favourite Lion, now can we?
It only took a few minutes for Natsu to appear over the rooftops, Happy flying him straight for her window. Scrambling off her bed as she realised how fast they were moving, Lucy made room just in case he managed to get through the barrier. She shouldn't have worried. Happy flew right through, paws losing their grip on Natsu as the Fire dragon slayer slammed right into the barrier, purple runes flashing brightly against the blue of the sky.
The confused Exceed crashed into Lucy's chest, driving the air out of her lungs, and making her stagger backwards. Sucking in a deep breath, Lucy burst out laughing, arms clutched over her stomach as she howled, and Natsu's confusion only made her laugh harder. Happy had dropped onto the floor, and was looking between the window and the blonde with wide eyes.
"Luuuuce, that hurt." He whined at her, rubbing his head.
"Didn't Gray and Erza tell you about the barrier?" Lucy asked breathlessly as her laughter died down.
"Well yeah, but I didn't think it was for me." He gave her a wounded look, and settled down on the roof. He sniffed, and screwed up his face. "Wait, was Cobra here or something?" He asked in surprise, the familiar smell out of place. Happy climbed onto the bed, and made his way across to the window.
"Yeah, Crime Sorciere arrived not long after I did this morning." Lucy replied, and moved to settle back onto her bed, avoiding the blue Exceed.
"So he got to smell you first? What a jerk." Natsu complained, although his grin told her he wasn't serious.
"Hey, you're the one who went off fishing all day." She retorted, a wide smile settling on her face. The sun was low in the sky, and she thought briefly about dinner.
"Lucy, we caught so many fish, it was awesome!" Happy cheered, and she smiled down at him.
"Did you bring any for me to cook for dinner?" She asked curiously, and both Natsu and Happy brightened, then their expressions soured.
"We ate them. But are you gonna cook us dinner, Luce?" Natsu asked, eyes gleaming at the thought of more food. Lucy laughed, and glanced at her fridge.
"I'm sure I can make something." She replied fondly, and got up to have a look. They talked through the window as she cooked, Happy occasionally sneaking food for himself or Natsu, and Lucy jokingly threatened him with the wooden spoon.
She handed her best friend his bowl through the window, and quirked her lips sadly at the brief defeated expression as his fingers brushed against the barrier again. They ate together comfortably, and it wasn't until after the sun had set, their bowls were empty, and Lucy had told Natsu all about the job in Crocus, that he produced the sleeve she had been wearing earlier that day. Her smile faltered, and she stared at it, uncertainty dancing in her eyes.
Natsu pushed it through the barrier as much as he could, and the fabric piled up on the windowsill. She pulled it closer to her, fingers tightening onto the fabric before she dropped it onto the bed with a sigh.
"Lucy, we need to talk." He said gently, and vulnerable brown met understanding black. His expression was gentle, mature, and she blinked to see this rare side of him.
"This changes things." Natsu stated simply. "Before, I would have said nothing would get in the way of us being best friends. We've been through so much together." He leaned his forehead on the barrier, and watched her through the runes.
"Aye, sir." Happy agreed, settling in comfortably on Lucy's pillow. She sighed, and shifted so she could rest her forehead against his.
"I know, but the idea of it… it's just weird." Lucy rebutted quietly, eyes dropping to the windowsill below.
"Is it, though?" Natsu mused. "People do it all the time. Look at Bisca and Alzack, they have Asuka now. I think it'll feel pretty natural, like the next stage or something." Lucy thought about it for a moment, and rashly made a decision to ask a very personal question.
"Natsu," She started slowly. "What... what do I smell like?" She asked quietly, and felt him tense.
"You smell like… like home, happiness…" He trailed off, and a light blush settled across his bronzed cheeks. "There's a lot of need there, too. Fertility. It's pretty mouth-watering stuff. Underneath it all, you still smell like you. There's just a few extra things, is all." He told her, and watched the blush spread across her cheeks.
Biting her lip, she looked up at Natsu through her eyelashes, unsure if she was about to make things better, or worse. At least I'll know, she thought, and leaned up to kiss him. His eyes widened at first, then closed, and his lips felt so right against her own. She wrapped an arm around his neck and he pulled her partially out of her apartment, warm arms encircling her as he kissed her back. His kisses were exactly like his personality; wild, unpredictable, and full of passion.
Lucy broke away from him, gasping for air, and his arms tightened around her. He swooped in to kiss her again, and leaned down to press his lips under her ear, and down her throat. Lucy arched her neck and moaned at the sensation, hyper-aware of him, and every nerve pinging at his touch. His scent was the best campfire she'd ever come across, and so inviting. He pulled back slightly to her disappointment, then leaned his forehead on her collarbone.
"Lucy," He groaned, "You should – you should get back inside. If we keep this up, I won't be able to stop, and we'll end up mating right here." His voice was thick, and he shook with need. Slowly, she pulled her arms from his neck, and wiggled back until she was safely behind the barrier.
"Natsu," She breathed, and he snapped. He swore under his breath, and he flung himself at her, the lust clear in his suddenly slitted eyes. She gasped at the sight as he hit the barrier, growling in frustration as he attacked the runes with determined fingers that looked almost like claws, searching for any weakness in Levy's work.
"Natsu, stop!" Happy cried from Lucy's pillow, eyes wide as he ran towards his best friend and partner. Lucy backed away, eyes wide as she took in the fierce expression on Natsu's face, and she thought about going for her keys.
"Lucy, let me in!" He demanded, slamming a fist against the barrier. She shook her head mutely, and grasped blindly for her keys, pulling the right one from memory. A bright light flashed, and then Loke was rushing towards her window, fists bright with the light of Regulus. He dove out the window, knocking the Fire dragon slayer from the roof, and they tumbled out of eyesight. Happy cried out after the salmon-haired mage and flew out of the window after them. Lucy rushed forward and slammed the window shut, squeezing her eyes shut in distress as she clutched onto the window frame.
She distantly heard a splash, and knew that one of them had ended up in the canal. She closed the curtain, not ready to face Natsu in his current state, and ended up in her favourite armchair again. She exhaled through her nose, and dropped her head into her hands. What had she done? She'd kissed her best friend, and the only reason he'd reacted the way he did was because of the mating compulsion. She only reason she'd acted that way was because of the compulsion. Never before had she wondered what her partner tasted like, how his warm and calloused hands would feel on her skin, and she scrubbed her face with her hands.
The way he'd been so warm against her, and the way his kisses had been so desperate against her lips made butterflies explode inside her stomach. She was still having a hard time reconciling the difference a week had made; her change in scent, and the dragon slayers' visceral reaction to it. She'd kissed Natsu, had been ready to kiss Erik, and the twin dragon slayers from Sabertooth had eyed her like they wanted nothing more than to drag her back to their den and do indecent things to her. What will Laxus be like? She thought, and a shiver of anticipation ran through her.
Deciding that she wouldn't make her choice until she'd spent some time with all the dragon slayers, even Sting and Rogue, she raised her head from her hands, and found Loke sitting on the couch opposite her. She blinked rapidly, and looked over her shoulder to the door, but couldn't see it from where she was sitting. Turning back to the celestial spirit, she studied him, and found him to be dry.
"So you tossed Natsu in the canal?" She inquired, and Loke grinned at her.
"He needed to cool off." The lion replied lightly, winking at her, and she rolled her eyes but smiled back at him.
"I didn't even hear you come in." She confessed, and he leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees.
"I've been known to sneak into apartments before. Only for the loveliest ladies, of course." He purred at her, and she wrinkled her nose at him. "But in all seriousness, Lucy, do you have a plan? You're being hunted by dragons, and as much as I'd like to, I can't fight them all off." Loke stared at her in earnest, taking in every minute expression that crossed her face. Lucy frowned.
"That's what I was just thinking about, actually." She told him. "I know Natsu the best, and he's already told me how he thinks it will be. I'm worried about Lisanna, though. She's in love with him, and I don't really want to break her heart like that. Cobra, Erik, has made his move too. He's a little hypnotising." At that, Loke raised an eyebrow.
"He's also a mass murderer, and tried to kill you. Twice." He deadpanned, and Lucy grimaced.
"I know, but he's reformed. Kind of. Did you know he can bake?" Lucy knew she was derailing the conversation, and Loke raised his other eyebrow. She slumped in her chair. "Yes, I know he's a mass murderer that tried to kill me twice." She replied flatly, defeated. The corner of Loke's mouth twitched into a half smile.
"He also said he would do anything for me, which, now that I think about it, probably also includes murder." She sighed, and dropped her head back into her hands. "Then there's Laxus, who tried to take over the guild, and didn't care that I was kidnapped by Phantom Lord. He's also reformed, and very much part of the guild, but I still don't know that much about him." Her voice was muffled, and she raised her head. "He kinda scares me a bit." She admitted. Loke nodded thoughtfully.
"Then there's the Sabertooth dragon slayers." He mused, lacing his fingers together. Lucy nodded, eyes distant as she collated everything she knew about them.
"Rogue's future self tried to murder me, and succeeded in murdering my future self. Sting laughed at me when I was being beaten by Minerva in the Games. They both fought the dragons in Crocus, and Yukino tells me under their leadership, Sabertooth has come leaps and bounds from the 'every mage for themselves' situation it used to be. She tells me they're kind and considerate. And they helped us defeat Tartaros." Lucy sighed. "All of them have their good and bad points." She mused. Loke hummed in agreement.
Staring hopelessly at the leader of the zodiac, Lucy blew out a long sigh.
"Loke, what do I do?"
And Natsu takes the first kiss! The dragon slayers have retreated to begin planning their conquest of the lovely Lucy, next up in 'Strategic Planning'!
Please leave a review if you're enjoying the story so far, and have a great day wherever you are in the world.