With it being a weekend holiday, the mall was understandably thronged with families and couples out on dates. Upbeat music flowed out of speakers as the tinkling of shop welcome bells filled the air. It was the first time Lucy had been to that shopping centre so she was eager to take in all the sights and sounds. As it always did, her brain immediately began capturing as many moments as it could to transfer onto canvas later on.

"Luce, I'll get the snacks. Popcorn?"

"All salted. I'll wait for you here," she replied, not even turning to look at him.

Natsu chuckled before leaving to join the line.

There was a toy exhibition of sorts in the mall atrium, so much of the crowd was concentrated there. However, that did not make the cineplex any less popular. The horror movie marathon had drawn many aficionados who, like Lucy, were looking forward to a good laugh over non-stop, campy movies.

Flashing screens took up an entire wall at the entrance, with each one displaying a different movie trailer. Characters sobbed as they clung to each other in one, while a ferocious lizard darted after a group of kids in another, flicking its tongue out menacingly at their ankles.

Next to it all was a two-metre movie standee promoting the horror marathon. It was a collage of all the different characters and hilariously gruesome creatures out for blood. Lucy's heart began to race as she found herself ticking off the characters she recognized.

She was having so much fun that she almost didn't feel the tap on her arm.

The queue was long, and Natsu was starting to get impatient. However, the friendly face that greeted him at the head of it made him smile.

"Hello, Charla."

"Natsu! Lovely to see you!"

Having come to this theatre a couple of times, the family had made some really good friends amongst the staff. Sometimes, when they stopped by really late at night, they might even get to sneak into the cinemas for free. Other times, they would get extra snacks, though it was typically because the popcorn would have to be thrown away otherwise.

Charla, the manager, was one of their closest friends.

"Anything for two?"

Charla laughed, her curly platinum blonde hair quivering. "Is someone out on a date? I saw Mirajane's interview."

Natsu visibly shuddered. "Please do not remind me of that ridiculous programme… But yes, I'm on a date."

"Look at you! So shy," the woman teased, punching his arm when he looked somewhat sheepish. "Get the marathon set for two. There's a free bobblehead."

The palm-sized box she handed him featured a large smiling blue cat with angelic white wings sprouting from its back. The animal looked rather sweet… If it were not for the fact that its face was horribly scarred à la Frankenstein's monster and its claws were razor sharp. Resinous teardrops dipped in scarlet paint seemed to drip from its left paw.

Natsu snorted. "Wonder what Lucy's going to think of this."

"Who's your girl?" Charla asked, peeking out behind the counter.

Natsu turned to scan the compound. "That's her over there… and uhm…"

"The gorgeous blonde? Looks like you have some competition on your hands," his friend snickered as she dropped the change into his hand. "Good luck, pinky."

Natsu eyed the two men talking to Lucy. Both seemed younger than her, and the scene looked very much like she was getting picked up.

Unsurprising, he mused. She looks amazing in that blue and white dress.

He knew he was a good-looking guy, but Lucy was easily leagues above his level.

Her curvaceous figure was somewhat hidden by her bomber jacket, but it did nothing to dim her attractiveness. Silky blonde tresses were twirled into a sideways braid with loose locks framing her heart-shaped face. Even without any makeup or special adornments, the blonde was drop-dead gorgeous.

The memory of her in old clothes covered in cheese stains flashed through his mind and he laughed at the incongruity of it all. In any case, it didn't look like Lucy was upset so he figured there wasn't a problem. Quite the contrary, the trio was chatting up a storm.

Stepping up to her, he gently touched her arm.

"Hey, Luce. Who-"

She turned towards him then, and the question died on his lips when her beautiful smile widened. Instantly, Natsu was assailed by the urge to kiss her.

"You got the popcorn!" she chirped. She popped one buttery piece into her mouth and there was a satisfying crunch of a perfectly-popped kernel.

"Uh… yeah," he replied lamely.

"Jackson and Michaelis. They graduated two years ago," she explained when she saw his curious look.

With no free hand for a handshake, the pinkette nodded. "Pleasure. Natsu-"

"Dragneel. Awesome to meet you man," one fellow laughed. "Damn, Ms Lucy. You really know how to catch a man. How on earth did you even snag him?"

Lucy rolled her eyes but the flushing of her cheeks gave away her shyness.

"Enjoy your movie, miss!" his friend laughed, dragging the first boy away. "We shan't intrude on your date."

He watched the two guys merge back into the crowd. Then, Natsu chuckled and linked one arm with hers. "Well, shall we?"

"Oh gosh, I am sore…" Lucy moaned. She grimaced as she stretched her arms both ways. "How many movies is that now?"

Natsu stood and did the same. The theatre was mostly empty by now. As soon as the credits for the last film had begun rolling, most of the movie-goers left.

"Four. That was the last one."

"Oh man, I'm getting old…" the blonde groaned. "I think I could have done five or even six without breaking a sweat when I was in university. I love horror movies, but I think that was enough green goop and fake blood to last me a few years."

Dropping back down into her seat, she sighed contentedly as she tucked herself into the crook of his arm. Her backrest trembled with laughter. "Are we not leaving?"

"Mm… There's a mid-credits scene… Besides, there's nothing else to do at this hour."

He laughed playfully. "I can think of something."

"Yeah?"

"Mmhmm."

Lucy opened her eyes. His voice was… She turned on the spot. Even in the dim lighting, she easily made out the lowering of his eyelids and the desirous gleam in his eyes. Lucy's own body started to warm. She sucked in her lower lip and instantly his gaze dropped to her mouth.

The pinkette leaned in towards her. "You have… no idea how much I've been wanting to do this all evening."

She quivered the second he pressed his mouth to hers.

Closing her eyes, Lucy basked in the feeling of his kiss. He massaged her mouth and then lightly trailed his tongue across her lower lip. Even without words, she understood immediately what he wanted and opened her mouth.

The slanted, open-mouthed kiss was passionate and Lucy sighed contentedly. Ordinarily, she would be a bit wary of movie dates. Some guys would use the cover of darkness afforded to them to push their luck a little too far. As such, she tended to leave the theatre as soon as the film was over. However, Natsu's embrace and sweet kisses were rapidly changing her mind about movie dates. His heat spread like wildfire across her skin and shivers raced down her spine, settling in her belly and nether areas to roil and tease.

In the background, the music crescendo-ed. And as if it were aligned with the score, so did the kiss' intensity. His hug got a little tighter and his kiss got a little fiercer. So Lucy rose to the occasion, parrying every one of his tongue strokes with her own.

Kissing her was driving him insane.

Natsu ached to do more. His jeans were now painfully tight and his member strained against the cloth. It twitched eagerly, demanding to be touched. The awkward angle at which they sat created a small triangle of space between their lower bodies, and the lack of direct contact was frustrating.

However, the last he checked, they weren't the only ones still in the cinema. It was too big a risk. He didn't care about his own reputation in regard to this, but he could not subject her to any unwanted scrutiny. By now, it was clear that she was not a huge fan of being the centre of attention.

However, the woman was making it exceedingly difficult for him to maintain rationality.

Her mouth burned hotly around his tongue, and it was setting his senses aflame. His sensibilities told him that they were putting on a really hot show for anyone watching, but he was powerless to stop. Rather, he didn't want to stop.

At that point, she shifted to wrap her arms around him and the action had the wonderful effect of pressing her breasts more firmly against his chest. His left arm tightened around her back while his right hand slid down her shoulder to grab her breast.

Her reaction was instantaneous. Lucy arched against him, the fullness of her flesh overflowing between his fingers.

He nearly lost his mind. She wasn't wearing her bra.

Natsu groaned as his cock jumped again. Desperate to placate it somehow, he focused on kissing her more ardently, tangling his tongue around hers more forcefully. At some point, she lifted her lips slightly off his.

"You taste like chocolate and soda…" she mumbled.

"That's 'cause … all we had for dinner…"

She laughed and bit his tongue softly. "You're yummy."

Natsu's entire body stilled. "Fuck."

Clenching his fists, he reluctantly let go of her and sat back. Bewildered at the sudden loss of contact, Lucy stared at him.

"Uhm… Is something wrong?"

He slid a hand through his hair and shuddered. "Yeah… You're driving me crazy."

When her confusion intensified, Natsu sighed again. He pulled her jacket zipper up and arranged thick locks of hair over her chest to hide any sign of arousal. Then, he took her back into a hug but made no move to kiss her again.

"You say things like that so innocently," he whispered, "but it's making me want to tear your clothes off."

His bold confession made her gasp. Lucy started to struggle but he held her fast.

"I'm not going to do anything," he continued, resting his head in the curve of her shoulder. "Just… let me hold you for a bit more."

A minute passed, then two, and the desire in her belly had mostly abated. It seemed to be the case for him as well, for the pinkette gently eased her out of his arms. However, he still did not get up and Lucy did not have to ask why. A quick glance downward told her that he needed more time to recover.

And then, all of a sudden, he laughed. It was a playful chuckle that was completely at odds with his earlier hoarse whisper.

"W-what is it?"

He smiled wryly as he looked at the screen.

"We missed your credit scene."

Time to rest these fingers. Have a lovely night/day to all!

Sam.