HI omg I never thought I'd be back with this one but someone left me a really nice comment on AO3 and I was like yoooo,, maybe the thems and the theys need just a teensy bit more of this story
Hot Meal was one of my first successful short stories so I'm so happy to give her an ending ;-;
Natsu groaned as he flopped against his couch, feeling the weight of the day roll off his shoulders in practical waves. Final exams were a bitch and a half, but he managed to make his way through them with slight confidence.
He did spend every weekend for a month studying, but anything was possible now that there was no going back.
His driving force to succeed was knowing that his senior year was finally over, which meant that Lucy's was over as well.
He'd be home in Crocus a week before her, getting things ready in their new apartment for when she finally arrived.
It wasn't especially surprising that she went to a different school than him; Natsu was focused on magic and combat, while Lucy took the more educational route. Magnolia had a better program for him, and Acalypha for her. It would only be four years, and they had their breaks to spend together.
Plus, Lucy could travel wherever she wanted in mere seconds, but only opted to use that power when she really needed to see Natsu. Otherwise, they'd lose themselves in the heat of things for days on end. Summer and Winter breaks were enough to provide her with a sustainable amount of energy, but neither were super enthusiastic about being so far away from the other.
Crocus was the country's capital, and the hub for newly graduated youths such as themselves. Their friends would also be moving into town, and the gang excited for the jobs lined up for them.
Natsu, Gray, Gajeel, Cana, Juvia, Levy, Lisanna, and Erza would all be joining Fiore's guild association, a branch of the government that operated as a selective group of high-powered individuals sent out on emergency projects. Say, if there were ever a conflict that needed to be handled quickly and quietly, they'd be the one to do it. Which sounded like a harrowing profession, but they were following in their parent's footsteps. It almost felt like a right of passage, of being able to focus on gaining more strength to protect the ones they loved. And whenever they chose to retire, the pension was more than generous.
Lucy, on the other hand, wanted to be a writer. She had always been inspired by books and the world around her, hoping that now she'd be able to have all the time in the world to create her vision. Her father had connections to a couple of publishing houses in town, so she was already set up with an editor that she'd meet with once every couple of months.
Natsu was hoping she would want to join them, but he didn't push her. Her magic wasn't especially suited for the kind of work they would be conducting, unless they took advantage of her ability to seduce people into submission, which he wasn't especially keen on the idea of.
He spent the following couple days getting his temporary apartment in order, a space he had split with Gajeel and Gray, all three preparing for their big move. Truth be told, they'd been packing for the last week and a half to avoid Erza coming over in a drunken stupor to cry over everything they owned. She was just as excited as them to start working within the next couple of weeks, but couldn't help suppressing her sentimental side.
They had all been together since they were kids, and now that they were starting their first jobs together; well, she'd been a mess for months.
At least they had Jellal, their senior who had helped them get their jobs in the first place. He was already working as the head of Crime Sorcière and waiting patiently in Crocus for Erza to move in.
Natsu practically counted the minutes in anticipation for Lucy's arrival, spending the entire week preparing for her to come home.
Her things arrived before she did, so he put away all of her clothes, organized the kitchen, sorted all of her books in the makeshift library they planned to use their spare room for, and reorganized the living room furniture maybe a thousand times.
He just wanted everything to look perfect, and couldn't decide if the couch should go on the left or right side of the room.
The overprepping seemed minimal compared to what he was really worried about.
Natsu was finally going to ask Lucy to be his mate.
Which seemed like nothing to get so dizzy about, but it was a really important moment for him. It shocked him back into the moment when he gave Lucy her promise ring, a ring she'd been wearing since the day he slipped it onto her.
He knew there was no way she'd say no, but it was like getting engaged and married on the same day, at least in dragon terms. Some day, he'd ask her to marry him, with a big, fancy engagement that he knew she'd want.
But this was something he'd been dying to say since the day he fell in love. For a dragon, it was so much harder to be with her and still be unbound. Spoken loyalty as a couple was one thing, but he didn't think he could stand another day without his fire rushing through her veins.
He wanted to do it here, in their first home together.
Natsu was unsure of how to approach the subject, wondering if he should cook and greet her with an entire feast…but a feast for Lucy was…well…
He flinched as he heard a key jingle from the other side of their front door, knowing Lucy was standing on the other side. The dragon felt his lip quiver, wondering if he should really quickly move the couch back onto the other side of the room before she walked in.
"Natsu, I'm home!" The bright sound of her voice squashed his nerves, Natsu greeting her with a wide smile as she walked in with a suitcase wheeling behind her.
"Lucy!" He wrapped her arms around her in a long-awaited embrace, her presence properly calming the doubts that were still whispering in his ear. She felt so warm, so right, in his hold. It had been almost two months since they last saw each other, the end of the semester too busy for either to be losing their heads. He nuzzled his nose into the white scarf she was wearing, his classic piece of clothing tucked nicely around her. "Geez, I can't believe you're finally here."
"Neither can I," She giggled, her cheek smothered against his chest as they both tightened their arms around one another. "This was the longest four years of my entire life."
They stood in their place for a long few minutes, the two acclimating to the reality that they'd be together every day, for the rest of their lives.
"Do you want to take a look around? I got everything set up; our room, the kitchen, the bathroom, your office." Natsu asked as he spoke into her hair, breathing in her light coconut shampoo.
"Really? Everything?" She asked with a small gasp, pulling away from his chest. Natsu nodded with a laugh, pulling her along and down the hall toward the rooms. "Oh, you didn't have to do that. I had so many boxes, they would've been a pain to unpack along with all of your stuff."
"Not at all," He shook his head, stopping in front of the library door. "I didn't have a lot of stuff anyways, our place in Magnolia was mostly packed with all of the overflow from Erza and Juvia's place. So I pretty much just came with my clothes, and I didn't want you to have to worry about unpacking since I was going to be here a week ahead of you."
"That's so sweet, Natsu," Her bottom lip jutted outward as he grinned, opening the door to show off her personal space. "Oh, wow…"
He was thankful that the guild association was the one who found this space for them, as he had a hard time looking for one that would have enough space for all of Lucy's books. Both of their rooms were twice the size of his place in Magnolia, so there was a lot of room to work with.
He carefully installed at least seven shelves, three against the north and south walls, two against the east beside the door, and two centered in the middle that faced the other back to back. He ensured they were secured to the walls and floors, so there was no danger of them ever falling on her. The two shelves in the middle were empty, for her more than likely growing collection. When they moved into a bigger home, he'd have to make sure to have even more space set aside for her personal collection.
Her desk was as long as it was wide, with enough room for her computer and anything else she wanted to decorate it with. It stood about three fourths away from the western facing wall where there was a wide bay window that overlooked the city. There was an alcove with just enough room for her to sit comfortably, a couple of pillows and a soft blanket ready for whenever she was. He even bought a rolling tray that stood beside it, for her to set a coffee cup or something to eat on it.
"Natsu," He felt his pride swell as her hands moved to cover her mouth in shock. "This is…I don't think I can even describe how perfect this room is…oh my goodness…"
"They told me it's pretty soundproof too, so you don't gotta worry about getting distracted. And the window over there opens onto a balcony, I set up a couple of chairs for you out there too,"
"You're kidding," Her lips turned upwards and she let out an eager squeal, rushing around the corners of her desk to take a peek. There was a beige cloth balcony that stretched out over the two comfy-looking chairs, a small table between them with a lavender orchid soaking up the late evening sun. "Natsu!"
He laughed as she looked at him with a dropped jaw, her eyes taking in every inch of the room.
"You're so wonderful," Lucy jumped back into his arms, hopping up and down with her uncontained excitement. "I love you!"
"I love you too," He pressed his smile against her nape, lifting her onto the next room.
"Our bedroom isn't as exciting, but I picked up those sheets from Heart Kreuz that you had on layaway and set up the furniture."
Cozy wasn't enough to describe just how homey it felt in the room. On the farthest wall was another bookcase, this one filled with her all time favorites, ones Natsu assumed she would fall asleep with. Their north-facing window was accompanied by another alcove, more pillows and another blanket waiting patiently to be used.
A fireplace was adjacent from the foot of their bed, and a television was hanging over the mantle. It was already filled with miniature photo frames of their many memories together. The sheets were the ones she picked out, a comforting baby blue, her favorite color. There was already an assortment of plushy pillows as well, light coming in from the sunroof above their bed. It extended longways to cover the expanse of the bed's length, exposing the swirls of the differently colored clouds as the sun set.
Off to the sides of the fireplace was their closet on the right, a walk in with more than enough room for their current wardrobe. The bathroom was on the left, Lucy walking in eagerly to fawn over the large tub and rain shower. There were two sinks, her side already filled with the products she sent a couple of days ago.
"The Guild association really found this place for us?" Lucy asked, astonished as she sat herself on the edge of their bed.
"I told them what I wanted and here we are," He shrugged his shoulders and grinned, Lucy falling backward with an overwhelmed sigh. "Do you want to check out the kitchen? I stocked the fridge up with a bunch of fruit, there's an island and a breakfast nook—"
"You wanted all of this?" She sat up as Natsu nodded, his knees knocking against hers.
"Duh, of course I wanted a cool place for us to live. You got your library, and we can fall asleep looking at the stars while we listen to a crackling fire, I couldn't ask for anything better."
Lucy stared at him with bated breath, the dragon cocking his head to the side as she moved to sit on her knees, wrapping her arms around Natsu's neck.
"I really missed you," Her chest wracked with a happy sob, Lucy rightfully squeezing Natsu with her pent-up joy. "I can't believe this is our first home together; it's perfect."
"Yeah," Natsu felt her words sink in as he reciprocated her embrace; this was their first home together. Here they were, after four years of a semi-long distance relationship, together. "It's perfect."
As Natsu grew older, he had a much better handle on his heat, so there was rarely ever a moment when he found himself in trouble like the night they first met.
It usually rolled around in the summer, during the hottest week just after the summer solstice. So the two were able to nestle themselves away for a good amount of time when there weren't any distractions.
And Lucy found out that she could stay healthy for at least three months after his heat and at least one month regularly. They laughed when reminiscing about their sporadic hookups when they were younger. But this meant that they hadn't been together for a while; they last met up just before the last couple months of class hit them, when studying and testing would be at an all-time high.
Since Natsu shared his place with Gray and Gajeel, they had to get a hotel room for the night, or couple of nights when they were together. Gajeel refused to have any of that nonsense going on under their roof, since he'd be the one to scent any time they'd…you know. He still couldn't get the memory out of his head when they walked in on Natsu and Lucy's lunch date, his entire house stinkin' like some dragon's den.
Knowing that Natsu could let their scents linger was an immense joy he was finally able to fulfill. Every inch of this place would be covered in her darling aroma, just the thought made his scales bristle.
Lucy moaned, arching her back, the sheets sticking to the beads of sweat on her skin. She shuddered, the feeling of Natsu's tongue splaying against her sex overwhelming. Her fingers bunched in his hair, keeping him close as he continued his languid strokes.
He groaned every so often, feeling his own excitement quell from his actions. She called out his name, crooning and writhing in their bed.
She felt his tongue push into her, his thumb nudging against her stiffened clit. Lucy rolled her hips and gasped, a silent shout escaping her lips.
She flinched as Natsu pulled away, sitting up as he stared down at her. She reached out with weak arms, quietly begging to have him in her grasp.
His lips brandished the nape of her neck, both panting to catch their breath.
He neared her lips to kiss, stealing her bottom lip between his own. Lucy reciprocated, her toes curling when she tasted herself on his tongue.
His boner pressed into her stomach, the blonde hot between her legs, anticipating for him to continue.
His sharp teeth dragged along her body, nipping at her skin and marking her chest. He sat up again, one hand pressing a finger to his lips while the other focused his aim.
Lucy's head rolled slightly, feeling the tip of his cock begin to stretch her. She bit on her bottom lip to keep quiet, warmth swirling in her stomach as he stared down at her.
Natsu made every inch of her skin burn, his obsession for her spurring the impure thoughts of just what she wanted him to do to her.
He teased her, slowly entering her with a keen smirk on his lips. He took both her hands in his, holding them just below her belly button, her breasts squished together.
He purred as she held back her scream, thrusting into her all at once. She rose off the bed again, the slight squeak of the bed frame and their skin all that made a sound.
Smoke blew from his nostrils, Lucy watching his skin coat with dragon scales. They were red in color, some white, and a few shiny and iridescent.
He leaned over her, snatching one pert nipple in his mouth, lust-filled eyes observing her loose expression.
He kissed the entrance of her womb, letting her hands go as he wrapped his arms around her body.
Lucy felt dizzy from his heat, listening to Natsu whisper her name in her ear. The rough smack of his hips against hers sent them both spinning, the warmth of his cum filling her as they came.
She pressed a hand against her lower stomach, her eyes flashing a seductive purple; he was always a nice, warm meal.
"Luce," Natsu's voice was raspy, the dragon groaning as she turned him onto his back. "Luce, I wanna ask you something,"
"Right now?" She giggled, her hands moving sinuously up her body, stopping just below her swollen breasts. "What is it?"
"I…" He groaned as she slid back and forth on the curve of his cock, watching their fluids mix together eagerly. "Fuck…"
"Come on," She moaned, squeezing her breasts delightfully. "You know you can tell me anything."
"I want to," His teeth nashed together as she allowed him to re-enter her, his swollen head sensitive to her contracting walls. "I-I want to…"
She leaned forward, her tongue splaying against his own chest, Lucy mildly sucking on his nipples. Her finger traced the opposite one, her eyes glancing upwards as she nodded.
"Continue," He could barely think with the way she was teasing him; slowly moving her hips, his chest more sensitive than usual with his scales exposed like this. Natsu had tried to bring things up before they had sex, but it was hard to stop once they started. One kiss was always enough for him to make him lose his senses, Lucy more enticing than usual in his favorite red panties.
"I want to ask you to be my mate," He said between breaths, lifting himself onto his elbows as he spoke. "I want to mark you tonight, Lucy."
She stopped her casual ministrations for a moment, her heart almost skipping a beat underneath his serious gaze. Lucy was aware of mating, of course she was as a dragon's girlfriend. She and Levy talked nonstop about the idea once they learned how important of a process it was for dragons. Gajeel and Levy had been mated since last Christmas, and Lucy figured it was only an amount of time before Natsu proposed the idea to her. She didn't realize how much she'd been dying for him to ask until now.
"Really?" He nodded as he brought himself to sit up, holding her carefully, the two still connected at their hips.
"I asked you a long time ago to be my girl," He smiled at the cheesy memory, lifting her hand to kiss the star ring still in its place. "And I want you to know that I meant it when I asked you to be mine forever. I want the whole world to know you're mine, that my magic is within you and that you're always protected with this piece of me. I'd gladly lay down my life for yours and I promise again, that I'll always take care of you."
"Natsu…" He sealed his promise with a kiss, Lucy able to feel his emotion press through his lips. His warm hand settled against the small of her back, the other carefully tilting her head to the side.
"Please," He drew his tongue hotly against her nape, his canines desperate to pierce her skin. "Be mine."
"I am," She nodded, feeling him swell inside her. "I'm yours, Natsu."
She cried out as his teeth grew, the joint between her neck and her throat throbbing as he bit down, the vehement sensation of his magic boiling its way through her.
His hips moved, the dragon groaning as his arousal overcame him, the need to release rising with each pulse of their connection.
Lucy wrapped her arms around him, her nails digging into his skin, the succubus trapped in his sweltering fever, her own sex yearning as she became his.
Natsu released her once he felt the last of his magic pour inside her, steam curling from the corner of his mouth the closer he came to his climax.
The fervent ache between her legs unraveled as he came, the taste of his seed in her body enough to drive her over the edge. Oh, he was wonderful.
Twice was considered child's play for the couple, Natsu having no intention of stopping now. Lucy was nowhere near exhausted, stealing a kiss from his blood-soaked lips, commanding his next move.
It's semi-embarrassing to come back to a story I worked on so long ago, only because I feel like every year my writing grows and changes in new ways lmao
I've corrected some spelling errors in the past, but if there's ever anything that someone wants to point out, lemme know!
It's been super hard writing smut as of recent and I want to try and give myself a break, since a lot of things just don't feel super satisfying anymore
I've been feeling really empty when I tried to write smut these past couple of months for what feels like absolutely no reason, and I really pushed myself to write this because I just HATE feeling so indifferent! Giving you guys something to read really makes me happy so I want to do what I can even if its tough lol
I've been uninspiring myself with dragon-romance erotica books so I'm never not thinking of NaLu pfft,, I think I might rewatch Fairy Tail and get back into the swing of things~
thank you so much for being so supportive ;-;