Chapter 2 – Dating

Lucy woke up early the next morning, after a night full of silly dreams about Natsu taking her on dates. Cana woke up right after her and said she needed to go, since she would be going on a job with Gildarts. Lucy tried to convince her to stay at least for a cup of coffee, but her brunette friend said she would be running late. She left wishing her good luck with Natsu.

Lucy blushed as she poured hot water for the coffee. She didn't know what to think about this whole Natsu situation anymore. Sometimes it seemed like a dream come true. Other times it felt too good to be true. If Cana hadn't stayed the night, Lucy would almost believe the previous day was a dream or a delusion. She closed her eyes, enjoying the smell of fresh coffee. Then she heard a noise at her window. She opened her curtains and saw Happy waving at her.

"Hey, Happy!" she said, opening the window. The exceed flew in, and suddenly Natsu's head appeared under the window.

"Morning, Luce!" he greeted her, putting a big brown bag in her hands and hoping in.

"Natsu!" she took a step back to give him space "What are you two…?"

"We came to have breakfast with you!" Happy announced, sitting on her couch.

"Yeah, I couldn't open the window and hold the bag at the same time" explained Natsu.

"You could have knocked!" Lucy stated the obvious. "I don't know what you have against doors"

"Was Cana here?" Natsu asked, sniffing around. He looked preoccupied.

"Yes, she came…" suddenly Lucy remembered about the kiss and Cana's words, and blushed. "She came to borrow some clothes. She's going on a job with Gildarts."

"Really? Did she say anything else?" Natsu also had a faint blush, and avoided her eyes.

"No, not at all!" Lucy answered way too quickly, and looked around, eager to find something to change the subject. Her gaze landed on the bag he brought. "What is this?"

"Oh, I bought some muffins from that bakery you like" Natsu happily seized the opportunity. "I thought we could have breakfast together"

"I love that place! Which flavor did you pick?" Lucy opened the bag anxiously, and the smell of fresh muffins filled the apartment. The previous subject was completely forgotten by both of them.

"I picked one of each" Natsu informed with a grin.

"Unfortunately, they didn't have fish flavor" Happy said with a frown.

"You don't say" Lucy replied rolling her eyes. "This was actually great timing! I just made coffee!"

"I prefer milk, please!" Happy asked, following her to the kitchen.

Lucy took the muffins out of the bag and put them in a big plate. Natsu got the milk and jam from the fridge and Happy picked their mugs from the cabinet. Then the three of them sat down and started eating. Lucy drank black coffee as she chose the red velvet muffin, while Happy drank milk and teased her about her weight. Natsu laughed as he mixed coffee and milk in his mug, but in reality was feeling a warm feeling in his chest for seeing his blonde friend so happy.

They ate the muffins until there was only the chocolate chip left. Natsu pushed the plate in Lucy's direction, silently saying she could have it. The celestial mage smiled in surprise. He always wanted to have the last of everything. She took the muffin and cut it, giving him half.

"Thanks for bringing them!" she said. Natsu grinned and grabbed the piece, his fingers touching her hand. They stayed in this position for a moment.

"What is going on with you two?" asked Happy, who had been watching them since the beginning of the interaction and noticed that both had forgotten about his presence. They retreated their hands like they had been burned and looked the other way. Lucy started to wash the dishes and Natsu said he had to go to the bathroom. "Not ready to tell it yet, huh…"

"Hey, Happy" Lucy called him quietly. Happy flew closer to her. "Did Natsu say something to you about yesterday?"

"He said he couldn't tell me all about it yet, but that everything was fine between you guys" Happy answered. He didn't tell her about the request his dragon slayer friend had made him and that he was about to perform: to try to leave first when it was just the three of them.

"I see." Lucy sighed. "He's right, everything's ok"

"Let's pick a job today!" Natsu yelled, coming out of the bathroom.

"The last one at the guild is a dead fish!" Happy yelled, flying out the window.

"Hey, not fair!" Natsu made his way to the window too.

"I still need to change, you guys go first" Lucy asked, also speaking loudly. She assumed Natsu would be already halfway out her apartment, and continued to wash the dishes.

"Lucy" she heard him call, and turned. He was right in front of her, and put his hands on the sink behind her, so she couldn't really go anywhere. This time she wasn't so shocked as the night before, but it was still surprising how he could change his attitude so fast. He kissed her, and this time she relaxed after the initial surprise, closing her eyes as he leaned in. She melted in his warm lips, realizing she had been missing them ever since last night. After what seemed like a very long and yet too short time, his lips were no longing touching hers. However, he remained in the same position, close enough to kiss her again. She noticed she had been holding her breath and inspired deeply, which clouded her head with Natsu's scent. As they both kept their eyes closed, Natsu started to brush his lips against hers. Not kissing, just letting they touch lightly and moving them from one side to the other. Lucy thought she might actually pass out. Her legs had given in and the only thing supporting her was the sink against which she was leaning. Then Natsu kissed her fully one last time, embracing her lips in what felt like a big hug, and let her go.

"See you at the guild then!" As she opened her eyes, she caught a glimpse of him jumping out the window. She let out a deep sigh and fell sitting on the floor.

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At the end of that day, Natsu, Lucy and Happy were coming back from a very simple job. An old mage had asked help after having his house robbed. They had to find the robber and retrieve the most items they could. With Natsu's nose, they found the thief pretty quickly, and it was no trouble bringing him back, since one of the magic items he'd taken turned him into a frog.

The place wasn't far, they went by foot, but Lucy demanded they took the train on the way back, since she didn't want to arrive late. Right now, they were just off the train, and Lucy and Happy were giving Natsu time to recover from the trip. It was the beginning of nighttime, and even though the job wasn't difficult, they were tired, since it involved a lot of running around and then carrying stuff.

"Maybe we should just go home" said Lucy, yawning. "We can see each other at the guild tomorrow."

"Aye" Happy agreed with eyes almost closing.

"You can go on ahead, Happy" Natsu stated, getting up "I'll walk Lucy home"

"You don't have to" Lucy tried to argue "You would have to go all the way up there and then all the way home…"

"Let's just go" he didn't want to discuss this. What he wanted was to kiss her, so he had to build the opportunities to do it. They wave to Happy as they parted ways. He was a little preoccupied, however, if he could kiss her goodnight today. He didn't think going on a job classified as a date. And Gildarts had stressed that to kiss a girl, he would have to take her on a date or give her something.

Lucy looked really tired, maybe she wouldn't like him to try to kiss her right now. He had to, though. Her lips were too addicting. He couldn't believe how each time was better than the previous. He would just kiss her all day if he could.

They arrived at Lucy's place. Just like last night, he watched her unlock the door, then approached her. He remembered he had something for her. It wasn't much, but he hoped it would be enough. When she turned, he put a red flower he found during the mission on her hair.

"What's this?" she asked, putting her hand where his had just been.

"A flower. I saw and thought about you" he grinned, still stroking her hair. "It looks good."

He took the warm smile she gave him as a green sign for the kiss. Also just like last night, he leaned to her, but this time things went differently. Last night he took her by surprise, and she pretty much froze to the touch of his lips. Today, she was ready for him. She met him halfway through and slipped her small hands under his scarf, enlacing his neck. He felt a shiver. Unlike the surprise kisses, they didn't just stood. She moved her mouth under his and he tried to accompany her on instinct. Following the pattern until now, however, it made for an even better kiss than the previous, proving him wrong, since he always thought it to be impossible. He felt her lips parting, allowing his to go deeper, and knew he wouldn't be able to stop. She'd have to call it off tonight. If it was up to him, this kiss would have no end. He brought his body closer to hers, pressing her against the door. Then, before he could think of another thing to do, she opened the door and stepped inside, leaving him unbalanced. Their lips parted, and he felt the cold her body had left behind. He backed up to stand properly, and when he looked up again, the door was close.

"B-Bye, Natsu!" he heard her trembling voice from the other side. "See you tomorrow?"

"Bye, Lucy" he said after taking a deep breath. "See ya!"

He grinned and ran home. The cold air against his face was good to calm him down. He couldn't wait until tomorrow.

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Natsu hadn't really given much thought about Gildarts' words when he told him things would change between his and Lucy's dynamics. He just wanted to kiss her, that was all. Why should other things change? But now he was starting to feel some of these side effects.

It was like kissing her wasn't enough. It just made way for other urges. Right now, for example.

He really wanted to hold her hand.

They were at the Cinema. It was a new attraction that got everyone in town really excited. It had just opened and it would exhibit lacrima movies, which were still pretty rare to see. He thought it would be perfect to take her on a date, and he worked his ass off all day in a job that paid with two tickets. The job got him so tired he considered asking her only the next day. But he found renew energy when he saw her at the guild. He didn't know why, but she seemed even more beautiful the past few days. So he showed her the tickets and asked her to go with him that same night. However, their stupid friends who couldn't read a room decided to come along.

So now he was sitting next to Lucy, but on her other side was Erza, followed by Wendy, Charle and Happy, the Stripper and Juvia. He sighed, annoyed. It was supposed to be just the two of them. He thought that maybe he could even steal a kiss from her, since it was so dark, but with everyone there, that idea went out the window.

But he could hold her hand. Nobody would notice, anyway. Everyone had their eyes glued to the big screen. He stared at her right hand, the one with the guild mark, resting on the arm of the chair between them. It wasn't hard. He just had to take his own hand and put it over hers. The thought made his heart pound with happiness. What a silly thing. Just because her hand was small, soft and adorable. He puffed, annoyed at himself almost just as much as he was annoyed at his friends. It would be easier if they weren't there. Wouldn't it…?

He peeked at them, and saw Juvia groping Gray's whole arm. Damn it! That freeze bastard didn't even had to do anything. Maybe he could make it seem like an accident. Or maybe he could trick Lucy into grabbing him. Nah, it would call too much attention on them. He looked around, and noticed two people leaving the room. He could hear one of them wasn't feeling well, so they wouldn't be back. That gave him an idea.

"What are you doing, Natsu?" Lucy whispered when he bended, looking under the chairs.

"I dropped my keys" he explained, and stayed there looking for them for some seconds. Then he sat back, grinning.

"What are you grinning about…?" the blonde started to questioned, but was soon interrupted when she felt her chair giving in. "Ouch!"

"Are you okay?" asked Erza, seeing Lucy struggle on the floor, since her chair had fallen apart.

"Wow, Lucy, you're so heavy you broke the chair!" Happy giggled.

"Shut up! It was probably already broken!" Lucy argued, furious. Everyone shushed them.

"Geez, come on, Lucy, I see two vacant seats" Natsu informed, and offered his hand to help her get up, heart jumping when he felt her soft skin in his.

"I can't see anything" she said, after standing up.

"I'll take you there" he assured her, leading her by the hand.

Soon they took the new seats, which were a bit over their friends, meaning they couldn't see the two unless they turned, which wasn't very likely. After sitting down, Natsu kept holding Lucy's hand, pretty happy with how his plan turned out. He felt Lucy's gaze on him, but pretended to be watching the movie. Thank Mavis she didn't have dragon slayer sight, or she would see his blushing cheeks. It was bad enough she could see the silly smile he couldn't wipe off his face. At last she turned to the movie, leaning back on her new chair and relaxing the hand in his. He risked a glance and saw she was smiling too.

"Natsu, you broke my chair, didn't you?" she whispered after a while, getting close to him.

"Why would I do that?" he played dumb.

"So you could do this" she answered, giving him a quick peck on the lips. He blinked, taken off guard. It was the first time she initiated the kiss since their first.

"Nah, I wouldn't do that. I'd much rather do this" he teased, putting his lips on hers for a much longer and deeper kiss.

"Well, the point still stands" she said after recovering her breath and lucidity. "You broke my chair"

"No I didn't"

"Yes you did"

"No I didn't"

"Yes, you did"

"Quiet over there, Fairy Tail!" someone shouted, and the both of them stopped, laughing quietly.

They kept holding hands for the rest of the session.

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"What's wrong with you, Natsu?" asked Erza, noticing the dragon slayer in a gloomy mood, laying his head on the bar counter and with some clouds over him.

"He's sad because Lucy went out without him today" explained Happy.

"No, I'm not" he said in a mumble. He was lying, of course. He arrived at Lucy's apartment early that morning after having a great idea for a date, but the blonde informed him that she would go to some book convention in Hargeon with Levy. Apparently it was set weeks ago, so there was no getting out of it. He offered to go with them, but she refused, saying he would be bored out of his mind.

Well, he was bored out of his mind here, too, he thought with a frown. This stupid convention would take all day! Lucy promised to meet him at the guild in the evening, but he knew she would be too tired from walking around and carrying the millions of books she would buy. No kiss for him today.

"This is hardly productive" the red headed argued. "Let's pick a job, it will distract you!"

"Nah, I don't want to" he whined, avoiding her gaze. Yes, he was 90% sure Lucy would just go home directly… But he couldn't risk not being here considering the other 10% of chance that she would come.

"Why don't we go fishing like we planned to?" asked Happy.

"Not today" Natsu refused. It would be weird if he wanted to go fishing two times in the week, and he wanted to take Lucy too so they could have a picnic as date.

"What a pathetic sight" Gray said, provoking him, but he only sighed and gave him the finger.

"Here, Natsu, I'm sure some fire chicken will cheer you up" Mira's voice reached them as she came out of the kitchen with a plate of Natsu's favorite food, laying it in front of him.

"Thanks" he answered, starting to eat still with his head on the counter.

"Fight and food didn't work?" Cana questioned in amazement. "I think this is a job for Wendy, then"

"Wendy, can you heal a broken heart?" asked Happy.

"I don't think so" she replied, giggling.

"Why don't you people just leave me alone? Geez!" Natsu complained, annoyed and with food in his mouth.

"Heh! You don't need to pout for longer, Salamander" Gajeel informed with a smirk, pointing at the door. They all turned and watched as Lucy and Levy came inside followed by Capricorn and Virgo, each carrying a pile of books.

"Lucy!" Natsu smile, raising his head.

"We're back!" the blonde informed, putting the books on a table nearby. "Thank you so much, Virgo, Capricorn! You can go back now!"

"Welcome back!" Mira greeted them. "You're here early!"

"Well, Lu-chan kept nagging me to come back" Levy informed with a frown, crossing her arms.

"I did not!" Lucy protested, blushing. "It's just that we had enough books!"

"So what? There's a whole section we didn't get to see!"

"If you saw it, you would want to buy it!" the blonde explained, exasperated. "And we couldn't carry anymore!"

"Nonsense, you were ready to go back the minute we set foot there" the bluenette raised her eyebrow in suspicion. "What is it that you're not telling me?"

"It's nothing!" she shrugged, looking another way, which happened to be Natsu's way. He grinned at her, and she smiled with a faint blush. Levy looked from one to the other, mouth slightly opened.

"Hm… Well, if that's what it was, you could've just told me" she said with a smirk.

"What is what? You're not making sense today, Levy-chan!" Lucy answered, trying to sound tired. "I think I'm gonna head home. Natsu, can you help me with the books, please?"

"Sure!" he agreed promptly, and they left each carrying a pile of books.

"What was all that?" Levy asked after they went out the doors. "Happy, is something going on?"

"Aye! But I have no idea what it is" he informed, shrugging. "And I suspect they don't either."

"Well, I'm sure we'll find out soon enough" Erza said with her hands on her hips. "Mira, is everything okay?"

Mira was looking at Natsu's plate, eyes wide and mouth opened, seeming amazed by something.

"Natsu didn't finish his food" she informed. They all looked. Indeed, even though he had eaten most of the chicken she had served him, a good portion laid forgotten.

"Whatever it is that's going on between those two" Gray started in an amazed tone "sounds pretty serious."

Meanwhile, Lucy was happily telling Natsu all about the convention. They were carrying the books and looking at each other, so they were lucky nothing came their way, or else they would definitely fall. Soon they arrived at Lucy's apartment and were relieved of the heavy burden.

"Where are you even gonna put all of this?" Natsu asked, since her bookcase was pretty packed already.

"I don't know, but I'll figure it out" she chuckled. "Geez, I'm starving, I forgot to grab something to eat at the guild! Do you want to have dinner?"

"Yes, please! Are you gonna cook?"

"I think I have some leftovers"

Lucy heated the food and ate at her kitchen as they talked and laughed, Natsu happy to bump his knee against hers most of the time. After they finished dessert, he could see she was pretty tired, her usual big eyes a little puffy. Normally he would stay the night, and boy, he wanted to, but he wanted to kiss her too, and they still hadn't figured out a way of kissing and staying together. They were both pretty shy after it, so it was easier to just kiss each other goodbye. They only managed to do it at the Cinema because it was dark and they could turn to the movie and pretend to be watching it.

"I'm going home, Lucy" he announced. "Do you wanna go fishing with me and Happy tomorrow? We can have a picnic by the river."

"Sure! I'll make sandwiches!" she agreed, excited, walking him to the door. They were pretty used to this routine now. After the door was opened, Natsu turned and sought her lips, that welcomed his with enthusiasm.

It was funny how his kisses with Lucy kept evolving. It wasn't just that they got better, they got different. It had some weird reactions from his body. At first, he was happy just touching her lips with his. Then, he discovered it could last longer, and that it felt nicer when they moved their mouths.

Since the last few kisses, he had the urge of trying something new. He wanted to feel her lips with his tongue. But this was Lucy. She probably would think it was gross and tell him to stop. Today, though, after realizing she was just so anxious to see him as he was to see her, he gathered the courage to try.

As she opened her mouth against his, he slid the tip of his tongue softly on them. He shivered. The feeling was amazing. To his surprise, Lucy didn't stop him. She continued the kissing, and soon he felt the tip of her tongue brushing his back. That was even better. He got closer to her body and let his tongue dare a little further. Soon both of their tongues were dancing together, and he just couldn't believe how something could feel so good.

"Bye, Natsu" she said, eyes still closed, as they stopped to breathe.

"Bye…" he repeated as in a trance, still taken aback by the new experience. "I'll miss you"

That made him sober up quickly, and he felt his face hot for saying it aloud instead of just in his head. However, Lucy had a warm smile to him as she answered:

"I'll miss you too"

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The next day Lucy met them early at their house, complaining that she was still tired, but carrying a big basket for the picnic that definitely took much care and thought. They made their way to Happy's favorite place by the river to fish and soon the dragon slayer and the exceed were sitting with poles in their hands while Lucy sat against a tree, reading one of her newly acquired books.

After a couple of hours, as Natsu was about to put another fish on their bucket, he saw that Lucy had fallen asleep. Her book laid open on her lap, and she was leaned against the tree, her head falling on her right shoulder. He couldn't help but stare, smiling, admiring how cute she was.

"Take a picture, it'll last longer" suggested Happy, making Natsu jump and blush. "Seriously, you're staring at her for at least ten minutes"

"Well, I'm just worried she's gonna have a stiff neck when she wakes up" he argued, and got up. "Let's take a break to eat, I'm starving"

"You and Lucy go ahead, I'm pretty sure I'm about to catch another one" he informed, and Natsu smirked. Happy liked to give them a hard time, but he was rooting for things to go well. He made his way to the asleep girl.

"Lucy" he called softly, touching her arm, to avoid startling her.

"What?" she said suddenly, opening her eyes "I wasn't sleeping!"

"Of course you weren't. Everyone closes their eyes and drools while they're awake" he laughed as she checked her chin to see if she had indeed been drooling, and lightly punched his shoulder when realized he had tricked her. "Come on, let's go eat!"

"How is fishing?" she asked, peeking at the buckle. "Oh, you caught a lot! You're not coming, Happy?"

"In a minute, you guys go ahead"

They made their way to the towel they had spread deeper in the forest, since it was cooler with the shadows of the trees. Lucy sat next to the basket and took out a lot of sandwiches, bottles of juice and fruits. Natsu quickly swallowed five sandwiches and a whole bottle of juice, since he was really hungry, and then laid next to Lucy, happily munching an apple.

"I'm never gonna get used to how fast you eat" she laughed, still eating her first sandwich.

"You better, or I'm gonna end up eating all of your food" he replied with a grin. She just shook her head and he kept peeking at her.

Here was the weird need to touch her again. He sighed, wondering if this would ever pass. To this day, it only grew stronger. Now he didn't only wanted to hold her hand. He wanted to lay his head on her lap. When she was sleeping by the tree, he wanted to sit next to her to support her head. He wanted her to lean against him. All these urges were sure exhausting.

"Natsu, there's leaves falling on your hair" she informed, and brushed off some leaves out of his pink locks. His heart jumped. That would have to suffice for now. "Oh, look, a squirrel!"

Natsu turned. There was a cute squirrel gathering nuts not far from them. It came closer to their things, and Lucy squealed in delight. That is, until the squirrel decided it would be a good idea to go through her purse and take her watch.

"Hey! Give that back!" she shouted, standing up, but that only scared the squirrel and he ran inside the forest. "No, that thing was expensive!"

"Pfff" Natsu couldn't help but laugh at her. She looked at him with anger and ran after the squirrel. "Lucy, wait!"

He ran after her, and they chased the squirrel for some minutes. Natsu surpassed Lucy on the run, and quickly jumped as he saw the little animal climb a tree.

"Got ya!" he yelled, holding the squirrel's tail. It got so scared, it dropped the watch, which Lucy caught from the ground.

"I got it!" she informed, looking up. "You can let it go, Natsu!"

"Fine" he agreed, releasing the squirrel, that climbed even higher on the tree, scared. The dragon slayer chuckled and jumped on the ground, suddenly feeling pain when something pulled his hair. "Ouch!"

"Oh, the branches got stuck in your hair!" Lucy pointed out, coming closer. "Let me help"

They were deep on the forest, and he was sure no one but the wildlife could see or hear them. As Lucy finished untangling him, he couldn't help leaning in to kiss her. She lost her balance and ended up with her back against the tree while Natsu pressed her for a deeper kiss.

He noticed his need to touching her body was just as present in this moment. As his lips moved on hers, he couldn't stop his hands from starting to wander all over her body. From her face, they traveled to her shoulders, arms and waist, and he blushed to realize they craved more inappropriate parts, like her tights and cleavage. He slipped his fingers inside her blouse and shivered to feel her smooth skin. He stopped to see if his hands' advances would bother her. However, Natsu realized that while he had been worried, Lucy was busy doing her own wandering. Her hands, which started on his shoulders, had somehow made all the way to his abs. He chuckled when her light fingers tickled his skin.

"Natsuuuuuu! Luuuuuuuuucy!" they heard Happy's voice coming from the distance and separated. They quickly made their way to the exceed, hoping the running would be a good excuse for their flustered appearance and the fact that they were out of breathe.

"What is it, Happy?" Natsu asked as they arrived the picnic site.

"Are you okay?" he questioned. "The basket with the food is gone and I saw these footprints…"

"Oh, no!" Lucy gasped. While they were gone, a forest Vulcan must have come and stolen their food. "We had to go after a squirrel…"

"You two are hopeless…" Happy whined. "Fortunately we still have the fish!"

"Damn Vulcan!" Natsu yelled, angry. "I'm going after it to get it back!"

"It probably already ate everything, Natsu" Lucy argued. "Let's just go… At least we don't have to carry it back home…"

"Fine… I'll get you a new basket, promise!"

"You should get Lucy a mirror" Happy commented. "Her lipstick is all smudgy"

The blonde covered her face like she had just been electrified, and turned away from them to try and fix her make-up. Natsu blushed as well, and tried to discreetly wipe his face so Happy wouldn't see the remains of her lipstick on him.

"Natsu, I think you should be careful" the exceed warned with a smirk.

"Careful with what?" he asked, avoiding his gaze.

"You're starting to act as weird as Lucy…" the blue cat observed. "Maybe it's contagious"

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"Oh, man… This rain ruined everything" Natsu whined, looking out the window to the curtain of water that fell upon Magnolia.

"Ruined what? Did you have any plans for today?" asked Happy with a smirk.

"Well, nothing in particular" he lied, pouting and avoiding his gaze.

"There's nothing we can do, so let's get busy here" said Lucy from her desk.

They were at Lucy's apartment. Natsu wanted to take her on a date so they could kiss again. He didn't manage to think about anything, so he decided to ask what she would like to do, and tag along on whatever she decided, even if it involved going to the library or buying clothes, things she loved and he found boring. He noticed the heavy gray clouds gathering on the sky on his way there, but ignored them, hoping for the best. The rain started not long after he and Happy arrived. Now they were stuck there, and Natsu couldn't see an outcome for getting his sweet kiss.

"Get busy doing what? You're writing, Happy's eating, there's nothing fun for me to do" he complained.

"Well, sorry, it's just that I have a lot of good ideas today" Lucy lied, turning away so he wouldn't see her blush. The true was that she was kind of shy in front of her dragon slayer friend, due to their recent kissing behind doors. Besides, she knew he came for that exactly, and Happy was there, and they were stuck at home, so there's no way a kiss would be happening anytime soon. "You're free to read any of the books on the shelves"

"Ugh… They have no pictures!" he grunted.

"Well, actually, I have a new one with pictures on it" she said, suddenly remembering her newest purchase. "I think you'll like it!"

Natsu watched as she got up and went to her bookcase, taking a very big and very thick book from the higher shelf. The cover was red and imitated scales.

"Look! It's a book about dragons!" Lucy announced, excited, sitting on the bed next to him. He sat up, crossing his legs, suddenly interested. "It has everything! Well, no, actually, not everything, but all that could be gathered about dragons from researches! Types of dragons, where they liked to live, what they liked to eat, a bunch of fun stuff! And the pictures are stunning!"

Natsu looked at the open book on Lucy's lap, amazed. She handed it to him, and he leafed through it, seeing the detailed pictures of all kinds of dragons.

"Wow, this is awesome! How come you never showed it to me?" he asked, eyes still glued on the book.

"I actually just bought it a few days ago, as I said… I was thinking about giving it to you as a gift, but… Well, other stuff got in the way and I forgot" she explained, again turning her face away to hide the fact that she was blushing. Natsu grinned. He knew very well what this 'other stuff' was. "Anyway, you have fun with it while I write"

"Wait, Lucy, look at this picture!" he called when she was about to stand up. She stopped and turned her gaze to the book. Natsu held it high, so both their faces were hiding behind it from Happy on the other side.

"What? I don't see…" Lucy started, but got interrupted when her friend's lips crashed against hers. He stole another kiss.

"See? Awesome, right?" he asked after releasing her.

"Y-Yes, very amusing" she agreed, getting to her feet and walking quickly to her desk, red as a tomato.

"Can I see it too?" asked Happy, flying to the bed next to Natsu after finishing eating.

"Yeah, sure, this dragon!" the fire dragon slayer pointed to the picture of a red dragon. "It looks like Igneel!"

"Oh, I see" he nodded. "I wonder what made Lucy get all flustered"

"Who knows? She's weird that way" Natsu teased, and he and Happy laughed as Lucy threw paper balls at them.

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A whole week went on like this. Natsu would always have something prepared for Lucy in the morning and in the evening, and he soon claimed his reward as a kiss that became more and more daring as the days passed. Lucy was on the top of the world. She felt flattered, respected and desirable, and loved to be pamper like this. However, at the end of the week, she became worried that Natsu would spend all of his money on her.

So, this evening, after receiving a teddy bear, she decided to talk to Natsu. Up until now they haven't said a word about what was going on. She was afraid that that wasn't healthy either.

"Natsu" she called him, hugging her teddy. They were at her apartment, and it was already dark outside. Happy had just left to accompany Charle and Wendy to Fairy Hills, and Lucy knew Natsu would soon want to kiss her. "I need to talk to you"

"Huh?" he turned to her, after waving to the three of them from the window. "What's up?"

"Well, the last week…" she blushed, looking down. "During the last week, you've been really considerate to me. I got the message. The kissing thing is just a big deal to you as it is to me"

"You're not gonna ask me to stop, are you?" he asked in fear. Lucy looked up and saw that he was really afraid of that.

"No…" she answered too quickly. Natsu relaxed. "I just want to say that… Well… You don't have to buy me something or take me on a date every time you want a kiss…"

"Wait… You… You're saying…" Natsu's face lighten up "You're saying I can kiss you whenever I want?"

"NO!" she almost yelled, her whole face going red. "I mean… Not in public or anything like this"

"That's it? I can kiss you whenever we're alone?" he looked like a kid whose been told Christmas would be coming sooner. "Awesome!"

Lucy hugged her teddy stronger and buried her face on its back. She was embarrassed that he would see how happy she was as well. Then she felt his hand touching hers. She looked up and found him very close to her with a warm smile.

"What? You want one right now?" she asked, surprise. He only grinned and brought her closer in a big hug, giving her a lot of kisses on her face. He kissed her forehead, her nose, her cheeks and her chin. Finally, he landed his lips on hers, with one arm supporting her back and the other holding her waist. She adored this feeling.

"A-HAAA!" they heard a shout from the window and separated quickly. Happy was pointing at them with one of his paws and had a victorious expression on his face "I knew you were all lovey-dovey!"

"Happy!" Lucy was as red a tomato. Natsu had a tired expression, like he knew this would happen sooner or later.

"You like hiiiiiiiiiim" he teased her.

"Come on, Happy, give her a break" Natsu asked, still holding her shoulders. Lucy sighed.

"It's fine…" she shrugged. Happy and Natsu looked at her in surprise. "Well, Happy is family, right? There was no hiding from him much longer"

"Why are you hiding anyway?" Happy asked, sitting on the table across from them.

"Because of reactions like yours!" she shouted. "Now you are gonna tell everyone, and we'll be tease to no end!"

"Such a drama queen!" the exceed sighed. "I won't tell anyone."

"Really?" they asked, surprised.

"Yes, being the only one to know makes me feel special" he considered. "But I want my payment in fish!"

"What a greedy cat!" Lucy whined, going to the fridge, where she always had some fish for him. Happy laughed. They were family, all right. And as someone who's known Natsu all his life, he had never saw him so happy as in the last week.

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