Rating: M

Lucy was hurting and Natsu didn't mind being used by her. That's what he was there for: to help her anyway he could. He thought of Lucy as his, after all he also belonged to her. Natsu might not have understood the romantic friendship that always promised to be pure romance, a little bit more, but it was evident now; He had always known it subconsciously. For Lucy he wore his heart on his sleeve.

"Natsu," Lucy sobbed, her nails gently digging into his chest, helping her keep her balance, "Harder! Please!" How could he ever refuse her when she sounded like that? The pink haired man sat up quickly: his hands landing on her hips, fingers gripping hard and sinking into Lucy's flesh. Natsu jerked his blonde down as he thrusted up, his tongue gracing the curve of one breast as he repositioned. The sound of their flesh slapping together, and Lucy's moans made Natsu happy; it meant he was doing his job right. It meant he was keeping Lucy's mind off her most recent heart break. He purred as he felt her reaching her limit, her nails digging into his shoulders as her core tightened around him.

"N-Natsu!" Lucy screamed as he pushed her into her orgasm. Natsu was always quick to push himself all the way into her as he came, groaning lowly. The drained slayer was unable to stop himself from leaning down to press kisses against Lucy's breasts, holding her close to him. This was his favorite part. The after-sex intimacy, the affection. It had him feeling sated and possessive; loving the fact that only he would ever get to see Lucy like this.

His jealously of the thought of other men seeing his Lucy, being with his Lucy, was displaced when she wrapped her arms around his head and pressed his face further into her chest. The sad little hiccup sigh she made and the feeling of her tears on his shoulders made his stomach turn.

"Natsu, you aren't allowed to leave me," Lucy started, her voice hitching in the middle. "You can't. Please don't. I'll have no one left," She finished on a strained whisper. Her arms tightened even further and Natsu could only wrap his arms around her waist and squeeze her to him. "First mom," Lucy fully started weeping, "n-now dad! I wouldn't survive you."

"I wouldn't," Natsu had to stop and clear his throat because he already had. Her confession reminded him that he'd almost ruined her heart beyond repair once before after he left her for a year. She'd still had her dad then; he was young, stupid and didn't know what he was doing. He wanted to roar at his past self for doing that to her. Natsu sighed and tried again, "No one could ever decide to leave you so easily. Who would even WANT to leave you, Luce? You're the best thing that ever happened to them." Natsu paused. "You're the best thing that ever happened to me, and I couldn't leave you again if my life depended on it." He focused on the skin of her chest, not wanting to see the expression on her face. He couldn't forgive himself for the way he'd hurt her and couldn't stand to see it reflected on her face.

Lucy laughed wetly, the sound more sad then happy, as she gently framed Natsu's face with her hands and lifted it to meet her eyes. The minute onyx connected watery brown she smiled; it didn't reach her eyes but it was better than her heartbroken expression, the one she'd been wearing the past two days.

" 'We'll be together forever from now on.'" Lucy mimicked him, her voice pitched low. "Isn't that what you said when you came back?"

"Well, yeah. I've already told you that," Natsu smiled, "Is your memory okay there Luce?" She'd offered him the sun and he would be a fool not to take it. Lucy giggled and the smile on her face brightened.

"You could never let me forget, Natsu."

"Exactly," He leaned up to press his lips gently to hers, an amused grunt leaving his mouth when she shyly peaked him back. "You're stuck with me." Natsu watched as her tears slowly stopped, her eyes melting into warm chocolate and her cheeks tinted pink. She was so cute. So sweet. He got excited just looking at that expression and was quick to flip them until Lucy's back was pressed into the mattress. He pressed his mouth against her neck and couldn't stop the wide smile that hurt his cheeks when she laughed loudly, her hands anchoring on his shoulders.

"I love you," Lucy sighed. She tried to pull him flush against her, almost seeming like she wanted to crawl into his skin.

"I love you too, Luce."