It's the next day after the wizards' beach date and night of questionable drinking. The sun rose over the horizon, signaling the start of a brand new day.

"Mnnngh…" Wendy squirmed slightly under the bed sheets. There was an oddly warmer-than-usual heat radiating off towards her side, prompting her to open her eyes. She blinked a few times and rubbed her eyelids, clearing her vision and regaining her senses. She glanced at the rays of light peeking through the gap in the curtains. Is it… already morning?

As she raised her body, an intense pain shot through her head. "Gah?!" She reflexively gripped her forehead. What's this headache? Pondering the ringing pain in her head, the events of last night came to her mind. Ah…! She remembered she drank more wine than she could muster. The rest of her memories were foggy. Ugh, my head hurts… she channeled healing energy through her palms and pooled it through her head, easing some of the pain. There, much better…

Feeling a strange warmth lingering around her side, she turned her head to the left and saw Natsu sleeping. Ah, he's still asleep… Wendy inched towards him and stared at his calm expression. His sleeping face… she always found it adorable. It's a side of him only reserved for her viewing. She drew her hand to his forehead and–

"Ahn?!" Wendy winced from the sudden heat, pulling her hand back. She slowly drew her hand to his forehead again to feel the warmth. He feels… warmer than usual. It wasn't hot enough that it stung her, it just caught her off guard.

"Haahn… Hahn…" heavy breaths escaped Natsu's lips, his chest rising and falling with every breath.

"Natsu…?" Wendy's hand travelled down to his cheek and caressed him.

"Wendy… morning." Natsu smiled weakly, turning his head to her. "How… are you feeling?"

"I have a little headache…" she answered. "But I'm fine. I don't remember what happened yesterday, though…"

"I see…" he sighed in relief.

"Did I… do something weird?"

"Oh, don't worry…" he avoided her eyes. "You… passed out after drinking too much." There was no way he was going to tell her the exact events the night before.

"Sorry." She smiled wryly. "I guess I got too into the game."

"Haha, you looked like you… enjoyed yourself."

"All thanks to Erza." She replied. "She knows how to keep things exciting."

"Can't say I dis–guh!" Natsu groaned in pain.

"Natsu?" Wendy placed her palm over her forehead. His body heat rose above his typical temperature, worrying her. "You have a terrible fever…"

"I sure do..." He grunted as he shifted his body.

"Let me ease it a bit for you." Wendy channeled her energy through her palms. She couldn't heal illnesses like the fever, but she could at least make it more bearable. She drew her palms to his face–

"GAH?!" Natsu cried out in pain from the influx of energy. Her magic energy ended up sparking on him, generating electrical jolts.

"Kyah!" Wendy flinched back from the impact. W-What happened? She stared at her palms then back at Natsu. He looked even worse now! It seemed her healing encouraged the opposite effect. "Natsu!"

"Gugh…" his breathing grew fainter by the second.

"Natsu! What's wrong?!" Wendy rushed to his side, placing his head on her lap. W-What's happening to him? Why didn't my magic heal him?!

"Natsu! Wendy!" Erza slammed their room door wide open. "I thought I heard an explosion! What's going on?"

"Erza…!" Wendy turned her head to her, her own eyes welling up with tears. "It's Natsu… he's…!"

Erza ran to Natsu's side. "Natsu…" she placed her hand on his forehead and winced back from the incredible heat, similar to how Wendy reacted. "His body temperature… it's abnormally hot."

"I… I tried healing to ease his pain." She said, "But… I don't know what happened. I think I hurt him…!"

"Woah, what the hell happened to you, man?" Gray and the others entered their room.

"Oh no, did he get a fever?" Juvia asked.

"It would seem that way." Jellal replied.

Erza caressed his forehead, observing his pained expression. "Your healing didn't work on him?"

"Erza…" Jellal walked to her side. "Can you sense his magic level…?"

"…" Erza focused her senses to the flow of ethernano in his body. Indeed, there was something… odd about it. "His magic energy… it's fluctuating intensely. Can all of you feel it?"

Everyone focused on the surrounding ethernano and sure enough, the ethernano particles around Natsu were acting out of the norm.

"I would guess that his body rejected your magic." Erza deduced, stroking her chin. "I don't understand how this is happening, though."

"Look, his neck…" Gray motioned to his neck. "I think it's glowing?"

"Hmmm…?" Erza stared at his neck. A strange light glowed through his scarf. "Excuse me, Natsu…" she slowly pulled his scarf away from his neck, revealing a glowing magic circle, spreading out. "What the…"

"W-Woah… what is that?" Gray asked, looking at the magic circles. "I've never seen that before."

"It's glowing quite brightly." Juvia said.

The magic circle… it made her remember the events last night. Wendy instinctively rubbed over her neck. But I'm fine…? Mine isn't glowing at all.

"I've never seen this before either." Erza scanned the magic circle intently. "I'm not sensing anything malicious, so I doubt it's a curse."

"Hmmm… I believe you're right, Erza." Jellal placed his hand over his neck. "It doesn't seem to be inherently harmful. But his flow of ethernano… it's acting unpredictable."

"That sounds really dangerous." Gray said, his tone laced with concern. "What caused it? He seemed fine the night before."

"Was it because of the hot springs?" Juvia asked.

"I highly doubt that, Juvia." Erza crossed her arms. "It should have happened to all of us if that was the case… but it's only Natsu who's experiencing this."

Natsu… Wendy ran her fingers through his pink hair. Her heart ached painfully seeing him in this state. Knowing she can't even use her healing abilities to ease his pain made her feel useless.

"Do we have an ice pack around here?" Erza asked. "We need to take care of his fever first."

"I'll try finding one." Gray replied, turning around to leave the room. Juvia followed him.

"He's also drenched in his own sweat…" Erza grabbed a towel from their bathroom. "Wendy, mind if I wipe him?"

"O-Okay…" Wendy nodded timidly.

Moments later…

..

.

Natsu was resting motionless on the bed. Erza and Jellal helped to wipe his body while Gray and Juvia created their own ice pack and placed it on his forehead.

"He'll be… okay, right?" Wendy asked. She was really worried for him.

"… I'm sure he will be." Erza patted her head to reassure her. "Natsu's a tough guy. A fever is hardly enough to bring him down."

"This guy doesn't even know the meaning of giving up." Gray added.

"Mhmm…" Wendy bowed her head down. A hand gently caressed her cheek.

"That expression… doesn't fit you, Wendy…"

"Natsu…!" Wendy held his hand on her cheek.

"I'll be fine…" he forced a smile. "I just… need to rest."

Erza dropped her knees to the floor, placing her arms on the bed. "How are you feeling right now?"

"I… don't know." He let out a pained sigh. "It feels like my body is on… fire."

"Coming from a fire wizard such as yourself, that says a lot."

KNOCK KNOCK!

"Oh, that must be breakfast." Gray walked out of the room. "I'll get it."

"Perfect timing…" Erza stood up. "Natsu, will you be able to eat?"

"… I am pretty hungry." He said, trying to raise himself. "Guh…!" Moving his body felt like a chore.

"Don't push yourself, Natsu." Wendy gently pushed him down to the bed. At times like this, I have to be more responsible! "I'll feed you."

"That's a wonderful idea, Wendy." Erza nodded in approval. "I'll bring your portions here. Look after him." She and the others left the room to take their breakfast.

Wendy turned her attention back to Natsu. She pulled a nearby chair and sat next to the bed, facing him. She took hold of his hand, seeking reassurance. When was the last time she's seen Natsu in such a state? It looked worse than his motion sickness.

"I'm so sorry, Natsu…" she cast her gaze down.

"Sorry…?" he turned his head to her. "What'cha sorry for?"

"I tried to heal you…" she frowned. "But I made it worse… I've ended up hurting you."

"Don't worry about it, Wendy." He smiled softly. "You didn't know it could have happened."

"I know, but still…!" she tightened her grip on his hand. "I hate seeing you like this… and I can't do anything to help you."

"Wendy…" he intertwined his fingers with hers. "Don't say that… you're already a big help to me."

"Huh…?"

"Just having you right next to me is enough." He flashed his signature smile, rubbing his thumb over her hand to comfort her. "I feel safer, knowing you're here with me."

"Natsu…" She wanted to be the one to comfort him, to make him feel better… and yet, his happy-go-lucky outlook on life still shines even in sickness, easing her tension from her mind. You're always so kind to me, Natsu… she brought his hand to her lips, nuzzling against it.

"At least you're not affected by this." He closed his eyes and exhaled deeply. "That's all that matters to me."

"It's yourself you should be worried about, Natsu." Wendy chuckled lightly.

Her eyes fell on his bare neck where she marked him. The magic circles were not glowing brightly as before; they've considerable dimmed in a matter of minutes. Why… did it happen to him? She wondered as she rubbed her other hand over her neck. She felt two bite marks underneath her fingertips yet no magic circle appeared. Am I… the cause of his pain? That thought made her heart ache. When Gray asked what caused it, Wendy knew deep down the answer was herself.

But then… why didn't it happen to me? She racked her mind for an answer but couldn't come up with any. It was strange she didn't get any fever, and her magic circle didn't react in such a manner. Maybe because she had enhanced regenerative abilities, she figured. But Natsu is far stronger than me…

Perhaps another question she had to ask herself was… what did her marking Natsu mean? What did him marking her mean? She naturally followed her instincts to bite and be bitten by him. It was an amazing experience… but what did it really mean? I've never felt those… feelings before. All she knew was it made her desire him in a lustful manner. The temptations felt too good to resist.

Grandeneey… what would you tell me if you were here? She drew her gaze to the windows, staring at the sky. All she's ever learnt from her foster mother was dragon slaying magic and how to utilize it well. But when it came to the draconic elements of her being, Wendy knew next to nothing, and neither did Natsu, so she suspected Igneel did the same. Despite having trained in dragon slaying magic for years now, Wendy never got in touch with her draconic side. It was only when she and Natsu started dating that she become more aware of it.

Since last night, those dragon-like feelings haven't surfaced. Maybe because Natsu was sick. Wendy hoped his sickness wasn't directly caused by their intimacy. If that were the case, she doubted she would be able to hold herself back…

"Wendy, Natsu. I brought your portions." Erza entered their room and placed their tray of breakfast on the table. "Eat it while it's still warm."

"Thank you, Erza." Wendy smiled.

"Let us know if you need anything." Erza patted her head. "Wouldn't want our dragon slayer couple to be sad."

"E-Erza…" Wendy blushed shyly.

"Haha, enjoy your breakfast, you two." Erza waved at them as she left the room.

Wendy stood from her chair and walked to the table. The breakfast for today was porridge with an assortment of meat and veggies. This should be light enough for him to eat. On the side, there was strawberry pudding and cartons of milk. She took a big whiff of the aroma… it smells really good. She had no doubt Natsu could smell the aroma, too.

She picked up the tray of food and placed it on the small table next to Natsu's side on the bed. She grabbed a spoon and began stirring the porridge, letting the hot air out.

"Smells really good." He raised himself and rested his back against the headboard. Ugh, it's hard to move my body…

"This isn't what you're used to eating, but I think it'll help with your fever." She sat down on her chair and placed a bowl of porridge on her lap.

"Hey, food is food." He let out a little laugh. "I'll take what I can get."

Natsu attempted to reach out for a spoon, but Wendy snatched it away before he could even take it.

"W-Wendy?" he raised his brows in confusion.

"Take it easy, Natsu." She took a spoonful of the porridge. "You shouldn't be straining yourself."

"Err, it's not that bad…?" he scratched the side of his neck. "I can eat just fine."

"At times like this, you should rely on your girlfriend." Wendy blushed, moving the spoon to this mouth. I might not be able to heal him, but I can do this for him at least!

"H-Huh…?" Natsu blinked at her and at the spoon. "What do you mean? What are you…?"

"I'll… feed you, Natsu." She said with a bashful smile. "You can just rest easy there."

"Mhmm…" Natsu ruffled his hair. Wendy feeding me…? Perhaps under earlier circumstances, he would be totally fine with her feeding him. But the fact it was not just Wendy, but his girlfriend… heat rose in his cheeks. W-Why am I getting embarrassed over this? A comfortable warmth spread over his chest, but he couldn't explain why.

"Say Aaaaah…" Wendy drew the spoon to his lips.

"What am I, a kid?" he chuckled as he opened his mouth. If she wants to do this, then… he chomped down on the spoon, receiving the taste of the porridge.

"H-How does it taste…?" she asked as she pulled the spoon out.

"… good, I guess?" he averted his gaze, a faint red appearing on his cheeks. He was so focused on the fact she was feeding him he couldn't taste the food properly. Just the little gesture made his feelings act up.

Wendy tilted her head in curiosity. His cheeks are red…oh! "Aww, are you embarrassed, Natsu?"

"W-What?" he scoffed. "N-No, why would I be embarrassed?"

"Oh, I don't know~…" She gave a teasing smile and leaned forward. "Maybe because your adorable girlfriend is feeding you?"

Adorable, huh? Well, he wouldn't deny Wendy was extremely adorable. Who would have thought just spending time like this with her could set his feelings ablaze… there's still a lot for me to learn about love, huh?

"Here comes another one!" Wendy drew another spoonful of porridge to his mouth.

"Haha…"

The dragon slayers shared a warm moment over a warm breakfast. Despite his sickness, they both deeply cherished the time they spent together.

After breakfast…

..

.

Wendy carried the dishes outside the room to the kitchen sink. She told Natsu to take it easy and rest for the day. He didn't like the idea, but his fever and weak body convinced him otherwise.

As she washed the dishes, her mind wandered to their bite marks. She figured that must have been the cause of his pain, though it didn't explain why it didn't affect her in any way. What does this mean…?

"Wendy."

"Mhmm…?" Wendy turned her head to the voice and saw Erza.

"Done with breakfast, I see. How's Natsu doing?" she asked.

"He's resting now." Wendy replied. "I didn't want him to move out of bed."

"Ah, good to hear that." She placed her hands on her hips. "Natsu's a bundle of energy. He'll have to put up with boredom for a while."

"Yeah, he complained about it." She sighed, focusing on getting the dishes done. "But it's for the best…"

"... Is something on your mind, Wendy?" Erza gently held her shoulder. "You can talk to me about it."

Wendy shifted her gaze to Erza. It was nice, having a dependable older sister. I can't stop worrying about Natsu… it must have been obvious from her expression. A lot of questions swirled in her mind. Questions she didn't know how to answer. Questions that may shed light on their situation if they could be answered.

If only there were someone who knew about dragons…

"… Erza, could I ask you something?" Wendy asked. An idea briefly flashed through her mind.

"Go ahead."

"Could I… borrow your communication lacrima?" Wendy motioned to the device around her waist.

"Oh, sure." Erza took the lacrima device out and handed it to her. "Do you want to make a call to the guild?"

"Y-Yeah…" she took the lacrima device from her hand. "There's… someone I want to talk to."

"I see." She folded her arms. "Am I right to assume it's about Natsu's condition?"

Wendy nodded in response. "I'm quite curious as to why it's happening to him."

"Me too." she hummed, stroking her chin in deep thought. "I wonder what caused the magic circle to appear in the first place."

"… It's because of me." Wendy bowed her head, staring at the device in her hands.

"… Huh?" Erza cocked her head at an angle. "What do you mean by that, Wendy?"

Figuring it was easier if she saw it with her own eyes, Wendy pulled the collar of her robe to show her bite marks to Erza.

"O-Oh." She blinked in surprise. "I didn't realize you have those marks, too. They greatly resemble the ones Natsu had. But how did they appear?"

"Y-Yeah…" Wendy twiddled with her hair bang. "We… marked each other."

"… Oh?"

"L-Last night, at the hot springs…" Wendy's face glowed a faint red. "Things got a little heated between… me and Natsu."

"…" Erza processed her words for a moment. Last night, in the bath…? They marked each other? If Wendy's expression and words were any indication, then that could only mean…!

"W-WHAT?!" Erza frantically waved her hands around in shock, her face heating up at the revelation. "You and Natsu–"

"N-Not so loud, Erza!" Wendy shushed her.

"Y-You went all the way last night?! With him?!"

"N-No, we haven't gone that far yet!"

"YET?!"

"E-Err, I mean…!"

Both girls had very flustered and crimson expressions on their faces. This was certainly not a conversation to have in the morning out in the living room.

"My, oh, my…" Erza twirled with her hair around her finger. "You're certainly a dragon, Wendy. In more ways than one…"

"E-Erza…" Wendy scratched her cheek awkwardly.

"So you two… bit each other's necks?"

"… We did." Just remembering the memory was getting her hot and bothered.

"… I see, and you think that might have led to his fever and abnormal magic level?"

"Y-Yeah…"

"But it seems you're unaffected by that." Erza stroked her chin. "That's irregular, to say the least."

"That's why I think I'd like to talk to someone who might be knowledgeable about this…"

"A good idea. I'll leave you to that, then." She drew her mouth closer to her ears and whispered. "Oh, and I would like to hear everything that happened between you and Natsu last night. Later."

"A-Ahah…" she gave an awkward laugh. I'm sensing another girls' time soon…

Erza left her to her own company and decided to check on Natsu. Wendy activated the lacrima device and opened up a communication line to the Fairy Tail guild. After a few moments, a holographic image of a certain white-haired bartender appeared.

"Oh, Wendy!" Mirajane gave her usual bubbly smile. "I was not expecting you to call, but it's a welcome surprise!"

"Hi, Mira!" Wendy greeted. "I hope the guild's been doing well."

"Oh, it sure is. Though it's been getting rather lonely here without you all, but we'll get by!" Mirajane giggled. "How's the trip so far?"

"Oh, it's been really fun! We're really grateful to you, Mira."

"That's lovely to hear! You can tell me all about it once you come back!" she clasped her hands together. "Is there something you need, Wendy?"

"Ah, yes…" Wendy cleared her throat. "I was wondering if… I could talk to Gajeel? Is he there?"

"Oh, Gajeel? Hold on…" a moment of silence followed. Wendy assumed she was looking for him and passing the device onto him.

"Hey, pipsqueak. What business d'ya have with me?" Gajeel answered, his tone indifferent. "Didn't expect 'a call from you."

"Ah, hey Gajeel…" she rubbed her neck. "I… wanted to ask you something related to… dragons."

"Dragons?" Gajeel crossed his arms. "I know as much as the next Salamander but go ahead."

"Ah, well, you see…" Wendy organized the words in her mind. "It's… also related to you and Levy."

"Huh? Levy…?" Gajeel's ears perked up at his lover's name. "Get to the point."

"Err…" Wendy took a deep breath. This is awkward to ask… "Have you… marked Levy? Maybe you've bitten her neck or something…?"

"Marked her…? Bitten her neck?" Gajeel raised his brows in confusion. That was a very specific question. "What are ya asking?"

"I don't know." Wendy briefly raised her shoulders. "Don't things get… heated up between you two?"

"…" Gajeel's mouth went agape, as if he just remembered something. "Hey, aren't you and Salamander a thing now?"

"… Mhmm." Blushing, Wendy replied with only a nod.

"So that's what this is about, huh?" Gajeel smirked, feeling proud of his little sister. "The great and mighty Salamander got tamed by a little girl?"

"G-Gajeel!" Wendy fumed. Although, the idea of taming Natsu was… interesting.

"Gihee, just paying my respects to you, lil' pipsqueak." Gajeel laughed heartily. "Anyway, no. I've never made any permanent mark on Levy. Never felt the need to if that's what yer' asking."

"I see…" Wendy nodded in understanding. Gajeel didn't experience it…? The difference between them was Levy–she wasn't a dragon slayer which led her to think: does it only happen between dragon slayers, then?

"I'm not the right person to ask for this. I'll pass you to miss shrimp over here. Have some girl-to-girl talk."

A moment of silence followed again before a familiar voice answered.

"Hey, Wendy!" Levy greeted cheerfully. "Gajeel just told me you and Natsu became a couple! It's a bit late to say this, but congratulations to both of you!"

"T-Thank you, Levy…" Wendy smiled shyly.

"I would have never guessed you two were together… I'm going to ask you a lot about it later!" Levy put on her glasses. "Anyway, I heard from Gajeel you wanted to ask about dragons…?"

"Yeah." She rested her arms on the counter. "It's… about me and Natsu."

"I see. I see!" Levy grinned brightly. "I think I might have some books here. Give me a moment…"

Levy often spent her time in the guild's library. She loved reading, and many would consider her a bookworm. Maybe she has something about dragon slayers…? And speaking of libraries, does the resort have one?

"I don't really have anything related to dragon slayers, unfortunately." Levy dropped a book on the table. "Though I do have some comprehensive books about dragons in general."

"Oh, that would be more than enough. What are the books about?"

The bluenettes shared a short discussion about books pertaining to dragons. Wendy asked Levy to mention the titles to her so she could search for them in the resort hopefully. She didn't want to take too much of Levy's time.

"Those are the best books I could think of. Hopefully you'll find something useful there!"

"Thank you, Levy!" Wendy gave a grateful smile. "I really appreciate your help."

"Anytime, Wendy! Let me know if you find anything worth reading there!" Levy winked in a suggestive manner. "Let me know how things go with Natsu… if you know what I mean!"

"L-Levy!"

After the conversation was over and the communication line ended, Wendy heaved a heavy sigh.

"How'd it go?" Erza asked, noticing she was done talking.

"Oh, it went well." Wendy replied, handing the lacrima device back to her. "Do you know if this resort has a library?"

"I recall reading about a library on the brochure." Erza crossed her arms, leaning her head to a shoulder. "Will you be heading there?"

"I think I will." Wendy put her hands on her hips. I've got really nothing better to do…

"I see." Erza nodded, then gave her a map of the resort's facilities. "I believe this will prove beneficial in your hands."

"Oh, thank you!" Wendy scanned the contents of the map. Yeah, I can get to the library this way!

"Ah, I just wanted to let you know Natsu's sound asleep now." She informed. "The boredom has got to him, I imagine."

Natsu… if he weren't sick, maybe she could have asked him to come along. Then again, I wouldn't really think to learn more about dragons if this didn't happen.

"I'll check up on him for a bit." Wendy said, then walked to her room. Natsu was indeed sleeping, rather peacefully too, by the looks of it. She walked to his side and gently caressed his pink hair. He looks so calm…she noticed his mark was still glowing, albeit faintly. He'll be all right… I'm sure of it.

Wendy leaned on to his forehead and planted a loving kiss.

Sleep well, Natsu.