Haloha, everyone! Hope you're having a good day. Life's been really busy here. So bunch of stuff happened during the past few weeks, and I'm... in quarantine for a while. I apologize for no chapter last week. Chapter uploads might be slow while I get things sorted out here...

Anyhow, enjoy reading!


Chapter 44: Heart to Heart, Mark to Mark


"…!"

Natsu's eyes shot wide open, his senses becoming fully alert. He stared at the ceiling, his mind slowly regaining awareness of his surroundings.

Ugh, my head hurts…

He gripped his head and rubbed it to ease the pain. Pushing himself up by the elbows, he turned his head to the windows. No sun rays were passing through the glass. In fact, it was completely dark!

What… time is it?

He gave a quick glance at the clock and saw it was a few hours after midnight. Woah, it's really early in the morning… he didn't expect to wake up this early.

"Mnnh…"

Natsu's ears perked up as he recognized the sound of the faint breathing beside him. He turned his head and saw the face of a little bluenette sleeping beside him. A face he recognized all too well.

Wendy…

Her expression looked calm and adorable in his eyes. Her hands were wrapped around his arm. She kept me company while I was sick, didn't she? It finally clicked in his mind that yesterday, Wendy wanted to be there for him while he rested in bed.

Natsu drew his hand to her face and gently stroked her cheek. Her skin was always so soft to touch. He brushed some of her bangs away to clear her face. She's sleeping peacefully…

He tossed his blanket away and was about to slide his legs off the bed, but quickly remembered something crucial. More specifically, words that Wendy had told him a while back…

"I want to wake up together with you from now on."

Earlier, Wendy had expressed her interest in waking up together with him. Natsu took her words close to heart. After all, he hated seeing her sad, especially if he were the cause of her sadness. But now that he was awake, he felt rather… perplexed. Seeing Wendy's calm, sleeping face left him with mixed feelings. Not to mention that it was practically midnight. Should he wake her up at this time? Would she feel disturbed? These questions swirled around his mind. I don't want to disturb her sleep…

Shrugging his shoulders, Natsu carefully pulled his arm and slid his legs off the bed so as to not wake her up. I'll let her sleep. Don't wanna bother her… was the decision he ended up figured she needed all the rest from looking after him.

Right after his feet touch the cold floor, Natsu felt himself being yanked back onto the bed by his scarf. Slender arms tightly coiled around his chest.

"What did I say about –yawn…–waking up together?"

"W-Wendy?!" Natsu's eyes widened in surprise. "You're awake?"

"I felt cold all of a sudden." She snuggled closer to him. "I had a feeling you were trying to escape."

"Heh, really?" Natsu poked her nose. I wouldn't say I was escaping… "You look very tired."

"No, I'm wide awake…" she tightened her arms around him, her eyes still shut. "Just… give me a minute."

"It's pretty early to be waking up." He chuckled, brushing her forelock. "You don't have to push yourself."

"I said give me a minute." She pouted, repeating herself in a sterner tone, which Natsu found rather endearing.

"Haha, okay, okay."

Natsu waited in bed as he let Wendy cuddle with him. One minute, two minutes, three minutes passed… and Wendy had not budged even a single inch, to which he concluded that she was asleep.

I'll just… he dragged his arm away again, but she quickly reclaimed it back, hugging it tightly.

"Wendy…"

"I'm awake, I'm awake…" she said, which was quickly followed by another yawn. "Give me another minute…"

"Just sleep, Wendy." He suggested. "Get some rest."

"No." she puffed her cheeks out, her eyes still not opening even once. "I want to wake up together with you." And she was also craving his comfortable warmth during the chilly night.

"We can do that tomorrow, y'know?" he ran his fingers through her silky blue hair. "Doesn't have to be today."

"But I also want you here… with me." A faint blush appeared on her cheeks.

"I'll be in the living room. I'm not going anywhere."

"I have a better idea…" she buried her head into the crook of his neck, taking in his comfy scent which tingled its way through her heart. "You can continue sleeping till morning arrives."

"I'm not really feeling sleepy at all, though."

"Mnnguh…" she weakly slammed her fist on his chest. "Just stay here with me."

"… You're quite clingy, you know?" Natsu let out a little laugh.

"I think you already knew that." She smiled.

"I guess I could stay here for a while…" he reluctantly gave in to her. He found it difficult to turn down a request from his adorable girlfriend.

"Hehe, you better not sneak your way out of here."

"No promises."

"Hmph." She hugged him as if he were a body pillow to keep him in place.

Natsu slipped his arm under her neck, wrapping his hand around her blue head. He stroked her hair with gentle motions, easing her back to sleep. A warm feeling rose in his chest, just simply being with her. If there was a scenario he could compare this to, it would be when he was hanging out with Lucy in her bed. It was always fun, except there were these romantic feelings which he never experienced before. He wasn't the kind of guy to stay still in place because frankly, it bored him. But with Wendy… it just felt different.

It felt right.

"Oh, I forgot to ask, Natsu…"

"What's up?"

"How's your head feeling?"

Natsu drew his hand to his forehead. Interestingly enough, the ringing headache from moments ago disappeared. As if yesterday's events never happened.

"I feel… awesome, actually!" Natsu grinned.

"Really?" Wendy asked, her tone full of concern. "You feel great? Nothing feels off?"

"Yeah!" Natsu clenched his fist, generating mini sparks of flame. "I could take down a thousand guys! No sweat!"

"I see…" she sighed in relief. I'm really glad he's doing okay… Wendy wouldn't know what to do herself if the little ritual they performed yesterday was all for nothing.

"Wouldn't have gotten better without you, Wendy." Natsu planted a little kiss on her forehead. "Thanks!"

'Mnnh…" Wendy finally opened her eyes to look at his onyx ones. He gave her a warm smile, a smile she found reassuring… and genuine. Often, Natsu would put up a front for her sake, even if he was in pain. Memories of their Nightglades mission flashed through her mind. She never wanted to experience those memories again… to see Natsu in so much pain.

This time, she believed he was truly fine. Over time, she's gotten better at reading Natsu's expressions. Ironically, because he's so straightforward, it's sometimes hard to get a read on his mind.

"Lucy would often kick me and Happy off the bed."

"Hmmm…?"

"Sometimes, she'd wake up in the middle of the night and find us sleeping there."

"Oh, right… you and Happy like to sleep in her room, don't you?" Wendy asked.

"Haha, her bed's much more comfortable than my own." He grinned. "But this bed takes the cake! Never slept on anything like this before."

"Huh, I see…" she hummed in response. This bed is quite fluffy. Compared to her bed back in Fairy Hills, she'd rather much sleep here. First was because the bed was rather comfortable to sleep in. Second was…

Mhmm, I wonder if Natsu would sneak into my bed… in the past, she might have been against the idea. We're… lovers now. It's fine to want to sleep with each other, right? But she had a feeling Erza would have him impaled on her sword before he even realized.

"Natsu, do you know why I enjoy sleeping in this bed?"

"Because it's soft? Fluffy?" he replied. What other reason could there be?

"That's definitely a part of the reason…," she slowly straddled over him, looking into his eyes, "but I enjoy it more because… we're sleeping together."

"O-Oh…" A faint blush began appearing on his cheeks. Her answer took him by surprise. He figured she did enjoy this closeness they were sharing, he just didn't expect to hear it directly from her lips. It made him feel things for her.

"Do you… enjoy these moments we share in bed, Natsu?" she asked, caressing his cheek with her thumb. "I, uh... know I can be quite clingy, but I hope this isn't bothering you."

Wendy noticed she acted clingier around him recently. She wasn't sure when this started, but she desired to be near him whenever possible. It felt like her instincts were telling her. Now when did these instincts start taking form? She did not know.

"… No, of course not, Wendy." Natsu smiled softly, drawing his hand to her cheek. Not once has he ever felt bothered being with her. He always found her presence so soothing, so healing. A warmth he could never generate from his own flames but could only receive from her sincere feelings. Of course, he didn't know how to put this into words.

"Do you still remember our mission back at Nightglades?" she asked.

"That was one hell of a mission…" he nodded. "We got to fight lots of powerful guys!"

"We nearly died, Natsu…" Wendy sighed into his neck. Out of all things to remember… "There's no way you could have forgotten that."

"We made it out alive!" he grinned. "It's gonna take much more than that to bring us down!"

I'm only alive because you saved me. Wendy felt she would never be able to repay him for all he did for her. Even then, he still accepted my feelings…

"But… I was scared back then."

"Huh?" Wendy tilted her head at a curious angle. "Scared?" It was rare to hear Natsu speak about his own fears.

"When I thought I couldn't save you…" he averted his gaze. "When I thought I lost you."

"Oh, Natsu…" Wendy intertwined her fingers with his hand, which was on her cheek. I was… afraid of losing you, too…

"More than anything, I just wanted you to make it." He shut his eyes. "Even if I–"

"Stop right there." Wendy silenced his lips with her finger. "Don't finish that sentence."

"Mnnh..?" Natsu blinked twice, confused.

"Now you know how I felt." She continued. "When I saw the man I love lying lifeless on the cold, dead ground… my heart nearly stopped."

Ah, right… Wendy had been crushing on him for a long time. It's like when I thought I lost Lucy… he was filled with anger, eyes seething with rage of the Devil, wanting to incinerate everything into ashes. How did Wendy feel? Seeing the person she held dear to her heart nearly die.

"Sorry." He whispered, unsure of how to handle these inexperienced feelings. "I just…"

"When I slept in your arms, Natsu…" Wendy rested her ear against his chest. "You… made me feel safe, forget all about the worries the world was throwing at us."

After we fell down the waterfall… those memories slowly passed through his mind one by one. Relatively speaking, it really didn't mean much to him as it did to her. Natsu did whatever he could to keep her safe. It was just second nature to him. As his fellow guild member and little sister. I wonder if I've had feelings for her before then…?

"I… want to do the same for you, too." Wendy nuzzled her head to him. "I want to be someone where you can feel… safe and home."

Natsu curled his arm around her head, stroking the back of her long hair. You've already achieved that, Wendy.

"I want to protect you… as you've protected me." She brushed her thumb against his lip. Her touch tingled through his nerves. "You're my… mate, Natsu. I don't want anything bad to happen to you."

Mate… it was something he instinctively understood, but he couldn't exactly pinpoint the words to describe it.

"Wendy, you're an amazing person, you know that?" Natsu flashed his signature smile, a smile she was always so fond of. "I've never thought less of you."

"Come on… you're just saying that to make me happy…" she puffed her cheeks out, though an inkling of a smile was forming on the corner of her lips.

"… I bet you are." He smirked, noticing her subtle smile.

"S-Shut up…" she buried her head into his chest, hiding her expression. Being praised by Natsu was such a wonderful feeling. A feeling she'd never get tired of.

"But seriously… you really are amazing." Natsu wrapped his arms around her delicate frame, holding her close to his heart. "We've been on so many adventures together. Things wouldn't be the same without you."

"Mnnh…" Wendy sighed. "Be honest with me, Natsu. How did you feel when you found out I was in Lamia Scale?"

"Isn't it obvious?" he raised his brows. "I was shocked, Wendy! I could have never imagined you'd leave Fairy Tail! It's like losing a family member!"

"You're the last person I expected to hear that from." she grumbled.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Like you didn't disappear suddenly, leaving everyone behind."

"Ah."

"For a year, if I may add."

"Er…"

And you only told Lucy! Wendy kept that to herself since that wasn't really relevant, but he still could have told me!

"I didn't really mean to–"

"I was really hurt, Natsu." She clasped both of his cheeks. "I cried every night into my bed after realizing you'd never return to Fairy Tail… to me."

"…" Natsu could only remain silent. He was sure his disappearance caused Lucy a lot of pain, and it made him feel bad. He couldn't face Lucy head on when she confronted him about it. But knowing Wendy was affected to this extent, it left a terrible taste in his mouth. I never realized…

"I tried so hard to move on… but how could I?" Tears began welling up in her eyes. "You're too important to me. I didn't want to let go of these feelings. I couldn't let go of these feelings."

"Wendy…" A tinge of guilt appeared in his chest, seeing her expression.

"But a miracle happened." She sniffed. "You came back… to find me and bring me home."

Natsu softly hummed in response as he rubbed the tears away from her wet cheeks. Of course, I would…

"I was so happy to see you again… to be close to you." She leaned into his tender touch. "But then, I nearly lost you again during the Nightglades mission."

I see… it finally clicked with Natsu what she was getting at. She feared that one day, he might not stand by her side anymore. He always put Wendy's safety above his own, but he never bothered to consider how she felt.

"I'd never leave your side, Wendy." He smiled softly. "I ain't leaving you or Fairy Tail in a million years!"

"I'll believe you when I see it." She squeezed his cheeks. "You have a knack for getting yourself into trouble."

"Aw, come on… it's not that bad." I think. He chuckled awkwardly.

"Natsu, you disappeared from my life! And this isn't the first time!" she cried out, gripping on to his white scarf, her fingers digging into them. "You've nearly lost your life twice!"

At this moment, Natsu noticed a faint light glowing around her neck. It was the mark on her neck fading into existence, further activated by the powerful feelings she was harboring from him. His mark also activated, responding to hers and receiving all her feelings. A rush of emotions flowed through Natsu, emotions that screamed pain, sadness, concern… the very same emotions he understood from her words.

"I… I don't know what to do with myself if I lose you!" more tears streamed down her cheeks. "If I couldn't heal you… if I couldn't save you!"

Her mark glowed even stronger, and it seemed Wendy wasn't aware of it. Natsu wondered what these glowing marks were, but all thoughts quickly left his mind, being replaced by the emotions flowing from her.. All that mattered to him now was calming her down and letting her know everything would be okay.

Natsu wrapped his arms around her in a gentle embrace, enveloping her with his warmth. She's trembling…

"Wendy…" he tucked her head under his chin. "Thank you for worrying about me."

"Mnngh…" her grip on his scarf loosened. Just as it always did, being in his embrace did wonders for her heart. It's where she felt she belonged.

"I don't really worry about myself because I have you to heal me." He closed his eyes. "I have full faith in you."

"How can you say that so easily?" she rubbed some of her tears away. "What if I can't–"

"Because I love you, Wendy." He grinned. "That's all there is to it."

His words left her dumbstruck. There was zero hesitance in his voice.

"And we're mates now, aren't we?" he nuzzled his nose against her forehead. He still didn't understand a lot about mates, but he knew he shared a special bond with her. "No way I'm gonna let anything bad happen to me."

"Mnnh…" she raised her head to look at him. His eyes… they were always so gentle. Doubt still persisted in her mind. She had been harboring feelings for him for such a long time, and now that they were lovers, even mates, her worries had amplified.

Natsu stroked her cheek with his thumb. He simply leaned forward and gave her a peck on the cheek, taking her by surprise. "You worry too much."

"And you don't worry enough." She blushed at the sudden sensation of his warm lips. Still, it was comforting to her senses.

"That's why you're here to do all the worrying for me." He let out a little laugh as he rested his hands on the small of her back.

Wendy ended up cracking up a smile. He has such a happy-go-lucky attitude… she inched herself forward, holding his face with both her hands. Her eyes travelled down to his parted lips…

Natsu gazed at her innocently, rubbing the rest of her tears away. "I won't let anything bad happen to me, Wendy."

"Promise me that."

"I–"

Before he could respond, she closed the distance between their faces, sealing his lips with her own. The mark glowed once more, sending out feelings of calmness, comfort, warmth to his nerves a complete opposite of the emotions she emitted earlier.

Wendy pulled away from his lips, looking at him with half-lidded eyes and flushed cheeks. A face that enraptured Natsu's senses, igniting his draconic instincts.

"Wendy…" Natsu traced his fingers around her chin, lifting it up slightly. He had a little more control over these instincts, and he only understood that it made him want her. "Can I… kiss you?"

"… You don't have to ask." Wendy closed her eyes, surrendering herself to him.

Natsu tilted his head, bringing her face closer to meet his lips. Their lips mere inches away, he froze.

"Natsu…?" Wendy opened her eyes, confused and a bit annoyed that he stopped.

"Should we really be intruding on them?"

Wendy's ears perked up. She followed Natsu's line of sight, and her eyes landed on the door. Specifically, their room door.

"Guys, I don't think this is a good idea…"

"Gray darling, I feel like I'm watching something I shouldn't have…"

"Then why are you here?!"

"I thought he was sick, but it seems even that doesn't hinder his flames of passion for his beloved Wendy!"

"…" Wendy jumped off the bed and walked to the door. She opened it up and saw three familiar faces staring back at her.

"Ah." They all froze.

"… Good morning, Wendy." Erza coughed into her fist nonchalantly.

"Y-Yo…" Gray waved his hand. "Just so you know, this wasn't my idea…"

"But you were still curious enough to join, darling!" Juvia pouted.

"W-What are you all three doing here?!" Wendy huffed, pointing at them.

"Oh, morning, guys." Natsu walked to her side. "You're all up early."

"Erza woke us up." Gray sighed, ruffling his hair. "Said she sensed something spicy in the air or something."

"Spicy? Did you sense spicy food, Erza?!" Natsu's eyes sparkled, completely oblivious to her true intentions.

"That's not what she mean–"

"You're looking better, Natsu." Erza placed her hand on his shoulder, shifting the conversation. "How are you feeling?"

"I'm feeling great!" Natsu wrapped his arm around Wendy's shoulders. "All thanks to Wendy! She made me feel amazing!"

"She made you feel amazing, eh?" Erza smirked, casting a suggestive glance to Wendy.

"I wonder what she did…" Juvia placed a finger on her chin, letting her mind run with wild scenarios. "Oh, could it be that she–"

"Whatever you're thinking, don't." Gray covered her mouth.

"I only performed a healing spell on him!" Wendy raised her hands defensively. "That's all I did! Nothing else!"

"Sure, sure." Erza patted her head, nodding. "You did nothing else."

"Erzaaaa!" A faint red appeared across Wendy's cheeks.

"It's good you're feeling better, Natsu." Gray cut in. "Don't let Wendy babysit you."

"Hey, she wasn't babysitting me!" Natsu fumed, ready to throw arms.

"Nice to see you two back to your usual back-and-forths." Juvia smiled, putting her hands behind her back.

Now that he was back to his usual self, the group also returned to its usual chattering.

"What do you all say to getting some early breakfast?" Erza suggested, crossing her arms.

"I'm down for it." Gray and Juvia nodded.

"Ugh, do we have to take the elevator?" Natsu frowned. Even his motion sickness was consistent.

"Oh, we'll be using the elevator a lot." Erza gave a devilish smile as she turned around. "I'll go wake up Jellal and see if he wants to join."

"Alright, we'll hang out in the living room." Gray took Juvia's hand and walked away, leaving the dragon slayers to their company.

Well, that was something… Wendy heaved out a sigh. At least things are back to usual.

"So…," Natsu turned to her, "can I still have that kiss?"

"Right here?" Wendy's eyes widened. In front of others is a bit…

"It doesn't matter to me." Natsu crouched to her level. "As long as I can get a morning kiss to kick start my day!"

"Is that so…?" Wendy giggled softly. If he isn't bothered by it, then I don't have to worry. She closed her eyes, and she drew her lips to–

CRASH!

"W-What the?!" Natsu and Wendy flinched from the loud, destructive sound. They both dashed to the living room and saw Gray and Juvia looking through the window.

"What was that?" Erza rushed out of her room and Jellal followed behind, his eyes on high alert. "An explosion?"

"I think it's more than an explosion…" Gray said. "Look."

Everyone looked through the windows. Below, they could see giant clouds of smoke spreading through the air. Soon, multiple tentacles ascended through the ocean's surface, destroying everything in sight. Some of the resort's defense systems activated, but they couldn't even scratch the intruders.

BEEP BEEP BEEP!

"ATTENTION! AN INVASION HAS OCCURRED AT THE RESORT. WIZARD ENFORCERS HAVE BEEN DISPATCHED TO CONTAIN THE THREAT. WE ASK EVERYONE TO REMAIN CALM AND STAY IN –"

BRHHK!

The voice was cut off, replaced with incomprehensible static, as if it were hijacked.

"An attack on the resort?" Jellal placed his hands on the window glass. This is concerning…

Those tentacles look oddly familiar… Erza's eyes narrowed. "Let's go."

"Go where?" Gray raised his brows. "You don't mean…"

"Down to take care of them." She said, "it appears we have unfinished business."

Everyone's minds, except Natsu, immediately clicked. They all shared similar thoughts once they caught a glimpse of the tentacles, which resembled something they fought very recently…

"I don't want anyone bothering our vacation." Gray clenched his fists. "Let's take care of this."

"I'm with you all the way, Gray darling!" Juvia clapped her hands together.

And I just woke up… Jellal silently sighed to himself.

"Hell yeah!" Natsu slammed his fist and palm together. "I've been itching for a fight since I woke up. Time to beat some bad guys!"

"Don't push yourself." Wendy tugged on his shirt. He may have recovered, but she couldn't be too sure.

"With Natsu here, we'll be able to fight at full strength." Erza requipped into her default armor. "Let's move out!"

"Right!"

The Fairy Tail wizards sprinted to the elevator to descend to the resort's ground level to take on the familiar threat. With Natsu here, they could put on a better fight against them.

The battle ahead will bring many new surprises…

especially for the dragon slayers.