Hi! Hope the start of the new year is going well for you all! But if you're struggling, like I've been already lol, I hope this new chapter with our fave dorks in love can help make your day a little better with another bit of a treat of a longer chapter (＾ω＾)
Also fair warning that we're diving more into our *mature* rating with some spicy moments towards the end of the chapter, so innocent eyes feel free to look away ;) but I know we all ain't that innocent around here when it comes to our otps, come on, bruh.
Enjoy!
The next couple weeks passed by quickly. Lucy had gotten into the routine of staying over his house several times during the week. He loved being able to wake up with her those mornings before she left for work and be there to greet her when she got back. Even when it was a bit later because of some of her night classes. Though, each time reminded him how big and empty the house felt when she wasn't there.
It was the weekend again and he'd finally gotten around to fixing up some things around the house and backyard yesterday while Lucy did some work on her laptop on the dining table. Then they'd made a nice dinner and flopped onto the couch with his head on Lucy's lap as she ran her fingers through his hair and he loved every content moment of it.
Then today had been… decent, all things considered. Natsu had woken up with a migraine that stubbornly lingered until the afternoon, making him feel sluggish and out of it for most of the day. Maybe he'd tried to do too much yesterday after all.
Lucy must have seen he was struggling, and all the little unspoken things throughout the day didn't go unnoticed. How she helped him with his meds and gave him some hot soothing tea with a warm lingering kiss to his temple when he sat out on the back deck this morning, just needing a moment to himself and hoping the cool fresh air would help. How her fingers worked their magic on his shoulder again with that good cream, melting the tension from him. He thanked her with a sweet, slow kiss, hoping she could feel his appreciation through it, when they curled up on the couch after, just wanting to be near her warmth.
Now, the credits started rolling on the movie that they had been watching in the living room after dinner. Lucy was warm against his side, comforting and safe.
Usually, she went back to her apartment Sunday nights before the start of the week but he really didn't feel like being alone tonight, as much as it felt off to admit it to himself.
"Luce, can… can you stay tonight?" He found himself murmuring, scratching the back of his neck.
Lucy looked over after stretching her arms over her head. "Everything okay?" Her expression shifted with some concern.
Natsu took a slow breath. "Yeah… yeah, I just don't… uh, I-"
He felt her softly palm his cheek, bringing his gaze back up to hers. "Of course I can stay." Lucy's smile was warm, eyes understanding.
Natsu leaned into her touch, grateful that they knew each other that well to have that strong unspoken connection.
They made it up to his room, settling under the covers. Natsu breathed in deeply, enjoying the warm comforting weight of Lucy cuddled up to his chest, her fingers tracing shapes on his side with the hand that laid over his waist, one leg tangled up in his. Natsu's own fingers sifted through her soft hair as he breathed in the familiar scent of her shampoo in the comfortable silence.
"Thank you… for everything today," Natsu whispered against her temple after a while, tracing lines along her back.
Lucy's content sigh tickled the skin of his neck before she pulled up a bit to look up at him, amber eyes soft.
Natsu took another slow breath as she reached up to push back his hair from his forehead, fingers tracing the line of his brow and moving to trail along his jaw, gentle over his scar with a warm fond look in her eyes.
"Anything for you."
His chest swelled, pulling her closer against him and slowly leaning in to press a tender kiss to her lips. He breathed in her soft sound of content, her fingers threading through his hair, nails scoring his scalp softly, making him sigh happily into the kiss.
"I'll make you a good early breakfast to make it up to you," Natsu smiled against her lips.
"You don't have to," Lucy breathed an airy laugh, thumb brushing across his temple, "but I think I like the sound of that."
He kissed her cheek before they shared a meaningful look. "I love you, Luce."
"Love you too, Natsu," Lucy said softly, adoration reflecting in her eyes in the moonlight. She leaned in to press her lips to his again in a slow kiss that sent tingles up his spine.
They shared a few more soft kisses before the pull of sleep became too strong.
Natsu did keep his word and got up to make something good for breakfast while she was in the shower the next morning before she had to head out for work. Content to take in the quiet of the early morning before she greeted him downstairs with a bright smile he couldn't help but kiss.
It really was his favorite sight to see most mornings they spent together like that and he really hoped they would continue to have more of them.
The week passed by quickly and before he knew it, Friday morning was here again and Natsu was sitting at the kitchen island, quiet save for the music he had playing on the speaker.
It had been a decent night, but he'd still felt a bit sluggish when he woke up this morning so he'd gotten up early and went out to work out in the set up he had in the garage. Which had helped him feel a bit better.
He came back in, made himself and Happy a little something to eat and settled at the kitchen island. Now, a sudden ringing from the speaker broke him from his thoughts. He picked up his phone beside him, seeing it was a call from Sting.
"Hey, Sting… what d'you need?" Natsu smirked when he answered.
"Wh- nothing! I can't just call my very good friend and see how he's doing?" Natsu could hear the wide smile in his voice from here.
"Hm, you can, but I can already tell from that tone in your voice that it's more than that."
Sting laughed. "Alright, alright fine. I was callin' 'cause it's a little last minute but, having a little something for Rogue's birthday tomorrow if you and Lucy wanna come, it would be great to see you guys."
"Oh, that sounds cool. I'll ask Lucy, but I'm sure she'll want to," Natsu said.
"Yeah! Then you guys can see the new place and everything… we also got these cool wooden tables and benches for the backyard andddd was wonderin' if you could help me out in your truck?"
"Ah, there it is," Natsu laughed.
"C'mon, please? The delivery fee is crazy and I know it's last minute and I'm sorry but I'll buy you something good for lunch I promise."
"Hmmm." Natsu pretended to think. He was going to say yes from the start but he could never resist an opportunity to tease his friends a bit. "Alright, guess I'm in."
Natsu shook his head at Sting's cheer in his ear. "Thank you! I'll give you the address and we can meet up in a bit?"
"Yeah, no problem. I'm gonna go clean up anyway. Just came back in from the garage."
"Sure thing! See you soon."
Natsu stood and stretched, running a hand through his hair. He was glad his shoulder was feeling okay today. Maybe all the PT was helping after all. He probably should have kept at it the first time around.
He cleaned up a bit downstairs before heading up to take a quick shower, then was off.
Lucy sighed when she finally pulled into Natsu's driveway, next to his truck. It had been a busy week, getting adjusted to this semesters schedule along with work. She was grateful that her boss was understanding and helped her with a flexible schedule, she still needed the money to help pay for school after some of the grants she had didn't cover everything.
She'd been looking forward to get a chance to relax this weekend with Natsu though, already looking forward to seeing his bright comforting smile and be held in his warm embrace. The thought made her smile softly. Maybe they could watch a movie with some popcorn or something.
Lucy gathered her things and moved to unlock the front door. She noticed the TV in the living room was on when she walked in the house, but most of the lights were off.
"Natsu?" Lucy called out as she moved in further, setting her things on the dining table for now. Happy's mrowl greeted her from up on the back of the couch.
"Hey, Happy," she said softly, scratching behind his ears. Lucy looked over the couch, expression softening when she saw Natsu was asleep.
She moved to flick on the lamp in the corner of the living room before sitting on the coffee table in front of him. "There you are," she whispered, pushing back some of his messy hair softly.
His expression looked tense, brows pinched. In the middle of some kind of dream probably.
"Natsu," Lucy tried again.
Natsu groaned softly, murmuring something, hands clenching the blanket over him.
"N-No… watch out!" he cried, waking suddenly, sitting up a bit taking heaving breaths.
Lucy let him come back to himself for a moment before she softly called out to him again.
He blinked slowly, looking over at her before taking a deep shuddering breath.
"Hey, you," she said softly with a smile, "you okay?"
"Y-Yeah," Natsu rasped, clearing his throat and running a hand through his hair. He shifted over before reaching out for Lucy, pulling her to sit beside him. "Could'a sworn I just laid down for a second earlier," he sighed, grasping her hand between them.
"It happens," she reassured, rubbing over his arm, "rough dream?"
"Mm, seems like it… but it's all fuzzy now," he said, closing his eyes for a moment. "Sorry if I worried you, but I'm happy you're here now." He leaned over and buried his face in her neck, wrapping an arm around her waist and holding her close, practically clinging to her. "I missed you."
"Natsu," she huffed a laugh, "we just talked this afternoon." Her voice was a little teasing, but she already loved having his warmth so close. Her fingers trailed through his hair, smoothing lines down along his back, feeling him melt into her touch with a deep sigh that ticked the skin at her neck.
Some days he preferred some time to himself when he struggled with unfortunate rough dreams, memories, or just mentally in general, and others she found that he craved to stay close to her. It looked like one of the latter nights, but she never minded either way.
"But still…" Lucy laughed softly at the obvious pout in his voice and the way his grip tightened around her.
Lucy hummed. "I missed you too, you goof," she said affectionately, pressing a kiss to the top of his head, continuing to run her hand over his back, making him sigh against her.
They stayed like that for a few more minutes, content in the familiar comfort of each other until Lucy asked, "Were you hungry? We can make something for dinner?" A loud grumble from Natsu's stomach answered for him, making them laugh. "Alright, c'mon before you starve on me."
Natsu groaned dramatically when she moved to stand, Natsu eventually following.
"Wait," he called out, grasping her wrist and pulling her back before she could fully leave the living room. Natsu cupped the back of her neck, pulling her in for a quick sweet kiss that left her lips tingling. That toothy grin greeted her when he pulled back. "There, now we can go eat."
They whipped up something quick and settled at the dining table.
"So how did your fun morning with Sting go?" Lucy asked, grinning.
"He got us some food after all so it was good," he smirked, "their new place is nice though," he said before taking a large bite of food. "Sure you're still feelin' up to their party tomorrow? Know you had a busy week if you just wanna relax?"
Lucy smiled softly at the concern in his eyes. "Yeah, I'm sure, it's okay. It would be good to catch up with everyone and I wanna see Sting and Rogue's new place too!" she said brightly, "They've been talking about it for a while so I'm happy they could take that step."
"Yeah, me too," Natsu said quietly, gaze trained on the wall across from him for a moment before he brought himself back. "Though, I'm sure they'll be needing my Kemo again soon with all the stuff they have," he pouted playfully.
"I'm not sure, any more wear on him and you'll have to get a new one," Lucy teased.
He gasped. "Shh! Don't let him hear you say that!"
Lucy rolled her eyes and giggled brightly. "You dork… I love you," she sighed happily, expression softening.
The stress from her busy week already practically melted away by the minute thanks to her favorite person's infectious laughs and smiles.
He grinned that bright fanged grin, grasping her hand to bring it up to press a kiss to her knuckles. "Love you, too."
"Oh, I got a text from Erza yesterday," Natsu said, turning off of one of the main roads on their way to Sting's. "She just got back into town last week and said Sting invited her over too, so it'll be good to see her," he grinned.
Lucy had learned a lot about Erza from what Natsu and the rest of the group had shared, making Lucy feel like she knew her already. She'd apparenly grown up with Natsu and Gray, before they met the others in high school so she understood how they all stayed so close. She loved everyone's close friendships with each other and was grateful they had been so welcoming to her in the beginning, gaining many amazing genuine friends in return.
"I'm sure it will," Lucy said warmly.
They soon pulled up to a cute rustic looking house. The street had a bit more neighbors than Natsu did on his street, but it still had a cozy feel to the neighborhood. Natsu grabbed the gifts and food they brought before they headed up to the door.
"Aw, I hope they keep this little white fence, it's so cute!" Lucy grinned towards Natsu before they rang the bell. "Hi!" Lucy greeted when Rogue opened the door.
"Hey! Glad you guys could make it," Rogue greeted brightly, giving them both a hug when they walked in. "C'mon, we're out back, Sting said he bought the 'good stuff' for the grill today," he laughed.
"Sounds good already," Natsu grinned.
"This is for you, Rogue. Happy birthday." Lucy handed him one the gifts, smiling.
"Thank you both, I appreciate it," he thanked, giving Lucy a side hug.
The back door opened, Sting popping his head in. "Hey! Thought I heard you guys in here." Sting greeted them both with a warm hug.
"This one's a little somethin' for the house," Natsu added, giving Sting the other bag.
"Aw, thanks! I'm sure we'll love them." They set the gifts on the dining table with a couple others.
"But these , I may not be willing to share." Natsu pulled a cookie from the other tub he was holding with the sweets Lucy had made to bring this morning. He took a big bite, smirking at Sting's shout of protest, and holding the tub from him as they went back out the back door.
Lucy and Rogue followed slower. "Hard to believe those dorks are actually our boyfriends sometimes," Lucy laughed, shaking her head, though her chest was warm with affection to see Natsu happy.
"You read my mind on that one," Rogue grinned.
They saw the boys already talking with Gray and Gajeel over by the food when they stepped outside, not surprising.
Lucy was catching up Yukino and the girls for a bit when she saw Rogue come back out of the house again a while later, this time followed by a tall woman with striking red hair, and a taller man behind her with hair that shone blue in the sun.
Gray seemed to notice her first, grinning as he pulled her into a hug. The others quickly noticed and all exchanged hugs. Lucy followed, standing a little hesitant on the edge of the group, unsure if she should step in or not.
Natsu made the decision easy for her when he called her name, moving through to grasp her hand, giving it a reassuring squeeze and a bright grin that settled her nerves.
"Lucy, this is my friend, Erza," Natsu said, his palm settled at the small of her back. "Erza, this is Lucy."
"Lucy, it's so good to finally meet you," Erza smiled brightly, stepping in to give Lucy a warm hug.
Lucy returned the hug tightly. "You too! I've heard so much about you, I feel like I know you already."
"All good I hope." Erza narrowed her eyes playfully at Natsu, making him roll his eyes with a toothy grin. "I've heard a lot of good about you too, Lucy," she smiled warmly. "Oh, Natsu, Lucy, this is Jellal, my boyfriend." She gestured to the man beside her, running a hand along his arm affectionately.
Jellal offered a hand towards Lucy first. "Hi, Lucy. Nice to meet you," he said with a warm grin then shook Natsu's hand. "You too, Natsu. Erza's told me a lot about you all, I'm glad we could all finally meet."
"I'm happy to meet you both too," Lucy grinned.
"Now, I'm sure the things about me weren't all good," Natsu said, fanged grin wide.
Jellal huffed a laugh. "There were quite a few childhood stories, yes."
"Oh don't worry, I have so many more stories to fill Lucy in on," Erza smirked.
"Oooh, I can't wait!" Lucy teased.
They laughed at Natsu's dramatic groan. Lucy gave his hand a reassuring squeeze, lacing their fingers together.
They caught up with the couple for a bit longer and Lucy found that Erza had been on a big research assignment across the country, where she and Jellal met. Lucy was also excited to learn that Jellal was doing some work in astrophysics and he seemed to light up too when Lucy said she was in the middle of her own astronomy journey and quickly offered his help if she ever needed it.
She loved sharing things with Natsu, but she also loved being able to geek out with someone who had that same passion.
Erza was also so warm, kind, and beautiful, and Lucy looked forward to getting to know them both better since Erza had said she was getting a better job back here.
Lucy followed Natsu towards one of the large wooden tables and sat across from him towards the edge after they grabbed some food when Sting announced that the food was ready.
"Mm, this all looks so good, I'm starvin'," Natsu grinned up at her.
"Hey, hey," Sting said, grinning brightly, sliding in to sit beside Natsu soon after. Rogue greeted them with a smile, taking the spot beside Lucy. "So you guys like the new house? It's a bit of a fixer upper but we couldn't pass it up."
"Yes! It's so cute and cozy," Lucy grinned, "I'm sure your kitties are gonna love it too."
"Oh, they've definitely loved having more space already," Rogue laughed softly, "but I'm glad we were finally able to make this happen. We've been wanting to for a while." He gave Sting an affectionate look that Sting returned softly.
"Me too. We were mainly waiting till I finished up this tour before deciding anything permanent," Sting said, "just glad my enlistment contract is over now. Sorry to these guys, know you'll miss me," he smirked, elbowing Natsu's arm teasingly.
Natsu just shook his head and laughed.
"Who's missin' you?" Lucy looked over, seeing Gray made his way over and sat on the other side of Rogue with his own plate.
"You, when y'all have to finish up over there without me."
Gray snorted. "Sure, whatever you gotta tell yourself," he smirked, "but we're finishing up right behind you so you won't have to miss us too much."
They shared some bright laughter. Lucy took a moment to look over at Natsu as the conversations carried on. He'd been a little quieter today, still carrying some tired lines across his face but he seemed content with his friends around right now.
Natsu caught Lucy's eye and gave her a soft genuine smile that made her stomach flip, soothing the bit of worry she'd been carrying since last night when he'd woken up with a start on the couch.
Every day was progress for him and she was just proud of him for all the ways he pushed through the difficult days, giving him any bit of help that she could along the way.
The rest of their usual group of friends, and a few other friends of Sting and Rogue's that Lucy wasn't entirely familiar with sat at the other tables and chairs across from them. Yukino took the last seat on the bench on the other side of Sting, and soon their bellies were full and their plates were clear. Lucy caught Rogue's soft blush when Sting kissed his cheek after Sting brought out the cake and they all sang to him.
Several people had left a couple hours later, and now the remaining group had all migrated to sit on mismatched chairs around the fire pit the guys had set up.
It was a nice night out, but luckily Lucy had thought to bring her thicker jacket. Natsu still gave her his scarf to wear. It was soft, warm, and smelled good so she wasn't complaining.
"So, how did you and Rogue meet? Don't think I've gotten around to asking you guys? Now that I think about it," Lucy said, laughing softly as she tightened her jacket around her.
"You mean these guys didn't spill it all already?" Sting grinned a toothy smile from where he sat across from them.
"Nah, that's all you," Natsu laughed, putting his arm on the back of Lucy's chair, fingers trailing along her shoulder.
"Could'a sworn one of us did, but guess we all haven't gotten a chance to all hang out like this in a while," Sting laughed lightly, "but it was… a couple years ago?" Sting turned to Rogue on the bench beside him, who nodded with a warm grin. "Yukino and I originally from this small town up over the mountains, we've been friends since we were kids." He ran a hand through his fluffy blonde hair. "Moved a bunch 'a places during my first couple tours after I initially enlisted so I was glad I when I could be in one place for a while when I got stationed here," Sting grinned, looking across the fire, "Yukino ended up moving here with me when I told her. We both didn't wanna stay in that small town... but then met these guys at the end of that first deployment with their team," he nodded towards Natsu and Gray, "then we came back home and I met this guy at a coffee shop in town," Sting laughed softly, leaning into Rogue's side.
"I was working there while I was finishing up some business classes at the community college," Rogue said, then grinned wide. "I remember he came in looking like he'd just woken up, and I had to talk him down from ordering like six shots of espresso."
Lucy giggled at Sting's dramatic pout. Natsu snorted beside her.
Sting just stuck out his tongue at him. "Look, we had just gotten back and I was trying not to sleep for twelve hours a day."
"Still wouldn't need that many, babe," Rogue laughed. Sting huffed, a smile twitching on his lips.
"Anyways, then safe to say I pretty much became a regular after the cute barista threw in a free cookie that day," Sting grinned brightly. Rogue smiled and scratched his cheek sheepishly.
"Yeah, then proceeded to be totally oblivious to each other's feelings for way too long and Rogue was all you could talk about when we were gone," Gray chuckled, taking a sip from his beer.
Lucy caught Sting's blush even in the glow of the fire in front of them. "Well… maybe," Sting laughed, "Though, as if you guys can talk 'cause you're all the same way!"
Lucy couldn't deny that fact for herself. It really had taken her longer than she realized to see her true feelings for Natsu, but all that time had still been worth it.
"Yeah, yeah," Natsu waved off playfully, looking over at Lucy with a meaningful look and soft squeeze to her shoulder. Probably thinking along similar thoughts as her. Lucy gave him a warm smile in return. "Think it was a little bit after you got here, Luce, that they finally got around to telling us they had already been together for a while," Natsu laughed, "though, 'course we weren't surprised 'cause we pretty much knew the whole time."
"Oh, that you noticed right away, when it's not happening to you," Sting smirked. Natsu stuck his tongue out at him in return this time.
They laughed and Natsu got up, saying he was grabbing a drink. He brought back a couple for the rest of them, giving Lucy a smile before Erza and Gray called him over to where they were sitting, Lucy watching them fondly for a moment.
Rogue kissed the side of Sting's head before looking back over towards Lucy. "Anyways, then some time went by and we got closer after we met. Sting helped me get my coffee shop going after I finished up with college, and things just felt so comfortable and right, and I didn't wanna mess things up y'know?"
Lucy laughed softly. "Yeah, I definitely know what you mean." She glanced over to see Natsu laugh at something Erza said and gesturing something animatedly at something with his hands.
"I was pretty much in the same place. Knew I liked him from the start but I didn't wanna push anything," Sting said, affection in his voice, "I was always over Rogue's apartment all the time and then we'd gotten to this in between friends and more thing, 'till we just got to the point where we were finally said, so… you want to be together right? And here we are," Sting laughed softly.
"Yeah, I think he was worth waiting for," Rogue said fondly, making Sting look up at him and smile wider.
Lucy was happy that their friends were happy, as they all deserved to be. "That's so cute. I love your story, thank you for sharing with me," Lucy said warmly.
"Thanks for askin'," Sting grinned. "So, how're things with you guys after we got back? Did you like our big surprise?" His smile shifted into a teasing knowing one that looked way too similar to Natsu's.
Lucy laughed, pushing some of her hair back behind her ear. "I loved it of course, but could I have done without the shock to my heart, yes."
"Exactly. See, Lucy agrees with me." Rogue nudged Sting's arm. "I told him a call would've been nice first," he said towards Lucy.
"What? Agrees that she loved it too so it all worked out," Sting smirked, making Rogue shake his head with a grin.
Lucy joined their laughter for a few moments before her expression softened. "But things are going well. Of course I was worried when I saw that he'd been hurt when he got home," she sighed, "but he's doing better now and it's been so good to catch up on all that lost time."
Sting hummed in acknowledgment. "That's good. Glad to see he healed up well, too." He took a deep breath. "It's always scary when one of the team gets hurt out there. Wasn't expecting it to be him this time when I found out but I'm glad everything turned out okay," Sting said warmly, "and hope he treated you out to something special though," he smirked.
"He did," she breathed a soft laugh. "He actually surprised me, again, and we went up to the observatory the other week."
"Ooh, that sounds like a good date," Rogue said.
"It really was," she smiled, feeling a bit of warmth on her cheeks when she remembered the way she kissed him after hearing Natsu say he loved her up under the stars. Lucy looked up, catching Natsu's gaze already on her. She smiled wider, causing his own grin to turn into the toothy one she loved.
"I think I have to go change out my clothes at home at some point this week," Lucy said, discarding the pile in her hands into one of the hampers, "my friends at work have probably noticed they've been pretty much the same for the past two weeks," she laughed softly.
"Or… or you can stay?"
She looked up and saw Natsu sitting up on the edge of his usual side of the bed, fingers fidgeting with the cords on his wrist.
They'd just finished getting ready for bed after coming up from watching something downstairs. It had been a much needed relaxing Saturday so it seemed a bit off for him to look nervous about something.
He looked up at her, something deeper in his eyes, his voice soft. "You can stay… here, with me?"
"Natsu…"
It felt different from the other times he asked her to stay the night.
Natsu took a shuddering breath, lacing her fingers with his when she came to sit beside him. "Look, I just, um, I wanted to… you know I love having you here and I, uh, I just…"
Lucy ran her thumb over the back of his warm hand, hoping to soothe his nerves. "It's okay."
He gave her hand a reassuring squeeze before turning fully towards her, grasping both her hands in his, eyes still locked on hers. "I've loved that you've been here with me more often. You've helped make this house really feel like a home again and that really means so much, Luce." He took another slow breath. "It doesn't feel the same here now when you're gone, and I know it must've been hard too when I was away too but… but I would love for you to make this your home too…officially."
His voice was soft, eyes earnest, and still a little nervous, but the honesty and affection in them made her heart swell with love.
"Oh, Natsu…"
"I-If you want to of course! I, uh, I would totally understand if you still want your own space or if it'd be too much here or-"
Lucy gently pulled her hands from his to thread up into his hair, leaning in to kiss him, softly cutting off his worried words.
Natsu sighed into the kiss, relaxing against her touch as she brushed her thumbs across his cheekbones soothingly.
"Are you sure? I understand if you still want this to be your space too or anything. It's your house after all," she asked after she pulled back a bit.
He gave her a soft reassuring grin, palm warm on her thigh. "I'm sure. I want it to be our space more. I've… I've been wanting to ask you for a while, and being at Sting's last week made me sure that I want that for us too," he said warmly. "I love waking up with you, falling asleep with you, our lazy days on the couch or cooking together, well me trying to be better at making different things," they laughed softly at that, "but I love the thought of just building more of our life, here, together… if-if you want to?"
Lucy breathed a shaky laugh, trying not to let the tears she felt already pricking the backs of her eyes fall too quickly. She wrapped her arms further around his neck.
"Of course I do, Natsu. I would love to." She felt him smile against her lips when she kissed him again, slow and meaningful. "I've been thinking about it for a while now too actually," she said with a happy smile after the kiss. Her heart felt so light and warm.
"Really?" Natsu grinned, his eyes bright.
"Yeah, I… of course it's been great when you're over my apartment too but..." Her thumbs brushed along his jaw before moving to hold his hands again. "But I-I miss you whenever I go back to my place, especially now that you're back and I love being here with you more, and It just- it just feels right here with you… It always has."
Natsu's expression softened. "I'm glad... you've always had a place here." He leaned in to press another warm kiss to her lips, making her sigh into him.
There were still a couple things to take care of before she could fully move in but she couldn't help the warmth that swelled in her chest at the thought of this next step for them and she couldn't imagine it being with anyone else.
Lucy wrapped her arms around his neck, tilting her head and kissing him deeper with a soft sound. She felt his deep groan against her lips when she drew her tongue across his bottom one. The rough squeeze of his large warm palm on her waist made her spine tingle and shot a spark of familiar heat to her belly.
The heated kiss continued for a few long pleasureful moments before Natsu broke the kiss and slowly drew them down to lay on the bed, holding her close as he shifted them so Lucy rested on a pillow and he hovered above her, propped up on an elbow, her arms still locked around his neck.
He gave her a meaningful look, caressing her cheek and capturing her lips again in a rougher kiss before she could say anything.
Lucy moaned into him softly, melting into his touch and addicting warm lips. The simmering heat in her increased the longer they kissed.
Ever since Natsu had gotten back and the night at the observatory, they'd shared more lingering touches and heated moments than usual that made it harder for Lucy to keep that heat at bay.
Of course they'd had several moments like that before he left too, but nothing really past some heavy petting, and they'd only been together a couple months then, content not to rush anything for them.
But now, she found herself craving his touch, in every way, fueling something deep inside her that she really wanted to explore.
Which had surprised her at first because she'd never felt the need for something physical like that until Natsu. She'd seen a shade of something deeper in his eyes the past few weeks too, so she just hoped it wasn't just her…
Though, his hot, rough needy kisses told her that maybe it wasn't.
Natsu's hot tongue traced over her bottom lip, giving it a nip before he moved to trail slow warm kisses along her jaw until he reached her sensitive neck. Lucy threaded her fingers into his hair, groaning in his ear when he dragged his teeth along the soft spot where her neck met her shoulder. He gave a slow lick to follow, making her sigh a breathless moan of his name.
The rough growl from his chest sent a spark of heat through her, she had to wriggle her thighs together a bit, already feeling a tingling at her core.
His warm palm slipped under the hem of her shirt, caressing the flushed soft skin of her waist. Her muscles twitched under his fingertips, arching into his touch with another soft sound of his name when he gave a sudden warm suck of that same sensitive spot of her neck.
Natsu continued to trail slow kisses along her collarbone, nipping her skin gently. His hand pushed up her shirt further until his thumb brushed the underside of her bare breast underneath, making her gasp, another spark of heat shooting straight to her belly.
His hand paused. "Is this okay?" he whispered roughly when he pulled up to look at her with heavy breaths. The concern in his eyes pushed through the darkening hazy heat she saw in them.
Lucy palmed his flushed cheeks, thumbs brushing under his expressive eyes. He was always so sweet and considerate, and it made her heart swell.
"Yes… please," she breathed, need melting into her voice.
Natsu hummed against her lips during a lingering kiss as he slowly pushed up her shirt more and eventually helped her tug it off. She heard his breath catch, a pause in his movements. She looked up to see hazy dark green eyes seeming to take in the sight of her now very bare chest.
A heat of shyness flushed up her neck, trying to hide herself from his gaze. She felt Natsu cup her warm cheek, thumb brushing over her skin and slowly turning her to look back up at his affectionate eyes.
"Please don't hide… you're so, so beautiful, Lucy…" he whispered lovingly.
Lucy relaxed under his touch and gave him a grateful soft smile before pulling him down for another kiss. Heat built back up quickly as Natsu deepened the kiss. He trailed a hot tongue against hers as he caressed one of her full breasts, pulling a throaty moan from both of them, Lucy arching up into his calloused palm.
She gasped into him softly when his thumb brushed over her sensitive hardening nipple, making her break the kiss when he tried rolling it between his fingers. "A-Ah, yess… Natsu," she moaned. Her eyes fluttered closed, grip tightening on his broad shoulders as she lost herself in the waves of hot arousal from his attentive touches.
Natsu groaned roughly, placing messy heated kisses back down her throat, to that soft spot under her jaw, back along her collarbone, down the middle of her chest.
Her breath stuttered when he kissed the top of her other breast before giving it a soft bite. His warm breath tickled her skin before he licked hotly over the spot, moving lower to take the pert nipple into his mouth. His warm tongue lapped over it as his hand continued to massage her other breast.
Lucy breathed a loud moan of his name, fingers moving to tighten in his hair. She arched her hips up, the hot tingling at her core getting harder to ignore, needing some kind of friction.
Lucy palmed his face, gently pulling him back up to give him a sharp needy kiss. "N-Natsu… please touch me," she whispered against his lips.
Natsu's expression shifted, picking up on her words. "Are you sure?" he rasped with staggered breaths.
Her thumbs brushed over his cheekbones soothingly. It was definitely the most they've done intimately, but the heat thrumming through her ached for him and only him.
"I'm always sure with you," she reassured warmly, her voice breathless.
Natsu gave her a soft smile. "Me too," he said, leaning in to capture her lips in a slow deep kiss.
His hand smoothed down the curve of her waist. She breathed a soft whine against his lips when his fingers teased the skin under the waistband of her pants, nails dragging along his scalp. Natsu pulled her pants lower, growling softly when he cupped her core that was throbbing with sharp heat.
Lucy broke the kiss, arching into his palm with a high moan as his fingers teased her sensitive heat through the material of her damp underwear. She caught his gaze, breath leaving her for a moment at the deep reflection of want in those darkened forest green eyes, but she picked up some of the lingering hesitation in them. She nodded softly, and he took a shaky breath before he hooked his fingers back up on the edge of the material, pulling both her pants and underwear slowly down her hips until they were off her legs.
The cool air in the room made her shiver a little, but Natsu's intense gaze that trailed over her fully bare form slowly, made another flush of soft embarrassment crawl over her.
"Y-You don't have to stare," Lucy huffed a laugh, still a little breathless from everything they've worked up to, her cheeks warm with a shy flush.
Natsu looked back up at her, seeming to break from his trance. "Mm, but I do... You're so gorgeous like this I can't help it," Natsu rasped, a hint of a wolfish smile on his lips.
He smoothed a hand up her legs, fingers brushing the back of her knee, the touch making her squirm and breath and airy giggle. "That's right… ticklish aren't we?" His eyes were bright, that teasing smirk on his lips.
"Don't even think about it, you." Lucy tried to make her voice strong, but the urge to let her smile stretch across her face was stronger.
Natsu laughed before he dipped down to kiss her again, both of them smiling into the playful kiss for a moment before it melted into another deep one. He pulled a groan from her when a languid pass of his tongue trailed on the seam of her bottom lip and nipped it, sending another spark of heat to her core.
Lucy sighed, relaxing into the feel of him, her earlier nerves melting away. "Mm, I wanna see you too…" she whispered, fingers tugging at the hem of his shirt.
"Mm, whatever you want," Natsu groaned against her lips, pulling back to rest on his heels as he quickly tugged off his shirt, along with his loose pants that were already low on his hips, tossing them both aside and leaving him in his dark navy blue briefs.
Oh.
Lucy bit her lip as she drank in the sight of him. The way his mussed hair fell into his hooded eyes, the way his scars stood out against his golden skin, how his firm solid chest rose and fell with heavy breaths, the way his colorful tattoos shifted with every movement of the toned thick muscle of his biceps, that muscle trailing down to the solid grooves of his abdomen. Her gaze landed on the prominent bulge in his briefs, the thought that he was reacting that way for her made her thighs squirm against each other with a shaky breath.
Natsu leaned back over her, propping himself up on an elbow while his right hand caressed up her thigh.
"Gods, you're so gorgeous too," she murmured, her hands exploring the warm firm skin up his torso, chest, fingers tracing the lines of his biceps before wrapping over his shoulders.
Lucy felt him grin into her skin when he buried his face in her neck, pressing warm kisses along her soft skin there.
She thought it was cute how he still got a little flustered over her compliments on his looks sometimes, but he always deserved to know just how much he affected her. Especially now.
Lucy took a shuddering breath, her legs falling open for him further when she felt his rough fingers teasing the sensitive skin of her inner thigh.
They both groaned deeply when Natsu slowly slipped two fingers through her wet folds, dragging them up through her arousal.
"T-That okay? Natsu breathed, watching her expression when he pulled his face back up. Their movements were a little hesitant and unsure, but they were venturing in this new area together and that's all that mattered.
He suddenly rubbed over her clit when his fingers dragged through her arousal again. "Ah! Yess, right there, Natsu… nghhh," Lucy moaned, fingers tightening in his hair, body arching into him.
"Luce…" he groaned roughly, leaning down and pressed heated kisses back along her breasts as his fingers repeated the motion on her hardened clit. Natsu licked a nipple into his mouth just as his middle finger slipped lower into her core slowly, pulling out a cry of his name from her throat. Her walls fluttered around his thick rough finger as he got familiar with her tight warmth, slowly pulling the digit back before pushing in again.
Natsu growled around her other nipple when his first finger slowly joined the other inside of her after a few long moments, core clenching tightly around his fingers as he rubbed a sensitive spot inside her she didn't even realize was there.
Natsu pulled back up and swallowed her high moan with a rough needy kiss, her nails scoring along his shoulder blades, feeling her wet arousal increase with each throb of heat and slow thrust of his addicting fingers.
Lucy's pants got sharper, wanton moans continuing to tumble from her lips with each deep push of his fingers, her hips meeting his hand with each thrust as the heat in her belly continued to mount. Natsu suddenly circled her clit with his thumb and the last thread holding her together seemed to snap.
Her back arched high up off the bed, feeling her lips form a cry of his name as her core clenched tightly around his fingers, grip tight on his shoulders. White hot heat reached its peak in her belly, flushing over her in waves.
Lucy slowly felt herself coming down from the high, Natsu helping her ride it out with slow thrusts of his fingers in her pulsing heat as her body fell lax against the bed again with a few sensitive twitches, chest heaving with deep breaths.
"Fuck, that was so hot, Luce… you're gorgeous... I love you," Natsu rasped breathlessly by her ear, pressing warm kisses along her sensitive neck, and jaw.
She huffed an airy laugh before moaning softly when he slowly pulled his fingers from her, feeling just how wet she'd gotten, but happy only he could make her feel this way.
Natsu pulled her into a deep lingering kiss, a rough palm dragging back up along her waist, pulling her close, feeling their warm skin stick to each other a bit.
"And I love you ," Lucy breathed against his lips, slowly dragging her fingers along his back, breath hitching softly when she felt him hard, pressing against her thigh.
She trailed a palm down along his stomach, fingers brushing over the large scar at his hip, reaching lower until she cupped him, giving him a slow stroke over his briefs.
Natsu gasped against her. "S-Shit, you… you don't have to, Luce n-nghh," he moaned, dragging his forehead against hers.
"Mm, but I want you to feel good too…" Her voice a needy whisper. "If you want…"
Lucy continued her slow testing strokes, taking her time to feel the thick length of him, throbbing hotly under her palm.
Natsu gave in with a guttural groan after a rough stroke, falling back against the bed when she pushed his shoulder lightly.
It was her turn to lean over him and admire the deep flush on his cheeks and chest, dark green eyes hooded and hazy with need, the soft lamp making his golden skin glow from the light sheen coating his skin. She bit her bottom lip again when she looked down at the large bulge under his tight briefs, that she couldn't deny fit him amazingly well, and she already itched to feel him in her hand again.
Lucy leaned in and kissed him deeply, tongue dragging over his hot wet one. Natsu groaned into her, his fingers coming up to tangle hair. His muscles twitched under her fingertips as she explored the toned lines of his abdomen until she got to his waistband.
Lucy broke the kiss and they shared a meaningful look. She still wanted to be sure Natsu wanted it too. He nodded softly, eyes eager. She slowly tugged his briefs down, Natsu lifting his hips a bit till she pulled them off his legs.
Her breath caught a bit, taking in the sight of his fully bare form beneath her. He was big and thick, the length of him twitching against his stomach.
She'd just had her release, but the sight sent a spark of heat straight to her core again. Lucy reached and took him in her palm, panting softly from the feel of him and the erotic sight. He was hard and throbbing, leaking from his tip.
"Mmm, y-yess, Lucy…" he groaned deeply, followed by a growl when she stroked the length of him with a loose fist, her grip a little unsure. Natsu reached down to put a warm hand over hers. "It's… it's okay, y-you can go a li-little tighter," he murmured, hooded hazy eyes on hers as he showed her what he liked. He spread some of the dripping need at the head with his thumb before their palms stroked the hard length of him in a tighter grip.
"Good?" she breathed softly, watching his expression shift with every move of her hand.
"N-Nghh, yeah… just like that," he groaned, pulling his hand back and moving to grip the pillow above him, muscles flexing and twitching as his chest shook in rough pants.
Lucy's moves got a little more confident with every groan and growl of her name that left his throat. She loved how vocal he was, his rough deep voice sending pulses of heat through her, eager to make him feel as good as he made her feel.
He cursed at a particularly rough stroke, her thumb rubbing over his seemingly sensitive head, his leaking need coating her hand more and making her strokes slicker.
Lucy leaned in to press kisses along heated skin at his collarbone and neck. His hips jerked into her hand with a cry of her name when her warm tongue traced over the scar at his neck slowly.
She wasn't expecting that spot to be so sensitive for him, but she couldn't deny she liked the reaction it pulled from him... she'd have to remember it for next time.
"Mm, Natsu…" Lucy moaned into his ear with a bite to his lobe. She sped up the strokes over him a bit, picking up on how to twist her wrist better as more pants and needy sounds tumbled from his mouth. He arched into her roughly, his grip tight on her hip, when her fingers dipped and brushed over his balls gently as she ran her tongue over a soft spot on his neck.
"Nnghh, L-Lucy I'm cl- ahh!"
Lucy watched as his own peak crested over him, expression twisting in pleasure with a deep groan of her name. His back arched up, muscles tightening as he twitched and throbbed, hips bucking up into her hand in a few stuttered jerks as he spilled over her palm and his stomach in a few ropes of white.
He was right. Fuck, that really was hot to see.
Lucy pressed warm affectionate kisses over the scar over his jaw and flushed cheek as she helped him ride out his wave of pleasure until he relaxed into the bed again with heavy breaths, Lucy pulling her hand from him.
Natsu's eyes fluttered open, looking up at her with a lazy bright grin. Lucy smiled at him warmly in return, pushing back his slightly damp hair from his forehead before she pressed a kiss to it.
"That was amazing… you're amazing," he rasped, cupping the back of her neck and pulling her in for a deep lingering kiss.
Lucy sighed into him, melting against him as he wrapped his arm around her, holding her close. "Mm, as were you, commander," she grinned, fingertips tracing shapes on his chest, "we'll… have to try this again soon," she tried to tease, but soft heat still flushed up her neck, hoping that didn't come off too eager... or was it okay to be eager?
His chest rumbled under her palm. "Mm, don't test me, babe," he murmured into her hair, hearing the smile in his voice.
She laughed softly, hugging him to her as they laid together, content in the afterglow for a few minutes until they went to clean up with a warm slower together, involving several playful lingering kisses, before eventually settling under the covers.
Lucy sighed happily, lacing her hand with his between them as they faced each other. "I love you, Natsu."
Natsu's expression softened, her favorite green eyes warm and filled with affection. "Love you more, Luce," he said softly, leaning in to press a slow kiss to her lips, wrapping an arm around her to pull her close.
Her heart felt light and content. They'd taken a new intimate step together and she couldn't deny the hope of wanting to explore more between them… but for now, being here, flush against the comforting warmth between Natsu's arms, felt perfect. The smell of his familiar soap, his warm lips over hers.
Their earlier promise of building their future together here still had her stomach fluttering with happiness, the thought making her smile into the kiss and hold him tighter.
A/N: Oho! They *finally* took that steamy step! ＼(^o^)／ Know it probably feels like it took a while for them to get to this point but they're not the kind to rush things and would rather just go for what feels right in the moment.
And now they're gonna be moving in together, yay! So you can look forward to more domestic fluff… and more *exploring* of this new intimate area for them ;)
I also love Stingue and couldn't help build more of their relationship in this, with that bit of Erza and Jellal too!
I've always liked the thought of Lucy and Jellal becoming friends and talking more about stars and things and I wished they'd gotten that chance in canon, but this is where fics come in loll
Hope you all enjoyed this chapter! Stay safe and see you soon!
Thanks for reading and as always, special thank you for all the amazing support from last time! : sevenlaila, rao hyuga 18, valerioux, cursedhazel, AthomeinFairytail, Copperreign12, MaraDragneel3113, FyreFalcon, stranger1999, Nalusmutlover, KYAAAA, itsxoi, & MillennialStargazer!