Warning: This chapter contains a bit of lemon. If anyone prefers to skip, it's on the first section of Fall and Spring.

Chapter 9 – Through the seasons

Summer

Despite the obstacles along the way, Natsu and Lucy finally finished the moving. The house, once full of boxes, scattered objects and rests of packing from the new furniture was now organized, and everything had its place.

Naturally, it was mostly Lucy's work. Natsu knew he might have built the house, but she was the one who would turn it into a home. He had no doubt in his heart once she moved in, he would feel just as compelled to come here as he used to go to her apartment. The place didn't matter, but what, or better saying, who was inside.

She arranged the furniture in the living room to make it as cozy as possible, put drapes in the office so they could change the lighting perfect for writing or resting, organized the kitchen in a way that every item was within reach for cooking, put flowers on the dining room that made it colorful and cheerful, and filled their bed with the softest sheets and fluffiest pillows. Of course, they always managed to make a mess, but even the messy rooms felt cozy to Natsu.

They did their chores together now, which meant it was always a lot of fun or a lot of whining. It was good they were already entering summer, because Natsu loved to take any opportunity to spout water in her direction.

It was hard going back to work after those blessed weeks, but they couldn't live out of their savings forever. Lucy only had ten days to finish a new novel, and they thought it would be best for Natsu to take a job with Happy while she stayed at home and could focus only on writing. After a heated goodbye, he left with the exceed.

Eight days later, they went back to the guild, where Mira informed him Lucy had finished her novel and turned it in just the day before. He went back home excited to celebrate, leaving Happy at the guild chatting with Wendy and Charle.

"Lucy?" he called, closing the door behind him and dropping his backpack on the floor, knowing she would yell at him later for it. He stepped inside the living room, breathing deeply and taking in all the smells he loved from his new home.

The mahogany floor. Lucy's books. The fish inside Happy's mini fridge. A faint sear from the little things he burned by accident. Their scent lingering on the objects. Plus, a lasagna baking on the oven and fresh oranges in a bowl on the table.

He walked to the office and noticed Lucy's desk was a mess, with ink stains, empty glasses and cans and a bunch of paper balls around it, like it always got after she wrote a lot. He pinned the flyer job on the wall next to the others and continued on the search for his girlfriend.

"Found ya!" he said with a grin, going on the porch outside. Lucy was sitting on the bench reading a book, with her legs up supported by a stool in front of her. She was wearing a pink tank top and blue shorts. She opened a big smile when she saw him.

"Natsu!" she yelled in delight, throwing her arms around his neck as he sat next to her and kissed her.

"I'm home" he announced after releasing her lips from a long kiss.

"Welcome back" she sighed, still with her eyes closed, the feeling of his lips lingering on hers. He slid on the bench, laying down and putting his head on her lap. She promptly started stroking his hair. "How was your job?"

"It was so crazy, Lucy!" he said, proceeding to tell her all about the long jog and the things he and Happy saw and did. "I wished you were there"

"I don't" she replied with a grimace. "Can you imagine me in a pit full of frogs?"

"You would flip" he laughed.

"Which reminds me, did you take a shower after all these adventures?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Hm…" he puffed his cheeks, looking another way. "Well, I fell on the lake, I think that's pretty much the same thing"

"It is so not!" she protested, pushing him away from her. "You are not getting in our bed like this!"

"And where else are we gonna sleep?" he questioned, loving to annoy her like this.

"I have no idea, because if you don't shower, you're not sleeping on my perfectly clean couch either!" she replied, getting up. "I think the lasagna is ready"

"Actually, it burned a while ago" he lied, and she let out a keen yell, running inside the kitchen. "Just kidding!"

"Natsu, you're home for less than an hour and is already getting on my nerves!" she said, throwing an oven mitten at him. He just laughed and started setting the table.

He loved being at home.

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Fall

Natsu woke up with the sound of raindrops on the ceiling. He sighed, getting up from the couch and rubbing his eyes. Now the rain would make them late for sure.

Lucy was gone for two days. She had taken a job with Erza and Wendy that was easy and paid pretty well, but it was for female mages only, so Natsu couldn't go with them. Since it said nothing about exceeds or cats, Happy and Charle went with them, which meant Natsu was alone. He hated being alone. He passed most of the time at the guild, but came home in the hopes they would be back by tonight. But the rain washed these hopes away. He felt a cold breeze coming in and closed the window as a lightening fell, and soon he heard the thunder. It was a pretty heavy rain and it brought a drop of temperature. He was sure the girls wouldn't leave in a weather like this.

He went to the kitchen and made himself a sandwich, considering going back to sleep after it. Once he swallowed the last of piece of it, however, he was startled by a noise on the front door.

"Lucy!" he shouted in surprise and horror to see his girlfriend coming in, soaking wet.

"Hey, I'm home!" she said, closing the door behind her like everything was normal.

"Lucy, you are soaking wet!" he pointed out, coming closer and helping her out of her coat, touching her arms to find out she was also super cold. "And ice cold! Why did you come under this rain? And where's Happy?"

"It wasn't raining when we left the train station" she informed, trembling with cold. "Happy walked Wendy and Charle home, and I think that with this rain, he'll spend the night over there"

"Gee, come here, let's warm you up" he said, worried, dragging her to the living room and lighting up the fireplace with a quick dragon fire's roar. The room was quickly filled with orange light and a cozy warmth. "I'll get some towels, take off your wet clothes!"

He climbed up and down the stairs in a fast pace, coming back with a bunch of dry towels. Lucy was still working on taking off her wet shirt, which was difficult since her hands were shaking.

"Let me help" Natsu offered, taking her shirt over her head and pulling her skirt down her legs in two quick movements. Then he threw a towel on her head to take off all the water from her hair and used another to dry her body, elevating the temperature on his hands to help warm her. He noticed she got flustered, her breath got heavier and her eyes started glowing.

"See, you're gonna get sick for sure!" he complained, drying her legs.

"Natsu…"

"You could have seek shelter when the rain started instead of coming all the way here"

"Natsu…"

"And then you say I'm the reckless one, but even I wouldn't do that, and I have better resistance than you" he continued his rant. "I think a hot beverage will help. Wait here, by the fire"

He stood up after wrapping her in a blanket and went to the kitchen, where he heated up some milk and mixed with chocolate powder and a bit of cinnamon, like he watched her do about a million times. He came back to her, still obediently wrapped up in her blanket and close to the fire, sitting on the thick and fluffy rug she had chosen to put on the floor.

"There you go, it'll warm you from the inside" he gave it to her, and she smiled, thankful. She sipped then grimaced, putting the mug away. "What's wrong?"

"I think you forgot the sugar" she chuckled, and he slapped his hand on his face. "It's okay, Natsu. You already failed."

"Failed? Why?" he questioned, worried.

"Well, you see, you tried so hard to dry me, but… All you did was get me all wet" she said in a suggestive tone, and Natsu blushed when she moved, realizing she was completely naked under the blanket.

"Lucy…" he said in a warning tone. It wasn't the time for this, but she was just so damn hot. She came closer, and he felt all of his body respond to her. "I'm still mad at you"

"Well, this isn't about having fun, you see" she argued, kissing his neck. "It's about making me warm, you're the only one who can, and this will be the fastest way to do it"

He grabbed her arms and laid her on the rug on her back, and she stretched for him, giving him a good vision of everything. He hugged her as she unzipped his vest, their chests and bellies touching. After more than a year making love, they were familiarized with each other's bodies, rhythms and preferences.

"Okay, but stay still so I can take proper care of you" he ordered between kisses, and she nodded with a smile. He wrapped the blanket around her again and turned her. This way the blanket would cover her front while he warmed her back with his body. She sighed when he embraced her, slipping his hands under the fabric, one cupping her breast and the other down her belly. He felt her small hands on his waist, searching for the opening of his pants clumsily, since she was turned to the other side. "I told you to stay still"

"But" she said, finally managing to slid her hand inside her pants and grab his erection "This is your hottest part, I need it to get warmer"

"You're impossible" he chuckled, kissing her neck. In all honesty, this wasn't Natsu's favorite position, because he couldn't see her, and he loved looking at her when they were making love. But it had its highlights. Such as allowing the most touching, since they had their torsos glued to each other, and leaving his hands free to wander all over her body. He massaged her breasts with both hands as he sucked her neck, making her moan and grab his dick harder, until the smell calling him was strong enough. Then he left one of her boobs and took his now free hand down her belly, getting to the source of the scent.

"Wow, you really are wet" he said, actually surprise with how easily his finger slid inside her.

"Natsu… hah…" she whispered, biting her bottom lip.

"I know, I know" he agreed, leaving her to take off his pants. Soon he came back, fitting his legs behind hers, and she trembled to feel his hard member against her. He led it and penetrated her from behind with a groan. She gasped in pleasure, immediately starting the back and forth movement they knew and adored, closing her eyes and covering her mouth with one hand.

"There's no one home, Lucy, be as loud as you want" he reminded her, putting his hand on her hip and moving it to the middle of her legs again. This time his finger stopped at her clit, massaging it slowly. She let out a moan that got him even more enticed and moved her free hand to his thigh, scratching it with her nails.

Natsu sighed and bit her shoulder, closing his eyes as well and focusing on his other senses. He could hear the rain falling heavily outside, and the creaks the fire made as the wood burned and snapped. He could taste the sweat on Lucy's shoulder and feel the softness of her skin and the humidity of her cavity, just like he could smell her scent calling for him. He felt like he was in some feverish hallucination.

"Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes!" she started to repeat, and he knew they were almost there. At this point, he knew all the signs that Lucy was about to cum, so he could get ready himself to do it at the same time. "YES!"

With that yell she trembled against him and relaxed, and he moaned too, feeling the liquid leave him with the peak of orgasm, panting. He kept holding her tight to his chest and made sure every piece of her body was covered and warm.

"Natsu, you really stepped up the game today" she said, breathing heavily.

"Told you I'd take proper care of you" he smirked. "I guess this really was the fastest way to warm you"

"Thanks to you I'll definitely not get sick" she turned and snuggled against his chest.

"Lucy, you were colder than the inside of our fridge, you'll get sick for sure" he argued.

"Well, if I do, it'll be totally worth it!" she beamed, winking at him. He shook his head, smiling, and hugged her tighter. Man, how he loved her.

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Winter

"The tree is here!" announced Happy, flying into the house as Natsu carried a tall pine inside.

"Wow, it's perfect!" Lucy said, clapping her hands. "Put it over here, next to the window!"

Natsu took the tree where his girlfriend pointed and stepped back to admire the work.

"It looks really cool!" he grinned, sitting on the armchair.

"We never got a tree this big!" Happy noticed, flying excitedly around it.

"Me neither! I bought more ornaments so we can decorate it!" the blonde showed them a box full with Christmas garnishes. "Come on, help me out here!"

"You know what, next year I will decorate it and you can carry the big heavy tree across the forest" he proposed, still catching his breath. She just chuckled and started putting the ornaments on the tree.

"I wanna put the star!" informed Happy, looking for it in the box.

"The star has to go last!" Lucy argued, taking it off his paws when he found it.

"Lucy, you're so cruel!" he whined, fake crying. She rolled her eyes and gave him back the star.

"Okay, you put it, but save it for last!" she demanded.

"Fine…" the exceed agreed, hanging little fish decorations instead.

"I can't believe we're on Christmas season again!" she commented, wrapping a red tinsel around the tree. "Natsu, we're about to have our second anniversary!"

"I know, time sure flies" he smiled.

"Are you gonna do something special?" Happy asked, starting to hang the glass balls. "After the double trip last year?"

"Nah, I think I just wanna spend the day in our new house" Lucy answered from the other side of the tree. "What do you say, Natsu?"

"Sounds good. We could still have a special dinner or something like that" he suggested, slipping to the floor and going through the box of decorations.

"Yeah, that would be nice" she agreed.

"Don't worry, I'll be out of your way, Lucky-san and Marl-san invited me over for a few days" Happy informed.

"They are so nice!" the blonde said as she rearranged some of the decorations Happy put. "But you'll be back for Christmas day, right?"

"Sure, I want my presents!" he demanded with a frown.

"Actually, speaking of it, we never settled if our anniversary should be the day of the kiss or the day you gave me my bracelet, Natsu"

"It's the day of the kiss!" he replied like it was obvious. "Only a weirdo would think otherwise"

"Hey! That was the day you asked me to be your girlfriend, it was very special to me" she protested.

"You just don't wanna tell people you kissed me by accident on your bed when they ask" he teased, and she blushed instantly.

"This had nothing to do with the matter" she argued, but avoided his gaze. "What do you think, Happy?"

"I'm gonna go with Natsu and say it was the day you kissed him" the exceed opined. "It was also the day you guys had your first date, wasn't it?"

"Well, I didn't know it was a date!" she raised her hands in exasperation.

"Two against one, Lucy, you lose" Natsu announced, giving her a thumbs down.

"Fine" she agreed, pouting. Natsu gave Happy a meaningful look and the exceed flied to the kitchen, claiming to be thirsty. The dragon slayer got to his feet and walked to his girlfriend.

"Lucy" he called, hugging her from behind, putting his chin on her shoulder and crossing his hands on her belly. "I know you had to wait a long time for me, and that day was special 'cause it was when your feelings finally reached my oblivious, stupid heart"

"Hm…" she mumbled, still not entirely convinced.

"From that day on, all I could think was you and how to kiss you" he told, kissing her cheek. "All that came after was our relationship growing"

"Well, when you put it like that…" she said, finally melting in his arms. "I guess you're right"

"I'm sorry, what did you say? I couldn't understand" he asked, putting his hand on his ear as if to hear better.

"I said that you're right" she repeated, rolling her eyes with a smile.

"Just one more time, please" he pleaded, grinning and lifting her from the ground.

"You. Are. Right" she shouted, laughing. "Put me down!"

"I can't" he said. "The star needs to go on top of the tree!"

"Natsu!" she yelled, suddenly worried about what he was going to do. "Don't you dare!"

"Stop moving around!" he tried to raise her to the top, but she stirred so much he lost balance and they both fell to the ground. They continued laughing as Lucy threw cushions at him. Happy chuckled, watching them.

Those two would never grow up.

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Spring

Lucy loved her new house so much. In a few months, it would be a year since they were living here, and she had zero complaints about it. The porch was perfect for reading in the summer, the living room with the fireplace was just right for warming up in the winter and she loved the view from the office in the fall, with the tree leaves getting brown and being blown by the wind.

And she just discovered her favorite place in the spring was the bedroom.

She considered this with the back of her mind as she rocked back and forth on top of her boyfriend. Making love to Natsu was always really, really hot. Literally hot. Even after he learned to keep his fire magic under control, he would still get unusually hot during their sessions. In the summer, they would almost die from dehydration. In the winter, she could always count on it to heat any room, but the thermal shock when leaving it was brutal.

So she was really enjoying the balance they were achieving right now. All the glass doors that lead to the balcony were open, and the warm breeze coming through them refreshed her burning hot body, which made her enjoy their love even more. Sometimes, it was so hot her mind got a little clouded in steam.

Lucy took a deep breath, feeling a pleasant shiver as the breeze made contact with her feverish skin, making her nipples point up. She and Natsu were together for two years, and had tried and enjoyed a handful of positions, but this would always be a favorite for her. Riding on top of him meant she could not only dictate the rhythm, but also keep her hands on the delicious saliences of her boyfriend's abs. She slid her fingers on them easily, since they were cover in sweat, and felt the pleasure growing as he hit her inside in all the right places.

"Natsu" suddenly she gasped for air, and all the wind in the world wouldn't be enough uncloud her mind now as she saw stars, reaching her peak. "I'm almost…"

"Hey, keep up with me a little longer" he asked panting, raising his upper body to meet her and putting soft kisses on her breasts until reaching one of her nipples and taking it in his mouth.

"You're not helping" she replied, grabbing his hair almost as hard as he held her butt.

She moaned as orgasm hit her and threw her head back. She sighted as he reached his peak too, holding her close with his strong hands and filling her insides with semen. She hummed in pleasure as he panted, because she loved that sensation as well, like he was completing her.

They were both dripping sweat now. She hugged him, enjoying as their skins slipped against each other, and he lied on top of her, using her breasts as pillows. He was heavy, but she didn't mind. She wouldn't rather be in any other place than under him.

The breeze came again and Lucy smiled. They were gonna have so much fun this spring.

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Summer

It was warm. He could feel the soothing temperature around his body, and the steam he breathed, all healing his sores wounds. The pain was just a faraway memory on his aching muscles. Something slid against his skin, soft and light, as if taking the weariness away.

Natsu opened his eyes with difficulty, like his eyelids were made of lead. First, all he could see was water, surrounding his body and clouding his sight with the steam. Then a small rosy hand came into vision, holding a sponge and dipping it into water, only to take it out again and rub his arm with it. So that's what he was feeling.

He groaned and raised his head, which was even more difficult than opening his eyes. Every bit of his body seemed to be weighting about 100 pounds today. He recognized his surroundings. He was at home, in the large tub of his and Lucy's bathroom. He saw Happy on the other side of it, also in the water and playing with some kind of wooden boat. Lucy was out of the water, kneeling next to the tub and washing him. They turned to him, smiling.

"You're awake!" Lucy whispered in relief.

"Hey, Natsu, welcome back!" Happy greeted him.

"What… What happened?" he mumbled. "The last thing I remember…"

Flashes of an intense fight run through his mind. They had been fighting a new enemy of the guild, and he was pretty sure he needed to go into his dragon force state to face him.

"What do you think?" his girlfriend replied with impatience in a hoarse voice. "You won, of course, but left your body in a miserable condition"

"Ugh…" he grimaced when she cleaned a painful spot right under his ribs. The pain was starting to emerge to his senses. "Easy there!"

"Careful, Lucy!" Happy asked.

"Sorry, sorry" she whispered, taking the sponge off his skin. "But I need to clean you. Wendy healed your most serious injuries, but she had to take care of everyone too, and she was also pretty tired from the fight."

"What about you guys? Are you okay?" he questioned, trying to get a better look at them.

"We're fine compared to you" Lucy said, twisting the sponge. Natsu turned to her. He just realized she wasn't whispering on purpose. Her voice was just so hoarse she couldn't speak too loud.

"Why are you talking like that?" he asked, and she looked down, uncomfortable.

"Lucy's enemy strangled her" Happy told with sadness. "Her throat is pretty bad"

"What?" the dragon slayer noticed she was wearing a turtleneck, which was weird, since they were in the middle of summer. "Let me see"

She put the sponge away and dried her hands slowly, then pulled the fabric covering her neck down. Hew whole neck was purple with bruises.

"Lucy" he said, feeling his stomach cold as he was hit by worry and rage. "Why didn't you ask Wendy to take care of that?"

"It's not as bad as it looks" she replied in her now low voice. "There were a lot of people worse than me. Once she's rested, I'll ask"

"Ouch, Natsu!" Happy yelled, jumping out of the tub. Natsu's anger made the water start to boil.

"Sorry" he said, grinding his teeth. "At least tell me you kick his ass"

"I sure did" Lucy assured, winking at him with a smile. He chuckled, feeling better and proud of her.

"I think I'll turn in" the exceed informed, drying himself with a towel and getting all fluffy. "I'm pretty tired too"

"I left you a glass of milk upstairs" the blonde informed.

"Thanks" he agreed, opening his wings and flying out the door. "Good night!"

"I think you're clean enough as well, wanna go lie down?" she asked, turning to him after they wished Happy a good night.

"I was thinking maybe you could join me now that Happy's gone?" he proposed.

"Are kidding me? Natsu, you can barely stand" she rolled her eyes. "No funny business to you"

"Can't blame a fellow for trying" he said, trying to get up and almost slipping. Lucy grabbed his arm to support him.

"Wow, you'd really rock my world, huh" she replied with sarcasm, helping him out of the tub and handing him towels.

"Sure, it's your loss" he teased, drying his hair as she dried her body delicately to avoid hitting his bruises. He put on his boxers and walked to the bed leaning on Lucy. When he lied down, he sighed in relief, feeling all his body relax against the soft sheets. All he needed for a good night's sleep now was his girlfriend lying next to him. "You're not coming?"

"Soon" she whispered, kissing his cheek. "It's my turn to take a bath now"

"Can't you just stay a little until I fall asleep?" he pleaded.

"Fine, but just 'cause it'll be like three minutes" she agreed, lying and hugging him. He jumped again when she squeezed one of his painful spots again. "Sorry!"

"It's okay" he assured her. "Show me your neck again"

She hesitated, but did as he asked. He sighed, way more in pain for seeing her like this than if all his limbs were broken. The he approached her and put a soft kiss on her hurt neck.

"It's not healing magic, but I hope it'll help" he said, already feeling the unconsciousness starting to take his mind as he felt her soft form against him.

"I already feel much better" she smiled, watching her hero fall asleep.

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Fall

"The days are really getting chillier" Lucy pointed out as she, Natsu and Happy made their way home. They were coming back from a job and decided to go straight home, since the sun was setting and the wind was getting cold.

"I bet you're sad, Lucy, 'cause you can't wear your slutty outfits" Happy teased her.

"They are not slutty!" she shouted with indignity. "Are you gonna let him talk to me like that?"

"What?" Natsu questioned, distracted.

"He spaced out 'cause he's also sad you can't wear your slutty outfits anymore" the exceed explained.

"You wear nothing at all" Lucy argued. "Charle wears whole outfits and Lily wears pants, so you're much sluttier than me!"

"I… Well…" Happy tried to respond, but was honestly surprised by her argument. "I never thought about that…"

"Heh, I win!" the blonde celebrated, letting go of Natsu's hand as he reached for his keys. "Ahh, the job was tiring, I just want to take a long, hot bath and…"

"Hey, welcome back!" greeted a voice. The trio watched in bewilderment Erza, Wendy, Charle, Gray and Juvia waving at them from the living room, where they had lighten up the fireplace and were comfortably sitting and eating marshmallows.

"The hell are you doing in our house?" yelled Natsu, throwing his backpack on Gray's direction.

"Hah! This face is priceless!" Lucy laughed, looking at her boyfriend. "Now you know how it feels!"

"What? Aren't you mad at them?" he questioned, annoyed.

"A little, but it's better to see you in my shoes!" she said with a wide grin, making her way to the living room and sitting on the only armchair available. "But seriously, what are you guys doing here?"

"We came to warn you of something important" informed Wendy with a carefree expression.

"Important? What is it?" asked Natsu, sitting on the floor in front of Lucy's armchair and leaning his back against her legs. Happy had already merrily sat next to Charle.

"Well, it's… hm…" Gray started, thinking as he ate his marshmallow. "What was it again, Erza?"

"Hmm…" she thought about it too, eating hers as she sipped hot chocolate from Lucy's mug.

"I see it was very important indeed" Lucy commented, rolling her eyes.

"The guild hall, Erza-san!" reminded Juvia.

"Oh, that's right!" the red head remembered. "Master is gonna paint the guild hall, so we can't hang out at the guild for a couple of days"

"But the job board and Mira-san will be on the outside if anyone wants to take a job" complemented Wendy.

"That's it? You broke in here and ate all of our marshmallows just for that?" Natsu asked in disbelief, shaking the empty package of the candy. "Next time just slip in a note!"

"Hey, we helped build this house!" Gray argued.

"I knew this would bite me in the ass" the fire dragon slayer groaned, crossing his arms.

"Ah, well, they're already here, at least they made the house warm for when we arrived" Lucy considered, since the house was indeed heated. "It's pretty cold outside"

"By the way, Lucy, great brownies!" complimented Erza, showing her an empty plate.

"You ate my brownies?!" she shouted in desperation. "Nooo, I had finally found a spot to hide them from Natsu, I was gonna eat them later!"

"Hey, you hid food from me?" the dragon slayer questioned, surprise. "What spot is this?"

"Well, it's…" Erza started.

"Don't tell him that!" Lucy yelled, interrupting her.

"Sorry, guys, we'll replace the food we ate" Wendy promised, but her friends didn't seem so worried about that.

"Then I guess you'll be leaving!" Natsu said with a frown.

"Oh, come on, the guild is closed, where else would we hang out?" Gray shrugged.

"Here's an idea: any other place" the fire mage replied. "Maybe at your work, the strip club, Stripper!"

"Who are you calling Stripper?" the dark haired man got to his feet, somehow already shirtless.

"Okay, okay, there's no need to fight" Erza said, separating the two. "Natsu and Lucy are right, we stepped out of line a little."

"Why don't we cook you dinner to make up for the trouble?" suggested Juvia, with Gray's shirt in her hands.

"That's a great idea, Juvia!" the armored mage agreed. "So you two rest from your job here, we'll make dinner in the kitchen. Come on, Gray, Wendy"

"Well, thanks, that's really thoughtful" Lucy said with a small smile. Natsu sighed and she stroke his hair once their friends were out of sight. "Don't pout, you have to admit the house gets more alive when our friends are here"

The sound of something breaking and people yelling came from the kitchen.

"I just hope there's still a house to be alive when they leave"

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Winter

"Lucy, what are you doing up?" Natsu asked, still a little confused on why the alarm ringed at 4 AM.

"I'm gonna get ready for the wedding" she explained, yawning and stretching.

"What? I thought we were supposed to arrive in the afternoon" he said, suddenly alarmed.

"We are" she confirmed. "But it's a long time for me to prepare"

"You're not even a bridesmaid!" he argued. "Why would you need so much time to prepare? Come back to bed!"

"It's just how things are, silly" she smiled, kissing his cheek. "Go back to sleep and enjoy my preparation later today"

"Uh, don't mind if I do…" he yawned, falling back on his pillow and into his dreams.

Natsu woke up a few hours later, actually thinking that the interaction had been a dream. But then he saw Lucy coming out of the bathroom in a robe and the face covered in make-up.

"Good morning!" she greeted, sitting next to him in bed. "Give me a kiss before I put on the lipstick"

"You really are getting ready since 4 AM?" he asked after kissing her.

"Yup!" she answered, opening her pink lipstick. "Weddings are big events"

"If you need to get up so soon, when did Evergreen start to get ready?" he questioned, getting up to go to the bathroom.

"She probably hasn't even slept" Lucy chuckled. Today was Elfman and Evergreen's wedding. It was the first time Natsu would witness the whole process she went to get ready for these events. Normally he would just show up at her apartment when she was at the end of it, and still manage to complain she was taking too long.

"Well, if you took a bath and put on make-up already, it only leaves putting on the dress, isn't it?" he said, coming out of the bathroom drying his face on a towel. "You'll get ready way ahead of time"

"No, you skipped a very important part, mister" she said, showing him the key of Cancer. "Hair!"

"Cancer cuts your hair in like five minutes" he argued, still confused.

"Yes, but today he won't just cut it, he'll arrange it in a beautiful hairstyle" she told with her eyes sparkling. "So that takes a little more time."

"Well, I guess I'll be having breakfast then" he said, scratching his head. "Do you want something?"

"No, thanks, I already ate" she informed. "Now I'll probably just eat at the wedding"

"Okay…"

Natsu had breakfast with Happy, had a long conversation with him about the best place to fish, washed the dishes and decided to go put on his suit, and found Lucy still working on her hair and wearing only her robe.

"Are you serious?" he asked in disbelief.

"I had to try on some to make a decision!" she explained, looking on the mirror and then turning to him. "Ugh, look at you, just put on a suit and is instantly hot! Being a man is so much easier!"

"Hey, thanks" he grinned, coming closer to her. "If you want, I think we have time to…"

"If you ruin my hard work, you better use your looks to find another girlfriend" she warned, annoyed. "Go wait downstairs!"

"Fine, fine!" he agreed, hurrying out. He stayed in the living room for two more hours playing card games with Happy until she finally came down. Naturally, she was stunning in a golden gown and made her hair all curled.

"Beautiful!" he said, taking her hand and kissing it. "And it only took eight hours"

"Okay, fine, let's get going" she rolled her eyes, not in the mood for being teased. Natsu knew she was in a bad mood because she was starving, but he also knew better not to suggest she ate something before leaving. Things would lighten up at the wedding.

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And they did. Lucy cried and got all emotional at the ceremony, which meant he could hold her while she laid her head on his shoulder. Then they moved to the party, where the blonde finally got to eat, what improved her mood significantly, and dance, which was one Natsu's favorite things to do with her. They had a lot of fun and soon it was time for the bride to throw the bouquet. Natsu seized the opportunity to eat some more while she went with the other girls, sitting at a table with Alzack, Macao, Romeo and Wakaba.

"So, who do you think will take the bouquet?" asked Romeo.

"Erza for sure" Alzack answered without a doubt, and everyone else agreed, nodding.

"Not that she'll be the next to get married" Wakaba said. "She and Jellal are sure taking things slow"

"Who do you think will get married next, then?" Natsu asked, with his mouth full of food.

"I don't know, maybe Gray and Juvia…?" he considered.

"Gajeel and Levy sure should do it, they even have a kid!" Macao commented.

"They would be my bet as well" Alzack agreed.

"What about you, Natsu-nii? You think you and Lucy-nee will get married?" Romeo questioned him.

"I don't know" he blinked, thinking about it. "What exactly changes when you get married?"

Alzack, Macao and Wakaba looked at one another, considering his question.

"Well, since you already live together, I guess not much" said Wakaba, smoking his cigar. "You probably already saw most of the annoying habits she has, and how she looks without make-up"

"It's really more about a celebration of your love, Natsu" Macao opined. "Like an excuse for throwing a big party"

"I think we're better off hearing from Alzack, Natsu-nii" Romeo rolled his eyes.

"The way I see it, it's to officiate the relationship" Alzack tried to explain. "When you get married, you're officially establishing her like your partner, the one who'll be always by your side all your life. She'll be the one people call if something happened to you, and you'll be called if something happens to her. She'll get to make decisions for you when you can't, and you're okay with that, because you trust her. Of course there's the celebration and the perks of living together, as they said, but… I'd consider as starting a family together. Even if there are no kids, just the two of you, you make a family in the way that you're always together on everything, and against anything"

Silence followed his words. Romeo had a smile, Natsu had stopped eating midway and looked lost in thoughts, and Macao and Wakaba had tears in his eyes.

"Damn, Alzack, why do you always have to do this?" Macao asked as he and Wakaba cried, emotional.

"Ah, well, sorry" the man chuckled, embarrassed.

"Hey, I think someone is ready to go home" Bisca came to find him with a sleeping Asuka in her arms.

"Who caught the bouquet?" asked Romeo.

"Erza, of course. She knocked off half the girls" Bisca laughed as Alzack took their daughter and got up to leave. "Bye, guys"

They all said goodbye and Natsu cleaned his hands, going to Lucy, who was sitting at a table as Wendy did something on her head.

"Hey, what happened?" he asked, coming closer and noticing she had a cut on her forehead.

"Erza-san got a little carried away about getting the bouquet" Wendy explained with a shy chuckle. "Don't worry, it's nothing serious"

"It's okay, Natsu, she apologized" Lucy assured him, caressing his hand. "Why don't we dance one more time and go home? I'm exhausted."

"Yeah, I'd be too if I had woken up 4 AM" he said, going with her to the dance floor. It was a romantic song, so he put his hands on her hips and she enlaced his neck as they danced slowly.

"I know it takes a lot of work, but isn't it worth it?" she sighed with a smile, making a twirl with her hand in his and coming back to her original position.

"Yes, you're always worth it, Lucy" he agreed, grinning and gluing her body on his. "Our anniversary will come again soon"

"Oh, yeah, three years already!" she beamed, excited. "Do you have anything in mind for this year?"

"No, not yet" he lied. He had just got something very special in mind.

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Hey, readers, just a reminder that I planned this story to have 10 chapters, so the next will be the last, I'll update it on Friday. I'm considering to maybe add an epilogue, if I manage to organize some ideas in a fun way!

Thanks again for the reviews!