"Why do you smell so good, like strawberries and cream? It makes me want to gobble you up." I purr to the soft yet supple body below me. I lean closer and inhale that intoxicating sweet smell, I can feel my body reacting, firing up until my blood is set alight.

"Natsu," a familiar soft feminine voice whispers quietly. There is an emotion that I don't quite understand in their voice, it sounds almost pleading and I don't know why. If only I could open my eyes and see what is happening, maybe it would make more sense.

My hands move of their own accord, callused fingers stroking the velvet skin that lies beneath me causing a pleasant shiver to course through my body. I can feel the tremor of a rapid heartbeat beneath the pads of my fingertips, it's exciting in a way I have never experienced.

"Who am I touching and why?"

I can hear someone faintly calling my name from afar, it's getting louder and I want to run from it. No, I don't want to be pulled away, not yet. My hips involuntarily grind into something soft and yielding, a surprised gasp echoes in my head before loud shouting brings me almost back to consciousness.

My eyes fly open, for a split second all I can see is a pair of deep chocolate brown eyes and a flash of golden blonde hair, "Lucy?"

"NATSU! Wake up, dummy!" Happy yells in my face, his cheeks rosy and puffed to the point that he might simply explode with one prodding finger. I swat at him angrily, attempting to drag myself out of the lethargy that is trying to cling to me, I need to work out where I am and not allow myself to be drowned by the fatigue that is desperately trying to tug me back under.

Still groggy from being so rudely pulled from my dreams, it takes a full minute to realise I'm stretched out on the sofa in Lucy's cozy apartment. One leg dangling uselessly over the side, and with one of her bedroom pillows stuffed under my body. The sweet scent from my dream lingers both in my mind and nose, and it is only then that I come to understand that it is coming from the pillow, her pillow.

I gingerly sit up and immediately notice that I have something that needs to remain well hidden, my loose pyjama pants are not doing a good job at covering my very prominent erection. Every innocent rub of the soft fabric is like an individual agony, making me clench my jaw and tighten my fists until I can feel the press of my short nails marking my palms with crescent moons.

It's not like the Exceed hasn't seen this before, the bundle of overzealous blue fluff has been with me since before I hit puberty, and the hormones that had raged through my young body had definitely caused many early morning issues, but this time it's different. We are not in our own ramshackle home, we are in Lucy's home, and this was definitely not good behaviour for a house guest!

Placing the pillow on my lap to attempt to hide my embarrassment, my eyes cut to the flying exceed and I know that I am glaring at him. A fury that I had no right to display building inside me so quickly it shocked me, "what the hell man? I was sleeping, why'd you have to wake me?"

The blue fuzzball lands on the small round coffee table before me, his large eyes round and watery with worry and the start of unshed tears, "you were making so much noise, it sounded like you were in pain, and then you started thrashing around on the sofa. I've been trying to wake you for ages, I was about to wake Lucy to help but –"

"Let her sleep!" I snap, barely recognising my own voice laced with the first crash of the fury that has been rapidly building. Happy gasps at my unusual sharpness and the sting of that sound makes me swallow down the anger until I can hear my own thoughts once again without the ringing of irritation in my head. Sighing, I do my best to smile at him, "Sorry little buddy. It's just that she has been through so much lately, she needs to rest."

Happy seems content with my short apology, accepting the reasoning with a muted nod of the head. He knew far better than even I do of what Lucy suffered through, the lengths she went to to bring me back to them. It still puzzles me if I think on it too much, stirring feelings within me that I simply do not fully understand, or at least that is what I keep telling myself… could it be love, and not the love of a family member or close friend, a love that means so much more?

It is only now that I can feel the absolute pounding in my head, the swell of an immense pressure that has me grabbing at my skull in desperation to quell the pain. Sweat is starting to trickle down my furrowed brow and coating my skin with a heavy glistening sheen. Yes, my body normally runs hotter than most, it comes with the territory of being a Fire Dragon Slayer, but this just isn't right. Frowning I try to stand from the sofa, the unsettling quiver in my thighs causes me to wobble on unsteady feet and I quickly sit again before I fall over my own length.

What the heck?

Suddenly, a pair of large orange eyes with blazing flames dancing in their depths, flash past my field of vision and are gone again as quickly as they first appeared. A low ominous growl resonates inside my aching skull, I grab at it once more trying in my desperation to simply shake it away, and my teeth grind down at the pain now shooting through me like the piercing agony of being hit by a hundred blades.

How did I end up on the floor? I try to speak the words as I find myself prone on the cold floor, but they are only heard within my own shattered mind. The only sound I can hear is of my ragged panting at the pressure building to such an almighty crescendo.

A sense of deep pride flares within me, I have taken on far greater challenges than this 'headache', surely I cannot be beaten by my own damn head, as thick as it may be. Mustering every last ounce of willpower I make another attempt to stand on my own two feet, but it's like all my strength has been sapped away by an invisible enemy.

Someone lands heavily on the floor before me, the impact quaking through the floorboards beneath the thin rug I'm on top of, the vibration does nothing but make me moan out loud and try to shift away, wary of any threat in my currently vulnerable state. There is a desperation to know who has appeared, friend or foe but I simply cannot raise my head, it hurts too much.

As a cool hand reaches out to stroke at my brow, the pain recedes almost instantly, and my mind clears enough that I can take in my immediate surroundings once again. The growling that had been low and threatening turns into the soft purr of a contented kitten before disappearing into the darkness. I don't have the time to dwell on that for now, pushing the confusing thought aside to examine at another time.

Looking up slowly, cautiously as I await the return of the agony from my movement, I find Lucy kneeling beside me. Her normally shining brown eyes are muted and murky with obvious concern, I hate that I am the cause of her worry, I had promised not to put her through this again, and here I was making her miserable with my lame state.

She continues to stroke tenderly at my forehead, and it's the soothing balm that I need to chase away the pressure and pain from my mind, despite my best efforts to pull myself together, I lean into the comfort and try to let the pain ebb away.

"What's going on Natsu?" she asks softly, "you're burning up!" her voice becoming shrill as she finally takes note of the heat roiling off my body in steady waves, much like rivers of lava flowing down a spewing volcano. Her hand begins to retreat, and I grab at it possessively and place it back on my brow, sighing openly as the cool touch of her fingers seeps into me. Lucy gasps but relaxes into the touch, I want to talk with her, question her over what could be happening to me, but all I can do is lean into her welcoming embrace as I continue to tremble with painful aftershocks.

"Don't know, feel funny," is all I can manage to say and even that takes it out of me, my breathing laboured and sluggish from the few words I croaked out. I have an overwhelming desire to slump back against the sofa, pulling Lucy with me as I can't bear to be parted from her, and that is exactly what I do.

The heat coming off Natsu is intense, his fire has never bothered me in the past, it's simply a part of his overall package, but this is different. Despite his weakened condition, the hand that he has wrapped around me tightens, his fingers sinking into my side, and I don't think I would be able to pull away even if I had wanted to. Natsu moans almost feverishly as I continue to stroke his damp forehead.

"Get me a bowl of cold water and a rag." I urge the near hysterical flying cat. Happy has been flapping around our heads incessantly with an increasingly worried and stressed expression, a task might help him regain his focus or at the very least get him out of the way as I assess our friend.

"It's going to be ok; we'll get you some help," I murmur soothingly into Natsu's ear, his body spasms and he whimpers from the pain of it. I can't stand this, Natsu is always so strong and resilient, and I can't bear seeing him like this.

I must be strong for him! Pull yourself together Lucy, how would Natsu handle this if the roles were reversed?

The thought comes almost instantly to my mind's eye; Natsu would scoop me into his arms and run to the nearest person he deemed clever enough to deal with the situation, likely Wendy or Levy. Despite the seriousness of the current situation, that image has me smiling, he never lets me down.

His scorching body is now entirely slick with sweat, Happy returns with the water and rag which I take carefully, mopping his brow and face gently until the clench of his jaw relaxes ever so slightly.

"Happy, I need you to find either Wendy or Porlyusica quickly and bring them here immediately," I command, my eyes never leaving Natsu's pained face, never stopping the gentle motion of the moistened rag.

"Aye Sir!" Happy salutes and I watch him wipe a stray tear from his eye before he glides effortlessly through the open window and into the distance.

As soon as Happy leaves, an almighty shudder races through Natsu's entire length. Before I can even blink, I am flat on my back with Natsu poised above me, he lowers his head as I watch on nervously, frozen by the sudden action.

He nuzzles into my neck and inhales deeply; I can feel a deep searing blush creep over my face as I realise just how close we are.

"What are you doing? Natsu, you need help," I whisper and it is a shock to hear how breathy my own voice sounds. My palms push against his muscled chest, but it appears some of his strength has returned as I make no impact at all.

A deep chuckle that I have never heard from him before rumbles through his chest and up his throat, and he presses one blazing kiss to my neck, "all I need is you, Lucy."