HAHHAHAAHAHAAA! I felt pretty evil for cutting off that kiss scene, but I feel even more evil now. I have to throw a wrench into the works, I just can't help myself. I am a little sorry this time, though… a little.
This one gets a little intense in the beginning, but not so much so that I felt it warranted being put in its own separate story just yet. Heads up for the younger readers or readers not into that. I try to use fairly mild language, so hopefully it doesn't bother anyone too much.
As a heads up, I'll be taking a small break from this story. That itch I mentioned a while ago is back and relentless, so I'll be working on writing that for a little while. I worked on it today hoping it would scratch the itch enough, but after 12 pages I'm even more eager to get it written down. It'll be much shorter than this one, or even Surprise, so I shouldn't be busy for too long. I imagine it'll only take me a couple weeks, so you won't have to miss me long. And don't worry, I'll eventually share it with you all, as it will be another Fairy Tail AU!
Matcha-sama: I know it will be a while before you get this far, but I want to thank you for your review! I'm glad you're enjoying yourself, and I appreciate your words! It's truly humbling to have someone give my work such high praise, so I thank you very much for that. All I can say is to keep writing! When I go back and read my old work, I cringe a little, but you can only get better through practice, so keep putting pen to paper, or keep typing, whichever you prefer, and you'll get better with every word. Good luck!
As always, thank you everyone for all the love and happy reading!
For a long moment, all Lucy did was feel. Natsu's lips were soft and so gentle as they pressed against hers. He kissed her a few times, each time just as careful as the last, as though he was worried he might hurt her if he used too much pressure.
When he made a move to pull away, Lucy tightened her hold on his shirt and rose up on to her toes to kiss him back. He made a surprised noise as she pressed her lips against his, and she let out a quiet moan in response. His breathing changed and then so did his grip on her face. As his hands slid down to grab her head more firmly, he pulled away to take a breath before his lips came crashing down onto hers again. The kiss became more eager as their hands began to roam across the other's body. Lucy's hands moved up into his hair while his slid down her sides to grab onto her hips.
Lucy could feel Natsu's inexperience as he kissed her, so she made subtle adjustments to help him kiss her more fully, even pulling away once to whisper to him. When she eventually slid her tongue into his mouth, she expected the kiss to change, but was not prepared for his response.
He froze as her tongue ran slowly along his bottom lip and then sought out his own. When they both touched, he was in motion again. His hands gripped her hips, hard, and then yanked her legs up around his waist. With a few steps he had her pushed up against the nearest tree, allowing his hands to let go and freely explore her body.
He yanked his lips from her mouth and then latched on to her neck with both teeth and tongue. Lucy gasped loudly, unable to do anything more than just feel as his hands yanked at her jacket while his mouth ravaged her. When her jacket was finally open, hot hands made their way up her sides until they grasped her breasts. Lucy groaned as his thumbs sought the straining peaks hidden by her dress.
Natsu was ferocious in his administrations, firm but still somehow gentle as he teased, tasted and touched every inch of her body he could reach. When his lips moved down her shoulder and towards her arm, Lucy forced her eyes open, desperate to watch him. When his eyes finally met hers again, Lucy felt disappointment creep along her skin. Natsu's eyes were glowing, a dim golden glow in the otherwise dark night. When his mouth returned to her neck, she had to fight to not shove him off of her.
When had he changed? When had he gone from the real Natsu to this Natsu? Had the real Natsu kissed her at all?
Tears pricked at her eyes. Why was she so disappointed? In either form, this was Natsu, right? Or had everything just been this Natsu? How was she supposed to know if the real Natsu liked her when this version kept coming out? Should it matter? She wanted to be with him, right? So what did it matter if it was his alter ego, or whatever?
Lucy found that she couldn't get herself to welcome Natsu's continued affection, so she raised her hands to his face and pulled it close to her own.
"Natsu," she said as she stopped him from kissing her again. "Natsu, can we stop?"
Natsu's hands stilled on her waist. Lucy slowly allowed her legs to slip down to support her weight again. When he continued to just stare at her, Lucy reached down and took his hands in hers. "What's going on in that silly head of yours?" she whispered.
Natsu began to blink as the color slowly drained from his eyes. When they'd finally faded entirely back to black, Lucy raised herself up on tiptoe to kiss his cheek. "I think you did great tonight."
"I… huh?"
"Come on," she said as she wound her arm around his waist again. "Let's head home. I'd like to get out of these shoes."
"Okay?" Natsu put his arm around her shoulder and amped up the heat a little. As they began to walk again, he looked behind himself. When had they gotten over to the tree? Hadn't he kissed her on the path? And what had happened to her smell? There was something weird about it. When he glanced down, he saw marks on her neck that hadn't been there before. Had he done that?
A chill shot through his body. Had he gotten lost again? He had begun to notice a lot lately that he was losing time, but he didn't know why. Sometimes he'd be talking to Lucy, and then at some point later realize he was just sitting and staring at her as she did the dishes or cleaned up the apartment or something else. He had no idea why it happened or what he did during those stretches, but he hadn't worried too much since he hadn't done anything but sit around.
What if he'd done something this time? Had Lucy noticed that he'd been weird? Did he even act weird while he was like that? Clearly they'd moved this time, which he didn't remember doing before. Had he done something to Lucy? Was that why she was suddenly so eager to get home?
"Hey Lucy?"
"Yes Natsu?"
Natsu looked down at her, not sure how to ask, and suddenly not sure he wanted to know.
"Nevermind."
"Alright Happy, it's truth time, get in here!"
"Get in wh- ahh!" Lucy grabbed Happy by the tail and pulled him with her out of the kitchen and into her room. Natsu wasn't home, so she didn't bother closing the door, but she did stay next to it as she tossed the Exceed onto her bed.
He bounced a couple times before he finally righted himself. "What gives Lucy?! That hurt my tail…"
"I'm sorry, but I'm not letting you get away without answering my questions today." After returning the night before, Natsu had only spoken to her for a little while before fleeing to his room with the excuse that he wanted to do some in depth research on Christmas.
"What questions?" he asked as he worked on fixing his fur.
"I need to know what's going on with Natsu."
Happy froze, one paw behind his ear. "Nothing's going on with Natsu. What are you talking about?"
"Oh please, Happy, we just talked about this yesterday. I know that when his eyes change color he's basically a different person. I need to know why, and what that alter ego of his is. He never seems to realize that he's lost any time, or remember anything he did or said during it. I know you know what's going on, and it's time you tell me what it is."
Happy frowned as he squirmed. "Lucy, that's a really bad idea…"
"I don't care," she said. "This is affecting my life, and I have every right to know what I'm getting myself into."
"Getting yourself into… what? What are you trying to get into?" Happy's ears shot up. "Does this have to do with the dress?!"
"Stop trying to change the subject! Natsu is a demon, and my roommate, and I want to know what is happening to him! Because right now, I'm not sure how safe it is to be around him while he's like that."
"You don't have anything to worry about," Happy said. "Other people might have to worry, but he'd never hurt you."
"Yeah, but why?" Lucy asked.
Happy's ears drooped again. "I… I don't want to tell you…"
"Why not, Happy? I put up with a lot from him sometimes, and you. Is whatever you won't tell me really so bad that I might change my views about him?"
"Well, maybe… that's why I don't want to tell you. I think it's too soon. And if I ruined things for Natsu, I'd never be able to forgive myself."
Lucy crossed her arms as she stared him down. Happy had never struck her as particularly manipulative, so as tears formed in his eyes and then seeped into his fur, she was fairly certain that what he said was true. However, she still wanted answers, and despite his concerns, she was fairly certain there was nothing that would make her change her mind about how she felt about Natsu.
Before she could press the issue though, Happy's ears shot up and his wings popped up to bring him into the air. "Natsu's home!"
"Happy, if you don't just answer me-"
The Exceed flew forward to put his hand over her mouth and then leaned in to whisper near her ear. "If I answer you, or if you tell him about the lapses, not only would it hurt him, it could potentially ruin him for the rest of his life. There are things he needs to figure out, and if he doesn't on his own, then he can kiss his carefree days goodbye. This is serious, Lucy. You have to trust me!"
"You're not giving me very good reasons to do so," she whispered back.
"Hey guys," Natsu called from the kitchen. "You here?"
"Please Lucy. Give it two months," he said as he pulled away. "In two months I will tell you what's going on if he hasn't figured it out on his own. Please, I'm begging you. Please. Just wait a little longer."
He shook his paws in front of him, practically ready to get down on his knees and beg. Seeing how sincere he was, Lucy was forced to concede. "Fine," she said then turned towards the hall. "We're back here, Natsu!"
Natsu joined them a moment later, with a slight frown. "What are you guys doing hiding back here?"
"Just talking," Lucy answered.
"Yeah, I was talking to her about the thing I have to go home for."
Natsu blinked rapidly at him. "What do you mean?"
"I told you about it a few days ago," Happy said. "I made plans with Carla, so I have to go back. I can come back for Christmas, though, so just summon me again before the party."
Outwardly, Natsu forced himself to appear cool, but inwardly he was panicking. He'd spoke the previous night to Happy about his concerns, and now the Exceed wanted to just leave him alone with Lucy on his own? What if his lapses started getting longer or more intense? He was certain he'd done something to Lucy the previous night, but she hadn't said anything, and he didn't want to alert her if she hadn't noticed on her own.
He'd decided that the best solution was to spend as little time alone with her as possible, which should have been easy with a third roommate, but when that third roommate kept leaving, it was going to be more difficult than he thought.
"Happy, are you sure? It sounded like there were going to be a lot of prep work activities before the party, like making cookies and stuff. This might be our only chance to do any of those things! Do you really want to miss out?"
"Sorry buddy, but I already promised Carla I'd go back to help her out."
"What if we summoned her here?" Natsu said, sounding more desperate with each sentence.
"Sorry, but what we're doing we have to do over there."
Lucy squinted between the two as she listened. It was obvious that Natsu didn't want Happy to go, and she was pretty curious about why that was. "Sorry Natsu, but he already asked me," she said as she walked around him towards the living room. "We can handle everything before he gets back, so don't worry so much. We can take plenty of pictures if you like and he can see what he missed out on when he gets back."
"Yeah, what she said." Happy paused to float next to her. "How many days is it until Christmas?"
"Christmas is in… eleven days. Make sure you bring gifts when you come, though," she said with a special smile directed right at him. "I think I deserve something nice."
Happy's eyes darted towards Natsu and back again before he answered. "I'm sure I can put together something awesome, as long as I can find enough time."
"Good, I'm glad that's settled." Lucy leaned down, and with experience born from lots of practice, easily traced his summoning circle until it was nearly done.
"Need anything before I go?" Happy asked.
"I think I'm good," Lucy said with an innocent smile.
Natsu looked like he desperately wanted to argue but he just shook his head and said, "You have fun."
"Then I'll see you guys later!"
Lucy finished the last line and then waved until Happy popped out of existence. She ripped up the paper and then threw it in the trash before returning the original to its drawer. "Well, Natsu, what do you want to do today?"
He swallowed as he took tiny steps away. "Well, I was thinking about taking a nap, or, uh, doing some more research. I think I've got everything I need to know about Christmas, but I still need to do some more research for our next trip."
"Oh, well that's lame." Lucy stuck out her bottom lip in a pout. "I was hoping you'd help me with the decorations."
"What decorations?"
"For Christmas. Remember? I told you about them last night."
"Oh yeah! Sorry, guess I forgot. Sure, I can help with that. Do we have to go get them?"
"Nope." Lucy started making her way down towards the hall. "I have a big binful in the closet in your room." Lucy made her way passed the small pile of food bags and empty bins stacked up in his room to open up the closet doors. Since Natsu just magicked all his clothes, he didn't need to use the space so everything was exactly where she had left it. She pulled a couple boxes out of the way and then pulled out a large bin near the bottom. "We'll need this," she said as she handed it his way. "Aaaand…" She grabbed the bigger tote off the floor. "This one. This is the tree."
"You keep a tree in a box? How does it not die?"
"It's a fake tree," Lucy said as she drug it out of the room. "Real trees are a pain to maintain and clean up after the holidays are over, so I got a fake one. I had to get a skinny tree, since Plue liked to climb the first one I had. That made a heck of a mess, so I switched out last year for this one. Plus it's already got lights attached!" After she set down the tote in middle of her living room, she took the one he was carrying. "We won't need this one for a while, so let's leave it over here."
"You're the boss," Natu said as he moved out of her way.
Lucy turned back, opened the bin and pulled out the first piece. "So all you have to do is pull the branches down, like this, and then fluff out the branches, like this, see?"
Natsu watched her for a while before she handed the bottom portion to him. "So like… this?"
"Yeah, just like that. This one only has three pieces, so we just have to fluff them, stack them on the stand and hook the lights up together and then we're done! At least with that part. Then we have to put up the ornaments."
When Lucy bent over to retrieve another piece, Natsu spun around and focused on his piece. She was wearing a large flannel shirt over some tights, but Natsu had clearly seen the outline of her butt. As he worked on focusing on his task, he asked Lucy if she knew any of the Christmas stories well enough to tell him one.
"Of course I do," she said with a laugh. "I watched them every year, so it'd be pretty pathetic of me if I couldn't remember them. Which one do you want to hear?"
"Do you know the one about Rudolph?"
"Of course." By this time, Natsu had turned mostly back in her direction so he was able to see the smile on her face. "There's a song, too, do you want to hear it? Actually, I could see if I can find something online that will read to us while we work. How does that sound?"
He shrugged. "Whichever you would prefer is fine with me."
"I'll find something, just hold on." Lucy set down her portion of the tree and then moved towards the desk to pick up her phone.
Natsu focused on his work instead of the way Lucy was leaning against her desk or the way her hair was falling out of the messy ponytail she'd put it in.
Just focus on your work. Whatever is happening with Lucy seems to happen when you're focusing too much on her, so just keep your mind on other things. You can do it, you just gotta keep your mind on your task.
"Found one!" Lucy cheered, then set her phone back down. As the story started, she adjusted the volume so it would be loud enough before returning to finish up her part of the tree. The video she'd found started with the song, and Natsu found that he wasn't able to completely avoid watching her as she sang along to the music.
When he realized some time later that he'd zoned out again and missed the beginning of the story, he was forced to admit that his current task was going to be more difficult than he'd initially thought.
"How about we take a quick break?" Lucy asked as she set the last section of the tree down on the floor, completely fluffed and ready to be put together. "We can have some hot cider!"
"That sounds great," Natsu said, causing Lucy to smile widely at him and head for the kitchen. As he sighed and put down his mostly unfinished piece, he wondered if perhaps he was just finally going crazy. He'd been a mostly sane half demon for decades now, so perhaps it was just time for him to lose himself for a little while. A lot of demons seemed to lose their minds after they were alive long enough, perhaps it was just his time. As he joined Lucy in the kitchen, he fervently hoped that whatever was happening fixed itself soon. He only had so much time to spend with Lucy in her world, and he would rather not keep losing chunks of it.
When he once again lost time between her turning on the stove and handing him a hot mug, he realized that it might be too hard for him to handle.
Damn it, Happy, he thought. Why did you have to leave me here alone?
For those of you wondering, the project I'll be working on for the next little while will be an AU centered around Lucy, who runs a rehabilitation center for sick and injured magical creatures. One day, a very sick drake shows up, and in the process of trying to fix him, she's going to spend a lot of time remembering an old friend that the drake reminds her an awful lot of. So far my cast list includes: Lucy, the zodiac, Levy, Gajeel, Freed, Mira, a few of the Twelve and Zeref, of course Natsu, and more than likely a few others.
I'm pretty excited, and I hope you all can hold out for my return! Like I said, it won't be too long, and I will look forward to getting back to this story every day!
Happy reading guys!
