The smell of floral perfume overwhelmed Lucy's senses as she stood in Juvia's room. Pale blues begot the walls and bedding, bright white furniture shoved against every corner. Stuffed bears and oversized pillows decorated her bed.
The small, dimly lit dressing room burst into a roar of laughter and giggles. Lucy had snuck Natsu into Juvia's room where several of the girls had gathered. He was entertaining them with card tricks and stories of his various mishaps.
"Seriously Natsu?" Cana asked with a note of sarcasm, "How could you possibly be mistaken for a magician?"
"Well," he said slowly, scratching his head and smiling. "My friend's daughter called me a magician and asked me to do magick for her and her friends. It was her birthday party, I couldn't really say no." He laughed sheepishly.
"Did you really light the cake on fire?" Juvia said, her hands covering her mouth in disbelief.
Nastu rolled his fingers through his hair, a bashful look on his face. "Sometimes my tricks go wrong," he grinned.
"Do the card trick again," Cana said, "I bet I can figure it out."
There was more laughter as Natsu began shuffling the cards.
Lucy watched him smiling. She leaned her weight against the closet door while Natsu sat on the floor surrounded by the harem of gorgeous girls in blatantly suggestive booty shorts and too-small tanks. His gaze never wavered from their eyes when they spoke.
Ivan had given her strict instructions to keep Natsu in her dressing room. He didn't want the guy "lurking around" the club or eyeing the rest of Ivan's "merchandise".
Lucy usually played by Ivan's rules. But the girls wanted to meet Natsu. He'd been visiting Lucy every night for almost two weeks. How could they not be interested to see what he was all about?
She had already introduced him to Juvia. The girl had nervously agreed to host the impromptu party in her room. Cana brought as many of the girls with her as could fit and, of course, plenty of booze.
Ivan was out on business so Lucy figured, what the hell.
It was refreshing to be around the other girls. Natsu was a hit. Easy-going and carefree, with a mischievous sense of humor, he was easy to get along with. The girls were instant fans.
Lucy watched him flash her a goofy grin from across the room as Cana explained what she thought Natsu's trick was.
There was a knock at the door that made Lucy jump.
Juvia's eyes went wide, instantly fearful.
"Juvia?" Ivan's voice called through the door.
Cana jumped up, suddenly sober.
"If he catches either of you in here right now he's gunna loose his shit," she hissed in alarm.
"The closet," Juvia whispered nervously.
Cana grabbed Natsu by the collar of his shirt and pulled him toward Lucy.
"In!" Cana snapped in a rough whisper.
Before Lucy could protest Cana had strong armed the two of them into the small space. The sound of Ivan's gruff voice called out again as the closet door swung shut.
Lucy's vision went dark, her eyes needing to adjust from the bright lights of the dressing room to the nearly pitch black confines of the small enclosure.
Her back was pressed up against Natu's hard chest. She could feel it rise and fall with each shallow breath he took.
Muffled voices could be heard outside. A small amount of light trickled in from the bottom of the door. Lucy's heart was racing.
Then she heard a round of laughter. She let out a breath of relief. Although it sounded like Ivan was still in the room, it seemed he hadn't noticed anything suspicious.
Lucy felt Natsu's hand land gently on her bare arm. She realized she'd never been this close to him before.
Feeling suddenly awkward, Lucy tried to turn and face him.
Big mistake.
Natsu's sharp features and unruly pink hair were just barely visible in the dark. But the fire in his eyes was blinding.
Lucy pressed her palms to his chest, wanting to put some distance between them, but her back was pushed up against a thick rack of clothes that wouldn't budge.
Natsu wrapped his strong hands around her upper arms. His grip was firm but his touch was gentle. Lucy's heart was racing again, but not in the same way as before. She could feel the heat radiating from Natsu's body.
"Lucy," Natsu whispered her name slowly in a husky voice. "You're..." He paused and Lucy's pulse raced in anticipation. "You're on my foot."
"Oh!" Lucy exclaimed in a whisper. Adjusting her footing she looked back at Natsu with an embarrassed smile. "Sorry."
Natsu grinned at her. "That's alright. I don't mind you stepping on my feet if it means I get to be close to you."
Lucy felt herself blush. She hoped Natsu couldn't see her red cheeks in the dark.
Slowly Natsu brought a hand up to Lucy's cheek, lightly running the back of his fingers against her flushed skin.
"You're cute when you blush." He gave her a wolfish grin.
Lucy closed her eyes against the touch. Electricity shot through every nerve in her body. She felt herself lean into him, into his touch, his light embrace.
"Natsu," Lucy whispered as she batted her eyes open, "Why do you keep coming back to see me?"
Natsu's playful smile turned softer, more compassionate. "If you haven't figured that out yet, I don't know what more I could say to convince you."
"Convince me of what?" She breathed as he leaned closer.
"That I've been falling for you since the first time I saw your smile." Natsu brushed his thumb against Lucy's lips. "You're real smile."
Lucy's heart shattered with emotion. She could nearly cry from the joy his words brought her.
Slowly she ran her hands up his shoulders then wrapped them around the back of his neck. She leaned towards him until her forehead rested against his.
"I want to kiss you," he whispered in a low voice. "But I can't."
Lucy's eyes widened in surprise. "Oh," she said, a sharp mix of anger and embarrassment in her voice. The sudden urge to distance herself from him caused her to begin to pull away.
Natsu stopped her, holding her firmly in place. His forehead still pressed against hers.
"Because if I do, I'll never know for sure if you let me kiss you because you wanted to, or because you felt you had to."
Now Lucy understood.
Without thinking about the reasons why she shouldn't, or about the consequences, Lucy leaned in, closing the short distance between their lips.
The kiss was deep and full of the heat rising in their bodies. Lucy let his lips drag slowly against her own, his warm breath mixing with hers. Her fingers wound themselves into his pink mane as his hands traveled down to her waist, pulling her even closer to him.
She opened her mouth, letting her tongue brush against his lower lip.
This time Natsu didn't hesitate. He opened his mouth to hers as his hands moved up her back, wrapping his arms tight around her small frame. His tongue met hers and Lucy shuddered. Fire erupted in her veins as he explored her mouth with his.
A blinding light cut through the darkness.
Lucy and Natsu instantly tore apart, staring blindly out of the now open door.
"How were your seven minutes in heaven?" Cana jeered with a devilish grin.
Lucy instantly flushed in embarrassment. She tried to pull back from Natsu but his grip was unwavering.
"I think we could use another seven," Natsu returned with a sly grin.
"Natsu!" Lucy squeaked as Cana and the other girls laughed.
"It's safe now," Juvia said more somberly than the others. "You should get back to your room while Ivan's distracted."
Lucy just nodded and stepped back into the room. She and Natsu slipped out the door and down the long hallway. Looking down she realized Natsu was holding her hand, fingers tightly wound between hers.
She never wanted him to let go.
They stopped in front of her door so Lucy could turn the key. Lucy began to step inside when Natsu stopped her.
"I gotta go," he said with a smile. "But I'll see you tomorrow, same time as always."
Lucy stared into his eyes and made a decision. She took back his hand.
"Any time, Natsu," she whispered as she slid her key into his palm.
Natsu looked at her in surprise, a wide smile creased his mouth. Wordlessly he nodded, still grinning and turned down the hall. Lucy watched him until his figure disappeared out the back door of the club.
She had broken the cardinal rule- she had let Natsu into her heart. Clearly she had lost her mind.