Disclaimer : Fairy Tail belongs to Hiro Mashima

Part 2

Her eyes popped open and she stuttered in confusion as her partner kept shaking her until her teeth rattled. She was dimly aware he was telling her something, no rather he was howling something. He sported a very uncommonly distressed face and had a fanatical gleam in his eyes. She was about to yell at him on top of her lungs when she registered the lack of sensation on her skin. Was she naked? Without even thinking about it, she slapped him. Hard. At least, it shut him up. Silence reigned for a few blessed seconds before he yelled at her.

— What the …? Lucy!

—Natsu! She wailed back. "What are you… ?" Her voice trailed off. He was.. He was… far too undressed. She felt herself blush. Oh gods, why was he in her bed half naked? And why the hell hadn't she covered herself yet? She scrambled out of bed, taking her duvet with her and running to her small bathroom, slamming the door shut.

This was not funny. Not funny at all. What had happened? They had come back from a mission and went straight to the guild. Had fun with their friends then… Then what? She had no recollection at all. Judging from Natsu's state of frenetic worry, she assumed he hadn't either. What distressed her more however was the fact he was in his boxers. In her bed. This was Natsu, not Gray. He was never seen out of his clothes. Never. And Maevis helped her, he was far from an eyesore.

Shit. Shit, shit, shit.

She would never hear the end of it if the girls got caught of this. And yet, who else could she talk to about this? Juvia would fantasize about Gray and despair it hadn't happened to her. Wendy was out of the question, she was too young. Levy would blush and tease. Cana would laugh outright, be salacious and spread the news all around the guild and Fiore. Erza would demand a flogging of Natsu and really, it would be a shame to hurt and damage such a nice… What was she even thinking about? She shook her head, trying to rid herself of her traitorous thoughts. And yet she could not forget how attractive he had looked, without his shirt, without his scarf, his hair sleepy-tousled. She could overlook the demented look in his eyes for a minute.

She had had the best sleep. She had been warm and comfortable and she remembered her dreams feeling fuzzy. Her mind was now very awake and her body felt hot. She was embarrassed beyond measure. She hoped Natsu had left by now and that they could both forget the incident and go back to whatever they were before. Some wicked part of her mind laughed its head off and reminded her that her best friend's body was now burnt into her retina and in the deepest part of her memory. And that it would take perverse pleasure in bringing it out during her dreams. Vivid, lurid dreams. She knew she wasn't going to forget it anytime soon. She groaned, her hands on her sink and head bent down. She took a deep breath and looked around. She had not a single article of clothing here. She groaned again. Shit.

She wondered what had happened. Obviously, he had woken up before her. How long before? Her eyes widened. How much had he seen of her? A shiver ran through her. Was it shame? Nerves? Or anticipation? And gods, when he had been shaking her, both his hands were on her shoulders. She had been completely naked up there! She screwed her eyes shut. She needed, absolutely needed to talk to the girls.

— Natsu, I hope for your sake you're not still here !

He wasn't. She breathed a sigh of relief. Was that a pang of disappointment? No, of course it wasn't, she decided. She grabbed the nearest clothes and rushed to Fairy Hills, banging on Levy's door and frightening her awake. She regretted her rash decision to come and confess as soon as her blue-haired friend enquired about her visit. What was she even doing here? What did she want to say?

Hey Levy! I woke up half-naked with Natsu this morning. What the hell happened?

It wouldn't do. And yet, that was exactly the reason why she was here, wasn't it? Or maybe it was due to the tight knot in her stomach? Or the flutter she adamantly refused to consider right now? Who did this? Someone will pay. She'll have Natsu make them pay. They will burn. Where did that come from? Shit, he was still plaguing her thoughts.

— Lucy? Lucy! Are you there?

— Hum, yes Levy, I… hum…

— Hey, you look a bit funny. What came up?

She blushed. She blushed so damn hard that she wouldn't be able to lie her way out. Any made-up excuse would be shot down now. Levy reined in her chuckles and sat her down, rubbing sleep out of her eyes and offering tea. She was now nursing a cup in her hands, the heat slowly seeping into her fingers. It reminded her of the way Natsu's heat usually warmed her whenever she would hug him. Or when he slept in her bed. She blushed again. Ye gods, what was wrong with her?

— Levy? I'm a bit embarrassed but I don't remember last night. At all. Would you fill me in?

— Last night? she wondered. "Nothing happened last night. Not that I know of," Levy added with a wondering gleam in her eyes. A flash of a very scantily clad Natsu flashed before her mind eye. She clenched her teeth.

— Just tell me already. Something must have happened!

— Why, Lucy?

— If I tell you a secret, you won't tell, will you Levy?

— Of course not! We are friends, aren't we?

— If you do, I'll tell Gajeel, she threatened.

Levy blinked in surprise. She wasn't in her right mind. She couldn't be. She was blackmailing her friend. Sweet, innocent, kind and gentle Levy. She felt bad, she really did but dread ran cold ice in her veins when she thought of the guild knowing of her awakening. There would be no end to their teasing. As if Happy wasn't bad enough. Gods. Just thinking about it made her head hurt. Gray. Gajeel. Mira. Elfman. Kana. Oh, Kana would be the worst. No. It was unthinkable. They would be unbearable.

— I woke up with Natsu, she whispered to her cup. She missed Levy's bright smile and twinkling eyes.

Obviously, one of them got a lot of enjoyment from the situation.

— Well, that is not… uncommon, is it? she tentatively offered. Lucy looked up suddenly. Oh? So that was an open secret? They had never implied they occasionally shared a bed.

— Eh? … I didn't … Hum? How? she finally managed. Levy shrugged.

— It's just public knowledge. It's not really surprising, seeing how close you are together. I mean, you touch and hug all the time so… She stuttered. Clearly, she was embarrassed too. It was cold comfort.

— You wish you could do the same with Gajeel, she realized. "Am I right?" Levy reddened. "You really like him!"

— Well, I'm not the one barging into your apartment at an ungodly hour so I don't think now is the time to talk about him. Me, I mean. So, back to Natsu?

— I… hum… How did we end up sleeping in the same bed with no memory of it?

— Maybe it was a joke?

— Well, that's not a funny one! Who would think up something like that? She frowned in reflection. This was really low. Seconds ticked by unperturbed and they both sipped their tea quietly. Who played jokes on others? Half the Guild, that was who. Who would want to embarrass Natsu? Too many suspects. Okay, who would want to put her on the spot?

— Have we annoyed someone recently? she wondered aloud. Levy just shook her head negatively. "I think… It would be Bixrow's style but Kana or Freed must be the culprit. Their magic is the most likely."

— Lucy, why are you so flustered about waking up with Natsu? I mean, it's not the first time so… Levy's words trailed off as Lucy's cheeks suddenly went aflame. Her whole face felt on fire. She clutched her cup compulsively. She couldn't tell her, she was mortified. She was, she was… something else too, that she had no wish to dwell on, something she didn't care to figure out yet. "Lucy?" she prompted again.

— I…We… It was different than usual… She put her cup down and got up, looking out the window. She fiddled with her nails then hugged her sides, shifting from one foot to the other, unable to stay put. Levy cocked her head aside, curious as to the reason behind her friend's unease.

If she closed her eyes, she could picture Natsu's bare chest vividly, she could even recall how he smelled. And hell, he smelled good. That's one of the reason she let him sleep in her bed. And then, her sheets and cushion would smell like him for a few days. Shit. She was truly screwed.

— Lucy? she prompted again. I can't help if you don't tell me what's wrong.

— It's just, we weren't really clothed… she murmured, so low she barely heard herself. She heard Levy's sharp intake of breath and closed her eyes. And saw her best friend. Half-naked. She groaned in misery. "He looked so…" she began before sinking her teeth in her lips so stop the flow of words from leaving her mouth. Edible, she thought. Attractive. Fit. Alluring. She tightened her fists. Shut up!

— Then I'd rather think Kana… She was quite inebriated yesterday and maybe she just wanted to hasten things up for you, you know what I mean? Levy offered kindly. "What happened then?"

— I slapped him, shrieked and locked myself in the bathroom. She admitted freely, feeling better now that she could share her distress with a trustworthy friend. "He seemed as out of his depth as me," she reflected, lost in her thoughts. "I'll have him burn her to a crisp." She declared determinedly, and her eyes flashed with violence. Silence reigned for a moment, the only sound the rustling of the girls when one of them moved.

— Lucy? What are you going to do now?

— Eh? Nothing, I guess. I'll ignore it.

— Oh, okay, Levy answered dubiously.

Ignore it, smarty-pants? And what are you going to ignore exactly? How good-looking he was?

Best friend, she chanted in her mind. Best friend, best friend, best friend. She concentrated on his scarf, on Happy, on his usual shirt. It wasn't working. Her mind eye was inevitably drawn to his toned bare chest, his strong arms and muscular build. She knew how he felt against her, she knew how far her arms went when she hugged him from behind, she knew how tall he was, how safe she felt in his arms.

Will you ignore how flustered you are?

Shut it. Of course I am. I woke up half naked with no recollection of the past night. I don't appreciate the situation in the slightest. It had nothing to do with the possibility something could have happened between them. He wouldn't anyway. And why did she feel upset with the mere idea he would probably not wish for something more?

Maybe you're going to ignore how aroused you are?

I am NOT! she roared in the privacy of her head. She did not tingle just thinking about him. Nope. Absolutely not. She was not.

You will never be able to see him the same way again.

Hell, she could not deny it. That was so true. There was no way she would forget this morning now. She would not forget how much she now wanted she had touched him or how inviting his chest had seemed. She would not forget how his belly muscles had tightened to a V downwards. She would not forget… She stopped herself, shaking her head violently. She closed her eyes tightly. This was going to be painful.

Or are you going to ignore you're in love with him?

Shut up. Just. Shut. Up.

A/N : I hope you had as much fun reading as I had writing.