.

.

Love is a burning thing

And it makes a fiery ring.

Bound by wild desire

I fell into a ring of fire.

I fell into a burning ring of fire,

I went down, down, down as the flames went higher

And it burns, burns, burns,

The ring of fire, the ring of fire.

-Johnny Cash, "Ring of Fire"

(:)(A)(:)

Ignite

Chapter #8: Wildfire

(:)(A)(:)

There was a shift of weight on the bed.

Natsu's eyes snapped open, his vision only temporarily blinded by the dark, but when he was able to see he was more confused than ever. He was staring up at a ceiling but it wasn't his own. The mattress (because that was clearly what he was laying on) wasn't his either. It all felt familiar though, and when he breathed in he felt himself relax. It smelled like -

He heard a soft, feminine giggle from the foot of the bed.

Lucy. He was in Lucy's room.

Mouth suddenly dry, he immediately sat up and supported his weight with his elbows. His eyes landed on her immediately, but when they did his heart started pounding against the wall of his chest and, for a moment, he thought it might be better if he passed back out. She was straddling his knees, her body poised to continue the crawl up his body and her scantily covered breasts hovering mere inches away from his groin. She was wearing a vest over that lacy pink underwear that he had, up to that point, thought to be completely pointless. A moment later and his fumbling brain recognized that the vest was his. The observation made him feel strangely light headed, but the blood and heat that was quickly draining south assured him that it was in a very, very good way.

By the way her lips were curving into a sly grin, her chocolate eyes pinning him with such heat he was almost waiting for them to melt, she was very much aware of how much he liked it. She crawled forward, her body achingly close but still not touching, before her hands left the mattress to skim up her thighs. Her fingers fiddled with bottom of the vest, before slowly tracing up the the golden hem. "I hope you don't mind that I borrowed it, but I think it looks better on me," she said casually, as if she wasn't hovering over him half naked. Natsu's eyes followed her lithe fingers as they paused at the curve or her breast. "Don't you think?"

If he had any brain function left he'd probably have to agree with her. As it was, he could hardly seem to breath, let alone talk. Under his hands he could feel her bed sheets straining under his grip. This wasn't happening – there was no way this was real. He had to–

Her head tilted, eyeing him with open curiosity, and her mouth curved into an amused little smile."You can touch me you know." She was straddling his lap now, her small, lithe hands pushing against his shoulders and coaxing him to lay back. It took embarrassingly little effort on her part, and Lucy rewarded him with a smile and leaned down until her lips were tantalizingly close to the shell of his ear. He could feel her loose blonde locks tickling his neck and shoulder. Her breasts were pressing up against the bare skin of his chest with such delicious pressure that he felt any remaining air leave his lungs with a strangled wheeze. Her scent was surrounding him, suffocating his will power with hints of honey, cinnamon and other.

Her words were a warm, whispered breath against his ear. "You can unwrap me like a present."

He choked. In his fists he could feel and hear her sheets ripping. Turning his head so that he wouldn't cough on her, he almost regretted it when she took advantage of his exposed throat. Almost. His cough promptly turned into a gasp as she left wet, open mouthed kisses along his neck, her blunt teeth dragging softly against his pulse. Suddenly he found his hands gripping her thighs and admiring the taut muscle hiding beneath her smooth skin. He didn't even remember telling his hands to move.

He shouldn't be touching her like this. It was wrong. It would ruin their partnership. But ... but she said it was ok. She didn't mind. Did that mean –

Her kisses evolved into soft nibbles along his jaw and he groaned, "Luce?" Did she want him too? Could this even be real? Fuck, it felt real. So fucking real. He was burning up and underneath his hands her flesh felt pleasantly cool. Maybe – maybe –

"Make me yours," she breathed, her voice huskier than he'd ever heard – it whispered against his senses like silk against skin. His hands were still gripping her thighs as if they were trapped there, but they didn't stop her from grinding into him. Air hissed between his teeth and he could feel sweat beginning to develop on his brow.

"I can tell that you want to," she whispered, those little hands dancing across the plane of his chest and leaving trails of fire behind her. "Why are you hesitating?"

Why? Because it felt like one wrong move was all it would take to irreversibly fuck things up. Because his mind was too busy swimming with unanswered questions of how the hell did they even get to this point. Fuck he couldn't even seem to breath, he could feel his chest rising and falling under her fingertips, but he still wasn't seeming to get enough oxygen.

Her lips skimmed his jaw, her words whispering sensually across his heated skin. "I want to be yours, Natsu. I want to feel you inside of me, and I want to watch your face as you lose yourself in me. I want you to touch me where no one else can." Underneath her he was shaking, because combined with her soft wanting confessions and her touch she was setting him on fire. If she adjusted those delicious hips of hers even an inch he was pretty sure he was going to spontaneously combust and be nothing more than a pile of ash and embers in her hands.

She sat up, one hand teasing the hard ridges of his abs while the other guided his hand up her thigh and held it flat against her stomach. Her gaze was warm, tender. "I want your children, Natsu. Don't you want that too?" He stared at the tan hand splayed across the ivory skin of her stomach in both fascination and no small amount of apprehension. He could hear his heartbeat drumming in his ears.

Did he want that? He had never even really thought about kids before but ... the vision of her round and full with his child filled him with such unexpected longing that it physically hurt. A family – they could be a family.

His eyes moved up to her face, transfixed by the way her hair seemed to frame her features with golden light even in the darkness of the room. He had always wanted to touch that hair and see if it was as soft as it looked. He swallowed thickly and, feeling brave, he tangled his fingers in her tresses. A pleased sigh passed her lips, and fuck the sounds she made were just as drugging and addictive as her touch.

Her cheeks were sporting a pleased flush, and her gaze was sharpening into something hungry as she looked down at him. Boldly, she took his hand from her stomach and repositioned it over her breast, and the resulting moan that sprang from her lips fried what was left of his brain cells. "How many do you think?" she panted, her hips jerking against him in what was quickly becoming a rhythm. Natsu growled, the sound ripping from his throat even as his body involuntarily arched to meet her. "Ten? Twelve? How ever many you want. Just tell me and I'll make every last wish – every last fantasy come true."

Every fantasy? Whatever he wanted? Something on the edge of his conscious was nudging him insistently until it forced itself into a full thought. In his chest his heart stuttered painfully as the woman above him moaned.

Lucy wouldn't just bend to his every wish and whim. She sure as hell wouldn't go offering to pop out twelve kids for him. He was dreaming. This woman above him that made him feel so achingly warm, that wanted him, was just a dream.

She wasn't real. None of this was real.

Around him his dream collapsed in a melting of colors and sounds until everything was white and soundless. A moment later he could hear the voices of his comrades and his eyes opened with a groan. The light burned his retinas and he flinched back, trying to block out the pulsing pain in his head.

"You're awake!" Happy exclaimed. A few more blinks and Natsu was able to make out his face hovering over his own, his eyes swimming with relief. "You were asleep for a while!"

Natsu groaned, covering his face with his hands. "Not so loud, eh Happy?" His head was still reeling from being pulled out of the dream, his body rebelling against feeling the hard ground beneath him instead of a mattress.

He heard a series of footsteps before a shadow hovered over him. Even without looking, Natsu knew it was Gray – the scent of snow and pine gave him away. "Well look who finally decided to join us. About time you woke up you lazy ass. We had to do all the work without you."

Natsu looked up at him from between his fingers, quickly deciding that hearing the ice mage's voice so soon after he regained consciousness grated on his nerves. He held a calloused hand to his forehead in hopes of easing the dull throb in his temples, sitting up with a groan. "What -"

"Happened?" Gray finished for him, eyebrow raised. "Turns out dream mages cast dream spells." He snorted, obviously not amused even though it was his own stupid joke. "Who'd have thought, right?"

Natsu frowned, his eyes scanning the battle grounds and relieved to find Erza and Lucy sitting together across the field. The tied up dream mage was laying in a heap of bruises not even thirty feet away from them.

Natsu remained silent. The dream was still playing in his head – a broken reel of images and fragmented sound bites that he knew were probably going to haunt him forever.

"You can unwrap me like a present..."

"So, Lucy huh?"

The ice mage's casual question ripped Natsu from his thoughts with all the gentleness of an enraged, and embarrassed, dragon (a very violent thing, he could assure you). "What?!"

Gray chuckled. A little, knowing smile was playing at the corner of his mouth. "You said her name Flame Brain. Out loud."

Natsu paled. He had talked in his sleep?!

He looked over to Happy for confirmation and the blue cat nodded. "You kinda did. What kind of dream was it?" His head tilted, whiskers twitching before an excited gleam entered his large eyes. "Ooh! Was she feeding you fish?"

As if reading the dragon slayer's string of thoughts from his horrified expression alone, Gray smirked. "Don't worry, she was busy helping Erza. No way either of the girls heard you."

For a delayed moment, Natsu digested the other man's words, his eyes trained on the blonde celestial mage. Something wasn't quite right ... the way she had her knees drawn up to her chest and the way she was staring out across the field blankly as Erza laid a comforting hand on her shoulder, threw him off. What the hell had happened while he was passed out? He didn't smell any of the blonde's blood, but there was the scent of salt lingering in the air that was just as troubling. A muscle in his jaw jumped and he sent the ice mage a serious look. "Why was she crying? She wasn't hurt, was she?" Just because he didn't smell any blood didn't mean she didn't suffer from any bruises or broken bones.

The man looked away from him, looking uncomfortable. "Not that I saw."

Happy whispered loudly in the dragon slayer's ear, "Gray also got hit by the dream magic." The dark haired man winced, sending the cat a cool glare which was ignored. "He only woke up just as Erza was tying up the mage."

Natsu raised his eyebrow, a little smirk curling at his lips when Gray cursed under his breath. Suddenly, Natsu felt a little better. "You too, huh?"

Grudgingly, Gray nodded, his face pinching in anger. "Yeah. Made it like my childhood teacher was alive – like she never even died." He crossed his arms over his bare chest, looking away from them. "It was pretty damn convincing too – if I wasn't a hundred percent certain she was gone, it would have probably taken me a hell of a lot longer to wake up." He frowned, nodding towards the pair of women. "Judging by the water works when she woke up, I'm guessing Lucy had something similar. It's a good thing Erza has that artificial eye or we would've been screwed."

Beside him, Happy's eyes turned downcast, his ears flattening against his head. "Yeah. I heard her crying for her mom..."

Natsu frowned down at the Exceed, an uncomfortable feeling stirring in his gut. "Her mom?" he murmured. In his chest he felt his heart thrum painfully as he glanced back over to where his partner sat. She still hadn't seem to notice that he was awake, and with how low her and the equip mage were speaking, Natsu couldn't make out what was being said. He could tell by the blonde's glassed over expression, the weak smile she wore as she stared into nothing, that Happy was right. Nothing, not even talk of her father, brought that kind of reaction from her.

His gaze slid over to the bound mage, glaring at the back of his greasy dark head. He had half a mind to go punch the guy's lights out for making both of his friends go through that, but the clenching of his stomach was progressing the longer he stared down the law breaker. Gray and Lucy had dreamt of people they lost – of family they lost – returning to them.

So why didn't he dream of Igneel?

His pulse pounded in his ears, his breathing becoming shaky. As he stood up, Happy asked him if he was alright, but Natsu ignored him. Why the hell was he the only one who had that kind of fantasy? Why did the others see the loved ones they lost, their parental figures, while he fantasized about his partner grinding against him and all but begging him to take her? He approached the dream mage, his steps heavy with anger and dizzy with dread. He could feel the eyes of his teammates at his back, burning questions into his shoulders, and Lucy's quiet calling of his name. He ignored all of it. The need to know was burning away the oxygen in his lungs and making his chest feel tight.

He grabbed the mage by the scruff of his stupid shirt, watching the pointed features of the dream mage's features sharpen into something that looked like fear. Natsu's palms were hot – he could feel his fire magic straining under the surface of his skin. Judging by the sweat pouring off his face, the dream weaver could feel it to. "Why that? Why did you pick that?!" he growled through gritted teeth, restraining from the urge to scream at the trembling man before him.

A drop of sweat dripped off of the mage's beak like nose as he stared up at the dragon slayer with wide, panicked eyes. "W-what are you–"

"The dream!" Natsu snarled, in his fist he could hear the mage's shirt ripping. By the man's terrified squeak, he must have heard it too.

"I – I don't pick anything! The magic chooses –"

Natsu shoved him into the dirt with enough force to cause the dry ground under them to crack. Behind him he could hear Lucy and Happy's startled intake of breath and Erza's sharp voice demanding that was enough. The ice mage remained suspiciously silent. He ignored them all. "Well then why the fuck did the magic choose that!?" he shouted, eyes blazing. He had to know, he needed to understand.

"It chooses whatever the person wants most! Their deepest desire!" he man wailed, quivering in the dragon slayers grasp. "I have no control over it, I swear!"

Natsu dropped him with a snarl and stalked away from him. His body was trembling, his clenched fists shaking noticeably by his side, but he wasn't sure if it was more out of anger, horror, or both. How could having sex with Lucy be what he desired more than anything else in this world? He knew that the last few months his attraction to her had been intense, but to want her more than to have his own father back? His heart drummed mercilessly against his ribcage, his mouth achingly dry.

What kind of fucked up, hormone infused monster was he?

"Wait! Natsu!" Lucy called after him, but he didn't pause his steps. He heard Gray softly tell her to just let him cool off, but she must have ignored him because suddenly he felt her hand close around his wrist. He snatched it away from her, feeling guilty that he caused the flash of hurt that crossed her face, but not regretting his action either. She burned him. Her skin, her voice, her concern, it all burned.

Her betrayed expression quickly morphed into hot anger. "Don't you dare Natsu! Don't you dare take it out on us when we're hurting too!" She took a deep breath, calming herself until her face was relaxed into a frown. "Look, I know dreaming about Igneel like that must have hurt –"

Behind her, Happy's head tilted as he frowned in confusion."But Natsu didn't dream about Igneel. He–"

Natsu roared, flames briefly flickering in his palms. "Shut up Happy!"

Everyone turned stone silent, their eyes trained on him as if he was teetering on the edge of something dangerous. Maybe he was. Maybe he always had been. Happy's eyes were filling up with tears, and in front of him Lucy had her hand pressed over her heart. Guilt softened his rage. "I – look, I'm –" he ran a hand through his hair, frustrated beyond belief.

Lucy was staring at him, her bottom lip drawn cautiously between her teeth, searching his face as if she was trying to find something there. Maybe she was trying to find the old Natsu, the one that didn't fantasize about his partner grinding on top of him, or pushed his friends away. If she found that old part of him he hoped she'd let him know where to look. Until then, he needed some space to sort out exactly what the hell he was going to do, figure out exactly how much of a monster he had become. "Just, leave me alone."

As he walked away he could smell her tears, and his heart gave a regretful lurch, but he resisted the urge to turn around and wipe them away. He couldn't help her any more than he could help himself.

AN: Uh, so, about that. Hopefully Natsu didn't seem too out of character ... faced with this sort of situation (when he still doesn't understand his feelings for Lucy) I really see him freaking out and doubting himself. He's usually so confident, but I think that comes down to him understand and knowing what he believes in. Well, in this situation he doesn't know what the hell to believe. Also, don't worry. This whole crisis isn't going to be dragged out forever ... Natsu only has two more chapters in his POV after all.

It was really fun reading your guys' response to the last chapter! I think I'm going to love your response even more when you find out where it came from though!

As always, if you like it enough to fav/follow, then I'll hope you'll take the extra moment or two to leave a few lines on what your thoughts are for this chapter!