yooo it's been a hot minute...or a hot year...a hot two years...
I honestly hadn't realized it'd been so long since my last update! I think i spent more time updating Star Dress and totally spaced lmao
Tbh I didn't really know how to end this so I kept putting it off,, and I didn't want to write a bunch of smut that didn't progress the story? I didn't wanna go full pwp
Aquarius bit her lip, peeking through the princess' slightly open door. She had taken charge of keeping Loke preoccupied while Lucy and the prince were together, but she made the mistake of looking away this one time.
She was sure the lion had grown suspicious, especially since the princess looked like she was doing so well. And yet, how could she still be on bed rest, so sick that she couldn't even have visitors? Something wasn't adding up. The maids usually begged him at such a point in her health to provide one kiss to hold her over. So, where were the maids?
Aquarius had been keeping him away from the princess when she wasn't scheduled around the castle, so he took the chance to see her, using Scorpio as a diversion.
The mermaid could never ignore her boyfriend, especially when he was walking around, sweaty and shirtless after a sword training session.
He didn't know how to feel anything but anger at the sight of the prince unbuttoning his shirt with Lucy lying against the bed.
"You son of a bitch!" He threw Natsu to the ground, letting a roar rip past his lips.
"Loke, stop!" Lucy cried, grabbing onto his shirt to try and pull away from Natsu.
Natsu dodged the quick punches thrown at him, grunting as he tossed the knight onto his side.
"You keep your filthy hands off my princess!" Loke growled, drawing his sword as he stood up. He kept Lucy behind himself, his glare zeroing in on the raised brow of his opponent.
"Ha?" Natsu's instincts kicked in, his senses responding to Lucy's heightened anxiety. "You better get the hell away from my woman,"
Lucy flushed at his serious tone, feeling his warmth begin to spread across the room.
"Woman? How dare you address her highness like some common thing!" His canines grew, Natsu matching his ferociously barred teeth. "How dare you even think to lay your hands on her?"
Lucy quickly got in between them, grabbing Natsu's wrist as it balled itself into a fist. She didn't need her whole bedroom set on fire.
"Please calm down!" She urged her knight, flinching as his eyes met her own. They were purple and narrowed, his animal almost emerging in defense of his charge. "Loke, he wasn't doing anything wrong!"
"Princess, you don't have to protect this lowlife," He growled lowly, tightening his hold on the grip. "Get away from him, right now."
"Lowlife? I'll burn you to a crisp for that, lion." Lucy shook her head and turned around as Natsu growled, his scales flaking into his skin.
"Natsu, please," She held his tempered glare, looking desperately at the prince. "Let me handle this? You getting worked up isn't doing either of us any favors."
Her calm tone settled the dragon, if only slightly. His priority was her safety and his pride second. He could properly lay out the stupid lion in the knight's practice arena when she wasn't watching.
"Loke, I chose to...feed from the prince, so can you stop freaking out? We've been keeping it a secret so this wouldn't happen." Lucy explained, wrapping her hands around his. "It was consensual."
"Princess...from a stranger? But you swore you'd never–"
"He's not a stranger, he's my fiancee so please?" She dramatically jutted out her bottom lip, pulling the guard back into a more reasonable state of mind. However, he could never resist her puppy eyes.
"...I guess if you're alright with it," He finally sighed, putting his sword away. "I apologize for getting in the way, Princess."
"Just please don't tell anyone what you saw." He rolled his eyes and gave her a quick pat on the head, reluctantly making his way back toward the door.
"You can trust me." Grit lingered in his voice, Lucy letting out a sigh of relief as the door finally shut behind him.
"I'm–uwah! Natsu!" The dragon interrupted her apology by lifting her into his arms, his expression still annoyed.
"Don't apologize, you didn't do anything wrong," He grumbled, taking her to lay on the bed. "I'm the one who shouldn't have been so aggressive."
"It's not your fault either," She shook her head, smiling at his furrowed brow. "I know you just wanted to protect me."
He gently kissed her forehead, snuggling up to Natsu, who held her close.
Tomorrow was the last day they had together before Natsu returned to Giltena. Lucy did not even want to think of the reality before them.
She would be able to manage health-wise, but emotionally was another story. She was just getting to know Natsu, and didn't want to wait so long to see him again. Having him by her side made everything seem brighter, clinging to that sweet feeling in her heart.
~000~
Natsu's parents weren't idiots, unlike their wonderful son. They knew something was off as soon as he came home from his heat.
His aura sparkled anew and his anxiety was overloaded; the tell-tale signs for a dragon who missed his mate.
They were concerned, of course, but chose to let Natsu approach the subject himself. Surely they'd be introduced to her when he was more confident in bringing her home.
Grandine blamed Igneel for his insecurity in speaking to them; Natsu could always trust his parents to be there for him. Maybe she was a commoner and he was unsure if she'd be accepted by them. But a mate was a mate and there was no changing who their son bonded with.
Maybe after the ball in Fiore? Natsu occupied himself with so much work that they hadn't realized two months had passed. His anxiety was well managed for the most part, but they could tell his stress was piling up.
Grandine almost approached the subject at the ball, but found she had lost Natsu at some point. Igneel assumed he probably just needed air; maybe too overwhelmed with all the scents hanging around.
When Jude introduced them to his daughter, it all connected. There was no hiding the way their children looked at each other, or the way Lucy was covered in his scent.
Grandine had to hide her embarrassment, silently elbowing her husband; it was his fault somehow. There was such a thing as waiting until marriage, wasn't there? She blew their scent in another direction to keep herself from scolding her son, but took a liking to Lucy. She was her son's mate, and nothing would keep them from having a good relationship.
She would have to safely arrange their engagement; she could be very persuasive when needed.
~000~
The night passed with their usual comforting embrace, Lucy not wanting to be left without her partner for even a moment.
Unlike their usual routine, this time, they slept. Natsu stroked her hair in his sleep, Lucy resting her head on his chest. She breathed in his scent and felt at peace, their exhaustion finally catching up to them.
His warmth circulated around her, burrowing itself deep into her soul, clinging to her as if it knew they'd be apart. She'd miss the comfort of his magic, unable to describe just how relaxed it made her. It practically thrummed throughout her, as if she were an extension of Natsu's power source.
But old habits die hard, and neither could let the opportunity of the early morning escape them.
Lucy woke up wanting to take a warm bath, the moon still setting over the horizon. It'd be a while till the sun was up, the castle quiet enough to give them a moment alone.
His kisses were her favorite, Lucy trying her best to memorize their feel against hers. His hands were gentle against her back, sliding up and down, pulling her closer.
When he dipped his head into the crook of her neck, she allowed her quiet moans to whisper in his ear. His name rolled off her tongue, purrs rumbling from his chest as he teased her.
Her chest moved with every deep breath and shudder, his hands encompassing their pillowy nature. She whined as his thumb rolled over the stiff peaks, his touches burning with his heat.
Goosebumps crawled on her skin as he felt her up with his flames, watching them dance and tickle her in the right places. She writhed in his lap, the warm water sloshing around them.
She felt his hard on pressing into her stomach, his lips still teasing her breasts. He moaned into her chest as Lucy reached between them, slowly stroking his cock.
He looked into her playful eyes, both stifling a deep groan at their partner's touch.
Lucy giggled as Natsu moved to pepper her cheek with kisses, guiding himself with her hand to prod her entrance.
It felt like a deep kiss, Lucy moaning as he stretched her lower lips. She slid down his shaft with ease, licking her lips as he filled her up.
"How's that feel?" He whispered with a smirk, slowly pulling himself out and slowly pushing back in. Lucy fell against his shoulder and felt the sharp thrust of him slowly hitting her deepest parts, to again leave her with languid motions.
"Ngh…" She mumbled as the water began to slosh, certainly craving more. "Harder…you know this…isn't enough…"
Her hungry response was met with his comply, the dragon giving his mate what she desired.
She stole his lips as he picked up the pace, their hips meeting with a force that churned her insides. Now this…
She felt his magic pour into her with every passing second, her own responding with open arms. She felt her succubus become overwhelmed, filled with so much of his energy. Something clicked as he came, her own orgasm clenching around him.
Something was different…though she felt nearly the same. She knew he was changing her, that his energy fed her starving self…maybe all that it'd been missing over the years. It calmed that voice in the back of her head and made her feel more aware. She felt in tune with her magic, something she never fully had a grasp of. She felt it at the tips of her fingers, almost raring to be used.
"Luce?" Natsu panted, worried as she stared absentmindedly at her hand. "You okay? That wasn't too much for you, was it?"
"No," She shook her head with a laugh. "I feel different, but in a good way. I think you helped me and my succubus intertwine."
"Oh, really? How's it feel?" His hand was soft on her hip as she spoke with a sweet smile.
"Insanely good." Something about her felt more confident and bristled with her own warmth. Her will to seduce always felt forced and vague, but felt natural as she began to move her hips.
The aphrodisiac in her saliva wasn't the only thing burning its way down his throat. Natsu could feel it in her touch; that oh-so-addicting side effect. It drew her to him, yes, but now made him feel clingy. More so than his dragon's need, but by force of her magic. It spoke to him with the slightest brush of her fingers, telling him exactly what she wanted from him.
He felt like he belonged to her, and Natsu couldn't have asked for a more accurate influence.
He took her in his hold and spun them around, her back against the ledge of the bath as he drove into her.
She couldn't hold back her moans, even the sound of her voice hijacking his thoughts. His skin flaked with red scales, his face buried along the curve of her neck.
The water around them began to evaporate as his skin grew hotter, Lucy calling his name unevenly with every thrust. Her sex quivered and throbbed in the heat, his hand coming in between them to work her toward her climax.
He cursed in her ear as she repeated his name like a sinful song, his cock twitching as they came together.
The water was long gone by the time they finished, Lucy questioning half of the positions they maneuvered themselves into.
She was cozily wrapped in a fluffy robe as Natsu laid her to rest, the sun half-risen in the sky by now.
He sat at the edge of her bed and leaned over her, sharing one parting kiss before he had to leave.
"I'll see you later?" He nuzzled his nose against her cheek as she nodded, sad to see him walk onto her balcony and disappear.
There was an aching for him to be at her side, but Lucy felt in control of her thirst.
"I guess it just needed to be unlocked." She smiled to herself, no longer feeling that split personality of hers. It was like the latch on the gage had been undone, and she finally had access to the powers that should've been hers from the start.
Lucy would have to ask Aquarius if she knew just what she was capable of.
She woke up later that day, surprised she'd slept into the afternoon. Aquarius was sitting on the couch, flipping through a book before looking over to the princess.
"Took you long enough. You know, I have better things to do than help you get ready," She sighed, picking up the dress she laid out at the end of her bed. "We need to get you ready, it's almost time for the Giltena royalty to return home."
"What?" Lucy paused her yawn as Aquarius nodded. "Leaving? What do you mean? Natsu told me they weren't leaving until tonight!"
"There's an emergency of some kind they have to attend to. A carrier pigeon came and alerted them a couple of hours ago."
"Why didn't you wake me sooner?! I was supposed to spend all day with Natsu! He's probably upset with me right now!"
"He's the one who told me not to wake you, don't get all pissy with me. I was planning to splash you awake with a bucket of water before he came in to interrupt. He's waiting for you in the garden, so come on before it gets any later."
Lucy rushed to put her clothes on, anxiety swelling in her chest. She knew it was going to be hard to say goodbye, but to say it in a rush right before he had to leave?
She sped out of her room, walking with intense purpose as she headed toward the door that led out to the garden downstairs.
The quick walk through her halls grew that seeding neediness, the slow panic of knowing her dragon prince would leave her side was stressful. The factor of magic played a heavy hand, of course. His flames made her skin bum and yearn for his closeness. More than his touch, just the look in his eyes was enough to make her crave more. Of him, of them... there was no way she'd be able to say goodbye.
"Natsu!" She called out, running toward where he stood by a pond. He turned to her with a smile, yelping as Lucy tackled him to the ground.
Lucy smothered her face into Natsu's chest, holding tightly onto the edges of his jacket. The dragon chuckled as she whined, patting her head as they laid in the grass.
"You can't leave, you absolutely can't,"
"You'll come to live with me soon enough, Luce. I'm looking forward to the moment we get to see each other again. When I'll be able to hold you in my arms every day."
"That just makes me want to cry," She sniffled, turning her gaze upward. "You're making me miss you even more and you haven't even left yet."
"I'm sorry," He laughed, running a hand gently up and down her back. "I'll miss you too."
"I'll miss the sound of your voice, the smell of your hair...the color of your eyes. But... I'm excited for us to get to know each other better once we're married."
"Don't say such nice things, meanie," Lucy grumbled, sitting up on his hips as she pouted. "What am I supposed to do without you?"
"It's only three weeks, and then we'll never have to spend another day apart," Natsu reassured her, his hand running gently in her hair.
"I've barely even been able to go one night without you since you came…three weeks sounds impossible." She mumbled and cuddled against him as Natsu sat them forward.
"Will it help that I have something to give you before I leave?" He asked, his hand rustling inside his pocket to retrieve the present he had prepared. "I was planning to give this to you tonight, but I don't have much longer to say goodbye."
"What is it?" She unwrapped her arms from around him and watched as he showed her a small red box. He undid the latch to reveal a golden ring, with a similar red jewel she could've sworn was breathing with life.
"It's a part of my magic; something that I prepared for you before I left Giltena. It's customary for dragons to present a part of themselves to their fated, and I'll feel a lot more comfortable having to leave your side if you keep it close to you."
Lucy felt her heart hammer in her chest as Natsu slipped the ring onto her finger, raising her hand to press a kiss against her knuckles.
"You're glowing," She felt a shiver run down her back as he smiled. "Do you like it?"
"Like it?" Lucy felt tears well in her eyes. "I love it so much…I don't even know what to say. Thank you, Natsu…"
"I know we haven't known each other for very long, but I'm excited to get to know you even more, when you come to Giltena."
"I feel the same way, I can't wait for our life together to start."
and she's over!
Sorry again that it took so long lmao
I skimmed the last chapters to make sure I wasn't missing any plot points, like Natsu's parents 'not knowing' or Lucy's chemistry changing!
Since I'm not expanding on that point much, I hope I explained it well! She was pretty much so starved that she could never use the magic she always had within her. Which would be a super cool plot point for another story lmao
I always try to go for more of a romantic speech format when I have a princess x dragon and totally diverted from that when Natsu and Lucy were speaking to other people which felt a little odd and slightly immature? Just going back between their ways of talking didn't make sense but was too much to try and change all of a sudden
It's hard trying to match up my older writing styles with my current ones so I hope this ending isn't too weird for yall.
Ty for reading!