A/N: So, this was not my original plan for this chapter. It was supposed to be a simple two shot thing, this chapter being years later where they've already got their relationship under control and yeah. But it was requested that I make this a multichapter and I guess I can indulge since the idea seemed to work. I'm a slow updater, though, so sorry about that. This chapter isn't M rated cause I decided to slow things down with the plot. I don't have any plans, of if anyone has something they want specifically, I might be able to work it in. Hopefully you guys enjoy it. ^_^

PART TWO

Natsu was awake before he opened his eyes. The sun warmed his skin and it was bright even through his eyelids. When he tried to shift position, he bumped into Lucy. Careful not to wake her—it was too early to be yelled at—he turned so he was on his back and thought nothing of Lucy sleeping next to him on top of a messy pile of covers. Natsu threw his hand over his eyes to shade them and began to drift back to sleep.

But he was awake enough to recount why Lucy was sleeping next to him. His eyes opened as he sucked in a quick breath of air. Sleeping had never been awkward between them. He'd slept at her house enough times that he had figured himself comfortable with her. The hard thump of his heart against his ribs was new and when he peered sideways, it did not feel comfortable. Chancing movement, he turned back onto his side so he could face her directly.

Eh, this wasn't so bad. It was actually kind of exciting. There were so many things he had never noticed about Lucy before. She was a girl, for one. Not that he hadn't noticed she was a girl before, obviously he knew the difference, but suddenly those differences were highlighted in feminine contrast with everything he had already known. There were traces of make-up on her face from the night before, a bit of shadow and mascara lingering on her eyelashes. He inched closer, watching the slight part of her lips open and close with each breath. Black eyes followed the line of her cheeks—rounder, almost chubby from the way she was laying—with exhilarating curiosity. He had seen Lucy before, but had he really seen her?

With a sigh, she stirred and he was ready to pounce. Come on. Wake up, Lucy.

She settled contentedly back into slumber and he pouted. How much longer could she sleep? He began to fidget.

The tension in his muscles, the rise and fall of excitement had left him too wired to go back to sleep. Had he woken on any other morning, Lucy with him or not, he would have promptly left to find food. Impatience flared in his chest. With a wicked twist to his lips, he leaned in, because the impulse struck him and he was not one to deny an impulse. Carefully, wary of her eyes should they open, he blew a gust of air over her cheek.

Lucy didn't move.

Impish delight lit his eyes as he braced himself on his hands to hover over her. There was a boundary just begging to be tested. Hiding a snicker, he bent down and scraped his lips over her exposed cheek. Lucy took in a breath and he retreated, but she didn't wake. He used the tip of his finger to sweep her hair away from her face, working the strands so they fell over her back and out of his way. Her steady breathing didn't falter, so he risked a bit more, breathing out hot air over her neck and letting his teeth catch on her jaw.

No reaction.

Brow drawn with frustration—he had been sure she would wake up that time—Natsu chanced a kiss to the corner of her mouth. He lingered longer than intended, his eyes beginning to fall closed, and was completely thrown off his balance when Lucy's hands caught him around the neck. He was too shocked to fight back and she rolled him backward and landed straddling him against the mattress.

"Gotcha." Her eyes were alert and playful, her grip on him just short of threatening. "What'd you think you're doing, huh?" There was a purr in her voice that temporarily stunned him. A neuron misfiring in his brain as a chill crawled up his spine.

"Natsu?" She pressed, both with her tone and her body.

He shook the haze away and regained his humor, lighting up in a grin, "Sorry. You just looked so cute I couldn't help myself." Sharp teeth flashed as a grin spread up his cheeks and Lucy's hands fell away from his neck.

She twisted over him, eyes casting away shyly. "R-really?"

"Yeah." He caught her quickly behind the back of her head with his hand, sitting up as he pulled her down. "Plus, now I get to do this again." Hot air puffed over Lucy's mouth, drawing a squeak of surprise. Natsu figured he had the hang of this kissing thing and let his parted lips draw completely over Lucy's before pulling back slightly and frowning. "You're not doing anything."

Lucy's hand hovered near her mouth, brown eyes impossibly wide. "I…uh." She shook her head. "Sorry. Natsu. I just…I'm really not used to this…" She was breathless, which he might have picked up on had he not felt mildly offended. With a smile she knocked him in the shoulder with her palm. "It's not that I don't like it."

"Okay." He shifted, not sure if that meant she wanted him to continue or to stop. He was looking around the room, still struggling with what he was expected to do, when her nose nudged his cheek.

"We don't have to stop, you know. You just threw me off." Her voice was low, her breath warm on his skin. She kissed his cheek lightly and his skin burned, blushing at the innocent gesture. She seemed to find it sweet because she chuckled lightly, still hovering near his face, with her eyelids lowered and a flushed glow that created a picture that once again rendered him a gaping statue.

She inched closer, forgetting that she was mostly in his lap, and the shuffling friction pulled him from his stupor. As she leaned her head down expectantly, his eyes were drawn downward, to the tank-top that was still torn in two that now draped like a vest. When Lucy caught on that her shirt had fallen open, she yelped and pulled it together firmly.

Keeping his eyes averted, Natsu fumbled with the blanket until he had pulled enough free to wrap around her shoulders. It was nothing he hadn't seen before, but he figured that Lucy, like him, was finding that everything wasn't quite the same between them anymore. Though, when he thought about it, she'd never really liked him looking at her naked.

"Thanks." She mumbled, red staining her cheeks all the way to her ears.

"Don't mention it."

Letting out a breath, he leaned back on one of his hands and scratched the back of his head. "Guess you were right. This is a bit more complicated than I thought."

Lucy twisted her fingers together, head bowed. "Yeah. I guess I was."

There was a short lull, Natsu trying to ignore the fact that he could feel every small, minuscule fidget from her still seated in his lap. He swallowed, collecting his thoughts onto objects he could see from his position.

Lamp. Lucy's thighs flexed as she adjusted the blanket. Uh, uh, door. Door handle. Lucy shifting forward, forcing her hips to roll just hard enough through the blankets for him to definitely feel it. WINDOW. CARPET. PLANT. LEAF. P-PLANT.

"Natsu?"

"Yes!" He shook his head, clearing his throat so his voice didn't squeak again. "Uh, yeah? What is it?"

"You don't regret it do you? Kissing me?" She was still twisting her fingers around and her shifty eyes were concerning.

"No." He said firmly and she finally looked up as he crossed his arms. "You're always so unsure of everything, Luce. But I'm not like that. I may make hasty decisions, but I stick with them. And I don't see how kissing you could be a mistake when I just want to do it again."

She smiled. "But it's so much more than that, Natsu. Kissing is…for me it's not just some activity to do with your…with my best friend, you know? It means something."

"Okay. Yeah. Like what?" He wasn't entirely following her, but he was still confident in his choices.

Lucy pulled the blanket closer around her shoulders. "Well, for one, it would mean that we're together."

Natsu chuckled. "Well, duh. I mean, we're pretty much always together so that's not really so different."

Growling, Lucy shook her head. "No. Not like…physically in each other's presence. I mean, together. Like, partners but more than that. You do know what dating is right?"

"Yeah, Lucy, I'm not an idiot." He spat, but then leaned backward on his hands to recall what dating meant. He wasn't an idiot, he did know, but not so readily that he could just call up a definition as easily as she could. Still, she didn't need to know that.

"Well, that's what we would be, if we keep this up. We'd be dating."

He started to scratch hard at the hair on the back of his head. "So I gotta take you out to dinner?"

Huffing, Lucy's voice began to rise, gaining its full ferocity. "Yeah. Don't sound too happy though, wouldn't want me to get the wrong idea."

"I am. I mean, I didn't mean…you're talking in circles." He protested, still trying to piece along this conversation. This was turning out to be hard and he was beginning to regret not eating anything. "I was just saying that, dating means going out to dinner, right? So that's what you want? Food?"

Lucy slapped her forehead. "Okay. From the top. Yes, dating does include going out to dinner. But it also includes going out to other places." She was in teacher mode and her finger rose up sternly as she carried on with her lesson. "There will be romance. And we'd have to get each other special gifts for birthdays and anniversaries. Exclusivity, which means there is no kissing other people. At all. Ever." Her eyes narrowed like he'd already tried.

Natsu was beginning to understand, and he tried rewording her ramblings into something simple to grasp onto. "So, friends who get to kiss?"

Lucy's eye twitched. "Sort of. I suppose it's not incorrect to word it exactly like that. But there's all that other stuff too—"

Natsu waved her words off. "I already like spending time with you, if you want to call it a date when we eat dinner then that's cool with me. And I like kissing ya, so no complaints there. I can handle presents or whatever…and I don't want to kiss anyone else, so is that everything? Are we dating now?" He leaned forward, gaze drawn to her mouth.

Lucy rolled her eyes. "That's basically it, yeah. I mean, there's the whole…physical part and the fact that dating implies a leave of…liking someone that goes beyond friendship. And you've got to actually plan dinners and activities and stuff. It can't be like before where we just eat, but now we say it's a date. We've got get dressed up sometimes and you've got to bring it up in advance, to make it more official. You've got to ask me to go to dinner with you, so that it becomes a date."

He grinned, hand landing lightly on her shoulder. "In that case, Lucy wanna get dinner with me tonight?"

She started, blinking as he innocently awaited her acceptance. "I…yeah. That would be nice."

"Cool. Then it's a date." He leaned forward and then stopped inches from her mouth. "I get to kiss you now, right?"

Lucy huffed, taking a second to answer and leaving him hovering. Finally, her hand slipped from the covers and caught him by the back of the neck, pulling him the rest of the way to her. She settled her lips on him with a soft sigh, chuckling as he grinned against her mouth and returned the kiss more firmly. Lucy draped her arms over his shoulders, extending them to hang in the air behind him. She set a lazy pace, lips coming together and pulling apart with loud, drawn out breaths and sighs. He missed the feel of nails in his hair, but this wasn't bad either. It was comfortable, an easy thrill that wasn't so much exciting as it was satisfying.

Lucy pulled away slightly, giggling when he tried to follow her with a frustrated growl. "How long do we have before we should find the others?"

Natsu frowned, hands working around her back, over the blanket, so he could pull her close. "They can wait."

His lips were halted by Lucy's finger, making him pout. "We can't stay in here all morning. They'll come looking for us. I'm surprised Happy hasn't found us already."

"He's probably stuffing his face with fish. He won't come looking for me until he's bored." Natsu gave another impatient growl against Lucy's palm.

"Speaking of, we should decide what we're going to tell them."

Natsu blinked. "Tell them what?"

"About us."

Natsu froze, a flash of Erza's livid face, her eyes glowing like demon orbs in her fury to kill him for kissing Lucy earlier. "Uh, maybe we don't say anything just yet. Like, keep it a secret. Yeah? Cause, it's uh…not like anyone would even care or want me dead." He chuckled as he continued to force a smile.

"What do you mean want you dead?" Lucy continued without letting him answer. "And they're going to find out, Natsu. They're our friends. They'll be happy for us."

"Eh, I'm not so sure." Natsu scratched at his cheek.

Lucy sighed. "If it's that important to you, we can keep it a secret. But I can't promise it'll last. Especially not with how nosy everyone in this guild tends to be. They'll probably figure out something's up pretty quick." Her gaze softened and she dove to steal a quick kiss before he could react. "Anyway, I should probably get back to my room, since the only clothes I have are, well, destroyed."

Blood pooled in his cheeks as she began to get up, keeping the blanket pulled around her. Natsu followed her, stretching.

"Hey, you can wear my robe back to your room if you want." He handed it to her and she turned to put it on with a cheery 'thank you.' Lucy fluffed out her hair, something that might have slipped his notice a day ago, but today was an entirely new source of mystery. The way the light caught each strand and the smell that wafted through the air, this was a whole new set of sensations he was not used to feeling.

Lucy hesitated near the door, grinning over her shoulder as she waited for him. "Well. Are you going to say goodbye?"

Natsu blinked. "You're just going down the hall."

Lucy rolled her eyes and he could see that the comment had torn at her patience. "Just get over here and kiss me goodbye."

Had he known that kissing was involved he'd have obliged without question. He caught her in both arms, kissing her firmly, and lifting her off the ground. He spun her once, drinking in her laughter through the haphazard angle of their mouths. The sweet melody of her laugh was intoxicating, a pure sound that to him, was the truest form of happiness.

The contact and pressure of her mouth felt good, their heads trying to align properly with Lucy still hovering in the air and her giggles still tumbling from her lips…it was innocent and rewarding. But it was the taste that he craved. Tasting her was his favorite part. His tongue worked boldly between her lips, drawing a short gasp and then faint moan that was somehow more satisfying than the kiss itself. A different kind of satisfying than her laughter, this was a more primal satisfaction, darker and less friendly. In seconds they were breathless, loud and messy, sucking and pulling and occasionally biting, both of them swept into a lusty haze of instinct. Lucy's leg began to lift, her thighs brushing his hips.

He could feel the friction burn up his body. Igniting and scorching as smooth skin scraped above the waistband of his shorts, her legs turning into vices. Natsu could sense his descent, a pull on his consciousness that demanded action. Lucy's delicate little moans, those faint whimpers as his hands stretched boldly down her back, farther until they curved along her leg, sharp nails biting into the skin of her thigh.

Lucy gasped, a slight hesitation in the movement of her mouth. And it fueled him to push her, drive her backward so she was pinned. He tried to be gentle, but gentle a struggle. He hovered near her mouth, breathing and calculating. He should stop, he should calm down. He let out a breath, thick with heat as flames danced in his throat.

Her hands moved to his shoulders, her touch gentle.

His nose traced along her jaw, working up to her ear so he could bite, as lightly as possible, before breathing out through his nose, a puff of smoke wafting up between them. She was so damn soft, all curves begging to be squeezed. Natsu dropped his head.

He needed to calm down.

He set her down on her feet, eyes veiled in shadow. Fire tickled the sides of his mouth and he swallowed.

His head fell onto her shoulder. The tremble in his limbs, the force of holding back working at every reserve of strength, began to steady.

He breathed in once, sharply and exhaled slowly. Calm.

Lucy stroked the back of his head and he felt his heart rate finally fall.

"Is everything okay?" She was quiet, not accusing, but there was a note of anxiousness in her tone. "The same thing happened last night."

Natsu lifted his head, feeling heavy and drained. Like a fight that had gone on for too long, taking too much energy. "Not sure." He understood, and yet, he was completely clueless. Was it just instinct? Were they that demanding that it literally burned him from the inside? It was Lucy, she was not an enemy. And yet when she was so delicious and eager, squirming in his hands and into his mouth, desire would just crash over him with a force he couldn't control. It would seize him in an instant, a shift without warning. He didn't think he could ever hurt Lucy, but if he couldn't control this…there was a chance he could slip and do something he regretted.

He pulled away, guilt making him wince. "Sorry, Lucy."

"Don't." She took his hand and he tensed.

"You should…you should probably go." He swallowed, trying to smile. "Okay? Like you said, someone's going to begin to wonder where we are."

"I'm not leaving if you're not okay." She protested stubbornly.

Smiling became easier and he set his hand on top of her head. "I'm fine, Lucy. Really. Just go get changed and don't worry about a thing. Okay?"

She wasn't convinced as she pushed his hand off her head. "If you don't want to talk about it, fine. I can respect that." She put a finger in his face. "For now." With a flick of her hair she headed for the door. Stopping, she spun and threw her arms around his neck, hugging him tightly before kissing him once, then twice on the mouth.

"Goodbye then." Lucy said as she pulled away.

"See ya." He grinned, pulling away and opening the door for her. Lucy gawked for half a second before shaking her head and leaving with a knowing smile on her lips. Natsu shut the door behind her, looking at the empty room and frowning. The space was so empty now. Worry had begun to settle into his mind as he faced the emptiness. He wasn't a worrier. Things happened, you deal, you move on. But he'd never been in this kind of situation before. He looked down at his hands, then down toward his feet. He needed to get things under control. He couldn't keep kissing Lucy if there was a chance he could literally set her on fire without meaning to.

Natsu threw on his clothes and ran a toothbrush over his teeth. He'd figure something out, hopefully. Cause the other option was to stop kissing Lucy and that idea made him laugh. In fact, he was already out the door and hoping that Lucy would be done changing soon.

A/N: So for next time, I might include the dinner? Maybe a bit of interaction with other characters? We'll see how it plays out. I don't know much about the story when this OVA took place. I'm still on episode 90, so I don't know anything past that besides some spoilers. Which basically means I'm gonna try and steer clear of actual plot lines and stick with the relationship as the focus. Hope you enjoyed the chapter (and everyone is in character enough to be believable). Thanks for reading. :)