A/N: Okay so it has been like a year since I posted to this. I am so sorry. Anyway, I decided to work on it and hopefully I'll post a few more chapters too. This is getting more into NSFW territory, so just expect NSFW from this chapter on. (thought there's nothing super explicit here). Also, I don't know the actual plot past episode 90, so I just sort of guessed and I'm mostly glossing over actual plot stuff. The focus is the relationship, specifically the physical stuff.

PART THREE

Of course, Natsu had completely forgotten about training. There wasn't time to eat or find Lucy. Natsu was caught by Erza seconds after leaving his room dressed and starving. He couldn't get out a word of argument as she dragged him by the collar to practice. They were in the middle of a cool down, according to Erza, working through fifty push-ups. Natsu got into line with the rest of them, resigning himself to the physical exertion over eating.

"Where were you?" Happy whispered, feigning his own push-ups while sparing a cautious eye for Erza in case she looked his way. "We've been practicing most of the morning. You and Lucy never showed and I'm dead tired already."

"I was…sick." Natsu spared his own wary glance at Erza, hoping she couldn't somehow sense anything different about him. He felt different, though. Enough that even push-ups weren't much of a distraction. His thoughts drifted back to the previous night, the brush of soft skin and the warm pressure of Lucy's mouth…

"Natsu. Natsu! Hey!" Happy flinched backward, drawing Natsu's attention finally, and Natsu just had time to look down at the flames kindling beneath his palms. He shook out his hands quick leaving two black scorched handprints behind in the dirt.

"What's going on over here?" They'd drawn Erza's attention and Happy was about to respond, but Natsu was frantically shaking his head.

"N-nothing. Just push-ups." Natsu went back to his push-ups, double speed, unwittingly prompting Gray's competitive scorn until both of them were blurs of up-down-up-down.

Erza's attention narrowed to Happy, who yelped and attempted real push-ups, only marginally succeeding. She kept them all busy throughout the day. Even Lucy, when she finally showed, had been pulled into the hustle of Erza's regiment and that left no time for talking. Not that Natsu needed to talk to her about anything. Honestly, he was really more interested in showing off and getting stronger. He wanted to focus on his sparing match with Gray. He'd die before he let Gray win against him. He gave very little thought to Lucy's casual chatting with Levy while they awaited their turns. He didn't even once think that, maybe, he would rather be standing with Lucy too. Chatting about nothing.

"Natsu, where's your head?" Erza's stern voice cut through any daydreaming about what he did not want to be doing.

"Huh?" His head turned just in time for Gray's fist to find it, colliding with his cheek. His vision blurred and exploded with lights, but he managed to stay on his feet.

"What's with the cheap shot?" Natsu's voice was rising with his frustration.

Gray scoffed. "Cheap? Man, you've been distracted since you got here. Late, I might add."

Natsu tried very hard not to look at Lucy, though his gaze did flicker over to her a few times. Her attention was captured, unfortunately.

"Natsu." Erza had stepped in, that stern voice ringing with just the faintest air of concern. He sensed questions looming before him. Where were you this morning? Why were you and Lucy so late? What did you do to her? If you touched her—

Natsu flexed his fists, wanting very much to punch Gray, fair or not, but resisting. He felt the stares, felt the questions, and with Erza's attention and his pulse running like a riot he sought out the only other defense he had.

"I just need to eat something. Just give me a few minutes to scrounge something up and I'll have no trouble kicking your ass."

Gray shrugged, and crossed his bare arms over his bare torso.

Erza reflected for a second before barking at the entire group, "Alright everyone. We're breaking for lunch. You have ten minutes."

Everyone groaned in relief before rushing off to fill their stomachs in the ten minutes allotted to them. Natsu was left behind, even though he was truly hungry. Lucy had stayed back too. He debated with himself for nearly three of those precious minutes until he realized that this was Lucy. And he was Natsu. It would be weird if they didn't wait for each other or eat together. He was overthinking. Not something he was normally prone to doing, if he was honest.

"Hey." Lucy said, with a small smile.

He moved into step with her with ease, having done it so often, and with that everything else became easier. He could talk to her just like any other time and for the next ten minutes nothing was different. Lunch went by too quickly, passed by their group laughing and talking in the time they felt safe sparing between bites. Only one small fight broke out, which Natsu had started, but had ended quickly enough.

The rest of day went by just as quickly, though too long. Their training ran well past daylight hours and into evening. Once free, everyone was too tired to do anything but eat and lay about moaning. It was half way through a cold meal that Natsu remembered the date he had promised.

He stopped mid-bite. "Oh, crap." He searched the table and the room around him, but Lucy wasn't there. He let his bowl fall with a clatter, contents spilling out, and got up.

"Natsu, what's wrong?" Happy moved to follow him.

"Nothing. I just gotta find Lucy."

"What about your food? You never leave food half finished." Happy edged closer to it, sniffing at it curiously.

"Look, you can just have it. Okay? I gotta go." He ignored any other outbursts and started looking for Lucy.

After searching half the inn he found her on a porch alone, sitting with her legs dangling over the edge, arms balanced on the railing. The moon was bright back here, big and pale in the twilight sky. Clouds drifted by on a lazy breeze. Lucy didn't turn or look at him, but he felt her stiffen when he sat down beside her. Their position high up left the view below open, nothing in front of them but open air and moonlight.

"I was looking everywhere for you." He said. He threaded his arms through the railing, leaning into it to better see her face. It was pretty, her profile half illuminated in pale light. It looked good with her skin and hair, he'd much rather look at her than the view.

"Mm." Lucy nodded.

He frowned, not sure what to make of that answer. Was she mad? He really wanted to know, at least.

"Uh, hey. I was looking for you cause I wanted to apologize. I forgot about training today and then forgot about that, uh, date." He grinned, but Lucy didn't respond and it faded into a pout. "Are ya mad?"

"No, I'm not mad."

He breathed out, slumping back. "Good. I thought you'd be mad."

Lucy sighed. "But that doesn't mean I'm not disappointed."

He snapped back upright. "Huh?"

"I know it wasn't exactly your fault. But I think I was looking forward to that date…more than I thought I was."

Guilt twisted in his gut, making him wince. Her disappointment was ten times worse than her anger.

"I'm really sorry." He said, lamely. It wasn't much of a consolation. On impulse he placed his hand on hers, slowing weaving their fingers together. It felt like the thing to do just then.

Lucy looked at their hands, allowing him his gesture and even smiling in spite of her disappointment. "I honestly didn't realize…" She said again, voice quiet. She turned to him fully then, a few tears in her eyes that confused him because she was still smiling. "I really want this, Natsu. It's so strange because it never even occurred to me before yesterday. Not really. I mean, maybe a little." She looked down, color flooding her cheeks. "But never in a way that was real, you know?"

He laughed, lifting his free hand to point with his thumb at his chest. "Do I? Until last night, I hadn't even thought kissing was something I'd want to do ever. Let alone with you."

Lucy shook her head. "You seemed to enjoy it enough."

"Hell yeah I did." He was beaming now, glad to be over the more serious part of their conversation. "I thought fighting was the biggest thrill I'd ever have. But kissing is a close second."

Lucy raised an eyebrow. "Second, huh?"

"Well, yeah. It's great, but it's not exactly 'defeating your enemies because you're more awesome' great."

Lucy opened her mouth, like she wanted to add something but then shook her head and said nothing. Instead, she fell sideways so she was leaning against his side. They sat together for a long time without talking. It was a nice view, it wasn't home, but it wasn't terrible. Natsu began to swing his legs back and forth and his fingers squirmed in hers. He didn't want to voice it, but his mind had been falling more and more to the idea of kissing her again. Uuncertainty and a bit of fear kept him from acting on it.

It was Lucy that made the move for him. Her head turned on his shoulder, her cheek gliding sideways so her head was angled for her breath to puff against his neck. He shivered. Resisting was going to be very difficult.

When he didn't take the bait, Lucy shuffled her body for a better angle. She traced her nose up and along his jaw. Natsu swallowed, turning his head slightly away. Resisting was going to be impossible.

"Natsu. What's wrong?" She purred, and she lifted her free hand to drag her nails up his bare forearm. He closed his eyes, but did not give in to that voice in his head roaring at him.

"Hey. Talk to me." Lucy stilled, backing off a bit. "Is this about…"

"I don't want to risk hurting you." He said. His limbs shook with the force of keeping them off her. He felt all those soft curves pressing into his side and he thought he'd go insane if he didn't get to touch or bite or taste…

He pulled away from her, scooting so that there was space between them. He willed his pulse to slow, taking in long pulls of cool night air. It didn't help. Every breath was tainted with Lucy. He could smell her, the vaguest hint of something he couldn't name catching in his throat and making him groan. Resisting was going to kill him.

Lucy let him agonize for several minutes, biting her lip while she waited.

Natsu fell backward, lying on his back and throwing an arm over his eyes. "This is going to be impossible."

"What—"

He groaned. "I just want to kiss you, but I shouldn't. I shouldn't." He was almost whining, which set off Lucy's nerves. She ground her teeth before pushing herself over him, an arm on either side of his head.

Natsu pulled his arm away, staring into her eyes as her chest pushed into him, rendering any protest he could conceive invalid.

"Look, you agreed to be in this with me and that means there will be kissing." Her voice was stern, the tone that made him nod along with everything she asked without argument. "Which means that we have to figure this out one way or the other. Avoiding it isn't going to help anything. Agreed?"

"Do I have a choice?"

"Not really."

His eyes narrowed, an impish grin replacing his agony. "In that case."

He moved quickly to reach her lips, capturing them fully with a hand cupping either side of her face. Lucy's surprise didn't last, she was melting into him just as easily. He tried to savor it, to draw out this safer indulgence, but he couldn't. Not when he was so close. His tongue swept along her mouth, drawing it open with a soft mewl from Lucy.

She had to grip his arms to keep herself steady, though he did honestly try to be gentle. All that resisting he'd done earlier caught up with him in a rush. He pinned her backward against the railing, his legs still dangling and hers draped on either side of him and squeezing. He moved along her cheek and down to her throat before he could think to ask. Licking, nibbling, sucking. He relished in the sounds she made, basking in every squirming twitch or clench of muscle. His chin caught on the top of her shirt, pushing it slightly down to expose more delicious skin.

Lucy suddenly tensed and he guessed at the reason, halting in place. His eyes were a fathomless black when he turned them up to her, his face resting right above her cleavage. Carefully, he hooked a finger on the collar of her shirt.

"Can I?"

She shivered, her breath was coming hard and he could feel every one when her skin met his waiting finger, the collar bunching as his muscles twitched with anticipation. He was much more in control this time.

"It's nothing I haven't seen before." He reasoned, eyes locked on her face, but his fingers desperately waiting for the okay. "Now I wanna taste."

She bit her lip.

"You can say no." He added. "Just please say something."

"Um." She arched her back slightly, which is cheating. It's completely cheating. But it's okay because the move is followed by a confident, "Okay."

It was the waiting that did it. She only just got the word out before he's torn the shirt completely open. Again. Only he didn't stop like before. He barely even took the time for an appreciative look before his mouth was on her again.

Lucy's head fell completely backward. Any hope she had of participating had seized with his wandering mouth over her bare chest. He had no real skill or knowledge of what he ought to do, he was just letting instinct and want drive him. But with Lucy having no experience herself, his hasty enthusiastic exploring was more than satisfactory. Her hands moved to twine with his hair, overwhelmed by it until she was unconsciously backing away.

Natsu didn't register the subtle move, too intent on dragging his teeth against taut nipples which elicited an impulsive buck of her hips against his lap and inspired him to continue.

"N-natsu, um…" She sighed, muscles clenching against him with a shudder. "Maybe…we should…" Her fingers were clenching against his scalp where she held him, and he fought to reign in his eagerness.

Fire licked the back of his throat. He swallowed it down. He could control this.

He eased back, letting her catch her breath and allowing himself to cool down a bit. He moved back up to her mouth, but he kept it as innocent as he was capable at that point. Finally, foreheads pushed together, they stopped and let their pulses settle back to normal. The fire dancing in his chest receded. He was grinning now, relieved and a bit proud to have conquered that particular obstacle. At least, for now.

Lucy gently ran her fingers through his hair, mirroring his smile though with less teeth showing. "We should probably head to bed. Before someone sees us out here."

Without a word he lifted her straight up, her legs wrapped around his waist, and chuckling as she cried out in alarm.

"Your room or mine?" He honestly didn't care, neither of them were home.

"Well, since you tore my shirt again, I guess mine." She caught his shoulders when he took off running.

"Wait, Natsu, you idiot, someone could see—"

"So?" He kept her pulled against him so that her destroyed shirt wouldn't reveal anything as they headed for her room. They did end up passing Happy in the hall, who tried to call out to them, but Natsu ran past without stopping, Lucy bouncing in his arms.

"Can't talk. Shirt emergency." Natsu said, confident that it wasn't out of the ordinary for him to be carrying Lucy. Especially when she was making that annoyed, grimace face that said she really would rather walk herself.

Happy's response died in the air before it reached them, Natsu was moving too fast. He reached Lucy's room and kicked the door in.

"Be careful." She scolded.

In answer, he threw her across the room. She cried out as she landed on the soft covers of the bed, bouncing a few times and glaring at him.

"Come on, I wouldn't just throw you onto the ground."

Her response was a well-aimed pillow to his head, which contacted squarely and caused a muffled 'oof' out of him. While he recovered Lucy changed, fast enough that she caught his attempt to throw the pillow back.

"Really? This is how you want to spend the rest of the night?" She said, holding up the incriminating pillow.

He was at her feet in seconds, lifting her again with arms wrapped snuggly around her middle. He surprised her by attacking her cheeks with kisses, though none of them heated or lusty, just wet smacks against her skin that brought her to giggles. He fell backward with her onto the bed, letting her tumble over him as her laughter tapered off.

She smushed the pillow into his face as she crawled over him and got under the covers. "I guess this is going to be a regular thing, isn't it?"

"What is?" He said, plopping down beside her, but on top of the covers.

"You sleeping with me."

"It's not like I hadn't before."

"I guess that's true. But…anyway. I guess it's not a big deal." She snuggled into the covers.

""Night, Lucy." He said, but then he propped himself on his elbow and leaned to kiss her cheek. Then her mouth, though only chastely and for only a second.

She blushed, despite the obscene amount of kissing they'd already done. "Goodnight, Natsu."

Natsu lay awake for a while, hands behind his head as Lucy's breathing evened into sleep. He was full of optimistic certainty. He didn't fully understand the boundaries of potential intimacies. To him, this kissing thing was the extent of it and he was convinced he could handle that now. There was a tiny voice in his head that remembered the other night and cautioned that he was probably very wrong. Kissing was not the extent of it. That feral, lust had wanted something else. Raged for something more. The levels and degrees of intimacy that awaited him were infinitely more seductive than what he'd experienced. More dangerous and even harder to fight. But Natsu pushed that voice aside, not convinced that there was much more to it. He was pretty sure that he'd felt the worst of it last night.

A/N: So, hopefully I can keep this going. Next I plan to include a mini time jump then bring up the next "base" of their relationship. I have not watched this show in as much time as I haven't updated, so I'm going off memory for the characters. I feels right, so I'm not questioning but let me know if I'm off at all. Thanks for reading! ^_^