Lucy was sweating. Why in the world was she sweating this much? Natsu couldn't understand at all. Sure, it was hot out, but she looked way sweatier than anyone else on the beach. She didn't seem to feel that much warmer than everyone else though - and to be honest, Natsu would be surprised if she hadn't built up more heat tolerance than that at this point. Being best friends with a fire dragon slayer wasn't always without flaws. But she seemed comfortable as she read one of those steamy books she usually only read at night when she thought Natsu was asleep.
Yes, it was indeed a weird sight for Natsu. Not only did she sweat too much, but she was reading a book in public that she usually never would allow herself to be seen with! He couldn't wrap his head around what was going on.
But for now that didn't matter too much. Because he really, really wanted to play in the water. Sadly, the other guild members were inside today, complaining about it being too hot outside, and Happy was nowhere to be seen because he was on some self proclaimed mission to find the perfect gift for Carla. His effort was inspiring to say the least.
Lucy disrupted Natsu's train of thought as she gasped softly. Her right hand slapped her mouth, suggesting that the sound wasn't meant to be heard at all, but nothing could slip a bored dragon slayer's hearing. Natsu tried to read over her shoulder without getting caught, but to no avail. If he went closer Lucy would hear his breathing, but he still couldn't read the small complicated words. Maybe they were in another language.
He was still bothered though. Not by the suggestive sounds she was making in public, though that was a concerning part too of course, but mostly by her sheening skin. There was no way she could sweat that much without smelling - no offence, but it really just wasn't possible. So Natsu did what he knew the best - he explored the possibilities.
It was sunny outside, no doubt about it. Not even the flies wanted to be outside in this heat, and that said something. But Lucy was since long used to this heat, that tolerance was not to be taken lightly. She could have used sunscreen, but he would have recognised that smell. Anyone could identify the smell of sunscreen, at least from this distance. As he was exploring the possible options, tanning oil popped up in his mind. Maybe he could recall one of their discussions where she mentioned tanning oil - Happy thought it was just a bad tasting cooking oil though, so maybe that was why he hadn't been connecting the dots?
Natsu, who had been lying on his back up until now, turned over towards Lucy. Her hair was up in a bun, possibly to keep it away from her shoulder so the sun would reach her skin properly, but he wasn't too sure. Maybe it was due to fashion or something.
As his eyes wandered down from her neck, he found himself looking at the crook of her back for an extended period of time. To be honest, he had no idea how Lucy's genetics worked, because her waist seemed to be in perfect ratio with her… other assets… like those plump hips and that lovely round bust. The new tanning oil left a shimmery finish and made her long legs look completely flawless. Did she know how perfect she was?
Natsu looked up at her head again. Her bangs were sticking to her damp forehead and her cheeks were rosier than normal. She might not be aware of it, but summer was truly her season. She looked like the very personification of summer. As he started getting lost in his own thoughts, Lucy laughed out loud.
"What's so funny?" Natsu immediately asked. He wanted to know why this book was getting more attention than him today.
"Hm?" Lucy seemed to snap back to reality. "Oh it's nothing, really. It's a joke that has been building up the entire chapter, it would take too long to explain," she clarified. Natsu frowned a little.
"Can't you just read the chapter for me then?" He really wanted some of her attention. Thankfully she seemed understanding.
"Sure, but don't complain if it's too long or too sappy," she warned. Natsu nodded eagerly, finally getting the chance to be involved in her thoughts. Lucy smiled softly as she bookmarked her place in the book and went back to the beginning of the chapter. At first Natsu felt confused listening to all these random characters, and he wasn't too sure what the actual story was, but as Lucy kept reading he slowly started getting the hang of it.
If Natsu was to put the story shortly, he'd sum it up as a romcom about a man and a woman. Not exactly his favourite theme. The chapter wasn't too confusing as it contained short information about who they were and their relationship - mostly put in flashbacks or references to previous chapters. The man seemed to be quite laid back and oblivious to any feelings the woman had towards him, but since he apparently was in a high working position he must be reliable and serious when the situation called for it. Natsu liked the man, he often came up with funny one-liners and was surprisingly affectionate with the woman. The woman had striking resemblances with Lucy - she had the same working position as the man, but if Natsu was honest, the woman was way more reliable. She was hard working, had great discipline and did her job with elegance. The best part about her though was how she was with the man. As childhood friends they knew each other inside out, and the woman truly loosened up with him, joking around and playfully scolding him whenever he made things inconvenient for her.
That's how well Natsu understood the book so far. However, the chapter seemed to go on forever and Natsu was starting to lose his patience again. That was until Lucy suddenly started stuttering her words. Not much, only slightly, but it was enough for Natsu to notice. Lucy never stuttered when reading out loud - she was as excellent at that as she was at summoning spirits. Naturally, Natsu's attention was piqued again. Lucy was now reading the part where she gasped earlier. Was he supposed to make her stop reading at this point? That would be awkward though, since the joke hadn't come yet. All he could do was listen and try to get through it calmly.
Calmly? How on earth could anyone listen to this calmly, any less read it! Lucy's poker face was too good to be true - she was reading about sexual tension and only stuttered once, that had to be some record. Maybe she could get a prize for it.
As she continued reading Natsu started feeling this weird but familiar feeling that rooted deep in his guts. This was not a good moment to be feeling this. Could he play this off somehow? A boner didn't suit bathing suits, and as someone who was well known for not falling for sexual charm it could shock Lucy more than he'd like.
Thankfully she hadn't noticed this. She was still focusing on staying cool while reading the steamiest things she had ever said out loud. Plus, Natsu noticed that he wasn't the only one getting affected by this situation. Lucy was starting to smell a lot muskier, and even Natsu could sense a warmness from her that wasn't there before. He had never actually been this close to an aroused Lucy - the only time he had smelled anything similar was when he snuck into her bed after a long day, sensing the smell in the bedsheets.
More suddenly than Natsu would prefer, the steamy part was roughly over. Natsu couldn't stop his hand from reaching out to her at this point. It was as if it lived its own life. As he let his hand touch Lucy's middle part of her back, he could feel Lucy shiver under her. Maybe she was too into the book though, because she didn't shout at him like he thought she would. So without any negative response he allowed his hand to continue down her oily back. When he reached the crook of her back he could smell a certain… Let's call it warmth, coming from Lucy's core. Was she… getting aroused from this?
Natsu was almost doubting his action, but when he saw Lucy glance slightly at his direction, basically waiting to see what he would do next, he allowed himself to continue. He felt quite intrigued in this himself, his own core heating up intensely as he grabbed her plump flesh in her hip. Shit. If he continued this he would get a noticeable boner. At least Lucy could somewhat hide any arousal she felt, Natsu would have to live with the embarrassment of showing off his hard on to everyone on the beach, and he honestly didn't want to do that.
So he did what he did best. By pulling Lucy in slightly and lifting his own torso, he could reach down to bite Lucy's tiny waist. Not hard of course, nothing to leave a mark, but the fangs against her sun-sensitive back made her yelp in surprise. Natsu just grinned mischievously, quickly jumping up on his feet to run into the ocean. He really needed to cool off. Lucy interpreted that as an invitation to chase him, anything to play this off as a silly prank. Even if they both agreed that it made their bodies react a little differently than a normal prank would.