Summary: One night can lead to the rest of your life, and Natsu wouldn't have it any other way.

A/N: This is is for snogfairy's birthday, so make sure you wish her the best! Hope you guys like this too!

Sunlight filtered in through the open curtains as they stirred from the summer breeze. Natsu could hear the gardens outside waking. The humming of the birds and the patter of hurried feet on the gravel as the servants began their daily chores.

Natsu himself should have awoken well before dawn. And yet here he was, lazily blinking open his eyes and letting the cool breeze caress the skin of his chest that was left uncovered by the silken sheets. Silk sheets… that were not the same as the rough blankets in his own quarters. These sheets were not his own.

The events of last night hit him like a wave as he took in the sight of his armour scattered across the plush carpets. The dress that had hung from the shoulders of the Princess the night before, the same dress he had quietly admired from afar, lay among the pieces of his armour. The pink fabric of the bodice torn in two, and the skirts discarded in an ungraceful heap.

He turned to the figure laying in the bed beside him. Her back was exposed, her skin looked as pale and smooth as milk. It made him think of cream. His mouth watered the longer he stared. He knew how that skin tasted. How it seemed almost to glow when covered with a light sheen of sweat. He knew how her hair- now spread across her pillow like a golden puddle that gleamed in the sun- looked when it was tangled between his fingers. The way it matted to her temples, the way her mouth formed that perfect 'O' when he-

Natsu gulped.

He had slept with the Princess.

There was no mistaking it. He was here, in her chambers, in her bed beside her. His mind scrambled for explanations as to how it had happened, but he knew what had happened. Every detail was etched into his brain. The feel of her skin moving against his, the heat of her, the sound of her. The memory of her laugh lit a spark in his heart, but the fire that ignited his blood as she shifted in her sleep and the sheets slipped a little lower was a heat of a different kind.

It hadn't been a drunken mistake, and he most certainly hadn't taken advantage of her. He'd been stationed on an outdoor patrol of the castle grounds and had found her crying alone in the gardens. He was a soldier of the palace guard, and so it was his duty to protect her. To protect all of the royal family, just as his father had before him. He couldn't leave her out there alone, but he had been a guard for many years. Although his rank wasn't high he often saw the Princess on his watches. It was by his vigilance that he knew why she cried. She was lonely and unhappy. He should have simply escorted her back to the ball but… never once in his years protecting her had he ever heard her laugh. He'd wanted to change that.

Lucy was vigilant too. She'd noticed all the times he'd been stationed near her quarters or in the library or gardens where she spent a lot of her time. She'd even confessed to seeking him out, although she'd never quite had the courage to talk to him and had never gotten him alone. Each time he'd snickered at some sarcastic quip she'd dealt a nobleman it seemed he hadn't been so subtle about it. She'd noticed. He thought the amused glances she'd shot him in those moments had been his imagination. But apparently not.

Perhaps he wouldn't call it love, not quite yet. But the way they'd spoken to one another last night… the way they'd laughed and smiled and touched. Perhaps it was something close.

Perhaps it could be, if he was more than just a soldier.

But he wasn't.

Natsu leant closer to her until her face came into view. Her lips were parted slightly, her cheek rested on her hand. He reached to brush away her hair but hesitated at the last moment. He didn't dare touch her, didn't want to wake her from her sound sleep. He knew from his nights stationed outside her door that she often woke with nightmares. Her maids worked hard with her make up every morning to keep the dark circles beneath her eyes hidden from view.

Instead he pressed a light kiss to her shoulder before untangling himself from the sheets. He hated to leave her. He grit his teeth as his heart ached with it. What good would it do him to stay? What good would it do her?

"Just one kiss?" Her voice was soft and laced with sleep.

He turned to face her from his perch on the edge of the bed. She'd rolled onto her back and looked fondly up at him, the sheets crumped beneath her breasts. He felt heat rise to his cheeks as his eyes drifted over her. There were marks up the slope of her breasts, the side of her neck. A trail of them disappeared beneath the sheets. Her cheeks were as pink as his hair when his eyes trailed back to her face.

"Lucy…" He began. His voice was hoarse, thick with sleep or desire, he couldn't tell. He hadn't known what he was going to say, only that he wanted to say her name. Her name and not her title, so he could pretend hers was the same as his for a little while.

The title of no title. Of no one. Nothing.

"Is that your thinking face?" She asked as she reached out to trace her fingers down his spine, "Who knew it would be so silly."

It was difficult for him to fight the smile that her voice beckoned.

"You makin' fun of my face?" He smiled, moving to lie on his front next to her.

He'd worried when he'd approached her last night about his commoners tongue, but Lucy didn't seem to mind it. She didn't seem to have any problems at all with his tongue.

"Of course not," She giggled as she cupped his cheeks with both her hands. She traced her left thumb across his scar and he leant into the touch. "Your face is perfect."

Natsu scoffed, but there was no quelling the grin that pulled at his lips.

"Says the most beautiful girl in the kingdom."

Lucy's smile rivalled his own before she pulled him in for a kiss. Just like the night before he couldn't resist the enticement of her lips. The pull of her, like she had a cord tied tight around his soul and was tugging at it until there was no more space between them.

He sunk into the kiss. Life was a barren desert and here was his water. Lucy kissed him deeply. Full and hungry as her fingers twined in his hair. Her nails scraped against his scalp and he sighed against her lips as she pulled back slightly for air.

"This is worth it." Natsu whispered before kissing her again.

"What's worth it?" Lucy grinned as he peppered kisses across her cheeks.

"Everything." He murmured against her skin, "Hours spent in heavy armour in the sun just to catch a glimpse of you. Endless days in the council rooms knowing you'd show up and shoot them down eventually. Whatever they're going to do to me for this-" Lucy hummed as his thumb brushed over her nipple and the marks on her breast he'd made during the night, "It's all worth it."

"Natsu," Lucy bumped her nose against his, "I promise you, the only one who's going to do anything to you is me. And if what I've read is true, you're gonna enjoy it."

He laughed, grateful for the easy way in which she distracted him from his sombre thoughts. He leaned over her, their chests pressed together as they grinned at each other.

"From what you've read?" He snickered, hands skimming down her sides, "Who knew the King's library stocked such scandalous books."

"I request them especially," She smirked as wrapped a leg around his own, "Maybe I could teach you a thing or two."

"Oh yeah?"

"Yeah," She pulled him closer, "I'm very well read."

Natsu chucked deep in his chest as she kissed him again. Her hands skimmed down his chest as her lips moved against his. She traced the panes of his muscles until she reached his hips. His breath shuddered as his mind fixed on the feeling of her fingers against his skin. Lucy looked up at him smugly as her hands brushed lower.

Natsu clasped her wrist and groaned.

"I can't," He sighed, resting his forehead against hers, "I'm already late for patrol."

"Stay." Lucy whispered, kissing him sweetly.

"I can't. We can't. We'll get caught."

"Natsu-"

"And we can't get caught because you're you and I'm-"

"You." Lucy cut him off, "You're you. Do you think every guard that hands me a tissue ends up here?"

"No! That's not what I'm-"

"I know what you're trying to say Natsu, and I don't care about that stuff. I.." Her eyes searched his face, "Want to be with you. And if you want to be with me too, then I'm all yours."

"Of course I want to be with you Lucy." Natsu insisted, "But I'm just a soldier. I'm a nobody with no name, no money, no army or kingdom. I'm not worthy of you."

"Bullshit!" Lucy spat, startling him with her harsh language, "You're somebody. Your name is Natsu Dragneel, and I don't care about the rest. I'd rather be no one if it meant I could be someone to you."

Natsu gaped at her. Words failed him. Could she really feel so strongly after merely a few stolen glances and one breathless night? Of course she could. Didn't he?

"Besides," Lucy continued with a smile, "I don't think I could hide it. This."

"This?" Natsu grinned as he tapped a finger against a mark on her collarbone.

Lucy laughed, twinging her fingers with his and lifting them to her lips. She pressed kisses to each of his scared knuckles. His hands were built for fighting and yet she kissed them like they were something to be treasured.

"Why me?" Natsu asked in wonder, "You could have any one you want, but you picked me."

"I didn't pick you. It just… happened. And I'm so lucky that it did."

Natsu gazed down at her for a moment. She looked right back, her eyes full of fondness and… hope. He could see the worry there, deep down, that when he left she'd be alone again. But he'd never let her feel that way. Not if he could help it. He'd shower her with affection until all holes in her heart that had grown wider with each day of neglect and entrapment were filled with everything he had to offer her.

He didn't have much, but if he could make her smile every day, he'd give it his all.

He pressed a kiss to her cheek and leapt up from the bed. He darted about the room, collecting his scattered clothes but not his armour. His father had been a Kings Guard, as had his father before him. Natsu had hoped to work his way up the ranks but… he'd been lying to himself. Some days his uniform made him feel as trapped as the crown that kept Lucy here in the castle.

His gaze drifted to Lucy as she watched him in confusion as he quickly dressed. What of his son? Natsu didn't want any child of his to feel compelled to follow in his footsteps. He knew he would want them to seek the same happiness he hoped to have. Happiness he may have found in this castle, but that happiness could not thrive here. He could see it in her eyes.

Once he was fully dressed Natsu strode back over to the bed. Lucy was looking at him still with confusion, but there was an amused glint in her eyes. No doubt from his crumpled state of dress. She sat up as he leaned on the edge of the bed, pulling the sheets up to keep herself covered. He took her face in his hands and titled her head up to better take in her wide eyes and graceful features.

"Find something to wear, fast," He told her with a wild grin, "And nothing too tight and frilly. You're gonna need to breathe y'know."

"What?"

"We're leaving." He told her firmly, body thrumming with nerves, "Come nightfall we'll be gone. Out of the city for good."

"But the guards-"

"We'll go out the window. I pick you Lucy. I'm no one and I pick you anyway. You can change your mind if you want but I don't think I will. I want you to be happy Luce, and you're not happy here. So let's go."

Lucy smiled at him with tears in her eyes. She nodded once, twice, and again before she erupted in a fit of giggles. He laughed too. He laughed in excitement for all that awaited them.

"The vanity!" Lucy squeaked, "Take out anything you find! There's enough jewels in there to take us anywhere you want to go."

Natsu laughed again and did as instructed. The rustle of sheets behind him informed him that Lucy had risen in search of clothes. He snuck a peak over his shoulder just in time to see the sheets drop. He let his appreciation known with a low hum that made Lucy blush before she disappeared behind a screen.

He busied himself to distract his mind from what was beyond that screen, pulling open each draw of the vanity. Countless jewels lay before him. Enough to buy them a house in every city in Fiore if they wished. Earrings, necklaces, bracelets, rings. He shoved as many of them as he could into his pockets.

The last drawer he tried contained one single item. A necklace laid delicately on a bed of soft velvet that tickled his fingers as he lifted it gently. He held it carefully in front of him, letting the intricate silver of the chain catch the light. His eyes drank in every detail of the intricate weaving of pearls before him. He didn't want to merely cram this into his pockets. It seemed too important, and he feared it would shatter.

"I'm afraid we've no time to try things on Natsu," Lucy's voice rang with laughter being him, "But I'm sure it'll look lovely on you."

"I'd like to see you in this." Natsu answered, still staring at the necklace, his voice low and rough, "In nothing but this."

He felt the heat of Lucy beside him and turned to find her face coated with a slight blush, her eyes fixed on the necklace. She prised it gently from his hands, running her fingers across the pearls as she looked at it fondly.

"It was my mothers." She told him, "She wore it on her wedding day."

"And are you to wear it on yours?"

Lucy breathed out a laugh before carefully depositing the necklace into the breast pocket of her tunic.

"I suppose that's why she left it to me," She cocked her head and smiled, "It's a shame no one's proposed just yet."

"Oh, don't worry." Natsu grinned, "I'm sure you'll find some sorry sap to fall for you on the way to wherever it is we're going."

A wide grin broke over her features. Natsu didn't give her time to laugh as he took her hand and led her towards the balcony. He threw open the doors and strode right up to the railings. The two of them looked over the gardens, the castle walls. And further than that, right on the horizon, the distant glow of the ocean.

They'd be on the run for a long time. A lot of it would be touch and go. They might not even make it out of the palace walls. If they were caught, there'd be consequences. And Natsu knew his own would be far more severe.

His gaze turned to Lucy. She was practically buzzing with excitement. Consequences be damned. Life was meant to be more than politics and fancy dresses and strict social rules. Life was meant to be an adventure. One where it was more fun together.

He held out his hand to Lucy.

"You ready?"

Her eyes blazed with determination.

"I was born ready." She nodded before another smile broke over her features and she slapped his outstretched hand, "Last one to the castle walls is a rotten egg!"

With that, she jumped over the balcony railing.

Natsu stared, mouth agape, as she landed in a carefully practiced crouch and rolled to take the impact of her knees. She stood and turned, beckoning for him to follow. He shook his head to snap himself out of it.

It seemed she'd always been ready to run, she'd just been waiting for someone to run with.

"Alright Lucy," Natsu grinned down at her as he prepared to jump, "Time for an adventure."