All Rights to Hiro Mashima

This...is where things go a little sideways. ALSO, I WILL NEVER DRINK TEQUILA AGAIN! (flashbacks are in italics...you'll see them it's super obvious, sorry about all the line breaks...)

BEWARE THE HANGOVER! IN THE NAME OF LOVE!

~ Tarot ~

In which both mildly freak out, subdued chaos ensues, decisions are made, stories are told, and low key shit hits the proverbial fan. (Don't judge they're hung over)

"Ugh."

Lucy felt like someone had run her over with a train.

Then backed it up, then run over her again for good measure.

"What the fuck…" She whined. Her head throbbed, her stomach was in knots, she knew her breath absolutely reeked because even she could smell it, and she hurt. Like bone deep. Her muscles were tense and sore, in ways that she didn't even know she could be.

"Owwww…" Rolling over was a bad idea. Moving was a terrible idea.

But opening her eyes to be blinded by low lighting…that was the worst idea yet.

Until she heard someone else groan. It was masculine and deep and hazy memories drifted through her brain before she realised that there was someone else in the room with her. She shot up straight in bed – which was another one of those terrible ideas – and her stomach gave a sickening twirl. Launching off the mattress, the fact that she was entirely naked except for a white scarf around her neck not even fazing her, she got to the toilet and emptied everything she had in her stomach into it.

Ugh. Tequila. Never again.

Lucy could taste the regret in every heave.

She rested her forehead on the rim and flushed before she felt amazingly warm hands brush her hair away from her sweaty face, drape a sheet over her naked form, and then rub her back soothingly.

She moaned and again, realised that there was someone else with her here, witnessing this train wreck that was her hangover. She peeked at the man who was caring for her so tenderly to see pink hair and a small pained grimace. "Natsu?"

He grunted, his face paler than she remembered. "What the hell happened last night?"

She watched him close his eyes as his hands trailed up and down his forearms, over the tattoos that rippled up over his biceps. Was he cold? "Last thing I remember was…a stripper, then a challenge. Then…"

"Tequila shots…yah. Me too."

"You alright? I heard you say 'ow' a bunch. Are you in any pain? Do you think you fell last night or something?"

She grumbled in her head at the soreness of her body. Not unless falling vagina first onto a penis was an accident...

Lucy took stock of her body for a moment before closing her eyes again against the harsh glare of the sun glinting off the dull linoleum floor. "Well, other than the fact that my everything is fucking throbbing to the beat of a thousand war drums, I'm all good. I just…I'm...really really thirsty right now."

"Hold on." She watched him retreat out of the bathroom and was gifted the sight of his very naked ass and the acronym 'E.N.D' tattooed in spikey letters across his shoulder blades.

One thing was for sure. Lucy definitely thought he had a nice ass. And the tattoos looked...deviously enticing. She kind of wanted to lick them, if that made any sense.

Heavy breathing.

The taste of skin and sweat and sex... it was slow and everything around her was dark, the pressure was building gradually, just looking for release.

A single groan, panting, flashing green eyes the colour of sin.

"Luce..."

And then white hot pleasure.

Lucy shook off the feeling of large warm hands on her skin, on her back, her thighs, inside her.

He returned with a glass of cool water in his hands moments later and she mental thanked every God there ever was for the creation of this man. She drank down every last drop in seconds and it was the best thing she had ever tasted.

Lucy decided that now was as good time as any to ask him the difficult question that was sitting in the middle of the room like a gigantic elephant. First, she slumped onto the bathroom floor and laid her cheek against the cool tiles. "So. Why do you think we're both naked?"

Obviously, she knew why they were both without their clothing, but she didn't want to believe it was true until he said it out loud. Her lady bits were sore and that usually only meant one thing.

"Uh. Sex. We had…sex."

Yep. There it was.

Lucy squinted her eyes at him to watch his reaction. He seemed…neutral. Neither cocky about getting laid, nor was he devastated, he looked passively alright with that fact.

"You sure?" She knew it was true. She could remember the sensations, a ghost of his hands and his lips and damn she was aroused again, but also felt like puking. What a weird combination.

"Yah. The two used condoms in the garbage can are all the proof I need." Plus...he could see his hand prints on the top of her upper arms already turning a dark purple, a sticky sensation around his dick, and there were like...at least thirty love bites all over her creamy skin. Damn, was I always so territorial? Or rough? Shit.

"Huh. At least we remembered protection." She could thank her lucky stars for that one because honestly, she could barely remember her name at the moment.

"…Yah." A slightly awkward silence followed. What did one say to another party of the infamous one night stand? So Lucy decided to burry her nose into the scarf that was still draped around her neck and breathed in a calming scent of campfire and trees and something that sent her mind back to nights were her mother and her used to stay out late and watch the stars.

He squinted at Lucy, watching as she breathed deeply laying totally on the floor without a care for the fact that he could see her breasts mashed up against the floor or half her ass hanging out of the sheet. Although, she was beautiful in her messy glory and looked absolutely ridiculously hot in only his scarf. Was it too early to tell her that? Would she think him tactless? "Honestly. I thought you would freak out more."

Lucy laughed, then groaned as her forehead gave another painful throb. "Me too. Just give me until this hangover goes away then I'll beat your ass into the ground Dragneel. I've never had a one night stand before…I don't know the proper edict for these things. Are you supposed to be weirdly okay with it? Because I don't feel..."

"Weird?"

"Yah. That."

Natsu shrugged then regretted the action immediately as his body gave a painful throb. Why the hell was he so sore?

Ten nails dug into his shoulders as he pounded into the woman below him. The scent of roses and sin in the air.

"That all you got Dragneel? I can take it. Don't worry..." A tongue swirled around his ear before the lobe was nibbled lightly. "...I can take it all..."

He snarled deep within his chest. "Don't mock a Dragon Luce..." He flipped her over onto her stomach and spread the globes of her ass wide before plunging into her as she screamed into the pillow.

Shuddering, he let loose and gave her everything he had, every thrust, every growl, ever expletive, every word of adoration.

Biting down into her shoulder, he muffled a groan. She was so damn tight, so wet, so fucking hot and perfect around him. "You might get burned."

She shattered into a million pieces dragging him over the edge.

Natsu shook off the feeling of her succumbing to euphoria in his arms, now was definitely not the time to pop a boner, being entirely naked had its drawbacks, but he liked the way her eyes flicked over him periodically. "I dunno, but to my understanding there's a lot more silence, pretending to be asleep, then something called the 'walk of shame' but I'm only going by what Fullbuster has told me before." His friend was the King of the One Night Stand, taking a new woman home every evening.

Lucy cracked open her eyes to watch him – unashamed of her near nakedness as the sheet that was covering her had shifted in her flopping around on the floor and he was completely bare, which at this point Lucy couldn't give two shits about mostly because he was gorgeous and toned hotdamn – as Natsu raked his hand through messy spikes atop his head.

And her heart stopped and she gasped. Lucy's stomach turned again and she sprung up to dry heave bile into the porcelain bowl once more. Natsu's warm hands grounded her and she felt infinitely better until she remembered what had brought on this expulsion.

She weakly smiled at him then flushed the toilet and gestured to his fingers that lay curled over her shoulder. "I didn't know you were married…I'm so sorry." Her voice cracked from the lack of moisture.

"What? I don't even have a girlfriend."

"Then why do you have a wedding band on you left hand?" Now she was getting annoyed. How could this man deny the facts? People didn't just wear those things as a fashion statement. She was madder at herself for either not noticing or disregarding it last night, it takes two to tango after all.

He gaped at the golden band. "What the actual fuck…?"

"Tch. How could you forget that you're married?" Were all men this idiotic?

Natsu pointed at her as well with a fierce look in his eyes that was oddly endearing. "What about you? You're being awfully hypocritical right now!"

And there, on her left hand, laid a simple golden wedding ring, the twin or pair to the one that Natsu had wrapped around his finger.

"Shit."

"Let me guess…you weren't married up until last night as well?"

"You got it."

"What...just...what?"

"Either we both married separate people then decided to cheat on our wedding nights...or..."

"We married each other."

She nodded, totally at a loss for words. When had that happened before? She always knew what to say! What to write. She was a master at words!

"Lucy…come here for a second."

She did as he asked and shimmied away from the toilet like a caterpillar, barrel rolling slowly over the floor towards the bathtub where Natsu sat, her bare breasts sticking slightly to the cool floor, the scarf dragging along behind her like a tail. "Why?"

"Cause I'm definitely going to hurl."

It was Lucy's turn to pat him on the back and comfort him as last night's drinks came back up for round two.

Fucking Tequila…

-ooo-

Feeling mildly better, the apparent newlyweds – Lucy needed to see documentation before she accepted what they had done – sat sipping black coffee (Natsu) and herbal tea with honey (Lucy) in a booth at the diner just down the street from where they had woken up. Which turned out to be a combination hotel and casino in the heart of downtown Crocus. Coincidentally, it was also where the MMA fighters had gone at it, the 'cage' having been built for occasions such as last night. According to Lucy's research, it brought it about the same amount of money as the casino did in a month.

They had woken up inside his own hotel room - one of the executive suites that he was gifted by the owner Moka, of the Hotel-casino 'Galuna Island' - which allowed Natsu to dress in a new outfit that didn't smell like a brewery and Lucy had immediately stolen a forest green t-shirt to wear over her shorts. She looked adorable - to him at least - drowning in his clothes. He felt happy that she seemed to be...alright with all of this so far. She hadn't kicked him through a wall (yet) nor had she yelled, but he didn't hold his breath on that last one because she was hung-over still and loud noises were a strict no-no.

She had tried to give him back his beloved scarf, only for him to wrap it securely around her neck reverently. It just...looked so much better on her and she had said it was soft and smelled nice. She liked it and he liked to look at her in it. So...it was a win-win for him. He also liked seeing her look at him with so much understanding in her eyes when he had told her who it had once belonged to.

Although they had just woken up to the strangest situation and one of the weirdest hangovers they had ever had, neither felt as awkward as they should. They sat together on one side of the table, Natsu had draped his arm over her shoulder and Lucy was snuggled into his side.

One, he was warm.

Two, he was obscenely comfortable and he smelled nice after the shower they had had – separately.

And three…she just felt like it. There wasn't any real reason, and he didn't protest in the slightest.

Plus, they were married – apparently – so screw impropriety. Her new husband was stupidly warm and she wanted snuggles. She also didn't care if he was practically a stranger because honestly, it felt like she had known him her whole life.

An instant connection as he mother once said. Very rare, but worth its weight in gold.

"So…let's piece last night together. I had a couple of flashbacks in the shower and I really want to know just what the hell prompted this –" Lucy gestured at their left hands with a sweep of her right, "decision."

He grunted his acceptance and Lucy started.

"We went to the bar that was attached to the hotel to get a drink and start the interview…oh right, we ran into a bunch of your friends that had come from Magnolia to watch you win."

"Nice to meet you all! I'm Lucy, I write for Sorcerer Weekly and we're doing a piece on the two fighters that went head to head tonight."

"Yo. I'm Gray, this is Cana, Juvia, Lyon, and Sting."

Natsu waved his hand for a refill and ordered six slices of lightly buttered toast from a passing waitress. "Right. I forgot the popsicle was here, he threw down with some punk from the RavenTail gym in Hargeon. He stripped down to his boxers again didn't he?"

Lucy giggled and wrinkled her nose, which he couldn't help but think was entirely too cute and should be illegal for his poor poor heart. "Yeah. I can't believe he has a problem with chronic stripping. Sounds completely made up."

He rolled his eyes. "Believe me, it's real. You would not believe how many times I've seen his dick before, accidentally of course. He either hates clothing or likes the breeze. No one knows for sure. You would think we would be used to it by now…"

"Where the hell are your clothes you pervert!?"

"Shit. Again?" The one named Gray ambled off to find his disappearing shirt while unbuckling his belt, then the button on his pants and flinging his jeans off on the way to find said clothes.

"Juvia…"

"Juvia will help him. Don't worry. After last month's warning of public indecency, someone should always be watching him." Blue hair swayed as the woman ran off behind the stripping man while apologizing to the other patrons along the way.

Lucy laughed. She had just met these extraordinary people, but they seemed so exciting and welcoming already. She loved it.

"Want me to tell your future?"

"The one named…Cana? Right? Long brown hair and wearing a bikini? Told my fortune with those cards of hers." The toast arrived and Lucy nibbled gratefully on an edge, the bland breakfast helping to settle the last of her nausea.

Natsu rubbed warm circles on her shoulder and devoured his slice in four massive bites. "Yeah. She does that to everyone who's new to the group."

Lucy quirked her eyebrow. "You think I'm part of the group? Already? But I just met you all yesterday!" Not to mention she didn't really remember all of it and hand no idea if they even liked her.

However, Natsu looked at her like she was stupid, so she rolled her eyes and leant back onto him reaching for another piece to find only one slice left. "Obviously, and not much can change that now. It's kinda like the mafia, my group of friends are insane, but entirely loyal. We're a family. But once you're in, you're in for life."

She smiled. Being a part of something because she was just…Lucy sounded incredibly nice.

"Hmmm…according to my cards, you have a problem with only few solutions. But the one you think will never happen is right around the corner. Your solution will be the solution to someone else's problem as well. Think two birds one stone."

"That's it?" Lucy slumped in her seat and took a long draught of her beer that Natsu had slid to her moments before. Mmmm, honey ale, the good kind. This man was definitely a gift from the Gods. "That sounds so…vague."

Cana shrugged. "It also says it'll eventually lead to happiness, possibly love. So…I wouldn't fight it if I were you. Seems like something exciting is coming for you." Lucy eyed her pink-haired companion who was jabbing his finger into Gray's naked chest, arguing over who took down their respective opponent first earlier that day.

The brown-haired card reader smirked and wiggled her eyebrows at Lucy trying to see her reaction, to get her flustered.

To her surprise, Lucy only winked.

After that interesting tarot reading, Natsu had wondered about her problem, pestering her about it until her loose lips had spilt her secrets – alcohol was wonderful that way.

"Shit. I remember now. Your father wants to marry you off to some hoity-toity rich dude for a bunch of money. Ugh. No wonder you escaped."

Lucy nodded. "I have a feeling that's what Cana's cards meant. After last night…I believe in those witchy things without a shadow of a doubt. She was too accurate for her not to have some special powers."

Natsu laughed and leant his head back to rest against the vinyl of the booth seat. "I know what you mean. She once read Gajeel's palm and told him that his fiancée would be half his size and give him a son before he turned twenty-eight. This was…like…seven years ago. Back before liking a woman meant taking her out and not just making fun of her because of complicated feelings. He bet her his Harley that she was wrong. Cana rides that thing constantly now, just to rub it in his face."

Lucy whistled. "Damn."

"She was fucking spot on." Honestly, Cana sometimes scared him with her predictions.

He watched Lucy concentrate hard on something while fiddling with her new ring. His heart swelled and fell at the same time. He had actually gone a fucking married a girl, then had sex with her (twice), but couldn't remember what was supposed to be the best night of his life, only receiving little stupid snippets over the course of the morning.

How dumb was that?

He hoped that they could work something out, he knew he could easily fall in love with this woman. Hell, he was half-way there already after a single drunken night and a strange as fuck morning that actually was extremely relaxing after the initial shock and puking part. There was something about her that he just wanted to keep for himself, and he would be damned if he let her go too easily. If anything, she had slid into the role of his best friend easily and he was entirely fine with that.

"This is where I'm a little hazy on the details…"

"How about a drinking contest!?"

Natsu shook his head and downed the rest of his bourbon. "Absolutely not! No one can beat you and you know it! You're a fucking monster Cana."

Sting laughed and swung an arm around Lucy's shoulders to which the blonde giggled at and shoved him off. Lucy was a bit on the tipsy side already and she was so fucking adorable with her blush and slightly slurred speech that Natsu could hardly stand it.

He also felt immensely proud as the woman sauntered over to him – damn were those hips of hers sexy as all hell – and plopped herself down into his lap. "I'll take you on Cana!"

He blanched and wound his arms around her waist. "You sure about that Luce? Cana's a drinking champion, never lost a challenge…" Cana smirked behind her beer stein, these two...were interesting. She had never seen Natsu act so open to another person before.

"Then help me! We can be a team!" The blonde punched the air with a rousing cry that had Lyon and Sting echoing.

Immediately his attitude took a one-eighty spin and he was suddenly all fired up. "You hear that Cana! Luce and I are gonna take you down!"

They were so confident until she brought out the drink of choice.

Fucking Tequila.

"Ugh. No. Never again. I will never, ever challenge Cana. Or drink Tequila. Or drink period. No…just no."

He chuckled and twirled a piece of her golden hair between his fingers watching the sunlight glint off his new ring. "I hear yah, Luce. I remember…losing, obviously. No one beats Cana. Then…yelling?"

"DEPORTED?"

"I KNOW!"

"WHO THE FUCK DO THEY THINK THEY ARE? THEY CAN'T TAKE YOU AWAY FROM ME! I JUST FOUND YOU!"

"I KNOW!"

"I'M PRETTY SURE I LOVE YOU! YOU'RE NOT ALLOWED TO LEAVE ME ALONE! I DON'T WANNA MARRY SOME STUPID RICH MAN AND HAVE HIS STUPID BABIES!"

"I LOVE YOU TOO! I'LL MARRY YOU INSTEAD, THEN THOSE STUPID MEN WILL LEAVE YOU ALONE AND YOU CAN HAVE LIKE...THIRTY OF MY BABIES!"

"YOU PROMISE?"

"YAH!"

Lucy covered her eyes with her hands and wailed quietly. This…situation had been his fault. Yes, she had agreed, but really it was all his idea. She didn't even know why she would even agree to this while she was drunk. Was she that desperate for human companionship?

A look over at Natsu's face as he barely contained a snort of laughter had her insides melting into a puddle, he was fucking adorable and cute and hot and sexy…and stupidly endearing.

She was plastered like a Lucy barnacle to this man who she had met only yesterday, married – sweet mother of Mavis she was fucking married – then did the deed with said man (twice).

Yah.

She was practically starved of this kind of attention and she was obviously revelling in she actually yell that she loved Natsu in the middle of a crowded bar? And promise him to marry her? And then agree to have his hordes of children?

The answer was a resounding yes.

Yes she did.

But it didn't matter, future Lucy could deal with the other stuff because all she wanted to do was relax in this sweet mans strong arms and just...stop thinking for a while.

"Why the fuck are you even laughing? Nothing about this problem is funny!"

His laughter ended mid-hiccup. "Problem? Is being married to me really that terrible? I'll tell you I'm a real catch! I'm hot and sexy and I can toast a mean piece of bread and I have a cat that's blue named Happy and if anyone ever looks at you wrong I know like…fifty different ways to knock them out with only my pinky-"

"…Natsu…"

"I'm strong, after last night I'll never drink again, and I think you're super adorable and cute and I love your laugh and the way your nose scrunches when you're thinking and we're already married so I think I can say that the sex was wicked – I hope…probably – and I really don't want to see you with anyone else…Did I mention that I'm super sexy, own my own house and want at least thirteen children?"

"…Natsu…?"

"…I have no allergies, I eat everything, I like fire and always make the best smores and love to camp and be outdoors and dammit I'm fucking amazing…so if you don't want me I guess I'll just go back to Seven and start over with my cat and no friends and become a hermit who is also a firefighter on the si-"

Lucy cut off his rambling by stuffing the last piece of now cold toast into his mouth – which he choked on a little – before sighing exasperatedly at him, but still had an amused look in her eye. "Shut up for a minute, will you. Gods…What I meant was it might be a problem for you."

"Oh."

"Yeah. This," She waved her ring in front of his wide eyes, "actually solves my problem, to be entirely honest. Legally, being married was the only way to get out of the arranged marriage bullshit that my father is forcing me into. It was either that, running away again, or kicking the bucket."

"Dear Gods…what are we in? The dark ages? Who has arranged marriages anymore?"

"…exactly my point. I knew I liked you." She shot him a wink that made his stomach flip, and not in a nauseous way this time.

A flicker of a smile turned up the edges of his mouth for a moment before Natsu frowned deeply in obvious thought.

"Huh. Weirdly enough…it also solves mine. It gives me rights under the Fiore law that I wouldn't have normally if I was a single person petitioning for full-time status as an immigrant from Seven."

"Deportation right?"

"Yah, ERA had a beef with Zeref, but they can't get to him when he fled to Alvarez…no extradition treaties I think…so they came after me instead. Thought that being his brother, they would threaten me with something and he would come running to help me, or better yet "get the scum outta Fiore and back were it belongs' which apparently included everyone that is related to Zeref." Natsu quoted with his fingers and pulled a twistedly disgusuted face. "Thank the Gods that Makarov shielded me for years."

"That's bullshit! You know what! I'm fucking glad we're married now, so you can stick it in those pricks faces that you're not going anywhere! I think you belong here, in Fiore, in Magnolia, fighting and eating stupid amounts of food and accidentally binding yourself to another person who you've known for less than a full day."

Natsu laughed and tightened his one armed hold on his new little wife who made his life so much better in the course of only a single day. He wished he had known her sooner, much much sooner. "Where the hell have you been all my life?" He eyed her, the question - while in a teasing tone - was one he desperately wanted an answer for.

Lucy nodded slowly like she understood exactly what he meant and then shrugged. She had been living behind golden cage bars, then pursuing her dream, but she did wish she had met this man before today, he would have brought so much joy into her dull boring life. Imagine the adventures...

"So…this solution to my problem…I also the solution to your problem?"

"Yes." He grinned sheepishly. Don't get him wrong, he thinks Lucy is amazing and funny and wonderful, but he wants to be a bit selfish and say that the marriage thing would help him out as well, because who the fuck says that he loves her already and wants to have like…a million kids with her after knowing a person for less than twenty-four hours? He wants to stay here in Fiore. He wants to stay married to Lucy. He wants to have a big family that is just his, blood or no blood, because it was his choice.

Lithe fingers traced along the spirally tribal tattoos that wound around his right arm, whether it was unconscious or not didn't matter to Natsu because it was soothing in all the right ways but also fired up the blood in his veins. What the hell was this woman doing to him?

He liked it.

Lucy suddenly slumped forward hitting her head on the table in front of this making the silverware jump slightly. "Fuck. Cana is a damn witch. She was so fucking accurate I'm actually kinda scared of her powers now."

Natsu snorted and waved down the waitress for the bill. "Welcome to my world, filled with a brown-haired drunk with uncanny superpowers and a perchance for knowing all the dirt on everyone in Magnolia."

"Scary."

"Her girlfriend's scarier."

"Who is it?"

"The She-Devil Mirajane Strauss. Face of an angel, mind of a demon. She's used to be a figure skater, but ditched that to open a bar in magnolia with an attached restaurant with her brother and sister"

"Shit. No way! I know Mira! She and I did a little modelling together before I decided to submit some written work to my boss Jason. She's such a sweetheart and so pretty. She is definitely not scary." Lucy looked at him like he was out of his mind.

"Believe me, she's terrifying. A demon in designer sheep's clothing if ever I saw one."

"…alright. I'll believe you." She obviously didn't, but she would learn one way or the other that Mira was a Demon.

He pulled her from the booth after slapping down the correct jewel and a hefty tip and ushered her out the door. "So…what now Miss Heartfilia?"

Lucy started off down the street towards the casino hotel that had started it all. "I want to take a look at that marriage license. It needs to be pristine and in total working order or my father's team of lawyers will rip that contract apart, draw up a new one and have me married to some rich fat guy with a comb over before you can say 'oops'."

Natsu marched them off towards that chapel on the second floor determined to make sure these nuptials stuck like glue. He was a possessive bastard and something about the way that little ring around Lucy's finger made him practically growl at the possibility that she would be taken away from him.

She was his wife for better or for worse.

-ooo-

"Welcome back to the Starry Skies Chapel! Was your love everything you hoped it would be?"

The woman looked so love-drunk that Lucy almost didn't want to approach her.

This was all just so weird.

They were both drunk and they knew it but obviously, they didn't care all that much. To them, this was the easiest thing they had ever done.

It made too much sense not to do it.

The loved each other, so why wait?

Lucy giggled and hung off his arm as they both signed a waiver, albeit slightly sloppily. "Natchu! You don't have a middle name? That's so sad!" She pouted at him and he couldn't resist bending down and placing a wet sloppy kiss to her lips, she was just so adorable. Her lip gloss tasted like cherries.

Lucy was stunned for a minute before grinning widely. "Mmmm. You taste good."

He handed the clipboard back to the woman, Sherry, and the receptionist smiled. "If it's all in order, you can step right in. The Reverend Richard will be doing the ceremony tonight, in the name of love! Your witness can stand up with you if you like, or they can sit in the chairs provided."

Lucy swung his clasped hands back and forth between them before he pecked her on the nose, her freckles were just begging for it anyways. "Okay! Let's get hitched!"

Lucy squinted at the woman's name badge and then took in Sherry's brilliantly fuchsia hair. "I remember you…from last night! How could you authorise a marriage between two people that were so obviously shit-faced?!"

Sherry dropped the welcome act and shrugged, indifferent. Honestly, she had seen it so many times before, it was nothing new and as long as they did it of their own volition... "It's policy. Nothing gets in the way of love here."

Lucy huffed. "Whatever, we just came for the marriage certificate and license and we'll be on our way."

Sherry dug up the corresponding paperwork and handed them a manila folder. "Here you go! Have a love~ly day!"

With that, Natsu and Lucy left the chapel and made their way back to the room to pack and then check out, ready to get out of this hotel as soon as possible.

-ooo-

Lucy sat in the lobby with two duffel bags (both Natsu's) and her purse and just…starred at the innocuous envelope in her hands while Natsu conversed with an employee and settled the charges. She could hear him argue about the state of the minibar but tuned them out after a moment.

Should I wait for him? Do I look at what's inside?

Curiosity was always her greatest sin, so Lucy decided to peek a bit. The first thing she pulled out was a full-colour picture of her and Natsu standing in front of a very large man with flowing ginger hair and a very very angular jaw. But what made her heart practically melt was the look in Natsu's eyes.

Blinding devotion and absurd amounts of happiness.

Either for the fact that he was able to now stay in Magnolia with his family and friends or finding someone to share this part of his life with, or it could be it was actually her that was making him grin so wide, it didn't matter because when she looked at herself in that picture, she could see those same emotions.

Lucy felt the sting of tears in her eyes but did nothing to stop a couple from sliding down her face slowly and drip off her chin.

"Oi! Why're you crying, weirdo? Did something happen? Who made you cry?"

Lucy thrust the picture into his hands, sniffling slightly and tried to wipe the evidence of her emotions off her cheeks. Damn, where were some tissues when you needed them?

Natsu took one look at the photo and smiled. They did look like a perfect match, even though their gazes were kinda unfocused and hazy. "Luce, I know your hair is a bit wild here, but I think it looks okay. Don't cry…"

A strangled laugh left her lips and she snorted at the absurdity. "No. Natsu…it's not my fucking hair. I just…look so…happy."

"And that's a bad thing?" Damn this woman was so weird. Who thinks being happy is something to cry over?

"No. Not at all. I just didn't know that I could look like that. It's been so long."

The weight of her words crashed down onto his shoulders. This woman, Lucy, should always look like that, no matter what. She should always be happy and smiling and giddy. Always.

Natsu swept the now silently sobbing Lucy into his arms and hugged her tight, to which she flailed around a bit before wrapping her own tiny arms around his waist, fisting his shirt in her hands. It was like she hadn't been hugged before, and maybe, just maybe she hadn't in a very long time.

And that made his heart crack for her just a little. He didn't pity her, because pity was a stupid emotion, be he did think that he could solve that problem. Natsu vowed to give her as many hugs as she wanted from now until forever.

He frowned. Damn her father for making her feel like this. Damn the circumstances that he hadn't met her sooner in life. Lucy deserved all the happiness in the world and even if they were married to solve both their problems and love never, ever bloomed between them (he highly doubted this because he was already three-quarters of the way there already) he would be everything she needed.

Best friend.

Confidant.

Anchor.

Whatever.

He had found a woman that put up with his shit and didn't run screaming in the other direction and true to his word, he had married her as soon as possible.

Lights flashed and bodies jumped and writhed around them to the pounding beat, their bodies were feverish and slick with sweat as they grinded together. He needed to tell Lucy something super important, it felt like it was life or death and it had to be now. "Luce!"

"What!?" She could barely hear him over the music that seemed to resonate into her bones. They had been dancing for what seemed like hours, pressed up against one another and everything about him was making her hot. So, so hot. No other man had ever ignited something like this inside her.

"You know you're my best friend right?"

"How? We've only known each other for like…six hours!"

"I just know okay? Trust me!" His green eyes looked black in the light of the bar and they looked so achingly honest that Lucy believed every single word he spoke.

She nodded and then smiled, the action blinding and drew his gaze to her mouth."I trust you."

He crashed his lips onto hers and everything around them dissolved into nothing.

Natsu lifted her chin up and wiped the last of her tears away and smiled and Lucy saw those emotions in his eyes, raw and untainted. So she smiled right back at him, who cared if they had known each other for only a single day? Who cared if it was rushed?

She didn't. She had a solution to her problem and a best friend and a ridiculously ruggedly handsome husband that she knew she would learn to love with all her heart, he was confusing and amazing and Lucy knew it was only a matter of time. They had just…skipped a couple of steps, or perhaps got them mixed up and out of order, but it didn't matter, the end result was the same.

They had ended up together and Lucy knew immediately that nothing could tear them apart.

"See, that's better. You don't look so weird when you smile."

"Shut up!" Yes. He was definitely her best friend, no one else could infuriate her quite as quickly as this man could. She was so thankful to find someone who didn't candy coat things because they were worried she would tell her big powerful daddy on them. Natsu was Natsu and spoke his mind with no regard for the repercussions.

It was so refreshing.

"Make me Miss Heartfilia…" His cocky smirk was just begging to be wiped off his face.

"You know…according to these documents you can't call me that anymore." She tapped the folder in her hands then waved it teasingly under his nose.

Playful ribbing turned into something darker, something much more serious that she couldn't name quite yet. "Hmmm? And what should I call you?"

He coyly batted her eyelashes at him. "Mrs Dragneel."

Inexplicable heat coursed through his body at the mention of that name. She had taken his name without a second thought. That name that she knew was associated with Zeref and everything bad that she had reported on and she looked like it didn't matter to her.

"Wait. Are you okay with that? Being Mrs Dragneel? Even after my brother…"

She gave him a look that screamed that he was a complete and utter bonehead. "I told you yesterday. I don't care who your brother is. I was willing to be your friend no matter what, even if your brother has done unspeakable things. So, why would I care if I took your name as well?"

All he could do to answer was crash his lips down onto hers, because it said everything he wanted to say, but couldn't find the words for. It was hot and heady and when she parted those sinfully delicious lips of hers and sighed, Natsu took the opportunity to dive right in and sweep his tongue along her own, coaxing it out to play with his.

Lucy was completely taken off guard with this sign of obvious affection but welcomed it. The feelings welling up inside her were too amazing to ignore, and if a single chaste (sort of) kiss from Natsu made her stomach flip-flop like this, she wished she remembered what else he could do to her.

Then he nibbled on her bottom lip and she moaned lewdly and shivered. He was intoxicating.

They sheepishly disentangled themselves when an employee from the hotel had to come over and politely ask them to stop shoving their tongues down each other's throats in the lobby.

"You know…I'm really attracted to you. No wonder we had sex. We'll probably do it again."

Her comment took Natsu off guard for a moment before he sniggered and booped her in the nose with his finger. "Careful what you say, Princess, you get me all fired up so easily and I'm not ashamed to say I kinda want to find an abandoned alleyway somewhere and go at it like teenagers."

"Sounds…interesting. But I think these kind people watching us like we're a daytime soap opera would like us to go to town right here in this lobby. They would be so disappointed if we just left them hanging."

Dark humour lit up his eyes before Natsu really understood what she was saying.

Natsu finally realised that yes, they were still in the entry way of the hotel-casino, and yes they were making a grand spectacle of themselves. Some had their lacrima coms out and were taking photos and videos of them. He was the famous Salamander, after all, most of these people had come to see him fight last night. "Oh, yes. Maybe another time Luce, but I think we should get out of here."

Natsu grabbed their bags in one hand and Lucy in the other and quickly guided her outside to hail a cab. He wrapped one arm around her waist and all but purred in her ear. "Where to now Mrs Dragneel?"

She just smiled and shook her head as gooseflesh erupted down her arms. Damn his sexy voice straight to hell, that should be illegal. "My apartment Mr Dragneel."

Next: Flaws

Get ready for a little confrontation between good ole Jude and his dear little princess. (yay...it's Natsu-in-a-tux time.)

Stay Crazy,

LoadedEel