I'm sooo sorry for not updating sooner, but ff was being an ass to me! :C I actually already wrote the next 4 chapters and posted them to tumblr but every time i would try to upload them here the stupid submit button on the document page wouldn't work grrrrrrrr. Forgive me!

I'll upload them all over the next days hehe so at least you can be sure of quick updates ;) Enjoy!

halfway there

It was her new favourite car. Natsu's beloved Atlas Flame.

Why he called it that, she was still not sure - except for the flame part. That was a dead give-away. It was a little old, his flaming red VW Golf III, but she had immediately fallen in love with it.

Now, too, as it jolted over the cobblestones and Natsu almost hit his head on the ceiling with every jump, she chuckled at his misery.

Then again, her humorous mood might have something to do with the fact that she had had one or two beer too many. They had been out with the trio again, for the second time. After their first night out two weeks ago, they had unanimously agreed to repeat the evening as soon as possible.

Lucy had even met up with Yukino for coffee once, because she had taken an immediate liking to the shy young woman.

"Ha ha. Yeah, you're laughing! You don't have to put up with this poor excuse of a car every day."

"Pffff. Shuddup. You already told me you love it."

"It's a hate-love. At least- agh," he groaned as he drove over a bump in the road that he had missed, and the force of it made them lift out their seats before ruggedly sending them back against the squab. "-at least you're having fun, drunkard."

Lucy only giggled in response, and turned her head in his direction. Her bangs fell over her forehead and into her eyes. She tried to puff them away.

He glanced over at her and snorted.

"You look like a long-haired dachshund."

"Shaddup." She lifted a threatening finger and wiggled it in his direction. "You can be glad that I like you, or you would be in trouble now. Mister."

"You do?"

"Mmmh," she hummed happily. "A lot!"

With her foot, she kicked away an empty McDonalds bag in the leg room, trying to scrunch it up even more with the heel of her shoe.

"How can you even get drunk from four beers?"

"I'm not drunk! Tipsy at best - maybe. Not even that!"

"Sure."

"Okay… maybe tipsy. Didn't have enough for dinner, is all! And y'know, I don't have time to go out all the time anymore. Used to have a higher tolerance, I swear. I'm old! So old! My bones are brittle! I need a massage! Ohh, I love that song!"

Natsu grunted as to not laugh out loud at her ongoing ramblings. As she reached for the radio-volume control, he was tempted to silently thank the universe - but she was just too cute to be earnestly annoyed with her.

And he'd had worse passengers by far. At least Lucy hadn't tried to grab the steering wheel yet - unlike a certain jerk in his hometown.

Then his thoughts were interrupted when ear-battering music filled the car and mercilessly invaded his ears.

"Woah! That's so loud!" he called, attempting to drown out the melodious voice of the announcer.

-with the best from the 80's and 90's! Now a classic: Bon Jovi!

The music had already started in the background, and his brows rose as Lucy's humming reached his ears. She gleefully accompanied the smoky voice that was now picking up even more volume.

He tried to reach for the volume control, but she smacked away his hand.

"Natsu! We gotta sing!" she scolded, as if it was the most obvious step to take. And then that was what she did. She sang. Or rather, bellowed.

This time, Natsu couldn't help it. He started snorting, but she just grinned over at him, continuing her off-tone performance.

"She says we gotta hooold on to what we've got! It doesn't - come on Natsu, you have to join! -" - if we make it or not! We got each ooother, and that's a lot for looove - now you!"

"We'll give it a shot…" he grummeled, trying to fight the grin playing around his lips.

But she beamed at him, her whole face lighting up, and he found that he really didn't care about his singing abilities.

And so he gave in glady. How could he not? She would keep at it, and it was a great song, after all. There could have been worse.

After a momentary humming episode, he joined in full force, and soon the whole car was vibrating as they serenaded each other at the top of their lungs.

"Ooooh, we're halfway there - ooooohhh, living on a prayer! Take my hand, we'll make it I sweeeear!"

When they were not singing, they were laughing, paying no attention to the houses passing by outside, and the occasional light that turned on behind closed blinds - middle-aged light sleepers robbed off their dreams, no doubt.

By the time he reached her street, Natsu felt almost disappointed that he had to stop. This time, she let him turn down the volume, and he pulled off the road.

Silence filled the car as he let it run idle, and they both sighed, lamenting yet content.

Their eyes met in the sparse light that was provided by one of the street lamps. For a moment, they both hesitated.

Lucy didn't want to leave the car. She'd had such a great time. It really wasn't fair, to have it end so soon. She sighed again, woefully this time.

"Well, goodbye. It was a great evening. Again."

She grinned, and he returned it a thousandfold.

"Yeah. Have fun with your headache tomorrow."

"Hey!"

Playfully, she smacked his arm and pulled an insulted grimace. He wriggled his eyebrows at her as another of his wide grins took over his face.

"Goodnight, Lucy."

And then he leaned over to hug her goodbye, pulling her upper body over the gearshift. Lucy smiled against his shoulder and wound her arms around him, too. Then, a bold thought crossed her mind, a very spur-of-the-moment idea. Before he could pull back, she pressed a quick kiss to his cheek.

Natsu blinked at her in surprise. Then, after a second, his grin was back.

She was out of the car faster than he could blink, and then waved one more time before turning around and setting out for her home.

When the door fell shut behind her, Natsu shook his head with a fond chuckle, trying not to think too much of her actions. She was quite buzzed, after all.

But as he drove off into the night, he continued whistling their song nonetheless.