This one goes hand in hand with Nalu Week's Bonus Day 1: Shine. ^-^
Also keeps your eyes out for a new three way collab between me and two other amazingly talented writers. We will probably create a joint account for it though. I'll tell you more when it happens!

bumpy ride

The exhaust pipe puffed out a small cloud of smoke as the machine chugged along the roadside and turned onto a small, bumpy path, where it finally came to a halt. A wall of trees made further advance impossible - at least for anything with wheels attached.

"Why are we stopping?" Lucy called over the noise of the motor. She was answered with an indecipherable mumble jumble.

"Whaat?" Natsu turned the key, and with a last little roar, the motorbike came to a complete standstill. She could hear the motor sizzling as it began to cool off; could feel the heat that radiated from it and warmed her calves. "Because it looks nice," Natsu repeated, voice still raised.

Lucy clutched at her ears and smacked his back. "No need to shout now, you idiot."

He just laughed, jumping off the bike in one swift motion. With a surprised shriek, Lucy clutched at his arm, in fear that her feet alone would not be enough to keep the machine standing. They barely reached the ground.

But of course, Natsu had kept his hands on the handlebar, propping the machine upright even as it inclined heavily towards him. In a desperate flurry, accompanied by his laughter, Lucy scrambled off the machine.

She had sat on it as the motor had roared and the landscape had passed by in a blur, and its power instilled a great amount of respect and terror inside her.

Now that her feet stood on safe, solid ground again, she felt euphoria creep into every fiber of her being. The rush of adrenaline surged through her once more, and she found herself beaming at Natsu.

"This was awesome!" she called out, and then, as logic returned to her, added, "terrifying - but awesome."

"Your legs are shaking," her driver pointed out with a rather big grin on his face.

"My hands too," Lucy confessed with a shaky grin of her own. "My point still stands."

Now that the initial rush had calmed to a slow, warm sizzle inside her, she properly took in her surroundings for the first time. They were at the edge of a thick and shady forest, where the branches hung low and the floor was a mess of foliage and traitorous roots. But out here, where the meadow was green and fresh, the sun shone down on them forcefully, giving it its all on this early autumn day.

At the sight of it, her smile bloomed into a wide grin, and a small push of laughter left her lips. It wasn't everyday that she got to see so much of almost untamed nature. In the city, everything was perfectly controlled, while she was sure that this meadow she stood in now had not been cut down in weeks.

Without waiting for Natsu, she left the small path they had halted on, enjoying the feeling of grassblades as they tickled her calves.

"This is so nice!" She spun around excitedly, strands of hair blowing into her face. "And my hangover is pretty much gone too!"

"Same," Natsu grinned, watching as she accidentally swallowed some hair and then tried to get it out of her mouth with a surprised cough. He started snorting when she chocked on it.

"Forget what I said," she finally wheezed. "I'm a living zombie."

Natsu hung both their helmets over the handles before going after her, a mischievous grin on his face. But Lucy realized that nothing good could come from an expression like the one he was wearing, and started dashing off with a squeak.

It took him about five large leaps to catch up to her, trapping her in the hold of his strong arms as they wound around her hips.

"Gotcha," he growled into her ear, and Lucy squirmed in his grip with futile pleadings. Then he sunk his teeth into her throat,nibbling lightly. Lucy's laughter rang loud in the outskirts of the forest, mixed with shrieks as he found her most ticklish spot. Only when one foot finally managed to stomp onto his did he let go with a dark chuckle.

"You monster!" she cried out, tears of laughter in her eyes. "I forbid you to do that again!"

"Or what?"

Their eyes locked dead, both squnting down slightly. Lucy pursed her lips as she tried to look as cross as possible, while Natsu wasn't even trying to hide his cheeky smirk.

"Or… or I'll get revenge."

"What revenge?"

"You'll find out when it happens. When you least expect it."

He just snorted. "You can try - but I'm always ready. Like ninja!"

As if to emphasize his point, he lifted a leg and raised his arms over his head. His posture was anything but impressing - and even less than anything a ninja would ever do - but the childlike glee on his face stopped Lucy from destroying his ego.

In one swift motion, he dropped down in front of her, flopping into the grass.

"What are you doing?!"

"What does it look like to you? Relaxing. Duh."

"But - right here? Now?"

"…yeah? It's nice."

"If I had known, I would have brought a blanket!"

"Hah, we don't need anything like that!"

Surrendering to her fate, Lucy groaned. But before she dropped down beside her idiot, she made her way over to the motorbike to pick up a small bag. When she returned, Natsu had closed his eyes, and for a moment she just smiled as she watched the sunlight shine onto his happy face.

She dropped down beside him, refusing to lie down fully though. If she got grass stains into her top, it would take her days to get them out.

"Hand me the peanuts," he demanded as he quirked one anticipatory eye open, arms crossed behind his head. Lucy rummaged through the crumpled up shopping bag they had aquired at a small gas station along the roadside, producing a lollipop and the desired peanuts. She smacked them over his head.

"You say please."

But Natsu was too busy ripping open the small packet and stuffing its contents into his mouth to pay any attention to her lesson in ettiquette.

Only when his hunger had temporarily been satisfied, the empty bag crumpled up beside him, did he become aware of his surroundings again. He blinked up into the sky with a lazy smile, crossing his arms behind his head. The smell of grass hung heavily in the air, and the occasional cricket exhausted herself with her chirping.

He let his head roll to the side, curious as to what Lucy was doing. She had been quiet this whole time. Or maybe, he thought, he simply had heard nothing over the loud rustling of the packaging and his own savoury food sounds.

Lucy had her legs crossed as she sat in the grass. Her messy bun had dropped further and further down in the course of the day, and now rested loosely in her neck, where loose strands had freed themselves and were now falling onto her shoulders.

The sun shone onto her peaceful face, her eyelids closed as she took a deep breath. A smile was playing around her lips, and Natsu found himself mimicking her efforts. Deciding he didn't want to look away anytime soon, he propped his head up onto his left palm.

And in her hand - in her hand she held a lollipop.

A lollipop that she now brought back up to her mouth, eyes opening as she observed the woods lazily.

Natsu only observed the lollipop.

Her lips closed around the candy, and he swallowed thickly.

Oblivious as she was to his stares, she twirled it around with her tongue, and he watched the little stick move around on her accord. Then, slowly, savoring the moment, she released it with a small plop. Her lips shone with inviting wetness.

He needed to know what they tasted like. Sweetness, mixed with Lucy.

To say it was tempting was an understatement.

It distracted him.

Unable to watch any longer while she sat there unknowingly of what she was doing to him, he sat up halfway and reached out to stop the lollipop mid-way on its anew approach to her lips. When his fingers wound around her wrist, she blinked at him in surprise.

"I'd like a try," he growled lowly, and his tone immediately made her understand he was not talking about the lollipop.

Her cheeks flamed as she realized he had been observing her.

The candy hovering forgotten between them, Natsu slowly closed the distance between their faces, only halting when their noses touched and he could almost feel her lips brushing against his. He felt her shiver, and she moved forward just the tiniest bit, inviting him to proceed.

But then he halted. An idea flashed through his mind.

Cautiously, he lifted his hand, that was still clutching her wrist, and took the lollipop out of her fingers. Her eyes followed him in confusion, mourning the lack of his lips.

But then they widened as he put the lollipop against her mouth, trailing it along her lips in concentration. Her lips parted involuntary, eyelids drooping down as she let him complete his administrations.

"Fuck," was the last thing she heard him whisper when his eyes fixed themselves on her face, and then he leaned in, hungrily slanting his mouth over hers.

"Mmh," she hummed in delight, answering his hungry worship.

His tongue traced along her bottom lip, greedily sweeping up the sweet gloss.

He had been right, he mused, finding that the taste was nothing short of amazing.

The lollipop remained in both their chokehold, moving to the side as Lucy leaned forward to close the distance between them. Her breasts pressed up against his chest, and a satisfied growl bubbled in his throat.

Greedy Lucy was even hungrier than him, huh?

Well, he could satisfy her needs and more.

With his free left hand, he stroked his thumb along her neck and up into her hair, where his fingers tangled in the strands. The shivered exhale she gave against his lips was enough for his to pull into a smirk.

Gently, she bit into his bottom lip, sparking a burst of hot lava in Natsu's stomach. It spread from there, heating his every limb and setting fire to his lips.

But Lucy pulled back, a small frown on her face.

For a second his eyes rested on her swollen lips, pondering if he should claim them again. Would they still taste sweet from the remains of the lollipop?

But her displeased expression made him falter, and he stared up at her questioningly through thick lashes. His silent questionwas answered when she moved her fingers, the one clutching the stick of the lollipop over his, and brought the candy back up between their faces. A teasing look appeared in her eyes, and Natsu suddenly understood the cause of her dissatisfaction.

"Not fair," she complained. "If you get sweets, then I want some too."

But before the lollipop could meet his lips, he quickly moved forward and stuffed the whole thing into his mouth. He sucked contently, smiling at her innocently. Her fingers loosened on the stick,a nd her brows furrowed in surprise.

"Hey…!"

"Mmmhh.." Natsu drawled, adding to her outrage. "I am ruler of all sweets! You can't have any!" he cackled inbetween slurps. Closing his eyes, he savoured the taste. Picturing her angry expression made the sweet taste even more delicious.

But when he reopened his eyes, instead of the expected sour pout, Lucy's eyes were fixed on his mouth. She licked her lips, as if searching for traces of sugar. Her gaze was searing.

What was going through her head? Why was she staring at his lips like th– oh.

She liked this. Watching him suck on the lollipop.

His Lucy was naughtier than he had thought.

Her expression made him weak, but he was not done teasing her. Looking her straight into the eye, Natsu bit down. The loud crunch that filled the air snapped her out of her trance.

"Fufufu," he cackled as her cheeks turned a fiery red even, and her angry expression returned. "Did you still want that?"

"That was mine!"

Natsu continued munching on the remains, biting it into small pieces with each crunchy sound. He flicked the bare stick into the high grass to his right. Lucy was puffing her cheeks, indignation flaring.

He was ignoring her!

Unacceptable.

Launching forward, Lucy tackled him onto the ground with a small roar of victory.

The feeling spread when he chocked on the pieces in surprise, coughing beneath her as she pined his arms over his head.

"Don't be rude," she scolded, but her voice sounded far softer than she had intended. He blinked up at her, a mixture between stunned and amused, and heat flared up in her stomach again. "Give me a taste too."

And with that, she lowered her head to smash her lips against his once more, prying them open as revenge and hunger fueled her. He tasted sinfully sweet, and one or two candy splitters found their way into her mouth.

He hummed against her, hands moving to the small of her back to pull her against him.

With sudden embarassment, Lucy realized this was the first time they were this… close, in a sexual way. So unhindered. With her lying on top of him, no-one around to watch or stop them. Her cheeks burned, but lust kept her from pulling back. Her hips ground against his on instinct, and a groan left his lungs as he tensed beneath her.

She had to stop, before she lost herself in the moment.

Pulling back, she gasped for breath. His face confirmed her thoughts.

He was all fired up.

Hazy eyes trailed over her face, lips opened as heavy breaths passed between them. She became aware of his hands on her behind, where they had been squeezing pleasurably. And when she moved her hips to find a more comfortable position on top of him, her cheeks set on fire when she felt a slight bulge in his jeans.

Lucy cleared her throat.

"Sorry…" Natsu mumbled, still short for breath. He looked to the side, scrambling a little.

The small apology amused Lucy. What was he apologizing for?

They had both almost lost control. In a meadow. In the middle of nowhere.

Laughter bubbled up in her chest, and she watched relief flush his face. Leaning down to gently peck his lips, Lucy then rested her head on his shoulder, breathing in his scent.

His arms wound around her.

And so they stayed, in comfortable silence, relishing in the feeling of the sun on their skin and the other all around them.

Lucy couldn't tell how long she stayed like that, rising and falling with each of his deep breaths. His scent soothed her, so alike the woods close to her. Earthy, like bark and musk and a trace of smoke. Her eyelids felt heavy.

They'd have to get up, or she'd fall asleep any second.

"Hey, Natsu," she mumbled into the nook of his neck.

The only answer she received was a loud, content snore.

He was asleep?!

Lucy's head shot up, and indeed - Natsu's mouth hung open slightly, drool trickling down on one side. He was soundly asleep, and had probably been from the start. Lucy punched his chest, but to no avail.

"Natsu!" she hissed into his ear, and then once more, louder, "Natsu!"

He woke with a start, grumbling something unintelligible. Confusion was so strong on his sleepy face that Lucy almost felt sorry. He looked… cute, for lack of a better word. He blinked at her slowly, rubbing at his eyes.

It was a sight she wanted to witness more often.

Forever, if that was okay with him.

The sudden wish caught her by surprise. But it was true, she realized. She could picture herself with Natsu twenty years from now.

This was new. This had never happened.

It scared her to no small amount. especially because, she suddenly realized, she still didn't know what exactly he felt for her. Did he feel the same way?

Or was this just another fling? Something nice and warm, yes, but not burning hot enough to last forever. What if for him, this flame of theirs might be snuffed out with a simple breath? Enjoyable while it lasted, but easy to extinguish?

She knew he liked her, of course. But what is that was all?

Lucy was terrified of the things she felt for this man.

Swallowing, she prepared herself for a question that was long overdue.

"Hey Natsu… what is this?"

"Mh?" He looked around, trying to make sense of her words. He had still been trying to fight the sleep that was doing its damned best to reclaim him.

"I mean this, us, what - what are we?" She bit her swollen lip, seeming nervous all of a sudden. Natsu ripped his eyes off the motion, straightening his back when he caught the seriousness in her eyes. The uncertainty in them surprised him.

"We're together," he stated simply.

"Together… as in dating?"

"We never went on a date though."

Lucy laughed softly. "You know what I mean."

"Guess I do" he admitted. Where was this coming from? Why did she look so… scared? "And… yeah."

The sudden blush on his cheeks did not go by unnoticed. Lucy shuffled closer.

"We just skipped the dating phase," she said with a small grin, hooking her arm under his. "Who needs those anyways."

Relieved that her moment of doubt had dissipated, Natsu let his arm wander around her waist to pull her down with him as he sunk onto his back. Really, she was so weird. He spent all his time with her, had her meet his friends, made out with her in more than one place, talked with her about things he had never dared say out loud to other people, slept with her - even if only in the most innocent sense of the word - and she still thought what they had might be nothing. Hell, it wasn't nothing at all.

What exactly it was, even Natsu did not know - mostly because he had never bothered to find out. They were together, and that was all that mattered to him.

She made him happy.

Had she really doubted that?

Lucy snuggled into the nook of his neck, and he could feel her smiling against a strip of exposed skin on his chest. A big smile appeared on his face.

"I thought you liked that kinda stuff."

"Mmh, I do," she murmured, "but I don't need it. This is better."

"You can call this a spontaneous date if you want to."

They both laughed, and the sounds reverbrated through his chest , mixing and mingling as her body shook on top of his.

"A spontaneous Natsu date," she giggled. "I think those are my favourites."

Neither felt the need to speak for a while.

The sun had lost most of its heat, slowly but surely beginning its descent.

Lucy shivered.

"You cold?"

"Little bit," she admitted, trying to stop her teeth from chattering.

Natsu shifted beneath her, moving her up into a sitting position with him. He grinned at her face, so very obviously freezing.

"You're definitely cold," he stated, wrapping his arms around her. She snuggled into him.

"Maybe we should-"

"Wait!" Natsu called, his face brightening. Without explaining himself, he took her cold hands between his, an excited smile on his face as his lips pursed in concentration.

He put her hands together, palm against palm, and then started rubbing his own palms against her hands from either side. He sped up the motion, tongue peeking out from between his lips, and Lucy felt warmth flood through her from both his actions.

Her hands turned warm between his, almost hot, as he continued creating friction.

When he pulled back, a warm tingle was left behind.

"Better?" he grinned.

"Yeah," she smiled in response.

"Igneel did this to me when I was cold," Natsu explained. "Called it the Fire Dragon's Handrub."

"The what!" Lucy giggled, intertwining her hands to try and savour the remaining warmth.

"He had a thing for dragons," Natsu grinned. "Called himself a fire dragon sometimes. Naturally, that made me the dragonslayer."

With a proud knock to his chest, Natsu chuckled at memories only he could see. His face turned pensive, then almost bittersweetly sad.

"I bet you were a great dragonslayer," Lucy smiled softly.

"Yeah," Natsu nodded, finding his typical grin again as fondness washed over his eyes. "I was the best."

They remained quiet for a moment.

"Should we head back?"

"Yeah, time to head back, it'll start getting dark soon. Come on!"

With that, he jumped up and waited for her to get to her feet too before pulling her along towards the motorbike. His hand was warm, and Lucy felt the tingle return.

When they stood beside the machine again, each busy with putting on their helmet, an excited grin settled on Natsu's face - one that Lucy knew by now would most likely be accompanied by a very stupid idea.

"How about you drive back?"

Bullseye.

"What?! No way!"

Her protests, of course, went by ignored.

"I'll show you how!"

"Oh god…" Lucy mumbled under her breath.

But of course, there was no avoiding her fate. Natsu had a plan, and he was more stubborn than a mule.

Minutes later she found herself on the motorbike, pushing against the ground with her tippy toes. She couldn't recall a moment in her life when she had felt so scared.

She was going to ride an unpredictable monster.

Her shaky hands gripped the handlebars, feeling the throttle beneath her right? palm, ready to be turned. But the machine was still quiet, not yet having roared to life.

Natsu plugged the key into the keyhole, grinning at her.

"You ready?"

"No!"

"Don't worry, as long as you don't move your hands, it'll roll at best. Ok, now put the kickstand up."

"B-but it will fall! This thing is heavy."

Natsu pondered her words. He seemed to reach a conlusion, because suddenly he jumped onto the machine behind her, slipping forward into the saddle. He firmly pressed against her back, and Lucy swallowed. It was hard enough concentrating on her tasks through her fear; she really didn't need another distraction.

His forehead bumped against her helmet as he leaned forward.

"Maybe it's a little big for you," he admitted. "But I'm sure you could get used to it. I'll help you for now though."

His hand moved to the key.

"Ready?" he asked again, and she could practically hear him grinning.

But she was too nervous to be angered. The kickstand snapped upwards and latched with a loud snap, but the machine remained steady, only swaying a tiny bit as Natsu's legs kept their balance.

"Okay, the road is not very even, so it might be a little bumpy. Remember, the brakes are on the right side, the small pedals right? You won't have to shift gears, because you won't go fast. Nothing can go wrong, really. Well-"

"No don't say it! Nothing can go wrong. Okay. Nothing - can - go - wrong."

Natsu snorted. "Yeah, all's fine. We can do it together?"

She nodded, trying to stay calm.

"Okay, here we go," Natsu said, and turned the key.

The machine jumped to life beneath them, rattling and roaring as it moved forward slightly. Lucy shrieked, hitting the brake instantly. Even over the loud sound of the motor, she could hear Natsu's laughter. He'd slammed right into her back.

His hand moved to join hers on the handlebar, soothing in its touch. It was too loud to actually hear him talk, the sounds even more obstructed by her helmet. But she knew he was trying to calm her. They were doing this together.

She took a deep breath.

Natsu was right - what could go wrong? There was no ditch in sight, and the trees lay behind them. No fatalities she could drive them into. All there was were open fields, and the street was still a good while ahead. She could do this.

Natsu called something, and she assumed he was asking if she was ready again.

His grip on her hand tightened, and together they turned the throttle just the tiniest bit. Lucy's heart jumped as the heavy machine began rolling forwards.

They were driving. Very slow, and very shakily, but they were driving.

Natsu moved his legs up and tugged them behind hers, resting his left hand on her stomach. Her hands were shaking, but euphoria was starting to flood through her veins.

A light knock to her helmet almost made her jump.

Natsu craned his neck as he leaned forwards, shouting over the noise.

"Faster!" she heard him call. "Or we'll tilt over!"

She could have sworn amusement swung in his tone, but the thought of being buried under a small mountain of metal was enough for Lucy to panic slightly. Faster, he had said.

She turned the throttle some more - and screamed.

"Too fast!" Natsu shrieked, hands flying to wind around her waist. "Let go of the throttle!"

She almost couldn't hear him, but she didn't really need to. She wanted to stop.

So she hit the back brake.

For a moment, Lucy thought she had killed them both. They machine protested and lurched, but then they screeched to a forceful halt.

"Aaahhh," Natsu croaked, sounding as if his soul had left his body.

"I-I'm sorry!" Lucy whined. "I guess I panicked…"

"Well," Natsu managed after a moment, still clinging to her back like a koala to his branch, "at least you didn't hit the front brake, or we'd have flown right into that cornfield over there."

Lucy paled. She hadn't even remembered which brake was which, thinking it wouldn't make too much of a difference.

"I'm never going to ride a motorbike again."

Every part of her was shaking as the adrenaline subsided.

"Noo," Natsu protested, "you can't give up now! This is where you gotta fight! It wasn't too bad up until you almost killed us, just try again."

"Gee, what encouraging words!"

"Come on! I bet you won't make that mistake a second time," he cackled. Lucy was glad he took their little almost-certain-death with so much humour, because she wouldn't have blamed him if he had banned her from riding a motorbike for the rest of her days.

"I-I'm not sure if I can…" her voice was as shaky as her limbs.

"Hey," Natsu's voice turned serious. "I believe in you, okay. You don't have to if you don't want to though."

Lucy hesitated.

After a short moment, she nodded, a small smile appearing on her lips. Natsu was right. She coudn't give up now. When a horse threw you out of the saddle, you got right back in. This wasn't much different, was it? Except that this 'horse' didnt even have a free will. Lucy was the only one controlling it. She could totally do this, now that she knew how it would react.

And Natsu's words of encouragement rang in her ears. He trusted her to do this.

"Okay," she breathed. The shaking had died down to a light tremble. "Let's do this."

And indeed, the second try went far smoother than the first.

No shrieks of panic, no hard brakes, no accidents.

In the end, Lucy was beaming, much more confident with every second the motorbike rolled along the path. When the road came into sight, she slowly, and very carefully, released the throttle and let the machine roll to a stop before pushing down the brake.

"Yes!" Natsu cheered.

When the kickstand was safely on the ground, Lucy pulled back her hands from the handlebar and slowly got off the bike after Natsu. It felt like she had been glued to it, and her hands resumed shaking a little from her excitement. She beamed at Natsu through her visor, and he proudly petted her helmet.

"See! I told you you could do it! You're a fast learner."

"Thanks," Lucy smiled, glad that the helmet was hiding her cheeks. "I think I didn't do too bad after a while."

"Definitely," he grinned, getting his helmet out from under the saddle. "But I think that was enough lessons for one day. I'll drive for the rest - except if you w-"

"No! You drive!"

And he did.

All they left behind was a cloud of smoke - and a lollipop stick.