Characters: Natsu Dragneel, Lucy Heartfilia, Levy McGarden, Lisanna Strauss, Team Natsu
Genre: Romance
Rating: T (for adult themes)
Summary: Because "mating season" or not, Natsu had always known where his heart lay, and now with whom.
Request by Juliastes: '..I would like to request a NaLu mate story where instincts simply point Natsu to his mate, nothing more...'
Notes: Honestly, I have completely deviated and digressed from your request, and I truly apologise for that, but this was an idea that just wouldn't leave my head, tbh. I hope you like it anyway!
So, clearly, it was that time of year again.
Every year it came like clockwork, a few days before spring, and his senses would heighten - more than they apparently already were - and then focus on one particular female, with not so subtle nudges and winks about the different ways and possibilities of how to...sample their bodies.
This year was Lisanna.
Unbidden, his eyes roamed to where she was standing behind the bar, helping Mira with breakfast.
He took in how much prettier she looked, how her dress hung attractively over her frame, how soft her snowy hair seemed and how much sweeter she smelled. It worked that she was in a particularly fertile point in time of her cycle too, he assumed.
The idea - as appealing as it could have been - only made him sigh deeply.
And he suddenly remembered Levy and all the questions she had had the year it was her that his senses sought.
Natsu snickered, wondering how Gajeel would have reacted had he been in the guild back then.
"M-me?" she squeaked.
"Mm-hmm," mumbled a sixteen year old Natsu around his first true love - food.
If he had been paying attention he would have seen how red she turned.
But he did notice how she was backing away.
"What's wrong?" he wondered out loud.
"W-w-well aren't you, you know, going to...d-do something about it?"
Natsu swallowed, not entirely understanding where she was coming from. "Why should I?" he asked curiously.
"Um, don't you, you know, need to satisfy your, um, urges with that person? And not... entirely be in control all the time maybe?" she asked, as delicately as she could, still not having stopped in her attempts to put some distance between them.
Natsu ignored the very real pang of hurt the gesture caused. As if he would ever hurt anyone he called a friend.
He chose instead to laugh at her, much to her surprise. "What have you been reading?!" He guffawed and Levy stopped her slow inching away from him, her innate curiosity now firmly taking root.
"Look Levy," Natsu wheezed after the intense bout of laughter, "yes, my senses are zeroing in on you right now. But I'm no animal. I have a brain which knows I don't have feelings for you, and you don't for me, so I have no real need at do anything about these "urges" like you call 'em, much less force you into anything. It's just a natural thing dragon slayers have to deal with."
Levy blinked blankly and Natsu thought of ways to explain it further. "It only exists to keep us aware of possible partners, people we can eventually get together with and start a family. Like a marriage ad, but more from the inside. Kinda like how your system gets ready for a baby, but every year instead of every month. Unlike you though, ours will stop once we start having sex regularly."
And to him, while it was obvious enough why this happened, he also felt it should have also have been equally obvious how easy it was to not act on those urges.
He could set his entire self on fire and not burn his clothes, for crying out loud! Control was his thing, when he bothered with it.
Levy reddened more at the analogy he had chosen, not having ever discussed menstrual cycles or sex with the dragon slayer. That said, she also felt much better after the explanation.
Which was, of course, immediately followed by a wave of guilt which Natsu recognised easily.
Levy was a fidgeter.
"Nah, don't worry about it," he said as she tried to push an apology out of her mouth while stepping closer towards him this time around.
"No, that was incredibly rude and ignorant of me, I'm sorry Natsu," she said in earnest.
Natsu smiled at that, she really was a nice person. "Like I said, don't worry."
Levy nodded as she walked away.
"Oh and Levy?" Natsu called, and she looked over her shoulder in response. "Even actual dragons aren't that horny this time of year."
Levy blinked, before the degree of her faux-pas hit her and she smacked her face with a groan. "I'm so sorry Natsu!" she whined and he only chuckled, taking a little devious pleasure at the payback.
It was true though. Dragon Force, he was taught, was when he was closest to the dragon in him, and even then his core ideals and values would not change. And this was something as diluted as attraction, and he had far better things to do than think of girls when he didn't have to.
More pressing matters, like where Igneel currently was and why he vanished the way he did.
Besides, he knew there would probably come a time when he found someone he wouldn't mind acting those urges on, and they'd be feelings much more than those brought about by his dragon hormones.
Natsu exhaled deeply once more, coming out of that reverie.
"You're sighing a lot," giggled Lisanna, leaning over from her side of the counter.
Even her voice sounded better than usual.
But Natsu knew that he didn't want that with her. Lisanna was nice and an important friend, but he could never see himself being himself around her. He was always aware of that part of her that always seemed to want more from him than he was, and he couldn't imagine really baring his heart to her, not like he would eventually want to with a partner anyway.
So as pretty and awesome and as good a friend and person as Lisanna was, Natsu never really wanted that something more from her. Not before her "death" and not after, even in his happiness when she returned from Edolas.
And at some level he'd always known that.
Lisanna tilted her head, still waiting for a response, and Natsu was just about to give one, when the guild doors opened and a very familiar "Good morning!" rang.
Natsu immediately turned to the source of the warm greeting, his entire self lighting up at the sight of her.
His teammate.
His best friend.
His partner.
Her.
"Mornin' Luce!" he called cheerily waving her over, and missing the passing look of hurt that crossed Lisanna's face.
Lucy giggled as she approached, waving a greeting at Lisanna who was now moving to tend another breakfast order. "You're up early," she said.
Ugh, he was! Stupid heightened senses brought with it a need to be up longer onthosedays. He couldn't wait for all this to blow over and let him nap again.
Ah, naps.
He absently wondered if Lucy knew about this "mating week" as Levy had once put it.
"Well it's good you are. We reeeeeally need to do on a job soon, my -"
"Rent money," he sang with her almost mockingly before grinning at her pout, downing the rest of his breakfast and walking with her towards the request board.
He casually draped a hand over her shoulders, pulling her a little closer, silently thrilled with how comfortable she had grown to the gesture.
Ever since his feelings made themselves known to him, Natsu actually enjoyed this time of year, particularly for what it did to his entire experience of even being anywhere near her.
He turned to look at her as she read through the listings on the board.
How her hair had him nearly begging to thread his fingers through them, taunting him with their shine and with how they almost knew he knew how silky they were.
How she looked even more beautiful that she usually did make up or not. (Natsu took it as a huge compliment that Lucy - the ever image and beauty conscious Lucy - wouldn't mind taking off her carefully applied make up around him).
How her smell - one he know associated with happiness and home - was so much stronger, so much sweeter, so Lucy, especially since she had clearly come over right after her morning shower.
But all these were bonuses. What really made Lucy Lucy was the things his nose or ears or eyes couldn't fleetingly detect.
It was how good a friend she was to him and Happy and the team, how she loved the guild just like he did, how no matter how much she grumbled and complained, the window to her room was always open and at least one fish always in her fridge.
It was how nice a person she was - no matter who she was dealing with. How she seemed to inspire the best out of people, and how she herself would work so hard - consciously or not - to better herself (like she needed that).
How she accepted people for who they were, warts and all - even someone as potentially difficult as Natsu was.
And that was something he knew he couldn't ever take for granted, the way Lucy didn't mind how he was - messy, loud, invasive, attention seeking, destructive - in so many ways so different from the kind of person she typically was.
And yet she never asked for more from him.
Which made is even easier to fall for her like he did.
So while his instincts may bring new selections each year, he knew where his heart lay and with whom he would want to and enjoy acting on those desires with - should she let him.
Had she just said something?
"Huh?" he blurted.
And was then immediately distracted by a disarmingly cute rosy hue colouring her cheeks.
"I asked if there was something on my face," she asked, lithe fingers coming to touch her cheeks, inspecting for any anomaly. "You've been staring."
He was?
Made sense.
"You look good today," he said honestly watching with barely concealed amusement at how flustered she got.
Somehow Natsu's saying that usually seemed to have that effect, and he enjoyed that fact.
But it also made it very apparent that she wasn't ready to know his feelings just yet.
"I'm guessing your constipation cleared, huh?"
"NATSU!" she whisper-yelled, and he grinned at her obvious embarrassment. "I keep telling you can't discuss these things in public!"
Natsu laughed, secretly also happy over how she didn't mind him knowing.
He turned and picked out the first fun looking mission he could spot. "Here! Let's do this one."
Lucy read it and nodded, just as Gray and Erza entered the guild.
She ran up to them, informing them of the mission, just as Natsu called Happy away from Pantherlilly as they all left the guild, picked up their bags and headed towards the train station.
Natsu did his best to keep his thoughts of the transportation at bay until there was no other option.
And given his situation that was easier than usual, especially with Lucy walking beside him, being as close as she was.
He honestly didn't know if he would ever get to tell her how he feels, or if she would return the same even if he did.
What he did know was that she was extremely special to him, and that he didn't even entirely mind being "just" her best friend for the rest of his life, he was more than happy to do so.
But he also knew that if she ever gave him the chance, he would put in every effort to keep her happy and smiling, like she deserved to be.
What he probably didn't know was that he already did.
I've been in a Lucy appreciation mood by the looks of things.
Do let me know what you thought of this interpretation of the mating season trope!
As always, special thanks to Dark Shining Light (do check her works out to their pretty awesome!), FireDragonPhia, aoutre and the requester Juliastes for your reviews, and everyone else who favourited and followed! :D