Standard disclaimer applies.

CHAPTER 9

"Juvia lives here."

Huh?

The salmon-haired mage blinks, scratches his head, arches his brow, blinks, ruffles his hair, opens his mouth but doesn't know what to say, blinks, and stares incredulously at the divine beauty.

"What the fuck are you talking about?" is the only statement he comes up with.

"Please no profanities in front of a lady," Juvia rolls her eyes at him, flaring her nose up, and waving her right hand in the air as if swatting a fly. "Juvia is so tired after bringing so many bags from Fairy Hills to here!" she says this with nonchalance.

Natsu's eyes bulges when his eyes finally notice the state of his room. Bags are everywhere, and folded clothes are on top of his bed. It feels like the juices in his brain leaked since he couldn't form a single logical thought.

"We should buy a new closet. Juvia's clothes won't fit inside your old one," Juvia tells him as she scans the room. "But before that, let's eat dinner. Juvia managed to cook after arriving here." She grabs Natsu's hand and leads him out of the room.

Natsu stares at her hand grasping his, looks at her face, and then back to her hand. He is confused. He is so confused. Aren't they in a no-speaking term? Did his idiotic brain simply conjure the horrible event two weeks ago?

Really, what the hell is happening? Why the hell is Juvia acting... normal? Well, as normal as one could describe her!

He doesn't even realize that they already entered the kitchen. He opens his mouth to say something again, but bafflement overpowers him. He feels Juvia's delicate fingers pressing his shoulders as she ushers him to sit down. In front of him, about three types of dishes are laid out on the dinner table, all of them his favourites. Juvia scoops him a bowl of rice and then hands it to him. The fire mage dumbly accepts it. He is just too stupefied to talk.

"Don't get mad, but Juvia shooed Happy-kun away. Juvia had to bribe him so he'd keep quiet about us."

That does it! Ignoring the bit about Happy for now, Natsu snaps.

"Us?" Natsu slams the bowl on the table, a little too hard unintentionally. "What 'us' are you talking about? Juvia, don't you remember the things I said to you? I hurled all those hurtful words. It was my intention to offend you. Why aren't you mad at all?" he barks. The water mage keeps silent without removing the smile on her face. "Didn't ya hear what I said?"

Juvia sighs. "Juvia heard you loud and clear. No need to raise your voice, Natsu-san," she chides him like a mother would to a spoiled child. "Juvia doesn't know why Natsu-san chose to say those words. Whether to hurt her or hurt himself, Juvia can only guess. What Juvia knows is that Natsu-san didn't mean it at all." Natsu gapes at her, so she continues to explain. "Natsu-san is the type to never use words to offend his friends and comrades. You're very direct when you're mad, and you wear your feelings on your face." She stops talking and stands up to walk towards him.

"Juvia was hurt, that's for sure. But Juvia went on this mission and had a really good talk with Gajeel-kun. It's so simple, Natsu-san. Juvia wants to be with you. And Juvia realizes that Natsu-san cares a lot about Juvia..." she trails off, fluttering her eyelashes not knowing how seductive she looked in Natsu's eyes. "Is Juvia's assumption correct or is it just a delusion again?"

Is it really that simple?

Natsu stands up as well. He towers over her, so he lifts her chin up to establish a direct eye contact. "You're very wrong. I don't care about you." When he sees her face contorting into a fusion of anger and sadness, he corrects his words. "I meant I don't just care about you. I like you. Wait, no, that's wrong too." He shakes his head. Really, why isn't his brain filled with the most eloquent rhetoric?

"Okay, work slowly with me Juv. You know I'm not the most articulate here," he pleads and she nods. "I care a lot about you more than I can even describe. I want you day in, day out. I want you on my bed at night, with me cupping your breast, and your head resting on my chest. I want me in you, and you on top of me..."

Natsu snaps his mouth shut and gulps. Juvia gives him a wry look, but then she starts laughing. Again, he fails to comprehend why she finds it funny. He often says things in earnest that makes her break out in giggles.

"Natsu-san is quite the pervert. I bet you get that side of you from Master Makarov," she pokes him on his chest.

"Ugh!" Natsu steps away from her, does a 180-degree turn, and ruffles his hair roughly. "This is what you do to me. You make me all crazy and uncivilized, Juv. And, and..." he hangs his head low. "When I saw all those ice-dolls on your bed, it made me enraged."

"Ice dolls?" Juvia tilts her head, racking her brain what he meant, until it dawns on her. "The plush toys!" she snaps her fingers. When Natsu glances at her from the corner of his eye, his back still facing the water mage, Juvia walks forward to close the wide gap between them. "Natsu-san saw Juvia's Gray dolls, is that right?"

"Yes, I did," he replies dejectedly. He is quick to face her, producing a gust of wind. "I know you're obsessed with Gray. I know your heart only wants him," he points out, almost accusingly.

"Juvia didn't realize that Natsu-san has an exclusive peek to Juvia's heart," she tells him cynically. "If Juvia's 'heart'," she pauses as she creates air quotations, "only wants Gray-sama, what's it to Natsu-san?" Juvia gives him an angry stare when she adds, "How does that affect Natsu-san?"

Natsu again whirls around, really having a hard time facing her. He needs to get away from this woman. He just knows that he'll lose self-restraint. Even with her typical work outfit, the sexiness she exudes was too alluring. He imagines his hands roaming around her bare skin. His mouth waters at the thought of his tongue tasting her very being.

Shit!

"It affects me because I have strong feelings for you," he confesses haphazardly. Natsu is giving himself away. It can go two ways — rejection or acceptance. "I can tell you like being with me, being intimate. You crave for me to kiss you, don't you?" he grunts, feeling strangely vulnerable and weak in front of her. "Yet, I can't be the one your heart wants."

He steps forward, away from her. Her silence only means one thing — that Natsu spoke the truth. Her body might desire his (he can tell by the way she moves in rhythm with him), but that one organ that matters the most has been given to his comrade. In a hastened pace, Natsu reaches the door. He is out of the house when he hears Juvia's angry shout.

"Are you going to Love Rival again?" She is quick. Within seconds she is behind the fire dragon slayer, her hands wrapping around his waist. Her hold is too tight, but Natsu manages to pry away her embrace. He continues to walk, ignoring her, already creating a few feet distance. "Juvia is angry at you, Natsu-san. Juvia is sooooo irritated!"

Natsu stops midway, her words freezing him on the spot. And then, he feels her hands going around his waist again. She presses her voluminous chest on his back. The strain inside his trousers is becoming visible; the beating inside his chest raising its volume.

"You ruined everything, Natsu-san," she continues to berate him. "Juvia joined Fairy Tale wanting to gain a family and hoping to win Gray-sama's heart. Juvia had this perfect plan of marrying Gray-sama and having many babies. It was a perfect ending to a rather sad life of a gloomy girl."

The pounding in Natsu's chest increases its pace yet again. He can practically hear its thumping.

"But Juvia can no longer see that ending. It's not Gray-sama's face anymore. The man Juvia wants has pink hair who possesses an egotistical but kind smile." Juvia's left hand travels up Natsu's torso until it rests on top of his beating heart. "So, Natsu-san needs to give Juvia her happy ending. Take responsibility, flame boy," she whispers hoarsely.

Natsu grips both her wrists and forces her to release him. "I can't do that, Juvia," he states gravely. He pivots to finally confront her eyes with his. "Because I don't have pink hair." He flashes his typical toothy grin, poking the tip of her nose with a finger. "I thought we talked about that!"

It takes time for Juvia to comprehend; and when she does, the water mage pulls his face down to meet with her lips. But of course, these two together can be quite comical. Instead of soft lips on chapped ones, the romantic moment is ruined when forehead bumps forehead.

Juvia rubs her forehead but laughs nonstop.

"Hey! I wanted that kiss," pouts Natsu, stomping his foot. He watches the water mage in her fit of laughter. The light from the moon adds to her sublime beauty. Her voice brings a soothing tune to the eerie atmosphere outside his house. "I love you, Juvia." She continues to laugh without hearing his confession. "I love you with all my heart," he says in a low voice. She still doesn't hear him, too engrossed with the humour of the situation.

When she calms down, still clutching her stomach, she asks what he said. He faces her with a heavy and serious demeanour. Juvia quiets down and bits her lower lip. "Something wrong, Natsu-san?"

"You didn't hear what I said, huh?" he chuckles when the bluenette shakes her head. She tugs on the hem of his shirt, insisting he repeats it for her. He tells her no, but she pleads, promising him to be serious this time. He relents.

Natsu caresses her right blushing cheek with the back of his hand. "I thought I should just show it to you but..." he pauses and leans down to place a peck on her lower lip. "You deserve to hear it — that someone else declaring for you." He snakes his arms around the slender frame of the water mage.

Who cares about eloquence and romantic stanzas? Whether he says it in his own ruggedly way or compose poetic similes, Natsu will simply confess.

"Juvia 'Raindrop' Lockser," he says her name with gusto, "I love you."

Juvia's eyes widen in surprise, and then well up with tears. She doesn't remember the last time someone said that to her. In fact, she might have never heard it before. Soon, sobs fill the area around Natsu's house. Her lips open to say something, but the sniffles and the tiny sobs get in the way. And then she giggles in between the sniffing.

"You know you're supposed to say something back to make us official," Natsu snorts, lightly bonking the side of her head. Juvia beams at him, and Natsu swears his heart just expanded, ready to explode any time.

The water mage soon calms down, wiping her tears with the back of her hand. "Natsu-san, turn around please," she requests to the befuddled fire mage. When he doesn't comply, Juvia pouts and tells him to obey her. "Hurry. Turn around and stand still!"

With much apprehension, the fire mage relents. He hears Juvia stepping farther away from him, causing weird thoughts to play in his mind. Is she retreating after hearing his confession? Is she rejecting him?"

"Okay, now bend your knees a bit, as if you're half squatting down," she instructs and adds, "don't turn around to look at Juvia!"

"You're crazy, Juv, what are you tryi—," he protests but the water mage cuts him off.

"I said don't turn around. Don't move, promise Juvia!"

"Fine, fine," Natsu goes back to 'half-squatting' like he's ordered to. His sensitive ears hear Juvia's light thuds on the earth underneath her shoes. He is itching to check what she's doing but remains obedient lest he meets Sierra-Juvia! And then...

Oompf!

Suddenly, nearly staggering forward, he feels Juvia's weight on his body. Juvia has sprinted towards him to jump up and cling onto his back. She moves her body to find a stable position on his back — her arms encircling around his neck and her legs wrapped around his hip bone.

Natsu angles his face to the side to gape at her. Typical Juvia antic! "You're weird," he comments, and then he feels soft, luscious lips being gently pressed on his left cheek.

"Juvia is known for declarations, but she thinks Natsu-san deserves to be shown instead," she gleefully states, peppering the lucky left cheek with kisses.

Natsu places his hands on her backside to give her more support. "Juv, you know I'm quite dumb, you gotta tell me your answer."

Juvia scowls at him, unimpressed that he's ruining her fantastic idea of a love declaration. "Fine, Juvia loves the dumb pink-haired boy!" She is then rewarded with a big smile. "Now just be a good boy and let Juvia ride you!"

Natsu snorts, giving Juvia a perverse grin. The latter reads the lust in his eyes and realizes what she just said. "I can think of another way of you riding me, my little hellcat," he winks at her, making Juvia's face engulfed in invisible flames.

"Perrr-vert!" she purrs.

"Now what?" Natsu raises a brow, waiting for his beautiful water mage's instructions.

Juvia points back to the direction of his house. "Now we go for dinner!" she announces with glee.

Natsu bounces on his feet preparing to make a wonderful dash. "Do I get to eat you?" he teases once more, thus Juvia pinching his cheeks. He produces a playful yowl when the water mage wouldn't let go of his puffed cheeks. "Okay, okay. Maybe later, huh?"

Juvia giggles, spreading her palms on his cheeks to caress it. "Juvia will have to think about it. Come on, Natsu-san. Dinner's going to get cold!"

Being the obedient man that he is, Natsu prances in zigzag patterns to get to his front door. The distance from where he and Juvia stood isn't far, but he wants to prolong carrying her on his back. He would bounce her off every now and then, causing the lightweight mage to yip and yap in glee.

There are still some issues left to be discussed — both know that. But for now, they just want to revel in the joy of reconciling, as well as the confirmation of their feelings.

"Wait..." Natsu puts the brake just before entering the kitchen. He strains his neck to give Juvia an incredulous look. "Did you say you 'bribed' Happy?"

Juvia places the back of her hand to cover her mouth and blinks coquettishly to him. "Giheehee," she gives him a Gajeel-esque laugh. "More like threatened and blackmailed, but those are just technicalities."

Natsu shakes his head with a smirk. Juvia is certified crazy, and he wouldn't have her in any other way!

"Are you angry that Juvia just decided to move in?"

Juvia's question pulls Natsu out of his trance. The two are sitting side by side on the edge of Natsu's bed. There's an air of awkwardness surrounding the two, as if it's the first time for them to be in an intimate setting. With Natsu's help, Juvia has just finished placing her clothes inside the closet. Some remain inside her luggage until they buy a new organizer or dresser.

Juvia sits with her legs tightly closed together, hands resting firmly on her lap. Natsu keeps bouncing his left knee, hitting the side of Juvia's right thigh. The water mage doesn't complain.

"Juvia's been waiting for you to question her again, but you're not asking," she whines a bit. During dinner, Juvia has expected Natsu to bring up the topic. Nope, the fire mage has simply enjoyed the dinner, talking about nonsensical stuff.

Natsu ruffles his salmon-coloured hair, and then proceeds to scratch the back of his neck. In his left peripheral vision, he sees the steady breathing of the water mage. She's wearing her usual babydoll nightgown, which exposes her cleavage invitingly. He's itching to get his hands on it but feels uneasy to act upon his lascivious thoughts.

"Umm..." he tries to respond, but can't find the right words.

"What if Juvia is just joking? What if she's not really serious moving in here?"

His neck jerks to the left to stare at her quizzically. After all the unpacking they've done? "But you've already unpacked?" he voices the thought running in his head.

Juvia chuckles, "So... Natsu-san doesn't mind?"

Natsu shrugs, bringing a hand to rub Juvia's back. The bluenette stiffens a bit at his ministrations, but soon loosens up due to the feel-good sensation. Natsu continues to run his hand up and down her back, until he settles it on her left shoulder. He pulls her closer to him; Juvia rests her head on his shoulder.

"I...want you to be with me all the time. It might seem we're moving too fast, but if you're comfortable to be here, I want you to stay." Strangely, he finds it so easy to relay his sentiments to her.

"Juvia is a clean-freak."

Natsu gulps, "I know, and I'm a messy bastard."

"Juvia doesn't mind cleaning, as long as Natsu-san promises not to always mess it up," she nods at him with a smile. Juvia nuzzles her head closer to his chest, loving his scent. God, how she misses his scent!

Curious what prompted her to make such a decision, Natsu voices this question to her, which she gladly answers. "During the mission with Gajeel-kun, Juvia realizes she doesn't want to lose someone very important to her because of fear, hesitation, and pride."

They let silence take over for a few minutes; Natsu breaks it off first. "Funny, my mission also made me go to Fairy Hills as soon as I arrived. I wanted to apologize," he confesses, chuckling with embarrassment. Juvia takes his free hand and intertwines her own. "That, and Lucy convinced me to do so."

"Ho, ho, Love Rival strikes again," Juvia lifts her head from his chest, and then squinting at him with a playful glare. She pokes him on the chest. "So if it weren't for Love Rival-chan, you wouldn't apologize to Juvia?"

"Hey! You don't have to be jealous of Lucy. I really see her as a younger sister or something," he protests, scowling at him. However, bitter thoughts plague his rather dense mind again. "Unless you're still considering her as a 'love rival' because of ice-skull?" he couldn't help but spit the statement with a dash of venom.

Juvia stands from their sitting position, making Natsu quite apprehensive. During dinner, the fire mage has made sure not to mention Gray; he knows it will somewhat break the ecstatic atmosphere their reconciliation produced. But now, he just couldn't help it. He's still quite jealous of the man who initially owned Juvia's heart.

The water mage walks towards her luggage to grab something. "Juvia isn't sure how you'll react when you see this," she says, her back still facing him. "Juvia is quite shy and embarrassed. She's also worried Natsu-san will find it creepy."

Curiosity is slowly killing the fire mage. He is about to let out a barrage of protests when the water mage spins around. Natsu squints not sure what he's looking at. Juvia's arms are folded across her chest, pushing her luscious breasts up, making her cleavage deeper. Yet, tucked comfortably in between those soft mounds is a small plush toy...

...in the likeness of him.

Pink felt fabric for the hair. Round black buttons for eyes.

"Is... is that... supposed to be me?" Natsu gawks in bewilderment.

"Juvia created Nat-Nat when you were gone for almost two weeks about three months ago," she says this with shyness. "Juvia really missed you that time."

Three months ago, huh? Does that mean...?

As if reading his thought process, Juvia inches closer to Natsu. "Juvia just didn't realize, perhaps." She strokes Natsu's left cheek. "It seems Juvia's already fallen for Natsu-san earlier than she realized. Juvia's life these five months were filled with Natsu-san's presence. When you're not around, Juvia longs for you tremendously."

Natsu's heart swells in happiness. He really wouldn't have her in any other way. However, his eyes twitch at the sudden thought of something. "Did you just call it," he points to the Natsu-plushie, "Nat-Nat?"

Juvia giggles, leans her head forward to rest her chin on Natsu's chest. Her eyelashes flutter bashfully at him when she gazes up. "You like? Juvia thinks it's the perfect name for her Natsu-doll!" He snorts even when she's giving him a beaming smile.

"Just don't call me that in front of the guild," he gripes in jest. "Or anyone else for that matter." He snatches the plushie from her hold, eliciting a protest from the water mage. He throws the poor toy somewhere inside his room much to the bluenette's horror. When Juvia is about to go where Nat-Nat landed, Natsu grips her arms tightly. "Leave it for now. It's time you hug the real thing," he raises his brow in a teasing manner. He licks his lips as if he's ready to taste a savoury meal for free.

Juvia obliges, cupping Natsu's face and pulling it down so she can capture his lips. The make-out session is hungry and intense from the get-go. Natsu growls when he senses Juvia pulling away, but he realizes he needs much-needed air to breathe.

It's been two tormenting weeks since they last tasted each other. Heck, it's even longer than that since he was on a mission with Lucy days before his big fight with Juvia. Natsu knows one night won't be enough to satiate his starvation.

"I'm really liking the idea of you moving in here now," he whispers in her ears, making the water mage shiver in delight.

The two just need to figure out how to shoo Happy away if the blue exceed comes back the following day. There is also the question of letting their friends and guildmates aware of their relationship — if the two are ready to publicize their shared feelings.

Yet, for now, tangled limbs are engulfed in fiery passion. The room is filled with hungry moans and ecstatic grunts. It is more than being intimate. It is no longer a somewhat-illicit affair.

It's a lovemaking process deepening the bond of two unlikely individuals. Their hearts thump in a synchronized beat as they reached the peak of bliss.

A/N: I wrote this without reviewing. Pardon me for grammatical errors. To say I'm happy with the chapter would be a half-lie. I already extended the story from a simple one-shot. I'm happy about this because this had been my plan all along. Yet, that also means I'm approaching the end of the story. Heck, that last line can be construed as the end. But... I'll stick one more chapter serving as an epilogue. That's why I'm a little bit sad because I feel like prolonging this fic, since it's the nearest canon-like Navia I can come up with. This is the best, I believe. To end it with one more chapter.

I'm really astounded (but truly overjoyed) with the support and receiving feedback more than I anticipated. To be honest, just to caress my ego (heh!), I wanna be known as a NaVia writer. I've quite a few plot brewing in my head, and I want to put them up. So... one more chapter for FoF, but I don't think I'll stop writing when it comes to the Natsu-Juvia ship.

Thank you to all reviewers, favouriters, and followers.