Well, holy shit, this story has taken off! It has a serious amount of notes on my tumblr o.O

I'm really pleased so many people like it, but I'm laughing because it was seriously just drabble based off a joke. Fortunately, it also had the friend who inspired it in stitches, so I suppose it was a good thank you gift?

Thank you for reviews! And yes, Natsu is trying to get it on with Lucy, but Lucy's not exactly being idle either :P

Here we go! Sorry if it's not great, it is still just a practice piece.

The First Date

Lucy couldn't stop laughing. She was holding her aching sides, bent over in her chair, trying not to fall in her food from laughing so hard. Natsu was waving his hands about, regaling her with some ridiculous story about his antics.

He finished his story and leaned back in his chair, shoving a handful of fries into his mouth, and just enjoying watching this girl. He couldn't believe she'd actually contacted him for a date. Two day after his hospital visit, just when he was losing all hope, he'd received a text from an unknown number.

Hi Natsu, this is nurse Lucy from the other night. I believe you were asking about dinner. Still up for it?

He'd cheered, getting a weird look from his friends at the bar that was his regular haunt. And now, here he was, actually out at dinner with a gorgeous woman. Even better, it was going well. Obviously, Natsu didn't believe in 'love at first sight' or 'soul mates' or any of that crap, but he did think there were sparks here. Lucy was smart, bubbly, friendly (to freakin' everyone, including that sleaze of a waiter, much to Natsu's annoyance) and honest. She was also a tough and brave little nut, as he'd seen when he'd arrived to find some guys harassing her outside the restaurant. Before he'd had a chance to step in, she'd given them a verbal beatdown and scared them off. She was definitely feisty and he had a feeling that it could be a double-edged sword that he would love to throw himself on. Her amazing body and pretty face were just like a the icing on the cake.

Lucy had calmed down from her laughing fit and was looking at him in thought. Natsu swallowed his fries and shot her a questioning look in return.

"Why did your friend put you in an icebox?"

What paths did her mind take? How did she get there? He shrugged in response. "Probably because I set a table on fire."

His nonchalant admission was rewarded by the incredulous look on Lucy's face.

"You set his table on fire." She repeated.

"Yeah. I mean, it got put out pretty quickly. And it wouldn't be the first time."

She giggled and he thought he heard her mutter something about not being surprised.

"Still, it seems like a bit of an overreaction… I mean, you ended up in hospital!"

"That's what I said! Disproportionate retaliation."

"Isn't it a bit… mean?"

Natsu looked at her in slight surprise, she actually sounded a bit concerned. For his wellbeing?

"I mean, what kind of friend does that?" She now seemed outraged on his behalf.

He couldn't help himself; he cackled. He stopped quickly under her glare and shook his head at her.

"No, no. You don't understand. We've done worse to each other. He'd like my brother or something. You should have seen the time I set his shirt on fire or put super spicy hot sauce in his food. He put liquid nitrogen down my back for that one. We both ended up in hospital that day." He was grinning at the memory. Lucy looked shocked.

"I take back what I said about overreacting. You're both insane."

Natsu just hummed in agreement. "Probably."

The rest of the meal went just as well; Natsu telling stupid stories about his friends, Lucy telling funny or interesting stories about people who came through ED. They also swapped small talk about likes and dislikes and what they were doing at the moment. Natsu had to admit that he was just doing odd-jobs to get by at the moment, which he wasn't pleased about. Apparently Lucy was busy studying writing online.

Natsu was fiddling with his fork. They'd finished eating a little while ago, but he found himself not wanting the date to end. He glanced up to find Lucy looking distant. She seemed to be intently considering some thought she'd had as her brow was slightly furrowed in concentration. Abruptly her eyes refocused on him, startling him.

"Hey, Natsu, I was wondering, um…"

Natsu cocked his head to the side and waited. He was picking up on her nervousness and was very curious about what she was about to say. She cleared her throat and gathered herself again.

"I was thinking, did you want to maybe hang out for a bit longer at my place? Maybe watch a movie and eat dessert?"

He gaped at her. Holy shit. His dreams were coming true. Answer quickly, don't make her uncomfortable. A voice in his head yelled at him, but at the same time, he didn't want to seem overly eager. He forced his mouth closed with a snap and swallowed past a lump that had grown in his throat. It wasn't exactly nervousness. He couldn't quite name the sensation; it was a mixture of excitement and a feeling of 'don't fuck this up'. Natsu forced himself into calm.

"If you want. Yeah, sure."

Was that an appropriate answer? It seemed good enough because Lucy broke out into a grin and suggested they head off. He could barely concentrate as they fixed the bill (he'd offered to pay but she'd swatted him away, scowling). His mind was throwing a party. He internally yelled at himself for the hundredth time, trying to be heard over the celebration; Don't fuck this up, Natsu!

The Movie Incident

Lucy was chewing on her bottom lip in thought as her and Natsu approached the door to her apartment. As her place wasn't that far from the restaurant, they'd decided to walk there. It had been pleasant. They'd chatted easily about all manner of things, little and big. At some point she'd started shivering in the cool night air, so he'd slung an arm over her shoulders and pulled her into his body. They'd also had to fend off a drunk friend of Natsu's who had initially tried to tackle him into a hug. Then she'd noticed Lucy. With a chuckle and a sigh, Natsu had skillfully pried the girl (Cana, her name was) away from them both, pointed her in another direction and gently told her to 'piss off'. She'd taken this in good humour, throwing a wave and wink back at them as she had sauntered off.

But now Lucy was thinking about her reasons for this decision. She wasn't regretting, but just re-examining. She didn't often make spur-of-the-moment decisions; especially not ones that involved a stranger in her house. So, why had she invited Natsu back? He was attractive, sure, and she really wouldn't mind if the night ended in passion (in fact, that was her main goal), but she also wouldn't have minded if they just hung out all night. She got along with him. They clicked. In a way she had rarely experienced. There was no awkwardness or uncomfortable silences. Plus, he was honest (if brutally so) and sincere and kind. She could tell he was stubborn and had a fiery temper, but she'd never felt more safe. Lucy gave a slight sigh as she decided she was overanalyzing. She was drawn to him, that's all she needed to know. If she only got the one night, so be it, she'd be satisfied. But if all went well, maybe she'd see him again. That would be better.

Door now unlocked, Lucy stepped into her house, Natsu following close behind.

"Welcome to my humble abode!" She announced with a giggle. It wasn't much, a single bedroom and bathroom, tiny kitchen area and a loungeroom. But it was spacious and clean.

Natsu closed the door behind him, looking around.

"You've got a nice place, Lucy." He said with slight awe. "My place is a shithole."

"How about you find a movie you want to watch while I make some hot chocolates?" She'd discovered that neither of them were fans of coffee. "They're in the draw under the TV over there." She made her way into the kitchen.

Suddenly; "Woah! You've got a PlayStation!"

"Hm? Oh yeah, my friend left it here and forgot about it."

"What games do you have? Oh! Hey, let's play Tekken instead of a movie!"

Lucy wandered back out from the kitchen, drinks in hand. "I'm not very good at games."

"You don't need to be. Trust me, it'll be fun!" He won her over with his huge, charming smile.

With a sigh, Lucy agreed. "Sure, why not?"

Lucy had to admit, playing Tekken had been more fun than she'd initially thought, but it was getting better. She'd somehow kept winning even though she had no idea what she was doing. Natsu had yelled about 'beginner's luck' and 'button mashing', quickly switching between annoyance and laughter. Finally, he'd decided his pride was at risk and, with a mischievous smirk, had stolen her controller right out of her hands. As she'd tried to get it back, they'd both fallen off the couch. With lightning fast reflexes, he'd managed to catch the back of her head so it didn't slam into the ground, and catch his own weight so he didn't crush her underneath him.

But now they were here; Lucy on her back, on the ground, eyes wide and mouth forming a small 'o' shape from slight shock. Natsu was over her, his legs tangled with hers, his arm behind her head, his face dangerously close. Lucy's heart went wild, but she forced herself to breath. She watched Natsu's eyes dart from her own to her mouth and back again. She broke into a soft smile. That was all the encouragement he needed. He dropped his head and his lips met hers as he claimed a kiss. It didn't last long, much to her disappointment. He pulled back and met her eyes again. Lucy's brain whirred and then clicked. He was checking what she wanted. He was making sure he wasn't overstepping. Her smile turned wicked as she reached up and grabbed his shirt collar with both hands, pulling it down so she could put her lips to his ear.

"I didn't tell you to stop." She all but purred.

She heard his breath hitch. She planted a soft kiss just behind his earlobe; lips grazing the skin just enough to send shivers down his spine.

He pulled back out of her grasp. Lucy swallowed at the look on his face. Uh oh. She'd woken something. Something she was certain she was going to enjoy immensely. There was a predatory hunger in his eyes and in his smirk. But there also mischief, excitement and tenderness. And cunning.

"You're not the boss of me" He purred back. The childish retort sounded positively criminal in his low voice.

It was Lucy's turn to have her breath hitch. His head dropped again, but this time his mouth went to her neck, tenderly nibbling and kissing. Her brain short-circuited and a moan escaped her lips. Natsu's face shot back up, his grin had turned triumphant.

Right, She thought. This is a game, is it? Two can play at this. And I will win.

Lucy let out a growl as her fingers quickly moved to tangle themselves in the hair on his head and pull him down. Their lips locked again, sending fire through her veins. She heard a faint whimper coming from the pink-haired man above her.

Yeah, this was going to be a good night.

OK, I'm sorry my smut didn't go any further! It's a start, but I'm not sure I can do it yet.

Don't worry though! I'm not done with this story yet! I'm enjoying it too much!