Yay! Thanks you guys so much for reading! It's been a blast writing for y'all! Just wanted to make a BIG shout out to someone who kind of helped me make a huge decision in the story later on, IDon'tShipThat! If you guys have any suggestions about what you want to happen next, just let me know! Thanks again!
Warning: Lots of NALU fluff!
Natsu's POV
"Lucy!" I busted through the bathroom door, a towel wrapped around my waist, and an eager smile grew long with the blush on my cheeks. "Time for a bath!"
A startled shriek rippled from the bath where the blonde was soaking. She was barely able to cover herself with just her hands. I started to laugh until she began chunking everything with arm's reach at me. "Get out!"
"But, a bet's a bet!" I whined, trying to dodge the missiles aimed at my head. A vase had been the heaviest objected she chunked at me, and I was unable to maneuver around it in the small space of the bathroom.
I caught the full force of it in my face and collapsed on the floor. Too busy groaning in pain, I hadn't noticed she had crept out of the bathtub until she utilized her signature "Lucy kick" on me. I flew out the bathroom and heard her slam the door just when I landed. "I won the bet!" she screeched. Though the door muffled her words, my dragon hearing let me hear everything clearly. "That means you're my servant!"
"But I just wanted to help get you clean!" I replied, rubbing my aching head.
There was a slight scuffle against the floor, and then I the door opened slightly. I smiled, hoping she would actually allow me to bath her, but then I heard those dreaded words. "Open gate of the maid, Virgo! Open gate of the ram, Capricorn!"
Her creepy maid and goat man appeared in front me, their eyes seeking vengeance. "Punishment, princess?" the pink haired maid asked. I gasped in fear, and Lucy snickered. Before she continued to her bath, she said, "You know what to do." I did the only rational thing I could. I scrambled for the window, screaming to get away. Goat man held me down, and the maid apologized as she approached.
For the next thirty minutes I continued screaming as they tortured me. And by torture, I mean the forced me into a damn skimpy maid's outfit, tied my hair with ribbons, and put make up on me while goat man made sure I didn't run for the hills. When Lucy finally finished, and she sauntered through the living room to find me, I thought she was going to die from laughter.
"Shut up!" I growled, disgusted with the sudden turn of events. I was a dragon slayer, and Igneel's son! I shouldn't be wearing these types of outfits, but here I was. My life was over now. I would never be able to call myself a dragon again.
Lucy closed her spirit gates, and I was all too relieved to see them go. The "princess" as the maid demanded I call her, asked me to make her dinner, and I disappeared into the kitchen. Thankfully, I knew a few recipes that wouldn't make me total disgrace. Happy always cooked at our house, but I learned to fend for myself when he started hanging out with Carla at night.
As I started the oven and began to prepare the food, I thought about how I ended up in this situation. Lucy had been fired up after we made the bets, and she became a formidable opponent when she was driven. She fought with all the vigor of Erza, and it was difficult to fight her. Of course, I never held back on her, but I still could have won. At the last second, I feigned tripping, and she took the opportunity to knock me out with a swift kick to the head. It had been a fun fight, but I purposely tossed it. Yes, I did want to bath with the blonde, but the way our relationship has been heading, I don't think I could have. She would have lost complete trust in me and hid herself. When I made the bet, I was goading her, wishing she'd make an interesting stake as well. I didn't regret it. I'd rather continue to be close to Luce, making her laugh and smile, than putting her in an uncomfortable situation.
"Dinner, princess!" I shouted, as I finished setting the table.
She strolled through, sniffing the air. "Mmm, Natsu," she moaned, and I pretended I didn't like the way she said my name as if I were the food. She took a seat and smiled. "It smells delicious!"
"It's an old recipe that I learned from Lissana when we were kids," I told her, and started to dig into my plate. Something seemed to make her squirm uneasily, but for her sake, I ignored it. "What do you think the kids are up to?"
She sipped some tea I freshly brewed and contemplated it for a second before shrugging. "Probably the usual. Leevi and Gale are fighting, Ever joined them, Cane and Scarlet are the only sane ones in the group. Jane of course is the only child that went home with her parents. Since she's a baby, Master didn't think it would alter the past too much. Then, Jay is probably trying to marry Nashi, and she's probably threatening him with some kind of fire punch."
Damn exhibitionist hitting on my daughter. At least she was able to fight him. Then again, they were all experienced fighters. It was kind of scary the amount of power they had for being so young, especially Scarlet. Nashi had beaten me at a sword fight, and she nearly took down an entire dark guild by herself at the festival a few weeks ago. I wonder where they had been able to hone their abilities with the world falling apart…
We ate in a comfortable silence after that, both of us lost in thought. When we were finished, I cleaned the kitchen, and Luce made me do a quick run through of the house with the vacuum. It was embarrassing, but I had to obey the princess. I grouched the entire time, much to Lucy's pleasure. She watched the whole time, laughing, and giving me pointers about how to correctly use the powerful machine. This thing must have been designed after Sky Dragon Slayer Magic. Realizing this, I challenged it to a fight, but the cords tangled and choked me. Lucy had to help get me out of its death grip. She put the machine in the closet, hiding it from me. She didn't know it, but I was already plotting my revenge. I would destroy the sky dragon slayer machine!
"Natsu!" Lucy shouted. I walked towards the couch where she was sitting. She patted the cushion beside her. "Since it's your first day, I guess I'll give you a break. Let's watch a movie together!"
That was great and all, but… "What about this?" I motioned at the dress, my hair, and the…make up. That by far was the most degrading.
She responded with laughter. "Sorry, I forgot." Lie. "You can change back, take a quick shower, and then we'll watch one. Besides, I need a moment to choose."
As she went to check out her shelf full of movies, I obeyed the one order of the night I didn't mind. I started with the ribbons in my hair, and yanked them out, throwing them in the trash. Next, I wrestled out of the maid costume, or at least I tried. After moments of not figuring out how to untie the back, I used my flames to burn it off. The pressure around my abdomen was released, and I took a large inhalation of air. Finally! I could breathe again. I started the water in the bath, and when it was warm enough, I jumped in.
Unlike Lucy's achingly long showers, I was always quick. I never understood just what she did in here for so long. An idea rang through my thoughts, and I felt a certain part of me tighten. Shaking my head, I tried to occupy myself with drying my body off, ignoring the semi-erection that had appeared. A few minutes later, it disappeared, and I crept through the house to the living room.
Lucy was watching something on her lacrima, and a wicked thought curled the ends of my mouth. Like a ninja—nin-nin!—I slowly descended towards her. She was so preoccupied with whatever show she was watching, she didn't even hear me until I pounced. I hugged her waist and fell back against the couch. She screamed in surprise and started wailing like a fish. I laughed as she continued to struggle.
"Natsu! Release me!" she yelled.
"Never!" I replied, squeezing tighter. She managed to look up, but she suddenly froze. Her eyes widened in realization that we were so close. The smirk that had been on my face melted away into seriousness. I gulped and looked away, but her hand stroked through my hair and my breath caught. Our eyes met again, and I noticed her warm eyes were looking at me weird. It made my stomach twist into knots.
It was something I had never seen before, or at least never directed towards me. Bisca and Alzack would sometimes catch each other's eye, and this same look would pass between them. I didn't understand it. It meant something more than friendship, an adoration that was far beyond that. It spoke of shared adventures, of countless hours spent by each other, of being together…of love.
But just as quickly as it happened, it disappeared. Another moment lost. Lucy cleared her throat, and she pushed my arms aside so she could sit up. She tried to hide the blush on her cheeks, but now I knew what it was for. Her gaze snapped to mine and she flinched. "W-what are you looking at me like that for?"
"Huh?" I wondered, and I realized I had goofy grin plastered on my face. A nervous laugh escaped me, and I straightened myself, scratching the back of my head. "You're such a weirdo." It was always my excuse at these times. She rolled her eyes at me, and I sighed in relief. The awkward seriousness gone. "So, what movies did you pick out?"
She looked just as relieved as I was. She picked up a couple flimsy cases on the coffee table and held them up for me to see. "It comes down to three. Beauty and the Beast—"
"Dragon!"
"It doesn't have any dragons in it," she replied, annoyed that I had interrupted.
"Oh."
"The Hobbit—"
"That sounds lame…"
"It has a dragon in it."
"That sounds awesome!"
"And then finally, Shrek."
"What the fuck is a shrek?"
"It has a dragon in it."
"Let's watch it!"
Of course when she said there was a dragon, I was thoroughly disappointed. She didn't mention that the dragon fell in love with a donkey, helped save a bunch of ogres, and started dancing at the end… Then again that sounded a little familiar. Except I didn't fall in love with a donkey.
The blonde had passed out during the middle of the film. She had curled up in the corner of the couch, softly snoring. I only let her lay there for so long because I was interested in what happened. A karaoke party was an epic way to go out, but I turned it off before I could finish it. I stretched my arms and a loud yawn roared from deep in my chest. I stood, scratching tiredly at my exposed stomach. Lucy was still sleeping, and I sighed. She could make fun of me all she wanted, but she could sleep through anything.
My arms carefully embraced her, and her head lolled onto my chest when I lifted her. The sweet scent of vanilla filled my nose, and I smiled down at the sleeping beauty. Her mouth was open slightly, and she mumbled incoherently as she dreamed. I suppressed a laugh so that I wouldn't wake her and walked to her bed. Being as gentle as possible, I placed her on the mattress and pulled the blanket up to her chin. She moaned, and I froze, thinking I had waked her. She mumbled a little more and rolled over, facing me, but she was still out. Geez, she her sleep could rival mine!
Her chest rose and fell as she breathed, and her lips trembled suddenly. My head cocked to the side at her weird behavior, and she breathed my name. Shock struck through my nerves, and I tensed. She…she was dreaming about me? Heat rose to my face as ideas stormed through my mind. My heart started to thud heavily in my chest, and my stomach was twisted in knots again. Dammit Lucy! Do you even know what you do to me? These past few days when we have had those heated moments, I never gave it any thought about the feeling in your eyes until tonight. And now I knew that even if she didn't know it yet, some part of her felt the same intense emotion that I did.
Unable to fight the impulse any longer, I curled under the comforter and just lied there staring at her. If she knew that I had joined her in bed, she'd for sure kill me, but it would be worth it. My arm encircled her waist, and I snuggled closer to her until our bodies were barely touching. I continued to stare though. It may be a total creep moment, but I couldn't take my eyes off the blonde. She was too beautiful to look away from. Her face was relaxed, and her body felt warm and soft under my touch. I looked at her lips, remembering how every time she smiled, her face would light up brighter than all the stars in the sky. Her eyes would sparkle, and my breath would catch as I looked into their depths.
I don't even remember when it started. One day I just stared at her, my heart filled with wonder and pride. If I had to guess, it had always been there. I had always known it, but I didn't know what to call it. It was the urge to protect her that had initially started it, but it kept growing. It wasn't until Gray told me what love felt like that I knew what it was. It hadn't been easy to accept, because I wasn't use to being close to anyone, but nothing else made sense. Finally, after a while, I knew it. I knew it without any reservations in my heart.
I was in love with this princess.
A heavy exhale escaped, and I whispered, "Maybe someday, I'll finally be able to tell you how I feel."
Without thinking, I reached up and kissed her soft hair. It felt silky against my lips, and as I started to close my eyes and let the sound of her breathing lull me to sleep, I imagined if her lips were just as soft. "I love you," Lucy murmured lazily in her sleep. I knew it was just a dream, and I didn't know who it was meant for. It could be anyone, but I was too tired to react to it. Instead, I pretended that it was meant for me, and I fell asleep with a smile on my face.
Lucy's POV
This was a weird dream.
Ball gowns, tailored suits, chandeliers, and champagne glasses. It was just like the old days when I lived back home at the Heartfilia mansion, and Father would hold extravagant balls in hopes that he could sell me to the richest family's son. But, I wasn't home. I didn't know where I was exactly, but I knew it was a dream and allowed myself to indulge in the pleasantries of the finer life. Though I had originally ran away from all of this, it did not mean I never enjoyed myself at these balls.
A handsome man with raven hair approached with a genuine, twinkling smile. He bowed gracefully and asked, "May I have this dance, princess?"
Princess? I looked down at myself for once and gasped. A stunning strapless silver dress hugged my chest and waist, but at my hips a chiffon fabric poofed around my legs in many layers. The fabric glittered with every movement. My hands instinctively moved to my hair that was pinned back in an elegant bun and a few curls fell beside my cheeks. Something heavy sat on top of my head, and my fingers felt the sharp top of the tiara. I was a princess!
"Milady?" the man asked once again.
Realizing that I had ignored his question, I straightened myself and offered him my hand. "Of course," I replied.
We spun among the dancers, gliding across the floor with such elegance it was if we were not even touching the floor. The slow tempo of the piano continued for moments on end, and my partner and I enjoyed every second. His hand was warm against my waist, and he held me close as if we were in a lovers embrace.
My eyes gazed outwards, and I noticed that the dancers were all gone. We were alone in the giant ballroom. I looked around suspiciously, noting that even though the music continued, there was no longer a piano. Everyone had vanished, and I was alone.
"You're not alone," the man holding me said as we slowed to a stop.
"But—" I started until I looked back at him and stopped short. Instead of the handsome man before, it was now Natsu.
He shot me a toothy grin, and he snatched me back to him as he started another dance. I didn't argue because I was too confused and stunned. He wore a black suit with a deep red vest that fitted him perfectly and somehow emphasized his toned body underneath. "You'll never be alone, Luce," he promised. "I'm always here for you."
"Natsu—" I tried again, but he shushed me.
"And you know why?" he asked, his eyes glistening against the candlelight. He smiled deliciously at me nuzzled my neck. A moan escaped from my lips, and he laughed. "That's right, you've always known."
They say dreams were a way of your heart trying to tell you something that you didn't know. It was a way of it privately expressing itself to your innermost desires. My heart has been trying for quite some time to tell me something important that during the day my brain tried to ignore. I never thought it was true, and I was always denying it. Even though I was too afraid to admit it while I was awake, I didn't hold back in my dream.
I smiled at him as I confidently stated, "I love you."
"I know," he whispered as his hands caressed my cheeks. He parted his lips slightly and descended towards mine. My heart began to melt as I awaited his kiss and desiring it for so long now.
"Lushi is being weird!" Happy shouted, pulling me from my dream. I jumped out of the bed, screaming in fear. When the hell did he get here? I looked at my clock. It was 8 am, and memories of last night came rushing back, including the last moment of the dream.
Dammit! I had been so close. Grabbing a pillow, I chunked it at the blue exceed. "Shut it, cat!" I shouted.
Happy dodged it and spread his wings to try to escape. "Wah, Natsu!" he whined. "Lucy's trying to eat me!"
Natsu stepped from the kitchen to check out the scene, a dirty spatula in his hand and the scent of pancakes wafting from behind him. Happy rammed into his chest and clutched onto his shirt for dear life as if I were going to kill him which was totally plausible.
"She was just trying to eat her pillow, but I woke her up and now she's going after me!" Happy continued on. I looked at my pillow, noting the wet stain and cursed. Either I had started drooling in my sleep, or I was just making out with it.
A blush shined on my cheeks, and I crossed my arms, ready to deny anything else the cat would say, but it was Natsu who spoke next. "You don't have to eat people, Luce. I have pancakes!"
The thought of actual food made my stomach rumble, and I followed the duo back into the kitchen where a giant stack of hot pancakes awaited. When had he gotten so good at cooking? Maybe I should kick his ass and make him my slave more often. "Thanks, Natsu!" I said, sitting down next to him.
He shot me his signature grin just before him and Happy challenged each other to an eating competition. I snagged a few pancakes off the top before they could completely devour them. After twenty each later, they dropped to the floor clenching their stomachs in pain and moaning. I giggled at both of them.
"You guys always have to race over something."
"A-aye…" grumbled Happy.
I placed my dishes in the sink and waltzed back to my room to change. "Well, hurry up and clean the kitchen. We have an important meeting at the guild this morning, and you can't miss it!"
They were suddenly alive again and moving as fast as lightening. A visit to the guild always made them spark up again. Natsu quickly cleaned the kitchen, and though Happy questioned his reasons behind obeying me, he helped the dragon slayer. I disappeared into the bathroom for a few moments to get ready. When I was finished getting dressed and fashioning my hair in it's usual side pony tail, I stepped out to see a very anxious dragon and his cat.
"Let's go!" Natsu said, opening the window.
"At least, use the door!" I shouted, but it was too late. They already jumped through it. I shook my head. "Oh well," I sighed and sprinted out the apartment to catch up with them.
Yay! Nalu! Haha. They finally are starting to realize that they love each other, but are both too scared to admit it yet. Ugh! Someone needs to teach them a lesson. And, I wonder what is going to happen at the guild when they get there? It's all coming up next!
And as a side note/spoiler: I loved today's chapter in Fairy Tail! The ending was so sad, but I'm glad Gray's okay! I loved it when he thought about Juvia :) They are perfect for each other in every way!