Ah, the chapter that many of you have been waiting for... Prepare your eyes for the NSFW ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°) I've marked the NSFW section of this chapter with ### in case some of you are uncomfortable reading suggestive themes. (For some reason, it wouldn't let me use the asterisk symbol so I guess we're going with the pound sign)
And, in other news, I can't believe I only have two chapters left after this! Soon, the lovely Mslead will be taking over this story. But don't worry, you guys are in more than capable hands.
chapter 16: radiant heat flux
definition:
The amount of heat flowing through a given area in a given time, usually expressed as calories/square centimeter/second.
"So…" his blonde angel murmured then, "you got tattoos to cover up your scars?" She gestured to the tattoo on his neck and the one that swallowed up his left shoulder and bicep.
"Yeah." Natsu cleared his throat and jerked his thumb to his back as he turned around for her benefit. "Courtesy of my cellmate, Sting. The one of my back was tricky and it took for-fucking-ever," he bit out, "but it's better than an ugly scar."
Lucy's breathing changed, just the slightest hitch. "A phoenix?"
"From the ashes, I arise stronger than ever," he droned, recalling the line from the only book he'd had the patience to read in his cell.
Though his youth hadn't been ideal, it was what had made him into who he was today. And he didn't regret that, not one bit. The tragedy and the flames had only served to strengthen him and prepare him for the road ahead.
He'd gone into that last fire as the Salamander and come out as…well…he wasn't too sure yet, actually. But he was working on it.
"And also to remind me to never go back to that old lifestyle," Natsu told her.
"You…don't miss being an arsonist?" Lucy's question was incredibly hesitant, as though she were afraid of asking. Or, more likely, afraid of the answer..
Natsu felt his shoulders bunch as he growled a, "Hell no."
But that was a big fat fucking lie, he knew. Arson had been his life for so many years, it was a part of him. It was in his very soul. The rush, the adrenaline, the high–just whipping out his lighter was enough for all those feelings to come rushing back.
And it was so, so tempting to just…do it.
He refused to give into that urge, however. Because once he sank into old habits, he honestly feared he wouldn't be able to crawl his way back out. He'd become like Jackal, sucked into the greed of the fire and wealth. Prison had cured him of that once, he thought with a grimace, but he'd be damned before he went back to that hell hole.
Though he hadn't said any of this aloud, Lucy once again proved why she was a detective.
Her little gasp made him flinch. "I'm such an idiot…" she whispered in understanding, and he bet she was rubbing her forehead. "I can't believe I asked you to get back into this. Why the hell did you agree?" she demanded.
Her sudden flash of anger was…comforting.
It meant that she really did care.
And that meant more to Natsu than he thought she would ever know.
"Because you need my help, and I help my friends," he said simply, so very sure of himself. But then he paused. Because, hell, he didn't know if she even considered him a friend. As far as he knew, he was still just a damn asset to her and the thought made something in his heart clench painfully. "…We are friends, aren't we?" Natsu asked softly, keeping his gaze ahead and refusing to turn around.
A little part of him was terrified to know the answer. And that made him scoff–he was Natsu Dragneel, the Salamander, and he was scared of being rejected by some girl.
But then again…he supposed that Lucy Heartfilia wasn't just some girl.
A sharp but feminine inhale came from behind him as Lucy straightened. "Yeah," she said after a moment, "yeah, we are…"
Just that small concession was enough to make the tightness in his chest loosen. Suddenly, he could breathe easier, and an unrepentant grin pulled at his lips.
Friends, she'd said.
Just how long had it been, he'd wondered, since he'd had a real friend?
Not a cop detail, not a cell-mate, not a detective. Just…a friend.
Natsu inhaled deeply, the newfound warmth in his chest travelling up his throat and out his mouth. And when it did bubble out, he found with no small amount of surprise that it was laughter–genuine laughter. The deep-belly kind that made his sides hurt and his lungs ache with the need for air.
All the while, Lucy stayed silent behind him. And when she didn't say anything for a moment, he was nearly concerned.
That was when he felt a feather-soft brush against his spine, the contact stunning him into silence. She was…touching his back. Touching the thing that marked him as a criminal and thus, the thing that should have spanned a chasm between them. Criminal and cop didn't mix together…and yet…
She seemed to cross it so easily.
Natsu swallowed, his throat having gone dry. "…What're you doing?" he murmured, peeking over his tan shoulder.
Lucy was much closer to him than he remembered her being, her head ducked as she studied his back intently with her eyes and fingertips. They trekked over his gnarled skin, over the ridges and dips, through the ink that covered his past, and all the while he could feel the puffs of her breath against his rigid back.
Her touch was so light, so hesitant, as if she were unsure of what she was doing. From his right shoulder to his left hipbone, her fingers traced his scar, leaving a soothing warmth in their wake. Everywhere she touched, his skin prickled with awareness.
And she touched everywhere.
His destroyed back, the scars on his side, the criss-crossed one on his waist. She circled him slowly, a line in her brow and her teeth digging into her deliciously plump bottom lip. When she finally came to stand in front of him, her chest so close to his own that her breasts touched his naked skin with her every inhale, she reached up and brushed her fingers over his very first scar–the one on his neck.
"I'm," she breathed, brown eyes glowing, "getting to know you."
Natsu's back was stiff despite the warmth coursing through his body. And when her hands wrapped themselves around his neck, urging him down, his first instinct was to pull away. However, by some force of will, he managed to let her bring him down to her height.
Where she stood on the tips of her painted toes and…pressed her closed mouth to his neck.
Natsu stilled, his breath catching in his chest.
Her lips were so soft, like the rest of her. And they traced over the lines of his tattoo and scar again, and again, and again. As if she was memorizing their shapes. At the same time, her hands slid down his chest, skimming over the little flecked scars that littered his tan skin. She lingered over his old hurts, and a distant part of him realized that she was trying to heal them with tender sweetness.
Whether by fault of the muggy bathroom, or because of her touch, Natsu couldn't breathe. His hands clenched at his sides as his mind and his body warred.
This…was not something that friends did.
Yes, he'd been in prison for seven years, but even he knew that this interaction was not in the least bit friendly. And yet…he craved more of her touch–her lips, her fingers. Whatever the hell she gave, he was willing to receive. He would go as far as she wanted, and that was due to no small amount of his own greed.
He needed her.
Damn it all.
Pushing a heavy breath out through his nose, Natsu's hands shot out and grabbed her upper arms. He yanked her into his chest. Startled, her mouth ripping away from his wet skin and her hands curling into fists, Lucy looked up at him with equal amounts of trepidation and mortification on a bright red face.
"Natsu," she whispered, brown eyes wide, "I'm sorry, I wasn't thinking. Oh, my god, that was - "
He silenced her by dipping his chin and crashing his mouth into hers.
###
In hindsight, smashing their mouths together probably wasn't his wisest idea. Their teeth cracked, and he was damn sure his lip split–he could taste just a hint of blood. But, he'd regret that later. Because right now, all that mattered was that she was finally in his arms and she was touching him.
This was no illusion or figment of his imagination.
Lucy sighed into his mouth, her eyes fluttering shut. Her hands, previously curled, wound themselves around his neck again, jerking him closer.
That was all the invitation his damn body needed. Several years worth of built up hormones and sexual frustration came roaring to the surface, igniting a raging fire in the pits of his stomach, making the blood in his veins boil. Her soft, innocent kisses would not feed the hunger that gripped him so viciously; Natsu slanted his mouth over hers harder.
She gasped, her nails biting into the skin on his neck.
For the briefest moment, he thought he might have scared her–and that quickly doused his arousal–but then a tiny growl vibrated from Lucy's mouth and into his own, and she nipped his bottom lip.
Well, well. Looked like his detective had some sass after all.
Smirking into their heated kiss, Natsu stepped in-between her legs. Her natural reaction, of course, was to back up, even as her hands pulled his body closer, his wet chest crushing hers and dampening her shirt. His gruff hands fell to her waist, squeezing the curvy flesh he found there, and he leaned into her again.
Lucy took hesitant steps backwards, yet her kisses were anything but. She ravaged his mouth, pulling on his bottom lip and suckling, even as he walked her backwards.
His destination? Her couch, because he honestly didn't think he'd make it to her bed; he had the self-control of a fucking horny teenager.
The two stumbled to the couch together, their hands exploring and their mouths only detaching to take small sips of the steamy air around them.
Lucy, as Natsu learned, had a bit of a fetish.
Her dainty hands constantly tickled patterns below his navel, just skimming the edges of his loose towel. They followed the little trail of his rose-colored hair, ghosting over his hips bones and the sharp V in between them. Each little stroke of her fingers had him gasping, his whole body shuddering.
Goddamn.
Prison had been a lonely experience; he'd had to defend himself from wandering hands more than once. And even before then, he'd very rarely had any female contact at all–except for when Erza had delivered a couple of well-deserved punches. Considering those few facts, he knew he didn't stand a chance against his blonde detective.
That wicked gleam in her bittersweet chocolate eyes would be his undoing for fucking sure.
Groaning, Natsu reluctantly pulled away from her sweet mouth. The look she gave him was one of confusion until he nudged her back against the couch–then she tumbled down with a little half-shriek. Her huffed laughter was enough to put a grin on his face as he lunged after her, trapping her between the soft leather couch and his hot, damp body.
When he was on top of her, pushing into her heavy breasts with his chest, the fact that he was all but naked and she remained clothed became painfully obvious.
He had to fix that.
Natsu dove back to her mouth, nibbling on her lips as his hands worked their way in-between their bodies. They dragged over her supple breasts, relishing in the feel of soft flesh, before trekking down to her stomach where they teased up the hems of her loose, tabby cat t-shirt.
His fingertips, calloused from so many years of setting buildings ablaze, discovered soft, sweet skin.
Lucy's mouth parted on a low moan that he swallowed. And as his hands slid up her stomach, hiking her shirt higher, Lucy's own hand snapped down to the towel around his waist. She dug her fingers into the fluffy material, gave it one hard tug with a wicked grin he could feel against his mouth…and it came away all too easily.
The towel fluttered soundlessly to the hardwood floor of her living room.
He was stark naked, bare for her perusal in the dim lighting that the table lamp provided, and that should have unsettled him. Except, it didn't; if anything, the fire in his belly flared hotter. Because now, Lucy's slender hands could roam wherever they liked–and so they did.
One hand flattened over his shoulder blade, pushing him down into her, while the other dragged down his ribcage. He could feel the pricking of her nails as they scored his tan skin, and there was no doubt in his mind that he'd have neat little claw marks the next morning.
He would wear them proudly.
Wedging his knee between her thighs, Natsu brushed up against her damp heat, making her arch. She tore away from his mouth to gasp in surprise and her back curved just enough that he was able to slip her t-shirt right over her blonde head. And then he gawked, his hands stilling on her shoulder and collarbone as his mouth went very, very dry.
Good god, she wasn't wearing a bra.
Her breasts, which had captivated him from their first meeting, greeted him unabashedly. Plump and full and perfect, just as he'd imagined them to be.
Natsu swallowed, resting his head on the curve of her shoulder with a throaty chuckle. Hell, his detective was going to be the death of him if she kept this up. But, at least he supposed it would be a pleasurable one.
Lucy, apparently, didn't like the fact that he took a small break to catch his breath–she leaned upwards and sunk her teeth into the muscle of his shoulder. At his shocked inhale, she soothed the bite with soft, peppered kisses, running her calf along the back of his leg. Her blonde hair was falling haphazardly out of its bun, tickling his cheek, and in his ear, he could hear her soft laughter.
She was teasing him.
But two could play at that game, Natsu mused through the haze as one thick hand latched onto a breast and gave a firm squeeze.
His detective spluttered out a whine, her spine curving and her leg falling away. The noise she made, he quickly filed under things he liked to hear as he dragged his lips down her chest. Her skin was soft and it smelled like strawberries–the same as his damn hair–and it tasted even better.
Natsu's tongue darted out to catch a bead of moisture that collected in the valley of her breasts. Wetness from his shower, or her own sweat, he didn't know. As he made his way down her stomach, flicking his tongue in her navel, Lucy's hands wound themselves in his damp hair and tugged.
Fucking hard.
A groan tore its way out of his throat and it vibrated through her stomach, making her squirm against the leather couch.
"Naughty, naughty," he rumbled hoarsely, nipping at the dip of her abdomen. Lucy's breathing hitched, her chest stuttering as he nibbled his way down, down, down…to the offending line of her mint-green cotton shorts.
Cotton shorts that were the only thing standing between him and heaven.
###
Pressing one last kiss to her visible hip bone, Natsu hooked his fingers in the sides of her shorts and mumbled, "You ready, detective?"
And then, suddenly, Lucy went very still.
Oops, things got a little out of hand, didn't they? Stay tuned!
KUDOS TO THOSE WHO REVIEWED: Andysfire, Paige'slibrary, Reallyfanofstories, Dog's Paw Burning In Hot Ash, Cassia-Aedea, sunshine-melodi, smilekey, Czar Ryno, lkityan, KatLiGrey, Snavej, TpLoz, BookAlchemist2, chelsannful, Doublepasse, fanficlove2014, -roo, Footster26, Tabasco-Devil, semi-absorbed, Yuyui Hime, sasukeluver02
Ah, we had a question about our ages. There are three of us writing this story and our ages vary from late teens to early twenties. We all have a passion for writing and enjoyed working on this together so much omg. Thank you for all your thoughts! I can't wait to hear what you all have to say about this chapter fufufu...