Author's Note: I kinda wanted to subtitle this one 'Natsu Cops a Feel' but that just seemed like it would get me into a trouble or something. That should tell you this is the chapter with the lime scented scene that I mentioned previously. If that sort of thing offends you, at least it's short. If you like that stuff, then I'm sorry it's not longer. I happen to be down with it too, but I can't write smut to save my life. It underwent 5 separate rewrites to even get to the point that I wasn't entirely embarrassed by how bad it was.
I'm using the Earthland versions of Hughes, Sugarboy, and Coco from the Key of the Starry Sky arc. It just seemed to fit since they are, in fact, on a version of Earthland rather than Edolas. Plus, those three are just fun.
It should be pretty evident I don't know that much about how large corporations actually function. I did try to do some research, but honestly, I'm just hoping that nothing seems too out of whack. Most of the events just fit with the story, so there ya go.
Disclaimer: I don't own anything to do with Fairy Tail. If I did, we'd all be drowning in main pairing shipper feels all the time. The only things that are mine are the song Starlight and the annoying, unnamed reporter guy. Reporter guy is available for loan, but please don't steal the song.
Shout-out!: To my beta reader axlorg89.

CHAPTER 4: LET'S MAKE A DEAL

July 19, X793

"Thanks for tuning in to Good Morning, Magnolia! I'm your host, Mary Hughes," the purple haired woman announced. "We've got some great guests for our next segment - two homegrown musical superstars! 'Ice man' Gray Fullbuster and 'Black Steel' Gajeel Redfox are part of the megahit band, Fairy Tail. Thanks for coming in today!"

"Glad to be here," Gray said with his most charming smile. Gajeel simply grunted.

"You're just back from a whirlwind tour across the globe. Does it feel good to be home?"

Glancing at his glowering bandmate, Gray decided it would be best if he answered. No telling what might spew out of the other brunette's mouth at this point. "It sure does, Mary. Fairy Tail might go to a lot of interesting places, but there's no place like Magnolia." At least the bassist could fake feeling friendly when needed.

"I understand most of you were friends growing up, even with your different backgrounds."

"Uh, yeah. Friends might be pushing it in some cases," Gray said with a small laugh. "But we were all part of the same group. I think it helped us get through some tough spots -" He stopped short and stared at the oddly familiar shirt being held in front of his face by an irked Gajeel. "Gah! When did I..?!" Hastily, he doned and rebuttoned the clothing, ducking his head in embarrassment.

Raising an oddly shaped brow, Hughes commented, "You're pretty well known for stripping your clothes on stage. It seems like a very strange habit."

The bassist rubbed the back of his neck, chagrined. "Yeah, well, I picked it up from... family."

Mary deliberately focused on Gajeel who had been maintaining his silence, arms now crossed over his broad chest and slouched in the tall seats the studio put its guests in. "You've always had a reputation as a rebel, but I bet you have a bit of a soft side too, don't you?"

The heavily pierced brunette snorted. "Nope," he said, popping the 'p' at the end.

"Uh, oookay," the stymied host responded. "What made you get into music, then?"

Gajeel shrugged one shoulder, radiating disinterest. "Old man Makarov seemed to think it would help get me sorted out, and I guess I always kinda liked blues music. So I figured what the hell. Juvia had already hooked up with these jokers and didn't want me running around by myself or somethin'."

"Juvia Lockser was your childhood friend, right?" The drummer gave a short nod, but didn't elaborate. Mary smiled puckishly, turning her attention back to the other man. "It seems like you and she have some pretty good chemistry on stage, Gray."

The dark haired bassist looked up, startled. "Uh… Well…"

"Now that Erza and Jellal are confirmed to be engaged, is there any chance well see more romance between band members, hmm?"

"That's… um… you see…" Gray hedged desperately, ignoring the snickers coming from Gajeel and the intense burning in his face, all while plucking at the buttons on his shirt. "It's… complicated."

"I'll bet." The purple haired host leaned in conspiratorially. "Speaking of romance, maybe you two can answer a question that's been on everyone's minds lately…"

"Aww, shit," Gajeel muttered lowly and Gray stiffened, both anticipating the next words out of the woman's mouth.

"Who's Lucy?"

Clearing his throat and shifting in his seat, Gray tried to be nonchalant. He crossed his legs and leaned against the armrest in a way he hoped conveyed calm detachment. "That's not really a question for us, and I don't think Natsu is ready to talk about it."

"Oh, come on," Mary drawled. "I'm sure you can share something with your fans. Don't you think you owe them -"

"This is why I hate you god damned media hounds." Gajeel gripped the arms of his chair hard enough to make the wood creak. "Nobody has right to know about our personal lives, okay? You need to learn when to back the fuck off."

"It's just a question." Waving a hand, Hughes was determined not to be intimidated, though she did sit back to put some distance between herself and her angry guest. "Everyone is really curious what sort of girl could get the Salamander wrapped around her finger. We just want to know -"

Surging out of his chair with enough force to topple it, the studded brunette leaned into the TV host's face with viciously bared teeth. "And I don't care! All you people do is dig around and cause trouble."

Gray hooked his arms under his bulkier friend's in an attempt to drag him backwards. His shirt had been tossed over the back of his vacated chair, and his pants somehow flung off camera. "Don't do this! Erza will freak!" he hissed.

Unfazed, Gajeel had worked up a ferocious rage. "You don't give a shit who you hurt as long as you get a story to sell! You god damned, cocksu -"

A cheerful tune interrupted with the friendly looking Good Morning, Magnolia logo. Under it were the words 'Technical difficulties: Please stand by.'

Erza hit the pause button on her laptop, looking irritated. She stared hard at the two dark haired men in front of her. Gray was fidgeting and refusing to meet her gaze. Gajeel stared back belligerently, though his leg was bouncing to show his agitation. "Where do I even start?" she asked.

Hanging his head, Gray cringed. "Sorry, Erza."

"I'm not," Gajeel grumped, though he did finally break eye contact. As much as he hated to admit it, the stage manager scared him… just a little.

Standing next to the redhead, Evergreen heaved a sigh. She pulled her glasses off and cleaned them delicately with the hem of her expensive silk shirt. "At least it was Gajeel. People expect this kind of loutish behavior from him."

"I realize you were trying to protect Lucy, but this kind of… scene really only draws more attention to the issue." Erza pinched the bridge of her nose and grimaced briefly. "Gray."

"Yes, ma'am!" he squawked, sitting up straighter.

"You did the right thing by politely refusing to comment. There's no reason you have to answer every question thrown at you in an interview."

Blinking, the bassist slowly came to the realization he wasn't going to be beaten to a bloody pulp. The taste of relief was immediate and sweet. "Uh, yeah."

"Gajeel." Studying the combative drummer, she spoke slowly as if trying to feel her way through his mood. "I know you have your issues with the press after they found out about your relationship with Levy and caused her so many problems -"

"Damned parasites," he growled.

"But you need to work on keeping your cool when you deal with them. Don't let them get under your skin, or it'll just make things that much worse." The redhead looked from one man to the other. "I need to be able to count on everyone to keep this under control. I think you've both learned a lesson today."

When neither responded, Erza narrowed her eyes and dropped the pitch of her voice. "Haven't you?"

"Yes, ma'am!" came the prompt and simultaneous replies.

She nodded authoritatively. "Good. I know you both have other obligations today so you can -" The two men jumped from their chairs and were out the door like a fire was lit under them. "- go." Erza sighed. "This is getting out of hand, Evergreen."

The public relations agent shrugged. "It could be worse."

"Oh? How?"

Settling her glasses back on her face, the woman smiled grimly. "It could've been Natsu." Erza knew she couldn't disagree with that.

"Did you really go out to dinner with that pig again?" Aquarius looked appalled, leaning against the huge, ornate desk. "Please tell me he didn't try to grope you."

Lucy rubbed at her tired eyes. "I wish I could. He was clumsy about it, so he didn't get much of a handhold." At least she'd remembered to wear pants instead of a skirt this time. Though she'd still been able to feel his damp hand on her knee even through the thick fabric. The blonde shuddered.

"Someone needs to tell him that's not at all romantic." The spirit shook her head. "There's no way you can marry that gargoyle. His family is pulling your strings by threatening to take the company your father built, and you're just letting them make you dance." She leaned forward with a hand braced on the desktop. "Just give me five minutes alone -"

"I don't disagree with you," Lucy cut her off, knowing the aquatic spirit would make good on her gleeful threats. "And I have no intention of marrying him. I just needed to buy some time."

"To do what?"

The CEO licked her lips and glanced at Capricorn and Loke who were watching the conversation with interest. Lucy hadn't missed how relieved they both looked when she confirmed her disinterest in marrying Sawarr. "It's a bit risky, but I have a way to get some money. A good bit of money, in fact."

The goat spirit stroked the long hairs on his chin. "You don't have a lot of personal resources. Except -" He suddenly stiffened with a serious frown. "I'd highly advise against -"

"I know! I know it's an enormous risk. But if I sell my shares in the company, it would give me enough money to be my own investor." Lucy squeezed her fists, trying not to seem as desperate as she actually felt. "It's the only thing I have that's worth enough. We might be able to push the rail expansion forward or even put the money into another project."

"The Junelles now have 44 percent of the shares," Loke cautioned. "If they even bought just a small amount of what you sell, they'd have majority control. They could just steamroll the rest of the board."

Closing her eyes momentarily, Lucy breathed deeply to calm her nerves. "They've already convinced most of the shareholders not to trust my judgement. I'm not sure it's going to make anything worse. There's also a chance that we'll get lucky and whoever grabs the stocks will be willing to work with us."

Capricorn smiled faintly. "If anyone is going to be lucky, it's Miss Lucy. If this is your will, then we will help you." Loke nodded reluctantly, and Aquarius flipped her hand in a 'what can you do' motion.

She smiled, feeling relief all the way through her bones. "Thanks, guys. As long as I have you backing me up I know we'll pull through."

Aquarius shrugged but smirked in amusement. "You'd be lost without us." Her smug look turned positively salacious then. "If you want a more appealing way to sell yourself for funding, I heard that Natsu's got an impressive net worth." She leered and held her palms up facing each other, spread to indicate a considerable length.

Cheeks flaming at the insinuation, Lucy looked away and scowled. "I wouldn't know anything about that."

"And who's fault is that, hmm?" Aquarius placed a hand on her hip. "The word of the day is that you have him 'wrapped around your finger.'" The female spirit punctuated the phrase by making a spinning motion with her free index finger.

"Oh, God." The blond woman buried her face in her hands. After seeing Good Morning, Magnolia's latest episode, Lucy had been sure she would die of embarrassment. Her spirit's words brought the feeling back with a vengeance. "It's not like that…"

"But it could be if you just loosen a few buttons on your top," Aquarius snickered. "That boy always did have an outrageous fascination with your breasts."

Groaning, Lucy laid her face against the cool wood surface of her desk and then hid her head with her arms. Deciding she'd had enough teasing, Capricorn held up a hand to stop his aquatic ally. "All that aside, we'd best make some preparations before we go through with this. I have a few ideas on how to distract the Junelles that don't involve our mistress having to expose parts of herself. With any luck it will delay them enough to let someone else get a chance to snap up those stocks."

Loke adjusted his glasses, expression determined. "Worst case scenario, we end up having to cut a new deal with the devil we know."

"No," Capricorn shook his horned head. "Worst case is we end up beholden to the devil we don't."

July 21, X793

Half sprawled on the table in front of him, Natsu idly poked at his smartphone. He pondered the wisdom of trying to call Lucy. Had she seen those tabloid photos of them yet? How much trouble was he in? At least she hadn't been naked in any of them. He was pretty sure that would've gotten him killed, by Erza if not Lucy.

He flicked a thumb casually up the screen, making the news headlines he'd been pretending to read fly by. Nearby, Erza and Laxus were having an arguement about new equipment for their cobbled together sound studio. Not satisfied with the woeful contract their current record label had offered as a renewal, Makarov had decided they would start producing their new album on their own. The big, blond sound engineer was irritated that a piece of equipment he'd asked for hadn't been purchased while the redhead seemed to think he was being unreasonable.

"Anything interesting?" Wendy asked as she peered over Natsu's arm at the small screen he held. She'd decided to avoid being drawn into the slowly escalating conflict across the room. Jellal was already edging towards the door while Levy had escaped earlier with an excuse. Carla, for her part, was looking aggravated by Happy's latest attempt to woo her with fish.

"Nah," Natsu said, sticking his bottom lip out in a pout. "It's just a bunch of boring stuff. Nothin' that has anything to do with -"

"Hey, what's that?" Wendy pointed to one of the news items, reading it aloud. "Stock prices tumble amid rumors of a Heartfilia Konzern and Railways shakeup. What does that mean?"

Natsu shook his head, frowning. "I dunno, but it doesn't sound too good."

Across from them, Bixlow's worn boots made a deep thunk as they settled on the tabletop. "Probably means that your girl is in the hotseat." The pyrotechnician leaned his chair back far enough to put the front legs in the air. "If the board of directors votes on it, she could still get the boot during a shakeup."

"What would you know about it?" Natsu asked, sitting up straight.

Putting his hands behind his head, Bixlow grimaced. "I read the business section when I'm bored. HK&R's stocks are getting pretty cheap. It might be smart for your little chickie to bail out of that place while she's still able to make some dough from it anyway."

Natsu looked suddenly thoughtful and turned to face the band's lawyer and financial planner who was poking away at her calculator in response to something Erza had mentioned. "Hey, Laki. How much money do I have?"

Her violet head whipped around to look at the rock star. "You've never asked me that before. Why do you want to know?" Suspicion was written on her face.

Wendy smiled, starting to catch on. "Are you thinking of buying stock in Lucy's company to help her?"

"Maybe. It couldn't hurt, right?" he asked.

Laki tapped a finger against her lips. "Well, I've invested a lot of your resources in other stock, but you could sell that for a tidy profit… Combined with your liquid assets, you've got quite a bit of capital to go around."

Natsu's face brightened considerably. "Great! I never do anything with that money anyway. People give me free food all the time, so I don't have to buy much."

The violet haired woman shrugged. "Let me make a call on the telephone…"

"How much do you think I can buy?" Natsu wondered while she started conversing with someone over her cell. "I hope it's enough to help."

Wendy patted him on the arm assuringly. "I'm sure anything you can do would make Lucy happy. You're a really good friend, and I bet she'll really appreciate it."

"Um…" Laki's tentative voice carried over to the table. She laid her cellphone against her chest to cut off sound from being picked up. "Natsu… Exactly how many shares did you want to buy in the company?"

"As many as I can," he replied, cocking his spiked, pink head at her odd inflection.

"Er… Are you sure?"

Natsu frowned, but gave a sharp nod. "Of course I'm sure. I wouldn't have said it if I wasn't." Laxus and Erza ceased their bickering to watch what was happening, and Jellal had fled the room a few minutes earlier.

"Oookay," Laki replied and spoke a confirmation into the speaker of her phone. She waited a moment, listening to a response, before looking up to meet Natsu's questioning stare. "Congratulations. You've just bought yourself controlling interest in Heartfilia Konzern and Railways."

Dead silence lay over the room like a sodden blanket before it was ruptured by Natsu's exclamation. "What?!"

Bixlow cackled, shaking his chair in mirth. "Nice job, loverboy! Now you're Lucy's boss!" Laxus slapped one of his palms to his forehead, and Erza raised a judicious eyebrow.

Expression blank, Natsu blinked repeatedly. "Uh. What am I supposed to do now?" Dread quickly flooded his features. "Lucy's going to freak if she finds out! This wasn't supposed to be a big deal! Can we keep this a secret?!"

Laki tilted her head thoughtfully. "I think we can keep your name out of it, but you do own the controlling percentage of shares. You'll get a pretty weighty vote on any major decisions their board makes."

"Phew." Natsu swept the back of his hand over his forehead. "As long as she doesn't know, she'll have no reason to kick me in the head. I guess I'll figure the rest out as I go." His grin was sudden and bright. "That usually works for me."

"Do you ever think anything through beforehand?" Bixlow asked.

The rosy haired rocker shrugged. "Sometimes, but it usually just slows me down."

"Of course it does." Laxus rolled his eyes. Even if the larger man was used to the Salamander's haphazard way of doing things, it still made him antsy at times. "You sure it's a good idea to keep all this a secret? If she finds out, and you didn't tell her…"

"Nah. It'll be fine!" Natsu's laugh was untroubled, and he slouched in his chair again. "What could go wrong?"

Everyone else in the room exchanged a meaningful look over the spiky head.

July 22, X793

"And you're just fine with this? With not knowing?" Loke held the door for his smaller employer. She slipped past him, headed towards the elevator that lead to the CEO's penthouse. Though she'd lived there for years now thanks to her father's position, the luxurious home was technically owned by the company.

"Everything worked out more or less as we hoped. Whoever bought those shares snapped up all of them before the Junelles got a chance." Lucy was smiling despite the dark smudges of exhaustion under her eyes. "Now I've got the funds I needed, so we can start planning where to invest them."

Punching the up button with a bit more force than necessary, Loke blew a frustrated breath out. "It makes me nervous. What's this person like? How're they going to vote on the projects? We don't even know their name!"

Lucy patted his arm comfortingly. "Don't let it get to you. Let's try to look at this as a fresh start, alright? Maybe the winds are starting to blow in our favor."

The stainless steel doors slid open, letting out a pair of Lucy's fellow wealthy building tenants. She nodded politely in greeting before stepping in to replace them and tapping the button for the fortieth floor. Loke stood tall beside her as the elevator began to rise. "With the way things have been going, it would be nice to catch a break," the lion spirit said. "The board of directors is still on our case about the stock prices. Even so, I hope you don't mind if I do a bit of investigating."

Brows furrowing, Lucy glanced at him and noted the tense line of black clad shoulders. "If it bothers you that much, then I won't stop you. Just try not to rile this guy - or girl - up. They might want to stay anonymous and getting on their bad side would be disastrous for us."

He smirked, corner of his mouth twitching up. "I can be discreet when it's called for. You've got nothing to worry about."

"Well, nothing other than a pack of angry investors, a greedy board of directors, and scandal hungry journalists," Lucy huffed. She started forward as soon as the elevator doors opened, but slowed her steps when she spotted Virgo standing outside the penthouse entrance. "Is something wrong?"

"No, princess," the maiden spirit said in her customary flat intonation. She simply stepped aside and opened the door. Lucy frowned at the fact she gave no further explanation, but went inside anyway.

When neither spirit followed her in, the blonde's frown turned down even further. "Okay. What's up with you two?"

"We would like to request the evening off," Virgo declared.

Loke looked puzzled at her announcement. "We would?"

"Yes, we would," the pink haired spirit stated with a blank, but pointed, stare at her feline aspected colleague. "You may punish us if you like, princess."

"Hey, now! I'm not as into that as you are." Loke held up his hands defensively. "But I sure wouldn't mind the free time."

Skeptical, Lucy studied the two for a long moment. Eventually, she clucked her tongue and said, "Fine. You two have a good night, then. Whatever you're up to." Virgo promptly shut the front door in her face without another word.

Shaking her head, Lucy sighed. "Like that's not suspicious."

Deciding that it really wasn't worth any added stress to dissect the spirits' motives, Lucy tossed her handbag on the console table in the entryway. She kicked off her practical pumps and stretched languidly. Padding into the kitchen, the blonde noticed Virgo had made two plates of dinner, though one was now empty of food.

And popcorn. Lucy frowned at the giant bowl of buttered popcorn on the kitchen's great marble island. Making her way over, she planted her fists on her hips. What the heck was Virgo up to? This was just weird. Not that I don't like popcorn, but...

"I already ate. That one's yours." The unexpected and decidedly masculine voice right next to her ear made Lucy let out a high pitched shriek. She spun around and swung her fist out with every ounce of strength she had. Natsu easily caught her wrist before the punch connected with his face, raising an eyebrow. "Jeez, Luce, take it easy."

Drawing in great lungfuls of air to feed her racing heart, Lucy glared. "Take it easy?! You scared the crap out of me! What the hell are you doing here?"

"Virgo let me in. She thought it'd be fun if I surprised you!"

Exasperated, the woman gently tugged on her wrist until Natsu finally released it from his grip. "Of course she did. No wonder those two took off," she huffed grumpily.

"It was pretty funny. The way you yelled." Natsu chuckled and reached past his cranky friend to grab a handful of popcorn to stuff in his face. "You should eat. Virgo's a really good cook."

Lucy started to reprimand him for talking with his mouth full but threw up her hands instead. What was the point? He'd just keep doing it anyway. She started consuming her own plate of food rather than deal with the futility of reminding Natsu of his manners.

He was right, of course. Virgo was an excellent cook.

The two bantered while Lucy finished, Natsu going over how he had accidentally set part of the stage on fire during his appearance at a music education fundraiser earlier that day. "It was totally crazy. The adults all flipped out even though Gray had it under control with the fire extinguisher in no time. The kids loved it."

Smiling indulgently, Lucy set the empty plates in the sink with a mental promise to take care of them later. "I'm sure they did."

"You done? Great!" The rockstar snatched up the gargantuan bowl of popcorn he'd been idly snacking on and headed into the living room. "C'mon."

Curious, and maybe a little nervous, the woman followed. "Not that I'm unhappy to have you visit, but… Seriously." Lucy watched Natsu as he flopped down on her very comfortable couch and put his feet up on the glass topped coffee table. "What are you doing?"

Remote control in one hand, popcorn in his lap, Natsu patted the cushion next to him in invitation. "Movie night, duh. We're gonna watch Dragonheart."

Lucy! We gotta see this movie! It's got a dragon in it!

Defeated, Lucy dropped into the seat next to him as he used the remote to start the film. "You and your dragons… I haven't seen this in forever. We used to watch it all the time." She tugged the bowl of fragrant kernels closer. "Don't hog the popcorn." Natsu just grinned hugely at her.

The two traded comments about the movie for a while, falling into a familiar pattern. Lucy tried not to think too hard about just how easy it was to forget the length of time they'd been apart. She still smiled when he crowed at the action scenes, booed the bad guys, and tried to pretend he wasn't sniffling at the sad parts. Eventually, they fell into an equally easy silence.

By the time they reached the credits, Lucy was clutching a box of tissues, knees drawn up in front of her. With a trembling lip, she dabbed at her eyes before she turned to look at Natsu. His head was tipped all the way back, mouth slack and eyes closed with his arms spread along the top of the couch. He must've been exhausted not to stay awake through the whole thing.

Unfolding herself, Lucy gently plucked the remote from his lax grasp, switching off the TV and transferring the empty popcorn bowl from his lap to the coffee table. She allowed herself one last great sniff to be rid of the mucus that had come with her tears.

Finding herself smiling again, the blonde pulled a blanket that had been artfully thrown over an armchair and laid it gently over the sleeping man. She had no heart to wake him and couldn't seem to stop the fond glance back she gave him as she headed off to bed.

July 23, X793

Dimly, Lucy began to register the sensation of heat. Oppressive, all consuming heat. Had the central air gone out? She would have to call someone about that…

Uncomfortable, she shifted, trying to roll over. Which was when the woman started to realize she could barely breathe due to a limp and substantial weight laying across her back and shoulders, squashing her face first into the mattress. Her left arm was trapped under her body, and she could feel the dreadful pins and needles sensation from the lack of circulation. What the heck…?

A murmur and humid exhalation against her ear snapped Lucy into brutal wakefulness. Her eyes popped open, and she noticed a number of things at once. Natsu was sprawled all over her, legs tangled in hers and the sheets. His arms were wrapped securely around her waist to keep her back flush against his chest, lips grazing the edge of her ear with every breath. Worst, his impossibly warm, strong hands were laying flat on her exposed ribcage where her tank top had ridden up in the night.

Eye twitching in supreme irritation, Lucy tried to use her shoulder to nudge her bed companion awake. "Natsu… Natsu, you're crushing me." He mumbled something incoherent and nuzzled his nose into the crock of her neck, inhaling deeply. Lucy squeaked when she felt his hands slide upwards until they cupped her full breasts, pushing her top along with them.

"Hmmmm…." the Salamander purred, voice thick and heated. "Soooooft…"

Her face instantly felt like the surface of the sun, and Lucy tried to calm her frantically pounding heart. The force of it was making her chest ache and her breathing shallow. "Natsu, wake up…"

The only response was a low groan as he tugged her even closer, tongue darting out to taste the salt on her flesh from the thin sheen of sweat that broke out over her skin. She gasped in shock, movements frozen solid, when callused thumbs swept across her pebbled nipples. His hot fingers began squeezing rhythmically, massaging her weighty bosom.

Was he still asleep? Did he know what he was doing? Did he know what he was doing to her?

"Ngggg," he groaned, and Lucy could feel the vibrations straight through her torso. "Feels… good… Lucy…" He slipped one muscular thigh between hers, sending the fabric of her shorts sliding along her core with exquisite friction. Natsu opened his scorching wet mouth against her neck to gently graze sharp teeth against her skin. The electric thrill that buzzed straight to her groin made Lucy's head spin.

But it was the extremely prominent arousal probing against her lower back as his hips rocked forward that finally shorted out what was left of Lucy's higher brain functions. The rose haired man repeated the roll of his pelvis more insistently, dragging his heavy, hot length against her through the cloth separating them. "Hnnnn…" he moaned.

Panic spiked in place of reason, and she brought her elbow back sharply into his solid abdomen. Natsu snorted, eyes snapping open without an ounce of actual awareness. He flailed and tumbled backwards off the bed with a heavy thud.

The rock star rubbed the back of his tousled head and blinked blearily up at her. "Owwww. Geez, Lucy. Why you gotta be so violent?"

Ignoring his adorable pout and sleep husky voice, she rose up on her knees to glare down at him. Even while hastily tugging down her shirt, Lucy looked positively imperious. "What the hell are you doing in my bed?! You can't just do that! It's not appropriate!"

Natsu muttered something that sounded suspiciously like "And it was a really good dream, too…" The furious blonde inhaled deeply, all set to yell, but stopped when he rolled neatly to his feet. "Man, this brings back memories, huh?"

She frowned, not liking where her thoughts went at the phrase. "Natsu… Wait. Where are your pants?" As deliciously toned as his legs were, she couldn't help but notice he was dressed only in a pair of flame printed boxers and a white cotton undershirt.

Grinning, he reached over to the chair she kept in her room and snatched up his discarded jeans from the night before, stepping into them smoothly. "Don't worry. I'm not like Stripper. I pay attention to where I leave my clothes."

Lucy shook her head to clear out the entirely improper thoughts that sent blood descending from her head to her lower body. "Still, you can't just crawl into bed with someone like that."

Looking up from where he was buttoning his pants, Natsu said, "I don't want to crawl into bed with other people. Just you."

Her face ignited, and she hid her embarrassment behind a cough. He can't mean it like that. "M-My point still stands. That's not something you do with people you are just friends with."

Natsu paused in pulling on his shirt, A frown twisting his lips and furrowing his brow. He opened his mouth, but found his thoughts weren't collected enough to come out. With a full body shake, the star finished getting dressed and forced a wide grin onto his face. "You used to say all that before. This is just like old times, right? Like nothing's changed at all."

The high color drained from Lucy's face, and she abruptly lurched to get off the bed. Natsu was surprised, but followed as she padded out of the room on bare feet. "I think you should go," she said quietly.

"Uh, hey. Don't I get breakfast?" he laughed uncertainly, having stopped briefly to stomp his feet into his shoes.

Her head was down, golden hair hanging like a curtain and fingers curling as if they wanted to form fists. Natsu hated it when Lucy hid her face from him. How was he supposed to know what she was thinking if he couldn't see her expression? "I… I have to get to work soon."

"But it's Saturday! Don't you get the day off?" he reasoned, frustration mounting.

"There's a ton of work to do."

Gritting his teeth, Natsu halted near the front door and wound his treasured scarf around his neck. "Okay, okay. But maybe we can have dinner?"

She shook her head, not letting him see how she bit her lip. "I can't…"

"You can't," he repeated, voice clipped and annoyance barely leashed. "Right. And next weekend? You busy then too? And the week after that?"

"Please don't," Lucy begged. She looked up at him then, eyes full of a sadness that sucked the anger right out of him. "I'm… sorry."

Natsu shook his head, giving her a genuine, if weary smile. "Don't be. I know you're going through a lot right now. I didn't really mean to push." He reached out and brushed fingertips against her cheek. She stiffened, but the motion was over before she could react. "Just try to cheer up, okay? I bet things are going to get better for you soon."

Lucy favored him with a fragile smile of her own, holding the door as he stepped out into the hall. The rosy haired man set the now familiar ball cap on his head and summoned up an ear to ear grin. "You know I can't stand to see you sad, Lucy. We'll catch up when we can."

He waved then as he turned, heading towards the elevator with his hands stuffed into his pockets. Closing the door quietly, Lucy spun so her back was against the wood and slid down to the floor as her quaking legs gave up entirely. She covered her head with her hands and pressed her face against her forearms.

"Why…? Why does it have to feel like this…?" the woman croaked. "I don't know what to do. Please, tell me what to do…"

The silence that answered her felt crushing.

"You're sure?" Loke asked, voice laden with skepticism. "There's not a mistake here?"

Gemi and Mini gave him twin nods.

"Not a doubt, Leo! We triple checked. I bet Lucy will be happy!" Gemi piped up.

The lion sucked in a sharp breath. "I don't think we should tell her."

Mini cocked her head, radiating puzzlement. "Why? He's her friend. Wouldn't she be pleased that he's the one who -"

"It's complicated." Loke rubbed at one of his eyes, knocking his glasses cockeyed. Though spirits didn't need to truly sleep, his lack of rest last night was starting to show. "I think she'll work out her feelings eventually, but until then we need to keep this quiet. Not to mention the fact that the tabloids would be all over this if word got out."

The twins glanced at one another, obviously unsure. "You're the boss," they both responded in deference to his leadership role in the Zodiac.

"I just hope you know what you're doing," Gemi put in.

The leonine spirit looked more than a little uncertain. He could think of a dozen ways this decision might blow up in his face. Worse, it might end up causing Lucy even more pain, and that was the very last thing he wanted. He simply replied, "So do I…"