Pairing: Natsu x Jellal, Loke x Lucy (mentioned)

Warnings: Yaoi, boy x boy, slight angst

Disclaimer: You know the drill. I don't own Fairy Tail or its characters (but I waaaaant theeeeem~ /SHOT)

A/N: Wheeee~ I managed to finish another chapter (felt pretty long, actually) and we're back to Natsu and Jellal. I really love those two. I swear, I have a terrible habit of shipping Jellal with everyone, although I believe him and Natsu is one of my favorite choices. They're fun to write too.
Another little notice: There will STILL be more of these couples in the future, trust me. This is an ongoing project with no real ending to be honest. I might add in other pairings as well if people feel for it (as long as it does not break up the ones already in it). I actually have some in mind already~
Okay, commenting on the chapter itself... I made Loke and Lucy a couple. And no, Lucy is not against gay couples - she's just not too fond of hearing about her best friends' sex lives |D I think that's a pretty normal thing to feel. We can't all be yaoi fangirls, right?
Also... sorry for hurting poor Jellybean... AGAIN. Seriously, when I write stories with him, there's a 110% chance he'll be physically hurt at some point and, if it's yaoi, 90% chance he's a masochist. Even here. But really, with the women (and men) in his life, it's hard to see him being dominant. I dunno, he just struck me as that kind of character OTL I'm a horrible person.
But aaaanyway, enjoy another chapter. I promise it ends well~ Doesn't it always?

He was being avoided, without a doubt. It appeared that a certain bluehaired wizard was using every terrible excuse in Earthland history to leave Natsu to himself.

Or maybe not completely to himself, but as of late, Jellal had been slipping away more and more often for no apparant reason. His actions were a complete mystery.

It was not like there had been any warning signs or visible changes in Jellal's mood. Neither had there been anything obviously triggering this chain of avoidance. Rather, it had slowly escalated.

Yes, even at this time, Jellal's aloof behavior continued. With an irritated grunt, Natsu dropped down on the neatly made bed, tapping his fingers on his cheek before letting out a loud groan and ruffling his hair wildly.

"Aaaargh! This is driving me insane!"

The blonde girl stared at him questioningly before turning to the other male in the room. His triumphant grin and gleefully glistening eyes were, mildly put, disturbing.

"Pay no mind to lizard boy, Lucy." Gray's poorly hidden amusement was as unsettling as the snicker accompanying it. "Besides, it's probably just a lovers' quarrel."

"It ain't a quarrel," Natsu grumbled back, crossing his arms. "Though I wish it was. It'd be a lot easier to figure things out if he'd just yell at me or something!"

"What has he been doing then?"

With a loud whimper, Natsu laid down on his back, sliding off the bed until only his feet were still on it. He had a pretty good idea of how pathetic he looked.

"Jellal's avoiding me!" Natsu whined, clearly irritated. "One second he's there and then suddenly, he's gone! And he keeps telling me it's nothing, but how can it be nothing when we haven't slept together for-"

"Spare me the details," Lucy groaned, rubbing her temples. "I don't need that picture in my head, thank you. You probably did something to upset him."

"Did not!"

"Oh yeah?" Gray joined in, obviously enjoying the Dragon Slayer's despair. "I bet you forgot something important. Like your anniversary?"

"We passed half a year while we were on that mission last month. We..." Natsu paused, remembering Lucy's words about the details of their relationship. "...we celebrated it, okay?"

"His birthday?"

"He said he doesn't remember, so I bring gifts for him on mine."

"Then maybe you just suck in bed-"

"Thank you, Gray Fullbuster. That's enough from you."

Lucy had covered the upper part of her face with a hand, slowly shaking her head resignedly. Once done with her quiet complaining, she turned back to Natsu.

"If it's not something you did, maybe it's something you didn't."

"Meaning?"

"Meaning you haven't been spending a lot of time with him lately, have you?" Lucy raised a brow, hands on her waist. "Did you even consider that he just thought you needed room to have fun with other people?"

"...you think that's why he's angry with me? 'Cause I spend time with you guys?"

"You friggin' blockhead!" A loud smack sounded in the room as Gray hit his forehead with the palm of his hand. "He's not angry with you, idiot! Jellal's obviously doing his best not to hold you back from doing whatever it is you want! How dense can you even be?!"

Blinking, Natsu stared back at the ice wizard with a blank expression. Only seconds later, his eyes narrowed distrustfully. Trusting what Gray said always proved to be a bad idea...

"I have to agree with Gray here," Lucy admitted. "Jellal doesn't strike me as the type to be easily offended." She sighed before shaking her head at Natsu. "And I can't really imagine him throwing an angry tantrum, unlike certain others in this room."

"Now you mention it," Natsu pondered, unaware that he had just been insulted, "he never gets angry. Not even when I forget to bring in the laundry or clean the house or do the dishes or-"

The oher two looked at each other, both with wry smiles on their lips. With all the things Natsu seemingly forgot to do, it was a miracle Jellal still bothered dealing with him.

"That guy must really love Natsu, huh?" Lucy threw a glance at the Dragon Slayer, who was still busy listing things he had forgotten. "I doubt I could keep up with his temper and impulsive nature."

"You're right about that," Gray chuckled to himself. "Hell, I still find it hard to believe that Natsu can actually top anyo-"

"Butt out of my sexlife, you friggin' popsicle."

Natsu's keen senses struck again as he picked up on Gray's witty remark. His snarl made it clear that he did not find it funny.

"Like I'm interested in your lack of a sexlife, flame-brain," Gray snapped back. "When was the last time you even got any? Your boyfriend's been avoiding you, right?"

The two males were on the verge of getting into one of their notorious fights. On top of that, the lone female in the room had had about enough of their relationship banter.

"Shut up, both of you! I don't want to know anything!"

As the days went by, seeing Jellal, let alone speaking with him, became a less frequent happening. Was it really just because he wanted to give Natsu space? It was getting harder to believe everyday.

Natsu chose to believe. After all, if anyone in Fairy Tail knew about these things in relationships, it was Lucy. At least that seemed to be the common consensus among his guildmates.

Perhaps that was why Natsu once again turned to her as a teammate on his missions. Not only could he rely on her to back him up (whenever she and Loke was not being all lovey-dovey), but she also stood ready with advice on almost anything.

Lucy was, without a doubt, one of his closest and most important friends.

Having just returned from a mission with her, the two of them said their goodbyes at the station. Natsu had had a great time. Even as he wandered the road home alone, he was still in high spirits.

That changed, however, as he opened the door to his house.

He was met by darkness and deep silence. Frowning, he took a look around. It was quite strange. Happy tended to come back late, but surely Jellal would be home at this hour? Had he gone out on a mission too?

"...welcome home..."

His partner was indeed present. Lying on the couch, Jellal was looking at him with an expressionless face. Something was off, though. The look in his eyes was vulnerable, fragile even. It was not like him at all.

"Are you okay?" Natsu hurried over, kneeling down beside the bluehaired wizard before placing a hand on his forehead. "Are you feeling sick?"

"I am fine." A weak smile came onto his lips, though only for a moment. "Tell me about your mission. Did you have fun?"

"Well, yeah." Natsu pouted as Jellal sat up. The dark bags under his eyes made it seem that he had not slept for days. "You know, I'm really starting to wonder why you keep saying you're 'fine'. You look like shit."

"Really Natsu, I am fi-"

"You're not fine!"

Natsu's sudden roar caught Jellal off guard just as he was grabbed by the collar by the furious Dragon Slayer.

"You ignore me and say it's nothing. Okay. We don't go on missions together. Fine. We haven't slept together in almost a month. I can live with that."

Natsu could feel how his entire body shook in anger and frustration. This was not okay. Nothing was okay anymore. This was as far as he could go.

"But don't you dare tell me that you're fine and then look at me like that... like you're badly hurt. Like you're in pain! That's not 'being fine', got that?!"

Jellal remained speechless, even as Natsu let go of his shirt. Natsu only wished that his partner would stop looking at him with those eyes, filled with pain. That was not how they were supposed to look.

"I really don't think this is about you letting me be free to do as I please. Not anymore at least." Natsu looked down on his feet. "Even if Lucy said so..."

"Is that so? She is a clever one, that Lucy Heartfilia." The darkness that could be read in the older man's eyes only grew more intense as he continued. "And a beautiful girl too. Quite charming, is she not?"

"Yeah, she is. I know that, 'cause she's my friend." Natsu angled his head to better see his partner's face. "And that's it. Besides, she's all over Loke by now. Say, are you jealous of her?"

"No," Jellal replied calmly. "I acknowledge her importance in your life. It would be strange if I could not accept that. You two are truly close."

"Geez, you make it sound like I'd fall for her any second." Natsu immediately regretted his words, noticing how Jellal flinched for the briefest of moments. "Wait. You really believe that could happen, don't you?"

"Natsu, I cannot monopolize you or change who you are. Neither do I want to." Gently stroking his cheek, Jellal shot Natsu a sad smile before standing up. "But I have already changed you, from the day I agreed to go out with you. That is why you deserve the freedom to choose. This relationship is not normal, so even if you fall for someone else, I-"

"And people call me an idiot."

Standing on his toes to reach, Natsu wrapped his arms around the neck of his partner and kissed him softly. He wanted to assure the other that all those thoughts were ridiculous.

"Monopolize all you want, damn it. And be jealous too." Grumbling, Natsu affectionately poked his partner's nose. "It'd feel better if you did. I fell for you and not anyone else. I wanted this relationship. So quit thinking you're at fault for everything."

"Still... wouldn't it be a selfish thing to do?"

"Then be selfish. And low. And mean." Natsu smirked into the soft skin of the taller male's neck. "You still wouldn't be able to get rid of me. With all the people looking at you, I'm the more jealous one and besides..." He nipped at his partner's ear. "...I'm too stupid to understand 'normal', so there."

"I get the feeling that this is not worth arguing with you about." Jellal was finally being compliant, Natsu noted with a smug grin. "I am sorry to have troubled you."

With a snicker, Natsu licked along his boyfriend's ear while slipping one hand under his shirt. The other's shudder was far from enough to satisfy him.

"Say you're sorry one more time and I swear you won't be getting any sleep tonight."

In response to the teasing statement, Jellal nuzzled into the pink spikes tickling his nose. With a chuckle, he put a hamd on Natsu's hair as well.

"I figured as much. Sorry."

If there was something important Natsu felt that he learned about his partner after they had gotten so intimate, he could mention two things.

One: Though he was well aware of the regret Jellal felt regarding it, Natsu could only appreciate his partner's experience. He did not have to worry about looking like an idiot because, as Jellal now and then stated, his 'cluelessness was delightful'.

Second: Jellal was meant to be in control. When he let Natsu take the lead, he would follow as if he was simply drifting along - as if it was what he had wanted from the start. Sometimes Natsu wondered if he was somehow being manipulated, yet Jellal had never done anything to prove such a thought.

But when the bluehaired wizard deliberately took control - what a ride Natsu was in for. The man was already far too sexy just lying beneath Natsu, calling out his name in bliss. Before, Natsu would have thought this to be the limit.

Yet he was the one lying on his back this time, held down by a pair of strong hands and seemingly at the mercy of his partner. It felt like a challenge and that was something which fired Natsu up like a blazing inferno.

He might be able to push down Jellal if he put enough effort into it. Might. His partner was as strong as he was and if Jellal wished to keep Natsu pinned down, he could easily do so. Besides, why would Natsu even try to struggle?

Jellal was skillfully moving his hips in fluid motions, taking Natsu in before sliding almost free again. As far as Natsu knew, there was no comparison. This was real pleasure.

Not to mention the soft gasps and moans that came from boyfriend with each move told Natsu that Jellal was enjoying himself just as much. To Natsu, that was far more important.

Lifting his arms ever so slightly, Natsu felt the hands holding him down move away and onto his chest. Jellal had paused his movements, gazing down at Natsu with a mildly flushed face (though Natsu was positive that it was nowhere as red as his own).

"Are you alright?" Jellal sounded out of breath as he spoke. "Let me know if I am going too fast."

"No, no! It's fine, really!" Placing his own hand at the other's firm stomach, Natsu returned the gaze with a smile. "More like perfect. I just wanted to touch you, that's all."

"Oh."

"Wait, did that sound weird?"

"I don't think so." Leaning forward, Jellal moved closer to Natsu, their lips meeting in a loving kiss (Natsu quietly grumbling how their height difference was an advantage for Jellal). "I am just glad that you can put up with me."

"Put up with?" Natsu grinned, playing with a lock of his boyfriend's soft blue hair. "I don't think anything can top being with you."

"You can."

"Can what?"

Jellal tilted his head slightly, sending Natsu a warm smile with glistening eyes. Taking the Dragon Slayer's hand, he put it on his own cheek before answering.

"Top, being with me."

As the terrible pun finally reached Natsu's understanding, he went into a fit of uncontrollable snicker, holding on to his partner's hips to try and stay composed. It was rare to hear jokes coming from Jellal, but when they did, they were wittier than Natsu was used to.

"Technically, you're the one on top right now." Natsu let his hand feel the muscles under his palm from his partner's neck, across his ches, stomach and down to his abdomen. His strong legs, too, did not escape Natsu's attention. "You look great."

Jellal said nothing in response, only keeping his gaze locked with Natsu's, his eyes glistening. The older wizard seemed touched, yet somehow slightly distracted.

Grunting, Natsu sat up, less successful at holding in a moan caused by the pleasure the simple movement gave him than his partner was. His fingers grazed the marred skin of Jellal's back, finding every burn, every cut he could and telling them apart.

"Natsu-"

"You know, I kind of want to erase them," Natsu cut him off, his nails scraping lightly at one of the scars. "I hate the people that put them there. It's like... they're part of you still, but me... I'm not."

Still no response. Natsu guessed that Jellal was listening intently from the way he kept clenching slightly around him. Biting down on the bared collarbone, leaving marks from his sharp canines, Natsu glanced upwards, closely observing his partner's face as he scratched a bit harder.

"I told you I was jealous, right?"

"So you did. Do you find them that disturbing?"

Irritated at being met with uncertainty again, Natsu pulled down Jellal's head and forced him into a deep kiss, pushing his own hips upwards as well. They both had the need to gasp for air as they broke apart.

"How many times have I told you already that I don't care about your scars?" Natsu scolded, flicking his finger at the other's nose. "What I do care about is that you hate them so much. I want you to forget about them and that's why..." He breathed out, pouting. "...I want to replace them. Then maybe you'll think of me whenever you remember."

A warm smile appeared on Jellal's lips as he closed his eyes, wrapping his arms around Natsu's neck. He was shaking a bit, Natsu noted, though he could not tell what the reason for that was. Had he said something upsetting?

"Say, Natsu..." Jellal's voice was a mere whisper as he spoke, softly stroking a finger down Natsu's neck. "If I let you... would you?"

"Let me what?"

"Replace my scars?"

Natsu felt his jaw drop at the question, staring at his boyfriend in disbelief. It was quite obvious that there was only one way to replace such a thing as scars that old: Natsu would have to leave his own.

"...you're asking me to hurt you..."

"Yeah, I am."

Gritting his teeth, Natsu considered the thought in his mind. As much as he wanted to leave a lasting mark on Jellal so that he would never forget, hurting him was the last thing he wanted... especially with all that had happened in the past month. He had already caused the man pain as it was.

"I believe part of entrusting yourself to someone else includes getting hurt." At Natsu's shocked expression, Jellal put a finger to his lips before continuing. "It is not only about getting hurt, but finding relief for the pain together afterwards. I trust you, Natsu. I trust you to stay with me."

Natsu could find no words that seemed right for a response. Instead, he pulled Jellal closer into a loving embrace. His fingers dug slightly into the skin of his partner's back as a smile of pure happiness came on his lips.

"I won't betray your trust. I love you. Never, not even for one second, think that I'll let you go."

A soft whimper came from the older male as the hot water hit his back, flushing away the water and rinsing the bright red cuts on his back. The blood that had remained had already disappeared into the drain along with the water.

"I'm glad. Looks like it stopped bleeding."

Natsu took a damp piece of cloth, gently dabbing at the wounds and doing his best not to cause the other unnecessary pain. He had been through enough of that at this point.

As he carefully cleaned the even cuts, Natsu found himself stopping to gaze at his work. Going from each shoulder blade and almost down to his waist, two sets of claw marks had been carved into Jellal's skin. Having been placed on skin as damaged already as it was, chance was that the wounds would never disappear.

Then again, that had been the idea.

"Are you okay?"

Natsu pressed his softly kissed one of the cuts, tasting blood on his lips. It would take a while for the wounds to close up still and he was determined to care for the other as long as he had to.

"I am fine." Jellal turned his head to look over his shoulder and back at Natsu. At the frown that met him, he smiled warmly. "I am being honest, Natsu. I am fine."

"Doesn't it hurt?"

Jellal chuckled at the question, nodding before reaching for Natsu's hair and patting it lovingly. He was surprisingly calm, Natsu thought, considering his back had just been torn open.

"It does, but not as much as it would have if you had not been here." The bluehaired wizard carefully leaned back against his boyfriend, resting his head on his shoulder. "Thank you for being with me."

"That's really not something you should thank me for," Natsu grumbled, pulling Jellal closer to his own body. "I'd rather you tell me that you love me and promise not to ignore me again. I don't want anyone but you."

Jellal's lips parted in a bright smile as put his own hands on Natsu's and gazed into the golden eyes of the young Dragon Slayer.

"I love you, Natsu... and I believe in you."

"See? Much better!" Grinning, Natsu hugged the other male tightly, loosening his grasp a bit as the other groaned in pain as his wounds made contact with Natsu's burning skin. "Ah, sorry. I didn't mean to do that."

"Apology accepted."

Natsu narrowed his eyes at Jellal's teasing statement - he knew that was what he should take it as, considering that tiny smirk on his lips. Moving his hands further down the older wizard's body, he let out a deep sigh. He really did not want to let the other go even for a second. Having Jellal in his arms was the best thing he knew.

"You know what?" Natsu asked, rubbing his thumbs against the skin of his boyfriend's hips. "I just had a brilliant idea."

"What would that be?"

"Let's go on a mission with everyone. I kind of want to show Gray that I can do this sort of thing right."

"And just what is that 'sort of thing'?"

Nuzzling into the blue hair, Natsu breathed in deeply, taking in every detail of Jellal's scent mixed with his own. That was how it should be. That was what being united was like.

"Doesn't matter. It's not important. We are."