REVIEWS!

I got reviews! Veeeeery soon after I posted my second chappy I got not one—but TWO reviews! Oh yea! Lookit me! Ty so, so much Shipper9000 and Fanficlove2014 ! You two have driven me to begin (possibly finish...?) chappy 3 and it has not even been 24 hours since I posted chapter 1!

Btw, am I the only one having a rough time readjusting to a full keyboard after nothing but tablets and smartphones over the past couple years? I mean, where's the damn question mark? XD |?|

Fanficlove2014 (yes, he can't seem to get her dry! Some fire mage!)

Rated M.

M is for MATURE people.

If I can pretend to be, then you can too.

DISCLAIMER: I OWN NOTHING! *sob* However sometimes I wonder if Mashima-sama used to follow me around and take character ideas from my friends and I.

At least let a girl dream!

Mmmm... tacos...

Chapter 3

You Scratch my Back

and I'll Scratch Yours

Natsu was gone as soon as he heard the bucket tip over. How could I have forgotten about that damn prank! Ugh! As he ran back down the street, he came back across Gray and Juvia. She was holding his jacket with a pouty face while Gray was putting his pants back where they belonged. It seemed that Erza had already left the scene.

"Yo Flamebrain," Gray called out, "What'd you do anyway, push her in?"

"Who you callin' Flamebrain, Frosty?!" The fact that he caused Lucy's second drenching of the evening struck too close to home for Natsu's comfort, and he was down for a fight if the ice-make mage was ready.

Then the rain woman stepped in between the two of them (causing them both to lower their fists), a thoughtful finger to her lips. "Juvia does not think Natsu would push Love Rival into the river. He plays around, but Natsu would never mean harm to Love Rival."

They were quiet for just a bit, then Natsu took a step toward the blunette, "Hey Juvia, would you mind helping me out with one more thing?" He grinned and scratched his head, "I'd totally owe you a major favor!"

"Uhh..." Juvia blushed, hugging Gray's coat a little tighter to her chest.

Gray folded his arms and raised a brow.

^.^

A sparkling clean Celestial mage stepped out of her much needed shower, a soft smile graced her lips. Plue had made it home and was enjoying pushing around a ball in the bedroom. She watched him for a little while before walking to her dresser, pulling out a red night gown bordered with white lace and slipped it on. She didn't want to wear her typical pajamas, they would rub up against her very red shoulders and back. Her shower had had to be much cooler than she preferred because of those unwanted sunburns.

Plue stood up and waved to her. Lucy smiled back at him.

"Thank you for all your help today Plue. You have a good night!"

With that, Plue vanished back to the spirit world in a puff of white smoke. His master sighed a breath of relief. Her magic energy was nearly spent after having his gate open for nearly the entire day.

Ugh! These burns are really bugging me! Lucy walked back to the bathroom and grabbed her bottle of aloe vera from the cabinet and returned to her room and sat on the bed; she briefly hung her head between her legs to bundle her hair in the towel that had been wrapped around her body a few moments ago. Sitting back up straight, she sighed contentedly, squeezing some gel into her hands. Lucy's brown eyes followed her fingers as she rubbed the gel over her shoulders and arms. The medicine felt so cold on her skin! The mage started rubbing the back of her neck and grunted as she started reaching for her back.

Imagine how startled Lucy was when she heard Loke's voice ask her, "I would be more than happy to help you with that, Love."

Her eyes went wide as she screamed, pure instinct took over and she launched several things aimed (dead on too, I might add) for the Celestial Spirit's head:

An almost full bottle of aloe vera

A pleasantly thick book

A house slipper

An alarm clock, a ding signaling that it met it's target

The house slipper's mate

A note pad (paper cuts are NOTHING to scoff about)

The note pad's pen

AAAAAND

Plue's bouncy ball.

Every one of those items were within her reach when the Lion Spirit intruded on her solitude. She was breathing heavily and reaching for her pillow when she heard Loke's voice again.

"Oooowww..." he rubbed his head, a few fresh bumps protruding from his sandy hair. "You know, a simple 'No thank you' would have sufficed!" Loke stood back up straight and readjusted his suit and glasses.

"Get out Loke!" Lucy's voice sounded rather menacing.

Leo the Lion chuckled at her, "Just wanted to help," he lifted his glasses above his eyes for a moment to add, "by the way, might I add that you look absolutely ravishing in that nightie? You should wear those to bed more often..."

Lucy yelped and chunked her pillow at him; however it did not meet it's mark, no, it simply went through Loke's puff of smoke to make contact with the wall. Alone again, Lucy sighed at the intrusion, placing her elbows on her knees and her face in her hands, she sat there in an attempt to get back to her happy place.

^.^

A certain fire dragon slayer was rather proud of himself as he leapt up the tree holding a parcel while doing so. However, he stopped midway from branch to window latch when he saw what was happening inside. Thank Mavis Happy went back to the guild with Erza...

He couldn't help but recall his lips on her's when he saw Lucy rubbing some weird stuff all over her arms and shoulders. Her back was facing him and he admired the rich red color of the night gown she wore, and how it complimented the sweet pale skin it covered—well, the parts that weren't singed with red. His face started taking on it's own tint of red while he squatted there, frozen, remembering how soft her lips and skin were.

Out of no where popped Loke, right in her bedroom! A low growl came over Natsu as he watched the Celestial Lady's Man attempt to speak with Lucy.

Then this quickly turned into the best moment of Natsu's whole day!

If either one of the two in the house had of bothered glancing out the window (Loke was indeed facing his direction, but the lion's eyes were glued on his master, much like Natsu's had been), they would have seen a muted pink haired dragon slayer flat on his back laughing his ass off from his tree branch.

Man! Luce threw everything she HAD at him! He isn't even worthy of a Lucy kick!

Recomposing himself, even wiping a few tears from his eyes, he dared going in.

"Luce?" Natsu announced his presence as he deftly swung himself from window seal to bed without ever stepping on her white comforter. Indeed she did jump a tad, but she was too worn out from all the day's happenings to react violently again.

She turned her head all the way opposite of him, crossing her arms with her back rigid. "I'm still mad at you ya know."

Natsu nervously chuckled and scratched his head, "Yea... sorry about that... it was supposed to be funny."

"For you..." his partner still wouldn't look at him.

This room smells funny. Must be that stuff she was rubbing on.

"Luce," Natsu took her shoulder in a gentle attempt to get her to look at him but released it immediately when he heard her hiss in pain. Then Natsu (finally) connected the dots, looking to her red shoulders, then to the bottle on the floor. He got up—his partner couldn't help but curiously watch what he was doing from the corner of her eye—and picked the aloe vera off the floor. Lucy glared at him, holding out her hand.

"Give it back."

"Geez, your room's a mess Luce."

"Give me that!" Lucy stood up still holding out her hand.

Natsu grinned, "What does a sunburn feel like anyway? I've always wondered what people complain about."

Lucy groaned and marched over in an attempt to snatch it from him, but he pulled it away right before she made contact so she stumbled into him instead. Of course he caught her, but he did not find it gratifying when she again hissed in pain. "A sunburn hurts Natsu."

"And this funny smelling stuff helps...?"

"Yes!"

"Okay then." Natsu started to turn her around but Lucy wouldn't budge, a look of supreme stubbornness on her face.

Fortunately, a dragon is much, much more stubborn.

Natsu looked at her with the same determined expression he had when they were underwater and lifted her by the hips, it being a part of her Natsu figured he could touch without hurting her, and sat her on the bed.

Lucy yelped but did not argue further though her expression told the tale of her wanting to and crossed her arms with her back rigid again. Natsu watched her for a moment then made the best out of a bad situation and sat behind her with her backside between his legs, then he squeezed the stuff out into his hand and started applying it to her back.

Try as she might, Lucy couldn't help but let out a sigh of relief as the much needed medicine finally made it to her back. Natsu gulped at the sound inwardly as a heat ran up him that had nothing to do with his magic.

"Natsu?"

He cleared his throat, "Yea Luce?"

"How come you aren't all wet?"

Natsu chuckled and leaned forward onto her back, bringing his arm in front of his partner from below her arm and lit a tiny flame that danced between his fingertips. "Fire mage." He spoke gently, his lips being so near to her ear. "I haven't actually needed a towel since my apprenticeship."

"Oh." He could tell that she blushed.

"Hey Luce!" Natsu bounced off the bed, finally handing her the bottle of aloe vera. "I got something for you!" *Yea just like that, moment's gone! Sorry my lovely Nalu fluffernutters!*

She tried to be mad at him, she really had, but Natsu looked so excited suddenly that she couldn't help but chuckle. "What is it?"

Natsu patted his vest, actually visually checked it when he didn't feel it there. Then he stared out the window for a sec and smiled when he saw the parcel still out there on the tree branch. He kicked his sandals off and stood on Lucy's bed and reached through the window for it.

The excited mage placed a big, perfectly dry, folded up sheet of fabric on Lucy's lap and grinned.

Lucy smiled brightly, "The fabric Mira found for me!" She squealed, really, she squealed. It hurt Natsu's ears something fierce. She made up for it though, because soon she looked up at her partner with teary eyes and stood up to embrace him in a tight and grateful hug. The beautiful material Natsu had dried so carefully tumbling to the floor.

Neither of them cared at the moment. Natsu closed his eyes and wrapped his arms against the thin silk between his arms and her waist. Around his Lucy.

My Lucy.

Lion cub better be watching this.

Mine.

There's some lovely fluffehness for you! I hope you enjoyed it. Again, I REALLY enjoyed writing it, and I really, really love sharing it with you. If anyone knows a Nalu community looking to recruit a dirty noob, tell them about me! ^.^ I promise I'll bathe b4 the interview! XD OH YEA! BTW, I know that Lucy prefers baths-you try taking a warm bath while covered in a fresh sunburn! No fun I tell ya!

Well there ya go! Chapter three is out in less than 24 hours time since Chapter one! I spoil you so much! *sneaks a cookie to you from under the table* Shhh! It'll be our lil secret! I may take a break from writing, thinking about drawing a picture to use as a cover art. However I doubt I'd even make it 48 more hours before I will feel the need to post more. ;)

Much love,

naughty things,

and tacos.

Seri!