Hey guys! I want to thank all of the lovely reviewers that have left comments for me so far. You guys rock my world. A few of you were worried that I was going to parody the original storyline for the duration of the story. I just want to assure you that this couldn't be any further from the truth. UwU. I love how Natsu and Lucy met, so I did make the first chapter of the fic follow the first chapter of the manga. But from this chapter on, the story is all mine. The characters, however, are not. One day, Mashima. One day. Anyways, enjoy!

There they were, running as fast as they could to catch the bus to Magnolia. The police were hot on their heels, and a single slip up could land them in jail for some serious property damage. Lucy was torn between wanting to laugh in excitement at the face of danger and wanting to thrash Natsu for doing something as ostentatious as blowing up a yacht. She decided to go with the latter.

"Was there any way you could've handled them with a little more subtlety," She hissed. Natsu pulled her to a stop after they rounded the corner into an alleyway. He turned to her with a finger on his lips, telling her to quiet. They hunched down behind a dumpster, faces lit up with the red and blue lights as the police cars passed them. While Natsu listened for the passing of footsteps, Lucy took a moment to observe his face. His unique, incredibly attractive face.

Natsu had a jawline that was strong and squared and sharp enough to cut glass. His skin was tanned and healthy, dotted with freckles that were the most pronounced across the bridge of his nose. His eyes were some sort of unplaceable color. Either green or grey, but with flecks of gold? In the dark of the alleyway, they could've been black. They were rimmed with these enviable eyelashes, and something about them was slightly… predatory. In a good way. They were the kind of dangerous that made Lucy's toes curl and her breath quicken. But the most distracting of his features was his mouth. Pink and slightly chapped, but so utterly kissable. She could just lean in and…

Bad Lucy! She tore her gaze from his delectable lips, physically trying to shake herself out of the daze Natsu put her in. She found herself looking down at his chest instead. Anything to make herself stop thinking about his mouth. But the way his still-soaked tshirt clung to his insanely perfect torso only had her heart beating faster. Looking at Natsu was not safe, not at all. Fixing her eyes on the cat in her arms was much less risky. It was only when Natsu released the breath he'd apparently been holding that her heart had managed to slow down to some semblance of normal.

"They're gone for now," He breathed. "We can keep moving. The bus for Magnolia leaves in twenty minutes. The next one isn't until tomorrow morning, so we've gotta make it."

"Why does it sound like you've done this before," she asked, wary.

"Because I have," He answered bluntly. "Now are you coming or not?"

"Okay, okay."

They ran down the alley and made their way to the bus station, Happy humming as he nestled into Lucy's chest.

"You're kinda lumpy, but you're soft. Reeeeeeally soft."

"Shut it, cat," she muttered, face hot. "How can you even talk?"

"I'm magical. Duh," He said, as if that were the most obvious thing ever.

"Duh? Until a couple weeks ago, I didn't even think magic was real! How has it stayed a secret for so long? I didn't even think creatures like you existed. How-"

"Jeez, you talk a lot. You must be part pixie or something."

"Why you-"

"Shhhhh," Natsu hissed. He caged Lucy in against the wall as the slap of feet against the pavement became louder. Lucy probably should've been concerned about the nearing police officers, but all she could think about was the way he smelled. Like smoke, yeah, but not unpleasant. Instead of the typical stench of cigarettes, he smelled like a bonfire. Like burnt pine and ashen maple leaves. It was nice. Really, really nice. Maybe he shouldn't give up smoking.

Natsu moved to pull away but stopped when Lucy moved her head the slightest fraction of an inch, exposing her pulse point. The curtain of hair previously covering her neck no longer masked her scent, and it washed over him like a tidal wave. The beast inside him purred.

"You smell really good," He whispered, hot breath hitting her ear. Her knees trembled. The hunger in her gut was now clawing at her with a vengeance, and something was telling her that Natsu was the only one who could satiate it. She knew that she shouldn't be feeling like this. That it was just the succubus inside her that wanted him. But the tension was thick enough to cut with a knife, and Lucy couldn't move.

"You guys are squishing me," Happy squeaked. Natsu jumped back, and the spell was broken. He rubbed his neck awkwardly before grabbing Lucy's hand to pull her along. She couldn't help but to find the crimson that dusted the tips of his ears incredibly endearing.

Natsu pulled her along for a couple blocks before they arrived at a fence that stood ten feet tall. Natsu climbed over with ease, giving Lucy an expectant look from the other side. Lucy scowled before hitching a leg up and making her way up the chain link fence- in heels, no less. Lucy grumbled about how her boots were not designed for this, and Natsu pointed out that her boots weren't designed for anything other than being uncomfortable. She huffed as she dropped down to the other side, hating that she agreed.

When they finally made it to the bus station, they were disheartened to see police officers standing guard. Lucy started to panic. They were so going to get caught. She pulled him back around the corner to keep them hidden from sight before proceeding to flip shit.

"Natsu! What are we going to do? They'll definitely recognize us," she hissed. His face became stoic.

"Don't worry, Luigi. I've got a plan."

"It's Lucy, you- What are you doing," she deadpanned.

"It's my disguise," he said, his eyes implying an 'obviously.' Note that it was just his eyes, as the rest of his face was now covered up by the scarf wrapped around his head.

"I see that. My question is exactly what kind of disguise a scarf tied around your head is."

"Well, I'm a ninja. Nin-nin."

"This is so stupid. You're gonna get arrested for arson and they'll probably arrest me for being an accomplice. I can't go to jail, Natsu. I'd get shanked the first day," she whined.

"What are you even talking about? Put on some sunglasses, and stop freaking out. Now come on," he groaned, tugging on her hand.

Lucy slipped on her aviators before cramming a disgruntled Happy in her purse. She clenched Natsu's hand with bruising force, trying not to give off any visible signs of her internal turmoil. Her legs felt wobbly as they approached the entrance and the guards that stood in front of it. As they grew nearer, a guard put out a hand and signaled for them to stop.

"Sir, I'm going to need you to take those… bandages? Is that what they are," He looked to the other guard, unsure. "Whatever they are, I'm going to need you to take them off."

"I can't do that," Natsu replied bluntly.

"You what? Listen, sir, I don't think you understand how serious-"

"No, you don't understand. These aren't bandages. I'm wearing a ninja mask. You see, I'm a ninja. And if you take of my mask, you'll see my face. And everyone knows a ninja's face can't be seen because the universe would, like, implode or something. So, no. I'm not taking it off."

Lucy looked at Natsu in wide-eyed horror. This was his grand plan? Natsu was going to convince a grown man that he was a ninja? And that the fate of the universe relied on his identity not being exposed? Lucy started hyperventilating, her body steeling itself to launch into hysterics at any moment. She tried to tug on Natsu's hand and give him a meaningful look, but his full attention was fixed on the guard.

Natsu locked gazes with the officer for several moments, his eyes growing intense. It looked like an unspoken battle to see whose will was stronger. The guard gradually became less confident in his opposition. And, even though Lucy could only see his eyes, Natsu looked almost… smug. Soon enough, the guard broke eye contact. Natsu's presence after the guard's apparent defeat could only be described as dominating. Like a wild animal defending its territory. The entire exchange must've been less than thirty seconds, but Lucy couldn't have described it as anything other than unsettling.

"You may go," The police officer bit out, eyes averted. His partner gave him a look of disbelief, but it was promptly ignored. Lucy tried to give a thankful smile, but the guard refused to meet anyone's eyes.

Natsu and Lucy slipped inside, stopping to buy tickets before boarding the bus. After sitting down, Natsu unwrapped the scarf from his face and gave a sigh of relief while Lucy unzipped her bag to let Happy get some air. Natsu looked over at her with that megawatt grin of his, only to find her looking at him with apprehensive eyes. He returned the concerned look with one of his own.

"What? Do I have something on my face?"

"What happened back there," Lucy asked, voice low.

"I know the ninja stuff was a lie, but it's not that far from the truth. My mad karate skills-"

"You know that's not what I'm talking about," Lucy interrupted. Natsu sighed.

"It was nothing, really. Just an intimidation thing. Don't worry about it. He'll be fine."

Lucy wanted to press further, but decided against it. She hadn't exactly known him long enough to expect him to spill guts at the drop of a hat. It was undeniable that Lucy wouldn't exactly appreciate it if he had similar expectations.

"Hey," Natsu nudged her. "Do you have a lighter?"

"No. Besides, you can't smoke on the bus. You'll have to wait until we get to Magnolia."

"Why do you keep accusing me of smoking? I need the lighter because I'm hungry."

"And what? You're gonna eat the lighter? Just fess up. You're a smoker."

"I'm not a smoker! Jeez," He muttered, crossing his arms.

"Then why do you smell like a campfire," Lucy pressed. Natsu froze.

"What? I smell like a campfire," Natsu asked, slightly confused. Lucy blushed, wondering if that was a strange thing to tell someone.

"Well, yeah. I don't know how to describe it, but you smell like charcoal. Like smoke and burnt matches. I can't quite describe it, but that's as close as I can get."

As Natsu's eyes filled with some sort of realization, Lucy was pulled into her own thoughts. It wasn't until she had said it out loud that she'd really noticed her inability to verbally express the way Natsu smells. This was actually quite alarming. Never in Lucy's life had she been rendered unable to describe something. She was an English nerd, the school's "walking thesaurus." She should by all means be able to properly articulate the way a teenage boy smells.

"I think I finally get what you're talking about," Natsu said, pulling her from her thoughts. She arched an eyebrow, waiting for his big explanation.

"Your sense of smell is really good, right?" Lucy nodded, her mind flashing back to the vivid scents that had been invading her nose these past few weeks.

"Well, you're probably just able to smell what I am- which is pretty impressive by the way. I've only met a few people that could figure me out so easily, so kudos."

"What you are," Lucy asked, eyebrows pulling together as her mouth twisted in a frown. "What in the hell does that mean? You're not some kind of whacko that thinks he's an alien or something, right?"

"You're pretty new to this supernatural stuff, aren't you? I'll admit, I didn't catch that you were an SH when we first met. But I was hungry, and there was a bunch of food to eat…"

"An SH? What's an SH?"

"A superhuman," Natsu deadpanned, looking at her as if she were rather slow. "Please tell me that you know you're not all human. Because I don't want to be the one to give you 'the talk', if you know what I mean."

"I- I know. That I'm not, um… Yeah. So you're saying that you're the same as me?"

"Well, up to certain point. Just because we're both SH's doesn't mean we're the same type, or even the same class. It's like saying that we're both dogs, but not necessarily the same breed. You know what I mean?"

Lucy nodded, not particularly fond of being compared to a dog but finding it wasn't worth complaining about. Natsu seemed pretty satisfied with his explanation, but she only thirsted for more answers. What were classes and types? Where did he learn all of this? How many SH's were there? How many people like her were there? Lucy didn't want to annoy him with a game of twenty questions, so she shuffled through her many inquiries and chose the most pressing one.

"What kind of SH are you," she asked, trying not to sound demanding. He grinned.

"I'm Power class. Type: Dragon."

Lucy's eyes widened as she took in the new information. This reckless, hunky goofball was supposed to be a dragon? As in, guarding towers and breathing fire? Where were the wings and scales? The talons? The vicious teeth? The only dragon-like thing about him was the slight point to the tip of his canines. The rest of him looked human. Strangely-colored human hair, bronzed human skin, piercing human eyes… She'd thought that he had a wild edge to him, but had never expected him to be a beast in the skin of a very attractive teenage boy.

"You're a dragon? As in a dragon, dragon? The kind that flies around and battles knights in shining armour kind of dragon?"

"I'm not a storybook dragon, so no lame clichés. I'm only part dragon, meaning I don't have talons or wings or anything like that."

"Part dragon," Lucy repeated skeptically. "How exactly does that work?"

"Well, when a dragon and a human get it on-"

"Ew," Lucy shrieked. "Are you serious?!" Natsu broke out in a full-bellied laugh.

"He's messing with you," Happy whispered from the bag, trying to remain inconspicuous. Lucy fixed a glare on Natsu, and he smirked.

"You're so gullible. Okay, so what really happened is a clan of warriors hunted the last dragon back in the eighth century. Somehow, against all odds, they actually managed to kill it. Afterwards, they cooked the dragon and ate its meat. Somehow the dragon's powers were transferred over to those who ate it and down through the generations. It's only the descendants of those warriors that have these powers. And I'm one of them."

"That's crazy," Lucy breathed. "So you have some kind of dragon superpower?" Natsu gave a bitter laugh and fixed her with a wistful glance.

"Superpower is a bit of a stretch. Most people actually think it's a curse. The clan's punishment for killing the last ever dragon."

"Are you," Lucy paused, not wanting to say something stupid. "Are you sure it was the last dragon?"

"No one's ever seen one since, so I doubt there was another. I've always wondered, though. If there's a dragon still out there."

He looked out the window, deep in thought. His face was much more serious than she'd seen it before, and he seemed to be in deep contemplation. Lucy wanted to say something, but had no idea what proper etiquette would dictate she say. I'm sorry that you're cursed because of your ancestors? A crackle of the bus's speakers made itself known before she could offer any condolences.

"Attention all passengers. Boarding is now closed on Bus 77 to Magnolia. I repeat, boarding is now closed on Bus 77 to Magnolia. Please sit down and enjoy your trip." Shortly after the announcement, the bus jolted forward and began the route to their destination.

Lucy looked over at Natsu, expecting excitement that the bus was finally moving. Instead, he looked a little… green. Really green, actually. He looked nauseous bordering on violently ill. Lucy was worried that he might actually start throwing up.

"Natsu? Are you okay? You look sick," she said, concerned.

"I'm," he stopped to give a dry heave. "I'm just motion sick. That's all."

"Gosh. Um, I have some crackers in my purse," she looked down to see a sleeping Happy peeking out of the top of her bag. She really didn't want to wake him.

"It's fine. I just need to sleep," he groaned.

Lucy nodded, thoughtful, before clearing her hair off the left side of her neck and tilting her head to the right. She looked at Natsu expectantly, but he just stared back in confusion.

"Well," Lucy drawled. "Are you gonna sleep or what?"

"Wait, I-" If Natsu wasn't so green, she would've sworn he was blushing. "You want me to sleep on you?" Lucy rolled her eyes.

"I've slept on several buses these past few weeks, and it sucks. The windows rattle so much that there's no way to lean your head on them comfortably. So yes, I want you to sleep on my shoulder. But just because you're sick," She said, blush dusting her cheeks. Natsu attempted a grin before laying his head on her shoulder. He shifted around a few moments, restless.

"I can't sleep," he grumbled. Lucy sighed.

"Well, I had a couple more questions anyways. Maybe that'll get your mind of the bus driving?"

"Shoot."

"About your powers, erm, I mean curse. What exactly can you do?"

"I can run really fast. And I'm stronger than most people. But the cool one is fire."

"Fire? What about fire?"

"Anything to do with fire. I can make it, breathe it, even eat it- that's why I was asking if you had a lighter earlier. I'm even immune to it. It's impossible for me to get burned."

"Wow. So if you can make fire, then why don't you just eat your own?"

"Ew. That'd be like drinking your own sweat when you're thirsty instead of getting water."

"Oh," she murmured, grimacing at the image.

"Anything else," he asked, voice shaky.

"Where are we going? I know we're headed to Magnolia, but where are you taking me after that?"

"To my school. It's a secret place for SH's our age. They teach us about our kind and how to blend in with humans. I'm not so good with the," he gagged. "With the blending in part."

"What school is it? How do they keep an entire school a secret?"

"The school itself isn't really a secret. It's just that nobody outside of the academy knows what goes on inside. The school is actually pretty well known. Have you ever heard of FAEA?"

"FAEA? As in, the Fiore Academy for Extraordinary Adolescents, FAEA? The prestigious private school with a 2% admissions rate? That FAEA?"

"Yup."

"Wha- Why? When. I can't. How long has FAEA been a school for superhumans?"

"Since always. The school was founded in the 70's for teens like us. Think of it as Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters. Except super top secret."

"You like X-men," Lucy asked, curious.

"It's only the best comic book franchise of all time," he said, voice less lifeless than before. "And Gambit is one of the best superheroes ever."

"Gambit? I pegged you as a Cyclops guy. Or maybe Wolverine…"

"Are you kidding? Wolverine's pretty awesome, but Gambit is the best X-Man by far."

"No way," Lucy contested. "Rogue is the best, hands down. There's not even a competition." Natsu grinned.

"Rogue is pretty badass. But Gambit's better. We're going to have to continue this conversation when I don't feel like barfing all over your lap."

"That sounds good. The conversation, that is. Not the puking."

Natsu gave a weak nod, whining when the bus hit a pothole and turning his face into her neck. Lucy's shoulders stiffened, and she tried not to think of how warm his lips were as they brushed her skin ever so slightly. His agonized groans distracted her as they went over a bumpy road. She reached her right hand over to rub soothing fingertips through his hair along his scalp, like her mother used to do when she was sick. Natsu sighed, the tension in his brows easing as Lucy worked her magic. Soon enough, his soft snores were muffled against her throat.

As lights overhead dimmed and the bus driver flipped the radio over to smooth jazz, Lucy's eyelids felt heavy. She had just had one of the longest, most eventful days of her life. Between locating the fortune teller and Bora's sham of a party and making a getaway with Natsu, this was the first time Lucy had really gotten to rest. Lucy should've been trying to process this new information- that she was more than human. That she was a succubus. That her entire life was now undeniably different. But sleep called to her, singing the sweetest of siren songs. Besides, her brain was too tired to digest this right now. She needed to rest first. And the bus ride was going to be six hours long, so…

Within moments, Lucy Heartfilia was asleep.

Thank you for reading! Expect a new chapter next Monday. :) Until then, review and hit that follow button. Au revoir!