The trip back to Magnolia was awkward to say the least. The tension between Gray and Juvia was so thick you could cut it with a knife. Not to mention, all the women were pissed at Gray and would shoot him a glare any chance they got. When they returned to the guild everyone went their separate ways, mumbling a few goodbyes. The girls all exchanged looks meaning they would meet at fairy hills later to talk once they got settled.
"Man Gray sure knows how to ruin a good trip" Natsu said absentmindedly.
"Need I remind you that we were actually the first ones arguing on said trip."
"Hey don't flip this on me! We made up" Natsu said frantically, not wanting to fight again.
Lucy giggled at his reaction. "Relax, we're good. I just feel so bad for Juvia. If you ever did something like that to me I'd never speak to you again."
Natsu scoffed "As if I'd ever be as big an idiot as ice prick."
They arrived at Lucy's apartment and Natsu carried both of their things inside.
"Besides" he continued while putting their bags on her bedroom floor. "Grays an idiot just acting out cause he's scared of Juvia getting close to him. Personally, you could be under my skin, and i'd still want ya closer"
Lucy began tearing up at his sweet words and shocked him with an abrupt embrace.
"Oh no what I say now. I'm sorry Luce I didn't mean to make you cry! I just meant-"
Lucy silenced him by pressing his lips on his own in a passionate kiss.
"Oh Natsu, sometimes you can say the sweetest things without even realizing." She leaned back in and kissed him again.
Natsu hungrily deepened the kiss, exploring her mouth with his tongue. Since they had their sex talk, they hadn't gone that far, but their makeout sessions were getting more and more heated.
Lucy moaned into Natsu's mouth as he laid them on her bed causing him to groan. He slid his hands up and down her sides, slightly hiking up her shirt with each brush, feeling more of her creamy skin with each caress.
"Your skin is the best thing I've ever felt." Natsu said huskily gazing deeply into Lucy's eyes causing her to blush at the intensity.
Without responding verbally, never breaking eye contact, Lucy took Natsu's hand and slowly guided it under her shirt so that he was now palming one of her breasts. They both moaned at the contact and again when Natsu gave an experimental squeeze. Natsu's eyes slightly darkened. He's touched her breasts before, but it was never like this. Lucy looking at him with such intimacy and pleasure as he caressed her was a memory he hoped to burn into his mind forever.
"You are absolutely the greatest thing I've ever touched." he said breathlessly before softly caressing her lips with his own again as he massaged her breast. Lucy moaned at the sensation, it escaping both of their mouths as they kissed. Natsu groaned and started kissing down her neck, Lucy's moans only spurring him further.
Natsu slid up her shirt with his free hand and began to suck on the other breast that sprung free. Lucy started moaning uncontrollably at Natsu's assault as he licked and sucked on her breast like it was the best thing he'd ever tasted.
"You taste so good… I just want to taste all of you." He groaned into her chest. His instincts boiled inside him drawing him closer and closer to the intoxicating scent between her legs that had been growing stronger since they started kissing. He wondered if it tasted as good as it smelled. Before she knew it, Natsu was between her legs. Her underwear was gone before she was even able to register their new position. Her on her back with Natsu laying his face between her eyes. Somewhere deeper inside he knew he should be going slower but it was as if his body was moving n it own, drawing him to the intoxicating scent.
Lucy, her head still spinning from the whirlwind of foreign pleasure she could barely react.
"N-Natsu, what are you, ooouuha"
Her sentence was cut short as Natsu started tongue kissing her folds, making her feel sensations she never thought possible. She started moaning out of control and grasping Natsu's hair for dear life.
Natsu was in heaven, her soft bare thighs against his face, listening to her moan and watching her squirm in pleasure beneath him as her breast heaved up and down. He wrapped his arms around her thighs and began sucking and lapping around her clit and Lucy's eyes rolled in the back of her head. She was close and without even realizing it, started grinding her clit sloppily against Natsu's tongue while gripping his hair, aching for release.
Natsu had never been so hard in his life watching her become undone like this. He started massaging her thighs and ass encouraging and allowing her to guide him to her release. Then something in her snapped, and she began gyrating, cumming hard on Natsu's face. They both sat up panting. Natsu wiped his
face off, grinning while Lucy looked off bashfully, a little embarrassed at what level she just lost control.
She read about oral sex before in plenty of books but for one, she never knew it would be that good, and two she would've never guessed Natsu knew how or that her allowing him to touch her breast would lead to it.
Natsu gazed up hungrily at Lucy. That was the hottest thing he ever experienced. His body wanted more. He climbed back up Lucy's body until his face was even with hers. Lucy moaned as he dove his tongue into her mouth allowing her to taste herself. Lucy was overwhelmed with ecstasy when suddenly her phone started ringing. Specifically it was the special ringtone she assigned to Erza.
This snapped Lucy from her lust filled daze with Natsu.
"Natsu" she slightly moaned, pushing her off of him, now struggling to pull her shirt back down as Natsu continued his assault on her neck. "I have to get that"
"Just ignore it" he groaned, still nuzzling her neck, not wanting to stop.
"It's Erza. And if I don't answer she'll come looking for me."
At this revelation Natsu immediately stopped his kisses and caressed and allowed Lucy to retrieve her phone. Natsu didn't have all the answers but he knew the last thing he wanted was Erza busting in white he had Lucy moaning, thinking she was in trouble.
"Hello?" Lucy said, grabbing her phone off the nightstand by her bed. "Oh yeah I'm still coming, I must have lost track of time. Ok be there soon bye." She hung up and placed her phone back on the nightstand.
Natsu stared at Lucy, one of his hands still casually on her waist, waiting for her to report what was going on.
"I've gotta go. I forgot I was supposed to meet the girls at Fairy Hills to talk with Juvia. She's still hurting over what happened." She abruptly stood and started rearranging her clothes back to their proper position. Blushing slightly as she pulled her skirt down reminiscent of what they had just done.
"Can't you do that some other time" Natsu whined
"All the girls are already there and I want to make sure I'm there for her too. I love you, I'll see you later or tomorrow" Lucy quickly pecked Natsu on the lips and rushed out the door.
She had to admit she was grateful Erza called when she did. Things with Natsu were getting a little too heated and she wasn't sure if she was ready to take that next step yet. The way he looked at her made her feel like he was going to devour her, and the extremely hard bulge in his pants was both thrilling and terrifying. Erza gave her the perfect out before things went too far.
Meanwhile Natsu was left at Lucy's apartment contemplating if he had gone too far. They were supposed to be taking things slow and what they had done was the furthest thing from that. He decided they would probably talk about it later. Hedecided to go to the guild in the meantime, but not before taking an ice cold shower to try and calm down his now ridiculous erection. Natsu had never been so hard in his entire life. Lucy would no doubt be the death of him.
When Lucy got to fairy hills, all of the girls were there. Juvia was bringing Levy and Mira up to speed on what happened when Lucy entered the room while Erza gave her murderous side commentary. She also, as usual being vigilant Erza, was the first to notice my presence.
"Lucy there you are! I was about to come find you!" She said gesturing for me to sit in the spot they saved for me in the beanbag chair circle they made.
The girls were all sitting in a circle in the Fairy Hill's main lounge on their own massive bean bag chairs. In the center of the circle was a small table filled with comfort food snacks. It was a full blown girly emotions fest. Lucy happily took her seat next to Erza in her pink beanbag. Even though the situation they were meeting over was a sad one, she still enjoyed it when the girls all got together like this. It gave her that sense of sisterhood that she longed for growing up.
"Sorry I'm so late! Me and Natsu got a little caught up." Lucy flushed, still a little embarrassed at what they had done.
This didn't go unnoticed by any of the girls.
"Okayyyyy" Mira winked, catching on. "We'll come back to that but for now back to Juvia's story"
Lucy smiled, she knew her friends wouldn't be letting her off the hook but for now she'd much rather focus on Juvia too.
Juvia smiled at Lucy joining them. Regardless of the state of her own love life, she was happy to see her friend happy.
"Ok, back to Juvia's gloom."
All the girls waived her off expressing that her feelings were normal for what she was going through, encouraging her to continue.
"Juvia is just at a loss. Juvia has only been good to Gray-sama. Why would he so carelessly hurt Juvia so cruelly. Especially after showing Juvia so much care before." Juvia began to tear up, causing a bit of thunder to ring from outside. The girls were all positive it was now pouring rain in Magnolia.
"Well.. Natsu made a comment earlier that I think may give you some insight." Lucy said, wanting to ease her friend's sorrow.
Juvia nodded, giving Lucy her full attention eager for some kind of answers to make sense of everything.
Lucy hugged her legs in her bean bag chair, her brows creased as she tried to find the bet way to word what she was trying to say.
"Natsu said something about being afraid of letting you get too close." She paused, leaving out the sweet words that completed his thought. She felt now wasn't the best time to brag about how sweet Natsu was at her friend's expense. "I think it may have something to do with his past and grief with Ur. Maybe he doesn't want you too close because he's afraid of the pain of loosing someone he loves that deeply again?" Lucy concluded.
The girls all sat for a moment, considering Lucy's insight. It was something none of them considered. Mira was the first to respond.
"I mean.. I get that. I was devastated when I thought I lost Lisanna. Heck, we've all lost someone or something dear to us before." Mira crossed her arms thoughtfully shifting o her legs.
The girls all nodded, agreeing with her words and urged her to continue.
"I mean.. Natsu lost his parent too but that doesn't stop him from loving Lucy. At least not that i've seen, correct me if I'm wrong Lucy" Mira furrowed her brow, not wanting to jump to conclusions.
"Lucy nodded in agreement. No you're definitely right about that. But I guess I'm looking at it from the perspective of, Natsu may have lost Igneel. He even felt abandoned by him. But once all the Dragon Slayers actually got to see their dragons again. They at least got their closure on it all. Which I'm sure is what helped that part of them heal." Lucy thoughtfully placed her finger on her chin.
"I only vaguely know what you guys are talking about because I've been trying not to eavesdrop," Wendy said, wandering into the room with Carla floating behind her. "But Lucy is right about that at least from my perspective. I was lost, hurt and felt abandoned when Grandine disappeared. But when I learned she was always with me and why she left in the first place, those feelings were replaced with love and gratitude."
The girls all greeted Wendy happily and thanked her for her insight.
"I'm gonna head to the guild. This conversation seems a little too mature for me. I'm glad you guys made it back safe from your mission." She smiled running out the door with Carla in tow.
The girls all laughrd and waved their goodbyes to their younger friend. It was true, she wasn't old enough to join the circle yet regardless of the tenrou skip, but still they appreciated her input.
"Wendy basically took the words right out of my mouth" Lucy continued "Natsu and the dragon slayers got their answers to make peace within themselves, and Gray may have gotten his answer too, but the core of that was him blaming himself. Maybe he's afraid to hurt someone like that again. You've showed that you'd put your life on the line for him countless times Juvia. Which is beautiful. But maybe that's what he fears most" Lucy inferred.
"Ohhhh" the girls all nodded understandingly.
"Damn Lucy, that was insightful as hell." Levy said, applauding her friend.
"Buuuut don't get me wrong" Lucy stood to emphasize her point. "That isn't an excuse for Gray and his behavior. If that's even how he feels, he needs to be able to communicate it with words and deal with it. Instead of using bad behavior to push you away so he can avoid his core issue. You also can't force someone to face something. Nor should you wait around to do it. I know how your mind works Juvia and you may think loving him harder will heal him but what you really need to do is walk away so he can face it by himself. Even if it hurts" Lucy pointed in the air philosophically while standing on a pretend soap box.
The girls all snapped their fingers as if they just finished watching a poetry performance.
"Juvia agrees… It just breaks Juvia's heart. If Juvia could, she'd be with Gray-sama right now"
The girls all nodded sympathetically.
"I will force Gray to face himself even if i have to beat it into him." Erza declared with a deadly glint in her eye at seeing her friend in such despair.
"I dont think it works that way either." Levy's sweat dropped. "But if anyone can talk some sense into him its you."
The girls all nodded agreeing. I mean, it was Erza. Also on top of her being extremely strong and scary, she was also like a big sister to Gray. She cared about his well being just as much as she did Juvia's. She hated seeing him sabotage his own happiness like this.
"But also Juvia," Mira chimed in "I think Lucy is right about what she said you should do. In the meantime, just try to move on with your life. Focus your love back on yourself. If he comes around, cool, but don't wait on him. By the time you feel whole again, who knows how you may even feel about him. Don't leave it all in his hands. You're a beautiful, caring, and loyal woman. There are many who would be grateful for your love. Whether Gray sees that or not. You're also not alone. We'll be here for you"
Juvia started to cry harder causing the rain outside to pour more. This time, they were tears from being overwhelmed with care she never felt before.
"Thank you all for showing Juvia that she does not need Gray-sama to have love in her life. She already has it in her nakama." Juvia smiled at her friends tearfully.
"Awww Juvia, we love you, we'll always be here for you." All the girls said while walking over to Juvia's beanbag to embrace her in a hug.
They spent the rest of the day in the fairy hills common lounge watching movies and trying their best to distract Juvia from her heart break. Although she was heartbroken, she was grateful to at least have her friends.
"You're a real dumbass you know that?" Natsu said plopping down at the bar by Gray.
"Not now flame brain, I'm not in the mood"
Natsu ignored him and tried to order his usual drink from Mira only to be met with Gajeel.
"What the hell are you doin behind the bar? Where's Mira!"
Gajeel leaned on the bar annoyed. "Well because of whatever ice idiot did, Mira called off the rest of the week to be there for Juvia. The master moved me from music duty to bar duty so I can't even play my new guitar. It's also pouring rain, so thanks for that too, jackass." Gajeel turned his back grabbing 2 beer mugs.
"All I serve is beer. Take it or leave it." He slid a mug to Natsu and one to Jellal who was on the other side of Gray.
"Oh hey Jellal what are you still doing here!" Natsu noticed his presence. He was too busy with his annoyance at Gray for his situation causing Lucy to leave while things were getting good.
"Yeah" He responded nonchalantly "I'm going to be here for a while to do some restoration work for the master from the war. The Master is letting me rent the apartment upstairs"
"That project has been happenin for a year now. You don't fool me, you're here for Erza." Natsu said smugly, taking a sip of his beer.
Jellal's cheeks slightly reddened, not expecting that response. "You're more perceptive than I remember." He said under his breath, but Natsu heard him anyway thanks to his dragon slayer hearing.
"Yea, I guess Luce has been rubbing off on me. Also since when is there an apartment in here"
"It was included in the upgrades when the guild hall was rebuilt for members like Guildarts who leave for extended time periods and don't want a long term lease. There are like 3. It was the shrimp's idea." Gajeel chimed in
"Also speaking of Lucy, Gray you and your dumbassness completely ruined things with me and Lucy earlier!"Natsu glared at him, remembering his anger.
"What the hell are you talking about flame brain" Gray said dismissively. He meant it when he said he wasn't in the mood.
"I was actually about to get some. Then Erza called, insisting she come to fairy hills so they could talk to Juvia or whatever." Natsu huffed.
The 2 men waved him off mumbling things about him being an idiot that didn't even know what that meant. Even Jellal disregarded him, although he wasn't as harsh.
This made Natsu's blood boil a bit. They really all thought he was that oblivious. Granted, he was a bit, but he still had his instincts and he knew how to follow them. Natu began explaining to them the events that happened up until Erza's call.
The 3 men all sat there shocked and a bit dumbfounded. None of them knew Natsu had it in him. They had to admit, they were impressed that he actually made her cum on his first try.
"I-I don't even know what to say to that." Jellal said still a bit shocked. More so because he never thought Natsu would get further with Lucy than he did Erza. Not that he was comparing, but I mean it's Natsu.
"Well salamander, you're more of a man than I thought." Elfman chimed in who sat at the bar next to Natsu not too long ago.
Gajeel just shrugged in agreement.
"Sorry my crisis interrupted your bliss." Gray said sarcastically.
"Well ya should be!" Natsu snapped "You're the cause of your own sorrow anyways. It's pathetic to see you like this." Natsu said bitterly.
"Whatever, just shut up Natsu! It's not like you understand anyways." Gray angrily stood pushing his stool away from the bar.
"You think I don't know what it's like to push someone away out of fear?! Natsu growled, slamming his fist standing up too. "I left Lucy for an entire year because I was afraid I wasn't strong enough. All that did was hurt her, and her trust in me! Ultimately hurting me too! And you're doing the same shit, only worse!" Natsu got in his face.
Gray shoved him away. "Oh yeah, Well Lucy never died because of you!"
"Don't keep using that Ur excuse Gray. Eventually you have to face it."
Gray punched Natsu in the face, the mention of Ur striking a nerve.
Natsu punched him back, not letting up in the slightest.
"A version of Lucy literally died right in front of my face and I couldn't protect her. So don't give me that shit. I DO understand. I just don't make a buncha excuses like you do. I don't stop in my pain, I face it and I move THROUGH IT." He said punching him again for emphasis.
Everyone else in the guildhall just watched silently, decadent it be best if they didn't interfere.
Gray stood dusting himself off, no longer having the energy to fight anymore. "You don't think I tried?! After you all left I followed Juvia as far as fairy hills would let me go. She wouldn't speak to me. I know you're all pissed at me for your girl's disappearing to comfort Juvia from my actions. But I'm grateful to them. Maybe one of them will convince her to hear me out."
With that Gray left the guildhall, feeling slightly hopeful that the rain calmed down. He'd try to talk to Juvia again tomorrow. For now, he'd just drink at home alone instead.
"Don't you think you were a little hard on him?" Jellal asked as Natsu took his seat back at the bar.
"Nah" Natsu shrugged, taking another sip of his beer. "If no one ever tells him the truth he'll just keep makin excuses. Gray's always been that way."
"I see.." Jellal nodded understanding.
"So. You aint a virgin right? What's it like?" Natsu asked bluntly. "I want tips for Lucy"
Jellal blushed at Natsu's boldness, forgetting that Natsu overheard the girls gossiping in the hot springs.
Jellal momentarily reminisced on his time with Merdy, and how he felt so much more in one kiss with Erza, than all the acts they had done together.
"I'll give you the best advice I can think of based on my experience. Nothing compares to being with the one you truly love. You and Lucy have that, so you don't have anything to worry about."
"Also don't expect her just to go all the way with you just because she let you go a little further than usual. Sometimes chicks get caught up in the moment just like we do. Don't take it there unless she actually tells you she's ready. Even if she seems ready." Gajeel chimed in absentmindedly whipping a glass.
"Sounds like you're speaking from manly experience." Elfman commented.
"I'll just leave it at, it took me weeks of explaining to the shrimp I 'loved her for her' giving the impression you only want her for her body aint worth the headache. Trust me. Respect her pace over your instincts." With that Gajeel walked away to take another order. Well, more so inform another customer that he only served beer.
A/N: Hope you guys liked this chapter. I had a little writers block for a it but i'm happy to be past it! Leave me a review to let me know what you think, they're always encouraging. Thanks for reading!