Waking up in the morning, Natsu felt terrible. His insides were squirming and he was nauseous. The unfamiliar surroundings had him confused as he looked over at the sleeping naked woman who laid beside him. It made his insides do a different type of flop as his heart swelled, brushing her golden locks out of her face as she slept so peacefully. Taking a look around his surroundings, Natsu saw a bathroom door which made him roll out of bed groaning. His body was sore and his stomach burned as he puked in the toilet, letting out the alcohol he drank way too much of the night before. He splashed some cold water on his face and stared at his reflection in the mirror where he looked dead, dark circles screaming at him.

Moaning in agony, Natsu covered his face and stood in the bathroom for a minute as he tried to remember last night. He blacked out sometime in between and he remembered bits and pieces but the majority of it was blurry and blank for him.

He honestly couldn't even remember having sex with Lucy last night and it made him feel sick to think he couldn't even do that.

Burping up gas, Natsu groaned as he held his head and grimaced. The throbbing headache and the burning sensation in his stomach and throat made it painful for him as he rinsed his mouth in the sink.

Turning to look at the door, Natsu watched how Lucy came stumbling in, her face twisted in pain as she came rushing towards the toilet. Watching how she made it straight to the toilet to throw up, he made a face as the smell of alcohol and puke filled the air.

After listening to Lucy empty her stomach out, the blonde moaned out and leaned against the wall, sitting in a ball as she looked up at Natsu with tears running down her cheeks. She offered a weak smile at him as he smiled back, water dripping from his chin.

"Hey," he said softly, coming over to hold his hand out to her.

"Hi." She gently grasped his hand and he lifted her up, bringing her limp body into his arms as she leaned in. "You alright?"

"Yeah, are you?"

Lucy just moaned into his shoulder as he held her naked body, the two just enjoying each other. He slowly started to walk them out to the bedroom, stumbling slightly and moaning in pain. He gently plopped her down on the bed as he climbed in next to her, looking down at her pale face as he smiled softly. Leaning against his arm, he brushed her hair out of her face as he traced his fingers against the love marks he made on her neck and shoulder. It made him grin to himself as he felt content with himself as he locked eyes with Lucy.

"Do you remember anything from last night?"

Shaking her head, Lucy laughed softly. "If I'm being honest, I barely even remember getting here. It's just bits and pieces."

Natsu chuckled. "I kind of sort of blanked, too."

"Well, now that you've been to an Erza party… you kind of get it, right?"

"Oh yeah," he made a face as he remembered the red-haired beast. "She's something."

"Did you ever find out who won the costume contest?"

"No," he looked outside the window to see the damage from the party. "I don't even know what time we knocked out. To be honest, I don't really remember us having sex."

"Me, neither." Lucy blushed as she now realized they were both naked. She started to curl up but Natsu stopped her, pulling her chin to make her face him as she flushed crimson.

Natsu just leaned in and kissed her on the lips, taking in her scent as they kissed. "That's alright, we can remember this."

Giggling, Lucy melted in his arms as he held and kissed her, the feeling of warmth pulling her in. Feeling how his hands started to trail up and down her naked body, she shivered as his hot mouth swallowed her in. Feeling Natsu climb on top of her, she moaned into his mouth and threw her arm over his shoulders, pulling him closer to her.

"You're so fucking sexy," he panted as he tried to adjust his hard on against her. "Especially with all these marks." He traced his fingers against his dark bruises painted against her soft milky skin.

Lucy just giggled as she felt his fingertips tease her, hard buds presenting themselves at the hungry male who leaned down to suckle gently earning a mewl from the woman. Natsu started to ease into her as they both moaned slow and harsh. The couple suddenly froze and jumped when a knock on the door interrupted them, both of them turning to look at the door where the doorknob started jiggling, loud knocks bringing them to scramble and separate.

"Lucy! Open up!"

"C—coming!" Lucy cried out, catching a t-shirt Natsu threw at her. He was rushing to pull his pants back up his legs as Lucy tripped over her shoes, squealing as she hit the ground.

"Lucy!" Natsu gasped out as Lucy groaned out.

"Lucy, open the door!"

"I—I'm coming!" She hurried and went over to the door while limping. She was rubbing her sore knee as she unlocked the door, Erza bursting into the room while in a long black fluffy robe. She had slippers on and a tray, walking right in as she went straight to the coffee table in the corner as Natsu stood as still as he could, sweat outlining his hairline.

"Good morning, you two." She said, turning to look at the couple. "I brought water and painkillers for you. I also have some crackers in case you need to soak up the alcohol."

"We already threw up," Lucy said, coming over to her friend to grab water. "H—how are you?"

"You missed the costume contest."

"Sorry, Erza," Lucy smiled sheepishly as she threw the other water at Natsu. He caught it in his hands and started to chug immediately. "I was just really drunk and I don't even remember."

"It's my fault, Erza." Natsu spoke up, making the woman turn and look at the shirtless male. Erza just stared at him as she hummed, arms crossed her chest as she started to nod.

"Well, if it makes you feel any better, you won the contest."

"W—what?" Lucy asked, eyes wide as she turned to exchange looks with Natsu. He also had a surprised look on his face as they both turned to look at the woman who had a smile on her face. "How did we..?"

"Well, since Mr. Dragon over here created a scene of punching the prince in the face, everyone liked the whole princess and the dragon duo and casted their votes."

Lucy turned to look back at Natsu again, jaw dropped and eyes wide as he returned the look. Lucy then turned back to look at her friend and she squealed, throwing herself on the woman as she cheered.

"Ohmigosh, no way! I can't believe we missed it!"

"Congratulations, Lucy. Natsu."

"So what's the prize?" Natsu asked the women to look at him. "I mean, it's a contest so there's a prize, right?"

"The prize is…" Erza smiled as Lucy's eye started to sparkle. "An all expense paid vacation for a week!"

Natsu's jaw dropped as Lucy screamed in joy, jumping up and down as she cheered. She ran over to Natsu and gave him a hug, squealing as he stared at the scarlet woman who just smirked.

"A… what? An all expense paid vacation?" He looked at Lucy who was grinning back at Erza. "Are you serious?"

"Why would I joke about that?" Erza asked, head tilted as she furrowed her brows.

It made Natsu shiver as he looked back at Lucy who was all smiles. "Seriously?"

"This is nothing! Last year, Erza gave away a car!"

"What?" He spat, almost choking on his spit as Lucy giggled. She ran back over to Erza to give her a big hug, squealing about the vacation as he tried to wrap his head around this. He took a seat on the bed as he continued to think about it, looking at the women who just talked excitedly.

"Well, congratulations you two. I'll let you get back to getting dressed. I'll have a car waiting for you outside."

"Thank you, Erza!" Lucy gave her another hug as she sighed happily. "Be out, soon!"

"Oh, thanks Erza." Natsu spoke up as the scarlet haired woman turned to look at him. "Really, thanks for the hospitality, I had a bunch of fun last night."

Erza smiled at the pink-haired man and turned to look at Lucy, smiling even wider at her.

"Come back anytime." She went in to give Lucy a hug. "I'll see you for the Christmas party?"

"Y—you have a Christmas party, too?" He gulped making Lucy giggle.

"And don't forget New Years."

Natsu felt like he was going to pass out and throw up everywhere as he imagined coming to another party just as crazy as the Halloween one. He blacked out and hadn't in years and here this scarlet monster was, just casual and perfectly normal the day after. He watched how Erza and Lucy bid farewell before Erza left the room, giving them the chance to get dressed. It made him exhale as Lucy came over to where he was, holding a couple of pills of painkillers as he swallowed them.

"So, these holiday parties… are they like her Halloween ones?"

"Oh, even bigger." Lucy laughed as his eyes widened. "Erza is a huge fan of Christmas and New Years. She actually does a ball drop."

Natsu could only sweat as he imagined it, a shiver running down his spine as he felt sick to his stomach thinking about what could happen that night.

Lucy just grabbed him by the arm, making him snap out of it and look at her, seeing how she was giving him those eyes and smiling shyly at him.

"Do you want to finish what we started?"

"Maybe later, I feel bad if Erza really does have a car waiting for us." Natsu chuckled nervously. Lucy only frowned as she pouted, looking up at the laughing male. "That doesn't mean I don't want to finish it. Just not here."

"Then where?"

"Wherever." He leaned in to kiss her on the lips. "I told you. Anywhere, anytime. I am yours."

Blushing and giggling, Lucy felt herself grow warm as she threw her arms over his shoulders to lean in and kiss him on the mouth. He held her tight as she hugged him, a smile decorating his face as he inhaled her sweet scent. "Come on, let's get you something to eat."

"Can we stop at McDonalds?"

"You read my mind."

.

.

.

Sitting in the booth of the fast food joint, Lucy watched how Natsu filled up their drink and got their things together for their first meal together. She was leaning her head against her arm as she sighed lovingly, feeling the butterflies inside her stomach. She couldn't keep her eyes off of Natsu as he came strolling back to where she was, his biceps and body looking extra juicy as she felt her womanhood throb.

Coming down to sit across from the blonde, Natsu could only snort and chuckle as she blinked in confusion.

"You're making a weird face, what are you thinking about?"

Lucy could only flush in embarrassment as she shook her head. "N—nothing."

Laughing at the woman across from him, he laid out the food in front of them as he popped a fry in his mouth. "It's even funnier because you're in your princess costume."

Growing even redder, Lucy pouted as she sunk in her seat, looking around nervously as she felt even more embarrassed. She could see a couple of people staring at her and she felt self conscious as Natsu opened up the sauce packet.

"Don't let them bother you," he said while he licked the top of the sauce. "I think you look great."

Smiling at the man who sat across from her, Lucy could only smile as she reached over to take one of his fries and pop it in her mouth. He made a face at her as she giggled, taking another one to dip it into his sauce as she chewed.

"So, what are the conditions to this all expense paid vacation?"

"Oh, Erza has done this before. She usually gives us a budget and then we pick where we want to go and when and she just pays for it."

Natsu only nodded his head as he watched Lucy bite into her burger, thinking of all the places in the world he could go but the only thing came in mind was fucking Lucy. It made him hard just thinking about it as Lucy smiled at him.

"So, anywhere you want to go?"

"Kind of hard to say, can we maybe think about this and pick together?"

"Of course!" She giggled, stealing another fry from him as he gave her a look. "So, from what you could remember, did you have fun?"

"I think so," he shrugged as took a sip of his drink. "I kind of remember bits and pieces… but I think I had a good time. I haven't blacked out like that since high school…kind of scary."

"Erza's party will do that to ya," Lucy laughed as she took a bite of her sandwich. She wiped the corner of her mouth as she watched Natsu eat. "Erza makes jungle juice with Everclear Vodka. That is one hundred proof."

"Jeez," Natsu said while he ate more fries. "No wonder I feel like shit."

"Do you remember punching that guy in the face?"

"Oh, yeah," he smirked.

"Did you know him?"

"Yeah, we went to highschool together. Just didn't like what he was saying."

"What was he saying?"

Pursing his lips, Natsu thought about it as he looked at Lucy who was waiting. He just shook his head. "Nothing. He was just saying some shit about me. I haven't seen him since high school." He shrugged as Lucy stared at him in confusion. "I think I met someone else, too…"

"Gray?"

"Yeah," he smiled, pointing his finger at her. "You remember that?"

"I kind of remember seeing you and Gray on the patio. You guys were smoking."

"Yeah, I think that's where I blank because I—" Natsu stopped talking mid-sentence as the memory came back to him.

"Lucy, I love you."

He felt his face grow hot and red as he stared at Lucy with wide eyes. She just furrowed her brows and stared right back, taking a sip of her drink.

"What?"

"I—I—" he sputtered, suddenly feeling embarrassed and nervous. "Bathroom!" He stood up, the chair screeching across the floor. He quickly turned around and rushed to the bathroom, ignoring Lucy's cries of confusion as he busted in the men's bathroom. He went straight for the stalls and locked it, covering his mouth as he felt his entire face growing bright red as he felt nauseous, again.

His mind was swirling and he was feeling the shame inside of him as he realized what he did and he did it without thinking. Lucy didn't even remember and he barely did as the memory of their night started to flood in his mind.

He started to pace inside the small stall, grabbing his hair to tug on them. He felt stressed and confused as he didn't even understand if this was love at all. He had no idea what love is and for him to say that to her during sex made him feel sick all over again.

Did he say it because he was inside of her? Or because he was drunk? Or was it because he was actually in love with her?

Slapping himself on the forehead, Natsu could only curse himself as he felt the embarrassment swallow him whole.

Coming out of the bathroom stall, Natsu went over to the sink to look at himself in the mirror. He could see the sweat forming and how red his face glowed as he tried to get it together. He slapped his cheeks and turned the water on to splash it on his face, gasping for air as he stared at the water run down the drain.

Taking a couple of deep breaths in, Natsu steadied his breath and looked back at himself in the mirror. He could feel his feelings subsiding as he tried to think about anything else, the redness on his cheek still present as he squeezed his eyes shut.

Drying his hands and face off, he came back out to see Lucy still sitting there, picking at his fries. When she saw him coming, she quickly pretended she wasn't eating them as she offered a cute smile. It made his heart throb inside his chest as he could feel the redness crawling up his neck, again.

"Are you alright?" She asked, tilting her head to the side. It made his stomach flop and he shuttered, sitting down at his seat while keeping his eyes down. "You're red."

"I—I'm just not feeling well," he said, clearing his throat. "I think I just need some rest."

Frowning, Lucy just nodded as she started to pack up their food. "I'll call a cab."

Watching how Lucy called a cab for them, Natsu felt sick all over again, feeling his heart race inside his chest as if he was going to have a heart attack.

.

.

.

Coming home, Natsu's legs felt like jello as the cab drove off. He took his time coming up the stairs as he held onto the railing, his heart continuing to race and stomach flopping like a fish out of water. He's already thrown up, again, and he felt bad Lucy was feeling worried about him as she helped him through it all. Once they departed, he was feeling anxious as the driver dropped him off and he wobbled up the stairs. He could hear a ringing in his ear and swallowed thickly as he walked in through the front door. He made a beeline for the kitchen as he ignored Zeref and Mavis who were sitting in the living room and he poured himself a cup of water before downing it all.

They watched him swallow the entire cup and gasp out, slamming his fist against his chest as he coughed loudly.

"Uh, you alright there, bud?" Zeref asked as Mavis just chewed on more popcorn, eyes wide and watching Natsu like a movie. "You don't look so well…"

"Zeref. Outside. Now."

Stomping towards the sliding door, Natsu left, making Zeref exchange a look with his girlfriend. She nudged him to go, making the dark-haired Dragneel sigh and stand up, making his way to the backyard as he shut the sliding door behind him. He watched how Natsu was pacing back and forth, looking flustered and confused.

Zeref crossed his arms across his chest. "What did you do, now?"

Natsu whipped his head to look at his brother, eyes crazy as Zeref reeled back in concern.

"Natsu, what happened last night?"

"Zeref," he came forward, making Zeref put his guard up. "How—how do you know if you love someone?"

"What? Love?" Staring at his brother, his entire face changed and brightened up as he threw his arms in the air, clasping his hands together. "Natsu! Are you saying you're in love—?!"

"Zeref," Natsu grabbed him by the arms, pulling him close. "I need to know."

"Natsu, this isn't some kind of test I can give you answers to." He tried to nudge him off as his grip got tighter. "What the hell happened? What's going on?"

Looking like he was going to throw up again, Natsu looked away as he quivered. "I told Lucy I love her."

"You did?" The sparkle came back into his eyes as he smiled widely. "What happened? What did she say?"

"We were both blacked out drunk."

Slumping his shoulders, Zeref frowned as his sparkle disappeared. Sighing out loud, Zeref planted his hand on his hip and the other over his face, shaking his head back and forth in disapproval.

"Natsu—"

"I don't need to hear it," he cut him off, looking up at him with fierce eyes. "I just need to fucking know. Alright? I—I don't know and I don't know what's going on or what I'm feeling and I'm freaking the fuck out, okay? I told her when we were both really fucked up and I barely remember and she doesn't but I do so I just need to know, Zeref!" He reached for his brother again, grabbing him tight as he looked up at him with pleas.

It surprised Zeref as he looked down at his brother who looked so lost and confused, the look of fear flashing through his eyes as he held onto him.

"Natsu, I told you, I can't tell you. You just know."

"That makes no sense!"

"I know but trust me, I can't explain it to you. It's not that simple."

"But you've been in love before," Natsu quivered, coming up to him, again. "Why can't you tell me?"

"I told you, Natsu… Love is a feeling you just know."

"That's bullshit!" Natsu shouted as he grabbed the patio chair and threw it across the yard. Zeref just casted his head away as Natsu screamed, throwing the chairs and cursing out loud. "I can't fucking understand it and you can't even fucking tell me! You're useless, Zeref! You stupid fucking bastard!"

Coming up to him, Natsu grabbed him by the front of the shirt, looking at him with such anger in his face it could wipe out a whole room.

"Natsu, calm down—"

"This is your fault! You fucking brought her here and made me fall in love with her and now look at me! Look at me! Fix it! Get rid of it! Why can't you fucking help me?!"

Keeping his head down, Zeref refused to look at Natsu as the pink-haired male trembled in anger. He could see he was trying to control his breathing as he panted.

"Get rid of her! Fire her and tell her never to come back!"

"Natsu, why are you doing this? This is only going to hurt you and her." He looked back up at his brother who looked like he was going to cry.

"If you don't, I will end up hurting her even worse. Look at me, what if I kill her one day? I—I can't even control my emotions."

"Natsu, don't say that." Zeref tried to put his hand on his shoulder but Natsu jerked away, shaking. "Natsu, I'm sure Lucy will understand if you just talk about it. You're doing so much better and I've seen such an improvement in you since Lucy got here. You're not going to hurt her, just talk—"

"Zeref." Natsu said cutting him off. "I choked Lucy out a couple of weeks ago because she woke me up."

Zeref's eyes widened as he watched Natsu tremble, looking at him with such sad eyes.

"You what?"

"She scared me and I woke up with her pinned underneath me and I was choking her and she had bruises all over her neck." He sobbed. "For weeks!" He cried out, tears streaming down his face. Zeref only frowned as he heard his brother cry, feeling a pang of guilt and sadness through his heart as he didn't even know. It made him feel sorry for Lucy as he thought about the fear and pain Lucy had gone through without him knowing. "And she forgave me." Natsu laughed out loud, looking at his brother with such crazy eyes. " She—she… she fucking forgave me and tried to make me feel like it wasn't my fault!" he turned around to grab onto his hair and tug, groaning out in frustration as the tears continued to fall. He turned to look back at his brother who stood there with his arms crossed, lips pressed into a tight line as Natsu took a deep breath in.

"Lucy and I have been fucking for weeks, now."

Zeref felt like his entire world just exploded as his jaw dropped, looking at Natsu who was flushed red from anger and embarrassed as he watched him run his hand through his hair continuously. His eyes were wide and he looked around, hand covering his mouth and he didn't know how to react as Natsu paced back and forth and cried and screamed.

He made a mental note to talk to Mavis about it later when Natsu was gone as he felt kind of proud as he felt the pride in his chest grow for him.

"So, Zeref," he almost whined. "What do I do? How do I fix it? Tell me how to fix it or what to do because I feel like I'm fucking crazy!"

Zeref only took a deep breath in, exhaling through his nose as he tried to process everything Natsu said. He watched as Natsu just kept pacing back and forth, the anxiety bubbling upwards as he watched.

"Say something!"

"Natsu," he sighed. "I can't. I… this isn't something I can tell you or help you with. This is something you need to figure out on your own."

Feeling angrier, Natsu came up to him and grabbed him by the shirt, yanking him forward. "What the fuck do you mean you can't! I'm sitting here telling you I need you and you can't?!"

"Natsu—"

"You're a worthless piece of shit, Zeref! You can't even fucking help your brother out when I'm sitting here crying and freaking out about this! Why can't you help me?! Why?!"

Zeref just stayed quiet as he looked down, letting Natsu shake him back and forth as he screamed in his face. Trembling in anger, Natsu put his fist up to throw a punch, shaking in his spot as he held his first up.

"Stop it!"

Turning their heads, the brothers look over at the sliding door where Mavis stood, tears in her eyes as she stood her ground.

"Don't hurt him!" She ran over to where they were, shoving Natsu off making him stumble back. She threw her arms out and guarded the dark-haired Dragneel, making Zeref look at her with wide eyes.

"Mavis…"

"You want to know what love is?!" She sobbed, trembling in her spot. "Love is when… love is when you have a terrible day and you feel like the world is letting you down and you come home to your person and it all disappears! Love is when you just received the best news in the world and the first thing that comes into your mind is that person because you want to tell them! Love is when you see them smile it makes you feel all warm and happy because you love to see them smiling."

Staring at the golden girl in front of him, Natsu felt his heart pang inside his chest as he stared at her with wide eyes, huffing.

"Love is when you buy a yummy dessert and you give them the last bite even though you want it because you know it'll make them happy! Love is when you want to protect that person because they matter to you more than anything or anyone ever has!"

With tears flowing down her cheeks, Mavis trembled as she stood her ground.

"Don't hurt Zeref! Stop fighting! I won't let you!"

Silence cut through the trio as Mavis' wails filled the air, the three of them standing there as Natsu squeezed his eyes shut while clenching his fist.

"Natsu, it seems like you already know your answer." Zeref said as he grabbed Mavis to bring her towards him. Mavis just threw herself in his arms as she cried, a small smile on his lips as he held her trembling figure. "If you told Lucy you love her… then you love her. That's how you know."

Casting his head down, Natsu just looked away as he trembled in his spot. He listened to the soft cries of Mavis and Zeref trying to soothe her as he clicked his tongue in disapproval before marching away from them.

Zeref just watched his brother disappear into the woods as a sigh came out of his mouth, looking down at his crying girlfriend who held onto him for dear life.

Monday morning came back as fast as it left as Lucy approached the Dragneel residence. She was feeling giddy and eager to see her pink-haired lover as she parked her car. She wondered how he was doing since he wasn't responding to her messages and he was almost deathly sick when they parted ways yesterday. It made feel butterflies as she came up the stairs, excitement pooling inside her chest as she entered the home.

It was quiet as she walked through the large home, coming into the kitchen where Zeref sat at the dining table, sipping on coffee and reading his morning paper.

"Good morning." Lucy smiled widely, making Zeref look up in surprise.

He offered a small smile as he got up, folding his paper on the table. "Good morning, Lucy. How are you this morning?"

"Great. Happy to be back." She said as she came over to where he was. "Is Natsu up, yet?"

Frowning slightly, Zeref looked concerned, making Lucy look at him in confusion. He casted his head down and looked away from her making Lucy feel worried.

"What is going on?"

Zeref just stayed quiet as his conversation with Natsu ran though his thoughts again. He didn't know if he should mention anything and he was feeling the sense of pride again when he looked at Lucy, nodding his head in approval as he cleared his throat. "Natsu never came back home last night. He and I kind of got into a fight and he stormed off."

"A fight?" Lucy gasped, hands covering her mouth. "Did he—?"

"Yes," Zeref sighed as he thought about the patio furniture that is in pieces. "I checked the treehouse and he wasn't in there. I tried calling him but he won't answer and I don't know what happened to him. Have you heard from him?"

"No," Lucy frowned as she thought about the pink-haired male. "I'm sure he'll be back soon. His anger doesn't last long."

"Yeah," he sighed as he looked out the windows of his backyard towards the forest. He was lost in thought for a minute as he could only think about his brother. "Well, could you let me know when he does come home?"

"Of course," she offered another smile. "Don't worry so much. Natsu knows how to get back home."

Smiling back at Lucy, Zeref could only place a hand on top of her head making her look up at him while blushing. He could feel the warmth from her and he understood why Natsu loved her so much even when his heart was locked up. It made him feel happy in a sense to know he had someone like Lucy making him offer her a wide smile.

"Thanks for everything, Lucy."

Looking up at him while blushing, Lucy could only smile as she looked away bashfully. She bid him a farewell as he left for work, waving goodbye to him as his car drove off and it made her exhale loudly as she huffed. "Geez, where did you go, now? Worrying your brother like that…" She muttered as she made her way upstairs. Climbing up the familiar staircase, she stood outside his room making her feel kind of nervous as she stared at it. "No way he would be here…" she said as she opened the door.

To her surprise, he was asleep and limp like a dead body. It made her sigh in disappointment as she thought about Zeref, wondering if he even checked his room before he made her worry like that.

Coming over towards his bed, Lucy stood in front of his sleeping figure as she kept her distance, watching him breath in and out. She can see he was still in his clothes from the Halloween party and she could only shake her head, staring at her pink-haired lover as a smile crawled onto her lips.

"Natsu," she whispered out, trying to see how deep he was in his slumber. "Natsu." She said a little louder, making him moan. "Natsu, wake up!"

"Lucy," he groaned out, turning his body over to lay on his stomach. "Get out."

Frowning slightly, Lucy planted her hands on her hips as she looked at him. "Natsu, you know how worried Zeref was about you? What happened last night?"

Natsu was quiet, making her sigh and come closer, crouching down in front of his bed.

"Natsu? Are you listening?"

"Get out." He repeated again, voice muffled through his pillow.

It made her knit her eyebrows together as she felt his coldness. "Natsu? What's going on—"

"I said get out!" He shot his head up to look at her angrily. "Get the hell out!"

Reeling back in surprise, Lucy looked at him with wide eyes as he glared at her. "Natsu? I—I… what—?"

"Are you deaf? Get out! I said to get out!" He stood up from his bed, his face red. "Why do you always have to be this way?"

Stepping backwards to trip over something, Lucy fell on her behind as she yelped out in pain. Looking up at Natsu who was towering over her, she felt scared as she felt the hot tears prickle in the corner of her eyes.

"Natsu, I—"

"I—I can't look at you." He looked away, fists clenched as turned his head away. "You need to leave."

"Natsu, can we talk? What's going on—"

"I said get the fuck out!"

Feeling the hot tears stream down her face, Lucy just stared at the male who was huffing and trying to look big in front of her. When he looked at her crying face, he just turned his head away and walked past her, opening his door to storm off.

After a second of processing, Lucy stood up as she felt herself tremble. She wiped the tears away and ran after him, running down the halls and stairs to fly out the front door. She ran towards him as he turned to look around, stumbling backwards as she threw herself into his chest. He looked down at the shaking woman who held onto him, feeling his heart race and the pang of guilt slicing through him.

"G—get off—"

"Natsu!" She shouted into his chest making him stop struggling. "I don't know what's going on and what I did to anger you but I'm sorry!"

Hearing her apology made his eyes widened as he realized how hurt Lucy was.

"I—I don't want you to leave. I don't want you to be angry," she sobbed as she held onto him tighter. "Please, don't leave me. I'm sorry for whatever I did. I—I—" she looked up at him, tears streaming down her face. It made him frown as he saw her cry. "Natsu, please don't leave me."

Pushing the blonde away from him, Natsu kept his eyes casted down as Lucy looked at him through her tears. She blinked in confusion as he avoided her eyes, his body trembling as he held her away.

"Lucy, I…" he opened his mouth to close it. "Lucy, I can't."

"What..?"

"Lucy, I—" he took a deep breath in to lift his head up and look at her. "We can't be together."

Looking up at him, Lucy felt like her world was crashing down as her eyes widened. She looked up at Natsu who was quivering, swallowing thickly as he tried to look anywhere else.

"Lucy, I can't be the man you need. I just… I'm too weak. I…" his breath shook. "I can't control my emotions and who knows when I'll snap one day and actually hurt you. Maybe kill you and I can't… I can't live with myself if something like that happens and you don't deserve that."

"Natsu—"

"Lucy, you've done so much for me. For us. Zeref and I are so grateful you came into our lives and put us together but… but I don't think it's going to work out anymore."

Feeling her body tremble, Lucy started to quiver as Natsu squeezed his eyes shut.

"We should stop seeing each other."

"I—I don't understand… did I… what…"

"It's not you," he struggled to look at her as he watched the tears fall. "It's me."

Feeling like her heart broke in a million pieces, Lucy cried as Natsu watched her. He felt the pain shoot through his chest as he could only stare at their feet, her teardrops falling in between them.

"You're such a liar!"

Looking up at the woman in front of him, Lucy slapped him across the face making his eyes widen as he felt the pain of her slap pulse on his cheek. He turned to look at her as he held his cheek, seeing how angry she became.

"You're fucking pathetic, Natsu! You're a liar and you're a hypocrite! You're just trying to run away when things are getting better for you! Why do you want to be like this forever?!" She threw her arms at his chest, pounding on him as he stood there taking it. "Why can't you just admit it? Why? Why?!"

"Lucy…" he grabbed her wrists, stopping her from hitting him as she sobbed. "Lucy, I—"

"Natsu, I love you."

Natsu felt like all the air got sucked out of his body as he looked at Lucy with wide eyes. He felt his heart throb inside his chest as he could only stare at the woman who cried. He started to slowly drop her hands as she pulled away, eyes red.

"Is that why you're running away?" She hiccuped, wiping her tears away. "Is it because you know that I love you? Are you so afraid of someone actually loving you?"

"No," he shook his head, placing his hand on his chest as he felt his heart race. "I'm afraid and running away because…" he swallowed hard, looking up at her to lock eyes. "Because I love you."

Lucy felt the tears streaming down her face again as she looked at him, feeling her heart throbbing inside her chest as she watched tears fall from his face.

"I—I don't even know if it's love… I've never been in love to know but… I think I do." He trembled as the tears fell one by one. "When you smile I feel like I can take on the world. Your laugh makes all my worries disappear and whenever I hold you… I feel like I have the entire world in my arms. I get worried when you're out on your own because I can't be there to protect you. I miss you like crazy when you're not around."

Lucy could only stare as she felt her face grow red, her ears ringing.

"I think you're the most beautiful, funny, cute, and smart woman I have ever met."

"T—then why do you want to end things?"

"Because I think that about you," he could only sigh. "Do you know how poorly I think of myself? Why would I want someone like me to be with someone like you?"

The autumn breeze felt colder as it rushed past them, the dead leaves dragging across the ground.

"I can take it…"

"Doesn't mean you should."

Lucy was silent again as she looked up at him. "I think you're being selfish."

Scrunching his face up in confusion, Natsu looked at the woman standing in front of him. "How am I being selfish? I'm sacrificing myself for you!"

"Who told you to?"

Natsu felt irritated as he crossed his arms, seeing how she mirrored his actions.

"Lucy, I—"

"When are we going to stop having the same fight?" She sighed, shaking her head. "Just let it happen. Last time you did, we became… this, right? Are you saying you regret that?"

Natsu frowned. "No…"

"Then why are you afraid of what's next?"

"I don't know what is next…"

Coming over to where he was, Lucy reached for his hands making him look up at her in surprise. She held his hand and smiled warmly, leaning in close enough that he could smell her as he felt his face grow red.

"Do you want to know?" She smiled up at him, making his heart race. "You ask me to be your girlfriend."

Flushing red, Natsu felt embarrassed as he looked down at the blushing woman. "M—my girlfriend?"

Nodding her head, Natsu just stared at her in bewilderment.

"I'm waiting."

Swallowing thickly, Natsu felt the lump in his throat as his heart pounded inside his chest. He could hear it loud and clear making him wonder if she could hear his heart, too. She was looking at him with those wide sparkling eyes he loves so much and he just wanted to kiss her.

"Lucy Heartfillia," he swallowed, clearing his throat. "W—will you be my girlfriend?"

Grinning from ear to ear, Lucy threw herself on him as she laughed out loud. Natsu caught her, feeling a smile come up to his face as her laughter rang in his ear.

"Yes! Yes!"

Wrapping his arms around her, he swung her around and squeezed her tight. They pulled away to share a kiss together as he felt the anger and worry melt away as her soft lips pressed against his. He felt proud and confident as he looked at the tear-stained face of his girlfriend, grinning wide as they shared yet another kiss, again.

"So, what now?" Natsu asked as Lucy looked up at him giggling. She still had that sparkle in her eye as she flushed, looking away bashfully.

"Now, as my boyfriend, you're supposed to make love to me."

"M—make love? What?" He flushed red as she smile at him. "What does hell does that mean?"

"Just like you did the other night."

"What?"

"At Erza's Halloween party. It's when you told me you first loved me."

Growing crimson, Natsu looked away from her as he held his hand over his mouth. He felt dizzy as he felt her staring at him, all sorts of thoughts going through his head.

"Y—y—you remember t—that?" He stuttered.

"Kind of," she giggled, smiling at him wide. "It was coming back to me piece by piece and I didn't know if I imagined it and I guess I didn't judging by how you're acting."

"Listen," he covered his mouth to look away. "I didn't mean to say that while I was that drunk and um, inside of you. I—it kind of was just a spur of the moment thing."

"So, are you saying you don't love me?"

"N—no!" He sputtered, waving his arms in front of him. "I—I just… I shouldn't have said that during that time. Not my first time, I—I—"

"Natsu," Lucy giggled, coming to grab him by the arm to have him look at her. "It doesn't matter when and where or how it happened."

He felt his heart throb as he looked down at his golden girl. He watched how she slowly leaned in and pressed her lips against his, his entire body exploding with emotions as a shiver ran down his spine. He pulled her in and kissed her back, holding her close as their bodies molded together.

Natsu pulled away to bend down and scoop the woman in his arms, Lucy squealing in the process as he started to trot his way towards the house.

"W—where are we going?"

"You said the next step is to make love to you."

Growing crimson, Lucy looked up at Natsu who only smirked down at her. Her heart raced inside her chest as she felt those butterflies again, her eyes wide as she looked up at the man who was now, her boyfriend.

"So, I'm going to make love to my girlfriend."

.

.

.

Pulling up to his house, Zeref let out a sigh as he felt his emotions run through his body. He hadn't heard from Lucy all day nor was there any indication Natsu had returned home. It made him jittery all day and he couldn't do a lick of work as he worried about his brother and continued to think about what he said to him yesterday. It made his insides hurt and sad as he thought about his heartbroken brother.

Coming into the house, it was oddly quiet making him concerned. He took his shoes off to enter the home, coming into the kitchen where it was empty. He looked around in confusion as he came over to the backyard, looking out to see if he could find anyone but to his advail, nobody was around.

He pursed his lips and pulled his cellphone out, calling Lucy as the phone rang. He was surprised when he heard it ringing from the kitchen, seeing how it was still in her purse that she left on the counter this morning.

He started to worry as he walked over, looking around to see if there was anything misplaced but he quickly turned around when he heard someone approach.

He was surprised to see Natsu standing here, offering a small wave as he looked away awkwardly.

"H—hey." Zeref said as he looked at him with relief.

"Hey."

Silence crept in between them as they stood there, shifting from one foot to another.

"Where's Lucy?"

"She's asleep," he said as he rubbed the back of his neck. "We kinda talked. She had a long day."

Looking at him in surprise, Zeref raised his eyebrows at him. "You did? So, what did you come to the conclusion of?"

Flushing, Natsu kept his head down. "She's… she's my girlfriend."

Zeref's face instantly changed as he grinned widely. He had a sparkle to him as he came rushing over, throwing his arms around him and he started to rub his head. "Natsu you dog! Get over here!" He said, pulling him into a headlock and a hug as Natsu chuckled. "When did you get so smooth!"

Having a wide smile on his face, Natsu tried to push his brother off as the two wrestled around a bit. Zeref wrapped his arms around Natsu and pulled him close, hugging him tight as he felt his brother stiffen up before relaxing in his arms. He felt him hug him back and the two stood there smiling.

"Natsu, I am so proud of you." He pulled him away to look at him as he held onto his shoulders. "In just a month you've improved so much. You are lighter… happier…" Zeref looked at him with tears in his eyes. "I missed my little brother."

Natsu frowned as he watched him wipe his tears away, putting his hand on his arm to show him some kind of comfort.

"I am so happy Lucy has come into our lives and changed you for the better. You truly deserve each other."

"Thanks, Zeref," Natsu said as he smiled softly. "I'm going to show her I am worthy of her love."

Hearing the footsteps approach, the two turned around to see Lucy coming over to them with a small blush on her cheek. She was in an oversized t-shirt that belonged to Natsu and her hair was all over the place.

"H—hey, welcome home, Zeref." She smiled bashfully.

"Lucy!" Zeref cried out, opening his arms out for her. "Come over here!"

Giggling, the said blonde came over to where the Dragneel's were and got in their group hug as they held onto each other.

"Sorry I wasn't here to greet you. And I'm sorry I haven't had a chance to let you know I found Natsu." Lucy looked away flustered as she felt the warmth of them.

"We got a little carried away." Natsu said, rubbing the back of his head as Lucy popped red.

She swatted him in the shoulder making him yelp, looking over at the blonde who's as growling at him as she glowed red.

"What?" He whined, rubbing his shoulder. "He knows we've been sleeping together."

"T—that doesn't mean you tell him, idiot!"

"Speaking of that… I would love to know how this started." He had a smirk on his face as he looked at the two who looked up at him blushing. "Because honestly I had my suspicions but I would have never thought you two were fooling around in the sheets!"

"Oh, we fucked in the treehouse."

"N—Natsu!"

Lucy could only cover her face as Natsu looked at her in confusion, seeing how Zeref grew red and his eyes widened.

"T—the treehouse?"

"Natsu, stop talking!" Lucy tried to cover his mouth as he laughed, seeing the expression on his brother's face. "Zeref, I—I am so sorry—"

"Natsu, you dog!" The dark-haired Dragneel threw a punch at his shoulder, a wide grin on his face. "That's where my first time with Mavis was, too!"

Blinking in confusion, Natsu and Lucy just stared at Zeref who was laughing, grinning ear to ear.

"Who would have thought?"

With the brothers laughing, Lucy could only sigh as she wondered what she truly got herself into. But, she knew exactly when she first signed up for this job.

Maybe it was just her thinking out loud.

Notes: a part of me wants to continue this storyline but a part of me says this is the second to last chapter. Next one would be the last one as I feel like this story has come to a great conclusion. Thank you all for sticking by and reading through even throughout the long seven year hiatus.