Crocus – 8:55 AM

As a train passed along a set of elevated tracks, a chime rang through the PA system. "Passengers be advised; we're approaching Crocus Central Station. Estimated time to arrival; five minutes."

"When was the last time you were in Crocus?" Lucy asked quietly. She looked away from the buildings rushing past the window she sat beside and turned to face the man beside her.

"Hm… Just under a year ago." Natsu looked up from that morning's newspaper and glanced at the woman out of the corner of his eye. "It was a social visit, not a business trip. Went to see Igneel."

"I hope we see him today; I'd like to meet him." A bright smile spread across Lucy's face and she rose to her feet. She ran her hands down her black halter-style dress to smooth out any wrinkles. Her sub-vocal microphone was disguised by the ornate straps around her neck which ran down to her dress and supported it under the weight of her breasts. She adjusted her black thigh-high boots and turned to inspect her hair in her reflection in the window. "I hope nothing is out of place…"

"You look fine, Lucy." Natsu put the newspaper aside and stood up. He moved behind her and smoothed out a small kink in the back of her dress. He made a quick adjustment to her braided bun and brought his hands down to sit on her hips. "When did you get this dress?"

"While you were over at Nevermore." Lucy turned slowly within the man's loose grasp and faced him. "Mira, Mavis and I went dress shopping." She ran her hands down the lapels of Natsu's black suit jacket and carefully adjusted the collar of his pale salmon-pink dress shirt. "It's always a treat seeing you dressed up like this. It's almost like you're on –" She let out a little giggle. "– Her Majesty's secret service."

Natsu sighed and shook his head lightly but a small grin tugged at his lips. He gave her a gentle kiss as the train began to slow down.

"Passengers be advised; Now entering Crocus Central Station."

"Let's head to the exit." Natsu prompted softly. He offered his hand but Lucy wrapped her arms around his left arm and held it tightly to her chest with an adorably bubbly smile beaming up at him.

They left the private cabin and made their way down the length the carriage to the exit where a small collection of people were waiting to disembark the train.

Many eyes turned to Lucy as they stepped out onto the platform, a mixture of lust and envy, but she ignored them and walked in step with Natsu on their way through the terminal. While she was used to being the object of the mass's attention and relished in it, she recently had started to only crave the attention of the man in her arms.

"Natsu!" A man called out from the edge of the parking lot, waving at the duo. It was an immaculately dressed man with a scarred face and long crimson hair that shimmered in the sunlight. He was stood a few steps away from the open rear-left door of a deep-blue stretched Rolls-Royce Phantom that looked to fit four people in the back. "Over here, Kiddo."

"Is that your dad?" Lucy asked quietly.

"Yeah, that's Igneel." Natsu replied with a faint chuckle. He steered them over to the man but in Lucy's eagerness to meet his father, he found himself almost instantly face-to-face with the man.

"Huh, that must be the Traverse ability mentioned in your dossier." Igneel remarked, blinking rapidly before lowering his gaze to the chocolate-eyed blonde. He gave her a fanged grin that was near identical to Natsu and chuckled as his eyes drifted up to his son. "So… when's the marriage, kids too?"

"Igneel…" Natsu sighed, a faint growl seeping into his voice.

"I know, I know, you're here to meet the client." The man held up a pair of placating hands and jerked his head towards the car behind him. "Let's not keep her waiting."

Natsu moved his hand around to the small of Lucy's back and gave her very slight push towards the car. "After you, Luce."

Lucy released the man from her grip and smiled at the chauffeur as he held the door open for her. She gracefully took a seat on the back right to allow the two men to follow her in.

Natsu let Igneel in first then took the back left seat, with Igneel sitting in front of him with his back to the front of the car.

"Benefits of the job?" Lucy asked curiously as she sank into the plush leather seat and let out a gentle sigh.

"On loan from Her Majesty." Igneel chuckled softly. "I have a similar taste to Natsu when it comes to cars… speaking of which," The man shifted his gaze to his son and leaned in, clasping his hands in front of him as he rested his elbows on his knees. "I saw the news report."

"Come on, Igneel, you know they have it out for the Black Mamba. And there was a lot of cash on the line too, so I didn't want to ditch." Natsu threw up his hands and shook his head. "But yeah… the car is a bit hot right now so I've had to switch to a different one for the time being."

The older man sighed and he scratched at the cross-shaped scar on his face. "That's what happens when you use it like a battering ram. At least it wasn't damaged."

"And that he wasn't harmed, right?" Lucy tilted her head slightly.

"Nah, he's a tough bastard." Igneel brushed off the woman's question with a carefree grin. "Something like that won't do much to him."

The chauffeur got into the driver's seat and took the car out onto the road. The only sounds filling the lengthened passenger cabin was the pop music coming through the radio.

Lucy watched the buildings pass by silently but every so often her eyes drifted to the side, glancing at the man sat across from them with a set of documents in his hand. There was a question burning away in her mind but she was hesitating to voice it.

"Is something on your mind, Lady Heartfilia?"

"L-Lucy is fine, Sir." The blonde jolted upright and immediately turned her head to face the crimson-haired man. "Um… I was wanting to ask; are you really a dragon? Not that I doubted Natsu, it's just that you seem very human."

"I'm just using a form of transfiguration magic similar to the transformation magic that you two can use. It allows me to change my form from a hulking fire dragon to a human, well more like one with dragon slaying magic just like Natsu." Igneel lowered the papers to his lap and raised his yellow eyes. He bared his sharp teeth in a fanged grin and leaned back in his seat. "But yes, I am a dragon."

"But what about the Magic Suppression Fields that are used at Mercurius?" Lucy asked curiously. "Wouldn't they force your magic to be dispelled and cause you to revert back to your dragon form?"

"A dragon's magic is not so easily nullified that a human's device would change me back." Igneel shook his head lightly.

"I take it that we're meeting Hisui in Mercurius?" Natsu asked.

"Yes." Igneel replied quickly. He shifted his hold on the documents and held them out to his son. "Here's a general summary of the mission, your cover stories, and the bookings that have been made for the trip. Bank accounts have already been made with a sufficient paper trail to make it look authentic."

Natsu's eyes flicked left to right and back again as he quickly read each sheet before handing it over to Lucy. "Do your best to memorise this while you've got the chance. We won't be able to take these documents out of the country."

"Right."

"It's going to be difficult to infiltrate the lab due to their security. And since she'd want us to leave as little of a footprint behind that could lead back to Fiore, you two will have to come up with some way to get eyes inside there." Igneel informed the two agents. He crossed his legs and clasped his hands together on his lap as his gaze wandered between man and woman. "You'll probably also be tasked with investigating the test sites, so be extremely careful since you'll be dealing with an unknown pathogen."

"Traverse will let me see into the building and get a general idea of what is in which room, but I won't have a clear picture until we put a Spyder into the rooms that we suspect hold important uses, such as the security office."

"We'll hold off on making a concrete plan until we're got eyes on the actual building. We have to be careful with how we handle this job; one wrong move could create an international incident."

"Good thinking." Igneel nodded slowly. He took out a pocket watch from the inside pocket of his suit jacket and checked the time. "We're running a little ahead of time, not that she'd mind." He placed his watch back into the pocket and glanced at the blonde before turning to his son. "Her dossier was looking a little sparse, are you sure she'll be up to this?"

"If things heat up, she'll be fine. And she seemed to handle herself well when we infiltrated Duke Everlue's estate to recover Virgo's gate key." Natsu glanced at the woman next to him and reached over, gently patting her thigh as he smiled at her. "She'll be able to handle this just fine."

"Natsu will be the lead agent anyway, so I'll be following his orders on this job." Lucy added lightly. She slipped the documents back into the manilla folder and when to hand it back to Igneel with a thankful smile. "I understand your concern however. I know I'm still fairly new to field work and haven't done anything like this before but I will be careful not to screw up."

"Good. I know you two would've been told to prepare for the worst, but ensure that it doesn't come to that." Igneel gently pushed the document back toward the blonde as he cautioned the two agents. "Hold onto that folder since I won't be able to sit in on the mission briefing due to my own obligations and it'll act as supplementary information. Sadly, I can't spend much more time with you but at least I was still able to come and pick you two up."

The ethereal wave of a Magic Suppression Field washed over them as the car came to a stop by the gatehouse leading into the castle grounds and a guard spoke to the chauffeur. They were stopped for a few minutes while checks were being done on the car to ensure there were no explosives planted on it or other foreign bodies. Once they were cleared to enter Mercurius, the driver brought the car up to the main entrance and opened the door for them.

Lucy gracefully stepped out of the car and politely thanked the driver with a brief bow before stepping aside to allow the two men to follow her out. Igneel was the last person to leave the car and as he came up behind the two agents, he placed his hands on their backs to draw their attention to him.

"I'm going to have to run off to work now." The man gave the duo a slightly sad grin. "Good luck on your trip."

"It was nice meeting you, Sir." Lucy turned and flashed the man a radiant smile as she folded her arms in front of her and held the folder to her stomach. "I'll try not to mess up."

"See you around, Igneel."

Igneel clapped a gentle hand on the back of both agents before turned and walking over to a deep red Mustang Boss 429 that was parked nearby. The car started with a deep burbling rumble and Igneel quickly made his way down the ornate brick driveway and out through the gatehouse.

"Mr Dragneel, Lady Heartfilia," A guard announced himself as he came to a stop near the two agents and gave a quick salute. Behind the man stood five more guards, all with a rifle slung over their shoulders. "We're to escort you to the Queen."

"Lead the way." Natsu replied coolly. The warmth in his eyes faded as he fell into his professional mindset and he slipped his hands into the pockets of his slacks. Though his cold demeanour was quickly offset by Lucy who looped her right arm through his left and held him close to her chest with a bright bubbly smile on her face.

The guards formed a diamond formation around the agents with two in front, two behind, and the remaining two walking to the sides as they led the two agents into the royal palace. They passed by a set of metal detectors but neither were asked to step through the sensor, instead they we led through a series of side doors meant for staff and taken to the near-empty throne room where Hisui stood waiting for them beside a large window with a view of the city.

"Ma'am, the agents from Fairy Tail are here."

The beautiful monarch turned her head to the group and a practiced smile spread across her lips. "Thank you, you may leave them with me and return to your duties."

"Yes, Ma'am." The guards saluted the Queen and turned on the balls of their feet. They left the room, marching in tight formation.

Hisui's shoulders fell as she let out a gentle sigh. Her smile morphed into a genuine, caring smile as she hurried over to the blonde woman and wrapped her up in a friendly hug. "It's good to see you again, Lucy. I was shocked when I saw your name come across my desk."

"Natsu saved me from being kidnapped a little while back and I ended up getting recruited by Fairy Tail due to my bloodline and knowledge of celestial artifacts, among other reasons." Lucy replied warmly while returning the greenette's embrace in kind. She turned to the man next to them and giggled lightly at his surprised expression. "The Heartfilia family has always been close to the Royal Family, Natsu. Hisui is practically a sister to me."

"I would not be surprised if you are somewhere in the line of succession." Hisui joked with a playful grin. She looked between Natsu and Lucy with a curious glint in her jade eyes. "I need to ask… are you two…?"

"He's my boyfriend." Lucy replied and Natsu nodded slowly. "He also trained me, so you don't have to worry about my safety."

"Trained by the fabled Agent Salamander?" Hisui's eyes widened and she looked up at the pinkette. Of course, she already knew this as it was covered in the woman's dossier. "I can't imagine how tough that would've been." She took a step away from her friend and smoothed out her dress before offering her hand to Natsu. "A pleasure to meet you again, Mr Dragneel."

"The pleasure is mine, Your Majesty." Natsu replied softly as he took the woman's hand and bowed his head and brought his lips to the back of her hand. "Can we go somewhere a little more private to have a chat?"

"Yes, I have had a room set up for our meeting. Follow me, please." Hisui nodded. She turned and made her way to the back of the room. She glanced over her shoulder as she led them through the halls and smiled at the blonde. "Does Layla know about your job?"

"Yes, Mother knows." Lucy nodded gently. "Though I can't tell her everything. Job specifics are classified; I haven't even told her about this job, only that I won't be available for a bit until I reach out to her again."

"She will probably be worried." Hisui murmured softly.

"She knows that it'll be work-related, the reason I can't talk to her." Lucy replied firmly. She looped her arm around Natsu's once again and rested her cheek against him. Even though she had closed her eyes, not a single one of her steps were out of place nor did she come close to tripping. They came to a stop by a door and Hisui let them in ahead of her.

"Make yourselves comfortable, I will get set up." Hisui waved her hand to a set of black leather couches set facing each other with a glass coffee table set between them with a black laptop sitting atop it. She closed the door behind them but didn't turn the lights on, instead she took a seat in front of the laptop and began to herself set up while Natsu and Lucy sat across from her. "I saw the folder that you were carrying, Lucy, so I am guessing Igneel gave that to you two."

"Yes. We've both had a quick read of it on the ride over from the station." Natsu answered as Lucy took the documents from the folder and placed them down on the glass tabletop.

"Just leave it with me after the briefing." Hisui glanced up and gave the agents a brief smile before looking back down at the laptop.

Natsu slipped off his suit jacket and draped it over the back of the couch then folded his sleeves up to his elbows, revealing his demonic markings. He spotted a drinks cabinet on the wall behind the Queen so he quietly rose to his feet and made his way to it.

"Lucy," Hisui murmured and spared the woman a quick glance. "I was wondering; how do you go about your job with a public identity such as yours."

"The Heartfilia name allows me to get into events with ease." Lucy replied gently. She shifted in her seat slightly then used Traverse to teleport next to the monarch, startling her slightly. "Sorry, that was Traverse."

"Your mutation?" Hisui paused her work momentarily and turned her body to face the blonde. "Fascinating… your file mentioned that you could teleport around like that, and apparently you can even see beyond our dimension?"

"Yep, I can see everything that is happening within Mercurius. For example, I can tell you that your chefs are working on some kind of oven bake for lunch; and that two members of your staff are currently having sex in one of the storerooms, and that they are about to be walked-in on."

"How scandalous~." The greenette let out a playful giggle. "That is going to be the talk of the castle later, I am sure of it."

"I can even send other people and objects to other places too." Lucy reached out gently prodded Hisui's breasts with a finger while using Traverse to send her to the other couch and then she reached across the coffee table to bring her back in front of the laptop. "It's a little disorientating at first, but you get used to it."

Hisui blinked rapidly then shook her head slightly. She tilted her head inquisitively as she gazed at the blonde. "Does that have any downsides?"

"I can suffer from information overload and burn out if I overuse it. That happened during the conflict with Phantom Lord, I fell asleep on Natsu's lap once it was over and we had a chance to relax."

"She also had some pretty nasty motion sickness early on before she was able to control the new sense. I had to break my seal so I was able to use my curses to help alleviate it." Natsu added as he returned to the couch with three tumblers and a bottle of whiskey.

"Yes, I did receive a report about that happening." Hisui looked across to the man and gave him an unconcerned shrug of her shoulders. "I have had Makarov provide me reports of how you've been conducting yourself since the seal was removed, and since you've been behaving yourself, I haven't seen fit to have it reapplied."

"Yes, the only notable case would've been when I had to fight Jose's monstrosities and they pushed me to my breaking point." Natsu poured the whiskey into the glasses and slid one across to the Queen as Lucy suddenly appeared on his right. "I was trying not to lose myself to the pressure of all the negative energy floating around the battlefield but it got to the point that others would've suffered worse had I not used my demonic powers."

"Thank you." Hisui took the glass and lifted it to her lips, taking a small sip before giving the man an understanding nod of her head. "And do not worry, I've seen all of the footage from that night. Your actions saved many people, and you activated that form after being overwhelmed by those monsters and left with no other means to defend yourself and those around you. It was more than justified."

"See~, I told you not to worry about it." Lucy gently reminded the man. She flashed him a bright smile and leaned in to kiss him on the cheek. "I'm sure there was good reason to put a block on your powers, but you've learnt from it and are no longer the man you were back then. I'm sure."

"Alright, here we go!" Hisui lightly exclaimed. She leaned over the top of her laptop and tapped on the projector sitting behind it which illuminated the wall with the contents of her screen. "As you already know, you've been tasked with undertaking an investigation in Bosco. I cannot stress this enough; you must avoid conflict as much as possible. I understand that if push comes to shove, you will need to defend yourselves, but try not to create an international incident if you can help it."

"I'm hoping it will not come to that, but we can't be certain how they'd react to foreigners poking around." Natsu nodded slowly, his attention glued to the wall on the other side of Lucy. "If it does, we'll be taking quiet gear so we don't make too much noise if things do go hot."

"There are two main locations that you need to investigate: the Credence Centre for Microbiological and Biochemical Research, in the Bosco city of Credence, and a refugee housing facility called Rotem Valley that is roughly forty kilometres southwest of Credence." Hisui tapped on her laptop and brought up two satellite images.

The first showed a large facility that consisted of a few large multistorey buildings linked by enclosed bridges and a noticeable ramp leading down into the basement of the largest building. The second was a village situated between two hills and looked to be in somewhat poor condition.

"We have maintained surveillance on that lab and noticed that a suspicious number of transports have been coming and going between it and the refugee camp. I want you to find out what's going on there if you can. I want to know if they are using those refugees for human tests of whatever they are working on in the lab."

"They probably have people inside the village or watching nearby, we'll have to be careful when taking a look around in there." Natsu remarked as he narrowed his eyes at the dilapidated refugee housing.

Hisui slowly flicked through a series of publicly available photographs of the Lab. Though they didn't show anything major going on inside or around the building, it helped construct a general understanding of it.

"Did you want us to take any pictures of the inside of the building and the state of the village?" Lucy asked softly, speaking up for the first time since they started the briefing proper. "I should also be able to produce detailed maps of the research facility using Traverse to see into it. I just won't be able to say what exactly is going on inside it without getting a drone inside – which I can do with Traverse too."

"If the opportunity arises then yes, any additional intel you are able to procure would be incredibly beneficial. But if you deem it too risky and you might blow your covers, then prioritise your own safety."

"Once we've got an idea of the layout, we'll use drones to scout the internals to find key points of interest." Natsu lowered his gaze to the blonde sat next to him. "Might buy a sketch pad and have you draw a few buildings and scenery pieces while we build out our cover. We should do the same with a camera too."

"We should probably buy a set of rings too." Lucy looked into the man's dark-green eyes. "I think it would look more credible if we look to be an engaged couple. People shouldn't give us a second glance and it could mean that we'd be approached less if we're at a bar."

"That sounds like you're giving me a hint." Natsu smirked playfully as he leaned in a little closer so their lips were less than a centimetre apart.

"Maybe I am~."

"I am sure we can find some in the castle vault that would fit and do the job." Hisui smiled warmly at her friend. "And you can keep them as a gift from me, Lucy."

"Thank you!" Lucy replied with a bubbly giggle. "It almost sounds like you approve."

"Maybe." Hisui giggled softly before she redirected their attention back to the briefing. "Moving on, if you can pull the contents of their servers, that would help glean what they are working on and what they might be planning with it. And if you can secure a sample for us, we could use that to reverse engineer it and develop countermeasures."

"We'll hit the lab first so we know what we're dealing with first. Last thing I want to happen is for us to walk right into a deadly biological or chemical weapon and get contaminated with no idea of what we've been hit with."

"Consider the village a secondary objective. Yes, I would like to know if they're using the refugees as test subjects but in reality, there is not much I can do about it. Even if you can only get images from a safe distance, that is fine, just as long as we can see what is going on there. As you said, hitting the lab first will give you an idea of what you might come across."

"Understood."

"Now, as for your transport and accommodation. There will be a rental car waiting for you at Credence Airport; it is nothing special, just a simple 5-door hatchback. And you will be staying at the Haligtree Hotel, a fancy-but-not-too-fancy hotel that is close to the city centre and about fifteen to twenty minutes worth of travel by car from the target. Both have been reserved under the name Natsu Drake. There are plenty of activities around the hotel that you can use to live your false identities; restaurants, cinemas, pubs, cafes, whatever you would like to do."

"Everything has been set up for us to head out?"

"Yes. You are due to fly out in two days from Magnolia's airport. I was originally going to have you fly out from Crocus, but Makarov insisted on not having you leave from Crocus just in case someone decided to be a little suspicious for whatever reason and they notify the State Security."

"Bosco is generally suspicious of foreigners anyway, so we'd likely get scoped out eventually. It's probably best if we spend the first few days acting like vacationers and not give them any clue that we're anything other than that."

"Well, if I'm going to be drawing the building plan of the lab, then I should probably spend the first few days filling pages of the sketch pad with various other buildings and stuff we come across during the trip so it seems less out of place." Lucy spoke up, adding her thoughts on the matter. She glanced between Natsu and Hisui as she waiting for their responses, especially Natsu's as he was the senior field agent. "Maybe I should carry it with me everywhere we go?"

"If asked, you can say that you're an architectural student who wanted to travel abroad for inspiration and a little vacation with your fiancé." Natsu nodded slowly. "Yeah, that could work, and people wouldn't be likely to think twice about someone like that with a book full of buildings and building plans. Just make sure to do other building layouts too. And you'll likely need to label the rooms and have little notes too to make it look authentic."

"I can have you snuck into the register for a university of your choosing, just in case the State Security tries to dig into your background."

"That'd be helpful, thank you." Lucy smiled at Hisui. "It would probably be best if I'm in one of Magnolia's universities since the information trail would lead back there anyway."

"I will sort it out and send the information to you once it is done." Hisui returned the woman's smile in kind and looked back down at her laptop. She skimmed through her notes, murmuring to herself as she made sure she covered everything. "That should be everything I need to cover. Everything else will be in the documentation that you have already been given. And the methods you use to gather information on the ground will be up to your discretion providing you stick to non-lethal methods until your lives are at risk, and even then, I would prefer that you prioritise evasion over neutralisation of hostile forces."

"Understood." Natsu turned on the couch to face Hisui and he placed a hand on Lucy's thigh, stroking it gently which earned him a soft, shivering gasp of delight from the feel of his coarse and calloused hand against her soft and supple skin. "I'll let you two head to the vault to deal with the rings, I'll stay behind to go over the mission information once more."

"You're really okay with wearing one?" Lucy asked bashfully, her cheeks slowly becoming rosy.

"I believe it shows one's commitment to their partner, Lucy." Natsu replied honestly. "And this commitment goes both ways."

"I'll try and find something that suits you." Lucy fiddled with the man's left hand before slowly reaching up and wrapping her arms around his neck and burying her face into the crook of his neck.

"You're embarrassed."

The woman's ears reddened and she silently cursed his empathetic sense as she buried her face further into the man, breathing in his woodsmoke scent. "Because it makes me feel all giddy inside at the thought… I know it's a cover but I can't help but feel this way." She took a deep breath to calm herself and she lifted her head and pressed her chest up against the man. "The ring will probably be something simple, I'm meant to be a university student, not a rich heiress of the Heartfilia conglomerate."

"Should I leave the room?" Hisui giggled softly as she watched the two agents with a faint blush on her cheeks. "It looks like you two might need some privacy."

"Ah! N-no, it's fine." Lucy jumped back and quickly rose to her feet. She smoothed out her dress and fiddled with her hair. "S-sorry, between what he does to me and those two members of staff still going at it in the storeroom, I'm a bit of a sensitive mess right now."

"Well," Hisui gave the woman a playful smirk as she gracefully stood up. "How about we go ring hunting to take your mind off of it."

"Yeah, that's going to be a tough ask of me." The blonde admitted with an embarrassed giggle. She reached out and took her friend's hand then made for the door. "He brings out a side of me that you've never seen before. Some kind of primal attraction that does get awkward sometimes, but my gods is it mindblowing."

"We will be back in a bit, Mr Dragneel." Hisui glanced over her shoulder with a smile and she gave him a quick wave before Lucy pulled her out of the room.

Magnolia – 6:14 PM

Lucy yawned softly. She was lying on one of the couches in their lounge room, lazily watching the nightly news on the TV. She and Natsu hadn't long gotten home after the trip to Crocus which ended up longer than expected since Hisui took the opportunity to go shopping with her. She had only just gotten changed into a pair of pink cotton short-shorts and a loose white crop-top singlet that had Underwear is for Bitches printed on it, though the lettering was a little stretched due to her substantial breasts. She stretched her arms out above her and let out a delicate moan and as she relaxed, a sparkle drew her attention to her left hand where a white-gold ring sat proudly with an arrangement of diamonds nestled within it on her ring finger.

"So… did Natsu pop the question?" Happy asked curiously as he suddenly appeared over the back of the couch and looked down at the busty blonde.

"Happy?!" Lucy jumped clean off the couch at the Exceed's abrupt entrance. She rested her left hand over her heart and let out a series of slow breaths to calm herself before lying back down and answering, "No. It was a gift from Hisui, for the job we've been assigned and for me to keep afterwards. Natsu has one too."

"You mean Hisui the Queen, right?" The blue-haired boy walked around to the front of the couch and sat down on the coffee table. "I didn't know that you knew her that well."

"My family is close to hers, so we've been friends for a long time." Lucy replied softly. She rolled onto her side and shifted into side-sleeping position with her hands by her face. "We're going to acting as an engaged couple for our mission."

"Oh, alright." Happy let out a dramatic sigh and he raised his voice a little. "And here I thought he finally got the courage to ask you to marry him."

"Happy!" Lucy whisper shouted, her hand shooting out in a flash to try and shush the devious human-looking cat with a Cheshire grin but all she could grasp was thin air as he took to the air on angelic wings.

"Maybe this will spurn him on and make him get on a knee for you."

"Damn it, Happy, get down here!" Lucy shot to her feet and lunged for the boy but he flew out of her clutches right before she could get her hands on him. "Stop saying such things…"

"Why? It's clear that you both are madly in love with each other." Happy chortled as he floated in a slow circle around the woman's head up by the ceiling. "Maybe you could propose to him instead? You already have the rings, after all. Plus, if the Queen herself gave them to you, then doesn't that mean you have her blessings?"

"You do realise that you aren't out of my reach up there." Lucy reminded the boy as she looked up at him with a raised eyebrow. She crossed her arms and tapped her foot lightly. But before they could continue their back-and-forth, the doorbell rang which drew Lucy's attention away from the mischievous cat. "Natsu, the pizzas are here. Do you want me to deal with it?"

"Yeah, thanks." Natsu called out down the stairs. "I'll be down in a sec."

"Behave yourself." Lucy muttered softly as she pointed to the flying boy above her head. She let out a sigh and walked to the front door where she was met with a familiar young woman who was carrying some pizza boxes. "Oh, you're Bernadette, right?" Before the girl could get a glimpse of the ring on her finger, Lucy subtly used Requip to store it. "How have you been?"

"Busy, really busy." The brunette's shoulders slumped theatrically but she quickly picked herself up. "Your name was Lucy, right? You're Natsu's coworker?" Bernadette's gaze drifted down to the blonde's clothes and a faint blush dusted her cheeks. "Did you happen to move in with him?"

"Yeah, I ran into a very rough patch with my landlord and got out of there. Natsu offered me a place to stay and well, it turns out that we can live together pretty easily, so we decided that this can be my home." Lucy replied. She sensed Natsu heading their way so she looked back at the stairs and saw him coming down them while halfway through putting a shirt on. When she turned back to the young woman, she noticed her peaking past her at the man with a lustful twinkle in her eyes. "What about you? Up to anything interesting?"

"Oh, um…" Bernadette's eyes snapped back to the blonde beauty and she shook her head to clear the rogue thoughts from her mind. "I started to attend college. I'm working on becoming a photographer. Say, um, do you think Natsu would pose for some pictures?"

"That depends on if you plan on using the photos for educational purposes or for personal use." Lucy giggled playfully. She rested her arms against the doorknob and leaned down, bringing her face closer to the woman's with a teasing grin. "Well~?"

"E-educational, of course!" Bernadette spluttered cutely at the seductive woman. "Purely educational."

"I'm sure he wouldn't mind." Lucy's grin turned into a gentle smile. "And if you want, I can get in contact with a few of my friends and see if they'll be models for you too. I'm sure you've heard of the Strauss Sisters."

"Wait, you know Mirajane and Lisanna Strauss?"

"Yup!" Lucy summoned her phone and flicked through her photos until she found one that had herself and Mira in their workout clothes, arm in arm with each other while smiling ear to ear. When she showed it to the young woman, her eyes it up like fireworks. "See, we're workout buddies. I'm sure I can get Mira to pose for you, and she could probably give you a few pointers to help with your photography stuff."

"Really?!" Bernadette's eyes shot wide open and she giddily bounced on the balls of her feet. She quickly handled her delivery – which was handed off to Happy – before reaching down her shirt to pull her phone from her bra. "You have socials, right? Could I add you?"

"Sure. Just look for Lucy Heartfilia." Lucy replied lightly as she slowly waved her phone in front of the woman with her profile displayed on the screen.

"A-as in the Heartfilia Konzern?" The young woman blinked slowly. She skeptically added the blonde but that skepticism vanished when the woman's phone dinged in front of her eyes and her name popped up on the screen. "Oh…"

"Yup, I'm the Heartfilia heiress. Surprised to see me in a townhouse in Magnolia?"

"A-a little bit, yeah."

Lucy quickly added the woman before sending her phone away to her Requip dimension. "I've got a business trip coming up, so I won't be contactable, but I'll reply once I'm free again."

"Thank you," Bernadette bowed politely and took a step back. "Enjoy your dinner, Lady Heartfilia."

Lucy waved goodbye as she smiled kindly at the woman. She closed the door slowly and walked into the lounge room but only Natsu was there with two of the pizza boxes. "Where's Happy?"

"Went to his room to do some homework while eating." Natsu glanced up at the woman and saw the ring materialise on her finger. "Getting used to it? The ring."

"Yeah. It might feel awkward not wearing it afterwards though." Lucy yawned softly while stretching her arms upwards and going up onto the tips of her toes. Happy's words from earlier echoed in her mind but she pushed them deeper and placed a hand on Natsu's chest, pushing him down onto his back as she swung her leg over his hips and sat down on his lap like a cowgirl. "Did you hear about the girl?"

"I don't mind doing a few photos with her." Natsu wiped his hands on his pants and then slowly slid them up Lucy's sides, causing her to moan softly and grind her hips against him while putting her arms behind her head.

"She's going to finger herself to them, you know." Lucy lowered her molten, lustful gaze to the man's dark-green eyes and she gave him a sly grin.

"And you wouldn't?"

"Nah, I'd just fuck you." Lucy giggled. She lifted her hips and bounced on the man's lap a few times to give a little more emphasis to her words. A needy moan escaped her lips as the man's calloused hands slipped under her singlet and grasped her breasts. "I'm a little jealous of the look she was giving you. But I know she wouldn't be able to handle you."

"She probably feels a little intimidated by you too, especially after finding out who you are." Natsu slowly sat up and flipped their positions so Lucy was on her back with her legs wrapped around his hips. He reached a hand up and pinned her wrists together against the couch's armrest. "The pizza is going to get cold if we continue this."

"But I'm so damn horny!" Lucy whined playfully. "And it's not like you aren't horny either, you'd be able to poke someone's eye out with the raging hard-on you've got."

"There's nothing stopping us from fucking later, Lucy." Natsu reminded the busty beauty. He lowered his head and gave her a tender kiss as he released her wrists. Her arms quickly found their place around his neck and he was held firmly to the woman's body as she passionately returned the kiss.

"But I want to feel that big hot cock inside me~." Lucy let out a shaky moan but she relented and loosened her grip on the man. "You better rail me before we go to sleep."

"I'll make sure that it puts you to sleep." Natsu growled softly, giving Lucy a playful fanged grin. He slowly kissed his way down her neck, chest and stomach until he reached the waistband of her shorts but he sat up and grabbed a slice of pizza instead of going any further.

"Oi! If you're going to work me up like that, the least you can do is eat my pussy." Lucy let out a fake grumpy sigh as she sat up but she gently kissed the man's cheek and grabbed a slice of her own pizza. Her eyes drifted to the man's hand where a ring glinted against his tanned skin. "I noticed you've got the ring on too."

"Yeah." Natsu glanced at his left hand then slowly shifted his attention to Lucy's luscious blonde hair. He reached out and gently combed his fingers through it, earning an inquisitive glance from the woman. "I've got a temporary dye kit to do your hair, we should do it tonight."

"If you need a hand with it, I can have Cancer come out." Lucy moved a little closer to the man and leaned against him, resting her head against his shoulder. "I might have him come out afterwards to help seal the colour in so it won't need special treatment. I'll also have him revert it once the job is over so my hair can go back to its natural colour."

"Alright. The dye is in our bathroom, so if you want, you can relax in the bath while I do it."

"Mm, that sounds fantastic." Lucy purred softly. "I think I'll have a bubble bath. It means I don't have to cover myself when I summon Cancer."

"Aw, then I won't get to see that sexy body." Natsu grumbled playfully.

Lucy poked her tongue out at the man then hooked her thumb under her crop-top singlet, lifting it up to reveal her breasts. "I could just show it to you right now if you want to see it that badly~."

"You really do make it hard to keep my hands off you, you know…"

The room was filled with Lucy's giggles as she let the fabric fall down over her breasts. She closed her eyes and snuggled up against the man while she enjoyed her food. After a few minutes a thought popped into her mind and she looked up at the man. "You know what I want to do?"

"Have sex." Natsu answered without a single moment of hesitation.

"Well, yes…" The woman paused for a moment to stifle her giggles. "But I want to fuck on the plane. We should sneak into the toilet at some point during the flight and have some fun. Or maybe we could have some fun in our seats depending on what class we're in."

"We wouldn't be in first class. Maybe in business if we're lucky." Natsu threw the empty boxes into the fireplace and lobbed a ball of fire in after them. He turned slightly towards the woman and put his arms around her waist but she quickly moved onto his lap and curled up against his warm body. "You know, I wouldn't be surprised if you've got some kind of bucket list for places you want to have sex in…"

"Maybe I do~." Lucy giggled softly. She let out a gentle yawn and closed her eyes with a warm smile. "Let the food settle for a bit then we can deal with my hair. And as much as I'd love to fuck right now, it'll upset my stomach if we did go at it."

"Just don't go and fall asleep on me otherwise I might give you a rude awakening." Natsu smirked softly as he gazed down at the woman but all he got was a soft murmur in response. He let out a soft sigh and a gentle smile graced his face as he caressed her cheek and slowly combed his fingers through her silky hair.

Thanks for reading this chapter, I hope you liked it. This job is going to be a more spy-esk one with Natsu and Lucy building their covers in Bosco before beginning their infiltration and investigation. As such, it likely won't be a fast-paced one with bombastic scenes. Anyway, again I hope you liked the chapter. Feel free to leave a review if you like, and follow/favourite to stay up-to-date with upcoming chapters. See you all in the next one.