Lucy hated her mom (no she didn't). She just hated the fact that she knew her mom and Natsu's mom were plotting this stupid family vacation to intervene in their love lives and she only knew they were the type to pull this stupid stunt because they were whispering about it one day when she was trying on dresses. They didn't like the speed that they were going at and made this plan of whisking the entire family to a family vacation where they hoped they would magically make a baby and fall in love as if this was some stupid fairy tale.
So she yelled and screamed and refused and cried and she finally gave up because her mom is one scary bitch and one convincing one at that.
It wasn't until a month and a half later, anyways, and she had time to prepare but Lucy felt so busy. She was planning a wedding, keeping up with her extracurriculars she liked to partake in, finishing up the classes she was taking, meeting her girlfriends to cry about her life, and avoiding her boyfriend. The avoiding the boyfriend part was the hardest when she had to keep going over to his house to try on dresses and pick what stupid flower she wanted as her centerpiece.
She wanted to run away to get rid of everything that was dragging her down in her life and she found herself screaming into her pillow most nights.
Her mother was all rainbow and sunshine the whole time, giggling about this or that and talking out loud to rile her up. Asking what she should bring and if they should carpool or how many days they should extend their trip.
It pissed her off to the max but she stopped giving her the satisfaction of reacting and just ignored her.
But with all her extracurriculars and avoiding the boyfriend and trying on over thousands of dresses, it was already time to go away and she was screaming and refusing to get in the car with her parents. She was kicking and screaming as her father slung her over his shoulder like he used to do when she was little and she was dragged into the car with her parents.
Her father talked about how they had gone to this home many times with Igneel and Grandine and she tried her best to ignore it all but it was so hard when her parents were giggling and kissing like love-sick teenagers. It made her sick and she was particularly mortified when her mother said she could be like this with her own boyfriend—fiancé—if she accepted her fate and Lucy was screaming all over again.
Especially since Natsu had sent a pic of him and Wendy, identical grins plastered on their faces while he sent her a text.
"See you soon, wife."
She really, really wanted to commit murder.
—X—
The Dragneel household was already there when they had arrived. It took them over six hours to arrive at this beautiful beach house Lucy had not been to since she was a kid and she was glad to be out of that trap box of a car.
Her and her mother were both fuming, angry and humiliated and Jude looked relieved to be out of that situation. Lucy immediately grabbed her bag and stomped inside the house, ignoring her mother who was glaring at her. Jude had announced their arrival and Grandine was first to show face to squeal excitedly. Layla instantly perked up and the two girlfriends were giggling along while Igneel had made an appearance.
"Great to see you all, hello beautiful dear Lucy," Igneel planted a kiss on her cheek and she was smiling. "Jude and Layla. Great of you to show."
"There was a bit of traffic on the way," Jude said while he shook hands with his friend before leaning in. "Get me the hell away from those two." He whispered, pointing at his two blonde women.
Igneel could see the thunder clouds above them and he chuckled, patting his friend on the back.
"Lucy, your room is just down this hall. First door on the right," Igneel pointed down the hall and smiled. "Everyone else is upstairs."
"Thank you!" Lucy chirped and she was finally glad to get away from her parents and left without a second thought.
Usually she stayed upstairs but since there were a lot of others and especially Wendy who would appreciate the room, she assumed she was moved downstairs towards the master guest room. She didn't mind. That meant she could probably avoid the rest of the crowd and she wasn't trying to be too close to her bitch of a mother.
Lucy was already rolling her eyes at the thought of her shrill mother and she busted into her room, ignoring the many bags she had packed for the trip tucked away against the wall. She set her bag down and she flopped on the king mattress, groaning out from the long car ride and wanting to curl up to nap.
This was going to be the longest week of her life and she wished she could have brought Levy and Cana along to keep her company and occupied. She did pack a bunch of books for her to read during her trip and she even brought her racket to see if she could play some tennis.
Akane beach always had warm weather. Even if it was rain or shine or snow in the next town over, Akane always stayed warm with a low of sixty five at night. It was a journey away and while Lucy would have preferred to take a plane over, her mother insisted on taking a car for whatever reason she had blabbed about that Lucy was not paying attention to.
She had come here as a child and didn't know it belonged to the Dragneels. She cursed her mother and Natsu's mother for being such close friends and plotting such a diabolical plan and she wondered where her boyfriend was.
Getting up from her position, Lucy stretched her body to groan with the pop of her joints. She came over to the french doors where it opened out to the backyard and cracked them so the nice ocean breeze could come in. It had brightened her mood and she desperately wanted a dip in the water. She debated if she should go in the pool or ocean, wondering how cold the ocean water was compared to their heated pool.
Deciding to think about this after a nice shower, she just began to strip her clothes off and make it to the bathroom. She liked the clawfoot tub she had but went straight to the open shower head instead. She turned the water on to warm it as she discarded her pants to pile on top of her sweater she had taken off.
As she pulled her hair out of the pony she had it up in, she watched her reflection in the mirror as her golden hair fell around her like a halo. She looked at herself up close, tilting her head up and down, right to left to inspect closer and then she reached behind to unclip her bra. As soon as she got one hook undone, she instantly froze up to see her bathroom door open.
Lucy opened her mouth to shout that she was in there with one hand shooting upwards to slam it shut but she was quickly overpowered with the way Natsu had come in.
The two were stunned to see each other and when Natsu's eyes flickered downwards, Lucy looked mortified, face growing redder by the second.
"G—get out!" She shrieked, trying to push him out but he didn't budge. "What the hell are you doing in my room?!"
"That's what I wanted to ask." He said and it made Lucy freeze. "I like the matching set. Is it a Heartfillia classic?"
"You pervert!" She screeched, shoving him out finally for her to scramble for her sweater on the floor. She tossed it on in a frenzy, shutting the water off to hop out the bathroom with her pants barely up her legs. She was pissed at how amused Natsu looked and he wouldn't keep his eyes off her chest and she was starting to get annoyed. "Did you say this was your room?"
"Uh, yeah," he said, finally dragging his eyes up to meet hers.
"Are you kidding me?" Lucy groaned, throwing her head back.
"Did you not see my bags by the door?" He asked, eyebrow raised and tumb jabbed behind him.
"I thought they were mine! How was I supposed to know some of those are yours?"
"Not some," he scoffed. "One. That's probably why you didn't see because you packed for the whole fucking family. Are you moving in or something?"
Lucy scowled, crossing her arms across her chest. "That's only one week worth of stuff and I didn't even bring everything I wanted to! One bag is for my shoes, the other is swimsuits and towels and beach stuff, the other has my dresses, one is my shower and makeup bag, and the other one is just shorts and t-shirts!"
"Jesus Christ, Lucy, you have a problem."
"Oh, screw you!" Lucy's face grew red with anger and embarrassment. "Now what the hell is this about this being your room? I know for sure that there are enough rooms in this place for you and I not to share!"
"I don't know, my dad told me this was my room and I come back to see your shit in it."
"Now they have our dads against us?" The blonde groaned in agony.
"Are you surprised?" He scoffed, crossing his arms across his chest. "I figured they'll do something like this."
"Why didn't you warn me? Or even try to fight it?"
"Because I know no matter what we say or do they'll still do what they want." He shrugged and he was rounding the blonde to go back into the bathroom. His voice echoed while Lucy collected herself, grabbing onto her cheeks to shake her head back and forth. She heard the sink turn on and the splashing of water. "And I'm not going to waste my time or energy fighting them about this anymore. It's pointless. Obviously they would put us in the same room, we're about to be wed."
Lucy groaned once more, throwing her hands in the air in desperation. "I am doomed."
"What are you so worried about?" He came back to have a smirk on his face. "We've slept together on the same bed before."
"B—by accident!" She scowled, turning her head away.
"Still did it." He didn't seem to care as he came back out. He went straight to the dresser and yanked a drawer out to dig in. "I'm not going to touch you so relax."
Lucy didn't know if she should be glad or offended by his comment as she watched him walk towards the bathroom door once more. He had his swim trunks in his hands and he turned to look at her, the same playful grin coming to his face. "Unless you want me to."
"In your wet filthy dreams!" She was screeching at a door as he shut it in her face.
Lucy just wanted to tuck herself into a hole and die alone. She was flustered, humiliated, and honestly so tired. She didn't think it was this draining to go on vacation but of course with the presence of her sweet mother and her darling boyfriend, it wasn't going to be easy.
So that's what she did. She crawled into her (shared) bed and buried herself in the soft comforter. She heard the click of the door and she knew Natsu was standing over her by how his body heat rolled off his body. She just wanted everything and everyone to go away.
"Dad is getting the pool set up for us. Do you want to come?"
"No."
"Are you upset about what I said?"
"No."
"Then why are you acting this way?"
"Just go away, Natsu."
She expected him to just leave and let her drown in her own sorrows but she just groaned even louder when she felt him sit down. Then she was surprised to feel his hand on her back and she stiffened up, unsure if she should tell him to not touch her or just let him comfort her. She chose the peaceful route and just let him rub her back and she just laid there in silence.
"So do you always wear a matching set or did I get lucky today?"
Lucy kept her face down as she knew Natsu would make fun of her red face and she cursed herself for the tips of her ears giving away so easily.
"Does this mean I get to see you in more matching sets?"
Lucy just groaned, ignoring her boyfriend who she knew was just eating this up.
"Are you going to wear one tonight?"
"Why does it matter if I wear one tonight or any night for that matter?" She lifted her head up to glare at him and she just hated the smirk he had on his face. "Don't you have somewhere to be?"
"Is it wrong that I want to be with my wife?"
"I am not your wife!" She was screaming again and chose to ignore Natsu's "Yet" and she groaned, covering her face with her hands. "This cannot get any worse."
"Knock, knock! Hope everyone is decent!" An all too familiar voice giggled and Lucy spoke too soon. "How is our favorite couple?" Grandine and Layla had come to the door, wide grins on their faces.
Lucy looked like she was ready to go to war and Natsu was just more sheepish than usual, reeling away from his girlfriend who pouted over the loss.
"So, we were thinking since we have everyone together for the next two weeks," Grandine shared a knowing look with her best friend, a wide grin on her face.
"Could we possibly do more wedding planning? There's a flower shop not too far—"
"Okay, I'm going to stop you right there." Natsu held his hand up to stop the women from talking any further. "I thought this was a vacation. Not time to hound us about this or that bullshit—" Natsu ignored his mother's scolding about his language. "I think both Lucy and I would appreciate it if you two gave us some space to actually get to know one another and spend this vacation away from this hectic schedule and wedding plans." He stated with his head held high and voice stern as if he was making a business deal. "And besides, you're making my girl all squirrely and upset and I don't like it."
Lucy was the one to gawk at her man now, jaw dropped in an unladylike manner and she didn't seem to care too much because her mom had the same look on her face. Grandine looked somewhat pleased and the corner of her lips were twitching in amusement. They all stared at the Dragneel heir in mixed expressions and he stared right back with slight confusion and a hint of fear.
"Well, I think we should leave Natsu and Lucy to it then," Grandine didn't bother hiding the amusement in her tone of voice as she looked from the kids to her friend. "Shall we, Layla?"
"Yes, Grandine," The older blonde was giggling, locking her arm around the one she held out. "See you kids at the pool!"
Once the door had closed, Lucy turned to look at her boyfriend with glossy eyes and Natsu grimaced, wondering if she was going to cry. Instead, he was embraced and it shocked him even more.
"Why can't you be this sweet all the time?" She had a hint of playfulness in her tone and he just smiled. "Maybe I would have fallen for you sooner if you were this sweet from the start."
Now it was Natsu's turn to smile, his entire face beaming with joy and a bit of smugness. Lucy noticed immediately and her smile dropped, trying to save herself but Natsu's arms were quick to wrap around her and he was smirking at her with such a glint in his eyes she wished she never said anything.
"Fallen for me sooner? Are you confessing your feelings for me?" He asked, smirk widening at the horrified look she had.
"N—no! I didn't mean it that way! I just—you—I mean—!"
"Is it because I said that I love you the other day?" He teased and she was growing even more flustered. "Or is it because I said I was going to propose?"
"Neither!" She growled, squirming under his hold but he had a strong grip. "Let me go, asshole!"
"Now, is that any way to talk to your boyfriend who just saved your ass from wedding planning?" He leaned in and she gasped. "I could have thrown you to the wolves."
"You're an asshole." She said through gritted teeth, head turned slightly away so she wouldn't be nose to nose with him.
He scoffed, unfazed. "Besides the obvious, tell me something I don't know."
"Fine," she huffed, eyes trailing up to the ceiling so she could focus and look for whatever it was that she was looking for. "I… never had kissed anyone before you."
"I know that, too," he snickered, leaning in closer to her. "Try harder than that."
Lucy squeezed her eyes shut, praying to whoever was up there to end her misery and she opened them back up to continue to keep her eyes locked on that one crack in the corner. "I think you're cute."
"Is this really the best you can do?" He sounded a bit disappointed and Lucy rolled her eyes. "You get that from me."
"I know," she hissed, trying to nudge him away. "What is this? Saw? I have to answer a riddle or something for you to let me go?"
"I just like to tease you. Your face gets all red and your eyes have this dizzy look in it and I like how you stutter. It's cute."
"I—I am not!" She squealed, and she grumbled indecent curses under her breath when she just proved him right. "You are annoying."
"Come on, tell me something I don't know, Luce."
"Luce?" Lucy only echoed as he whined and she had no idea where this personality came from. "If I tell you something, will you let me go?"
"And you have to come to the pool with me."
"No way—"
"Wendy is going to be sad."
"You're an asshole for using your sister against me!"
"She looks up to you," he shrugged and Lucy scowled.
"Do we really have to have this conversation with you holding me down like some rabid animal—"
"Just answer the question then." He snickered at her rolling her eyes again. "And nothing wrong with a boyfriend holding their girlfriend."
"Hostage." She finished for him and now it was his turn to roll his eyes. "What? You want me to explain quantum physics to you or something?"
"You are making this so much harder and boring than it really is. I saved your ass and this is the thanks I get? A definition on quantum physics?"
"I just want you to let me go," she whined, trying to pry herself away from her boyfriend who seemed reluctant to let her go. She didn't know if he just wanted to hold her or just tease her but she could not get her heart to stop pounding and she was starting to worry he might hear. "You just want to hold me. Admit it!"
"Yeah, I do."
Lucy popped red again and Natsu was howling with laughter. She wasn't expecting an answer like that and it was hard to see if he was serious or not by the way he was grinning at her.
"Well—" She sputtered, squeezing her eyes shut again and taking in a deep breath. "Ithinkaboutkissingyouallthetimesincewelastkissed!"
"Huh?" Natsu was confused, eyebrow raised and mouth open like an idiot.
Lucy took the opportunity of his confusion to shove him off and she snatched her bag before she was running into the bathroom. She was quick to lock the door and let out the breath she was holding and she was sliding down the door, knees weak and wobbly. She held her face with her palms and felt dizzy from the confession and she wondered if Natsu had understood her at all.
Soon, she heard banging and the knob jiggle making her snap out of her daze. "Hey, you cheated! Get out here! You said you're going to the pool with me!"
"I—I'm changing!" She managed to wheeze out and the banging stopped. "I'll just meet you there!"
"No way in hell am I going to fall for that one!"
Lucy groaned, throwing her head into her palms. "I promise I'll be there."
"I don't believe you!"
"Fine! I'll be out in five minutes!"
"You better." And she heard him walk away.
Lucy just wanted to burst into flames at the moment and she couldn't believe she confessed her deepest darkest secret to the one man who shouldn't know. She knew once he had figured it out he would tease her till she died of embarrassment and since she knew he got off by teasing her, she would be having a very, very long week.
At least he got their mothers off their back about the whole wedding planning process but she still felt anxious to know how her days would go with her having to share a bedroom with her husband-to-be and being stuck in a home with the Dragneel's for the next seven days.
Realizing she had been sitting on the bathroom floor dwelling on her experiences, she quickly got up to dig in her bag for a swimsuit. She mentally stabbed herself for packing swimsuits that were so skimpy and she wondered why her mother would let her pack these kinds of suits but then she realized how supportive her mother was of her.
Layla embraced the fact that Lucy was blessed in her appearance and she supported her through whatever phase she had gone through. The goth phase. The girly phase. The cottage core phase. The slutty phase.
Her mother adored all the outfits and phases she had gone through, never a single negative thing ever said about what she wore or how she looked because Layla was a girl's girl and she loved her little girl. Jude was never too happy with the skimpiness of her clothing but only because he knew boys were pigs and none of them deserved his little girl. Even with Natsu, he felt some type of way, but he knew this was his doing and he thought highly of Igneel and Grandine so how could he not be with their son?
Finally going with the least skimpiest one, Lucy got changed into a pink bikini with yellow stars decorating the surface. She was at least three shades of red when she stared at herself and wondered how she could get rid of her boobs and ass in just two seconds.
She grabbed a coverup she had brought along and pulled it on, the kimono not doing anything for her sinful body and she just took in a deep breath before opening the door. Her boyfriend was lying on the bed, scrolling through his phone and waiting for her like he promised.
She tensed up when she saw him turn his head up to look at her and she felt self conscious all over again.
"Took you long enough," he said, eyes lingering too long and he finally sat up to ruffle his locks. "You look good in pink."
"Thanks," she muttered, dropping her bag on the floor and now digging through another bag. She pulled out a thick book and Natsu stood to come over to her, looking her up and down while she scowled and hugged herself. "Stop looking at me."
"I'm going to ask your mom for the Heartfillia catalog."
"For what, perv?" She growled as they began their journey down to the pool. It had to be warmed and ready by now.
"So I can see which one I prefer to see you in on our wedding night."
—X—
Lucy decided that she liked being a big sister. She never had the chance to experience sibling life since her parents decided very selfishly on their own and without her consultation that they had enough and while she loved being the spoiled only child, she sometimes wondered what it would have been like if she did have a sister or brother.
She was glad she got to experience this with Wendy as the sweet girl was all giggles and sunshine. She loved playing with this angel. Whether it was mermaids in the pool, hide and seek, marco polo, or just having a splash attack, Lucy was all smiles and laughs.
She thought of herself as the big sister and the way Wendy called her big sis and latched on to her was making her soppy heart squeeze so painfully.
Eventually Wendy had asked her big brother to play and he had set her on his shoulders to trek through the waters while the moms drank wine and chatted and the dads watched the television, chit chat being exchanged once in a while. She didn't remember where the large gazebo with the eighty inch television and couch came from but she didn't pay much attention as her father and future father-in-law drank beer and laid on opposite couches of one another.
Lucy took the opportunity to sunbathe for a bit as she read her novel and drank some wine. She felt a bit light headed and bubbly as she read her novel, giggling at the dialect.
She flipped over on her back once her arms got heavy and she kicked her leg back and forth as she read. Seeing how drops of water dripped on her pages, she looked up to see her boyfriend standing over her and she scowled, yanking her book away before it got even more damaged.
"Natsu! You're getting my book wet!"
"Who the hell reads at the pool anyways?" He stretched his neck, shaking his head to get the water out of his ear. It only made more water splatter out and nick her. "It's just a book." It made her angry, sitting up on her bench to scowl.
"You're so inconsiderate!"
"Relax," he was sticking his finger in his ear. "I didn't mean to."
"Aren't you supposed to be playing with Wendy right now?" Lucy turned to see Wendy had ventured off to be by their moms, eating fruit from a bowl.
"It's adult swim." He smirked and Lucy rolled her eyes. "It's true. Mom and dad are big on it. They said children aren't aware to stop swimming so a lot of them drown or die of exhaustion or whatever the hell they say." He murmured, sitting down on the other half of her bench. "What are you so into that you rather lay out here with a book?"
"I'm reading about wizards and magic. There's this girl who has the magic of the celestial spirits!" Her eyes gleamed and Natsu just scoffed.
"Sounds stupid."
"You're stupid."
"Is that any way to talk to your boyfriend?"
"Is this any way to talk to your girlfriend?" She countered, glaring at the smirking heir.
"Does it make you want to kiss me?" He asked and it took her by surprise.
She gawked at him, eyes wide and cheeks red as she eyed him up and down. It was hard to keep her eyes off his nice sculpted body that dripped of water and the annoying smirk that never leaves his face. He looked smug and too cocky and she was not rocking with the way he was looking at her.
"What?" She managed to spit out and she regretted it the moment she saw his smirk widen.
"You said it earlier. You said you think about it all the time."
"What are you going on—"She suddenly stopped when she finally processed what he was talking about and her entire face exploded into fireworks. She was a sputtering, babbling mess, trying to get her words to come out but Natsu was eating this shit up and all she wanted to do was punch him in the face. "Get away from me!"
"I thought you said you couldn't stop thinking about it—"
"No, shut up!" She shrieked, jumping up to point at him with a trembling angry finger. "You misheard! You don't know what you're talking about!"
"Then why are you acting like that?"
"Because you're being… you're annoying! Ugh!" Lucy cried out, turning on her tail to stomp away from him. She paused after a couple steps and came back, refusing to look at him as she snatched the wine glass from the table to go back to stomping away angrily.
Natsu could only watch in amusement, leaning back against his hands to watch her ass from afar. He gave her a few seconds head start before he was on his feet, following her.
"Daddy," Lucy had whined, making the two men look up at the pouting girl. "Natsu is being annoying."
"Nothing new there, Lucy," Igneel went back to watching his basketball game, putting his beer bottle to his lips. "Gotta get used to it or you might blow your brains out before thirty."
"Igneel!" Grandine's shriek came from over the table and Igneel grimaced. "Don't say that! Lucy, he didn't mean it!"
"Sorry," he looked over at Jude who had a smile to his lips while he drank from his own bottle. "I had a little too much to drink."
"Speak of the devil," Jude whispered before Lucy turned to see Natsu grinning at her. "Are you enjoying yourselves?"
"Yes."
"No!"
The two businessmen could only look in amusement while Lucy fumed and Natsu beamed. Lucy stomped away from him again and the men were now laughing. "You stop bothering her, son," Igneel held out a bottle to his heir who happily accepted it from him. "The goal is to get her to like you. Not put a bullet through you before you even say your vows."
"Lucy is a tough girl," Jude piped up, holding his bottle up in the air to his future son-in-law who felt embarrassed they were talking about his daughter. "It's gonna take more than some teasing to crack her."
"Must get it from Layla."
"She's worse than her," Jude chuckled, sipping down beer. "Those two lock horns like two goats establishing dominance and then she has the nerve to ask me where she got that attitude from because it sure as hell ain't from me!"
Igneel was laughing and Natsu was intrigued to listen, looking at his future father-in-law who was cackling with his best friend. Jude motioned for him to sit and Natsu sat on the chair between the two couches they were on. He glanced over at his golden beauty who was still fuming, seeing how she picked at grapes and rolled her eyes at her mom who swatted at her for her habit. The four ladies were occupied with wine and gossip and fruit and Natsu was content with talking sports and shit with the men.
"So I heard you confessed your feelings to Lucy, Natsu." Jude spoke up, making him jump and look over in uneasiness.
"S—something like that…" Natsu muttered and he was nervous he was going to get his ass wrung out.
While Natsu was built and skilled, Lucy's father had a couple inches to him and he also looked as if he worked out. He really wasn't trying to go head on head with him and find out who could overpower who so he sat up straight and cleared his throat.
Igneel scoffed, eyes glued to the screen. "I heard what happened. That idiot wasn't confessing anything."
"Dad!" Natsu hissed, eyes darting to the blonde man next to him.
"Oh shut it," Igneel finished his beer to place the empty bottle on the coffee table with all the others. "You probably just said that to get out of wedding planning."
"Is that true?" Jude asked and Natsu was sweating. "You don't have to lie. It's alright."
"Well…" Natsu said sheepishly. "Lucy kind of put me in a hard position and as much as I am excited for the wedding, sir," he held one hand up and one pressed against his chest as if he was swearing. "I really didn't want to sit around picking colors and flowers and dinner plates."
"I told you," Igneel popped open yet another beer, the fizz of the carbonation hissing. "I know my son very well."
"Thanks, dad," Natsu deadpanned, narrowing his eyes. "Sir, all due respect, I think Lucy is a wonderful—"
"It's alright, son," Jude held his hand up to shut him up. Natsu watched in nervousness as he downed his beer and placed it right beside Igneel on the coffee table between them. "I know it's not easy to accept an arranged marriage and suddenly be thrown into this situation without proper warning. I won't hold it against you for not loving Lucy immediately or having ill feelings about the entire situation but all I do is ask you to respect Lucy and if and when you do fall in love with her, cherish and take care of her for me. She has a lot to offer and she is a very smart, bright, and beautiful woman. She's a lover and when she is shown love, she shines bright like the stars in the sky."
Natsu was stunned at the sudden request and he was at a loss of words, looking at his future father-in-law to his father who was nodding approvingly. He looked back to see Jude giving him a soft smile and he could only nod, swallowing hard.
"You should give it a try."
"Give what a try?"
"Showing her love. You'll be surprised how radiant she becomes."
—X—
Natsu hadn't been able to stop thinking about what Lucy's father had said to him. He felt like he was in a daze, wanting to see how bright Lucy could shine for him if he actually did provide the love Jude claimed she desperately wanted. It made him quiet and observant which he isn't either but it gave him enough time and space to watch. To learn. To listen.
She would give him a scowl when she caught him staring but he couldn't stop.
She reminded him of the sun. He knew this. He saw it when they went ring shopping and at the burger joint and especially when she was laughing with his friends.
He liked the sparkle in her eye and how her entire face beamed when she was smiling.
He watched how her cheeks flushed from the many glasses of wine she shared with his and her mother and he watched how she giggled when Wendy spoke with her. He was more interested when she was reading, her brows furrowed slightly and expressions changing with each sentence, each chapter.
She was beautiful. She is beautiful.
This had him observing her mother as well. Someone who was her twin and of course, her maker. She looked exactly like her mother and they had the same smile, the same laugh. The same radiance when Jude kissed her and when his mother made her giggle. Even when she was dancing with his dad (embarrassingly enough) he was enchanted.
He wondered if their children would take in the beautiful Heartfillia gene or his mighty Dragneel looks.
And as Natsu sat in bed waiting for his girlfriend to finish getting freshen up, he wondered if Lucy ever thought of these things, too.
Especially since she admitted she thought about kissing him and he can't lie, he did too. He really wanted some days more than others.
The sound of the door opening caught his attention and he turned to see Lucy peeking through the door, an embarrassed scowl on her face.
"You can't say anything," she murmured and he was confused.
"About what?"
"Just… promise you won't say anything."
"Okay?" He said seeing how Lucy struggled to come out for a moment before she did.
She swore a silk nightie that clung to her like it was made for her. Probably was. He could see the signature H on the bottom corner of her nightie that branded her of her fortune and he dragged his eyes up her figure where she wore the hell out of this pale pink silk lace nightie and it made him swallow hard at the flustered look she had.
"I didn't realize we would be… sharing a room and…" she bit down on her lip, fidgeting in her spot. "And my pajamas aren't really… sleepover appropriate." Natsu couldn't help but snort at her and she was back to scowling, glaring at him. "I said you can't say anything!"
"I didn't even say anything." He said and he watched how she slowly came over to their king bed where she had already made a wall of pillows between them. He watched how her long creamy legs stretched across the bed and how she tucked them under the blankets before she was sitting right beside him. The fresh scent of her lotion lingered and he suddenly felt nervous to be sharing a bed with such a beautiful woman where her spaghetti straps slid down her shoulder and he wondered how she tasted.
He forced himself to look away and he cursed himself for blushing, swallowing hard and tugging on his t-shirt collar.
They were silent and Lucy leaned over the bed to dig through another bag and he held back a groan at the way her nightie rose and he could peek at the matching underwear she sported underneath.
He turned his head away when she came back up and he was sweating, cursing up a storm in his thoughts.
He turned back to look when he heard the sounds of paper and he watched how she hiked up her legs to lean the novel against her thighs to find her page. She looked up at him and he flushed crimson.
"What's with you?" She asked, a small pout on her lips. "Are you drunk?"
"No," he turned away, scowling. "I only had four beers."
"Your face is red."
"It's hot." He lied and she just left it at that. "Are you still reading that same book?"
"Yeah, last chapter," She smiled and he felt his heart throb. "You sure you're fine?"
"Yes, stop asking." He turned away from her, desperately looking for his cellphone to rip his attention away from her. When he found what he was looking for, he flopped down on his back and forced himself to look at his screen instead of his girlfriend.
But he found himself sweating as he caught her from his peripheral vision. He just couldn't tear his eyes from her legs or her body and he groaned, covering his face with his large hands.
"What?" She hissed and he was now pouting, trying to find the words. "Do you have something to say?"
"Do you always wear shit like that to bed?"
"Well," she blushed. "Yeah. You know my parents have a lingerie line."
"So you wear lingerie to bed?"
"It's sleepwear. Not lingerie."
"Jesus," he sat back up on his elbows, glaring at her with his cheeks still dusted pink. "Don't you have normal pajamas like normal people? What do you do when you sleepover at people's places?"
"I.. don't."
"Don't what? Own normal pajamas?"
"No," she frowned. "Sleep over at people's places."
"What?" He was surprised at this. "You've never had a sleepover?"
"I've had sleepovers," she now closed her book, finger between the pages to keep her place. "Just not at other people's houses. My parents were big on that. And they were with girls so it doesn't matter what I wear." She narrowed her eyes. "What's wrong with what I'm wearing?"
"Nothing!" He said in exasperation, throwing himself back down on the mattress.
"What's your problem!"
"Nothing!" He hissed at her and she was now pouting while glaring.
"You're being weird."
"Coming from the weirdo."
"I am not weird!" She cried out and he scoffed.
"Just like you're not bad at tennis, right?"
She swatted him with the book and he guarded himself as she groaned out loud. "I thought you were going to be nice to me!" She growled and he fought off the smile that was crawling up his face. "You're so annoying."
"Okay, sorry, sorry," he laughed, reaching for her arm that was held up to hit him with her book if he tempted her again. "I just think you're cute. It's funny to tease ya."
"Shut up," she scowled, pulling away from his reach to turn her head away. "I'm trying to read."
Natsu didn't hide the fact he was now watching her, a smile on his lips. He could see how her bottom lip quivered and she tried her best to ignore him but his burning gaze was making her uncomfortable. She groaned and threw her arms in the air, closing her book between her fingers for her to throw the blanket off of her. "I'm going to go read somewhere else."
"Why?"
"Because you're staring at me and it's weird!" Natsu opened his mouth to retort and she shot him a death glare. "Don't you even say it!"
He just shut his mouth and held his hand up. "Alright, I'll stop. I just like watching you read."
"Stop saying such things!" She shrieked, her blush deepening. "Are you sure you're not drunk?"
"What about you? You had like ten glasses of wine."
"Three." She corrected. "Mr. Four beers."
"That makes you Mrs. Four beers." He smirked and she was groaning.
"I am not your wife!"
"Yet."
"I hate you."
"Enough to kiss me?" He perked up and she was swatting at him again with her book. He laughed out loud and took the blows until he had enough, grabbing her wrist to pull her closer to him as he sat back up. The look on her face made him want to cackle. Her eyes wide and her face glowing like a Christmas tree, lips parting as if she wanted to shout at him. But the way she swallowed and her eyes flickered down to his lips made him rethink the whole thing. "Do you want to kiss me Lucy?" He asked, voice low and in a hush. He noticed the pout and how her bottom lip quivered, her eyes casting down on the space between them. "Answer me."
"No," she growled.
"No as in you won't answer me or no as in you don't want to kiss me?" He asked and she was silent for a moment before she shook her head and yanked herself away from him.
"You're drunk! Go to bed!" She shrieked and he reached for her again, tightening his grasp on her wrist to have her look at him. "Natsu, what are you—"
"I want to kiss you, Lucy." He watched how her entire face popped red once more and she was gawking at him as he confessed.
She looked like a fish out of water and he wanted to burst into laughter. But he held it down as he watched her face swirl with so many different emotions and he wondered if she would give in.
"S—stop messing around," was all she sputtered out and she was trying to pull away again but he leaned in, crossing the pillow wall to lay on top of them now. "Natsu!"
"Do you want to kiss me?" He asked once more. "Because I really want to kiss you."
She was quiet and he wondered what she was thinking as she stared right at him. He tried his best to stare right back but he was nervous, his heart pounding in his chest as if it was going to fly out of his throat. It looked as if she was having a debate with herself and she finally groaned, reeling away once more to furiously blush.
"I—I don't know what you're getting at Natsu but you're seriously being an asshole."
"I'm serious," he now sat up, facing her while she tried to tuck herself away to appear smaller. "Just one kiss?"
She turned her head away to pout and he secretly wished she would say yes. His eyes went from her lips to her eyes many times. When she turned to look back at him with glossy eyes, his heart flopped. "Just one?"
"Just one." He repeated and he was jumping up and down and fist-pumping in his mind as she shifted to face him.
"F—fine," she gave in, refusing to look him in the eyes. "But you don't say anything to anyone."
Natsu chuckled at this, shifting himself so he was facing her, too. "You really think I'd go and run my mouth to everyone so they can use it against us?" He asked and her silence answered it for him. "I just want one small kiss."
"One small kiss?"
"One. Small. Kiss."
He could tell how inexperienced she was at this as she struggled to come to terms with their agreement. She was squirming in her spot and she fiddled with her fingers, the internal battle she had growing as she finally let out a breath. She raised her gaze to look up at him and he felt as if Cupid had pierced his heart as she looked so stinkin' cute.
He reached over and placed his hand against her face and she reactively winced, shoulders bucking up in defense. He used his other hand to cup her face and he forced her to look at him and his breath hitched at the helpless look she had. She looked uncomfortable and he pursed his lips, wondering if she actually wanted to kiss him or was forcing herself.
"You look really uncomfortable."
"Because I am!"
"I thought you thought about kissing me all the time?"
"Thinking about it and actually doing it is different!" She argued and he was smirking at her. "Are you messing with me?"
"No, I really do want to kiss you."
"Then just do it! You're making it weird!"
"Okay," he shrugged before he leaned in. He heard her take a shape intake before his lips were against hers and he instantly felt the tingle run down his body as if he was zapped.
She was stiff at first, lips hard against his. He pulled away slightly to press his lips back to kiss her again, tilting her head up with one of his hands while he used the other to stroke her cheek. He finally felt her grow less tense and he used the opportunity to slide his tongue out to lick at her lip. She suddenly jerked and pulled away from him, her eyes wide and hand shooting up to cover her mouth.
"W—what are you doing?" She asked and Natsu rolled his eyes at her defensive tone.
"It's called kissing, Lucy." He sounded annoyed. "Just relax."
"You said one small kiss!"
"And this is it if you stop fucking talking and pulling away," he growled, pulling her back to cover her lips with his. He stuck his tongue in her mouth as she had her mouth open to yell at him and the sound she made made him shiver. He held her firm against him and gently stroked her tongue with his and she relaxed in his hold once more, pressure being applied back. He peeked at her through hooded eyes and he could see she had her eyes squeezed shut.
She had softened under his hold and he felt her hands slide up his chest to wrap around his shoulders. He pulled her a bit closer, tilting his head to the other side while he tasted her. The taste of toothpaste and a hint of wine still lingered on her tongue.
He coaxed her tongue to come play with him and he felt her get a bit more comfortable as she started to slide her own into his mouth. He enjoyed how she moaned into his mouth and pressed further into him. Natsu reached for her, trying to pull her body closer to him. He kept his lips on hers as he shoved the pillows away and reeled her in, pulling her on his lap. He pulled away slightly to adjust her and she was chasing his lips, unable to pull away from the feeling.
He felt proud of himself as he got comfortable and leaned back against the headboard and his mountain of pillows. One of his hands found purchase on her hip and the other still held the back of her neck, keeping her in place.
He didn't know how long they'd been kissing but he was starting to get hot and bothered as she moved her hands to cup his face and hold it there while she experimented. He was slurping up their spit as he felt it pooling and he was growing hungry, fisting her locks as his hand slid down to her thigh to run it up the bare skin. She shivered under his touch and he was conscious about her nightie sliding up.
When she pulled away to take a breath, Natsu found himself chasing her lips and she was giggling, making him smile. She dodged his lips and she leaned back slightly to look at him, bottom lip caught between her lips in a teasing way.
"You said one kiss."
"I lied." He leaned in to kiss the corner of her mouth and she was squirming, giggling and trying to avoid his promiscuous lips.
"You shouldn't lie to your girlfriend, it's a bad look."
"And you shouldn't tease your boyfriend. It's a bad look." He had a lazy smirk on his lips, eyes darting down to her lips to her eyes.
"Funny coming from you," she whispered, leaning in to hover over his lips again.
"What can I say? I'm a funny guy." He dropped his voice low, eyes hooded to look in hers. "One more kiss."
"No," she said before she pecked on the lips before she was climbing off of him. "I think that's enough for one night."
He let her leave and he was frowning, wanting to continue and further the passion but he wanted to respect her wishes. Especially since he knew she was inexperienced at this and he shamelessly watched her crawl over to her side. He threw his arm behind his head to support it even further and licked his lips to get the taste back and he smirked at the way she gave him such a flustered look.
"Thanks for the kiss, Luce." He reached up to wipe the corner of his mouth. "I really liked it."
"Shut up, creep." She said with a smile on her face. "Now go to bed." She leaned over to turn her nightlight off and Natsu did the same, swallowing the room with darkness and he was glad so she couldn't see him blush and adjust himself. "Goodnight, Natsu."
"Sweet dreams," he was a bit sad to see he couldn't see her. "Maybe we can kiss tomorrow?"
Her laugh made his chest warm and he turned to reach for her. Once he felt the warmth of her body, he stroked his hand up her back to have her shiver. He heard her shift and he could barely make out her face in the dark but he knew she was facing him.
"Maybe." She replied and he was content with that. "Goodnight."
"Goodnight."
notes: hi everyone! I just wanted to express how much fun I am having writing this story and apologize for all the new stuff added in. I know I said I would keep it original as much as possible but the way I cringed just re-reading and trying to edit it… so for the meanwhile, I had started to write it in more of a realistic timeline. I have kept the plot and tried to keep as much as possible but for the sake of my sanity and embarrassment, let's just agree this is for the best. Hope you are enjoying this new and improved story.