Chapter Thirty

Lucy yawned as she and Natsu headed back to the room after dinner and a long night of planning. He wrapped an arm around her waist and she rested her head on his shoulder. They stopped next to the windows on the corridor before the wing that housed the sleeping quarter for the Dragis. Lucy stared out at the twinkling stars and she sighed.

"You okay Luce?"

"Yeah. I'm just surprised that they are still so small when we are up in space."

"Well if we parked too close to any of the stars they would cause damage to the Guild Station." He explained and she nodded. "Sometimes when we travel though we do fly close to them."

"Like with the teleports?"

"Yes, and even with the Guild Station itself." He said and pointed out a darkened portion of the upper part of the guild opposite of the window. "That damage happened when we passed too close to a star on the way here."

"Wow." She murmured and sighed heavily. She looked up at him and he stared down at her brown eyes. There were more emotions than usual in them, but that Zodiathian sparkle was not in them. She turned and buried her face into his chest and wrapped both arms around his waist.

"Luce?"

"Thank you."

"Uhhh…"

"I'm sure the idea of performing the routine you had learned with your bother and father has to be hard to think about. But you saw how upset we all were that we weren't going to have something to celebrate so you didn't hesitate to do anything and everything in your means to make it special for us. Even when it isn't our holiday."

"Luce." He smiled softly and nuzzled her hair and tightened his arms around her. After a few minutes he released his hold and she looked up at him, her head tilted back in question. He grinned, one fang hanging over his lower lip. It was the only warning he gave her before he swooped her up into his arms and headed for his suite. As the wall panel slid open; she heard Rouge and Sting's voices coming down the hall. She shook her head against his shoulder. He set her down once the panel slid shut.

"What, afraid of them seeing the big bad fire Dragis hugging a human girl?"

"No." He shook his head. "But I didn't want to share that moment."

"Why not?"

"Its ours." He traced the edge of her cheek. "Mine."

"Natsu…" He stepped back and rubbed his hand over the back of his head. "I'm going to wash up. Then you can and we'll go to bed. We have a lot of work when we wake up."

He turned and headed to the bathroom, leaving her behind. He had to. She looked so pretty, and her scent was getting to him. He turned on the washing unit and let steam fill the room. The moist air helped to settle his senses as it intensified the scents of his soap.

"Come on Natsu…you can do this. You have the fire of Igneel in your veins." He encouraged himself. He could stay close to Lucy and still give her the time and space she needed to decide for herself if he was her growlkin. He obviously wanted her to come to that decision sooner rather than later. But even if it took the next five solar cycles of this planet; he would wait. She was worth it. He knew it.

Lucy stared at the panel to the washroom and groaned. She dropped her head back on her shoulders and shook her head. What was she thinking? Snuggling into him like that? Wanting…that.

She sat on the edge of the platform that made up the nest and put her head in her hands. She looked at the toes of the scalut; the pink almost a deep red. She closed her eyes. She wished she and her mother were on better terms so she could talk to her about this. She didn't even know what she was feeling.

She'd never felt like this with a guy before. She'd dated some before the invasion but nothing had been serious. She didn't trust relationships. She didn't trust men. Always worried that they had been sent by her father to woo her because they'd be a good match. He'd done that a few times when she was in high school. But then she thought back to that day…and her heart twisted. He'd gone too far alright.

She opened her eyes and dropped her hands. At the wrist of the scalut she thought she saw a pattern. She blinked a few times. Lifting the wrist closer to her face. There were stars in white on the scales around her left wrist. She looked at her right and saw a few stars and what looked like little flame emojis. Her lips quirked.

"What are these?" She asked softly and traced one with her forefinger.

"What are what?" Natsu's voice made her jerk her head up. He was standing in front of her in black sleep pants, a towel in his hand. He didn't need to dry with a towel but after she'd shown him how they dried off on earth; he enjoyed rubbing his blush locks with a towel. She smiled and looked at the wrists of the scalut again. The icons still there.

"There are littler stars and flames on the scalut."

"What?" He asked and sat next to her and she inhaled. Smoky ash and cinnamon. Well, not quiet Earth cinnamon but something that reminded her of it. She held her wrist up to him and he stared. His green eyes narrowing.

"I've never seen those before."

"Me neither. I just noticed them." She murmured softly and watched as he gently ran his thumb over a star above her pulse. She wondered if he felt how crazy it was beating.

"I didn't even know the suit could create designs like that."

"You didn't?" She asked and he shook his head. She looked at him and then looked up. "AI, are there any records of scaluts creating designs on them?"

"Negative." The AI said. "Would you like me to ask the other Dragis if they have any information?"

"Not tonight." Natsu declined and shook his head.

"Keeping this for us too?" She asked and he grinned and booped her nose like she had done to his.

"Go shower. The mystery of the designs can wait a night."

She nodded and headed into the washing room and sighed heavily. The air felt heavy and still smelt like Natsu's scent. She shook her head and pulled on the collar of the scalut. It opened quickly and she stepped out and put it in the decontamination chamber. As she stepped into the shower; the panel holding Natsu's soaps—which she'd been using for the last few days, closed and another beside it opened.

She tilted her head to the side and opened the container that was for body wash and she opened it and sniffed. Her smile brightened. It was Rainbow berries. She carefully used it to wash and when she opened the shampoo container it was Rainbow berries and something softer. She couldn't name it but she liked it. She washed her hair and then turned off the water and used the hot air system to dry herself and her hair. She personally was glad to be rid of towels and frizz. As she stepped out she looked at the mirror across from the shower and stared. She turned and smiled. Her ribs weren't as evident. She must have been putting on weight the last few days. She pulled on the scalut and realized that with it on, you couldn't tell she'd put on weight. She'd have to remember to tell the girls the good news tomorrow when she saw them.

She turned to brush her teeth and then decided to relieve herself. She had a feeling when she went out there Natsu was going to insist on sleep which meant she probably wouldn't get out of his grasp for the rest of the night.

She walked out of the washroom and saw Natsu on his back in the nest already asleep. She shook her head and walked over. She pulled the towel away from his hand and walked back to the washroom and put it away. She came back out and sat on the edge of the nest and looked at down at Natsu. His mouth was wide open as soft snores escaped. His hair rested on his forehead, shadowing the scales around his eyebrows. He almost looked human at that moment. She shook her head.

She didn't want him to be human. She never wanted him as anything other than who he was.. She loved him as he…she leaned back. The revelation hitting her so fast and hard her breath had been stolen. She loved him. When had that happened?

"Luce?" His voice was heavy with sleep and it sent shivers down her back. She shifted her gaze and saw the sleepy green eyes trying to focus on her. She climbed into the nest and curled up next to him, hiding her eyes in the nook of his neck. He wrapped his arms around her and started to snore immediately. She squeezed her eyes closed.

"Natsu…" She whispered his name, barely braving to put any power in her voice. She pressed her lips to the cord of his throat, his skin pleasantly warm. She turned her head, inhaling his scent. The warmth of it filling her. She sighed heavily; the scent filling her nose and calming her frazzled nerves.

"Luce?" He murmured and nuzzled her. His hands started to run up and down her back. She felt herself starting to calm down even more, sleeping flirting just beyond the edges of her mind.

"Growlkins are so much more than soulmates, Little Star….what one feels, the other feels….intertwined."

"Our…Unison…Raid." Lucy murmured as she fell asleep; one hand curled on Natsu's chest and the other pressed between them laying over the scales that covered his side. As she drifted off to sleep she thought she felt heat at her hands but quickly dismissed it as she didn't feel him move or make any indication he felt the heat either.

Natsu woke up and looked down. The room's lights were beginning to brighten, the AI's way of waking him up. He knew Lucy would wake up soon too; once the light hit the right frequency for her human eyes. Or, her partially human eyes. He needed to talk to Gramps…or even her mother. Ask outright if she was part Zodiathian.

She shifted in her sleep and her hands pulled away, and when they did he hissed as the air hit his skin. The sensation familiar. It usually happened after he used fire attacks and a cool breeze hit his skin. He looked down and saw that the scales on his side were slightly charred looking, as were the ones on top of his pec. He frowned. Lucy looked normal, and her hands showed no sign of the charring. He carefully untangled from her and left the nest and hurried to the washroom.

He looked in the mirror and pulled out a sanitizer wipe. He ripped it over his side scales and stared. "Mirror, magnify."

He squinted at the scales. "Magnify ten fold, please."

He shook his head as he tacked on the request and his eyes widened. On each of the scales were a symbol. A star and a fire icon interchanging between the scales. In the center; on the largest scale; was a large star with a fire icon nestled inside. He turned and looked at his chest. Against the smaller scales had the interchanging icons, but the largest center scale had a fire icon with a star nestled inside it.

"What the hell?" He wiped his skin and looked over the scales on his face and arms. No icons or imaging. He pulled down his pants and looked at the scales that were on his thighs, legs and even the tops of his feet. Nothing. He looked at his back and saw nothing. He looked at the scar on his side and increased the magnification. One lone star in the direct center. He shook his head. It made no sense.

He walked out, shaking his head and looked over at the nest. But Lucy wasn't there. She was over at the window looking out side. "Luce?"

"Look." She said and he came over and looked out. His mouth fell open. There were hundreds of stars flying by. Streaking the darkness with bright lights. Their hues changing colors as they came close to the Guild Station then disappeared.

"Have you ever seen that before?" She asked and he shook his head. Suddenly the stars stopped, disappearing into he darkness. "That did just happen right?"

"Indeed. There is a recording of the incident." AI stated, making both of them jump.

"Do you know if anyone else saw that?"

"Two other beings were present at windows before the incident occurred."

"Who?"

"Your mother and father." The AI stated and Lucy tensed and then looked up at Natsu. He cupped her face and rested his forehead on hers. All thoughts of the icons wiped from his mind. His sole focus was the female in front of him. He knew she was being torn up inside, confusion running wild. He wished he could take it over and let her feel tranquil.

"We can go down and talk to them right now?"

"No." Lucy shook her head and pulled back and smiled up at him. "Let's focus on the festival. My parents will be below after."

"Are you sure?" He asked and she nodded. He traced her cheeks and leaned forward, pressing his forehead to hers before turning his head and pressing his lips to her cheek; trying to mimic what she'd done previously. He felt her giggles before he heard them.

"That kiss needs some work."

"Whats a kiss?" Her giggles stopped and she looked up at him, her eyes wide.

"You don't know what a kiss is?"

"No. The word isn't translating." He said and looked at her. "What is a kiss?"

"It's a sign of physical affection. Didn't your mother ever kiss your head or cheeks as a hatchling?"

"Dragis don't kiss." He used his thumb to brush over her bottom lip. "To show affection my mother would hug me, blow smoke rings at me, sometimes flick sparks at me."

"Did your parents not kiss?"

"No. They snapped fangs and…"

"And?"

"Bit each other."

"Biting?" Lucy looked concerned and then blushed. He cupped her cheeks, enjoying the heat of her skin as it pinkened.

"Don't worry. I know your skin and body is too fragile for me to do that." He murmured. "This kissing, it could replace the biting, right?"

"Uh…yeah. I guess." She blushed harder and curled her fingers onto his forearms.

"How did I do it wrong? I want to make sure I do it right from now on." He said and she released his forearms and lifted her left hand to his lip.

"You need to pucker your lips some. Like this." She showed him and he mimicked it and she nodded. "Then you press your lips to…"

"You."

"Yeah." Her tone was breathless and he puckered his lips and dipped his head. He pressed them to her cheek and he felt the warm spread from her cheek to his lips. He pulled back and her eyes were closed, a soft smile on her lips. He leaned in quickly, his lips landing on hers.

He felt her shift, her hands falling to his shoulders. Her lips pressed back against his and the heat flared. His right hand shifted to her neck, his thumb resting under her jaw and when he applied pressure she tilted her head. It gave him more access and he pressed closer. His lungs started to strain but he didn't want to end this feeling. But her fingers curled into his shoulders, starting to bite and he pulled back. Her lips were redder than before, and her brown eyes looked glazed over.

"Natsu….I…" She opened her mouth to speak when a sharp tone went off. She blinked repeatedly as he slowly pulled away from her. He stared at her as he walked towards the panel that led to the hallway. It slid open and Gajeel and Gray stood there.

"Are you two coming down to breakfast? Erza and Mirajean have already started organizing everyone for the rest of the day. We were sent to check on you two."

"Yeah, we'll be right down." He said and they turned and left. He turned and saw that Lucy was still standing where he had left her, her left hand on her lips. He didn't know why, but he felt pride swelling up inside his chest.

"Luce!" She jerked her head to him and he smiled, his fangs shining brightly. "We're gonna be late."

"Let me fix my hair." She disappeared into the washroom and he chuckled to himself. The alert sounded again and he turned. Gajeel was standing there. He looked past Natsu and then met his gaze. His expression unreadable.

"I don't know why you smell more like Lucy than you usually do. But be careful Natsu. I don't want you to get hurt."

"Does this mean you care?"

"Shuddaup." The Dragis rolled his eyes, but his tone was serious. "How is your mind?"

"Calm." Natsu said. It was the truth. For the first time since Lucy had threatened removing the scalut on Earth; his mind felt clear and sharp.

"Fine. And did she punch you in the mouth while she was sleeping?"

"What do you mean?"

"Your lips are swollen Ash Heap."

"What?" Natsu turned and flipped open a cabinet with a small mirror and looked. Sure enough, his lips were similar to Lucy's. He chuckled and pulled out a healing balm Wendy had created for small abrasions and bruises. He ran it over his lips and they slowly returned to normal.

"So did she?"

"Did she what?" Lucy asked as she came out of the washroom, biting her lip. When she released it; her lips looked slightly swollen but not unlike if she had been worrying her lips. He marveled at her ingenuity.

"Did you pop him in the mouth while you two slept? His lips were swollen."

"Something like that." She giggled and stood at the portal. "Are we going to go?"

"Yeah, come on." Gajeel muttered. She looked at Natsu and touched his lips.

"How did you?"

"Healing balm." He held it up and she grabbed it from him. "What?"

"Cheater." She walked out, putting the balm on her lips. He chuckled and followed her. Her scent was deeper, something about it warming him.