A/N: this chapter is very much a reward for all of my loyal readers as much as it is a transition between Crocus and the next stage in their journey! I hope you enjoy all the feels and the nice break from drama, haha. I would've had this posted yesterday, but my husband kept insisting on having an input. Hahahaha.

Please note, there is brief explicit content in this chapter. It's marked by labelled dividers, though, so feel free to skip it!

CHAPTER THIRTEEN: OVER THE THRESHOLD

I want you for a lifetime, so if you're gonna think twice, baby.
I don't wanna know, baby. I don't wanna know.
Everything is just right, but if you're gonna think twice, baby.
I don't wanna know, baby. I don't wanna know.
Kiss me once, kiss me twice, kiss me three times. Cross the line.
Don't think twice. Don't think twice. Don't think twice.
Baby, don't think twice.
Kiss me once, kiss me twice, kiss me three times.
Cross the line.
Kiss me once, kiss me twice, kiss me three times.
Be mine.

Nothing was ever easy.

Lucy stepped into the burning village, smoke and ash and blood whipping around her in waves of coppery decimation. A crimson moon smirked behind wisps of sanguine clouds dipped in smoky black.

She slowed just long enough to notice the billowing skirts of her white dress. Red thread laced the bodice tight, crisscrossed with a bow at the dip of her throat. More thread enveloped her ring finger, woven so thick she couldn't break nor remove it.

"Where am I?"

This wasn't like any nightmare she'd had before. Rotting dreams wafted from broken glass windows, moans of the dead unhinged from splinted doors.

She stopped at an old well, the overhang crumbling into the empty depths far below. She leaned over the edge to see a broken bucket hanging by a single rope.

Drip.

Lucy spun to see an odd structure among the flames. An egg-like shell coated in grime and dust blended with the smoky horizon. She erased a streak of dirt with a single hand. Lucy gasped and, frantic, scrubbed away more of the filth.

"Natsu..."

Just a child, Natsu floated within the peculiar egg, his eyes closed to the world. Loops of red thread clung to the shaft of his prison, blooming in soft ribbons like the bows of a shiny new gift.

"Etherious Natsu Dragneel," a voice whispered.

Lucy turned to see a young Zeref standing beside her. He placed a small hand on the glass, gazing long into his brother's resting place.

"He's just a child," Lucy said.

"For now. But even trees must begin as seeds."

"You don't seem as frightening as the Zeref I knew."

If she could say she'd known him at all.

Zeref smiled to himself. "You were so clouded by your fear and anger that I could not reach you as I am. Now that you've opened your eyes and accepted the truth, I can be of more help to you. I only wish that Natsu would do the same." Zeref took Lucy's hand and unraveled the string on her finger, plucking it free like vultures gobbling the remains of Death himself. "The bond you share is special," he said. "Without love, there will be nothing to save his soul when the time comes. The way Mavis saved mine."

Laughter echoed within the fumes. Smoke dispersed like curtains drawn in the night to reveal shimmers of memories glittering like distant constellations. Tiny and carefree, Natsu raced into his mother's arms, Zeref laughing and chasing behind him. Lucy's heart filled completely.

"What you see now are dormant memories sealed within the book of E.N.D.," Zeref explained. "These memories live within you now, hidden among the magic you transferred. Threads of humanity live within his power. Pulling at just one might unravel the demon I created."

So there was but a sliver of hope for Natsu after all.

"I'm so furious with you that I can't stand it," Lucy said. "But try as I might, I just can't hate you."

Zeref turned to Lucy, his eyes wide and innocent. He offered only a weak smile. She'd actually hurt his feelings.

"You have every right to hate me," Zeref said.

"How can I?" Lucy watched the memories unfold around her, glimpses of family dinners and silly games. "Without you, Natsu and I would never have met."

Zeref stole a glimpse of his sleeping brother. "You should direct your gratitude elsewhere. After all, it was your mother who died at the Eclipse Gate to bring him here."

An inkling of understanding touched Lucy deep within her heart. She touched her chest, fond memories of Layla gleaming within her. It seemed the apple didn't fall too far from the tree after all. She, too, was willing to sacrifice her life for Natsu's well-being.

"You are a good person, Lucy Heartfilia," Zeref said.

Lucy's heart gave an odd flutter. "You said you wanted forgiveness. I'm sorry, but I can't give you that. Not right now, with everything hanging by the threads you created. But..." Lucy crouched to his height. "Thank you. Thank you for giving Natsu to me."

Zeref didn't blink. He took Lucy's hand between his small fingers and studied her guild mark in quiet admiration. How could this child ever become such a monster?

"I hear you heart, sister,"

Sister? Lucy's heart sang a traitorous melody of acceptance and relief.

"I'm sorry, Lucy. As long as pieces of me live within you, Natsu will continue targeting you. He senses my powers inside you. Loathes them." Zeref touched the glass, cracks forming in Natsu's chamber. "As the seed grows, Natsu's temperament will begin to change. Once he crosses the threshold, there will be no turning back. Rewrite my mistakes so that I might find peace. And if perhaps I don't deserve it, then at least Natsu can live freely once more. Then, at least, it would all be worth it."

"Everyone deserves to know peace," Lucy said. She grabbed Aquarius's key reflexively.

"You're still searching for your friend?"

"I am," she said.

"Even though the path you walk leads to sorrow?"

Drip.

Lucy froze. "What do you mean?"

Drip.

"Sometimes, the things we seek only serve to hurt us. For many, the pain is worth even a glimpse of past pleasures, of distant loves. But not all journeys end happily. It is how you deal with these emotions that defines you."

Drip.

A drizzle of rain spattered the hard ground, soft sounds rippling across Lucy's heart. Her fingers tightened around the chain on her neck.

"I must see this journey through to the end," she said.

Tremors rocked the ground, opening the earth to billowing darkness. Cracks of earth moved towards Natsu's resting place, branching in all directions. The chamber plummeted out of sight.

Zeref shoved her into the chasm.

Lucy woke to an empty bed. Light burst through the nearby window, succeeded only by the loud clash of magical power outside. Lucy scrubbed her face, the stench of smoke filling her lungs. She coughed.

Not again.

They'd fought every morning for the past week. When would it finally be enough? She sighed, preparing to face another exhausting day. Lucy was beginning to think Sting didn't have a guild to go back to.

Grabbing her robe, Lucy smoothed back her hair and threw open the window, leaning over the ledge to inspect the damage. Natsu hurtled through the sky like a flaming bird with broken wings. He crashed against the wall beneath her.

"Ow..." He tipped his head back and grinned. "Oh, hey, Lucy!"

"Do you have to fight every morning?" she carped.

"Hey, Lucy!" Sting yelled. "I hope we didn't ruin your beauty sleep."

Rogue offered only an apologetic smile, though he looked just as much to blame given the state of him. Happy floated to the window ledge and sat within Lucy's arms, clearly trying to avoid trouble.

"Don't think you're getting out of this," Lucy told him.

He frowned at her, feigning innocence. "I told him not to fight, Lucy," Happy said.

"I'm sure you did."

"Let's get back to the fight," Lector yelled. "Sting is winning!"

Natsu shot to his feet. "Like hell he is!"

At least Minerva had the sense to stay out of it. She'd been absent most of the mornings, delivering reports about the demons to council members while Sting busied himself being Natsu's rival. She usually appeared later in the day to drag him back to his duties.

"Please be careful," Yukino said, tending to Rogue's wounds while he rested.

"Just one more fight," Sting pleaded.

"I don't remember adopting so many children," she quipped.

Sting grinned. "You're the best, Lucy."

"Hey, I didn't—" She sighed. "Try not to make a mess. And keep it down!"

Closing the window, Lucy retreated into the bathroom. If nothing else, she could use this time for a little reflection. Last night's dream left her strangely optimistic despite Zeref's embittering words. Natsu's magic lurked beneath her skin, a tepid reminder of the bond she and Natsu now shared. She clasped Aquarius's key between her fingers, rolling the broken shaft around her thumb.

Closing the door to their silly fight, Lucy sank into the hot bath, steam fogging the mirror and window. She submerged herself neck-high and closed her eyes, shutting out the ruckus in favour of quiet thought.

Drip.

Her eyes snapped open.

More explosions rocked the house. She heard a mighty thwack, and somebody cursed. More yelling ensued. Lucy heaved a sigh. They'd been like this since the tournament got cancelled. And here Lucy thought his earlier brawling with Gildarts might actually quell Natsu's need for a fight. Then again, goodbyes didn't satiate one's hunger for companionship, only escalated it. Gildarts hadn't said much when he left.

Maybe it was the fighting that bothered her.

Since their fight in the arena, Lucy had become more aware of Natsu's presence than before. Little things that used to be so easy—falling asleep together, cooking together, laughing together—carried new weight. New intentions. It left her agog with tantalising thoughts of stolen kisses and coquettish touches.

She wanted to be alone with. Maybe another kiss would unravel the cocoons in her stomach and set those eager butterflies free.

Despite trying her best to suppress the urges, Lucy's desire to be near him had only amplified in recent days. And every dream of red threads and forgiveness left her aching to touch him. She hated herself for it. Rushing headfirst into these feelings could leave her burned instead of bright. She'd dreamed of decadent romance, tasted it in the flavour of seductive novels and wild daydreams. And yet plans and perfection didn't matter with him. This was all so new.

And yet it wasn't.

Slapping a label on what they had, calling Natsu her lover, it didn't change anything. it didn't erase the years of progress they already had, the years of trust and friendship tucked away in their hearts. For all the world knew, they might as well be married. It was only natural that new doors were opening quicker than she'd expected. Lucy had been sitting on the doorstep all this time, waiting for him to let her in. The next step wasn't going on silly dates and nervously fumbling over questions to get to know each other.

They already did.

She knew him so well that the only change in Lucy now was her body. Just thinking about last night, when his hand moved lazily over her waist while he slept... Lucy shivered.

"Get it together," she breathed.

Splashing water on her face, Lucy stared at her legs within the shivering water. He'd seen her naked so many times, but the thought of him seeing her body again, of him touching it, left her weak with a new kind of longing. She'd read enough of Levy's library—and heard enough stories about the twin's conception—to know her desires were true.

But Natsu didn't seem aware of her at all. How could she seduce a man whose idea of fun left him bleeding and battered after an exciting brawl?

No amount of pretty dresses and cleavage would help. He'd seen her in every form. Weak. Strong. Bloody. Beautiful. He remained totally unfazed each time. And with Happy constantly by their side, she didn't feel right sneaking off to figure it out for herself.

It's only been a week, she told herself.

But that week felt like an eternity.

She wanted to see it, though. To see his nervous expression for herself. He was always so cool and collected. Lucy wanted to be the reason his knees wobbled and his mind raced with indecent thoughts.

Okay. That's enough of that!

She'd barely washed and stepped one foot on the ground when the door crashed open. Lucy slipped out of the bath and hit the floor. Hard.

"Lucy, Minerva invited us for—" Natsu stared nonplussed, his gaze flicking between varying parts of her body. "What are you doing on the floor?"

She launched a shampoo bottle and screamed. He caught it with deft fingers, barely moving as he set it on the nearby sink. Lucy covered her chest and drew her legs closed tight.

"What are you doing, Natsu?"

"Minerva asked us to lunch," he said. "Happy left with Yukino already, so I came to get you."

He left? It wasn't like Happy to just bail on Natsu like that. Was this...

Of course Minerva was interfering.

They'd discussed Lucy's concerns for privacy just yesterday. Lucy quivered. That woman really was impressive. And now her pride was going to ruin their one chance at intimacy,

"You didn't even knock," she groused.

He really didn't have a clue, did he? How could he stand there so oblivious to the naked woman sitting right in front of him. Didn't it bother him just a little?

"I figured you'd say no to lunch," Natsu said. "So I thought I'd hang out with you."

Lucy expelled a long breath. It was true she hadn't been good company lately, but with strange dreams and her sudden obsession with Natsu, Lucy hadn't really thought about anything else. He was already planning to stay with her?

'Maybe you need to purge all of those feelings. Get it out of your system now so things can go back to normal,' Minerva had said. 'I'm sure he shares your desires too. While humans aren't defined by carnal urges, and not everyone succumbs to them, Natsu is clearly infatuated with you beyond emotional needs. Oblivious though he may seem.'

"I didn't mean to startle you." Natsu offered his hand and grinned. "We did it once before, so…"

Lucy smacked his hand away. "Learn to read the room, you jerk! Taking a bath with you is different now!"

She didn't move from the bathroom floor, wet hair dripping cold and heavy on her shoulders. Lucy tightened her arms against her chest.

He crouched on the balls of his feet and placed a loving hand on Lucy's head. Her body thawed under his warm touch. She almost forgot why she'd gotten so embarrassed in the first place. And then a part of her wanted to smack him.

"I didn't think you'd get this upset about it," he said. "I was just teasing you."

Lucy pouted. "It's… That's because…"

Everything he said rang with undertones of romance and desire now. Ever since that first kiss, Lucy read more into his words than before.

And they were alone now. For the first time in a week, they were actually alone.

"I really didn't think it would bother you so much," he said.

Lucy's heart weakened. "Why would you think that?"

"Because you're mine."

After dressing and recovering from yet another one of Natsu's stone-faced proclamations, Lucy edged into the living room slowly, painfully aware of his presence sprawled across the loveseat. She peered over the back of the couch, alarmed at what she found him doing.

Natsu flipped through one of Lucy's novels—and not the kind of novel she wanted him to read. It was a secret stash from Levy's collection. Where on Earth Land did he find it? She could've sworn she'd stashed it away somewhere safe. Even Lucy had forgotten it existed.

"Hey, Lucy," he said. "Feeling better?"

Lucy reached for the book. "Did you go through my things?"

Natsu held it out of arm's reach, stealing purposeful glances at the page he was at. "It was just sitting there on the bed."

No. It really wasn't.

"Natsu, what did I tell you about going through my things?"

She leaned over the back of the couch, swinging frantically for the book in his hands. He grabbed her arm and pulled. Lucy rolled over the couch, falling hard against his chest.

"It was just getting interesting," he said.

Lucy pushed off his chest. He grabbed her when she tried to sit up, pulling her harder against him. Lucy's hands smacked the couch on either side of his head. She didn't resist again.

"Listen, Natsu, it's not what you think. The book was a gift from Levy so of course I'm going to read it. It's not like I spend every day, you know, thinking about that stuff. But of course, it's not that I don't want to, either. I just, well, things are different between us now, and I didn't want..." Heat bloomed in her face, spreading rapidly to her body. "Look, it's curiosity, that's all. Nothing more."

"Lucy..." His fingers danced at the nape of her neck, pulling her closer.

Lucy squeezed her eyes shut and awaited the soft brush of his mouth on hers. Warm breath ghosted her lips. Then nothing.

He laughed.

Lucy stared at him. "Natsu?"

"I didn't read it," he said. If she didn't love the sound of his joy so much she'd have smacked him.

He dropped the book on the ground, his expression that of pure delight at having fooled her. Lucy thrashed in his arms.

"You jerk! You let me ramble on for so long!"

He burst into hot fits of laughter, his hands trailing across the small of her back. Lucy almost indulged in the pleasure of those touches. Almost.

"I wanted to cheer you up," he said.

"This is how you cheer me up?!"

"Doesn't it feel like things are back to normal?" he said.

His words cleared her enmity and replaced it with cooling affection. He sat up with her, pulling her legs on either side of his waist. Lucy gazed into his dark eyes, feeling the edges of his soul, longing to embrace it.

"Life's more fun when you're smiling," he said.

Lucy's heart melted. She ran a fingertip over his cheek, following the scrapes and bruises from the morning battle.

"Look at you," she said. "Is it even worth it?"

Natsu grinned. "If I keep getting stronger, I'll be able to protect you no matter what."

The knots in Lucy's stomach clenched painfully hard.

"I can't take this anymore," she whispered.

"What's wrong? Are you getting sick?"

"How are you so calm all the time?" she said. "People have tripped over themselves trying to talk to me before, but you're always so..." Uninterested? No, that wasn't the right word. "I'm not used to feeling so insecure, Natsu. It's driving me crazy."

Natsu took her hand and placed it gently against his chest. His heart raced to meet her. Lucy held his gaze, only now noticing the sweep of blush on his cheeks and the subtle bob of nerves in his throat. He trailed his fingers across her shoulder, a light, ticklish sensation that lifted slowly to her neck. Lucy's stomach tensed and warmed.

"Were you worried I didn't share your feelings?"

"No, no, of course not. I mean, yes, but no." Lucy grimaced, not entirely sure how to place her feelings. "I'm just nervous and scared and excited. It's hard to keep track of things now that we're being honest with each other. I don't know which feelings are right and which ones are moving too fast. And then earlier you said I was yours and I thought my heart was going to—"

Natsu brushed his nose against hers. "Lucy," he whispered. "It's okay."

Lucy.

Suddenly she was kneeling on the battlefield again, their fingers intertwined, his mouth on hers. She'd thought about kissing him every day since then. But whenever she thought he might kiss her again, things got in the way, or he did something completely irrelevant to the moment.

"I'm hungry," he mumbled.

Lucy smiled to herself. Things like that.

"Well, since you skipped Minerva's cooking to keep me company, I can make you some—"

Natsu stole a kiss.

"I thought you were hungry," she breathed.

"I am."

His eyes flickered with a darkness she'd never seen before. It wasn't the elusive shadows of a wicked heart, but the tempting blink of time between life and death when everything became abundantly clear. It was a danger that didn't come from dormant powers or E.N.D.'s influence. This was just Natsu.

The chains on Lucy's heart burst into useless links and dropped into the chasm of her futile doubts. She threw her arms around his neck, fingers gliding through his hair, and kissed him with six days of pent up fervor.

Natsu's gaze sealed her in like sugarcoated bars slamming down all around her, sweet and addictive. But this wasn't a trap. He held her captive and safe within his raging heartbeat.

She knotted her fingers in his hair, surprised at the bold taste of his mouth crushed against hers. Dreams of romance burned like hot wax, igniting flames of passion so wild and bright they lit the world on fire and withered everything to ash.

Natsu's hands drifted across her back, so gentle Lucy couldn't believe there was a sliver of demon inside him. His hands stopped and he leaned back, gaze searching her own. He actually seemed embarrassed.

"What? Were you surprised?" Lucy summoned years of confidence, pushing her inhibitions deep down inside herself. "I can kiss you too, you know."

Natsu looked at her now as though they were meeting for the first time. His gaze ticked to the doorway, a flicker of understanding warming his dark eyes. The corner of his mouth twitched the way it did before he challenged someone to a fight.

He'd just realised they were alone.

Lucy shivered. "Whatever you're thinking, don't even bother. The last time you smiled like that I–"

"Is that a challenge, Lucy?"

Lucy blinked. "What? No…" Maybe? "Hey, stop smiling like that!"

Natsu clasped her zipper between two fingers, pulling so slowly Lucy thought all of her emotions might spill open with it. He drew her closer with one hand, his lips trailing across her cheek. Lucy's breath hitched. She recalled memories of him biting her neck and flinched, as though she'd just discovered Cupid's arrow were dipped in poison and Natsu's love would kill her.

"I'm sorry," he whispered.

His lips danced across her neck, replacing E.N.D.'s touch with his own. Soft kisses erased the memories burned into her skin. Her hands moved to his chest, delicate, inviting.

He pushed her onto the couch, a blur of motion so quick Lucy barely felt his weight shift over her. His eyes burned with liberated tension. Her mind flickered back to their final sparring session before the tournament. So they really were the same. His gaze exposed long days of suppressed desires.

"And you accused me of holding back," she whispered.

"Lucy." His voice came in soft breaths, a single finger trailing the length of skin between her zipper. "I'm all fired up."

They really were idiots. Foolishly stepping around each other when all they wanted, all they needed, was to come together. There was no strategy to romance. No battle plans for intimacy.

Lucy's chest heaved. He opened the front of her suit completely, his expression cool, still. Lucy covered her face in both hands, heat and desire pouring through her veins.

Natsu opened her hands and gazed long at her face, that cool expression suddenly wild and yearning. He released her wrists with a calming smile.

"Look at me," he said, her own words echoing back to her. "Look only at me, Lucy."

Lucy's heart skipped so many beats she thought it might have stopped. "I have always looked at you," she said.

The words disarmed him. Lucy leaned up on her elbows and kissed him, reviving the confidence she'd always had, the pride and the trust. Her hand shifted into his hair, holding him close.

She unraveled the scarf from his neck, setting it gently on the ground somewhere close by. Time increased and slowed in an instant. Lucy grabbed a fistful of his collar and pulled, twisting until they rolled off the couch. They hit the floor with an audible gasp. She sat on his waist, her breathing laboured, hands trembling.

"You got distracted," she breathed.

He looked at her with such adoration it made her stomach ache. Lucy removed the straps of her suit and rolled it to her waist. Averting her gaze, she unclasped her bra and let it fall gently into her lap. Natsu's gaze snapped to her exposed chest.

"Lucy, I…"

She saw the question in his eyes, Is this really okay?

She smiled. "It's like you said. I'm yours, remember?"

❖ ── ✦ ──『EXPLICIT CONTENT BEGINS』── ✦ ── ❖

Those words severed his restraints. Natsu sat until they were sitting chest to chest on the floor. He buried his face against her neck, hot kisses drifting into her collar bone. One hand pushed against her back. The other skimmed across her chest, fingertips gliding effortlessly across her breast. She arched against him, eyes lidded with a dizzying pleasure. He kissed between her breasts. Lucy whimpered.

The sound only seemed to ignite whatever flames he'd tried so hard to extinguish. His hand caressed her right breast, his lips closing around her left nipple. Lucy's gasp lilted so high the noise could've reached the ends of the world and back.

This wasn't anything like the books she'd read. No amount of prose could've prepared her for the lavish heat coursing through her veins, nor for the tingles of pleasure dancing between the bumps of her spine.

He drew back to inspect her face. He must've found whatever he needed there, because Natsu's lips curled into a smile, and suddenly he was kissing her again, one hand tangled in her hair, the other kneading her breast.

Lucy's hands drifted beneath his shirt, lifting the material with climbing desperation. He broke their kiss just long enough to undress, his lips crashing against hers mere seconds after.

In a test of bold courage, Lucy's hand drifted low against his chest. Her fingers brushed his arousal, hot and throbbing. Tingles walked her spine. She curled her fingers around him, stroking his length with surprising grace. Natsu moaned against her mouth. Actually moaned.

They undressed in a tangle of kisses and soft touches, Lucy's hands roaming his chest, his shoulders, his back. She pressed her naked body against him, their chests heaving in one fell of heavy heartbeats. He laid her back gently and, with an ease that seemed practiced, Natsu's hand drifted between Lucy's legs.

She gasped a moan. He dipped a finger inside the slick warmth between her legs, slowly, ripples of nervous pleasure flowing through her. Lucy covered her face and drowned in the embarrassment of dreams turned reality.

"Lucy..." His eyes sought permission.

Lucy peered between fingers. She nodded, breathless.

Natsu eased himself inside her, gradual, gentle, layers of discomfort dissolving into something hot and tense and blissful. Lucy curled her fingers around his neck, her gaze locked with his own. Natsu placed his forehead against hers.

She didn't know when it happened, but one second he was kissing her again, soft and loving, and the next he was pressing her against the wall. Lucy squeezed her legs around his waist, her fingers a tangle in his hair. He kissed her neck, sucking skin, teeth grazing and biting.

Lucy gasped hot breaths. Nerves fizzled to ecstasy, the taste of his mouth delightful, the feel of his hands burning. As if sensing the change in her body, Natsu's hips rocked faster, his hands clutching her backside. She dug her heels into his back.

"Natsu," she panted.

He growled her name, the sound so distant, so tainted with lust, Lucy didn't fully comprehend it. Everything in the world slowed to a spiraling halt. She felt like she'd been here before, as though thousands of lives suddenly blended together. In every one, she'd tasted the warmth of his skin and basked in the radiance of his love.

Their home filled with sounds of bodies colliding and breathless moaning. Lucy tugged his hair and gasped, colours beyond Earth Land coalescing behind hooded eyes. She must've pulled a little too hard, because Natsu lost his balance. They hit the ground hard, laughter exploding between them.

And so ended their first act of physical love.

❖ ── ✦ ──『EXPLICIT CONTENT ENDS 』── ✦ ── ❖

Natsu rolled beside her, exasperated, his voice actually strained. Lucy spotted something partially unfurled beneath the couch. She reached for it, opening the flyer with renewed curiosity.

"Oh, it's the job he gave us," she whispered.

He being the owner of Bar Sun.

"I forgot all about it," Natsu said.

Lucy curled into him, snuggled warm against his side. Natsu stole the flyer from her hand and read it.

"It's in a village not far from here. Maybe we should check it out," Natsu said.

"We should check with Bar Sun first."

He nodded. His gaze darted across her naked body, following beads of sweat that rolled with every savored breath. He trailed fingers across her hip and thigh.

"Are you okay?" he asked seriously.

Lucy walked her fingertips over his chest. "Mhm. Are you?"

"No."

Lucy's stomach flared with cold fear. "What's wrong?"

He cradled her tight against him, his heart pounding.

"I'm still hungry," he said.

Lucy smacked his chest. "You're an idiot."

He kissed her again, firm, purposeful. Lucy felt the hunger he'd mentioned brush against her stomach. She shuddered.

"Y-you can't possibly be hungry after..."

Natsu grinned against her mouth. "You know me, Lucy. I always have room for dessert."

Song: Don't Think Twice - Utada Hikaru.

COMING SOON—–
CHAPTER FOURTEEN: HAND IN HAND