She kind of can't believe it. But in her defense, it's kind of unbelievable. It's late into the night by the time Natsu has finished relaying all the intell on dragon mates he has, and its an awkward, quiet shuffle to the finish line. She still has questions, but he doesn't have a whole lot of answers, which is easily forgiven. There are a lot of unknowns in their lives.

"So what does this mean for us?" she asks finally, seated on the opposite end of the couch again. It's more for her own anxiousness this time, rather than to spite him. She's past that petty kind of distance. For now, at least.

He shrugs, like it doesn't matter, leaning back into the cushions with arms folded across his chest. But his words still make her blush, "It means I love you forever."

She can't collect herself enough to form a coherent response, just sits there, a stuttering, blushing mess. He saves her from herself by speaking again, "Hey, at least your mate is a dragon. It could have been somethin' gross, like a toad."

She laughs, despite herself, and he grins with his canines, wide and bright, like he used to, and things are easier from there. They deteriorate into mindless chatter, smiling and poking fun and catching up on all the things they'd missed while he was being and idiot and she was being angsty. By morning, the space on the couch is gone, and she's asleep with her head against his shoulder and his arm around her and he feels content to stay like this forever.

Usually his mornings are fraught with restless energy. He wakes in a sweat, searching his bed for a body to cling to, reaching out for someone too far away and he starts his day racked with longing. But today is different. Today is the start of something new.

She wakes and peels her cheek off his skin, wiping at her eyes and trying to swallow the cottony taste in her mouth. She blinks, confused, at first, until her sleepy gaze lands on him. She smiles, the new sun casting her golden hair in a halo of light as she reaches a hand up to squeeze his arm. It's moments like this that make him believe in miracles.

"Good morning," she murmurs.

He grins sloppily back, pressing his forehead against hers and pulling her in closer, closer. "Yeah," he returns, "It is."

Things are normal, almost. As normal as things can be for two people like Natsu and Lucy in a place like Fairy Tail. The most noticeable change is in their party etiquette.

Things start to get a little crazy and the booze starts flowing by the barrel, but Lucy sticks to juice, even at the expense of Cana's frequent teasing. She knows herself well enough to know that she's a bit of a handsy drunk, and she'd rather be safe than sorry after the development with her dragon slayer.

The guild loses its communal sobriety as the night wears on, and Lucy finds out that drunk humor isn't as funny without the alcohol at the same time she finds out that its kind of boring being the only sober one. When Levy starts into her third long winded story of the night, her eyes instinctively seek out Natsu. He looks up, as if he sensed her gaze on him, and gives her a beaming smile. She notices the absence of any drink around him, and thinking back on it, she realizes he'd stopped drinking a while ago.

She slips away from her table unnoticed. She can't blame the others for having fun, but after the fourth or fifth round, the enthralling stories are starting to sound more like gibberish and Natsu's grin is way too inviting to pass up. He starts speaking as soon as she's seated next to him.

"Man, these guys are loud," he says just above the roar, "I don't know why they all have to yell. Everything they have to say is bullshit anyway."

Gray, seated on his opposite side, turns around at that, "What'd you say, punk?" he demands.

"I said everything you say is shit," Natsu returns.

Gray just blinks at him, before turning back around, Natsu's words completely unregistered. Lucy and him share a laugh, leaning in to poke fun at the craziness around them.

"Can we take a walk?" Lucy says after a while, wincing as Elfman takes a dive off one of the tables, "It's getting a little weird in here."

Natsu stands and grabs her hands to pull her up, keeping one of them as he leads her through the crowd. She smiles gratefully up at him when they get outside. The cool night air feels nice one her flushed skin, but she doesn't let go of Natsu's overly-warm hand. They walk in silence for a while, enjoying the peace of the sleeping city outside of the party. She's so lost in thought, she doesn't realize where he's leading her until they're outside her house. For a moment, she considers inviting him in, but seeing him shift so uncomfortably at the sight of the building, she decides against it.

They stare at each other for a moment longer, feeling as though something is unfinished with this night. Lucy reaches up, tentative at first, before she steps in and wraps her arms around him, sighing when he returns the gesture. "I've missed you," she tells him, head rested on his chest.

He gives her a squeeze, "Me too."

She leans back to meet his eyes, and there's something intense and warm in them. She wants to kiss him. He pulls back quickly, running a hand through his hair, "Well," he says gruffly, "G'night, then."

She smiles, and it feels like letting go for now, "Goodnight, Natsu."

It's raining again, and she can see the water come off his body in curling steam under the downpour. It's their first mission together in what feels like a lifetime. He's breathing hard, staring at her with battle-crazed eyes. He looks wild, jaw clenched, body prone. Like a feral animal. She thinks she understands why people have always feared dragons.

They'd almost died. It seems like that should be expected by now, but they'd almost died and the fact that they're still standing feels like a fluke. Her body trembles, waves of fear and adrenaline still surging under her skin. She reaches out for him and he's there in a second, holding onto her with so much strength it doesn't even matter when her knees give out because he'll support her.

She tilts her head up to look at him, just to make sure he's still there, with her. And he leans in. It happens just like that, wounded, with hearts beating too fast, still high from the fight. He pulls her closer closer closer, so he can feel her warmth, her skin, her life. So he can lick and nip and suck and feel every shiver in response. And its just a kiss in the rain, just for the reassurance that they're both still standing. But it doesn't taste like almost dead. It tastes like, yes and like thank you. It tastes like finally.

AN: I honestly thought I was going to delete this entire story. I don't know how I feel about writing this anymore, and this is kind of a crappy way to get back into it. It's been a REALLY long time since the last update, over a year, I think. But idk... I have a real big soft spot for this story, so here we are. Thank you so much for sticking around, if you have. You're all superstars. As always, reviews are love