Headcanon given by "lovelyluce" on Tumblr: "Bath time is so fun bc Natsu helps out & keeps her entertained by making bubble beards, etc. so Lucy has enough time to wash her hair without her getting bored and fussy. Thanks for the prompt Luce! I hope you liked this! Also, if anyone has a headcanon they'd like to see written, send in an ask to my Tumblr at caandleworks.

Bubble Beards

The water is hotter than Lucy usually has it but, after a couple of minutes she'd grown accustomed to the temperature, and it soothes her aches and sore muscles better than anything else could. The steam is thick, fogging up the mirrors and wrapping her body – that's not submerged – with glorious heat.

"Not hot enough but it'll do."

Lucy cracks an eye open to look at the man lounging in front of her. "Any hotter and I'll burn. Not everyone's as resistant as you, Natsu."

Natsu only sends her a toothy grin, palms cupping a handful of sparkly, white bubbles. The number of bubbles was insane – Lucy was never going to let him be in control of the bubbles ever again. Lucy was pretty sure the tub was half bubbles instead of water.

Lucy arches her back, stretching her arms over her head, listening to the satisfying pop with a happy sigh. Natsu's eyes were glued to her chest (the move had left her breasts exposed) and Lucy let out a squeak, covering herself up. "Natsu you perv!"

Natsu's lips stretch into a wicked smile that has shivers run down her spine, toes curling. "Nothin' I haven't seen before!"

Her cheeks are already stained pink due to the heat circulating the bathroom but his words make her entire body flush a deep red. She ignores him and grabs her soap, gliding it across her skin.

A few months after they started dating, they somehow had started a tradition of taking baths with each other. It wasn't every bath – because Lucy had a lot – but it was enough that she'd gone out and upgraded her tub to a bigger size to fit them both comfortably. A pricey expense but well worth it in the end. She enjoyed having him so close in the beginning but the cramped space soon got old.

It was nice, having a companion with her sometimes. Even if it was Natsu, who often left her floor soaked with soap suds and water. (She'd force him to clean it and he always obliged, albeit with many complaints, so she didn't punish him for it too much). He kept her entertained while she washed her hair, which was always a task that took forever.

Lucy reaches for her shampoo, finished with her soap, and lathers up the liquid in her hair, humming quietly to herself. Washing her hair was always relaxing despite how time-consuming it was. (Lucy took her haircare very seriously, thank you very much!)

There's a warm hand at her ankle, fingers lightly grazing her skin. Lucy eyed him but continued to massage the shampoo into her scalp. The familiar scent of her usual shampoo fills the air and Natsu takes a sniff – she'll never get over the fact that he often acted like a big overgrown puppy – giving her a lazy smile. He pulls her ankle into his lap, her heel brushing against his inner thigh. The move startled her but she quickly relaxed against him, enjoying the added warmth of his body temperature.

He's quiet, enjoying just watching her, but when she turns to squirt out more shampoo Lucy misses the mischievous glint in his eyes.

His palms the sensitive skin of her ankle before moving up to massage her calf, fingers hot and relaxing. Lucy lets out a pleased sigh at the contact, body melting against his touch. She wasn't sure why he suddenly decided to give her a massage – usually, he just messed around – but Lucy wasn't complaining.

A nice, hot bath paired with Natsu's skilled fingers? Heaven.

Lucy had no idea where he'd learned to give proper massages either. Her boyfriend still surprised her even after years of knowing each other and being best friends. Now that she knew, though, she'd make use of his skills – oh man, a nice massage after a tiring job? Lucy couldn't wait.

His hands continued to press against her muscles, sending pleasurable shivers throughout her body at the sensation, moving higher up her legs as he did so. He'd scooted closer to reach her thighs, eyes dark and a grin that made her face heat up for reasons not at all connected to how hot the room suddenly became.

Natsu gripped her thighs, thumbs circling against the soft skin. He leaned over her, pressing her against the edge of the bath. The sight of beads of water travelling down his chest, his skin glistening and steaming made her breath hitch. Lucy let her hands fall from her hair, too distracted by Natsu to even think about washing her hair. She could only watch, mouth dry, as his muscles flexed as he drew closer, hair damp against his forehead due to his earlier splash when they first popped in.

Lucy had always thought the spiky mess was attractive but – this. She absent-mindedly filed away the information later (god, the sight of his bangs flat was a turn on she'd never even considered before), all her attention on the man kneeling between her thighs.

"Lucy." His voice was husky, guttural, and it made her toes curl, heart skipping a beat. One of his hands travelled up further, moving to her waist before the pressure of his hand disappeared. Lucy swallowed thickly, faintly recognising the hand that had just left her skin cup at some bubbles but didn't focus on it too much, eyes glued to the expression on his face.

A roguish grin stretches his lips, flashing canine teeth, as his grip on her thigh tightened. "Lucy…" Natsu murmured, low, staring her down between half-lidded eyes.

"You've got a beard."

Lucy blinked at his words, suddenly thrust out of the trance she just been in. "W-What are you talking about – Natsu!"

Natsu roared in laughter, the force pushing him backwards, sending soapy water sloshing over the tub's edge and soaking the floor. Lucy gaped, before spluttering as a nasty, chemical taste met her tongue. He – he'd just – he just gave her a bubble beard!

Lucy glanced down to her chin, seeing the white foam wobbling.

"Y-You should see your face!" Natsu gasped between each chuckle, clutching his side with one arm and pointed a finger at her with the other. Lucy's eye twitched dangerously.

Natsu was too busy laughing at her to realise that she had decided to exact her revenge until it was too late. She surged forward with a note-worthy battle cry, hand cupping as much of the bubbles as it could, and pressed her palms – foam and all – against his face.

When she pulled back to witness her masterpiece, Lucy couldn't help the tears leaking out of the corner of her eyes as she cackled. "Y-You look ridiculous!" The bubbles that he hadn't wiped away created a thick, mustache accompanied with a large, white beard dangling from his chin.

The grin he sent her only set her off more, doubling over in laughter. "Hey, we match!"

Only once did her laughter die down to hiccups did Lucy realise that the bath water was suspiciously low… Lucy glanced down at the water sloshing around her feet before risking a look over to the rest of her bathroom. Please, please don't be what she thinks it is.

Lucy's eyes teared up again but not from laughter. The floors were drenched, waterlogged and a complete mess. Natsu followed her gaze and audibly gulped, cringing away in the event of a 'Lucy Kick!'. Lucy felt her eyes bug out of her head – crap, she'd have to pay for the damages for the ruined floorboards -

"MY BATHROOM!"