A/N: I write this with more than a little bit of shame (runs and hides in a corner, burying my face). Guess this is what happens when trying to garner some inspiration for stories that need finishing (such as Fear and Trouble). I've gotten to the end of the 2014 anime, but not the manga. Although I've seen/heard a lot of spoilers, this may not be 100% accurate, so don't hate on the discrepancies if there are any, please! I'll fix them as I find them, if they exist. Your favorites and comments feed my writer's soul, so please let me hear what you think!

As always, Fairy Tail and characters belong to Hero Mashima. I just love them and enjoy writing about them.

Many things changed in the year Fairy Tail was disbanded, and Natsu was only gradually beginning to understand just how different everything was going to be now that the guild was getting back together, and just how much had changed in their year apart. He'd expected things to change – he was gone a year, after all – but that didn't mean he wasn't shocked by the changes that occurred in his absence – the guild breaking up first among them.

While he wasn't exactly surprised Gajeel and Levy had gone off to work together at the Magic Council, he was surprised at their choice of occupation. Well, at least in Gajeel's case. What shocked him even more was the knowledge that Gray and Juvia had been living together for six months. What the hell happened to Gray's adamant denial of his feelings for her?! As much as he'd deny it, he wanted to know what transpired to change Gray's attitude. Next on the list was Erza. She'd set off on her own, taking on jobs many other guilds and wizards weren't strong enough for; but she'd been sighted more than a few times with Crime Sorciere. Wendy and Carla had gone off with Porlyusica to learn more about healing. The Strauss siblings had settled into a quiet life together, working odd jobs, including opening a fairly successful bar in Magnolia. The Thunder Legion had all but disappeared, although rumor had it, they still visited Magnolia and the ex-Master frequently. The others had scattered far and wide but would pop up now and again – Lucy's research showed him as much.

Even with what quick and little information he had to go on, he could tell his fellow guildmates were hurting. They needed their guild – they needed each other, their friendship, their sense of purpose and comradery, their teamwork; hell, even the guild hall itself. How did it come to this?! The Fire Dragon Slayer couldn't quite understand… He had his reasons for leaving, sure, the bandage on his right arm was just his way of hiding it; but he'd always intended to come back. He just never thought the entire guild would up and disappear, leaving the members without a solid foundation at a time when some of the members needed it the most.

The light in the darkness of his confusion was Lucy. Even after all the time that passed, she was still Lucy. Her hair was longer, and she had a different apartment in a different city, worked a different job, and was perhaps a little skinnier; but deep down she was the same as the last time he'd seen her, except maybe a little sadder… When she finally broke down and told him what happened with Tartaros – how she sacrificed Aquarius in order to save them, he'd cried with her as if it had just happened. The pain was still fresh, still raw, and the fact that he'd left her immediately after she lost so much ate a hole into his heart. She didn't say anything about it, of course she didn't because she was just too kind that way, but part of him wished she would. He deserved her anger. In fact, he deserved a lot worse.

While it was true he set off to grow stronger in order to protect his friends, a lot of that desire centered upon his need to protect her. But the truth of the matter was that he left her when she needed him the most with just a scrawled note vaguely explaining what he was doing. He'd been a coward in giving her a note because he knew if he had to look into her eyes and say goodbye, he wouldn't have been able to do it. She would have wanted to come with him and he wouldn't have been able to tell her no – she was his weakness after all. It was a decision that ate at him the entire time he was gone, waking him up in the middle of the night and plaguing his subconscious until he finally voiced his concerns to Gildarts when they ran into each other. Gildarts had stubbornly given him very little advice, instead letting the Fire Dragon Slayer circle around to his own decision as he spoke, but the encounter had left Natsu disturbed, his heart heavy. He'd never regretted anything more in his life, the guilt and regret only amplifying once he found out how alone she'd really been during his absence…

This Lucy he'd returned to was the same, and yet different. One of the first things he noticed but didn't expect was that she smelled different. It wasn't the first time he'd noticed the change in her scent – it happened almost regularly in their years as friends and partners – but now that they'd been apart there was something distinctly different about it. Not in a bad way, but in a way that brought out feelings and emotions he didn't quite understand, nor was he sure he was ready for.

After being away from her for a year, the moment he caught a whiff of her essence in the air, all the feelings he had kept hidden rushed to the surface. Despite his lingering guilt, being around her filled him with such excitement and joy; but also brought a strange feeling to the pit of his stomach, like a hunger that couldn't be satiated. He found any reason to be near her, to stay at her apartment (claiming his place was a wreck since he'd been gone), and sneak into her bed at night. When she was sound asleep, he'd bury his face in her hair, deeply breathing in the intoxicating aroma that made his vision blur and his blood run like lava through his veins. He'd pull her into his arms, his body surrounding hers, as his heart was squeezed in his chest. But it still wasn't enough...

That's not to say they went from not seeing each other for a year to immediately sharing a bed again, because they didn't. He respected her too much and cared about her too deeply to tread upon such a fragile moment in their friendship. Although she'd been elated to see him, the relief clear not just in her eyes but in her every mannerism; she wasn't ready to resume their previous lives as if nothing had ever happened – even he could understand that. And so it was that he spent his first night back with Lucy on the couch, wanting nothing more than to spend every moment with her now that they'd found each other again, but wisely keeping his distance despite sneaking into her bedroom. He should regret it, but he didn't – it is what sparked their hunt for the rest of the guild after all – the hunt that was bringing the guild back together.

Their reunion was months ago now, and things had settled back into some semblance of what they had been before Tartaros threw their lives into total disarray. Lucy got her apartment back in Magnolia, the guild hall was still standing and slowly being refilled with its former members, and even Fairy Hills was reclaiming some of its former residents. There were a few stark differences – Levy and Gajeel renting their own apartment just one of them. Regardless, the first night Natsu was brave enough to sneak into Lucy's bed once more had been the first time he'd truly noticed just how deeply the change in her scent affected him.

He'd been back just over a month and they'd gone on an easy job that day, a simple trip that still left them both tired. He'd stayed at her apartment the previous night to make their early departure easier and for once Happy wasn't with him – the blue Exceed choosing to go on a job with Wendy and Carla now that the young Dragon Slayer and her Exceed were back among the ranks. The night before they left, he had noticed something was different, a slight undertone of a change that had him discreetly trailing Lucy like a puppy looking for scraps as he tried to decipher not only what the scent was, but why it was there in the first place. Thankfully, Lucy had been busy enough she didn't notice and when she did, he'd been able to play it off as his way of begging for food before they went to bed.

Once they'd returned home, cleaned up, and eaten dinner, they'd headed straight to bed. While originally Natsu had every intention of sleeping on the couch, Lucy's scent tantalized him, kept him from falling into the sleep he so desperately needed while his senses cued in to the quiet sound of her steady breathing, her slow heartbeat, and the gentle rustle of sheets when she'd shift in her sleep. The scent grew slightly stronger while she rested, and he sensed a change in temperature, although he couldn't explain how or why. And so, after over an hour of what felt like torture, he'd risen from the couch and soundlessly slipped into bed beside her, Lucy's quiet sigh her only reaction to the slight shifting in the bed.

As soon as he'd lifted the covers, Lucy's scent washed over him like a gentle caress, actually making his eyes drift closed a moment before he settled into position beside her. It had been so long since he'd snuck into her bed, part of him was frozen in terror, fear of a Lucy Kick deeply engrained in him despite their time apart. But a larger part of him felt like he was coming home, that this was where he belonged and where he wanted to stay. He still considered her his best friend, and just thinking about her stirred pleasantly warm feelings in his chest, but even he recognized this as something different. He'd felt them before, plenty of times, and while he had almost understood what they meant, he'd chosen to ignore them because he couldn't bear the possibility of losing her. Now, there was no denying it, no running away from it. He loved her. He was in love with Lucy…

Although he tried to respect her boundaries that first night, once he'd succumbed to sleep his body acted on its own, and he'd woken to find his arm draped casually across her waist, her body pulled tightly against his, his nose buried in the luxurious mess of her hair. She'd slowly awoken around the same time as him, stirring in his arms so that her breath tickled his chest, and to his utter surprise, she hadn't been mad. She simply chuckled, her fingertips brushing across his bare chest and causing a shudder to ripple down his spine.

"Morning, Natsu," she murmured pleasantly.

Natsu was too terrified to look. He lay there frozen, his arm still draped around her, his face still surrounded by her hair, that scent still overwhelming him – even more so now that she was awake. When he remained quiet for too long, Lucy snuggled into him, causing his heart to stutter. "I'm not going to give you a Lucy Kick, if that's what you're concerned about." Anyone else would have had trouble hearing her, but his Dragon Slayer senses were even stronger than before, and he heard every word. When still he didn't respond, she pushed back from him, his arm fighting the separation until reason won out and he relaxed his grip, the softness of her tank top slipping under his fingers with ease. "Took you long enough," she teased with a smirk.

His eyes finally fell to hers and the mirth he saw there finally allowed him to relax, an easy smile crossing his lips. He unconsciously pulled her closer, her hips brushing his before he knew it. While the touch sent a shock through him, his eyes flashing open, she seemed unconcerned, even reaching up to brush his hair back from his eyes. It was the last straw – he realized then how broken and lonely he'd been. With a strangled sound rasping from his throat, he pulled her tightly to him, throwing his arms around her as though she were his lifeline. He buried his face in her neck, his breath hot against her shoulder as he deeply inhaled that same intoxicating scent that made his blood boil. "I missed you," he barely managed to whisper.

To his utter surprise, Lucy slipped her arms around him too, her fingertips gently caressing the hair at the back of his neck as he squeezed her so tightly, she almost couldn't breathe. "I missed you too," she whispered in reply. Natsu couldn't see the gentle smile caressing her lips as she closed her eyes, but he could smell the tears gathering against her lashes, reveling in their closeness after so long apart.

After that first night, Natsu hadn't been so shy about slipping into Lucy's bed, and she hadn't been so aggressive about kicking him out. It was like they had slipped back into their routine, although only slightly different. Neither of them spoke of their sleeping habits to the other members of Team Natsu (Erza would kill them both), but they also rarely openly discussed it amongst themselves. It was simply acknowledged as something that happened between them that they wouldn't question, and as days turned into weeks, Natsu slept on the couch less and less.

It was both a blessing and a curse that Natsu had free reign over sleeping in Lucy's bed or not (and of course he chose to). While he reveled in the opportunity to be so close to her, he was also accosted with her proximity more than perhaps was good for him. His true desires came out when he was sleeping, unable to bury his thoughts within his subconscious, and more than once he'd found himself in what could be considered compromising positions with his partner. He found these changes even more prominent and strong during the times that Lucy's scent was more enticing than ever, alluring in a way that made him feel like a man starved. His hands would find their own way to her, often concentrating on her hips or waist; and even a few times he woke to find his fingers splayed over her belly, just below her belly button. It was an intimate touch, and once he realized where he was touching her, he couldn't stop the fierce sense of protectiveness and desire that wound through him. She was his, but why did he think that? Was it even okay for him to think that way? Although he tried to work the thoughts through his tired mind, often times Lucy would sigh in her sleep, snuggling her hips back further into him, and his grip would only tighten in response, strong enough to leave small indentations in her skin from his fingertips. Her softness would cause him to have to stifle a pleased growl before drifting back into sleep with his princess curled against him.

One morning, Natsu slept more soundly than usual, Lucy once more pulled tightly against his chest with his face buried against her neck. Each gentle exhale tickled her skin with his hot breath, but his hold on her was warm and comforting, his body molded to hers from behind while her hands rested on his arms that held her. If anyone were to find out they slept like this, Lucy would have been mortified, but she didn't want it to stop either. Like Natsu, she needed his closeness after their time apart, and she welcomed it in any form she could get it. Fully intending to fall back asleep, Lucy shifted in an attempt to get more comfortable, and that was when she realized just where Natsu's hand was.

His hand had fallen to its almost usual place, low on her belly, but his fingertips had just barely slipped under the band of her shorts. He was almost too low, almost in dangerous territory, although logic told her this was too low; and when she shifted, he gripped her, holding her tightly in place against his hips without so much as a change in his breathing. Regardless, his movement caused her breath to still in her throat, her eyes going wide in the darkness as she tried to process just what was happening. She'd noticed the hand position before, and while it had set off distant alarm bells in her mind, she'd stubbornly ignored them. But this. This was different. There was something almost possessive about how he was holding her, something primal, and dare she think erotic. Not for the first time she thought about how he pulled her flush against his hips, how he curled around her and buried his face in her neck when he thought she was sleeping. In truth, Lucy was just as excited by his brazen hands as she was confused. The awake Natsu would never touch her like he did in his sleep, never press against her so purposefully, and although at times she fought with the decision to give him a swift Lucy Kick versus riding things out to see where they went, in the end it was a pretty easy decision. Although they clearly weren't in a "romantic" relationship, it was what she wanted, so she let the Fire Dragon Slayer wander into territory that was new and exciting to the both of them – and this was the result. Just what was going on here?

Not sure what to do, she attempted to shift again, curious to see what Natsu's reaction would be. Just as she suspected, his hand on her belly tightened, pressing into her flesh as he pulled her against him. His hips rolled just slightly, pressing against her in a way that made heat flash through her body, lighting her ears on fire, especially when he nuzzled her neck. Each exhale sent a shiver down her spine that was both not unwelcome and startling, especially when she realized just how much she'd wanted this.

It wasn't long before she realized her heart was pounding, running away in her chest with such rampant force that she was surprised it hadn't woken the Fire Dragon Slayer. Her breaths came fast and ragged, especially when his other arm squeezed her tighter, looped under her head and across her chest, gently resting on her shoulder. She was hot, incredibly hot; both from the heat emanating from Natsu, and the fire that was suddenly kindled within her. "N-Natsu?" she whispered, unable to suppress a shudder when he groaned quietly in his sleep.

His hand slid lower and now he was in dangerous territory as he mumbled, "Luce," his lips actually brushing against the back of her neck.

She was immobile, shocked still and silent at the husky timbre in Natsu's voice. Oh, Mavis! Is he dreaming?! He has to be dreaming, right?! What do I do? Do I kick him out? Despite the movement of his hand, his fingertips just grazing the hairs hidden beneath her panties, she couldn't bring herself to shake him awake, throw him off, or yell at him. How long had she wanted him to touch her like this? How long had she wanted their relationship to progress to something more? But was that what this was? Were the changes in how he was acting his way of saying he wanted more, that he thought of her as more than just a friend? Should she assume it was nothing, just his body reacting and moving in sleep? Was he still just the same ole Natsu who likely didn't understand much (if anything) about being intimate? Or had she been wrong all along? She wanted to believe that wasn't the case, hoped that wasn't the case, but her mind wouldn't wholly allow her to latch on to such thoughts, reigning in her heart's overactive imagination with a harsh reality. He'd matured in their year apart, both physically and mentally, but if he truly wanted more from her, then why was he like this at some times and not others? True, he was more "touchy-feely" than ever before, his hands on her in one way or another more often than not, but these types of touches, the kind that lit a fire in her own belly, didn't happen nearly as often. And when they did, he seemed completely unaware of how it affected her. With a dejected sigh, she closed her eyes and allowed his hand to stay where it was – consequences be damned. She needed to see his reaction once he realized what he was doing.

When Natsu awoke a little while later, he nuzzled Lucy's neck like he always did (when she was still asleep anyway), her strawberry shampoo surrounding him pleasantly as her silky skin caressed the tip of his nose. It was when he slightly moved his hand that he froze, his eyes snapping open in horror as he fought the urge to leap from the bed and burst into flames. He could feel Lucy's shorts against the back of his hand, feel the increase in warmth from how low he was against her, but more importantly, his fingertips were in contact with something he never expected to touch and live – coarse hairs the indication of how far south he'd gone. He needed to withdraw, needed to pull his hand out of dangerous territory. But could he do that and not wake Lucy? He had to at least try…

Hours later found them at the guild, looking for another job and trying to decide if they wanted to invite Gray and Juvia along. Erza was out with Crime Sorciere, something Natsu was ironically thankful for given what had transpired just that morning, but for once his mind was on the other male Dragon Slayer in the vicinity – Gajeel. He needed to talk to Gajeel.

Lucy and Juvia were chatting amicably while he stared into oblivion, his eyes fixed unseeing on the wall over Juvia's shoulder. Ever since he'd scarcely managed to literally pull his hand out of Lucy's pants, he knew he was in trouble. Something was wrong. Now that he'd touched her so low, whether knowingly or not, he couldn't stop thinking about it, about her, and in ways he found both disturbing and arousing. While he'd successfully avoided being castrated by Lucy, he'd had to immediately roll over and talk himself down, steam practically pouring from his ears as he held his offending hands tightly together in order to keep them from acting on their own again. Lucy had woken up confused, her strange heart rate the moment she woke up told him as much, but they didn't talk about it. In fact, they'd scarcely said a word to each other since rolling out of bed.

"Natsu? Hey, Natsu! Earth to Matchstick!"

"What?" he asked with a shake of his head and jerk of his shoulders, bringing his focus back to the present.

Gray stared at him from across the table with his mouth hanging open. "Dude, what the hell is wrong with you?"

His lip curling in disgust, Natsu shook his head, the fact that Lucy and Juvia were staring at him with similar looks of surprise not lost on him. "Nothing's wrong with me!"

"You sure?" Lucy whispered, touching his arm where it rested on the table gently. "You've been acting strange all morning."

Although he fought it, he jumped slightly at her touch, the sensation of her skin against his just as soothing and cool as it was torturous. He wanted to look at her, to reassure her that he was fine, but he couldn't. He couldn't look at her and not think about how he'd practically violated her in his sleep. He couldn't look at her and not be completely overwhelmed by her scent. And what was worse, he couldn't look at her and not want to do it all over again. Instead, he slipped out of the booth. "I gotta go talk to Metal Mouth."

"What?"

Ignoring the trio's confused question, he simply walked away, swallowing his pride as he approached the Iron Dragon Slayer, who sat at a booth with his arm casually thrown around Levy's shoulders. He could hear them talking but couldn't process the conversation – his mind was in too much chaos. "Hey, Gajeel," he called the moment he was close enough to not have to shout – at least for Levy's sake.

Gajeel and Levy both turned to look at him in surprise. Levy's gentle brown eyes were wide, but she looked genuinely happy to have him approach them. Gajeel, on the other hand, had his eyes narrowed, as though suspicious. "What do you want?" he grumbled.

Shifting his feet, Natsu did his best not to look nervous. "I need to talk to you."

"Yeah? About what?"

When the larger man made no move to move, Natsu sighed. He didn't want to do this here. At least Wendy wasn't around to pick up on their conversation, but still. "Can we talk outside?" he asked, swallowing his pride and lowering his gaze.

Levy gasped quietly before all but shoving her boyfriend out of the booth. She'd never seen Natsu look so repentant, as though he'd already done something wrong. Although she knew that wasn't the case, she was just as surprised as Lucy was to see him ask the other Dragon Slayer for help – the two were notoriously competitive. Even as Gajeel opened his mouth to say otherwise, she answered for him with a quick boot to the behind. "Of course you can!" When Gajeel turned dark, angry eyes her way, she simply smiled and waved them on. The Iron Dragon Slayer couldn't argue, and so the two quickly made their way outside and to the edge of the yard.

"What's this about?" Gajeel growled, folding his arms across his chest to make his annoyance clear.

Not sure where to begin, Natsu rubbed the back of his neck, avoiding Gajeel's gaze. The dark slayer's larger frame didn't help the fact that he already felt small. He never wanted to ask him for help, especially not with something like this, but with him the only other male Dragon Slayer around, he had no other choice. And even if Laxus was around, he certainly wasn't going to ask him. He would tell Mira, and then the whole guild would know. As he continued to struggle with his words, Gajeel moved to head back to the guild. "If you aren't gonna talk, then I'm goin' back inside."

"Something's happening!" Natsu blurted, his hands falling open uselessly at his sides as he pled with Gajeel through his wide eyes.

His words had the desired effect, for Gajeel stopped and turned to look at the Fire Dragon Slayer with narrowed eyes, a crease forming between his pierced brows. "What do you mean?"

"I-I can't explain it," he admitted, hating the warmth he felt in his cheeks. "But Lucy…" His voice petered out as he fought for words.

"Out with it Fire Breath before I leave you out here," Gajeel threatened, folding his arms across his chest once more.

"Lucy smells different!"

A smirk crossed Gajeel's lips that made Natsu's blood boil. "She smells different, huh?" With a sigh, he moved to lean against the closest tree, his eyes dancing with a new light as he eyed the nervous Dragon Slayer. He couldn't pass on the opportunity to see him so out of sorts. "Good different or bad different?" He already knew the answer.

There was no hesitation in Natsu's response. "Good. Definitely good."

"Good like, you want to pounce on her?"

Without thinking, Natsu threw a flaming punch that Gajeel was quick to stop with an iron-fortified hand. Even as Natsu snarled at him, his lips pulled back to reveal his elongated canines, Gajeel cocked his head to the side to peer at him around his flames. "I'll take that as a yes."

Shoving back, Natsu ground out, "Fuck you!"

A malicious glint appeared in Gajeel's eyes then. "You mean to tell me that if she came up to you right now and said she wanted to fuck you, you'd say no?"

"Gajeel!" Natsu was mortified by the Iron Dragon Slayer's words, his face flushing beet red before going pale. His words rang too close to home. No, Natsu wouldn't say no – and Gajeel knew that.

Despite the obvious terror and confusion at war on Natsu's face, Gajeel continued to press him, cocking his head to the side as he watched him with true curiosity. "Don't tell me you haven't thought about it?"

That was the problem. Of course he'd thought about it! He'd had such vivid dreams he'd awoken not sure what was real and what was fantasy until the tightness in his loins made itself painfully known. More than once he'd had to throw himself into a cold shower in order to force down his desire. He'd come to crave it, crave her more than he even craved fire, and he found that fact terrifying. Despite what his instincts and his body may want, he couldn't lose Lucy.

Sensing the Fire Dragon Slayer's inner turmoil, Gajeel threw his head back and cackled, his laughter loud in the surrounding silence – it was still early at the guild hall. "Ahahahaha! It's finally happened!"

Confused, Natsu dropped his fists, his face growing slack. "I don't understand."

"When do you notice this?" Gajeel pressed, but Natsu had no clear answer for him.

It started off gradually, at least at first. It was always shortly after another change in her scent that he knew from long ago. Having grown up around many girls, he'd discovered this regular scent and been both horrified and curious. While it wasn't necessarily a good smell, it wasn't bad either. It was simply… Odd. What had struck him as even weirder was how regularly it came and how oftentimes it was accompanied by changes in the girls affected. They were sometimes mean and sometimes emotional, but they were always a force to be reckoned with. When his young nose discovered this, Gildarts had simply laughed and clapped him hard on the shoulder. "You'll figure it out one day," had been his only advice.

Because of his past experience, Natsu had come to expect this change in his female friends, doing his best to shut it out as soon as he caught wind of it. He'd never really noticed a different change in their scent after this monthly change. It may have been because he didn't want to, because he was focusing on not smelling anything; or it may simply have been because he truly didn't notice it. Lucy was different. Although he hadn't noticed it at first, as they grew closer as both members of Team Natsu and as friends, he'd begun to notice the alteration to her scent that came nearly as regularly as the other change. This change, however, was pleasant and alluring. He found himself around her more often than not, drawn to her as if by some invisible force, when the wonderful aroma permeated his senses. Even so, it had never evoked the strong feelings it now did.

His silence spoke volumes and Gajeel took a step forward, placing a reassuring hand on Natsu's shoulder before squeezing. "She smells different than before, doesn't she?" he asked, his voice oddly quiet and without taunt.

Natsu nodded, his eyes lowered to the tips of Gajeel's boots. He'd never thought of it before, or at least he didn't want to. "She does."

Gajeel took a step back, folding his arms across his chest again. "I'll only tell ya this once, so don't make me repeat it," he warned, waiting for Natsu to finally look at him. As much as they rivaled each other, he couldn't stand to see the proud wizard look so dejected. "You're smelling her… fertility." His eyebrow rose up as a confident smirk tugged at his lips. "And I think you already know why it's so appealing to you."

Aghast, Natsu sputtered, his mouth falling open as he struggled to string together words into a coherent sentence. "How-wha-huh? Fer-fertil…" He couldn't finish the word, his face and insides feeling hotter than his fiercest flames. "D-does this happen to you, too?" he finally asked without thinking.

Snorting, Gajeel shrugged. "Of course it does." His eyes turned into daggers before he snarled a warning, pressing a finger straight into Natsu's chest. "But don't you go telling Blondie that!"

His lip curling up in disgust, Natsu shook his head. He didn't want to think about the Iron Dragon Slayer and his girlfriend. "What do I do?" he whispered, not fully expecting an answer.

Slapping him hard on the back of the shoulder, Gajeel was already heading back to the guild when he called back, "Go claim your woman!" Although it sounded like a shout to Natsu, it was little more than an enthusiastic whisper. Regardless, Natsu jerked and turned bright red nonetheless.

Nearly an hour passed since Natsu left the booth and Lucy was growing worried. She'd seen the strange way he'd approached Gajeel, clearly asking him for help if Levy's reaction meant anything. Then the two had disappeared outside for quite a while, only Gajeel returning. With his strange behavior, she'd opted out of recruiting Gray and Juvia for their latest job, even though she didn't miss the look of concern in Gray's eyes.

"Why don't you go find him, Lucy?" Gray finally offered. "I'm sure he's outside blowing off steam."

"They weren't even fighting," she muttered, her eyes wide when she looked to Gray.

"He's gotten a lot of that out of his system, I think," Gray explained. "Besides, I don't think Gajeel stands a chance against him if he can take out an entire guild on his own."

A proud smile pulled at Lucy's lips, remembering his performance the first time she'd seen him in almost a year. He'd always been powerful, but that had been something else entirely. That had made more than just her heart race. "True," she admitted, but did not move from her spot.

"Go find him before I shout at the top of my lungs how hopeless you are," he finally threatened, his dark eyes flashing.

"Gray-sama!" Juvia chastised, her eyes wide in shock as she smacked his arm.

"Gray!" Lucy shrieked, immediately lurching to her feet even though she wanted to deliver a fast and fierce Lucy Kick. "Fine!" she pouted as she stomped off, her boots clacking against the floor as she swung her arms with closed fists. She may not understand what was going on, but she'd be damned if Gray outed her in front of the entire guild. It was bad enough that he, Erza, and Levy so clearly knew how she felt – and Levy had been the only one she'd actually told. Apparently, she was just that obvious to the other two (although Levy did say she saw it coming from a mile away when Lucy did tell her).

Once she stepped outside, Lucy easily found Natsu, perched in the Y of one of the trees bordering the woods that flanked Fairy Tail. He swung his legs beneath him, his eyes downcast as he plucked leaves from the branches and lit them on fire before snuffing the flames out in his fist. "Natsu?" she called.

The sound of Lucy's voice shocked him so deeply to his core that Natsu fell from the tree, landing flat on his back. He groaned on impact, his eyes squeezed shut and his legs still sticking up into the air with his fingers twitching helplessly. His senses picked up on Lucy's rapid approach, the sound of her boots in the soft grass, the way her breath caught in her throat when he fell, and the sharp tang of fear that rippled through the air before dissipating. "Ow," he grumbled, finally allowing his limbs to settle at his sides in the grass with a sigh.

Lucy was at his side then, sliding to her knees. Her scent rolled over him with her arrival, immediately heating his blood, but he fought against it, keeping his eyes tightly closed to avoid looking at her. Even so, he was acutely aware of her presence, her nearness at his side. He could feel her warmth radiating from her knee, right next to his hand. The fact that she was wearing a skirt was not helping his situation any.

"Mavis, Natsu! Are you okay? What have you been doing out here?"

"Thinking," he admitted with a nonchalant shrug of his shoulders.

Pressing her fists into the tops of her thighs, Lucy huffed. "You've been acting strange all morning. What's going on?" she snapped, her patience at its limit. Not only was she frustrated with his behavior, but she was also irritated with herself. She'd fallen asleep and missed his reaction to whatever had happened or was happening in the middle of the night – if indeed it had even been something. The fact that she'd woken up to find his back turned to her for the first time since they started sharing her bed again had stung more than she cared to admit.

At the angry tone in her voice, Natsu's eyes reluctantly opened. Even in the shadows of the trees, Lucy found herself drawn to their emerald depths, so dark they appeared almost black. His eyes searched hers with such intensity, Lucy could feel her heart warm and tighten in her chest, heat spreading to her neck and cheeks without her permission as he slowly sat up in front of her, draping his arms lazily over the tops of his knees. "I needed to talk to Gajeel," he quietly admitted, finally breaking eye contact to look at his hands, hanging limply in the air before his legs.

"About what?" she queried, her voice gentler.

He hesitated, his eyes returning to hers before drifting to her hair, blowing gently in the breeze. "It's a Dragon Slayer thing," he answered lamely.

Lucy saw his answer for what it was – an evasion, and angrily rose to her feet. "Fine, Natsu. Don't tell me."

"Luce!" he cried, lurching to his feet after her.

"Don't forget, we leave for our job early tomorrow morning," she snapped, flipping her hair back over her shoulder. "I'm going home."

She was gone before he could answer her.