My entry for Litashe's Fairy Tail Writing Competition. I really hope I past the first round. And slightly annoyed that it took me so long to get it done, what with school and tonnes of studying I've been doing. Therefore I think it could be SO much better... It's also within the word limit at 2,097. Once I get inspiration I have problems stopping, I had to cut some things out in the end.

Anyway, review and I hope you enjoy! I only hope I could have done a longer version of this- there's so much left unsaid!

Lucy was only given two warnings.

The first was her name.

"Lucy, look out!"

"Natsu?"

Lucy was propelled backwards as a pink haired blur tackled her to the ground, his cry of pain drowned by the sound of rocks falling down and crashing against one another as the entire cave they were in collapsed around them. Dust was thick in the air when all movement settled and Lucy had to cough violently to get back the air that was lost from Natsu's action. They were now on the floor and Natsu was lying on top of her, shielding her from the worst of the impact the rocks had made. The little light created by her torch, which was miraculously untouched by her belt buckle, allowed her to see the extent of the damage dealt by the cave in. And the unmoving figure who's weight made it impossible for her to move.

"Natsu are you alright?" She gasped. His answering groan made her sigh with relief. Then she almost shrieked when she looked down and saw where Natsu's head was pressing.

"You're bresh are reawwy sofht, Rucy." Natsu mumbled, face burrowed between both breasts.

"GET OFF!" She screamed, her face exploding into a dark red blush. She shoved at his shoulders and Natsu was instantly pushed away… until his head whacked against something and he was forced down again by the painful impact. His head was once again cushioned by her chest but he was left stunned by the injuries she had caused. Temporarily winded Lucy cast her gaze behind Natsu and, blinking stars from her vision, she saw that they were packed tightly into a new cavern created by the cave-in. Only a few inches were between one side of the rock wall and the other and Lucy knew that if she and Natsu ever managed to untangle from their awkward positions they would be forced to lie down. No light shone through the cracks between the boulders.

They were trapped.

"Owwww." Natsu moaned pitifully, breaking Lucy out of her thoughts.

"Natsu, I'm so, so sorry! Are you alright?" She apologized profusely, fighting the dreaded blush. Natsu stuck up a thumb half heartedly before it fell with a thump on the ground next to her arm. "Sorry." She mumbled again. Then she realized that something warm was trickling down his face and dripping onto her top, creating a warm patch on her chest. "You're bleeding" She said out loud, feeling a sort of numbing shock to her own body as she reached round and attempted to lightly touch the back of his head, where she presumed the blood must be coming from. She winced when her fingers came into contact with a deep gash that ran underneath his hair and across the back of his scalp. He would definitely be disorientated for a while.

He moaned again, only this time he had lifted his head so it didn't sound as muffled. A funny tickling sensation was starting to develop in her lungs and soon Lucy had to cough to clear them. Now she came to think of it, was it getting hotter? Then a horrible realization hit her hard. These rocks looked like they were packed together tightly, just how much oxygen was coming through? If it was very little, and for two people, in this very small space they were going to run out of air very soon unless they tried to do something about it.

Now it felt imperative that they got out and found some help for Natsu. Without hesitation.

"Natsu, the cave-in, it's boxed us in and I think we're going to run out of air!" She immediately told him, feeling panic start to bubble within her chest. Natsu groaned in reply, his head swaying slightly as he tried to focus his gaze on her, but Lucy pressed on anyway "We need to get out of here, can you move?"

"Nope." He said, sounding much more coherent and aware than before. "But I could blast us out with my flames." he grinned confidently.

But as he ignited his fists Lucy clamped a hand on them, sending him a panicked look that told him no, her palms starting to sing from the heat of the fire. She ignored the pain though.

"Natsu you can't! We're too close to the rocks, if you try to blow us out we'll both get hurt. And if you use your fire it will only use up whatever oxygen we have left." Natsu frowned as he listened to her, frustration clearly growing on his shadowed features. The light must be running out. They probably didn't have much time left. Already sweat was starting to trickle down her spine, her forehead felt damp. Natsu didn't look like the heat was affecting him but Lucy knew that his warm body was only aggravating her situation.

"Hey Luce, I've just thought of a way out!" Natsu said, sounding excited.

"What?" Lucy asked eagerly, thinking of cold air and begging Gray for ice cubes.

"We should kiss."

…

"WHAT?" Lucy screeched. Thousands of thoughts ran through her frazzled mind and she squirmed underneath him, as if it could put distance between each other.

"We should kiss. Then just as we get into it Happy and the others will get rid of the rocks and we'll be saved." He sounded so matter of fact about it, still with that silly grin!

"Wha-what, where the hell did you get that idea?" Was all she could say, not really wanting to know details.

"I saw it in all these old movies and TV shows Erza made me watch. And just when the guy and girl kiss, something stops them." He then looked at her, expectantly. Lucy felt like her face was going to melt off from the boiling blood in her cheeks.

"No, no way are we doing that!"

"But-"

"NO, Natsu!" She said firmly, ignoring his slightly surprised look at her vehemence. He was her friend and this was a very inappropriate situation! She couldn't just kiss him for those reasons!

"Ok, it was just an idea Luce, no need to get so worked up cause you know you'd have liked it." He grinned but it was too teasing, too much for her befuddled mind and hammering heart that she knew he could hear.

Silence fell, but Lucy's heart rate refused to slow. In fact she was suddenly comprehending that she was all too aware.

Aware of his body, aware of the hard lines that pressed her from all sides, enveloping her completely. Aware of his scent , burnt leaves and cinnamon from apple pies. Aware of the smell of sweat that only heightened her senses. Aware of how close he was. And those lips, looking chiselled and sweet in the soft light, his dark eyes that gazed into her very soul.

It was getting so hot, the air around her burned.

"Lucy?"

And she was suddenly grabbing his scarf and pulling him to her and they were kissing. And it was heat and passion and rough and his hands were in her hair and she could taste him and fireworks were exploding in her eyes and all her brain could think was that 'this was so right'.

Then suddenly a rumbling sound was heard and crisp, cold air hit them like knives and they were forced to break apart, blinking from a suddenly light that assaulted their eyes, faces red and flushed.

"Is this a bad time- should we come back?" Gray asked awkwardly.

Hours later found Lucy in her kitchen, washing dishes. Once they had been rescued by Happy, Erza and Gray she had made a quick dash home, hoping to distract herself with something that didn't involve Natsu or kissing. Sticking her hands into water was a pretty good distraction from it's sister element fire…

Something moved behind her and she whirled around in surprise.

Only to be confronted by Natsu.

"Natsu! What did I tell you about sneaking up on me like that! The least you can do is ring the doorbell-" She started to admonish him but she was cut off by Natsu, who looked way too serious to be the nakama she adored.

"Why did you kiss me?"

The question was so unexpected that Lucy dropped the wet bowl she was holding onto the floor. As the glass shattered into hundreds of pieces she gaped at him in shock. "Wha-a-a?" She barely managed to stutter.

"Why did you kiss me?" Natsu repeated, starting to look annoyed at her lack of immediate response.

Lucy blanched, her hands seeking and grabbing the counter behind her for some support. She hadn't been expecting him to ask this question. She had thought- hoped- that he would be his usual oblivious self and discard the issue as something important, no matter how much the thought sent harsh pains through her heart.

But the truth was, the truth that she couldn't admit to herself let alone Natsu…

She had wanted to kiss him. Wanted to kiss him so badly for so many months it had taken everything she believed in to not kiss him. And know that she had kissed him, now she had acted and experienced what heaven could truly be from those lips…

That was her second warning. That hot mouth on hers in that even hotter cavern.

The warnings were that she had fallen in love with Natsu Dragneel, her nakama, her best friend… and incredible kisser to boot.

She loved Natsu.

Why did it always have to be the cliché, near death experiences that made you yourself realize what your heart had known all along?

But the thing is… she just wasn't ready for Natsu to know yet. Near death experiences aside… she wasn't prepared enough to confess just why that kiss hadn't been platonic enough.

"I-I…"

"Yes?" Natsu leaned closer, his hands gripping the counter top behind her, his eyes staring at her with an unreadable but unbelievably smouldering look. His lips were so close, his breath covering the skin around her mouth like a blanket.

The room was getting hotter again.

"It's because of the heat." Lucy panted. "I-I was delirious…" God he was getting closer wasn't he? Too much, not ready, run "I actually started to believe you when you said that kissing would get us out. I wouldn't have done that other wise. It meant nothing."

Natsu jerked back from her and she could suddenly breath again. But each heaving gasp hurt more than the last. She blinked as those last three words revolved around her mind before she paled and almost gasped in horror. How could she have sounded so- so cruel? So utterly pathetic and bitc-

"Great then!" Lucy blinked again as Natsu yet again grinned widely, looking like his normal carefree self. And yet his eyes… what-

Natsu pulled away, throwing both arms around the back of his head until his fingers interlocked, elbows extended.

"I better get going now, Happy will be wondering where I am." He told her with enthusiasm before turning away and heading out of the kitchen. It took Lucy several seconds to recover from this unexpected curveball.

"Nastu-" She called out, running after him. His head turned and he sent her another stunning smile but his movements were too quick, as if he was running away from her.

"Don't worry Lucy, I'll see you tomorrow!" He said, sounding confident and boisterous. And she could almost catch a hidden meaning that seemed to reverberate through her entire body: I'll always come to see you. I'm not giving up just yet. I can wait.

And that only served to further confuse her even more.

"Wait Natsu!"

But the door slammed. And Lucy was left alone in her apartment once again.

"What just happened?" She said to herself, stunned to stillness and slightly whip lashed by his sudden departure. She stared after the door for a while before heaving a heavy sigh, her heart aching terribly as she finally moved to the door.

She hadn't been ready.

And yet why did she feel like she had completely missed an opportunity that wouldn't come up again for a long time?

"It's because I love you stupid." She sighed again as she rested her head against the door, one trembling finger reaching up to touch the handle. "I love you." She closed her eyes and almost felt comforted by the fact those three words had been said out loud.

Out in the hall Natsu exhaled in frustration, brow furrowing and pressing his back against the wood of her door. A soft thump was heard when his head connected against the wood, brief pain ignored, and he allowed it to remain rested there.

He had been so close. So close he could have almost tasted that cherry lip gloss she wore and loved so much again.

"I love you Lucy. You oblivious weirdo."

Not too sure with the quality of this, I actually think that others have done a better job with their posts. Ah well, it's up and done. Hope you all like this!