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"Happiness is a long hot shower…" -Unknown

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Some Like It Hot

By AbsentAngel

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She tilted her head back, letting the hot spray from the shower head massage the shampoo from her scalp, and sighed in blissful contentment. There was something so very wonderful about hot water. No matter what kind of day she's had, no matter what kind of dirt and grime she'd accumulated, a good ole' hot shower or bath always washed it all away.

All in all, her morning hadn't started off too terrible. Other than the fact that there was a mess in her kitchen she'd have to deal with sooner or later – courtesy of Natsu attempting to cook pancakes (don't ask) – it had actually been rather nice. The dragon slayer's messes had become such a normal occurrence by now that she couldn't bring herself to be too distraught by it.

Ever since he moved in a few months ago, she'd been forced to slowly come to terms with the fact that her little apartment had no hope of ever returning to the clean and orderly state that it had been when she was single. Sometimes (most of the time) it was frustrating, but the truth was, despite the perpetual mess, Lucy was happy. Natsu was a slob, but he warmed her days with loud grins and bright laughter. He never gave her the chance to feel lonely ... or sexually frustrated for that matter. He certainly made up for trashing their (their – that one word still had the habit of making her feel giddy) apartment by taking care of her.

As the last of the lingering suds bled from her hair, she heard the plastic rings of her shower curtain bounce along the rod and smiled as she felt his hands thread through her wet strands. She gave a pleased hum, opening her eyes with a dazed little smile that was quickly diminished when she saw his frown. "What?" she asked, not liking the way his brow furrowed as he looked at her.

"The temperature's way too hot, Luce," he grumbled, already reaching through the spray to adjust the knob.

She blinked up at him, intercepting his hand with her own. Her previously blissful state was quickly starting to be tainted by annoyance. "What are you talking about? It's perfect! Besides, heat doesn't even effect you like it does normal people! How can you possibly think this is too hot?"

"Not for me, for you." He eyed her pink flushed skin with distaste and a bit of concern. "You're turning all red. Any hotter and you'd look like a lobster."

Well, the (generous) possibility of shower sex was now completely shot. She smacked his toned chest with the back of her hand, satisfied by the wet slap against his skin. "I do not look like a lobster!"

He rolled his eyes. "I said you would look like a lobster." A boyish grin tugged at the corner of his mouth. "You're only at the flamingo stage right now."

Her lips pursed. A flamingo was definitely better than a lobster, but she was still irritated by the animal references. "Well if you don't like it then you can get out, because I like it like this."

His smile quickly fell. "But Luce–"

"Nope! No buts about it!" She poked him firmly in the chest. "When I go and crash your showers you can pick the temperature, until then it's my way or no way."

His resulting pout was adorable, and helped soothe her irritation. "Fine," he grumbled.

She smiled, wrapping her arms around his torso and pulling him into the spray with her. Feeling the well defined length of his sculpted body pressed so intimately against hers, with the hot water sliding against their skin, she felt the stirrings of lust curl in her stomach. Her fingers slid teasingly across his lower back and she kissed his jaw. "See? It's not so bad."

His breath left him with a pleased sigh, his arms tightening around her firmly. "Yeah, yeah. You win," he muttered. With his lips pressed against her temple, she could feel his lips whispering against her skin.

She pulled away just enough to give him a coy smile. "Well, you know, we could both be winners ..."

The answering gleam in his dark eyes was hotter than the water, and as he took possession of her mouth in a demanding kiss, Lucy thought that she just might get her shower sex after all. That particular hope was promptly obliterated the moment Natsu's fumbling hand snuck behind her and whatever fire she was feeling was extinguished by a rush of ice cold water.

"Natsu!" she shrieked, murder sharpening her eyes. "Get out."

Needless to say, whatever romantic encounter she had been expecting from sharing a shower with him was completely ruined. She finished her shower (alone) with the water as hot as her temper and let the water run until the tank ran empty.

AN: Originally I was just going to post this on tumblr since it's so short, but it's gotten such a positive response that I figured I may as well post it here too. Please excuse the over used title, it just seemed to appropriate considering the content.

Also, don't freak out on me – "Ignite" will be updated before the end of the week and the next chapter for "To the Flame" should be ready next week.

Please remember to R&R!