Waking up that morning had been a near impossible challenge for Lucy. Her eyelids felt so heavy as if she hadn't slept in months. Yet the clock spoke against this assessment. Three hours. That was better than none, yes? Lucy whined mildly as the sun continued to glare into her eyes from the window and with tired, mechanical movements, the Celestial Mage slowly removed herself from her bed.

A wince followed: thighs sore and hips throbbing from her own weight. She knew this soreness. Though it had been a long time since it had ever been THIS bad. Picking the comforter off the floor, she tossed it back towards the mattress, never minding the bed's other occupant being covered. She needed to keep her eyes off that temptation at the very least.

Until she had time to process the events from last night, that is.

"Ugh, did I get hit by a boulder?" She grumbled, still so tired and her joints felt as if they were screaming every time she moved. The bathroom was a chore to reach. One step. Wince. Two steps. Whine. Three steps more and she almost gave up.

No! She told herself, the need to brush my teeth exceeds my sleepiness! So Lucy stubbornly prevailed; continuing with her morning duties. Ignoring every nerve in her body screaming to rest a little longer. The blonde knew she could rest later. Yes, later would come eventually. Though, the process of remembering the night before wasn't complete until she had began to run her bath water, fingers shakily removing what was left of her clothes from the night before.

Singed, torn- she hadn't even bothered to change to her pajamas had she? Why on Earth hadn't she at least got clothes from the Celestial world- and then she saw the marks.

Scratch marks. Bruises.

They certainly didn't LOOK like wounds from battle- oh no, they dotted across her skin in the shape of teeth, fingernails, hickeys and physical brands that could only come from one person. And he was currently passed out on her damaged mattress. (Which, thinking back, Lucy realized- it had also been singed.)

"Dammit, Lucy- y'know summoning that many Spirits is gonna kill you someday- you can't keep being so reckless!"

That's right- .. one mark shown above the rest- a big, large, angry bruise on her right side- that wasn't from anything done by the man snoring away. .

"Oh, like you're one to talk about being reckless! I had to do something!"

"Ya' didn't have to almost KILL YOURSELF!"

They had been so angry the night before- getting home after that job and all Lucy had wanted was to put ice on her wounded side, rest and enjoy the night after a job well done. - but Natsu, he'd been less than happy. Silent after their job- uncharacteristically so with an intense stare set to catch her on fire. (And not in a pleasurable way.) Nothing had been said between them since she'd risked herself to summon four Spirits at once. Even in her Leo Dress- she had drained herself near the point of passing out.

And when her legs had wobbled just enough for her to almost fall- eyes glazing over in delirium, was when he finally had snapped. Lucy remembered it now. The worry and rage in his eyes, the desperate look he'd given her as he'd caught her, held her close before releasing his hold to jump away from her. Voice practically hissing like water dripping over a blazing inferno.

Natsu had been angry at her in a way she hadn't seen in years.

"Look," Lucy had told him, hands on her hips, ignoring the way her body felt like a lead weight, pushing herself to continue stating. "I hate to say it, but I had no choice. Your fire was being subdued somehow, remember? I couldn't just LET them attack you like that." ah yes, what had started as a rather cliche job to fight off bandits had ended in a much rougher manner. They had somehow expected their to be mage opposition.

Who could have suspected them of having elemental nullifiers for mages? It was only their luck that lucy's holder magic didn't count. Natsu had done his best, even with the handicap. His physical strength was nothing to sneeze at, and with the help of Happy, he'd been able to move through the men with ease.

- but physical attacks just wasn't enough and Lucy knew it. She had chosen a risky gamble, switching between so many of her spirits to make up for Natsu's magic loss and yet…

"I don't care if my fire was gone or not," stubbornly, Natsu had growled at her. His pride was obviously struck and a damaged ego for this particular Dragonslayer usually didn't end well. (At least, for him, it didn't.) "You're awesome, Lucy, but risking yourself like that is just stupid. I can HANDLE a beating like that. I didn't need you putting your life on the line!"

Something in those words had made her snap, flinching from an insult she had taken from his words, despite them never being said. I didn't need you -... "Natsu, i'm part of this team, same as you. I can't sit back and let you do all the work. Are you.. Are you saying you WANTED to do everything by yourself?!"

The argument had reached a point of no return from that point. Her weak body shuddering from an emotional stab the blonde wasn't willing to speak of. Not just yet. She had to make sure. He SURELY couldn't be thinking she wasn't strong enough to fight alongside him. That just wasn't right. Natsu wasn't so stubborn as to be that much of a jerk, right?

The world had turned into a blur from that point- a frustrated growl emitting from the Dragonslayer's throat before he pressed foreword, backing Lucy against the nearest wall with heated arms slamming against the hardwood. Actions- he spoke clearer through actions. She knew that, but it did nothing to stop the way her heart began to race or how her eyes widened in surprise.

"Natsu- What are-?" Another growl and his face fell to the crook of her neck, pink hair rustling against her cheek and fangs lightly grazing the sensitive skin there. Her body was exhausted- tired and sore, but it reacted instantly. Cheeks heating up as a sudden flash of arousal warmed up in the center of her abdomen. Another soft bite and his hands moved to trail along her arms, hot to the touch, but soothing the muscles in the process.

"You just don't get it, Lucy-" he murmured. And it was only then, she realized he was shaking just as she was. Fingers dipped beneath her shirt, danced along the bruises she had sustained from their earlier battle, and a frustrated snarl escaped him.

Not at her: himself. Natsu was angry at himself.

"You're not s'posed to get hurt-" He murmured finally. Lips almost bruising against her skin as teeth dragged, setting her nerve endings on fire. The angered, insulted side of Lucy wanted to push him back, to shout more, but the way he held her as if a precious treasure had almost been lost to him, froze her ire. They were both angry. She could still see it in the way his eyes gazed at every mark upon her skin.

But shouting at one another wasn't solving a damn thing, was it? "I'm not s'posed to be so useless that you HAVE to risk yourself. I should be- I should…" Whatever Natsu was going to say was drowned out by a groan of frustration, hips suddenly slamming against her own. A sudden need had started between them, a need for friction, of proximity, raw and primal touch.

Things made sense to Lucy in a way they wouldn't have if she'd been thinking clearly. Hands suddenly sifted through sweaty, pink hair, an exasperated sigh escaped and she pulled Natsu's face up to stare into her own, lips slanting over the other. It wasn't a rough kiss - but a statement. I'm here. And I'm okay.

That was all he needed to unleash every ounce of emotion the Dragonslayer Had been holding onto the entirety of that evening. Becoming like the very fire he possessed- his frustration at himself, worry and desperation for her safety, came through in hot brands of lips and teeth against her skin, hips slamming into hers through the fabric of their clothes. He held her close, drowned in her sent and made Lucy's head dizzy in the flurry of his anger.

Lucy was far too overcome with her own sense of emotions- with the way his hands moved beneath her frail shirt, to caress her heated flesh- fingers moving to grip her breasts through the lace of her bra. The intensity of his kisses moved down her face, towards her shoulders, down down and further down until a snarl escaped him, slightly tearing the panties she wore beneath her skit.

"N-Natsu!- Wait let me get-" Undressed- she was going to say, but the words never finished as his mouth continued to ravage her in a heated tongue that swept across her and sent her head reeling backwards against the wall. A low moan escaped and before the Celestial Mage could reorient herself, Natsu had made his next move.

The world upended itself, spinning in circles and the two team members fell upon the bed. Loud moans and cries of pleasure echoed against the walls following that moment and Natsu made his feelings VERY clear.

They'd have to finish their argument later.

Later came and went. Lucy flushed at the memory of the previous night's events as she dried herself off, finishing her morning shower and still aware of the sleeping dragon in the other room. From the moment she had hit that bed, Natsu hadn't given either of them a chance to truly speak- bringing her over the crest of pleasure over and over again well into the night. First with his fingers, his tongue- and then with the rest of him.

It had her thighs rubbing together just at the mere memory, and she swallowed thickly, leaving the room at a slow walk. The heated water had helped soothe her muscles, but it would still take some time for her to recover from the intensity that was her lover.

Though, he was no longer snoring when she entered the room and this was Lucy's first red flag before she realized her pink haired partner was no longer asleep.

"Good Morning-" She chirped on habit, towel drying her hair even as Natsu scratched his abdomen, mouth wide from a yawn that revealed all his sharp teeth. Though Lucy attended more towards the tell-tale sign of red lined scratches all down his torso and arms causing her to quickly change her gaze towards the nearest wall.

How embarrassing…

"Hmmm-" Mumbled the slayer, still blinking the sleep from his eyes as he rose from the bed, feet padding heavily across the floor. "Not a good mornin-"

It took a few seconds for Lucy to register that he was completely unclothed, and even another few seconds to process his words. Still keeping her gaze situated at a mark on her wall (a tiny indent, probably caused by Happy's claws- ). Did he HAVE to not care about about the way he walked with it all hanging out like that?! "Did you not sleep well or- "

Much like last night, her words never finished and the world was upended again. Natsu moved much faster than her, obviously not as sore, sweeping her body into his arms with ease and securing his own beneath her body to support her. A surprised shriek escaped while arms flailed to wrap around his shoulders, but the attempt was useless. With just a few more steps, he had already spun them around back to the bed and promptly flopped them into the mass of blankets and pillows. "- N-Natsu! I haven't even dressed yet!"

He didn't respond, arms merely snaking around her waist as his nose buried into her neck, effectively pinning her while, at the same time, caging her body around his own, very muscular legs. She tried desperately not to think about his well toned body touching hers, or the notice the way it made the heat in her stomach coil all over again.

"That's better-" He muttered, tongue escaping in a slow swipe across one of the many bite marks on Lucy's shoulder and she shuddered. "I know you were upset last night, but it sucks waking up without you next to me, Lucy."

The way he had said it, voice clear, husky from sleep- made her cheeks redden as well as her chest clench in guilt. "I- I didn't leave because I was still mad you know-"

A rumble of contentment escaped Natsu's chest and his licking turned to small kisses- reverent, slow- lazy. "I know. You musta hated not taking your daily shower yesterday." A snicker followed and Lucy pouted.

"And whose fault was that?" She demanded, tilting her head to gaze at the male currently using her as a pillow.

Once more, the fire slayer made no point in responding, continuing with his lazy, soft caresses instead. Seconds passed into minutes and minutes- … lead to what was lazy strokes of his tongue on Lucy's pulse point, a slow change of teeth travelling the marks against her skin once more. She didn't even want to muster up a reason to stop him, falling pliant beneath his every touch and shuddering when his hot breath ghosted across her skin- dancing along her nipples and further still. It engulfed her skin like a second blanket, but his lazy movements continued on until he had her body heated and ready for another round, similar to the night before.

"Lucy…." He breathed, name escaping his lips as if it were his most precious treasure- eyes lighting up at the sight of her breath turning to slight pants when a roll of his hips allowed his partial erection to brush against her sensitive nerves, pressing against her, but not quite entering her. "- … I'm sorry."

And there it was, the moment her mind snapped, tears welling at the corners of her eyes. "Oh Natsu-..." with a tiny whimper, her arms pulled him close, lips brushing against his own even as she rose her own hips to meet him- wincing as he entered her, filling her in a way no one else ever could. The thrusts that joined together were slow, gyrating at a rhythm with a hidden beat- and soon Natsu's own groans matched Lucy's breathing.

"I'm sorry too- I didn't mean to worry you- " She managed before a jerk of his hips made her breath hitch and a low keen escaped her, back arching while one of Natsu's strong arms moved beneath her, holding her hips against his own as they continued. A third time, he didn't respond-

- but he didn't need to. As they continued against each other, voices rising and falling with every thrust against the other, the Dragon Slayer and Celestial Mage knew all that they needed to in that moment. Their climaxes came and went (and a few more followed) before Natsu fall against her with a satisfied groan- filling her with his seed until he had nothing left.

They might fight. They may argue and hold their differences, but in the end- Love kept them together.

Always.

If you'd like to see more or see updates on my work, find me on tumblr at rougescribe!