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Lucy brushed through her blond strands one more time before moving her head side to side, watching her hair sway back and forth in the mirror. Satisfied with how her hair looked, Lucy grinned and gently set her brush down on the bathroom counter.
It was a rare occasion when Natsu asked to meet at his house for once instead of her apartment and he had told her that he had a surprise in store for her, so Lucy figured they'd be doing something exciting.
Although, considering this was Natsu she was talking about, whether that was good or bad exciting remained to be seen.
Nonetheless, Lucy decided to dress nice anyway. She knew that, realistically, Natsu didn't really care what she wore or how she did her hair. Sometimes he would make fun of her when she woke up with bed head or had food in her teeth—and Lucy always felt a little embarrassed and hurt when he did—but she never doubted for a second that he loved her regardless of how she looked.
In fact, Lucy thought that maybe Natsu liked her a little too much. He'd kiss her senseless before she could get rid of her morning breath, and he'd take care of her when she was sick with snot all over her face, even if he complained about having to do so the entire time.
She was also certain that Natsu was physically attracted to her too—he looked at her hungrily when she walked around in her mismatched and oversized pajamas, was happy to bury his face between her legs whether she had shaved or not, and would get turned on just from watching her do simple things like flipping an egg in a pan.
When they got together, Lucy had no clue that Natsu knew a lot more about sex than he let on. However, she had experienced first-hand just how… developed Natsu's sex drive was.
Not that she was complaining.
She tugged on an old pair of brown boots, prioritizing comfort over style. There was a very real possibility that Natsu would make her do something stupid like go hiking. After they were on her feet, she set out to make her way to Natsu's house. She politely smiled while she by people and offered a wave to the men telling her not to fall into the river outside in her apartment. Silently, she tried to guess what Natsu's "surprise" could possibly be. Maybe he would avoid raiding her fridge for once and make her food instead!
Ha! Fat chance. Natsu and Happy hated sharing their food despite eating half of Lucy's kitchen once a week. Besides, Lucy was pretty sure she didn't want to eat anything Natsu touched anyway—the only thing he could do was grill meat and eat a bowl of hot sauce like it was soup.
It was also possible that Natsu would try to help him clean his house. Ever since she did (one time, mind you!), he was convinced she was some sort of live-in maid or something!
By the time Lucy had arrived at Natsu and Happy's house, she still wasn't sure what to expect, but she supposed that was part of the joy of being Natsu's partner. Every day was a new adventure.
Lucy went to knock on the door, but it swung open before her hand could even collide with the wood. Instinctively, she jumped in shock while Natsu beamed down at her. He had a large brown bag strapped to his back.
As if he hadn't even noticed the heart attack he almost gave her, he cheered, "Lucy, you're here!"
In the background, Lucy heard Happy call out to her before he flew past Natsu and hovered in the air over her. Lucy ignored him for the moment, too annoyed with Natsu.
"Natsu, you scared the crap out of me!" Lucy complained, hand hovering over her racing heart. "How many times have I told you to stop doing that?"
"Aw, come on, Lucy. It's not like I can help it—when I smell you on your way here, I just get too excited!"
Without her permission, Lucy's cheeks flushed as she crossed her arms. She turned her gaze downward, trying to hide the bright pink blush on her face.
"Ugh, whatever. Just tell me why the hell you asked me to come here. You said you had a surprise for me, right?"
Natsu and Happy exchanged a mischievous glance, which immediately made Lucy's stomach fall. When the two of them looked at each other like that, it was never a good time. Instinctively, Lucy took a step back in case they tried to prank her by throwing paint on her or something.
"We do," Happy said. At that point, Natsu had already grabbed a long rod from behind the wall and was now holding it out to her. Lucy groaned as she realized what it was.
"Guys, no."
"Oh, yes," Happy replied with a smug smile on his face. If he wasn't so high in the air, Lucy would have grabbed him and stretched his cheeks.
"We're going fishing!" Natsu cheered, like it was something Lucy actually should have been excited for. She rolled her eyes as she put a hand on her hip indignantly.
"How many times have I told you idiots that I don't want to go fishing with you? I say no every time you ask me."
"That's why we didn't ask," Natsu pointed out.
Lucy choked out an incoherent sentence for a minute, shocked at the utter gall he had, before puffing her cheeks in anger and crying, "I'm going home!"
Seriously, she should have known better than to actually get excited! The two of them knew how much Lucy despised going fishing. It was always so hot that Lucy's sweat would make her neck slick enough to have her hair uncomfortably stuck to her neck, and Happy would spend the entire day shoving slimy fish in her face while Natsu laughed at her discomfort.
Lucy spun around to go to the guild and complain to Levy, but she only managed to take a single step before a warm hand clasped her wrist and gently tugged her backward. Lucy's back hit a hard chest as Natsu placed his hands on her shoulders, giving them a gentle squeeze. She had to turn upwards to look back at him, knocking his chin with her head in the process. Natsu didn't seem to notice.
"Don't be like that, Lucy! It'll be fun! I have paper and ink in my bag—I figured you could write to your parents or somethin' while Happy and I catch dinner."
Lucy blinked once. Then twice.
"W-What?"
Happy gasped. "Natsu, she's gone deaf! She got too old!"
"Uh oh," Natsu replied. He put his mouth close to her ear and loudly shouted, "I! Brought! Some! Paper! And—!"
"I heard you!" Lucy screeched as she finally shoved Natsu away. He only stumbled backward a little bit, but it was enough for her to put some distance between them and glare. "My hearing is fine, you stupid cat! I was just surprised. And I'm younger than Natsu, so I'm not old!"
It was true that she was surprised (and also that she wasn't old, thank you very much!). After all, the gesture was a lot more considerate than she expected from her boyfriend. Lucy really didn't think that Natsu expected her to do anything besides sit there and clap every time they caught something like some sort of cheerleader. It was oddly sweet of him.
Unsure of how to respond, Lucy simply muttered, "I don't know why you guys even want me to go. I'd just be sitting there."
"That's not true, Lucy!" Happy said, finally landing on the ground. "We like talking with you."
Natsu agreed with a wide grin, "Yeah, it's more fun with you there. We wouldn't want anyone else with us."
Lucy blushed again as she twirled her hair around her finger. Natsu and her shared a look before he took the hair she was playing with and tucked it behind her ear.
"Natsu…"
The moment was interrupted when Happy made a loud gagging noise next to them, jumping back into the air so he could hover over them. The noise made both of them jump back. While Natsu just shrugged, Lucy crossed her arms firmly and squinted at Happy.
"You know, you spent all those years making fun of us by saying we 'loooved' each other, and now you're complaining?"
Happy looked sick. "That doesn't mean I want to see you put your tongues inside of each other's mouths in the doorway of our house!"
"W-We didn't do that!" Lucy choked out.
"We could," Natsu piped in nonchalantly but was shot down with a glare from Lucy.
"Whatever," she said. "Let's just get out of here."
Natsu smiled. "So you'll come with us?"
"I mean, I have nothing else to do," Lucy admitted with a shrug. "I cleared my schedule since you told me we'd be hanging out."
Natsu and Happy both cheered and gave each other a high-five, causing Lucy to snort. Lucy made the two of them check their bags one more time before the three of them headed towards Natsu and Happy's favorite fishing spot by the river. While they walked, Happy complained about Natsu having kept him up all night with his snoring, which Natsu vehemently denied.
It wasn't until they were about a third of the way there that Lucy pressed her lips together.
"Say, Natsu," she said. The other two paused their argument to look at her. "You said you packed paper and ink. Did you think to grab a pen?"
Natsu looked at her and scoffed. "Seriously? How stupid do you think I am, Lucy?"
"You forgot, didn't you?"
"…Maybe."
Lucy pinched the bridge of her nose and mumbled, "My boyfriend is an idiot."
"Am not!" Natsu cried.
"Am too!" Happy interjected. Natsu made a swipe at him, but he simply flew higher in the air.
While she rolled her eyes, Lucy said, "Both of you knock it off! I'll just run to your house real quick and grab one."
"Just let me get it," Natsu offered. "It'll be faster."
Lucy waved her hand dismissively. "No, I like my pens a certain way. If you grab the wrong one, I can't write."
It was a lie. Secretly, Lucy realized that this was the perfect opportunity for her to get back at Natsu for snooping through her stuff all the time. Sure, the last time she had tried ended with her getting distracted and cleaning the entire place, but Lucy swore that this time she would actually let herself rummage through his stuff. It was time for him to see how it felt to have someone go through your underwear drawer and mock everything you had in there!
Unaware of her plan, Natsu blinked stupidly.
"Alright, I guess."
The two of them headed towards the river while Lucy hiked back up the hill. Luckily, the clouds were blocking the sun for the moment, so it also wasn't too hot yet. All in all, the trek wasn't terrible.
What was terrible was the state of Natsu and Happy's home. If Lucy hadn't expected it walking in the door, she might have passed out on the floor. To nobody's surprise, there was dirty clothes littering the floor, random papers strewn across every desk and table, and Lucy was pretty sure she smelled something rotting in the fridge.
"Gross," she mumbled with a shudder as she pinched her nose shut.
Forget a pen. Lucy wasn't sure she could even find a troll in this mess!
She was careful to step over one of Natsu's old shirts—wet from something that Lucy was sure she didn't want to know—and made her way towards his hammock. She figured if he had a quill anywhere, it would be there.
Unfortunately for her, she had no such luck. All she could find were memories from their past missions hanging on the wall next to where he slept. Despite how annoyed she was, Lucy couldn't help but smile at the small notes Natsu had made. She could also see that he kept the wall updated, as there were new trinkets he had haphazardly stuck to the wall from their last mission.
Lucy slapped her cheeks to get a hold of herself. She had to focus and find something embarrassing! If she took too long reminiscing on the past, Natsu would get worried and come to see what was wrong.
Carefully, she stepped over a fish that Happy had left on the floor, scrunching her nose when the scent hit her nostrils. Since she was too focused on the putrid stench pilfering her nose, she missed the shoe that Natsu had left laying on the ground.
Screaming unceremoniously, Lucy slipped on the shoe and fell forward. Her chin collided with the ground, a sickening thud ringing in her ears as tears welled in her eyes.
"Ouch!" Lucy pushed herself onto her knees and rubbed at her sore chin. "Dammit, Natsu! I'm so making him clean this stupid house after this! How many times do I have to tell him that he's a pig before he finally realizes just how disgusting—"
Lucy cut off her own rambling when she spotted a stack of photos under the couch. Furrowing her brows (and holding onto her red, throbbing chin), she leaned down and slid the photos out from under the couch.
To her horror, they weren't photos—they were magazines.
And very scandalous ones at that.
The pain fled from Lucy's face as she snatched one of the magazines and examined the cover. There was a woman she didn't know posed on her stomach, breasts pushed against the floor as she rested her cheek in her palm, smiling seductively at the camera. Her unoccupied hand tugged at the strap of her black lingerie, pulling it off her shoulder.
"What the…?"
Lucy opened the magazine to find it filled with pictures of scantily-clad women in a variety of different types of lingerie. Nearly all of them were posed on their hands and knees while they looked up at the camera, like they were expecting something from the viewer.
With bright cheeks, Lucy dropped the magazine onto the floor as if it had burned her, holding her hand to her chest as her gaze slid over to the next magazine in the pile. Something uncomfortable swirled in her stomach when she saw that it was the same sort of content as the last one. And when she picked that one up, the one under it was the same thing: a ton of pictures of women posing in their underwear.
"Why the hell would Natsu have something like this?" Lucy whispered to herself as she picked up another magazine and carelessly flipped through it. She bit her lip upon seeing the assortment of attractive women in the pages.
Certainly Natsu wasn't the kind of guy to use this type of material for nefarious purposes, right?
Something deeply unsettling bled into her heart. Was Natsu not satisfied with her? So much so that he felt the need to 'take care' of himself in private by looking at other women?
Lucy gulped. There was just no way! The two of them were 'active,' to say the least. Since the moment they got together, it always seemed as if Natsu couldn't get enough of her. He made it seem like he wanted her morning, day, and night every day. This whole time, Lucy had thought it was because Natsu was just that in love with her, but…
"Is he just some sort of sex-obsessed pervert?" Lucy wondered aloud. Then she laughed. "No, that's ridiculous! Natsu would never be that type."
But still: the evidence spoke for itself. Not to mention, he was keeping this explicit material under his couch, which would no doubt be the perfect spot to lie down and relieve himself if he was pent up.
Even though she tried as hard as she could to hold them in, Lucy felt tears burn her eyes. She felt humiliated and degraded knowing that Natsu didn't want to be with her—he just wanted to have sex. He was happy to pop a boner for any girl, it seemed.
She should've known. When they were just friends, it felt like he didn't even see her as a woman half the time; it was as if she was just another one of the guys to him. Apparently when he accepted her confession, it wasn't because he liked her all that much.
However, that couldn't be true. Lucy knew that if Natsu was only after her body, he wouldn't act the way he did the rest of the time. He wouldn't beg to cuddle innocently in her bed at night, or wipe away her tears when she thought about her father, or hug her from behind when she was at her desk to see what she was writing.
Lucy was certain that Natsu did love her. But apparently he didn't find her attractive enough to satisfy him completely.
She wiped away at her wet cheeks and shoved the magazines back in their spot before muttering, "Asshole."
It wasn't long before Lucy found a pen covered in dust (go figure) in the corner of the room, but she didn't feel like writing anymore. In fact, she really didn't feel like seeing Natsu at all.
Actually, scratch that. She very much felt like seeing Natsu and punching in his sorry face.
Like a switch, Lucy's sadness morphed into anger. Clearly Natsu didn't want her finding out about his nighttime habits—otherwise, he wouldn't have hidden his magazines under his stupid couch! He was guilty, and even he knew it. He just didn't care.
Well, if Natsu thought Lucy was going to be phantom-cucked by some stupid women in magazines, he had another thing coming.
With newfound determination, she tore a piece of paper off a notebook she found lying on the ground and scribbled a note on it:
Dear Natsu and Happy,
I wasn't feeling well, so I went home. Please don't come by my apartment today—I really just want to rest in peace and quiet. Have fun fishing!
Best,
Lucy
P.S. If you want me to feel better, clean your house!
After she was done writing, Lucy grabbed a tack from Natsu's memory board, not feeling one bit guilty when a ring he had collected from their previous mission fell to the ground with a loud clatter. She roughly stuck the note to the front door and spun around on her heel.
She sure as hell wasn't on her way home. Lucy had a far better plan to get back at her two-faced dragon slayer.
Everything was set in stone. All Lucy had to do was wait.
Thankfully, Natsu had taken her request seriously and didn't stop by her home yesterday—at least, not as far as she was aware. Lucky her, because she'd be teased for life if Natsu had tracked her down and seen what she was doing.
While he and Happy were out fishing, Lucy had gone to the store and made a purchase of her own.
She knew her face was burning when she approached the merchant with a stack of magazines filled to the brim with photos of half-covered male underwear models. For good measure, she even bought one that featured men wearing nothing, clearly intended to be used on a lonely night.
Lucy had to disguise herself with sunglasses and a hood, too worried that someone might recognize her. While she was nearly throwing up from embarrassment, the bored shop owner simply took her payment and put her magazines in a discreet bag, not paying her much attention. Hell, he hadn't even looked at what she purchased.
Still, Lucy felt like she was carrying a dirty secret all the way home.
But it had to be done! If there was one thing Lucy loved, it was getting back at Natsu and Happy.
That's why, when she got to her apartment, she put her magazines on her desk and put some random papers from her story on top of it; however, she made sure that the magazine was hardly covered. Anyone who walked by would see the cover and have their interest piqued. If Natsu paid any attention to his surroundings, he'd notice the stack on her desk and want to take a peek.
Should everything go according to plan, Natsu would get the same feeling that Lucy got when she saw what Natsu had hidden away under his couch: shame and insecurity.
Although, Lucy also understood that this was Natsu she was talking about. He probably wouldn't care that she was looking at other guys and would just make fun of her for having pornographic material so openly on her desk. The thought of it almost made her back out of her revenge plot, but she stayed strong. At the very least, if Natsu made fun of her, it would still give her the chance to confront him about what she had seen in his house.
After setting things up yesterday, Lucy spent the rest of the day writing to her mother. She wrote about how much she hated men, how all of them were pigs, and how she had made a vow of chastity for the rest of her life.
However, she also wrote about how heartbroken and insecure she was. She told her mother that she wished she had never agreed to go fishing with Natsu and Happy.
Like always, Lucy sealed the letter in an envelope and shoved it into the dark corner of her desk drawer. She would throw it away later so that Natsu never had the chance to find it, but for now, she wanted to leave it untouched so that her mother would have time to read it.
The next day, Lucy woke up with red, dry eyes. Her hot bath was only a little comforting—it got cold far too quickly, but she couldn't find the strength to get out for a long time. So, she sat in the freezing water until her body finally adjusted so much that she couldn't even feel it anymore.
When she was clean, Lucy made a quick trip to the guild. She knew Natsu and Happy wouldn't be there so early in the morning. The two of them always slept for most of the day after fishing since they tended to binge on what they'd caught, leaving them to take a very long food nap.
Just in case, Lucy opened the guild door, poked her head inside, and looked around for signs of pink hair. When she saw none, she sighed in relief and walked up to the bar, where Mirajane was cleaning a cup. When she spotted Lucy, she smiled brightly.
"Lucy! It's so nice to see you!" she cheered as she set down the glass.
For a moment, Lucy was so taken by Mirajane's blinding presence that she forgot what she'd even came to the guild for. However, she managed to quickly regain her composure.
"It's nice to see you too, Mira! If you're not too busy, do you think you could do me a favor?"
"Sure thing. What's up?"
Lucy dug in her pocket and pulled out a folded note. Written inside was a note to Natsu:
Natsu,
Meet me at my apartment tonight. I'll make you dinner. (And DON'T bring Happy!)
(She really hoped Natsu would pay attention to the last part. If Happy saw the magazines she bought, she would have to move out of town. There was no way she could put up with the teasing that would ensue.)
"Do you think you could hand this to Natsu when he comes here?"
Mira had a sly look in her eye when she took the note out of Lucy's hand. The blond felt a shiver run down her spine.
"Oh? What's this for?" Mira asked with a smirk. Lucy laughed through her nose.
"It's nothing. I just blew off plans with him yesterday, so I want to make him dinner as compensation," she lied.
Mira smiled warmly again with a small tilt of her head. "Aw, that's nice of you, Lucy! Of course I'll make sure he gets this."
Lucy thanked Mira before heading home, rubbing her hands together deviously as she grinned wickedly to herself. People on the street gave her sideways glances, but Lucy found that she really didn't care. Her mind was too focused on giving Natsu a taste of his own medicine.
She practically skipped all the way to her apartment complex.
It was late at night when Lucy saw Natsu the next day.
Now, she sat comfortably on her couch with a book, trying to keep her mind off Natsu for the time being. She'd have plenty of time to think after confronting him for his unique 'collection' under his couch.
When Lucy heard her window slowly creaking open, she didn't even look up. There was only one person who consistently entered her home through the window no matter how often she told him not to. At this point, she had stopped bothering to lock her window—somehow, Natsu always managed to find a way in.
"Yo, Lucy!" Natsu cheered as he hopped onto the floor. "Feeling any better?"
Lucy blinked. "What do you mean?"
"Uh, you said you weren't feeling well, right?"
"Oh, right! Yeah, I'm feeling a lot better," Lucy lied. She hadn't felt bad in the first place.
Natsu made himself comfortable by flopping down onto the couch next to her. Lucy's eye twitched when she heard the springs in her couch make a squeaking noise that definitely wasn't meant to be made. The sheepish grin he made towards her dirty glare let her know that he was aware of how displeased she was.
In order to avoid getting yelled at, Natsu asked, "So, you said in your note you'd make dinner, right? Why can't Happy come?"
Lucy made sure to keep her heart from racing so that Natsu wouldn't hear it. Smoothly, she lied.
"No particular reason. I just feel like we haven't had much alone time recently."
As expected, Natsu looked at her stupidly, as if her explanation made no sense to him. The look he gave her made Lucy want to kick him in the knee, but she kept her legs in place.
"You don't want to spend time with Happy?"
"It's not like that! I just…"
Lucy bit her lip as she tried to think of an excuse. When she couldn't come up with one, she decided to try a different tactic. She dramatically let her shoulders fall as she gazed to the side with a solemn expression.
"Oh, I get it. You don't want to be alone with me."
For good measure, she made her lip wobble a bit.
"That's not it!" Natsu replied, slightly panicked. He jumped up from the couch so he could stand in front of her. "We can spend time together. Just please don't cry." Natsu adjusted his scarf on his neck before making a show of nonchalantly shrugging. "Besides, Happy stole some of my fish yesterday. This'll be my payback."
"Hooray!" Lucy fake-cheered.
Luckily, Natsu took it seriously and grinned to himself, a little smug.
Lucy pushed herself to her feet so she could stand by Natsu. Twirling her hair in her finger, she told him, "You just wait out here while I make us dinner." Then, she crossed her arms firmly. "But don't go through my stuff."
It was, of course, an empty threat on her part. In reality, she wanted Natsu to snoop through her things.
"Yeah, yeah," Natsu replied as he rolled his eyes. There was that signature mischievous glint that Lucy recognized—the one that told her he most certainly planned on rummaging through her drawers.
Lucy went to the kitchen and began pulling out ingredients for dinner. Her growling stomach reminded her that she hadn't actually had a proper meal that day. While she waited for her plan to come to fruition, she snacked on bits of celery she'd bought from the store while she began heating some water in a pot.
Just as she was about to pour her noodles into the boiling water, she heard Natsu's laughter echo from the other room. Her eye twitched as she carefully turned off the stove and peeked out the door at Natsu.
He was at her desk flipping through her magazines with a shit-eating grin on his face. Lucy huffed.
"Wha the hell are you laughing at?" Lucy asked, causing Natsu's head to snap to her. He let out another bark of laughter upon seeing her dumbstruck expression.
"I should be asking you that!" he said between snorts. "Why the hell do you have a bunch of naked men on your desk, you perv? Oh, Happy is going to get a kick out of this!"
Lucy facepalmed to herself. She should have guessed that Natsu would have found this funny instead of getting angry. In her fury, she had completely forgotten who she was trying to play a prank on.
Listening to Natsu laugh at her made Lucy's cheeks heat up in shame. She'd gone through all this trouble just to make herself look like a fool. Of course Natsu wouldn't get jealous—he had the emotional depth of a rock!
Besides, what right did he have to laugh at her when he had the exact same thing sitting around his house?
"Oh, whatever," Lucy hissed as she stuck her nose up. "As if I'm the only person in the world to touch myself while looking at a dirty magazine!"
With that, she turned on her heel and walked back into the kitchen, willing her deep breaths to rid the burning sting in her eyes. No, she was not going to cry over something as silly as this!
Just as she began second-guessing whether or not she was the weird one and not Natsu, she heard him sounding stunned behind her.
"Wait, what?"
Lucy's hand hovered over the stove as she heard the sound of Natsu tripping over things in the other room. After a moment, he appeared in the kitchen looking rather confused.
"What are you talking about?"
Lucy raised a brow at him, moving her hand to her hip.
"You heard me."
Natsu paused for a second and then frowned while crossing his arms. One of the magazines was in still in his hand, and Lucy found herself blushing as she watched the underwear model waving in the air wiht his every movement.
"Why the heck are you looking at other dudes?" he asked, sounding irritated.
Lucy cocked her head at his sudden change in mood. Was her plan not as ineffective as she first thought?
"What do you care?" she replied defensively. "It's not like it has anything to do with you."
Natsu shook his head in disbelief. "Yes, it does! Why don't you just come to me when you're in the mood instead of relying on—" he looked at the stranger on the paper before scoffing when he couldn't find a name "—whoever the hell this guy is!?"
Now it was Lucy's turn to cross her arms as she shot Natsu another annoyed look.
"Don't tell me you're mad."
"Of course I'm mad!" Natsu spat like it was obvious. He had a furrow in his brows that Lucy wanted to smack off his dace. "Looking at half-naked guys like this is basically cheating, you know. Why would you hide something like this!?"
That did her in. Lucy let out a loud, humorless laugh as she watched Natsu's face contort into confusion.
She hissed, "Oh, that is rich coming from you, Natsu."
"What the hell are you talking about?"
"You're seriously going to tell me you've never looked at another woman like that?"
"Of course I haven't!" Natsu replied defiantly.
Lucy's jaw dropped as Natsu lied right to her face. That did it!
"I saw what you were hiding away at your house the other day!" Lucy yelled as she threw her hands in the air. Natsu followed the movement with keen eyes. "I saw all those stupid magazines of half-naked women under your couch. Do you think I'm stupid or something?"
Immediately, Natsu's eyes widened as he blinked stupidly. He looked so dumbstruck at being caught that Lucy almost felt bad for him.
Almost.
"Oh, you saw that?" he asked dumbly. Lucy scoffed.
"Obviously, you jackass! Do you know how embarrassing it is to see that at your boyfriend's house!? Do you know how self-conscious it made me to see your stupid masturbation material?!"
"'Masturbation material'…?" Natsu repeated quietly. Lucy nodded, causing Natsu to blink again.
Then his face cracked into a smile as he visibly held back his laughter. Unfortunately, he had never been very good at that and he ended up letting out a loud bark of laughter as he leaned over, clutching his stomach.
Lucy's eye twitched as her face heated one more.
"And now you're seriously laughing at me!? Natsu, that is enough! You and I are—"
She paused when Natsu held up his hand to silence her. Lucy opened her mouth to tell him not to order her around when he pushed himself so he was standing up straight again.
"Lucy, why are you always jumping to conclusions like that?" he asked. The genuineness in his tone caught Lucy off-guard.
"W-What do you mean?"
Natsu tossed the magazine behind him haphazardly, causing Lucy to frown. She was definitely going to make him pick that up later, but right now she was distracted by her heart thumping in her chest as Natsu approached her. She took a tiny step backward to put space between them, but Natsu closed the gap until he was standing right next to her, leaning on the counter with one hand.
"Lucy, I wasn't doing anything weird with those. I was looking through them so that I could decide which one to get for you, dummy."
Lucy furrowed her brows with a frown.
"Why the hell would you be randomly getting me lingerie?"
Now it was Natsu's turn to frown.
"It's not random! Do you know what's happening in two days?"
Lucy pursed her lips as she searched her mind for whatever the hell Natsu was referring to. It definitely wasn't anyone's birthday, so that meant…
Her eyes widened in realization. "Oh my gosh, it's our anniversary!"
Natsu nodded slowly as Lucy bit her nails. The two of them (plus Happy) had been going on so many jobs recently that she had completely forgotten to mark it on her calendar!
Not wanting Natsu to get the upper hand, she crossed her arms defensively.
"W-Well, why the hell do you know that? You forget literally every year!"
Natsu rolled his eyes as he said, "Don't you remember last year? You told me if I forgot again that you'd break up with me, so I made Mira help me remember. She reminded me last week, and Cana overheard us talking and said I should get you underwear."
"First of all, don't take anything Cana says seriously," Lucy replied. Then, with shame on her face, she said, "Second of all, Natsu, I am so sorry! I totally forgot that it was even coming up."
Cockily, Natsu smirked and crossed his arms, standing up straight as he looked at Lucy disapprovingly. She wanted to smack him in the face since it was usually her who looked at him that way; however, she knew she deserved to be shamed for her current blunder. She would let Natsu gloat just a little bit.
Natsu clicked his tongue several times as he gave a disapproving shake of his head. Lucy let her shoulders fall.
"I'm really sorry, Natsu," she admitted as she looked at her feet and fiddled nervously with her fingers. "I just saw those weird magazines you had and assumed the worst. I thought you were some kind of sex demon who wanted to be with other girls…"
She peeked up at Natsu to see a baffled expression.
"Why the heck would I want to be with other women when I have you?"
Lucy blushed. "I don't know! My mind just got ahead of me! I went and bought a bunch of p-porn magazines of my own to make you feel jealous the same way I did."
Natsu placed his hand on her head and ruffled her hair. Normally, Lucy would have been annoyed, but she was too steeped in shame to react. In fact, it actually felt nice to have Natsu touch her when he had every right to be disgusted and break up with her.
But he didn't. Instead, he told her, "Next time just talk to me if you're worried, weirdo. Could have saved us a lot of trouble."
"I know," Lucy agreed begrudgingly.
Without another word, she took a step towards Natsu and put her forehead on his chest as she kept her eyes trained on the ground. Her heart fluttered happily when he wrapped his arms around her and hugged her close, letting her use him as support as she let her arms dangle in front of her.
It felt so nice to be able to feel his warmth again after going without it. Although it had only been a day, Lucy felt like it had been weeks.
After the two of them stood them for a minute or two, Lucy pushed away and flashed a bright grin—one that Natsu happily returned.
"Now let me get started on dinner. I'm sure you're hungry."
Lucy turned to shimmy past Natsu and make her way back to the stove, but his warm hand on her wrist stopped her in her tracks. With wide eyes, Lucy turned her head to face him only to find Natsu staring at her with darkened eyes.
"…Natsu?"
"You know, Lucy," Natsu drawled, his voice a little husky.
Keeping a firm but gentle hold on her wrist, he guided her in front of him so that she was positioned between him and the counter. Lucy jumped a little when her butt knocked against the hard side, watching with large eyes as Natsu laid his hands on the granite, trapping her between his arms. His warm breath fanned her face.
"You were looking at a bunch of half-naked guys."
Natsu moved his hands to trail up her hips. His fingers danced across her clothing until he reached the hem of her shirt, dipping his hands underneath the fabric so he could hold onto her sides. Warm thumbs drew circles against her soft skin.
Frozen in place, Lucy gulped loudly, her tight throat struggling to take her saliva. She struggled to focus as her mind honed in on the feeling of Natsu's hot hands on her skin.
"Not really! I just wanted to get back at you…"
"Still," Natsu said firmly, "I don't like it. Did ya imagine them makin' ya feel good?"
Lucy's face flamed from his blunt question as she replied in a squeaky voice, "What are you…? O-Of course not, Natsu!"
Natsu frowned, and Lucy swore she saw the thin trace of a pout on his lips. Before she had the chance to tease him about it, he gripped her hips and slowly turned her around.
Unsure of what to do, Lucy let Natsu's hands guide her. Her legs felt like jelly as she instinctively placed her hands on the counter, fingers splayed out. She wasn't confident that her legs could hold her up on their own.
Not that it mattered. She knew Natsu wouldn't let her fall.
When she was in position, Natsu slotted himself behind her, groin pushing against her butt as he pressed his chest against her back. Once more, he trapped her in his arms as he rested his hands on the counter next to hers.
Lucy knew he could hear her sharp intake of breath.
"You should know better than to rile me up, Lucy," Natsu told her.
She jumped when his hot breath fanned her neck, causing her to rub against him, now firm under his pants. Lucy almost didn't hear Natsu's quiet groan over her own loud whimper.
"I was surprised by the kinds of magazines ya bought. Could tell just from lookin' at 'em that those guys were total wimps."
Natsu's hand ducked in front of her until he managed to move it between her thighs in one quick motion. Lucy gasped as her legs nearly gave out, knees shaking. Luckily, Natsu cupped her mound to hold her up. The pressure of her jean's seam rubbing against her had her mewling, so much so that she hardly noticed Natsu impatiently waiting for an answer.
With a shaky breath, she replied, "Y-You think so?"
"I do," Natsu answered. He dragged his hand upwards, making sure to apply pressure against Lucy's jeans. His reward was the bucking of her hips and her head dropping forward. "Bet they couldn't take care of you half as well as I can."
Lucy hummed and looked over her shoulder to him with a tiny smirk.
"I don't know, Natsu. Some of them looked really strong and really big."
"'Big'…" Natsu repeated, slightly dumbfounded by her backtalk.
Lucy nodded. "Mhm. I bet a lot of the men in those pictures would love to 'take care' of me."
Natsu's hand gripped her hips again, this time much firmer—although, not quite enough to bruise.
"I think I need to remind you what a real man looks like," he told her, causing Lucy to shiver.
He paused, waiting for permission. Lucy almost turned around to smack him for stopping his ministrations.
But instead of hitting him, she huffed, "Then do it already."
Lucy heard a soft chuckle behind her before Natsu regretfully took his hands off her and took a step back. The lack of his warmth made Lucy feel cold as a corpse—however, she could hear Natsu's smirk in his voice when he answered.
“Turn around.”