Unlike the first time he'd awoken beside Lucy, Natsu was not surprised to find his more monstrous features had returned. Also unlike the previous time, he did not push her away.
She lay sleeping contentedly in his arms, her breaths tickling his chest. He didn't want to move, but he knew he had to go. He needed to return home and tell the truth.
Suffer the consequences.
His hope was that Zeref would be angry enough with his betrayal to kill him or revoke his power. His brother's rage was strong enough that it could blind him enough to destroy the main chance he had at winning the war, inadvertently giving Fairy Tail a chance at victory.
When he untangled himself from Lucy, her hands stretched out in search of his warmth. The sight made him smile, but also made him even more reluctant to leave her. He wished he had the strength to say goodbye, to tell her of his plans, but if he looked her in the eyes again he knew he would never leave. His coat still covered her body, so he settled for pulling it up over her shoulders to lessen the loss of his heat.
Natsu stood and stretched, letting his wings unfurl to their full length. It was strange. He felt different somehow. Although his scales had returned, he didn't quite feel like a monster. He turned to look at Lucy's still sleeping form. He didn't need her to do that ritual. She'd changed him already.
He forced himself to turn away from her and retrieve his pants. Once he'd pulled them on he realised that Lucy's dress still lay crumpled on the floor. The sight of it stirred his memories of last night. How he'd watched it fall off her shoulders to unveil her creamy skin underneath.
The thoughts lead him to kneel down in front of her and gently brush the hair from her face with his clawed fingers. She didn't stir under his touch so he allowed himself to watch her for a moment. She looked so peaceful as she slept, he wondered what she was dreaming of.
Before he stood once more, he placed a tender kiss against her exposed shoulder. Her skin was warm beneath his lips, causing an ache in his chest at the thought of leaving her, but he managed to pull away.
He left Lucy alone in the cavern and made his way back up the narrow passageway that she had brought him down the night before. It seemed longer walking it alone. Smaller too. He kept his wings folded tightly at his back to keep from scraping the walls.
Eventually, light appeared at the end of the tunnel. When he emerged from between the tree roots he was forced to shield his eyes against the glare of the sun light that had found its way through the canopy. Judging from the sun, he guessed it was late morning.
A soft breeze caressed his heated skin as it stirred the leaves of the treetops. He wandered forward into the clearing, marvelling at the life all around him. Such a picturesque place would never be found in his lands, where all unnecessary life was burned away.
"Morning stroll?"
Her soft voice drifted to him over the wind, pulling him from his thoughts. He turned to see her leaning against the tree that led to the cavern, watching him. The sight of her made his breath catch in his throat. She wasn't wearing her dress. Just his coat.
The wind caught at her hair that hung loose down her back as she strolled towards him. She showed no signs that the morning dew on the grass tickled her feet, or that the breeze against her bare legs made her cold. She was too fixated on him.
Lucy stopped an arm's length away from him.
"I didn't want to wake you." He told her, his voice hoarse despite himself. Gods, what she did to him.
Her answering grin was mischievous. The coy way she worried on her bottom lip made his mouth go dry.
"You forgot something." She smiled innocently at him.
