"Can you slow down? The food won't run!" Lucy stared at the mess in front of her.
A tower of empty plates and bowls were already occupying most of the space of their table, yet waiters kept on coming to put another tray of dishes. She stared at Natsu in disbelief who was currently busy shoving a huge piece of meat and grilled corn in his mouth.
"Natsu! Are you listening? Don't you know it's not good eating too much at night?" She cringed at the drop of sauce on her arm from his clumsy actions.
"Did you forget he's a Dragon Slayer, Lucy?" Happy grinned at her, waving his raw fish in the air. "He can easily metabolize all of these..."
"B-But..."
"Besides, I needed to restore my energy from earlier, no?" Natsu swallowed and flashed her a huge grin. "Don't worry, I'll pay for our dinner this time!"
Lucy's shoulders dropped at his remark. She suddenly remembered her predicament, making her whimper in distress. Memories of their afternoon reappeared in her head where Natsu caused damage on the shore and nearby stalls while they were having training...
She knew it wasn't the perfect place for training, but since they hadn't had anything to do after her shoot, they agreed to have a little sparring for fun. But as time went by, as their adrenaline pumped up, their supposed 'for fun' training turned into a serious one as Natsu kept taunting Lucy about her never landing a hit on him.
Alright, she was at fault, too. She had shares on the damages, the very reason why her reward from the photoshoot was used to pay for all of it!
The money she had received for her rent disappeared in her hands only a few hours after earning it. It's devastating.
"Come on, Lucy! We can just take another job!" Natsu tried to reach for her, but she quickly dodged his hand that was still sticky. He looked down at his fingers and brought one into his mouth to lick the sauce.
Lucy's jaw dropped before grimacing. "Geez! Just finish your food and wash your hands!" She rolled her eyes when he only laughed. "It's like all my efforts today got wasted..."
"Hey, don't say that. At least we had fun?"
"Yes, but what about my rent?! It's mainly the reason why I accepted the job, Natsu!" She massaged her throbbing temple, blaming herself.
Between the two of them, she had more control. Natsu was always the reckless one who never cared about the outcome of his actions, while she was always the one who would try to stop and calm him down.
Yet earlier...
What was really the reason? She felt different. Her adrenaline was too much. The way he smirked at her while boasting about his dominance in a fight, and in general, over her pushed her on edge. She wanted to prove to him that even if she wasn't at his level, she could still give him a worthy match.
From a close combat, they slowly turned into a long range as they began using their magic. Natsu was roaring without hesitation, while she's using Aquarius' magic to control the sea to her advantage.
They were never like that. They had been training partners for so long, but it wasn't this intense. Natsu was a pain in the ego even before, but the way he acted earlier wasn't just to simply tease her. He was giving her a real challenge.
"I told you, Luce, we can just grab another one once we get back to Magnolia."
It's not like she had any other choice, anyway.
"To make up for it, I'll lend you some of our money to pay for your rent. Just pay me back after we finish our next job."
Okay. Sometimes he's arrogant, sometimes he's sweet.
"Just make sure you won't destroy properties while we're on the job! Or else I wouldn't be able to pay your money!"
Natsu laughed, not minding it at all. "Aye, sir!"
The trio spent most of the entire night eating. No, it's just only Natsu and Happy. After they left the restaurant, they decided to take a small walk on the shore until they found the nearest bar. Lucy, excited to check it out, dragged the two with her and was extremely hoping for a fateful encounter.
But instead of meeting a new 'friend' and having fun, she just found herself in the corner and watching Natsu and Happy eating the served food for them and drinking the sake as if it was just a plain water.
Stupid Dragon Slayer...
Stupid Natsu...
She couldn't also just leave them as they were meant to create chaos when she wasn't around.
She didn't have any more money to pay for another destruction.
And so, Lucy had no choice but to drag them back to their hotel room when the clock hit eleven o'clock.
"I'm so tired!" She whined as soon as they entered their room. Since she had already taken a bath before they went to the restaurant, she just went directly on the bed and plopped herself on the mattress, face first.
"Before you lay here next to me, take a proper bath, Natsu," she ordered sternly when he was about to hop on the bed.
"No way!"
"Take a bath! You haven't taken a proper bath and you've been playing on the beach since morning!"
"But Luce-"
"Then sleep on the floor!"
He groaned, scratching his head before he marched towards the bathroom. Happy soon followed him with his teasing giggles. Humming in satisfaction, Lucy planted her face back on the sheets as the sound of the shower filled her ears. It wasn't long when she decided to change into her pair of pajamas while the two were out of her sight.
When she finished, she let her blonde hair loose with its ends reaching past her lower back. She turned the lights off and let the lamp on the bedside table cast a little light she needed. Standing on the side of the bed, she examined it as she put her hands on her hips. It was king-sized, but she knew she still had to put pillows in the middle because Natsu was a messy sleeper.
Usually, they would rent a room separately or a room with two beds if it's available. But since this wasn't a job meant for their team, and Natsu was the one who rented this, she had no choice but to share a bed with him. They had shared a bed countless times before, but it was just because he was slipping under her blanket when she was already asleep.
"Damn, my back aches!" She mumbled after arranging the pillows.
"You want a massage?" Natsu's voice sounded behind her. When she looked over her shoulder, she saw him hanging his scarf on the headboard. He's only in his orange shorts, displaying his torso proudly. "I can give you a massage for free."
Lucy frowned at him, trying to hide the fact that she was checking him out just a second ago. "No, thanks. You'll just break my spine."
"Come on! You're too harsh!" He laughed, brushing his pink hair with his fingers. It was a sight. "I know I'm strong but I won't hurt you."
His pride was just so hard to reach.
"Ugh, whatever."
"Lay down," he ordered, walking closer to her. Lucy's eyes blinked multiple times, her eyebrows furrowed as she looked away. Her eyes found Happy on the other side of the bed and already knocked out.
"Come on, Lucy," he almost whispered, causing a chill to run down her spine. Lucy suppressed a shiver and just nodded, turning her back at him before she laid down on her stomach.
"S-Should I remove my, uh, top?" Her cheeks flamed.
Natsu shook his head and had his one knee and arm planted on the mattress next to her. "No need. Just pull it up a bit."
Swallowing hard, she followed what she's told. "I have a massage oil in my bag, Natsu..."
While Natsu was searching for her oil, she carefully pulled her shirt past her voluptuous chest and laid on her stomach. She rested her cheek on her arms, her already heavy eyes watching Natsu now coming back to her.
Silence enveloped them as he slowly climbed up over her. Both of his knees were on either side of her hips. He put a bit of his weight on her lower back as he started pouring a few drops of oil on his hand. He rubbed his palms together, creating a bit of heat with the help of his magic. He then slowly brought it to her exposed back and felt her stiff muscles.
"Ugh..." Lucy moaned softly as Natsu started working with her shoulders. Despite the man being known as someone rough and ruthless, he was gentle on her as he pressed his thumbs on the points that were making her moan in pleasure.
It was relaxing. With the scent of lavender, his natural heat, the feel of his calloused palm easily sliding against her skin because of the oil made the experience the best. He dragged his fingers along the line of her back, Lucy letting out another moan.
"Shh. Keep quiet, Lucy," he said. Lucy couldn't even pay attention to his low and rough voice as she was busy biting her lower lip to prevent another embarrassing noise from coming out.
"I...didn't know you're good at this..." Lucy closed her eyes.
"Hm."
But it snapped open as she gasped when she felt his fingers slightly grazed the side of her boobs. Heat rushed to her face. Before she could scold him about it, her words died down in her throat when she felt him lean closer and soon plant soft kisses on her shoulder.
"Natsu..." she panted, unconsciously tilting her head to the side to give him more access to her neck. He didn't stay too long there and had his lips traveling to her arm. "What are you-"
She groaned when his lips pressed against a bruise on her skin she got from their 'training' earlier. "Does this hurt?"
"Not much."
"I'm sorry..."
"No, it's okay. We're sparring so it's natural-"
Lucy made another gasp when she felt his tongue swiped over her bruise. She felt his other hand on her hip, his fingers digging on her skin, eliciting a whine from her lips. She squirmed beneath him as he kissed every small bruise on her arms and shoulders. All of them weren't really serious, most were just little cuts. But still, Natsu couldn't accept the fact that he caused it.
The hand on Lucy's hip then slowly slipped to her stomach, while his lips were back on her neck. His body also pressed against her back, the feel of his chest made her skin burn. Natsu was supporting himself by having his other arm planted next to Lucy's head, his hand fisting dangerously on the sheets.
She was small compared to his frame. Unlike his body, she was curvy and soft. He was afraid he might break her, but it also felt good having her pressed against him.
"Ah..." Lucy let out another moan when she felt his tongue rolling against that sweet spot on her neck. And it became louder when he sucked on it.
"Shh. You don't want Happy to wake up, do you?" He chuckled before going back to what he's doing.
She knew he would leave a noticeable mark tomorrow morning, but he was also aware that there was nothing to worry about because that part of her neck was covered by the collar of her usual outfit. He was aiming for it.
"Natsu..." It sounded like a plea.
His lips then crawled up to her jaw and stopped on her ear. Lucy whimpered when her earlobe was caught between his teeth, and she felt his lips formed a smirk.
"Take a good rest, Lucy. Sleep," he whispered, his hot breath was giving her goosebumps.
As if it was a magic word, Lucy's eyes slowly closed as exhaustion took over her completely. She wasn't sure if it was because of what they did all day or because of this little activity just a moment ago.
It was like not even a single thought was running in her head. She couldn't even realize what had just happened. All she knew was her chest ached from her heart pounding harshly, and that she loved how he was this close to her.
As she fell to a slumber, Natsu's soft 'Good Night' was the last thing she heard.