Chapter Text
Lucy has somehow found herself watching Natsu training in the guilds outside arena. She’s not sure why she came out here in the first place, probably to get some air away from the stuffy guildhall that still has no working air conditioning despite it being peak summer. It’s the hottest day of the year and she figures it was a good idea to go sit in the guildhall to relax and have a drink? What was she thinking?
Still, that wasn’t such a bad idea compared to her clearly crazy best friend and partner. Training in this heat? Well, if anyone was able to withstand the warmth it’s gonna be Natsu. The man felt like he was on fire most of the time.
Looked like it too.
Feeling her head overheating she stopped to absentmindedly admire the pure strength oozing from him, at some point her mind subconsciously slipped into the most deliciously naughty daydream of appreciation for his warm chiselled body, seemingly sculpted by the gods themselves, her hands grip and twitch on the sides of the bench she’s perched on suddenly overcome with the desire to run her fingers over his large muscles and watch him tremble at each touch, the same need for her making him become desperate.
Her thoughts wonder over to how she’d place soft feather light kisses on the areas she thinks would make him breathless the most. Her eyes follow slowly down his body, from the thick solid neck she envisions herself tugging at, to the small scar on the side she’d love to run her tongue over, those broad shoulders she would dig her nails into and trail scratches down his back, the chest she would press her own against, the waist that she wants nothing more then to wrap her legs around and pull him in, to that devious deep v leading somewhere she only lets herself think about when she’s alone at night struggling to sleep. The thought racks a sharp shiver through her body sending a pooling warmth to her very core, she swears she can feel butterflies down there too.
Her daydream shifts to a new focus point at the sight of him stopping for a water break obviously incredibly parched from the way he’s gulping down the water, some spilling from the edges of his mouth running down his neck and chest and Lucy can’t help but stare wide eyed at his throat the way it bobs up and down with each passing of water, she reciprocates a swallow.
Lucy never thought she’d be envious of a water bottle… or wish herself to be one. To be that one.
She marvels at how he’s glistening with sweat, his body flushed, he runs his hands through his messy hair and starts doing his end of routine stretch out much to Lucy’s pleasure, still stuck far into her daydream, drooling over the different positions of stretching he’s doing. Once he’s cooled down and noticed Lucy’s presence he swaggers over to her with his carefree obliviousness nature.
‘Hey Luce!’ Big grin spreading across his handsome face ‘Watcha doin?’
Lucy still in a trance from what she was seeing takes a minute to register that he spoke to her
‘Uh huh..’ her response a dragged out low breath, not fully snapped away from her daydream yet. She’s lost in those deep alluring eyes and wonderful smile of his.
‘Luce?’ A hint of concern in his voice at her slow response.
‘Oh! Sorry um.. I feel a bit dizzy ha ha, I came to see you.. uhh to ask..’ her brain working overtime to think of something, anything!
‘Oh I wanted to ask if you wanted to look for a new job with me because I need the rent money and we could always use more food money you and Happy eat like there’s no tomorrow haha, I mean I know we only just got back from a job but one more can’t hurt right?’ She takes a breath from her rambling tangent and smiles what she hopes is a convincing smile, a red blush blooming across her face.
Natsu looked amused, he has to admit she was fun to tease and looked cute when she was flustered.
‘Well why didn’t you say that in the first place ya weirdo instead of sittin out here melting? You’re so silly Luce’ his grin sitting easy on his face successfully hiding the understanding of what she was really doing out here, he could smell it on her the moment he got close enough.
Only faint but mind-numbingly good.
Lucy looking startled replied probably quicker then she should have for a girl tryin to play it cool
‘I didn’t want to distract you! From.. y’know.. training’ her words trailing off as she mumbles out a frantic excuse for being there far too long for something so simple and trying to hide the fact she’s being ogling him for, she was pretty sure, the last hour?! Gods how pathetic is she scrambling her words together like a girl with a giddy crush, this was her best friend in the whole world and she’s already realised her feelings for him, a long long time ago, and come to terms that he will never feel the same way. Why is she being so silly?
Her heart was rapidly beating against her chest with surprise from getting caught in her daydream, she seriously needed to get outta there before he figures out just what it is exactly that she’s melting over.
‘Sorry Natsu I’m a tad lightheaded, I must’ve been out in this heat for too long’ she sighs and he offers her a hand to help her up
‘Maybe you should go wait inside the guild hall Luce, you do a little flushed. I’ll be there soon.’
Lucy had to force her eyes away from his large hand speckled with little scars all over, his arm veiny from working out. She took his hand, heart skipping a beat, and he pulled her up gently and effortlessly, resting his hand on her elbow to steady her.
‘Take it easy Luce, ask Wendy to look you over yeah?’ His genuine concern for her deepening her blush.
‘Alright I will.. thanks Natsu’ she waved him off with a small smile and walked hurriedly towards the guild hall face on fire, ready to plunge her head into a bucket of water.
Or maybe she’ll ask Grey to turn her head into a block of ice.
Natsu watched her walk away until she was out of sight before he let his own embarrassment out, blush warming his cheeks and tips of his ears. His hand coming to rub the heat at back of his neck in shock from how worked up Lucy had got herself while staring at him, what was she even looking at? Why did it make her feel that way? He was only exercising, using the muscles for their intended purposes and keeping them strong for their many adventures. He doesn’t get turned on when Lucy exercises, well, that’s not to say he doesn’t ever get turned on by Lucy.. it’s really only when the thoughts randomly pop into his head. Late at night trying to fall asleep. First thing in the morning. On the way to the guild hall. When she sits next to him in the guildhall, arms and legs brushing against each other. Stopping in front of her place outside her window. Eating together. When he sees her for the first time that day. And probably the naughtiest of all places, while he’s in her bed.. surrounded by her mouthwatering smell… okay so maybe he gets turned on by her too often but that all makes much more sense then her gettin turned on by him punching the shit out of a training bag?
His heart heavy he told himself that she must’ve been daydreaming about someone else, he happened to be in her line of sight. She doesn’t see him that way and it was the only thing that made sense. Lucy sure confused the heck outta him sometimes. He took a deep breath trying to settle the growing heat in the bottom of his stomach. Great, the amount of times he already gets overheated thinking about Lucy in one day was bad enough, now he was getting turned on by Lucy getting turned on? His control keeps slipping more and more. He wiped himself over with a much needed.. cold.. towel and chucked on his vest to go find his partner in the guildhall.
Lucy’s excuse of wanting to go on a job actually appealed to him quite a bit now considering they’d just got back from one, he could sure use the distraction to vent out how he was feeling.
Being turned on was one thing, something easily done. Being in love with his best friend was, well, that was something entirely different.