AN: In conclusion, I present the final chapter. Thank you to everyone who has read the entire story! I am really proud of this, being my first NaLu fic and my first complete piece in a long long time!

As stated in the notes in the last chapter, I am currently plotting a new, more adventure driven Fairy Tail fic so stay tuned for that!

LOVE YOUR LOVE XOXOXO ENJOY!

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Chapter 10: Shine Bright

Natsu awoke feeling like he had slept for a century. Every part of him had that solidly rested energy humming within it; singing of so much exertion, but much more recovery. And for the first time in a long time, he couldn't recall having any nightmares.

Of course the nightmares were always better when he snuck into bed with Lucy. But, this time, things were a little different. Natsu smiled at his memories of their night of passion, stretching like a cat beneath the sheets of Lucy's bed. He delighted in his nakedness as he was still reliving the events of the night before.

Lucy's bold declaration at the guild. His battles with Gray and Erza, then Loke, which may have been a little overly done. Fighting with Lucy in her apartment, and how her sudden arousal had caused him to lose control. And most surprising of all, the fact that she seemed to LIKE that he was losing control.

Natsu knew for a fact Lucy had enjoyed his roughness; her moans and cries of pleasure still echoed in his head. He had become addicted to bringing her to climax, such a sweet and glorious thing to behold. But that was Lucy in a nutshell. Sweet yet awe inspiring in the same breath. His smile grew.

Sunlight was streaming in from the window, warm and golden, inviting him to snuggle back up to his new lover and sleep away the day. He reached out to pull her closer and realized, with a start, that she was gone. The bed was empty and cold beside him.

Natsu's eyes flew open and he jerked up to a sitting position, quickly taking in the entirety of Lucy's apartment. His heart was pounding in his ears, anxiety and doubt clawing at him relentlessly. What if their passionate night was nothing more than Lucy's way of saying farewell? What if she had snuck away while he slept and was long gone?

The sound of running water and movement from the bathroom quickly assuaged his growing unease. Natsu sighed in relief and launched himself out of bed, padding quietly across the apartment to peer through the cracked bathroom door.

Lucy was in the shower; steam filling her tiny bathroom quite completely. Despite that, Natsu was treated to the tantalizing sight of Lucy entirely nude. He couldn't help but feel a giddy sense of pride now that he had "claimed" her, as it were. She was so utterly gorgeous, creamy smooth skin and bodacious curves, silky golden hair and wide brown eyes.

Yep, that was his girl. Natsu grinned again, mischief gleaming in his olive eyes as an idea formed in his head. He engaged his ninja skills and sidled silently up to the side of the shower, stepping in without Lucy noticing.

He nearly blew his cover by laughing at loud when she paused for a moment as if she had heard something. But then she shrugged and continued lathering her midsection. Natsu's hands darted out and joined hers, eliciting the most earsplitting shriek he had ever heard from the blonde. Ever.

But his answering laughter was just as exuberant; forcing Lucy to giggle after spinning to face him in the stream of the shower.

The look on her face was pretty priceless. Natsu could get used to shamelessly scaring her all the time if it meant he got to see that wide eyed look on her lovely features.

"Natsu! You scared me!" She squeaked, still smiling, but trying to look very stern all the same.

Which was a lost cause considering the fact that she was naked in the shower with her so called assailant. Who was snickering at her like a child who had stolen the last cookie.

Natsu leaned his face down and pressed his forehead against hers, closing his eyes as he breathed in her peachy scent. He could feel her heartrate increase when she subtly leaned just a tiny bit closer to him, skin so slippery in the water of the shower, as he looped his arms around her waist.

"Forgive me?" He murmured, lips barely a breath away from Lucy's.

And instead of answering she kissed him passionately, all the while the hot water filled the room with so much more steam.

…..

Lucy was trying so hard not to be nervous. But it was in her nature to stress out about public perception which was why she was so anxious at this moment! The general situation wasn't something that made her stomach flip; holding hands with Natsu, running down the street towards the guildhall on a bright, sunny morning. Peaceful. Happy. Normal.

It was the context for Lucy, however. Natsu was leading her down the winding streets of Magnolia at break neck speed because he was overly excited about announcing their relationship to the guild. Which was something Lucy was excited about too. But mostly, she was terrified. Not about what people would think about she and Natsu being an item, because it was generally accepted common knowledge that they would end up together.

No, for Lucy it was more about the pointed questions that were bound to be asked by one of more members of the guild. Namely Cana and Mira. Cana would launch into a lusty line of questioning that would make Lucy's ears burn while Mira would make her relive all the mushy moments in between the lust.

After all, Lucy was actually a very private person. She didn't like everyone knowing all sorts of private intimate details about her personal matters. It was just an occupational hazard that came along with working in Fairy Tail that she had slowly begun to some to terms with as her time in the guild stretched on.

People in the guild cared about her. That's why they pushed and prodded her in regards to her love life and Natsu and all the drama therein. They would want to know about their steamy interlude that led to the sudden declaration on Natsu's part. Lucy reveled in the memory of that moment even as they rounded the final corner to the guild hall.

She was so caught up in her thoughts that she was generally surprised when Natsu stopped and turned to her with a thoughtful look on his impish features. Lucy inwardly sighed at his cuteness.

"What is it Natsu?" She asked, raising an eyebrow at the dragon slayer. He responded by pulling at his scarf, a nervous habit. The realization made Lucy nearly fall over from shock. Was Natsu nervous too? How could that be? He was the recklessly fearless one!

"Hey, Luce. What if, gah nevermind." Natsu trailed off, seemingly frustrated at his own clumsy speech. He grumbled to himself a little and fell silent.

Lucy could only guess what was running through his head. At this moment, he was probably thinking along the same lines as Lucy herself; all the pointed questions, the catcalls, the jeers they were undoubtedly going to face at the guild.

Natus was also probably worried about Lisanna. Lucy was too, in a way. She knew Natsu had very clearly chosen her over the pale haired Strauss sister, but their history still was cause for concern. Lucy was, after all, a jealous little thing.

But all that didn't matter now. She and Natsu had chosen each other, they had love, and that was all that really truly counted.

So, drawing herself up, Lucy swung herself around to stand in front of her pink haired lover. He still had a troubled expression on his face, but perked up a bit when he saw Lucy's determined expression.

"Hey, listen. We have been through so much together, haven't we? This is nothing compared to all the battles and monsters and crazy magical nonsense we've overcome as a team. Think of this," Lucy gestured back and forth between herself and Natsu to illustrate her point.

"As just another battle. The strongest team, right?" The blonde added a wink for good measure, but she really meant what she said. There was no point in worrying about other people when they knew they could count on each other no matter what.

Her speech had the desired effect on Natsu, who stood up straight and pumped his fist in the air victoriously. The familiar battle gleam returned to his olive eyes and his signature cocky smile flashed onto his face.

"Right! Let's go show off how we hold hands to the guild! I'm all fired up!" With that, he grabbed Lucy's hand again and took off for the final sprint to the guild hall. Lucy couldn't help but laugh at his energy. The warmth spreading up her arm from their joined hands had everything to do with the way that boy made her feel.

And she would never get tired of chasing him to feel his fire. Never.

...FIN...