AN: I'm here with a new story! :D I want to start off by saying this is completely inspired by StrawberryMerry's Ulquihime story: Cruising for Love. But since the pairing is VERY different, the story will be too. :) I believe this story will be around 19 chapters and it will be updated every Monday! Hope you all enjoy!

Chapter 1

Call today to reserve your spot for a two week cruise!

Lucy tapped her blue-painted fingernails on the brochure, her head resting in the palm of her other hand as she studied the pamphlet with piqued curiosity. Her body was aching from head to toe, screaming at her to pick up and call. A relaxing vacation was just what the girl needed, especially after the hefty amount of grueling jobs she had taken with Natsu and Happy to make some money after the seven years they had been asleep on Tenrou Island. The only problem was she didn't want to go alone.

Lucy enjoyed having time to herself, it was a necessity. But two weeks' worth of being away from the guild sounded incredibly lonely. However, money was tight for most members of the guild since they had to pay seven years' worth of rent. If it wasn't for her father's surprise gift, the blonde herself would've never been considering to go on a vacation either.

Who would she go with? Cana would probably try to get her drunk most of the time, so that wasn't an option. Lucy would've liked to spend her vacation without a hangover, after all. Mira was on station at the guild, providing food for those that couldn't afford any yet; Levy had left on a week-long job with the rest of Shadow Gear; Erza and Wendy were having financial issues. Gray was out of the question- having Juvia consider her a love rival was bad enough, she didn't need to add more fuel to the fire. All that was left were Natsu and Happy.

Lucy wasn't entirely opposed to the two coming. They were her partners, after all, and were her best friends. The problem was that being around Natsu and Happy, it was hard to imagine the cruise would be relaxing if they were to join. They were two of the rowdiest mages Fairy Tail had to offer, and that was saying something since most of the guild seemed to lack an indoor voice.

It wasn't long until Lucy remembered that her dragon slayer friend had a severe case of motion sickness.

"I wonder if they have anything to combat that," she thought with a frown. It was beginning to look like her vacation was going to be a mere dream. "It couldn't hurt to find out."

Picking up the pamphlet and dialing the small numbers at the bottom right corner, Lucy waited patiently as the phone rang. After three rings, someone picked up.

"Hello, this is Anu of Earthland Cruises speaking. How may I help you?" a kind woman inquired. Her voice was soft and higher pitched, reminding the blonde of a certain ram spirit.

"Hi, my name is Lucy Heartfilia. I was wondering if your cruises have something to help with motion sickness," Lucy answered, straight to the point.

"Most of our cruises do offer mages that can cast a spell over someone to help with their motion sickness. It doesn't last all day, but it is better than nothing. Which cruise are you interested in?"

"The one that departs from Hargeon Port this Friday."

Lucy heard shuffling from the other end until Anu stated, "You're in luck! There are mages stationed on that cruise! Would you like to reserve a spot?"

"Oh, not yet," Lucy answered. "I have to think it over still. Thank you for all of your help!"

"No problem! Call again if you would like to reserve your spot! Have a nice day!"

"You too!"

Lucy hung up and resumed tapping on her desk. It was a good thing the cruise had a way to combat Natsu's motion sickness, but would he want to go in the first place? And if he did, would it be wise to? She did want to relax, after all.

Needing a break away from the pamphlet, Lucy rose from her seat and strolled into the bathroom. She turned on the shower and stripped away her clothing until she was stark naked. When the water was warm enough, the girl entered the shower and let the hot water pelt her skin. Lathering her golden locks with strawberry scented shampoo, she hummed to herself, feeling at peace.

Once she was finished washing up, Lucy stepped out of the shower and dried herself off with a towel before wrapping it around her curvy body. Since she forgot to bring another towel for her hair, the blonde shrugged and left the bathroom to throw on clothes.

Only to find her two partners sitting on her bed, eating her food and making a mess.

"Yo, Luce!" Natsu greeted with a mouth full of food. "Took you long enough!"

"Aye! She always takes forever showering!" Happy added.

A vein ticked in Lucy's forehead as her hands formed tight fists. Without a moment's hesitation, the girl jumped in the air to deliver a nasty kick. Unfortunately for her, Natsu was faster and expected her to react in such a way.

"That won't work on me again!" he exclaimed with a mischievous grin as he grabbed Lucy's ankle and held her upside down.

Lucy squealed as the towel that was wrapped around her body began to loosen and threatened to fall.

"Put me down already, Natsu!" she ordered.

The boy cackled and obliged, only to be slapped across the face a second later by a red-faced Lucy.

"Oi, what was that for!?" the pinkette demanded.

"For barging into my apartment again!" Lucy answered, narrowing her eyes at him. "How many times do I have to tell you not to come here without my permission? You pervert!"

"Oi! I ain't a pervert, Gray is! And if it was really a big deal you would've locked the window!"

"I shouldn't have to! Only you and Happy are idiotic enough to fly through the window without asking!"

"Yeah, yeah," Natsu shrugged nonchalantly. "We just wanted to hang out."

"No, you just wanted my food," Lucy replied, crossing her arms. At Natsu's sheepish grin, she sighed. "Whatever. I'm going to go get dressed. I'll be right back."

With a tired sigh, Lucy shut the bathroom door behind her after grabbing some clothes from her dresser. Her body was still aching from their jobs, so even the simple task of throwing clothes on was proving to be a struggle.

"I really need a vacation," the girl thought, reminded of what she was doing before her shower.

After getting dressed, she headed back outside where her friends were waiting, a hairbrush in her hand. She sat at her desk while Natsu and Happy sat on the bed. Lifting her arm to brush her hair, she winced and inhaled sharply.

"Your arms are that sore?" Happy questioned.

"Yeah," the blonde answered. "We did a lot of lifting on our last job. My body is just really tired." Handing the hairbrush to Natsu, she asked, "Can you brush my hair for me?"

The boy shrugged and accepted the brush. He rarely brushed his own hair, not caring about how he looked. Occasionally Lucy or Erza would make him brush through it for a fancier type of job, but other than that, he left his pink locks untamed.

Natsu dragged the bristles from the top of Lucy's head towards the ends of her hair, only to be caught on a knot halfway through. The blonde's head yanked backwards at the sudden tangle.

"Be careful, Natsu!" she chided. "Start from the bottom, then work your way up!"

"That'll take forever," the said boy groaned. Still, he followed the girl's order and started from the tips of her hair. He lightly worked his way up, trying his hardest not to hurt his partner. He didn't like seeing her in pain, no matter how slight it may be.

Despite what everyone at the guild had said, Natsu wasn't as dense as they believed. He had long suspected that his feelings for a certain celestial mage ran deeper than friendship. Of course, he hadn't acted on his feelings, not wanting to ruin their friendship. The boy was content with what they had already and didn't see a need to change it.

But that didn't stop the way his heart felt lighter simply from brushing through her hair.

Lucy smiled at the boy appreciatively as she placed the hairbrush onto her desk. Her chocolate brown eyes landed on the pamphlet, reminding her of her predicament. With a deep sigh, she abandoned all doubts and grabbed the cruise pamphlet before turning back towards her partners.

"We should go on a vacation," Lucy stated, handing them the brochure. "And I think a cruise sounds fun. What do you think?"

Immediately, Natsu slouched in bed while his face grew pale and dotted with sweat.

"That's cruel, Lucy," he replied, his voice gurgled. "Don't bring up transportation around me."

"But they'll have mages stationed that can help with that!" the blonde persisted. "What do you think, Happy?"

The said exceed glanced up towards his peeled-over partner. He had long since known about Natsu's feelings towards their third musketeer. Hell, he knew about them before Natsu himself did. This would've been the perfect opportunity to make something happen between the two.

Happy grabbed the pamphlet and studied it. A cruise did sound fun, but so did staying at the guild and talking to Charle. If staying behind gave his best friend a chance to act on his feelings, he would do it.

Happy removed the sticker that kept the pamphlet folded up to read more information about the cruise. Immediately his eyes widened, a mischievous grin plastered to his face. Luckily for him, Lucy was paying close attention to Natsu to notice. Folding up the brochure and putting the sticker back onto it, Happy shoved it into his knapsack without being noticed.

"I'll pass," the cat stated. "I want to stay here!"

"Really?" Lucy asked with a frown. "Did it not sound like fun?"

"I'm a cat! I don't like water!" Happy lied.

The blonde arched a brow. "Since when? You've been on boats before. And you've gone swimming."

"That's different! Anyways, I'm going back to the guild to see Charle! Bye!"

With that, wings sprouted from Happy's back and he flew out the window without sparing the two another glance.

Lucy's brow was still raised in confusion. She wasn't expecting that at all. Glancing back at her other partner, the girl released a heavy sigh.

"I guess I don't really need a vacation. Saving money would be smart anyways."

Minutes passed by between the two without either of them saying a word. Once Natsu's stomach settled, he picked himself up to study Lucy. Her pink lips were tugged into a frown as she worked on her newest story, one that he hadn't been able to sneak a peek at yet.

Natsu prided himself in the fact that he knew Lucy better than anyone else. It was because of this that he noticed her rather glum behavior since they returned from Tenrou Island. It wasn't like he could blame her, however. With the passing of her father, it was no doubt that she would be upset, despite their distant and fragile relationship. There was also the fact that her body definitely needed a break.

And it wasn't hard to tell she was really looking forward to the cruise.

"Alright, I'll go on the c-cruise with you," Natsu relented with a sigh, his stomach churning at the thought of being on a boat. He was skeptical of riding a boat without Wendy there to cast Troia on him. Still, if it meant making Lucy happy, he would strap himself onto a boat for the rest of his life if he had to.

Lucy whipped her head towards the pinkette, her eyes sparkling with delight. "You will?"

"Sure, why not? Sounds like fun!"

"You're a terrible liar. It's fine, Natsu. I can just go some other time-"

The said boy cut her off as he grabbed her phone and placed it in her hand.

"Just call them already!" he ushered. "You know you wanna go, so just reserve it!"

Lucy smiled gratefully and nodded, glad that she had a friend to go with. Though Natsu was irrational and brash at times, he truly was an amazing friend.

Lucy glanced around for the pamphlet, only to come up short.

"It looks like Happy accidentally took it with him," she stated. "Good thing I have them in my recent calls."

The blonde swung her legs back and forth giddily with a smile planted on her face as the phone rang. She nearly squealed with excitement when someone answered.

"Hello, this is Anu of Earthland Cruises speaking. How may I help you?" the same woman from before questioned.

"Hi! This is Lucy Heartfilia again, I called earlier!" she replied. "I'm here to reserve a room for the cruise!"

"Oh, yes!" Anu replied in recognition. "The one that departs from Hargeon, correct?"

"Yep!"

"Can I get your full names again?"

Lucy arched a brow. She hadn't told Anu that another person would be joining her. "Maybe it's just rare for someone to go by themselves."

Glancing towards her partner, the blonde grinned as she stated, "It will be me, Lucy Heartfilia, and Natsu Dragneel."

"Oh! You're the first one that has reserved a spot that has kept their last name!" Anu exclaimed. Before the confused Lucy could question her, she continued, "Alright, I have you book for room 202! You can pick up your tickets at our office in Hargeon!"

"Oh, okay," Lucy replied, forgetting about Anu's strange remark. She was going on a cruise! "Thank you!"

"No problem! Have a great day!"

"You too!"

Lucy hung up the phone and gave an excited squeal. Grabbing Natsu's hands, she shook them feverously and grinned.

"Thank you so much, Natsu!" she exclaimed. "This'll be fun, I promise!"

Natsu hid his face behind his scarf after feeling a familiar rush of heat travel to his face. It always happened around Lucy. It didn't take him long to figure out what it meant.

"Y-Yeah," the pinkette stammered. Watching Lucy bounce around her apartment absolutely overjoyed, he couldn't help but grin as well. Her happiness always brought a smile to his face and he was proud to be the one that caused it. "Yosh! I'm all fired up!"

"We should probably tell everyone at the guild. We don't want them to think we just disappeared for two weeks."

"Two weeks? That's a long cruise."

"That's how long they usually last I think. Anyways, let's go!"

The two traveled through the well-lit streets of Magnolia, a skip in their steps. With their excited steps, it didn't take them long to reach the guild. Throwing open the grand doors, the two went straight towards the bar.

"Hi, Lucy! Natsu!" Mira greeted cheerfully. Noticing the smile glued to the blonde's face, she continued, "You two seem happy about something!"

Lucy nodded and sat beside Erza, who was munching on a piece of strawberry shortcake. Natsu stood directly next to her, his body heat rolling onto her.

"That's because we're going on a cruise this Friday!" the blonde informed her.

Cana immediately paused from drinking booze straight out of her signature barrel to gape at the two. "Wait, wait, wait. You two are going on a cruise together?"

Lucy's cheeks colored, knowing exactly what the brunette was insinuating. "It's not weird… We're partners and all…"

"Are there going to be two beds?" Erza inquired.

"U-Umm, I actually forgot to ask. I'm sure she booked us in a room with two beds, though! She knew that there's going to be two of us!"

"I suppose that makes sense. How long is the cruise? Should Gray and I wait for you two to return before accepting any jobs?"

"Nope! We'll be gone for two weeks!"

Gray came to stand on the other side of Lucy, leaning against her and propping his arm over her head, ignoring Natsu's eyes drilling holes into him.

"You sure you wanna be on a trip with Natsu for that long?" he asked. "He's just gonna get on your nerves, you know."

"Shut it, Ice Prick!" Natsu shot back.

Lucy sighed and shook her head. "We'll be fine. I just really need a vacation."

Before long, everyone moved on from the two's cruise and resumed doing their own things. Lucy spent every second she could with her friends, a little upset she wouldn't be able to see them for two weeks. Still, she was looking forward to their cruise.

When it got late, Lucy rose from her signature stool at the bar and headed towards the bar.

"Natsu! Make sure to get packing, we leave the day after tomorrow!" she instructed. "Night, everyone! We'll stop by tomorrow to say bye before we leave!"

"Night, Lucy!" everyone replied, waving after her.

Lucy walked back to her apartment, balancing on the edge of the canal. She couldn't stop thinking about her planned cruise.

"There's bound to be masseuses and spas and pools!"

And while the cruise did offer those things, Lucy was still in for a shock of what else the cruise had to offer.

AN: Lol let me know what you think in the reviews! Hope it was good for a first chapter! :D