Recovery

It was another late night at Fairy Tail. The lights inside had been dimmed, letting the patrons know that it was time to begin clearing out. The table, the ones not destroyed from the many brawls, were wiped and the remaining benches cleaned. Mirajane watched with a slight serenity as the members of the guild slowly filed out, many hanging off of one another in hopes of keeping balance, or perhaps just a friendly embrace to wander in to the night with. The white haired woman watched Macao and Wakaba slowly stumble from the bar, chuckling about old times as they left, while she slowly began to sweep the dirt from behind the bar and on to the main floor. Her mind was at a certain zen when she was cleaning up every night, her body so used to cleaning that she was able to leave it to auto pilot while her thoughts ran wild. She was broken from her thoughts when a loud snore tore it's way across her mind. Mira looked around, mildly jarred at the sound, and the fact that she was underneath a table sweeping up broken wood, and pulled herself back and stood up to look for the noise. Her eyes landed on a bikini clad woman, hunched over the bar and snoring loudly, and Mira couldn't help the sigh that had left her.

It seemed as if Cana had another bad night.

The brunette only ever seemed to drink herself to sleep at the bar whenever something was wrong, and Mira had noticed that she had spent the last few nights sleeping at the bar. Mira would always wake her up before leaving and tow the drunk woman back to her dorm, but the idea of such a thing tonight was... unappealing. Mira rubbed her back, wincing at the tweaked cluster of nerves between her shoulders. It took a lot out of a person to run the bar, even with Kinana and Lisanna's help. Mira sat down on the bench behind her with a groan, wishing that she could just magically teleport the brunette back to her home. Her prayers seemed to have been answered when a pained groan echoed through the nearly empty hall, and with the shuffle of broken wood, Natsu Dragneel emerged from under a pile of rubble, moaning in pain while rubbing his head.

"Damn... Forgot how hard Erza could hit..." The man grumbled while walking over to the nearest table and flopping over the top of it, lying on his back and staring at the ceiling as he gathered his bearings. He was broken out of his haze several seconds later by a head of white hair, and a kindly smiling face. "Hi Mira. 'Sup?"

"Hello Natsu. Did you knock over Erza's cake again?" The woman asked sweetly. Her soft spot for Natsu really was a strange thing, given their relationship before Lisanna went to Edolas, but it was just chalked up to Mira gaining another sibling. Natsu grunted and rubbed his head.

"Don't 'member. I don't think I did, but I've been wrong before..." The man chuckled sheepishly. "Hey where's Happy? He was supposed to go home with me tonight..." He grumbled as he sat up and looked around the bar. "Where is everyone, actually."

"Home, Natsu." Mirajane chuckled lightly. "Everyone went home because the guild is closed, and I think I saw Happy leave with Lucy."

"Figures." Natsu mumbled to himself as he gained an annoyed expression on his face. "Alright, well then I guess I'll head out as well then. See ya later Mira!" Natsu called over his shoulder as he began to walk towards the exit.

"Wait!" Mira nearly screamed at the man, causing him to jump in alarm and whirl around to face her.

"What's wrong?" Natsu spoke as he tried to relax himself again. Mira just chuckled sheepishly.

"Sorry about that. I just remembered that Cana is here as well. Do you mind helping her get home?" Mirajane pointed over to the passed out brunette. "I'd help her get home, but it looks like I'm going to be here for a couple more hours..." The woman huffed as she took in the mess that still had yet to be cleaned up. Natsu nodded and pat the woman on the shoulder.

"No problem Mira. So just get her back to the dorm?" The pink haired man asked as he walked over to the brunette and gently tried to nudge her awake, sighing after a moment when she didn't respond and picking her up bridal style and walking towards the doors. Mira opened the doors and let the two of them out.

"Yeah. Just take her to the dorm and knock. The matron there should be able to take her from there. Thanks Natsu!" The woman chirped before closing the door behind the man and unconscious drunk. Natsu just sighed and readjusted his hold on Cana before walking towards the Fairy Hills dorm.

"Well... Let's get you home, then get me home. I need some sleep." Natsu mumbled as he began his journey.

Cana awoke to the feeling of warmth as well as a slight chilling breeze. Grumbling in annoyance at the chill, the woman adjusted herself to better press in to the warmth that seemed to almost be rocking her gently. She sighed as she got comfortable once more, only to lose any sense of peace when her source of warmth chuckled.

"Comfy?" A familiar deep voice asked her. Cana opened her purple eyes, only to gasp in pain when she was blinded by light. She closed her eyes and moaned in pain while waiting for the ache in her skull to go away. "Sorry. Street lights aren't really good for you if you're hung over." The voice chuckled again. Cana squinted as she peered up to the person carrying her, finally able to see the familiar jacket and pink hair of her guild mate.

"Natsu?" Cana managed to speak, more like slurr out, weakly. Natsu just nodded and kept walking.

"The one and only. Mira asked me to take you home. Guess you partied a bit too hard again, eh?" The man asked as he looked down to the bikini clad woman.

"Yeah... Partied." Cana finished weakly, though Natsu didn't seem to notice.

"So tell me, why'd you drink so much tonight?"

Cana panicked for a moment, racking her pained mind for any sort of excuse to use. "I uh... Like how it tastes?" She asked more to herself than anyone else. "Yeah. I like how it tastes and I guess I got carried away..." Cana finished weakly with a chuckle, closing her eyes and hoping Natsu wouldn't notice her hesitation, but it seemed as if her luck had run out when she felt Natsu stop walking. She turned her gaze to the man, noting how he was staring at her intently. She prayed to whatever deity was out there for a hint of mercy, which she luckily recieved when the man seemed to decide to not pursue his obvious questions and instead continued on. "So... Where are we going?" The woman asked, hoping to change the subject.

"I'm taking you back to your place." Natsu said calmly, staring ahead of himself. Cana smirked as she nuzzled in to the dragon slayer's chest.

"Oh my, Natsu! I didn't know you worked like that."

"What?" The man replied confused.

"Why, taking an innocent young maiden back to her chambers to have your way with her." Cana replied, a shy look on her face as she stared at the dragon slayer, trying to hold in a fit of giggles when he looked at her again with a deep blush.

"It's not like that that!" The man quickly defended himself, but stopped when Cana let out a snort and broke down in to a fit of giggles.

"It's just too easy with you all!" Cana nearly bellowed in to the night air as she continued to laugh.

Natsu huffed in annoyance, considering dropping the annoying woman with each passing moment, but decided to bite his tongue and be the good friend that loved his guild like the family that they-

"Have you ever had sex?"

And like that, Cana met the ground. Natsu didn't mean to drop her, it's just that her question had surprised him. Natsu paused his thoughts to apologize and help the grumbling woman back up.

"You didn't have to drop me. Dick."

"I said I was sorry. You just caught me off guard is all. Why do you want to know anyway?" Natsu asked, his arms crossed, and a small blush on his face. Cana looked to the man with a scowl, before a smirk came to her face.

"I was just curious. Everyone says that you're dull, but I'm not so sure about that. I think you're a damn good actor, but I know for a fact that you know what sex is, especially with people like Macao and Wakaba retelling the world of their glory days." The woman smirked as she watched the pink haired man fidget in place for several moment before letting out a sigh.

"I know what sex is. I've just never had it."

"Why not? I know for damn sure that there is a long list of people who would take the chance to ride a dragon." Cana finished with a lewd smirk and a blush on her face. Natsu coughed in to his hand, seemingly choking on his own saliva as he tried to gather his thoughts.

"It's not like that. Because I'm a dragon slayer, I'm not exactly normal like other people. I can't just have casual sex."

"What do you mean?" Cana asked, mostly sobered up from a mix of how fast her body could process alcohol and the shock from Natsu dropping her. Natsu looked at her and shrugged.

"Igneel told me once when he started to teach me his magic that it'll change me to something between dragon and human. The stronger I get with my magic, the more like a dragon I become. Dragons mate for life, Igneel told me once, and the person I mate with the first time will be the person I mate with forever after. I'm just not looking for anything like that right now, and none of the women who offered themselves like that have seemed to be mate material." Natsu trailed off weakly under the woman's scrutinizing gaze. "What?"

"So Lucy and Lisanna?"

"They're strong, they're both really smart, and their beauty speaks for itself, but they just don't seem to trigger that instinct in me." Natsu answered. Cana leaned away from the man and crossed her arms while humming in thought.

"What's the instinct feel like?" She asked him. Natsu looked at her in surprise before pinching his chin in thought.

"I don't really know. Igneel said I'd know it when I felt it. I guess if it helps, the best way I can explain it is that every girl that's offered so far HASN'T made me feel anything different than what I normally feel."

"That makes sense, I guess." Cana hummed in thought. "What if I offered?" She asked, while striking her best seductive pose at the pink haired man. Natsu merely rolled his eyes.

"No thanks." He replied flatly. Cana fell out of her pose and let out a heavy sigh and pouted at the man.

"Wow, not even a gentle let down. Just smash a girl's confidence why don't you."

"Sorry. You just aren't my type."

"And what does that mean?" Cana asked, a smoldering glare on her face. Natsu held both of his hands up in surrender as he tried his best to explain himself.

"It means what I said. The type of person you are is not the type of person that I feel I'd be interested in. Shit, I'm bad at this sort of stuff... What I mean is that I don't think you'd be able to put forward the kind of commitment that I would need. I'm basically the deal where you're married to me after the first time we... Nevermind. There's no way that I'm good at explaining this."

"Try." Cana ground out, giving Natsu a moment to correct himself or apologize for disrespecting her character. Natsu huffed before looking at her with a hint of a scowl.

"I know how you are with relationships. You're always looking for something quick to 'scratch the itch' as you told Lucy. I've know you for years, and the longest relationship you've ever had has been for a month and a half."

"How did you-" Cana asked in shock, not having told anyone in the guild of her relationships.

"Your scent changes when you're with someone. That is the longest that your scent has ever changed, and while I'm dull, I'm not stupid. It's also one of the only times that I see you drink yourself completely stupid like you did tonight."

"I don't know what you're talking about!" Cana hissed as she turned away from the man. Natsu sighed and began to grumble to himself.

"This is exactly what I meant! You want to know why you aren't my type? I'll give you an example right now. Your smell was mixed with somebody else's for nearly three weeks until four days ago. You didn't show up to the guild three days ago, and just yesterday you came in, and your scent wasn't mixed anymore. The last two nights have seen you sitting at the bar and drinking yourself in to oblivion, only difference is that Mira had me take you home tonight instead of her. You know just how advanced my senses are, and I just got through telling you that I can tell when your relationship ended. Despite knowing this, you still decide to play dumb and pretend that you aren't hurting. What makes you not my type isn't that you can't keep a relationship, Mavis only knows how many bad guys there are out there, it's that you can't ever seem to talk to the people around you when you're hurting and choose to drown your sorrows instead. We all see you in pain but you don't trust any of us, the people that you grew up with, to help you get over it!" Natsu bellowed, no longer caring about the fact that it was nearly one in the morning.

The slap that echoed out across the street did nothing to silence Natsu's anger, but the tears in Cana's eyes did. "How dare you..." She whispered, her voice shaking as she did her best to hold in her tears. "Did you ever think that maybe I didn't tell any of you because it wasn't your business?" She raised her hand once more to deliver another blow to the man, only for it to stop short of hitting him when he caught her by the wrist and pulled her in to a crushing hug.

"Anything that hurts you is our business." The man whispered to her while holding her tight. Cana struggled for several moments before wrapping her arms around the man and letting out a strangled sob. Natsu stayed, holding the woman while she cried, for what felt like hours. His heart ached with every heaving sob that she gave. The fact that she had been holding in so much pain astounded him, but he always seemed to know how to make people feel better and his insticts were telling him that this was the best course of action to doing that for the brunette. He held her until her sobs began to subside in to gentle sniffles and whimpers, and until those died down further to shuttered breaths before releasing the woman. She pulled back from the man, giving him a weak smile as she did her best to wipe her eyes and face of any tears or snot. Natsu gave her a gentle smile when he caught her gaze again, feeling a strange tug in his chest when he saw the street lights glowing in her deep purple eyes. He reached a hand up to hopefully wipe away any snot that was on his chest, grimacing when he felt the slime cling to his hand. The man wiped it on his pants before meeting the brunettte's gaze once more, noticing the blush on her face as he wiped the snot off of himself.

"Sorry." She mumbled, her voice hoarse from crying. Natsu waved her off.

"Don't be. If this is all that I have to deal with for you to feel better, than it's the best deal I've gotten yet. Erza usually kicks the crap out of me, so this is nothing compared to that." The man chuckled as he rubbed the back of his head. Cana let out a weak chuckle as well.

"Thank you." She croaked quietly. Natsu just shrugged before wrapping an arm around her shoulder and guiding the two towards her dorm.

"It's not a problem. Holding in pain like that isn't good for you. We're all a family at Fariy Tail, so it's okay to talk about your pain with us. We've been through a lot worse, so don't ever think you have to hold all of that in. We're here for you." The man smiled to her. Cana blushed lightly as she leant in to the man's shoulder as they made their way towards her dorm.

"Thank you." She repeated. Natsu hummed as the two finished the walk to Fairy Hills in comfortable silence.

"Well, this is it." Natsu spoke happily as they stood in front of the entrance to the dorm. Cana nodded and offered the man a small smile.

"Yeah. Thanks again, Natsu."

"Don't worry about it." The man waved off her thanks. "I'll always be here to help you if you need it. No more drinking yourself stupid, at least no more than usual." The man chuckled. Cana chuckled along as well, a blush on her face at how she had behaved. Giving another thanks, the woman moved in to the dorm and shut the door quietly behind her. She made it up to her room as quietly as she could, and after changing in to something to sleep in, peered out the window. She could barely catch sight of the pink haired man being illuminated by the street lights as he wandered home, but it only reminded her of the comforting presense the man had on her.

"You said that I may not be your type, but I'm pretty sure that you are MY type." The brunette spoke to herself as she wandered over to her bed and settled in for the night.

Natsu opened the door to his cottage and made his way towards his hammock, slipping in to his boxers as he did so, before settling down for the night. He caught the sight of the moon outside his window, and couldn't help but rub his chest when the thought of his brunette guild mate caused that strange feeling once more. Thinking back to what Igneel had told him, he couldn't help but think aloud to himself.

"Perhaps I was wrong about you not being my type..."

The next few months at the guild bore two sights that many would have considered strange. The first was Cana's drinking having become a fraction of what it was, with the woman only drinking two barrels a day instead of upwards of six, and the woman had expressed hopes of drinking even less. The second was the afformentioned woman spending more and more time with the resident pink haired dragon slayer. The two would could usually be found sitting at one of the many tables around the guild playing cards, or just talking to each other casually. Cana would often find herself being invited to join Team Natsu in the various jobs that were accepted. She often declined, more in the fact that she knew how they operated and that rewards could only be split so thin before they were no longer worth the work. Often though, her and Natsu would sit and talk upon his return, and more and more the two found themselves under the nosey gazes of their guildmates.

The two decided shortly after that to hang out outside of the guild, due to the amount of heart shaped cakes that Mira would give the two whenever they were hanging out, giggling herself away as the two could only blush and stare at their initials inside the heart.

"So why'd you start drinking to begin with?" Natsu asked as he cast his reel, the fishing line flying out to hopefully catch them sime lunch. The two had retreated to a pond behind Natsu's house when the man offered to make them both lunch. Cana had accepted, and now the two were sitting peacefully under the shade of a tree while the man fished. Happy had left on a job with Wendy, granting the two a much needed break from the blue feline's teasing. Cana rested against the trunk of the tree, her cards laid out in front of her as she practiced her readings. The brunette took her eyes away from the cards to look at the fire mage for a moment before sighing gently.

"I don't really know. I think I saw Gildarts doing it when he was here once, and I figured it would be a great way to connect with him and eventually tell him he was my father. After a while, I kinda liked how it made me feel, and then..."

"And then?" Natsu looked to her, noting her somewhat sad expression.

"And then I liked that it numbed the pain. It felt good to not be so weighed down by stress and anxiety of trying to live up to the image of what I thought I had to be."

"Why though?" Natsu questioned as he stared back out at the pond.

"Because of Gildarts. I was so convinced that I had to be the spitting image of him for him to accept that I was his daughter. Turns out that I was wrong about that though." Cana smiled lightly remembering her confronting her father during the S-class trials. "After that, I figured I could branch out and start to live for myself a bit. I started trying to date a bit more, but that never seemed to work. Every guy just wanted to hang around until he could get me on my back, then they'd leave. If I didn't give it up right away, they'd call me frigid. If I gave it up right away, they'd call me easy."

"That sounds pretty rough." Natsu commented. Cana nodded and sighed.

"It is. Is it so wrong for me to want to be treated fairly? I don't like being treated like I'm easy, and I hate people thinking I'm frigid. I have standards and expectations, but no guy I've dated has ever considered that." Cana huffed as she crossed her arms.

"Sounds like you just have a horrible choice of men." Natsu just sighed before his line ran tightened, signalling that he had a bite. The pink haired man began to reel in the fish, and both people were surprised when Natsu pulled out a fish nearly as large as he was. He dragged it on to the shore and cracked it over the head with his fist, killing it, before beginning to clean the fish in preperation to cook it.

"That thing is big enough to feed an army!" Cana exclaimed. Natsu chuckled as he ran a spit through it and hoisted it over a fire pit.

"Nah. This should be just enough for the both of us." Natsu exclaimed as he started the fire. "Now we just need to let it cook. Should be about an hour with how big it is. What do you wanna do?" He turned towards the woman, seeing something flash across her eyes, but losing it a moment later. Cana put a finger on her chin in thought for a moment before smiling at the man.

"How about a swim?" She shrugged, doing her best to seem casual. Natsu stared at her for a moment before nodding with a grin.

"Sure!" He exclaimed as he stripped down to his boxers and leapt in to the pond. Cana was slightly dumbfounded at how quickly the man had gotten out of his clothes. She idly wondered if he could strip faster than Grey could, but pushed that notion aside when she saw his head emerge from the water, his happy gaze on the woman as he treaded the water. "You coming in or not?"

"Yeah yeah..." Cana grumbled as she took a deep breath. Natsu submerged himself once more in the water, giving Cana the opportunity that she had wanted. Natsu came out of the water once more to see Cana wading her way over towards him, though she stopped about half way over to him and reached behind herself. Natsu watched her for a moment before she smiled lightly, sinking below the water for a few seconds. When she resurfaced, Natsu noticed that she was holding something in her hand. He watched her draaw her arm back before lobbing whatever was in her hand over to the shore. Natsu watched the object come unfurled in the air before landing over by his clothes, the object revealing the very familiar colour of her bikini top. Natsu stuttered for a moment, falling under the surface once more aganist his will before remembering how to swim and bringing himself back up. By the time he had finished choking on his tongue, Cana had covered the last of the distance and was now treading water besides him. Natsu turned to face the woman, doing his best to keep his eyes on her face, and nowhere else.

"W-why did y-you..." Natsu began to stumble over his words. Cana giggled lightly.

"I don't like wearing wet clothes, and not everyone is a walking drier like you. I don't see what the big deal is, you've seen me topless before." She reminded the man of all of their times growing up, and the few times he had stumbled across the woman after a drunken night in the guild. Natsu swallowed thickly, partly believing he had just swallowed his tongue.

"I... I guess..."

"I'm just surprised you're freaking out over my top." Cana shrugged, a small blush on her face.

"What?" The man squeaked out. Cana almost erupted in to laughter when the water around them seemed to heat up almost instantly. She kept the urge at bay as she raised a painted nail and pointed to the shore, Natsu's eyes following to see her shorts and a pair of dark blue panties as well. Cana had to swim away from him a bit as the water around him began to boil. The man turned to face the brunette once more, a deep blush on his face.

"So that means you're..."

"Naked." Cana confirmed with a smile. Natsu didn't say anything, merely slipping under the surface of the water for nearly a minute as the water stopped boiling. Cana took the chance to swim closer to the man, flashing him a glowing smile when he came back up. Natsu noticed how close she was immediately and tried to swim back, only to feel her hand grab his under the water.

"Cana I-"

"Relax. Deep breaths." Cana told him, doing her best to relax the man. "Do you know why I did this?"

"I do- I mean I-" Cana placed a finger to his lips.

"I did this because I want you to know how I feel. Over the last few months, I've really come to enjoy spending time with you. You don't try to push me in any way you want, you just let me be me. You've helped me cut back on my drinking, and you've made me feel welcomed no matter what. It means a lot to me that you're spending so much of your time with me, and I want you to know how I feel about you." She brought his hand towards her chest, sighing lightly when his hand made contact with her breast. She held him there for several seconds, nearly releasing him when it seemed like he wouldn't respond, before she felt his hand begin to cup her breast.

"Cana. I-"

"Let me finish first. Please." Cana interrupted him. She felt some relief that he didn't stop his motions against her. "I've come to grow some pretty strong feelings for you. You've helped to make me a better person, and I want to spend as much time with you as I can." She finished. She stared in to Natsu's eyes silently for what felt like an eternity before the man finally responded.

"Okay."

"I know you said I wasn't- wait what?"

"I said okay." Natsu responded, giving her a squeeze, causing the woman to stifle a moan. "I was wrong to think you weren't my type. That night I saw something in your eyes, and it gave me a weird feeling. Something I haven't felt before. I don't know if this was the instinct that Igneel was telling me about, but I want to find out."

"Oh." Cana finished lamely, her hand releasing Natsu's, though the man still didn't let her boob go.

"Yeah. So now what?" The man asked, now all too aware of his hand, and the situation that they were in. Both made eye contact, and began to blush furiously when Natsu squeezed again and Cana let out a low moan. The man quickly withdrew his hand and turned around, much to Cana's relief and amusement.

"Well now I'm pretty sure we're dating. So why don't you turn back around and get a good look at your girlfriend's awesome body?" Cana teased as she pressed herself against his back, draping her arms over his shoulder and tracing small patterns on his chest. She felt joy when the man let out a small shiver and felt the rumble from the growl that erupted from him.

"Cana." The woman quickly decided that the way he said her name, that feral growl that sent a heated shiver down her spine, was a new favorite of hers. She now had a goal to make him say her name that way as many times as she could. She broke herself from her thoughts with a stuttering breath and brought her lips up to his ear.

"What's the matter Natsu?" She whispered huskily against his ear, enjoying the way that she felt his muscles tensing beneath her, like a predator about to pounce. She allowed her hands to venture lower, tracing along his abs and the waist of his boxers. She felt amazing with this powerful man, some would argue him to be one of the strongest alive, writhing under her grasp. Every touch was responded with a twitching muscle or a stutter. His name fell from her lips in such an animalistic way that she felt like she was burning up inside. She was startled when she felt Natsu's hand clamp against her wrist, but the shock quickly died away when he pressed her hand against the very hard bulge in his shorts. Cana wrapped her hands around him, stroking him through his shorts while placing kisses and bites against his neck.

Natsu felt like he was going to explode. Cana's mouth was doing such delicious things to his neck, and her hand on his cock felt absolutely amazing. He was about to speak, but it died in a loud moan when her hand slipped under his boxers to cup him directly. Natsu leaned his head back, resting it against Cana's shoulder while he began to pant heavily.

"Does it feel good?" Cana panted in his ear, gently biting the lobe after. Natsu gave a shakey nod and groaned out her voice again in response. Cana was about to speak again, but was silenced when a deep growl rumbled through Natsu's chest. She barely withdrew her hand from his boxers when the man snapped around, her eyes locking on to his. She felt a tingle run up her spine once more when she saw the deep green in his eyes, bordering anger and madness as he stared in to hers.

Natsu could only stare at the hunger in her deep purple eyes, and the feeling in his chest grew. Another growl ripped through his chest, and her blush seemed to grow. Natsu watched her tongue poke out and moisten her lips, and the man could no longer contain himself. Launching himself forward, he smashed his mouth to hers, glad that she seemed just as eager to reciprocate as her tongue mingled with his. She tasted like cinnamon and honey, and Natsu couldn't get enough as he roamed his hands all over her body.

Cana wasn't sure when they had reached the shore, but the rough sand against her back shocked her back to reality. The woman put a hand against Natsu's chest and gently pushed the man off, which he did reluctantly do.

"What's the matter?" He asked, breathing heavily. Cana noted his heavy blush and somewhat swollen lips, and felt a bit of pride at seeing the side that nobody else ever had. He sat back on his rear in order to catch his breath for a moment longer. Cana looked in to his lap, noticing the large bulge, and couldn't help the deep blush on her face.

"Do you think we're moving a bit too fast?" She gasped out as a breeze hit her, reminding her of just how exposed she was.

"Not at all." The man panted from above her.

"What do you mean by that?" Cana asked when Natsu who proceeded to stand tall and look at her.

"It's like I told you. Dragons don't really date around. I know what Igneel was talking about now, I feel that instinct. Turns out that you are exactly my type." The man chuckled to the brunette. Cana stared wide eyed at the dragon slayer for a moment before a smile too over her face.

"So how does this mating thing work?" Cana asked with a raised eyebrow. Natsu smiled at her.

"It's simple. We... uh... mate, I mark you, and then we're a mated pair."

"And it lasts?"

"Forever. Better make sure you can handle something like that. No going back after we do this." Natsu spoke calmly, but Cana could see the apprehension in his eyes. Standing up and walking towards the man, Cana did her best to ease the man's troubled mind.

"And you promise to be there for me when I need you?"

"Of course." Natsu spoke as he brought a hand up and cupped her cheek. "I'd be there for you whether we mated or not. I've gotten to know you so much better, and I can safely say that you're one of my most precious people." The man finished with a smile. Cana felt herself tearing up at the genuine kindness in the man's words.

"I love you." She sighed gently, enjoying the way it rolled off of her tongue. Natsu's eyes lit up with joy at her words and he pulled her in to a hug, nuzzling his nose in to her neck.

"I love you too." He murmered against her neck, placing a light kiss against her skin. Cana let out a small sigh when she felt Natsu begin to kiss and nip against her neck. Cana leaned her head to the side to allow Natsu better access, which he took immediately to begin nipping against the pressure point on her neck, causing the woman to let out a small moan. Natsu clamped his mouth down and began to suck roughly, causing Cana to dig her nails in to the man's shoulder and let out a hiss.

"And you're sure you've never done this before?" Cana panted out when Natsu released her neck with a pop. The man grinned at her and covered her mouth with his again. Cana felt his tongue brush against her lips, and brought hers forth to meet his. The two shared a kiss until the need for air grew to be too great and they parted, both panting as they stared at each other. Natsu gave a smirk.

"Nope. I'm in new territory here, just going off of instinct."

"Those are some pretty damn good instincts you got." Cana smirked back at him.

"Hasn't failed me yet." Natsu replied.

"So tell me then, dragon man, what are your instincts telling you to do now?" Cana asked as she traced her fingertips over Natsu's chest, tracing each muscle as she stared in to his eyes.

"They're telling me I should lose these boxers."

"And they're right." Cana smiled at the man, who quickly pushed his boxers down and stepped out of them. He stood nude before the equally naked card mage, both staring at tthe other for a moment before Cana took the initiative and brought the man in to a kiss. Natsu brought his hands up to rest on the woman's hips, slowly rubbing circles in to her soft skin. Cana hummed gently in to the kiss, enjoying the way his fingers felt against her. The two seperated after several minutes, both breathing heavily, with smiles on their faces.

"My oh my, it feels like somebody is happy to see me." Cana smirked at the bulge she felt pressing against her stomach. Natsu responded with a fanged grin, his eyes glowing playfully.

"Would you rather I be happy to see Lucy or Mira?" Natsu teased back. Cana's eyes narrowed a bit before her hand shot down to grip the man, squeezing him a little too firmly.

"Not a chance. Now that I've got you, don't expect me to let go." Cana warned.

"Got it. Not that I'm saying to let go, but could you maybe not hold it so tight?" Natsu whimpered with a nod. Cana held his gaze for a moment more before nodding and easing her grip up. Natsu let out a sigh of relief, but nearly choked on it when Cana began to pump her hand up and down his shaft slowly.

"How's this then?" Cana whispered against his ear before gently nibbling on the lobe. Natsu groaned against the woman's grip for a moment before drawing her in to a kiss, his tongue darting in to her mouth to mingle with hers. Natsu drank in the woman's moans when he brought his hand up to squeeze and caress her breasts, taking a moment to show attention to each nipple. By the time the two broke the kiss, Cana had a deep blush on her face as she did her best to regulate her breathing, and Natsu looked like he was about to lose his mind at the woman's sinful hand.

"Cana." The man warned the brunette, who could only look at him with mirthful eyes. She smiled at seeing him so close to release, and quickly sank to her knees. Natsu met the woman's gaze, but any words died on his tongue when her mouth enveloped he tip of his cock. Natsu grit his teeth and locked his knees to keep from falling over when the woman gave his cock a rough suck, her cheeks hollowing as she moved down his length. Natsu's hands found their way in to her hair, gently tugging the woman a bit further down with a low growl. Cana suppressed a gag and looked up in to her boyfriend's eyes, seeing him struggling to keep his sanity. Deciding to try her best to make him let loose, Cana supressed her gag reflex and took the rest of his length down her throat.

Natsu felt his head spin when his mate took the rest of him down her throat, the tightness breaking the last of his sanity. Letting loose a snarl, Natsu held Cana's head in place while he began to thrust in to his mates throat. Panting heavily, the man savoured the feeling as his hips bucked against Cana's face. He felt her tongue massaging his shaft as one of her hands held on to his thigh and the other came up to cradle his balls, her palm squeezing and tugging pleasantly on his sack. Natsu felt his end quickly approaching, and Cana could too if the look she was giving him was anything to go by. He felt her hands push back against his thighs, and against his better wishes, began to pull back from her throat, but before he could pull completely from her mouth, Cana latched her mouth to the head of his cock and brought a hand up to stroke what wasn't in her mouth.

Cana mentally cheered in victory at seeing the dragon slayer coming apart. Feeling him swell in her grasp, the woman gave one last rough suck as she gave a pump to his cock. The man above her groaned as she felt the first of many jets of his seed enter her mouth, and soon enough she was having to swallow it down before it could overflow from her mouth. She battled with the flow for several seconds before she could feel it beginning to taper off, and Cana could only let out a sigh of relief when it finally stopped. She released Natsu's cock with a loud pop, leaning back to look at the panting man while sighing in satisfaction at just how full and warm her stomach felt now.

"Well big guy, how was that?" Cana asked while bringing a hand up to massage her throat. The man panted for a few moments more, merely offering a weak thumbs up to the brunette, who could only smile in pride at being able to silence the seemingly never endingly noisy dragon slayer. Natsu caught his breath for a few more minutes before looking at the brunette massaging her throat, and letting out a small apology.

"Sorry. Didn't mean to lose control like that. Are you okay?"

"Yeah." Cana spoke lowly, not wanting to agitate her sore throat more than it already was. "I'll be fine, it's just that you're the first person I've ever let do that, so I'm not really used to that."

"I'll be more careful the next time we do this." Natsu apologised sheepishly, rubbing the back of his head awkwardly. Cana nodded and gave the man a smile that quickly turned devious.

"I'm glad that we've worked that out," The woman spoke huskily, catching the man's attention instantly, as she rolled over and got on her hands and knees. She wiggled her exposed ass to the man with a smirk. "But do you think you're okay to go another round? I'd hate to think that all of that energy you have pertains to fighting only." She teased, only to see the man nearly teleport behind her. She felt one hand move to her shoulder and hold her steady, while his other hand grasped at his length and rubbed it along her soaking womanhood.

"Are you sure about this?" Natsu asked quietly, snapping Cana from her haze. "Once I do this, there's no going back. It's going to be you and me until we die." Natsu warned. Cana felt her heart warm at how the man was prepared to stop everything for her if she asked. She peered at him from over her shoulder and flashed him a smile.

"I'm sure, Natsu. I love you, and I want this." She spoke while pressing herself backwards, grinding against Natsu's manhood. The man let out a hiss and nodded, flashing the woman a heartfelt smile.

"Okay." He spoke while positioning the head of his cock at her entrance. He slid himself forward, groaning as the new sensation enveloped his length, until his hips rested against, Cana's. He pulled back, nearly all the way out, before thrusting back in. He did this several more times before establishing a gentle rhythm.

Cana moaned as Natsu stretched her in all the best ways. She had several lovers over the years, but none had filled her in the way that Natsu currently was. She could feel every bump and vein on his cock as he slid in and out of her. She felt his hips press against hers, a small smacking sound echoing in to the forest around them. Cana bit her lip and turned to look at her mate, seeing his jaw clenched in concentration.

Was he holding back?

Cana wasn't going to tolerate anything less than his best if he was going to make her his mate, and told him just that. "Don't hold back Natsu. I want to feel you giving me everything as hard and fast as you can. We can make love latter, but for right now I want you to fuck me!" The woman practically yelled, only for her voice to catch in her throat when his eyes locked with hers. His dark green eyes had slitted, his skin began to have patches of scales appearing all over his face and arms. They crept over his chest, and Cana could feel the scales encompassing his cock as well. His mouth opened, showing his fangs had somehow become even sharper. The man let out a snarl before both of his hands found her hips, and his thrusts took to pounding in to the woman as hard and fast as he could go. Cana felt her eyes go wide when her first orgasm sprung up on her. It had happened with nearly no warning, and Cana let her mouth fall open in a silent scream as her mate groaned behind her. She felt his pace slow for a moment, giving her enough time to take a deep breath, before he resumed his pace. Cana let out a long moan, her fingers digging trenches in the sand as they clenched in pleasure. She felt a hand leave her hips and move up her side before cupping her breast. She felt this orgasm approaching, cursing her sudden sensitivity, and was once more pushed over the edge when Natsu pinched her nipple. She clenched around the man with a scream as her second orgams overtook her vision, noting how his pace didn't slow down or stop. She felt the strength leave her arms and collapsed upon the sand on the shore, her arms moving in front of her to brace against the sand and act as a cushion for her head. Behind her, Natsu's hands had found her hips once more as the man continued to ruthlessly fuck his mate.

Cana could barely form a coherent thought. Natsu had been stirring up her insides for nearly half an hour, and had yet to achieve his end. Cana had been given multiple orgasms, but at this point she wasn't sure how many more she could take before she passed out. She felt like she was going to break at any moment, the pleasure rocking every nerve in her body. She felt Natsu's pace become erratic behind her, and feel his cock swelling within her, and her body was rocked once more by a soul shattering orgasm while she felt her mate thrust himself in to her several more times before she felt molten lava flood her womb.

She heard the man roar out in to the surrounding woods with his release, his jaw clamping on to her shoulder, just before darkness overtook her mind and vision.

Cana awoke to warmth surrounding her and the moon lighting the forest around her. She felt muscular arms wrapped around her chest, and could still feel the liquid fie in her sighed happily when she felt her mate's nose press in to her hair as he placed a kiss against her temple. She turned to look at the man, who could only smile warmly at her.

"Did you sleep well?" He asked calmly. Cana could only nod, her voice surely would have failed her if she spoke. Natsu smiled and drew the woman in for a kiss. "Good. We should probably get home soon, it is very late."

Cana nodded and stood up, but had to brace herself against Natsu when her legs nearly gave out beneath her. Natsu wrapped a hand around her waist, their bundled clothes in his other hand, and the two began the small trek back to Natsu's house. Natsu opened the door to his cottage and the two walked in and over to his hammock. Natsu held the hammock steady while Cana climbed on to the makeshift bed, before climbing in next to her. Her wrapped his arms around her, and the two fell asleep almost as soon as he did.

Cana was the first to wake up, the sun's glare doing it's best to travel hundreds of millions of miles with the sole intent of waking her up. She sat up with a grumble, doing her best to rub the sleep out of her eyes, before looking down to her boyfriend. He was sprawled out, a trail of drool hanging out of his mouth while he snored. She smiled softly, the realization that this was the man she was going to spend the rest of her life with doing nothing but warm her heart. She was broken from her thoughts by a chuckle above her. Looking up, she was met with the sight of a blue Exceed giggling at her. Cana held in a huff and opted to question the giggling feline.

"What?"

"You're naked."

"Yeah. That happens when you do what me and Natsu did." Cana snorted in amusement when the Exceed stopped giggling and gawked at her.

"So that means you're his mate?" Happy's hushed whisper of awe was adorable to Cana, who could only nod with a smile on her face. "I need to go tell Mira. She's gonna give me so much fish!" The blue feline shot from his hammock above Natsu's and towards the door, but was halted when a hand grabbed his tail and yanked him back. He turned and trembled in fear when he met Cana's fierce glare.

"You won't tell that she-demon anything. If you do..." Cana grew a devious smirk on her face. "If you do, I'll make sure that Carla never falls in love with you, and you two will never eat fish together. Is that what you want?"

"N-no..." The Exceed began to tear up at the thought of never getting his dream fulfilled, and Cana almost felt bad.

Almost.

"Good." Cana said as she released the cat. "Now if you keep quiet, and let us tell the guild when we're ready, then I'll give you a thousand jewels worth of fish." Cana felt better about herself now that she had garnered such a reaction of pure elation and love on the Exceed's face. She watched the Exceed fly towards the door.

"Okay! I'm going to go to the guild though. Lisanna and Wendy invited me to go on a job with them!" The feline shirped happily before sprouting his wings and shooting off towards the guild. Cana could only huff in amusement, before another chuckle caught her attention.

"Did you have to scare him so much?" Natsu asked, mirth in his eyes as he stared at his mate. Cana rolled her eyes.

"I dunno, did you want him blabbing about us so soon to the whole guild?" Cana retorted. Natsu snorted before sitting up and bringing the woman in to a hug.

"I don't care. You are my mate, and that's all that matters to me." Natsu nuzzled in to the woman's neck, kissing the the bite mark that he had made the previous night. Cana sighed at the gesture, running her hands through Natsu's hair.

"I guess that's true. So, I guess we're married now?"

"In dragon terms, yes. In human terms, no."

"So," Cana teased, with a smirk on her face. "Does this mean that it's time to plan a wedding? Oh I can't wait to get you in to a tuxedo, and then get you OUT of a tuxedo." Cana smirked lewdly at her joke, causing Natsu to chuckle.

"Okay." Natsu said plainly. Cana stopped her lewd thought for a moment to stare at the dragon slayer.

"What?"

"I said okay. Let's have a wedding so that everyone can know that we're mates. Then nobody can argue it." Natsu spoke simply. Cana had to lean away from the man.

"You sure?" Cana asked quietly. Natsu nodded and kissed the woman gently.

"I am. Plus the sooner we marry, the sooner we can have kids without people being all judgemental." Natsu threw in, instantly causing Cana to blush.

"K-kids?!" Cana stuttered out.

"Well yeah. What did you think sex was for?"

"I know what it's for!" Cana shrieked. "I just... I never saw myself as the mother type, you know? What if I'm not good, or what if our kids take after my drinking, or god forbid they're like my father."

"Oh Mavis..." Natsu spoke lowly, his whole form suddenly trembling. Cana turned to him.

"What? You agree with me, right? We're not meant to be pa-" She was silenced by a hand clamping over her mouth.

"Not that. I know you'll be a great mother. I just realized what I've done to Gildart's daughter. The daughter he loves and is very protective of... I'm a dead man..." Natsu trembled lightly. Cana looked at her boyfriend before a chuckle erupted from her throat.

"You'll be fine. I do think we should tell him before we tell the guild though." Cana assured her boyfriend, who could only stare at her in confusion.

"How will we do that? He's never at the guild, and I don't want to keep us a secret until he returns." Natsu huffed, crossing his arms. Cana smirked at the man before reaching over to her clothes and pulling out her cards. She shuffled through the deck for a moment before finding a bright orange card.

"I gave him a card to get ahold of him if I ever needed to."

"So we're just gonna tell him over this? Seems easy enough." Natsu sighed in relief as he watched Cana channel some magic in to the card. Several moments later, a picutre of Gildarts appeared on the card.

"Cana, my beutiful darling! Why have you called your papa on this lovely day. Have you called to check on me, to see that I am alive? I'm so happy to see my baby girl loves her father so much!" Natsu had to hold a hand over his mouth to listen to the man gushing over his daughter. Cana merely had a scowl on her face while she pinched the bridge of her nose, a blush on her face.

"Can it old man!" Cana bellowed, silencing her father for a moment, though Natsu could hear the man grumbling about his mean daughter. "I called to tell you something important."

"Oh? And what is it my daughter? Did someone hurt you? Do you need money? Are you in jail?! Where are you in jail, I'll come get you right away!" The man was practically screaming. Cana yelled for silence at the card once more, causing the most powerful Fairy Tail mage to fall silent again.

"I called to tell you... That I'm pregnant and that Natsu is the father. Okay bye!" Cana quickly tore the card in to tiny pieces, and turned to the gawking dragon slayer.

"Why the fuck did you do that?!" Natsu screamed while leaping from the hammock. He began to dig through his clothes, throwing them in to his backpack while quickly dressing himself. "If I hurry I can escape the country before he returns. Oh fuck!"

Cana was holding her sides from how hard she was laughing, tears pouring down her cheeks. Natsu turned to her, a scowl on his pale face.

"Why?" He asked as he moved towards the door. Cana wiped her tears and stood up before limping over to the dragon slayer.

"That's for saying I wasn't your type that night!" Cana broke out in to a fit of giggles before leaning forward and drawing the stuttering Natsu in to a deep kiss. "And that was for good luck. You should get running, but look on the bright side."

"There's a bright side?" Natsu asked, a small glimmer of hope in his voice. Cana nodded.

"Yeah, by the time you get back, the wedding should be all planned out." Cana shushed him with a single finger when he opened his mouth to speak once more. "And, if you make it back alive, I will drag you back to this cabin and I will ride you until we can't walk. We're going to spend days in here, with nothing to do but fuck like rabbits, eat, and sleep." Cana gave him another kiss, palming his erection through his pants. "But that's only if you survive. Better hurry, clocks ticking."

"Mavis fucking damn it!" Natsu bellowed as he shouldered his backpack and made a mad dash away from the cottage and in to the forest. Cana chuckled as she shut the door, wandering over to her clothes to slowly dress once more. Gildarts wouldn't kill him, he liked the dragon slayer too much. He would probably hurt him very badly until the dragon slayer explained everything, but he wouldn't kill him. Cana stumbled over to the front door of the cottage once more, her legs still sore from the previous day's activities. She grabbed a broom and used it as a makeshift cane as she slowly began to walk towards the guild, eager to share news of her new relationship with the guild.

She had girls to gather and a wedding to plan.

So I'm pretty happy with this. I know the end feels a bit rushed, but I have some things I need to get taken care of, and I have been having to force myself to sit down and write this. I was about halfway through it when my computer crashed and I had to re write it.

Ever get so mad at something that you just say fuck it and don't do it for several days out of spite? That's me with my computer right now. But I got my issues fixed, and should be able to write a bit more now. I had hoped to write during my recovery time from the hospital, but that didn't happen.

Anyway, I'm back and should be updating my Light hopefully soon, but if you have any ideas for a good pairing or one shot, let me know and I'll take it under consideration.

Read and review and I hope you enjoyed it,

Temper