I do not own Fairy Tail, Hiro Mashima does.

This is going to be a one shot here and any and ALL criticism is much appreciated. If you don't like how something is said or done, tell me. I can't get better or fix my mistakes without more input from you all who read this!

Though darkness had claimed the guild, there were plenty of members still there, fighting, laughing, and generally just making a mess. It had been a fairly normal day, as far as you can call Fairy Tail or its members normal. A familiar scene was just coming about, Gray was insulting Natsu and in turn Natsu had risen to the challenge with his fists. The only thing that stopped the two was a gauntleted fist from Fairy Tails very own Titania. Happy sat on the bar, eating a fish that had seemingly appeared out of thin air while he watched Natsu drag himself away from the angry woman. With a thud, Natsu dropped his head on the counter groaning. "Why does Erza have to ruin our fun every time?" The Dragon Slayer spat at no one in particular.

"Maybe if you didn't destroy the guild every time you two fought she would go a little easy on you from time to time." A voice called over to him from down the bar. He looked over to see a smiling Mirajane and
gave her a frown that furrowed his brows. "But Gray started it!" He whined.

"He asked you when you were going to go on another job, Natsu." Mirajane said shaking her head.

"Besides, Lucy isn't back from her date yet. We can't pick one without her!" Natsu said with a wave of his hand to dismiss the issue. "Maybe I should go get her, she has been complaining about being short on rent this month." With that he pushed away from the bar and started to march out the door now that he had a personal mission.

Happy jumped up in his way and grabbed his legs to hold him back to only get drug along. "But Natsu! She said she wouldn't let us sleep in her bed anymore if we showed up tonight!" That finally brought the Dragon Slayer to a halt with a sigh. He slumped his shoulders forward and dropped into a chair next to Lisanna. "Why do girls insist so much on going on dates?" He inquired sadly. Mirajane blushed slightly and laughed. "Girls like to feel wanted and to have someone pay attention to them." She explained, noting a confused look on Natsu's face.

"But I pay attention to her, and she is a part of the team. We need her; it wouldn't be the same without her." He responded, still seeking a better answer from the barmaid. "Am I not enough?" He asked.

Mirajane jumped, startled by his sudden question. "It isn't that you are not enough... It is more that she is trying to find a little happiness outside of the guild. Why, are you jealous that she is spending time with someone other than you outside of the guild? I know you are both usually combined at the hip, but do you like her?" The mage asked, thinking she already knew the answer.

"Of course I like her. She's family." He said with a smile.

Mirajane sighed and shook her head; of course he wouldn't have known what she was asking. He was too immature to understand such things. An idea popped into her head, she could tease him and see if she could get a straight answer out of him.

"Ne... Natsu. What do you and Lucy do when you stay over at her place? As far as I know she only has the one bed, do you sleep in her bed too?" The Dragon Slayer cocked his head to the side and gave her a strange look. "Why would I not sleep in her bed? We are partners anyways, we share everything!" A smile spread across his lips, revealing his sharp white teeth in a toothy grin.

"No wonder she wants to keep you out of her bed. What would her date think if he came over to find a man sleeping in her bed?" Mirajane said with a laugh. Shaking her head at Natsu's confused look she decided to give in. He was just too dense to understand. Cursing at herself she reminded herself that she wasn't far behind him. She had kept her feelings bottled up for so long because she thought Lisanna and he would end up together. Then Lucy had shown up and it had looked like they were going to become an item. Now both Lucy and Lisanna stood in her way. How many times would she be willing to step back to see someone else be happy in place of herself.

Natsu was the one that brought her back to reality with a groan. The woman shook herself mentally and smiled back down at him. "Why do you like to sleep in her bed anyways? You have your own house."

Natsu smiled sheepishly. "Her bed is more comfortable... And besides, I feel alone at my place. Even Happy isn't staying with me much anymore; he has been spending more time with Wendy and Charle. Speaking of Happy, where did he..." Natsu started to ask only to see the blue Exceed float out the door to follow Charle.

"Another night alone?" Mirajane asked sadly. She knew the feeling well; even though Lisanna and Elfman lived with her they were almost always gone on missions. With her always working the bar she had not joined a team or even taken the time to date. She already knew who she wanted, even if he didn't.

Natsu nodded and pushed himself to his feet, feeling slightly defeated. "I will see you tomorrow Mira." He gave her a wave and left the building without another word.

Mirajane watched as he left, feeling sorry for the Dragon Slayer. A thought quickly rushed into her and before she could even realize she was reacting, she was around the counter pulling the guild doors open. "Natsu!" She called out, seeing the sullen mage turn questioningly towards him. "It's too dark, would you mind walking me home?" She could feel her cheeks redden by the heat that ran through her face.

"Aye!" Natsu called back to her, waving for her to catch up. It struck him as odd that she would ask to be walked home when she was one of the more powerful mages in the guild, but didn't question it. He waited only long enough for her to catch up before heading towards her house. Locking his arms behind his head, the Dragon Slayer stared up at the sky as they walked in silence.

Mirajane walked close behind Natsu, cursing herself at not thinking this over before calling him over. She wasn't afraid of the younger man, but she was apprehensive about what he would say. She wasn't Lucy by any means. How could she ever hope to replace her in his eyes. She jumped when she realized he was watching her over his shoulder and made herself smile at him. "Thank you for walking with me, I don't like being out in the dark by myself." She said trying to break the silence.

Natsu smiled back, "Sure thing. You know I would do anything for you Mira." He watched her for a minute before they reached her place, her porch lighting up their arrival.

The silence between them came back as she stood there trying to find her words. "You don't have to be alone..." She said finally. "What do you mean?" He asked, not catching her meaning.

"Why don't you come up with me? You can pretend you are staying at Lucy's." Mirajane immediately kicked herself at the last statement. She wanted him to look at her and see her not Lucy or Lisanna.

Natsu's face split from ear to ear in a wide grin. "Really? Alright!" He cheered before walking in behind her. She immediately shushed him. "Quiet, Lisanna and Elfman are probably already asleep. We don't want to wake them to know you were here." She said sternly.

"Why not? What is wrong with me being here?" He asked, wondering if either of the two siblings had an issue with him that would want him to stay away from their home. Okay, he was extremely destructive and loud. Maybe they had a point, but he wasn't going to admit to that they had a legitimate reason. Mira's reason however wasn't what he was expecting. "What would they think if they found you sleeping in my bed? Elfman would think you took advantage of me! Despite how untrue it would be, we don't need them questioning it." She grabbed his hand and pulled him to her room silently, giggling as he walked over to her bed and flopped down on it, sighing as he sunk into it.

"Oh this bed feels amazing." He said with a laugh. Mira walked over to her closet and pulled out a simple pair of pajamas. Thinking it over she put them back and grabbed a nicer pair, one that would show off her figure. She figured if she had gone this far to bring him into her room she might as well make the best of it. "Get comfortable, I am going to go take a shower. I will be back in a few." She said before disappearing out her door, shutting it behind her.

As soon as she had locked herself in the bathroom, Mira flushed brightly. 'What are you doing? Bringing him here and sleeping next to him? What do you want to happen? Do I even want it to happen?' She asked herself. She ignored her own questions and busied herself with cleaning her body. After her shower she brushed her teeth and dropped her clothes off in the laundry bin before heading back. When she arrived she found him sound asleep in the middle of her bed, a small smile placed across his lips. She watched him from her doorway for a time, taking note about how his breathing slowed steadily and how his fingers curled around the blankets.

She had to push him to get him to slide over, but the movement didn't seem to wake him. When she reasoned she had enough room she slipped in herself, turning to face him so she wouldn't take up as much room. Sleep easily grabbed ahold of her and pulled her deep within her own mind.

Natsu's lips gently brushed her own, bringing the mage out of her slumber silently. She was met with the dark black eyes of her Dragon Slayer. 'Why did that just pop into my head?' She thought to herself. She had never
known herself to be possessive. Quite the contrary as... Her thoughts faded away as he pressed his lips to hers again, overly cautious. "Mira..." He whispered before kissing her again. "What are you doing Natsu?" She questioned putting a hand to his chest to hold him back. "I don't know..." He responded. "But it feels right. Don't make me stop..." He said pushing past her hand again to kiss her. Without thinking she pressed her lips back against his, giving him permission to continue. She rolled with him as he tried to get over her until she hit something warm. She tried again but was met against the same force she couldn't see.

Mira awoke with a start, snapping out of her dream. A groan rolled through her and a hand reached up to her cold lips. It had all been a dream, just a dream and nothing more. It had felt so real that she could remember the warmth of his lips against hers and a blush flooded her cheeks. She then realized what she had been pushed up against, the real Natsu. Luckily she hadn't woke him. She needed to get up, needed to splash some water in her face to get her mind off of him. As she rolled over to get out of bed she felt a hand stop her. "Please don't go..." A voice whispered pleadingly. She rolled over silently to find Natsu had spoken in his sleep, pain clearly etched into his face. Settling back into the bed, she held his hand in hers and whispered back to him. "I'm here Natsu. I won't leave you." She felt his other hand reach around her waist and pull her to his chest. There was no way he was still asleep right? He looked it, but she wasn't sure. She curled into his body and simply let herself enjoy the moment she had been graced with.

Natsu woke slowly, groaning as he stretched happily. It was surprisingly a good night's sleep. He felt the sun on his bare back and moaned as he felt something brush against him, only to freeze a moment later. He couldn't remember where he was except that he knew he wasn't at home or Lucy's apartment. Looking down at his chest, his eyes widened as he saw the woman. "Mira!" He cried out, rolling out of the bed to hit the ground with a solid thud. "What...? When did..." He started to ask before he heard other footsteps in the hallway and Elfman's familiar voice calling out to see if she was okay. The woman in the bed simply looked at him, as if bewildered at his actions. Natsu's fight or flight reaction kicked in and before he knew it, he had dove out her window from the third story building and hit the ground running.

Mira sat on the bed, watching the Dragon Slayer run away. Elfman was closer now and she could hear his urgent pleas for her to answer him. She noticed Natsu's scarf and vest on the floor and hurriedly hid them under her blankets before meeting Elfman at the door. "Mira are you alright?" He asked looking passed her in the room. "I thought I heard..." He said shaking his head. "I don't know what, but I know I heard your name."

Mira raised her hands and swept the room with an arm. "Nothing is wrong, don't worry... Head back and I will be out in a moment to make breakfast..." She smiled at her brother
to fend off his questions. She could hardly tell him that Natsu had slept with her then ran off.

Natsu sat just outside the guild on a tree branch so he could watch the road leading to the front gates. After waking up next to Mira with little knowledge of what had happened the night prior, he had freaked out and run away. He only stopped when he had gotten home. He remembered walking her home then falling asleep in her bed. That hadn't explained why he only had pants on when he had woken up. Or why she was against him, him holding her close, or even the fact that he hadn't wanted to let go.

The only thing that made sense to him was that he needed to apologize for whatever he did and let her punish him how she deemed fit. A sinking feeling entered his stomach as soon as he saw her. He had to make this right. He dropped to the ground and noticed she had his scarf around her waist, walking towards him. But he didn't see anger in her, only the smile that broke across her face when she saw him. He gave her a weak smile as she got closer and let his eyes drop, trying not to notice how much cleavage her dress showed off. He failed.

When she got close he opened his mouth to find the words to say, but they came out a jumbled mess. "I wanted to... Talk with... I need to... I'm sorry..." He finally said. He closed his eyes and prepared himself for a slap and recoiled when she draped his scarf over his shoulders. "You left in too much of a hurry this morning that I couldn't thank you for helping me last night." When he opened his eyes carefully she simply walked past him as if nothing was wrong.

He spun around and grabbed her wrist before she could get away. "What exactly happened last night?" He asked quickly. He could feel his brain try to keep up and felt it falter. Things were not making sense to him. She had answers that he needed.

Mira stopped and looked over her shoulder at him, smiling at his confusion. "Not telling." With that she gave a small wink and walked away. She giggled to herself at how easy it was to toy with him. It would only bring him closer to her. Maybe it could bring him to understand where she stood. She walked back to the guild and went about her business.

Natsu sat a distance away from the bar that Mirajane was working and frowned at her. She should have been mad should have yelled at him. But instead she only smiled at him and teased him. Of course she had always teased him about girls and Gray but it wasn't like her usual self to play with him like this. It drove him crazy to no end. He wanted to keep asking her, to find out what happened.

When night started to fall again he waited until she was about to leave before standing up and walking over to her. "Care to walk me home again?" She asked with a smile. She watched his lips as she had been all day. She had to know what they tasted like. "Will you tell me what happened?" He asked in
response. She licked her lips and nodded. "Come back with me and I will tell you everything."

With a sigh, Natsu raised his arm to indicate her to lead the way and followed a couple of steps behind her. With a smile, she stopped and turned around, placing her hands behind her back. She waited until he stopped before walking towards him. He visibly stiffened when she reached up to his cheek. "I can't believe you don't remember what happened last night..." She pulled herself closer until her breath tickled at his ear. "Because nothing happened. All you did was sleep in my bed and keep me from being alone." Mira stepped away from him and turned to walk away but was stopped.

"Then why have you teased me all day about it? If I really never did anything then why...?" He asked quietly.

Mira looked him in the eyes and smiled. "Because I wanted you to believe you had done something. I wanted to know how you would react if something had happened." She found that it was difficult to hold her smile but forced herself to hold it.

Natsu shook his head slowly. "It isn't that something happened. But rather if I did something to you. I can't lose another friend." The fire mage wrapped his arms around her and pulled her to him. "I don't want to lose you."

Mira's heart swelled. If she couldn't be his in a romantic way then she could at least be a good friend to him. It would keep him close, maybe that was enough. At least she thought it would be enough. Maybe in time she would convince him otherwise. "Are you heading to Lucy's again?" She asked hesitantly pushing away from him and grabbing her door.

Natsu downcast his eyes from hers and shook his head. "She asked me to stay away again, something about a second date." Of course she hadn't told him not to come over, but she had implied it simply by giving him a look. "Then stay with me again?" She asked
stepping into her doorway.

"Are you sure?" Natsu asked unsure. He had never felt so out of control around her. It wasn't that he couldn't control himself around her, but thinking about being alone with her stirred something inside him and left him confused. "Maybe I shouldn't..." He said finally and shook his head.

"Please?" A pout flashed across the white haired woman's face before she could get it under control. "I don't want to be alone." She whispered.

Natsu felt his stomach flop. He wanted to hold her and tell her it would be okay, but they were friends, 'A friend wouldn't have thought about it, so why did I hesitate?' He asked himself just a moment before he stepped into her, putting an arm around her. "You are never alone Mira. Not as long as you want me around, I won't leave you."

Mira smiled to herself and nodded against his shoulder. "As long as you promise not to
leave until I tell you that you can." She whispered to herself. She had forgotten about the Dragon Slayers heightened senses, but he didn't respond except to let her go and gesture to head on in.

They were once again in her room, but he had made sure he kept his clothes on this time, bound to not make the same mistake as the morning prior. Every thought was about how to keep himself in check until she rolled into his chest, a shiver running through him. "You're so warm." She whispered looking up at him, focusing on his lips. She knew he saw her staring but ignored the persistent buzz that told her not to. She licked her dry lips and slowly drifted closer to his waiting for him to pull away. He never did, but neither did he move to meet her lips until they both froze just a heartbeat away.

'Would he hate me if I did?' She thought to herself. She never got a chance to answer as a pair of warm lips brushed hers, a gasp leaving her throat. He immediately pulled back from her, but she followed to press her
lips over his. Sparks shot through her body and she moaned into his lips. She was surprised when he pressed into her, his soft lips breaking from hers, but still brushed against hers. She shuddered as his hot breath ran over her skin and caused her to whimper in need, her lips parting in anticipation. "Natsu..." She whispered. "Don't tease me... Just kis-" She tried to say but was cut off with the other's lips. She melted against them, the two gently kissing. Though neither knew exactly what they were doing, they let their bodies direct what happened.

Suddenly Natsu pushed her away, albeit hesitantly. He propped himself on his elbow to look down into her eyes. He couldn't seem to take his eyes from her piercing blue eyes. The woman next to him had made no expectations from him, had given him no ultimatum about choices, she was simply there. "I don't know you would let me do that..." He admitted.

Her heart raced at the memory of their kiss and her actions leading up to it. She had thought she was going to scream in frustration at the fact that he hadn't even reacted. That was until he had closed the gap and kissed her. Her mind was foggy and she was unable to produce a clear thought. It took a moment for his words to reach her ears but brought a soft smile to her lips. "You make me feel like more than another one of the guild... You make me feel needed." Hands wrapped around his scarf and forced him to lower his head until their foreheads touched. "Do you still promise to keep me company?" She added.

Natsu shook his head slightly in disbelief, "Until you no longer feel alone. Only until you decide you do not need me anymore. But... Maybe we should just keep this between us. At least until we figure out what this... What this is." His face heated and he knew there was a bright red coloring in his cheeks.

Mira frowned, wondering if she understood his words. "Do you really want to hide me? Are you worried about what others will say about you if you are around me?" She
whispered and rolled her head to the side. Had she read the signs wrong? She had thought he had enjoyed himself. Maybe that was all it was, nothing more. Pain gripped her stomach and threatened to drag her away.

Natsu grabbed her chin and turned her towards him but she closed her eyes before she met his. She could bare to love him without him loving her, but there was no way she could even bear the thought of being used by him then thrown away when he found something that better suited his tastes. "Look at me Mira... Mira open your eyes..." He whispered. When she refused with a shake of her head he kissed her eyelids and pushed his lips to her forehead. When he summoned the courage, he spoke quietly while keeping her in his arms. "I could never be ashamed of being with you, it isn't possible Mira." Feeling her slow gulping breaths fill her lungs, he pushed back and saw as tears welled up under her eyes to pool at the corners and threaten to drop down her cheeks.

"Mira, please look at me." He pleaded, a lump forming in his throat that he couldn't seem to swallow past. Her eyes slowly fluttered open to look into his dark orbs and it almost killed him on the spot for making her feel this way. "I don't want to rush into this and have you regret that something happened between us. I can't lose you too. You mean too much to me to bear that..." His words came out slow and unsteady, but sincere.

She didn't know how to react; this was another side of Natsu that she had not seen before. He was always sure of himself, always ready to jump headlong into something without a second thought, and she had never seen him on the verge of tears. She nodded slightly and burrowed into his shoulder as he lay back down on his side. "Can you just hold me then?" She asked pulling herself closer to his chest. Natsu didn't answer her with words, choosing to let his actions answer as he wrapped his arms around her small frame and held her to him. He laid there and simply held her while her breathing slowed to an even pace before even trying to fall asleep himself.

Mira woke softly as warmth left her. She groaned at the loss and rolled over to see the Dragon Slayer standing at the edge of the bed looking down at her. She sat up slowly and subconsciously smoothed out her hair while waiting for him to say something. "Do you have any free time that you won't be around the guild today?" He finally asked. She shook her head and slid over to the edge of the bed closest to him, dangling her feet from the side. "No, I will be there all day... Maybe we could talk after?" She suggested. It was Natsu's turn to shake his head. "No... But I will find a way to get you alone." He answered. His hand cupped her cheek and ran small circles in the soft skin with his thumb. She closed her eyes and pushed her cheek into his hand. "Don't go far..." She whispered.

With a nod he dropped his hand and opened her window, a sharp breeze blowing into the room from the small opening. With a final pained look back at her, Natsu fled out the window. Natsu slipped back home in the still dark hours of the morning and forced himself to shower and change into a set of new clothes. He kept having flashbacks of the night prior. Of their kiss, of the feeling of her pressed to him, and most of all the sight of her tears. The very same set of tears that he had caused her. It was a small price to pay for finding the truth, especially if he could keep himself from making things worse and hurting her more in the future. Would it have simply been better for him to just stay away from her to keep from hurting her again, or would he only make things worse until they had a chance to talk it over. He shook his head and left for the guild, wondering absently where Happy was and if the blue cat had seen what he was doing. The cat had not exactly abandoned him, like his parents and adopted father Igneel, but he had left him all the same.

By the time Natsu had made his way to the guild just about everyone had shown up and the daily activities were in full swing. Gray muttered something to Natsu that caused the Dragon Slayer to spin around and glare
daggers at the ice mage. "Care to say that again squinty?" Natsu growled. "I said you were looking extra pathetic today flame brain." Gray retorted.

Before either of them could make a move to attack, a gauntleted fist smashed into their heads. "It is too early for this boys. Now be good and act like friends!" Erza commanded. Both boys wrapped an arm around the other and gave a fake smile. But it was enough to appease the woman. Natsu shoved away from Gray and sat down at the bar next to Erza while Lisanna placed a large slice of cheesecake in front of her.

Natsu looked quizzically up at the woman before looking around the guild then back up. "Where's Mira today?" He asked, knowing the woman was never far from the counter except when she had to go to a photo shoot for one of the many magazines that adored her. Lisanna loomed down the bar then shrugged. "She said something about getting something from the cellar about an hour ago. Guess I haven't seen her since then." The
woman looked unphased that her sister was missing. "She will turn up eventually."

After a few minutes Natsu slid off the bench and walked into the back room, finding it empty. "Hey!" He heard behind him. "Where do you think you're going?" He turned around to see Gray. "Bathroom, why? Wanna watch?" The ice mage snarled but waved him off before realizing the bathroom wasn't even close to the pantry. When he went back to confront the fire mage, Natsu was nowhere to be found. He shrugged and went back into the hall, realizing he was once again in his boxers. With a cry he frantically looked around for them.

Natsu peaked out of the cellar door on the floor to make sure everyone was indeed gone before going down into the darkness. "Oi... Mira you down here?" He called out as he descended, a small fire appearing in his hand. When he reached the bottom he found her sitting on the ground with her knees pulled to her chest, crying silently. Natsu lit a light just at the base of the stairs and went over to her
and touched her shoulder gently. "Mira...?" He asked quietly, causing her to jump and look up at him. She quickly wiped her eyes and smiled up towards him. "Sorry... I didn't hear you come down..." Natsu sat down beside her and pushed his back against the wall. "I'm sorry I hurt you." He said after a few seconds ticked by. He reached out and touched her shoulder to turn her towards him. Her eyes looked the same as they had previously the night prior. He kicked himself mentally and pulled her to him. She didn't fight it but she didn't warm up to him either.

"What am I to you?" She asked finally. Natsu rubbed her back gently as he thought about how to answer her. "I can't just call you a friend. Friends leave after a time, move on in their own lives when they find something better. You have always been there if I needed to talk, or to simply be there when I needed to be around someone. I never had to ask you for anything... I never even had to explain myself to you when I did something wrong. I took you for granted, never thinking about what you needed. Now that I am, I
only seem to bring you pain. So what are you to me...? I don't know if it is love, but it is something more than a friend. Someone I can't lose..." Nothing seemed to be enough for him to say. But he wouldn't say something he didn't feel just to keep her from crying.

"Then that's enough for now." She commented absently. Gripping the front of his vest she looked up into his eyes. "Will you still stay with me for a while? Let me help you figure out exactly what you feel..."

Natsu nodded and bent his neck to kiss her gently. "For as long as you will have me." He whispered. She didn't wait to see if he would say anything else. It was all she wanted to hear at that moment. She could work with that, she would show him how much he needed her. She would show him that she was enough for him. She kissed him back eagerly, curling her fingers into his hair. Tears ran down her face once again, but out of hope rather than despair. He had given her a chance at happiness. "Erza is going to kill me when she finds out I made you cry..." He said when they parted to get a breath of air.

She didn't give him a chance to suggest they go back, pressing her lips to his again softly as to savor the sweet feeling of his lips, gasping as his tongue brushed her lips. It gave him just enough space to slip inside her moist cavern. A shudder ran down her spine at the sensation of his tongue against hers. She pulled away when he took her hips in his hands and pulled her into his lap to get their bodies closer. He brought his lips to the base of her neck, leaving fiery wet kisses along her skin. She moaned at the feeling, tilting her head back to give him better access. She let out a cry of pleasure when she felt his teeth graze over her delicate skin.

"Mira?" A voice called from the top of the cellar and they could hear someone pulling the large door open. "Are you down here?"

Mira and Natsu quickly pulled themselves off one another and stood up. Natsu immediately grabbed a large barrel of beer and threw it up on his shoulder before wiping away a remaining tear from her eyes. 'We
can continue this later.' She thought, giving him an apologetic smile after being unable to keep her voice down when they were together. "Yeah, Natsu was helping me with a barrel and I tripped." She called over when she saw Erza standing at the base of the stairs.

The scarlet haired woman didn't look convinced but let Mira walk past her before she saw the red circles around her eyes and wad about to question it but stopped at the pure smile that was on her face. While the two had held a rivalry for so long, she had come to respect the take-over mage to make her own decisions. There was obviously something going on between the two, but she would wait until a more suitable time came around to ask them anything. However, she did grab the Dragon Slayer's arm on his way out and squeeze it until pain entered the man's eyes before he could hide it. "I'll be watching." She growled before stomping up the steps.

-
Mira sighed heavily as she sat on the edge of the counter, eager for Lisanna to come back so she could take over. Mira wanted more time with Natsu, but had told her younger sister that she was not feeling well and wanted to go home. That was until a writer from sorceress weekly had come in begging for a chance at getting the yearly swimsuit going, wanting her to be their centerfold again. Makarov had seemingly appeared out of nowhere and told the man that she would do it. When she had tried to fight it, he had placed Erza in charge of her to assure she got it done.

Once her sister had taken over Mira went home to change into her bathing suit with a skirt and short sleeved shirt over it. Erza had taken her job too seriously, even following her into her bedroom to watch her change. It had given Natsu no chance to intervene and keep her from doing the shoot. He didn't want her to do it, for obvious reasons. If he had the choice, he would have... The thought struck him. What would he have done to prevent it? He could always just hold her back, but Erza was preventing that. He couldn't sabotage the shoot, that would be too obvious. Then it hit him and he climbed up to her bedroom window just as she was finishing getting dressed. She froze when she saw him before Erza stepped in front of the window as she walked by. Luckily she had her back to him and didn't see him. He flashed up two fingers at Mira and mouthed for her to meet him in two minutes in the bathroom. It was embarrassing to be telling her to meet him in such a place, but he could talk to her alone in there. When she gave a subtle nod he dropped down and slipped into her house from the front door.

Mira entered the bathroom, and just as she had shut the door she found her back pressed against the wall. She barely stifled a moan as his lips took hers. She had to force herself to push him back, immediately regretting the decision as she missed the warmth of him against her. "I only have a moment..." She whispered. "What is so important that you had to meet me in here?"
Natsu blushed at her words and frowned. "I don't want you to do this. Don't ask me why... But I can't stand the thought of you being ogled by anyone while you are half naked for them..." He explained. "I know how to get you out of it, but you might not like it..." The Dragon Slayer let his hands and eyes fall and looked away. "I could leave a ... A mark on y-you so they wouldn't want t-to take your picture." He finally said, his voice cracking in embarrassment.

Mira paled slightly at the idea. True it might postpone the shoot, but it would also raise questions. The thought of him giving her a love mark made her heart soar and she nodded slowly. "Only this once... And nowhere embarrassing." She added quickly.

Natsu jumped slightly in surprise at her agreement. Pressing her back against the wall he kissed her cheek and slowly made his way back her jaw and down her neck. She had to clamp a hand over her own mouth to keep silent, but her body arched into him. He finally stopped at the base of her neck and kissed it again. "Here?" He asked, feeling her shake her head. "It has to be somewhere they can't hide it." She whispered heatedly, whimpering as his lips trailed down further. She gripped her fingers into his hair when he pulled the collar of her shirt down until she stopped him. "There..." She whispered just as he stopped right above her swimsuit top. She felt his sharp teeth graze over her skin before he latched on tightly. After a moment he broke away leaving a good sized hickey ringed with a bite mark.

Mira pulled his lips up to hers and thrust her tongue into his mouth without a second thought. She wanted him then and there, her stomach churning with need. A knock rapped on the door and once again, Erza was ruining their moment together. "I will be right out!" She called through the door. Natsu captured her lips again and pressed his body into hers, in turn trapping her tightly against the wall. "I will be waiting for when you finish up..." He whispered her before kissing her a final time and ushering her out the door to lay his forehead against it while he calmed himself down.

Mira tried to breathe deeply while they walked towards the studio, jumping slightly when Erza asked her why she was breathing funny. She shook her head in response, not trusting her voice just yet. At the studio she had tried to explain her situation to the photographer quietly but he had made a big ruckus about how someone had defiled Mirajane's perfect body. Mira had blushed profusely and sprinted from the building with Erza tight on her trail. When the scarlet haired woman finally got her to stop, she began to pester her for answers. "Who did this to you?" Erza demanded.

"What does it matter? What is done is done."

"Was it Natsu?" Erza asked finally.

"So what if it was?" Mira admitted. "I told you I didn't want to do this shoot."

"Is this why you were crying earlier?"

Mira shook her head. "We decided to keep us a secret from everyone for a little while... And no he force me to do anything. But you have to promise to keep this between us!"

Erza folded her arms across her chest and raised an eyebrow. "And why do I need to do that?"

"Because I kept you and Jellal a secret!" Mira retorted angrily.

Erza stiffened and nodded. She hadn't even known that Mira knew about the two of them "F-fine... But I need to talk to him before I am okay with it."

Mira pushed her friend. "Over my dead body. I said to keep this between the two of us. That includes Natsu!"

Erza sighed and her shoulders drooped for a moment before fire lit in her eyes and she grabbed Mirajane. "If he ever hurts you, you come directly to me. Together we will make him realize just how wrong he would be to harm someone like you."

Mira couldn't help but smile before she pushed the other away with a small giggle. "You know as well as I do that he would go to great lengths to keep from hurting any of his friends. I don't think we have to worry about him doing something we would all regret."

Erza stood there for a moment longer before she nodded and turned on her heel. "Then I'll leave it to you, but you might want to hide that mark or it won't be a secret for long."

Mira sighed again and nodded to no one in particular. She wanted to find Natsu and tell him that it had worked, that she didn't have to take the pictures. Not right now anyways, and that they would have to come up with another idea to keep her out of the spotlight for a little while.

It was a short trek to her house where she quickly changed into one of her usual dresses. She felt more comfortable in them; they gave her confidence when she didn't have any. She checked herself in the mirror, double checking that the mark he had left was hidden away and that her hair looked neat and tidy. About to leave, she stopped and quickly grabbed her toothbrush. She wanted to be ready in case the Dragon Slayer decided he had spent enough time away from her.

When she started to leave her place it struck her, she didn't even know where she could go to meet him, he had never said. 'Well, there are only a few places he could be.' She thought to herself before setting off in search of the man. She would have to check the guild first, and if that didn't pan out then she would have to go to his house and just hope he was there. And as much as it pained her to say, if he wasn't there then she would have to check Lucy's apartment. But, if she had gotten the right reading from him over the past two nights, she was too preoccupied with her new boyfriend. She hoped that the blonde was still preoccupied with him so she could steal Natsu away from her. If all played right, she would get him to reciprocate her feelings in no time.

As she walked, she could feel a pair of eyes on her, but cast off her worries. She was a mage of Fairy Tail; she could handle herself in a fight if it came down to it. Not to mention that everyone around town knew her and she was quite sought out among the male community. She bit her lip at the thought of Natsu getting jealous like he had today, but wondered what he would do, especially now since he wanted to keep them secret for the time being. If he started to act out he wouldn't be able to keep them a secret for long. Sighing, she stepped up her pace to the guild hall, only stopping by long enough to find out that he hadn't been there since they had left earlier for Mira's photo shoot. Several asked her why she was back so soon and she gave an off-hand reply, simply saying that she had not felt well and wanted to head back.

Outside the guild, she huffed out a breath and started walking towards Natsu's house. It got her thinking, how long had it been since she had actually shown up to his place? Well over a year, the last time she had been back there was when they had come back from Edolas and Lisanna had asked her to help look for him. That had been both a high point and a low point in her life. She had loved having her sister back, but she had stepped back even further from Natsu so her sister could try to get closer to the boy.

Mira stopped at the door to the run down house that Natsu and Happy lived. He really didn't take that good care of it, but it was still his home that he had built himself. When no answer came from her knock, she tested the handle and found it unlocked. She would have to sit down with him and explain to him that he needed to take better care of his house, and then she realized why he had left it unlocked. It looked like a tornado had gone through the house. Clothes were thrown about indiscriminately and there were trinkets littered across the floor. She noted that most of the objects on the ground were trophies of his past missions. She let herself in when she saw a wall covered in newspaper articles and bits of string.

A hand shot to her mouth at what she saw, at the tracking of his adopted father Igneel. He had taken every piece of information that was out there on the dragon and had tried to tie it together. She followed a few of them and felt pain grip her as every single one of them ended in a dead end. He really didn't have any family left did he; the thought brought more pain to her than she would have thought. She had both her brother and her sister as a part of her life. Sure he had the guild and all of the friends he had made there, but could any of them really stand up to the one person that had rescued him from being an orphan? Now, he was an orphan twice over.

She had to force herself away from the wall before she started crying. She thought she had needed him, but she didn't realize how much he needed someone. She could be that someone for him, give him a place to feel safe without having to worry about anything he did. To be accepted not just as a friend, but as family.

Physically shaking herself, Mira shut the door behind her and started to head towards town to continue her search for the spiky haired male. She almost missed a step when she felt another pair of eyes on her and quickly looked around her. Natsu had done only one thing with his house that she wished he hadn't; he had put it in the middle of the woods where he wouldn't be disturbed. While it was good for privacy, no one would hear her if someone attacked her right then. When she saw no one she shook her head and continued on, if at a faster pace than before.

She hadn't made it a dozen paces further before she heard something land softly behind her. As she tried to turn around she felt a gloved hand slip over her mouth to prevent her from screaming while another wrapped around her shoulders to pin her arms to her sides. She couldn't get a good look at the person over her shoulder because of the dim lighting in the woods, or the fact that he was wearing a hood to cover his eyes.

"You don't know how long I have been trying to get you to be alone so I could have you to myself." The man said, his voice rough. Hot breath blew against her ear as he spoke, sending chills down her spine, but no matter how hard she fought against him, she remained stationary. His arms were like bands of steel that kept her from moving. Suddenly the arms forced her to turn around and pushed her back into a tree, almost roughly. She gasped as the hand left her mouth only to be replaced by a pair of lips. The feeling caused her eyes to widen as she instantly knew who was holding her. She relaxed in the arms and snaked her hands as far around the figure as she could and pulled him closer when she only had enough reach to grab the cloak in her fists.

The arm holding her arms down dropped to her waist when it felt her stop struggling. Once her hands were free to do as she pleased, she reached into the hood and grabbed two handfuls of hair and pried the man back from her lips, causing his hood to fall. "What are you thinking Natsu?" She asked, breathing heavily. "You scared me for a minute…" She admitted.

Natsu laughed and took a step back. "I told you I would be waiting. When you came back I decided to follow you so no one would see us until I had you to myself."

"Then what is up with the getup?" She asked trying to get her breath back.

Natsu scratched his head for a second before sighing. "I didn't want anyone to see me follow you." The boy smiled over at her and shrugged. "So I take it the plan worked?"

Mira nodded and bit her lip. "It worked this time, but they said next time they will just put an article out about how I'm no longer available… So a new plan would be worth coming up with… Besides… If you wanted to make sure they didn't take pictures of me, all you would have to do is tell them so. They look up to you, you know? People wouldn't question it if you decided to stop them from taking pictures… Not if you told them about us anyways…"

Natsu sighed again and shook his head. "They don't respect me or look up to me. They fear me because of all the damage I do whenever we go on a mission. They know I don't have very good control when it comes to my friends. I might just destroy their happy little studio if they went against me. Besides, when it comes to you, I might not be able to stop myself if they don't do as I say."

Mira smiled despite what he was saying. She didn't want him to destroy anyone or anything for simply looking at her or wanting to see her, but the fact he was willing to go to such lengths to keep her to himself was touching and just made her want to keep him to herself all the more. She decided to just lean against him and savor his presence for the time being.

The silence wasn't uncomfortable, but exactly the opposite. Both of the mages enjoyed the simple fact that they could stand there together and just hold one another. Natsu was the first to break the silence. "I can't stay at your place tonight." He said sadly.

"And why not?" Mira asked looking quizzically at the fire breathing mage.

"I don't trust myself to not make a mistake. Okay maybe it wouldn't be a mistake, but I wouldn't be able to hold myself back from you if I was in a bed with you tonight… And it's just the first day we are trying to sort this out." He responded with a small smile.

"What if I told you I didn't want you to hold back, but instead insisted you do the opposite and let whatever happens happen?" She asked boldly, knowing full well what she was hinting at.

Natsu recoiled briefly at her choice of words. He laughed nervously and shook his head. "We couldn't do that anyways. Elfman would take my head from my shoulders if he ever found us in any sort of situation, let alone one of that extent."

Mira sighed and resigned to the fact that he was right, until they had a place to go that they could be alone without anyone questioning what they were doing or even a way to prevent them from being caught, it wasn't going to happen. She could offer to use his place, but the thought of having her first time with him be in that mess she shuddered and smiled.

They stood together, enjoying the silence, for only another hour before Natsu pulled back. "Let me get you home before it gets too late. I can at least do that much."

An idea sparked in her head and she pulled his hood back over his head, masking his features from any that didn't know who it was beforehand. "This way you can be next to me without anyone knowing it's you. You can be my mystery man." She giggled at the idea and took his gloved hand in her own before pressing it against her cheek, feeling the warmth of his body beneath the thin cloth.

Natsu laughed and smiled, wrapping his arm around her waist to pull her against him while they walked. He would never have thought it to work like that, but at least he could be around her for the time being.

Once out of the woods, the two could see everyone looking at them. People weren't even hiding their open astonishment at seeing Mirajane with a cloaked stranger. It made the two laugh gently, that was until they got to her doorstep. Elfman was just coming out as he saw them and he froze in his place, unable to see who was so close to his sister. "Mira-nee? Who is that with you?" He asked hesitantly before walking towards the two. Natsu almost jumped out of his skin, but leaned over to Mira and pressed his lips to hers briefly. "I'll see you in the morning, Mira. Don't go falling for someone else while I'm gone." He whispered. He kissed her again, much to the disbelief of her brother, and darted off in another direction to prevent from being caught by the large man.

Mira watched him go with sadness, and a little excitement at being so close to getting caught. "Mira-nee, who was that?" Elfman inquired again, more persistently this time. "I didn't know you were on a date today." Mira shrugged and shook her head, raising her palms in a helpless gesture. "I don't know who it was, never saw his face." She lied, but smiled regardless. "Maybe he will be back tomorrow and will show himself to us, maybe not. We will just have to see." To the further disbelief of her brother, she patted him on the shoulder and walked past him into the house. "I'll start dinner, go find Lisanna. And be quick about it, I've had a long day." Truth be told, she simply wanted to lie down so she could have some time to herself so she could get her racing heart under control.

Mira woke up with a small smile on her face, despite the disappointment at having to go to sleep alone the prior night. But, she didn't feel alone. Even with the distance between them, she could feel Natsu in her heart, or at least she could feel that he had given himself to her to try and get their worlds righted again. Maybe today she could get him to herself again, but she had doubts. Elfman wasn't far from her side on the trip to the guild, insisting he walk with her. She let him do as he pleased, knowing Natsu would already be waiting to get a glimpse of her at the guild anyways.

Just when she was getting the guild in sight, she froze. He was indeed there, but he wasn't alone. Lucy was wrapped around him, sobbing into his shoulder while he comforted her. She forced her feet to move, drawing closer to them, but attempting to ignore the two. They were friends; she didn't have to worry about Lucy. Natsu wasn't the type of guy… Her thoughts were interrupted when Lucy reached up and pressed her lips tightly to Natsu's, tears still streaming down her cheeks.

Mira felt everything around her crash as her worst case scenario was panning out ahead of her; she was losing him again to one of the women in his life. She wasn't expecting to see Natsu push the blonde from him only a moment after his surprise wore off. Lucy looked even more hurt and hit him in the chest and Mira forced herself to resume her walk towards the two, if a little slower than before.

Natsu stepped back from Lucy and frowned at her, hurt beyond words. "What, am I suddenly not good enough for you?" Lucy cried at him, stepping forward once again causing him to take a step back.

Natsu stopped and gave her a look of defeat. "Quite the opposite Luce… I'm obviously not good enough for you. I'm only good enough to be here for you when you have no one else to fall back on…" He said, still unaware that Mira had seen everything go down.

"What do you mean? I'm here aren't I?" She said, her words barely coming out between her sobs.

"I won't be anyone's second choice. Not their third, or their fourth, or their tenth." He said quietly. "Not even for you Luce. If I wasn't good enough to get you from the beginning, why would I be good enough now?"

Lucy grabbed his jacket and collapsed against him. "But you promised me you would always be here whenever I got hurt, no matter how many times it happened." The hand on her chin forced her to look up at him and he forced out a small smile. "I'll always be here for you Lucy, I will always be here as a shoulder to cry on, or a shoulder to lean on for support whenever you need it." He hugged her close and rubbed her back. "But I can't be yours romantically… If you weren't so hurt right now you wouldn't be trying this. You wouldn't see me in the way you think you do now."

Lucy nodded against his chest, knowing he was probably right. To her he had always been there, but he had never shown any feelings towards her. And despite how many times she had gone to him because of a bad date or boy troubles, he had never offered himself as a replacement. "If you change your mind…" She said quietly. "I want you to tell me so we can work through it together okay?"

Natsu smiled and nodded down at her. Her eyes widened as it seemed to hit her. Any other day he would have let her kiss him, and then simply helped her realize what she was doing wasn't what she wanted. "You don't have anyone do you?" She asked hesitantly, but boldly.

Natsu flinched when he saw Mira walk past; giving him a small smile at the exact instant Lucy had asked him. "If I said I did, would that change anything between us?" He asked the blonde, who shook her head. "I'll always be here for you Lucy; I'll always be a rock when you need one. But I won't be yours… I may have found my chance to get a family of my own."

Lucy smiled finally and hugged herself to Natsu. "Promise to introduce me to her sometime? I won't make it awkward, like I did today. I'm sorry I acted like this…" Natsu shook his head and turned her towards the guild. "Don't apologize; you're too hot headed for it anyways..."

Mira felt a swell of pride at the fact that Natsu had turned down the blonde, if somewhat sad for the girl that she had been turned down so pointedly. As soon as the two were seated in a booth, Mira brought over a pair of hot chocolates and some sweets for the two. "You both look like you could use something sweet to take your minds off whatever you are thinking about."

The two thanked Mira and Natsu gave her a small smile, flashing his canines briefly. The sight made the woman grow red again and spin on a heel to rush off back to the counter. She tried to stop herself from watching Natsu, but caught herself watching him every so often anyways. His eyes always caught hers whenever she found herself looking in the general direction of the Dragon Slayer.

Natsu never left the celestial mage's side though, being her rock as he had promised. In return, the blonde had laid her head on his shoulder while they ate their snacks. "Why don't we go on a job?" He asked her quietly, trying to get his own mind off relationship issues. Maybe some time away from Mira would be good and allow himself time to calm down enough that they could decide on what they were going to do next. He stood up and walked over to the message board, grabbing an easy one that would only leave them being away from the guild for a day or so. He gave the job to Mira to place in the record book, but was surprised when she grabbed his scarf roughly. "We'll be right back Lucy; I need to borrow your friend here for a moment."

Despite his protests, Mira drug him behind her to the pantry and out of sight. As soon as she was sure they were out of sight she shoved him into the wall. "I trust you not to do anything, but hurry back okay?" She pressed her lips to his hungrily, stealing his breath. "We can continue where we left off the second you get back. By the way, give me your house key. I should have a spare anyways for whenever I need to find you."

Natsu nodded dumbly and gave over his key, feeling the air between them boil away. "I'll be back soon Mira… Be safe." Leaning over, he kissed her again, slowly but passionately. He left her gasping as she wanted more; smiling at the fact that he had that effect on her.

He cupped her cheek for only a moment before heading back into the other room, slumping his shoulders as if he had just been reprimanded. He took Lucy's hand and pulled her out of the guild, ready to get the job underway.

The job had taken far longer than it should have, the simply monster slaying had turned into an extermination of a large grouping of monsters. The only good thing to come out of it was he had further strengthened his bond with his partner. Lucy no longer expected him to reciprocate her feelings, realizing that she had reacted out of sorrow and not wanting to get hurt any more than out of actual longing for the Dragon Slayer. She knew they were friends, strong friends but nothing more.

She immediately went home and dropped onto her bed, only staying awake long enough to see him cover her with blankets and head towards her window. She missed when he had slept with her, but knew he was itching to see his mysterious woman. She had been unable to get him to say anything about her except that she knew the woman.

Natsu smiled back at her and slipped out the window without another word. He all but ran home so he could get changed. Luckily his door was unlocked and he threw his bag in the corner. He stopped just a few steps inside and looked around. Someone had cleaned his house, from top to bottom. His chests were no longer open and overflowing with random objects, but organized nicely on one side of the room. They had also organized the wall he had designated for Igneel. It looked nice, and brought a smile to his face as he thought about how much work it had been.

With a sigh, he walked into the bathroom, finding Mira standing in front of the mirror in only a towel. They both froze before he slammed the door shut between them. "Sorry!" He said through the door to her. "I didn't mean to…. Well walk in on you…" He answered with a smile. He didn't care that she was in his house, didn't care as to why she was just in a shower at his place. He was simply happy to see her.

The door opened quickly in front of him and Mira jumped out of the small room into his arms, still only wearing the towel. He caught her and hugged her tightly, "I missed you, Natsu…" She said giggling. "But…" She said burying her face in his neck. "We may have a bit of a problem…"

Natsu laughed and kissed the top of her head. "I'll say, you're pretty much naked. Go put some clothes on while I get cleaned up." He moved to pull away from her but she didn't let him go. "You still haven't given me a kiss yet." She said blushing.

Natsu leaned in and gently took her lips in his, tasting her lips against his own. The kiss was nothing more, not hungry or passionate, simply comforting. He wanted to show her how much he missed her, at how much he simply missed her presence.

When she was satisfied, she pulled away and blushed harder, holding her towel close to herself to be sure that she wouldn't drop it before stepping back into the bathroom to get dressed. Natsu instead went to the kitchen and splashed water in his face and changed in his room into a pair of light shorts and a fresh vest, his scarf ever on his neck as it always did, never seeming to get dirty.

He had just taken a seat on his bed when he realized something; there was a bed in his room. No longer just his and Happy's hammocks, but a bed. He tried to puzzle out how it had gotten there and all his answers came back to Mira. She had cleaned his house, and now, it seemed she had brought a bed and was changing there. Maybe they had more to discuss than he thought. Had something happened while he was gone?

His thoughts were interrupted when Mira walked into the room, a long one strapped dress over her shoulders. She dropped the towel into a hamper, another addition to the room he hadn't noticed. "Mira?" He asked, still sitting on the bed. "What's going on?"

Suddenly Mira had tackled him to the bed, pressing her lips against his roughly with her body pressed against his. She had missed the feeling of his lips, of the almost uncomfortable heat they held within them. "Like I said… We may have a problem."

Natsu lay back on the bed and stared at the ceiling, his arms folded behind his head as he ran everything through his head that she had told him. Happy had caught her at the house cleaning, claiming Natsu had asked her to tidy up for him. When the Exceed didn't buy it, she offered to buy his silence with food, fish to be exact. Happy agreed not to say anything so long as she kept up her end of the deal, in which she was more than happy to do.

Rolling his head, he raised an eyebrow at the mage. "So tell me again, why are you staying here?" She blushed and cast her eyes into her lap as she sat against the wall on the bed. "With Elfman getting wind of me being in a relationship, he vowed to find out who it was… So I figured instead of sneaking you over, I could stay here every so often. I told him I was going to stay with a friend for a few days, but didn't tell him where. Then I got to missing you, your smell, but mainly just your presence… So in a way I didn't lie to him, I just didn't tell him the whole truth…" She stopped when she heard a low growl coming from the man lying beside her. "Is that okay?"

Catching the eyes of the ivory haired mage, Natsu grabbed her and rolled over with her, pressing his lips over hers. "Better than okay… Now we don't have to hide or try to keep quiet." His voice was rough yet quiet as it sent chills down her spine. "What do you mean keep quiet?" She asked hesitantly.

Natsu responded with his actions, kissing the base of her neck, grazing his teeth across her perfect skin until he nipped at it causing her to squeak. She slipped her arms around his neck and pushed him against her neck further, tilting her head to give him more skin to play with. She moaned when his tongue touched her skin, leaving a wet trail along her jaw. Lightning jolted through her nerves at the feeling of him kissing her ear, sucking her earlobe into his mouth briefly. "No one can interrupt us here, Mira. This can be out sanctuary, our own private place to do as we please…" He whispered seductively to her.

Mira arched against him, moaning aloud at his words. The past week of frustration and longing swarmed over her, finally finding the object of her desires within her grasp. "You have to keep your promise."

Natsu pulled away from her and stared into her eyes. "I won't leave Mira. Not now that I have you this close. Not when I see exactly what I want from you… Everything." The fire mage leaned in and kissed her, Mira leaping up into his lips with a kiss of her own, her efforts renewed at his words. She used the brief moment of their lips touching to roll him over so she was on top of him. Putting her hands on his chest, she pushed back until she was sitting on his lap while he lay there, helpless to whatever she wanted to do to him. She couldn't help but grin at her luck, at the person she had managed to claim as her own.

It was her time to tease him, to bring him towards that need that she herself was fighting down, trying to stay in control of her emotions. Her hands slipped under his vest, pushing it away from his chest. Her lips met with the rough skin of his shoulders first, feeling the solid muscle beneath the skin. She took her time as she made her way down him, tracing every muscle with her lips, tasting every piece of him that she could. She moved in time with his body, waiting until he had sucked in a breath to stop, only to bite him when he thought she was taking a break, a hiss leaving his mouth as air forced its way past his teeth.

She traveled clear down to his pants, teasing him every inch she moved. She wanted this moment to last. While she believed it wouldn't be the only time they would be together like this again, they could never have a first time together. Not in the same sense anyways. He hadn't been her first kiss, but he would be her first intimate partner, her first at a lot of things tonight. She was bound and determined to get what she wanted, but he was going to pay for every second of it.

A low growl rumbled around them when she hooked her fingers into the waistband of his pants, causing her to look up. The look in Natsu's eyes made need pool in her stomach, giving her the strength she needed to remove them. Her breath caught in her throat when she pulled back to see him in just a pair of boxers, his muscular body straining against his mental bonds preventing himself from taking over. He hated that she was in charge thus far, but it turned him on to find that she had this amount of power over him.

Mira's hand shook slightly as she stared at his boxers, noticing the slight bulge in them. She reached for him, watching his reaction when she brushed up against his semi-hard erection. His body shook as her fingers wrapped around his length despite the thin fabric between their skin. "Not fair…" He managed to say hoarsely. She ignored his protests, wanting to feel her in the palm of her hand, reaching through the small slit in the front of his boxers. He moaned audibly when she once again wrapped her delicate fingers around his growing length. She was surprised at the heat his length was producing, sure that if she touched it long enough it would burn her. That only enticed her more, sliding her hand along the length, feeling it grow beneath her fingers.

"Please…" Came a struggling voice from the Dragon Slayer. "I shouldn't be the only one undressed… Let me…" His words were cut off when Mira removed his boxers to stare at his erection. Heat spread across his face as embarrassment flooded his senses, but he remained motionless under her gaze.

Mira turned scarlet, but didn't falter, instead gripping him gently while paying attention to his reactions. It wasn't the first time she had seen one before, but it was the first time she had seen one so big, or on purpose for that matter. Her curiosity overcame her conscious thought as she brushed her hair over her shoulder. Her lips met his length, traveling along it to get acquainted with the sensation. Her tongue snaked out experimentally, feeling Natsu's body tense with a hiss of breath.

She smiled to herself at her accomplishments before sucking the tip of him into her mouth. The strong taste overwhelmed her as she dove deeper on the throbbing member. "Mira, stop!" He groaned out. "If you continue… I won't be able to…" His whole body shook as he lost his words in what she was doing. She doubled her efforts, bobbing up and down on his length until she felt a pair of hands push her deeper onto him, his hips thrusting up to burry himself into her mouth. She willingly accepted him, flinching slightly at the sudden sensation of his seed filling her mouth. She took everything he gave her, swallowing greedily.

A pair of hands grabbed her by her shoulders and pulled her up, forcing her lips against Natsu's. His tongue invaded her mouth, tasting remnants of himself on her lips. Their tongues fought for dominance as their kiss deepened, both of them trying to get closer to the other. Her hands snaked around his neck, digging sharply into the sensitive skin. The Dragon Slayer slid his own hands down her sides, wanting to feel her soft skin beneath his calloused fingers. Somehow his fingers found the buttons at the back of her dress and started to undo them. Despite his impatience and need to feel her, he tried not to break any of the buttons off. As soon as they were undone, the woman pushed herself off his chest, sitting on his hips to take the dress off. No sooner did the fabric hit the floor than did Natsu latch onto her neck with his lips.

Natsu quickly reversed their roles, taking charge over her body, throwing her down on her back on the bed, kneeling over her with his body only inches from hers. Looking down between them at how close they were, he clenched his teeth in anticipation. Leaning close, he licked the sensitive skin just below her ear, kissing gently. "My turn." He said in a near growl against her skin. He let a hand run up her side while he trailed kisses down her neck, pausing briefly at her collarbone, biting gently. His hand faltered when it was met with the unclothed skin of her breast. She arched into him, pushing her soft skin into the palm of his hand with a moan.

The Dragon Slayer cupped her breast in his hand, squeezing it gently to test her reaction. She squirmed under him but didn't stop him so he took that as permission to continue, pressing his lips to the other breast. She mewled at his touch, grabbing his head between her hands and pressing him roughly against her breast. A soft cry escaped her when he brushed over her nipple with his lips and he sucked it into his mouth, flicking it with his tongue. His thumb and forefinger caught her other between them and twisted, pulling it gently.

Pulling away from her breast, he released it with an audible pop. He looked up in her eyes, seeing them closed, her lips parted slightly in anticipation. "Mira." He called out quietly to her as he made his way further down her body, waiting until she opened her eyes to watch him. Lust filled eyes caught his, locking onto his actions and biting her lip. Natsu licked his lips when he slipped his fingers into the edges of her panties, holding her eyes in his while he slowly drew the last of her clothing off her body. Kneeling close to her, he picked up one of her legs, kissing her ankle. He kissed the inside of her knee, putting his hands on both of her knees, seeing them pressed together to hide her core from him. "Let me see you." He commanded, causing her to shudder. Giving her knees a little pressure, he felt her resistance give way to his actions. She averted her eyes and blushed brightly.

"You're beautiful." He said looking down at her body and its entirety. Natsu slid his body back further and continued his conquest, kissing his way up the inside of her legs, growing ever closer to her core. She sucked in a deep breath through her teeth as his breath nipped at her lower lips. The Dragon slayer was bound to bring her the pleasure she had brought him, wanting to fill his home with her screams. Goosebumps appeared over her skin when his lips brushed over her, filling her with need. She continued to watch him in between her legs, shaking in pleasure as he ran a tongue over her.

Natsu pushed gently on her thighs, spreading her legs to give him more room. He slipped a finger into her just as his lips locked on the bundle of nerves. He had long ago given up his conscious thoughts, letting his need and letting curiosity take him over. Her body pressed against him, egging him on. "Natsu…" She moaned. He ignored her, entranced by her body. He slipped another finger into her, spreading her lips gently. Her legs wrapped around his shoulders at the same time her hands wove into his pink locks, pressing him into her. She cried out at the feeling of his tongue pierce into her core.

She screamed as her climax rolled over her, pulling Natsu's hair painfully against her. She almost regretted it, almost. She collapsed back against the bed while Natsu lapped up her fluids, moaning in ecstasy at the taste. Every touch of his body brushing across her skin sent another wave of pleasure through her body until she felt his lips capture hers, lovingly tender. The kiss melted her, a tear threatening to fall from her eye. "Are you sure about this?" He asked her brushing the tear from her eye.

Mira nodded with a smile. "Could you stop even if I wasn't?" She prodded teasingly, wrapping her arms around his neck. She pressed her cheek into Natsu's warm hand and closed her eyes. "For you I could." He answered. "Anything for you..." Mira giggled and kissed his palm. "Then what are you waiting for, Mr. Dragon Slayer? I never told you to stop… But be gentle, it's my first time…"

Swirling his thumb on her cheek, Natsu pressed his lips to hers again before repositioning himself between her legs. She gasped at the feeling of him at her entrance. Pressure filled her, stretching her walls to accept his length. He was moving agonizingly slow, letting her adjust before moving any further. He froze when he reached the thin membrane. She pulled him down against her, burying her head in his shoulder as she tensed up. "Just do it, but wait until I give you the go ahead to move anymore…" She whispered against his skin. Clenching his teeth, Natsu forced his hips forward, burying himself entirely into her. Mira cried out in pain, biting down on his shoulder to keep herself from whimpering.

Natsu stayed true to his word, simply holding her while she let herself get used to him. "I'm sorry…" He whispered into her ear. She shook her head and kissed his shoulder, tasting blood on her lips from where she had bit him. "Just let me…" Mira said with a moan as she rolled her hips against his. The pain had dissipated slightly, being replaced by a spark of pleasure. She was uncomfortable with his length stretching her as it was, but it was bearable. Rolling her hips again, she felt him withdraw from her. She wrapped her legs around him, thinking he was going to leave her, but whimpered when he pushed back into her.

Slowly, the pace started to pick up as the both of them moved in time with one another. The Dragon Slayer moved as if too much would cause her pain, as if he would break her in half if he tried anything more. She gasped when his hand found her breast, grabbing it roughly and kneading it with his hand. "Faster Natsu… Faster!" She cried out. A small scream pierced her as her lover slammed into her. She lifted her hips to meet his next thrust and screamed again as he hit an unknown spot inside her that sent pleasure rolling through her. "Right there! Oh Mavis, Natsu, right there!"

Natsu could feel the similar build up that he had before, indicating that he was about to reach his climax. "Mira, I'm about… I'm about to..!" He moaned. Her legs tightened around his waist as she felt her own climax clawing it's way at her. "Together… Let's cum together!" She screamed as her walls tightened around him, forcing him over the tipping point. He bucked into her, growling as he filled her with his seed.

He collapsed next to her with a groan, thankful for the bed that she had brought over. He pulled her against him and kissed her forehead. "That was incredible, Mira."

Mira pressed her head against his chest and smiled. "You know… we didn't end up using any protection… I could get pregnant."

Natsu laughed and ran his hand down her back. "Not today you can't." His voice brought her head around, looking up at him quizzically. "What do you mean not today?"

The Dragon Slayer shook his head, unsure about how to explain it. He tapped his nose and nodded down to her. "I can tell. Something Igneel taught me before he left." Mira laughed herself and nodded, it would be good to know when she was able to get pregnant so they could decide on when was the right time. If he chose her that was, but after tonight, she didn't have any worries that he might change his mind and go back to another. "I love you Natsu." She said, finding courage somewhere within herself.

Natsu smiled down at her but remained silent for a time, finally opening his mouth to say something but was stopped when she put a finger over his mouth. "You don't have to say something you don't mean just to make me happy. In time I hope I can make you come to love me as much as I do you…" The Dragon Slayer kissed her finger and shook his head. "No, I have to say something… And while I may not know exactly how deeply this feeling runs in me, or how long it will take me to understand it… I do love you Mira, but that isn't all. Over the past week without being around you, I grew anxious that I couldn't see you; it prevented me from fighting in a way… I reserved myself a little; always vigilant for any sign that could be the end. I couldn't stand the thought of not making it back to you."

Mira rolled over on top of the mage and kissed him. "I couldn't ask for anything more."

With a yawn, Natsu wrapped his arms around her and stood up. "Come on, we need to get ready. We should head to the guild before anyone gets suspicious." Mira giggled and wrapped her arm around his neck when he lifted her from the bed. He carried her over to the shower and turned the water on before setting her inside of it. As soon as her feet touched the ground, she stepped back to prevent her hair from getting wet. It would take too long to dry out and she assumed they did not have the time before he wanted to take her to the guild.

She had just started to clean herself when Natsu stepped in behind her, his arms wrapping around her to grab her breasts and pull her to his chest. "I could grow used to having you whenever I want." He hissed near her ear. Arching into him, she smiled. "Then why don't we hurry back and you can do with me as you please?" She whispered to him, feeling his erection against her backside.

He groaned and kissed her neck, sighing as he knew that she was right. It was his idea in the first place to have them head to the guild today. He pushed against her harder, licking her neck. "Wear something easy to take off."

They quickly cleaned themselves off before and got dressed. Natsu grabbed his cloak and tossed it over his shoulders as they headed out the door. Despite how much he wanted to hold her close while they walked, he stopped himself. He needed to keep them a secret for now, and it wasn't about him. What would they think if they saw her with him, would they even think to ask why, or would they simply assume he had tricked her in some way? She was the beauty of the guild, one of the most beautiful women in Magnolia.

Mira kissed his cheek just outside the guild doors, but once they were open she stepped back and made her way over to the counter. Instead of following her, Natsu walked over to where Erza and Gray were sitting and joined them. "Oh it feels good to be back!" He called out leaning on the table.

Erza and Gray spun on him and looked at him briefly. "Lucy tells me you have a girlfriend, but wouldn't tell her." Gray said, Erza scoffing at the idea while trying to pretend she didn't know anything. "Natsu couldn't get a girl, let alone know what to do with one whenever he found one to deal with him."

Gray looked over at Mira and noticed she was watching the trio, "Maybe Mira knows more about it?" He offered, only to get a gauntleted fist to the back of the head. "You think if Mira knew anything about it, she wouldn't tell anyone? She is the biggest gossip here." Natsu laughed as he said the words, knowing under any other circumstances she would have spread the word like her life depended on it.

Natsu leaned over the table and motioned them to lean in as well. "Don't tell anyone, but Mira recently… Let's just say had a falling out with her boyfriend… She didn't want to go to Elfman because he would have blown it out of proportion." He looked them both in the eye, making especially sure to get Erza's attention. "Keep this to yourself, but she is staying with me for a few days. Says a friendly face can help her through this…"

Erza spit up a piece of the cake she was trying to chew before she could catch herself. The two looked at her quizzically, but she stood up and walked away, heading directly for the take-over mage. She grabbed the woman and started to drag her off. When they were far enough away, she spun around on her. "You're staying with him?" Erza snapped at Mira.

Mira recoiled, confused. "W-what? Staying with whom?"

Erza gave her a dead stare, "You know good and well who. It is indecent!"

Mira blushed and cast her eyes down. "There is nothing wrong with a man and a woman staying in the same home. Much less so if the two are adults and can make their own choices."

"Then why keep it a secret any longer? What could you hope to accomplish by hiding such a thing?"

Mira pushed her on the shoulder at that comment. "And what good will it do to pretend you hate the one person you love? What good will it do to get everyone else to hate him so?" She pointed out to the scarlet haired mage. With that, Mira stepped away from the other, stopping when she was just past her. "Thank you for worrying, but we can take care of one another for now. Maybe soon we will tell everyone."

Natsu lay down on the bench and closed his eyes. It was nearly reaching midday and he could barely keep his eyes open. "Natsu?" He heard someone say, a smile slowly spread across his lips. "Natsu, you can't sleep here." The voice persisted when he didn't move. He felt hair fall over him, pooling around his head as the woman leaned closer to him. "And why can't I sleep here Mira?" He asked, his eyes opening to look hers. A sly smirk crossed her lips as she licked them. "Because I know of something better you can do with your time."

"Oh, care to elaborate on that?" He asked raising an eyebrow. No one was paying any attention to them, but he wouldn't have cared at that moment. She was the only thing in his sights. "I'd rather show you." She whispered before pressing her lips to his. Before anyone could notice what they were doing, she pulled away and covered him with his own cloak. "If you can find me, I'll give you something." She whispered before straightening and walking away.

Natsu sat there in the darkness of his cloak listening to her footsteps fall as she walked away. He had indeed picked the right person, though he never would have guessed how forward she was once she got her teeth into something she wanted. A thought passed him over, how far was she willing to take this game of hers before they got caught.

After waiting a few minutes, Natsu himself rolled off the bench and stretched. The hard surface really could do a number on his back, but it was better than the floor. His eyes searched the room and quickly found her, she wasn't hiding. But, she wasn't in a spot that he could readily get to her without someone taking notice. He grinned, eagerly accepting the challenge she proposed. Either expose their relationship in order to get to her, or simply steal her away when no one was looking. He could manage that, but it would take a little more effort than he had initially thought.

Throwing the hood over his head, he walked over to the bar and sat down, then placed his head on the counter, further hiding himself from view except to those that knew it was him. Which was practically everyone except the most blind individuals. He waited a few moments, letting himself listen to the footsteps and conversations around him. When he had the placement of most people in his mind, he stood up and headed directly for Mira. She gave him a questioning look with a raised eyebrow.

He gave her a smile and walked right past her. As soon as he was past, a small fire burst up from where he had been sitting for a few minutes. All eyes spun to the spot, confused. It only took a moment for everyone to react, but it was enough for the fire to spread across the counter. When everyone started moving, Natsu moved as well. He silently put a hand over Mira's mouth and the other around her stomach before dragging her backwards, kicking and trying to scream past his hand. In a flash, he had drug her into a nearby hall, kicking open a door. He pushed the door closed and locked it.

The woman tried to spin around in his arms, but he held her firmly against his chest with an arm around her middle. "You wanna play a game?" He whispered into her ear. Still preventing her from moving, he slid his free hand away from her mouth and over her breast. She moaned quietly at his touch but brought her own hand up to her mouth. "That's right Mira, we don't want anyone to come searching for you if you make those sounds now do we?"

Mira pushed her chest into his hand, her other hand reaching over her shoulder to grab Natsu's hair. She strained her head over and pulled his lips to hers. "Are you just going to tease me, or do you plan on doing something about it?" She whispered quietly. He smiled and finally let her turn around before pushing her back into a wall. He crushed his lips over hers while she pulled him close. Thankful she had worn the short dress, he ran his hands up her legs to cup her ass, lifting her off the ground to pin her between the wall and himself. Her legs quickly wrapped around his waist. She didn't waste any time in unbuttoning his pants, letting gravity drop them to the ground.

"I want you…" She whispered in his ear. He smiled against her shoulder, using one hand to drop his boxers. Once they were out of the way, he reached between them and moaned when his hand rolled over her panties. "You're already wet, Mira… Does this excite you that much? The chance to get caught?" He whispered. He couldn't wait to get them off of her, so he ripped them off instead and tossed them out of the way.

She whimpered quietly as he slid himself inside of her. Though they had only been together once before, she had missed the feeling of him filling her. "Don't be gentle…" She whispered as he rolled back. Locking her lips with his shoulder, she moaned as he slammed into her. The action caused her to hit the wall roughly. His hips rocked back and forth, forcing a cry from her lips every time he slammed into her. Her hands dove into his vest, wrapping her arms around his back and clawing at his rough skin.

Natsu dug his fingers into the soft supple skin of her backside, "Mira… You're so tight… I don't know how much longer I can hold out." He said quietly, groaning as he felt her teeth on his skin.

"Don't hold back." She moaned, rolling her hips against him, trying to coax his climax out. She gasped as his thumb massaged over her bundle of nerves. She bit her lip and laid her head against the wall. His spare hand immediately snapped to her lips when he felt her start to tighten up. No sooner did her cover her mouth than did she bite down on it to prevent herself from screaming aloud. Throwing his hand from her body, she pressed her lips to his, sliding her tongue into his mouth forcibly.

He kissed her back just as passionately. Their mouths slanting against one another to get closer, to delve deeper into one another's mouths. He moaned against her lips, thrusting into her a final time to fill her once again with his seed. She broke the kiss to press her forehead to his and smiled. Despite how happy she felt, she couldn't help but feel like a fool. "I never thought I would ever do this here, especially with everyone just down the hall…" She admitted.

Natsu wrapped an arm around her waist and gently let her down to the ground. "It's your fault for teasing me like you did." He said with a laugh. "I wouldn't have let myself live it down if I did nothing about it." After he pulled his pants back up, he wrapped his arms around her, pressing his lips to her neck, leaving a mark. She pushed him away with a giggle, not realizing what he had done. "You head out first; I'll be right behind you." He said, opening the door for her with a wink.

Mira ran her fingers through her hair to ensure it looked decent as she walked down the hall. The small fire had been fixed and everything was back to normal as she slipped behind the counter. "Need another piece of cake Erza?" She asked with a smile. The mage sat there staring at her, eyes widening as they met the mark on her neck. "Mira?" Erza said slowly. "Were you by chance with Natsu just a moment ago?"

Mira cocked her head to the side and raised an eyebrow. "Yeah, why do you ask?" A loud clatter brought her head around to look at her brother, who was sitting on the floor, pointing at her. "D… did he… did you…?"

Natsu came out of the back room with a grin on his face and grabbed her hand. "We should go, he's gonna be pretty mad in a second."

Mira looked over her shoulder at her brother again, seeing his face grow angry. "I'll kill you for defiling my sister!" He roared.

Natsu pulled Mira into a kiss before letting her go. "You were right; it was about time they found out."

As always, please R & R!

Any and all criticism will prompt me to write more!

I appreciate you taking the time to read this!