AN: I've lost all my notes for Enchanted. I am so sorry, but without them I won't ever be able to finish it, since… well, I kind of forgot what that mission was. I'm so stupid, I know.

But as an apology, I decided to smother you with a fanfic that will make all your NaLu-fangirl-fantasies come true. Basically, it's just me being in hyper-fangirl-mode, since I was curious about how Natsu and Lucy would act in a serious relationship that leads somewhere. I'm getting bored with all those cliché get-together fics, so I'm gonna try and approach this in a more realistic way that I feel is more like them.

Emphasis on try. But hey, enjoy and I hope everyone will forgive me for not continuing Enchanted. Maybe you'd like to take a look here: .com for more NaLu-stuff.

Disclaimer: Not mine. Since I'm not Hiro Mashima, as you might've noticed.

About the Small Things

Chapter 1: The Thing with Wanting More

- In which there's an almost kiss and a dive into a river -

Trying to kiss her had definitely not been such a good idea.

Natsu flinched as a soaked Lucy furiously kicked the door to her apartment open so violently that it banged loudly against the wall, reminding him of how freakishly strong that girl could get when she was majorly pissed off. Lucy vanished inside, snorting dangerously and bristling with anger, just before the door sprung back from the impact and Natsu barely managed to squeeze his fingers in between before it could close entirely. Well, not that a closed door had ever stopped him from getting into Lucy's apartment, but he figured that he shouldn't anger the girl more than he already had.

"C'mon, Luce," he whined as he closed the door behind him. "I said I was sorry."

Lucy spun around, glaring viciously at him with fiery cheeks. "Sorry, my ass! I could've died!"

Natsu lowered his head a bit, gazing up apologetically. "I'm really, really sorry."

He had definitely not thought this through. But then again, he wasn't exactly sure what he expected. Trying to kiss her had been a pretty stupid move either way, completely spontaneously and utterly reckless. And his timing had been awful, too. What idiot tries to kiss his teammate and reputedly best friend when she's focused on balancing on the way too narrow border of Magnolia's river?

Of course it would totally scare her. Natsu sighed. Idiot, idiot, idiot.

He vaguely remembered how pretty she had looked when the moonlight gently caressed her frame, and suddenly he'd wanted to caress it, too. Natsu didn't even think about how weird it would be and how inappropriate it was (she was his nakama), it just felt so right in that moment, to reach out and touch her hips. He'd been so captivated by her that he just barely realized how her eyes widened in confusion as he leaned in until their noses touched.

Only that he never had the chance to test if her lips were as soft and sweet as they looked, since Lucy gave a shocked yelp and… Well. She kind of fell backwards into the river. Her clinging to Natsu's shirt didn't help either, it just served to get them both soaked. Thankfully, Natsu was a flame mage and could dry in a split second.

But well, Lucy wasn't. And she hated that fact even more when she suddenly sneezed. The summoner scowled dangerously, sniffing as she spoke, or rather ranted. "Oh great, now I'll get sick. Thank you very much, you idiot!"

"I offered to dry you," Natsu mumbled sheepishly, tucking his hands in his pockets as he followed her to the bathroom.

"I told you that I don't want you to dry me," she spat, squeezing the water out of a bunch of her hair over the washbowl. "And you know how I hate to repeat myself. I hate to repeat myself!"

Natsu gave a nervous chuckle. "Err, just did, Luce." The blonde summoner shot him a glare so deadly that for a second she could have passed for Erza, and he suddenly felt cold sweat on his forehead. "N-no, you didn't, I really don't know why I said that."

Lucy gave an exasperated sigh, resuming squeezing water out of her blonde locks. "Damn you for drying so quickly. You should be soaked and sneezing, too."

She glanced over at Natsu from the corners of her eyes, her features relaxing to a more calm face when she saw him looking down at the ground miserably. Somehow, she felt bad. The guy was really sorry for something he shouldn't be sorry for. After all, it had been her own fault that she fell into the river. And not only that, she had pulled Natsu with her, yet he didn't mind at all.

Actually, Lucy wasn't sure exactly why she was so damn mad at him. But maybe, she thought, she wasn't really mad but simply too shocked and embarrassed to act normal around him after he'd almost… Her face immediately flushed a deep shade of crimson at the memory.

Natsu had tried to kiss her.

It hadn't been just one of those moments like in romantic novels where there's that certain silence before the guy would lean in. He'd been so close that when she yelped her lower lip had actually brushed his upper lip. He had almost kissed her. And not just a friendly peck, his lips had been parted, ready to kiss her like a man kissed a woman. Not like a friend kissed a friend. Lucy was so confused, so incredibly bewildered and disarranged. She just didn't know what to do with that, desperately trying to figure out what it meant.

Did he have feelings for her? And what if he did? She was painfully reminded of that incident with Mirajane where she had playfully suggested Natsu might be interested in her in a more romantic way. Lucy had been just as shocked and self-conscious then, but she had not completely hated the idea of him maybe being in love with her.

Heck, that guy had her heart pounding rapidly back then. Though at that time, she had prepared herself to reject him, because hey, they were nakama, for God's sake. Much to her surprise, she wasn't so sure if she was going to reject him this time, nakama or not. If he had feelings, that is. Which she wasn't entirely sure about. Just like about her own feelings.

She wiped her forehead and sighed, eyes shut in exasperation. Why does he keep doing this to me?

Lucy was so busy sorting her thoughts that the pattering sound of water when her shower was turned on caught her completely by surprise. She whirled around in bewilderment, eyebrows knitting up to a blank frown when she saw Natsu standing under the jet of water, fully dressed and steaming where the cold water touched his fiery skin.

She gawked in disbelief. "What the hell are you doing, you idiot!?"

"Getting soaked," he said matter-of-factly. "You're right. It's not fair that you're the only one getting sick when it's my fault that you fell in the river to begin with."

Lucy groaned in irritation as she grabbed for his soaked shirt and roughly pulled him out of her shower. "Listen, it's not your fault," she said forcefully, turning away from the dripping Natsu to snatch a towel from the shelf. "I slipped. My fault. Okay?"

Natsu furrowed his brows when the girl started to wipe his hair with the soft towel, feeling strangely contented with her hands massaging his head. "Then why are you so mad, Luce?"

"W-well," she mumbled, unable to avoid the small tremor in her voice as she looked down to his feet, her cheeks flushing. "Because…"

Nodding in realization, Natsu looked away, eyes narrowing in embarrassment. Right. She was mad because of that. The almost-kiss. Oddly, the thought of her being mad because of something like that hurt really badly. More than he would have ever thought it would.

"Would you've hated it that much?"

Lucy's head shot up in bewilderment, eyes widening when she saw how close he actually was. Almost without realizing it, her hands paused from her slightly rough massage on his head. "What?"

She felt her heart skip a beat at the handsomely serious look on his face. "Would it have been so bad? Did the thought of me kissing you scare you so much that you preferred making a dive into cold water?"

"I…" she heard herself utter very hoarsely.

She was at a loss for words, shocked at how he had no qualms to say such a thing so bluntly. Her mouth was dry, lips parting for words that just wouldn't come out. His curious eyes seemed to pierce right through her, making her heart thump twice as fast and her face heat up even more. Normally, she would have hit him. But there was something about him right now that hadn't been there before. Something she just couldn't put her finger on.

But then, she suddenly realized what was different. Nothing about Natsu changed. It was something about her that changed. Something about the way she looked at him, so painfully different from before. Affectionately, warmer, almost longingly.

Because throughout the time slowly, very leisurely, he had somehow managed to make her to look at him like a woman looked at a man.

Biting her lower lip, Lucy let her hands sink down, towel still loosely hanging from Natsu's head as he knitted his eyebrows at her. She was trembling, were it because of the cold or because of his presence, or even both. She felt all the tiny hairs on her arms rising upwards at the feeling of his hot breath against her face, once again realizing how damn close he was and how she wouldn't mind at all if he just…

Lucy had no idea if it was the steam in the bathroom clouding her mind or if she just simply lost it, but something inside of her urged to make a big step. A step that could ruin everything forever - or make it better than before.

Reaching out her hands to wrap them around his waist, she took the small step parting them, making their soaked bodies touch in a way that send tiny sparkles through her veins. Even if she was focusing her stare on the pattern of his shirt, cheeks burning fervently, she knew what expression there was on Natsu's face, knew that his eyes widened, felt his body heating up in her arms just a bit more.

The only sounds were the shower in the background and her heart beating loudly in her ears.

Then came his voice, very throaty and un-Natsu-like. "… Luce?"

"If it's you," she whispered against his shirt, cloudy chocolate eyes peeking up at him from beneath golden hair, "If It's you, I couldn't ever be scared of anything."

She could've sworn that her heart and time itself just stopped for an incredible moment. Natsu's expression was odd; something between embarrassment and disbelief, and it would've almost looked comical if the tension wasn't so thick. Lucy on the other hand couldn't even control her features anymore. She was sure he could read her just from the look in her eyes.

That she still somehow, vaguely, found the strength to open her mouth almost surprised her. "You know, Natsu." She tilted her head upwards, her breath roaming across his neck as she spoke. "There's no river in here."

And then just like that, their faces were only inches apart, and Lucy thought that somewhere under that solemn expression of his there was a tiny smile hidden in the corners of his mouth, a glint in his eyes that had her shiver in anticipation. Then she felt his calloused hands, branded by countless fights, lightly touching her arms, more careful than she ever thought he could be.

"There sure isn't," he murmured, licking his lips as he tucked a loose golden lock behind her ear.

His hands cupped her face gently, but when his nose brushed against hers there wasn't shock this time – instead it took her breath away, the way he kept their gazes locked as he moved closer inch by inch. When there were only a few tiny millimeter left, Natsu hesitated for a moment; one moment too long for her taste.

Not being able to take the torture of his lips being right there but not touching her, Lucy grabbed the wet fabric of his shirt and forced him to take the last step rougher than intended, their lips crashing together rather painfully.

Almost at the same time, they broke away from each other, cursing, making sounds of pain and holding their mouths. Lucy vaguely wondered if this was the most embarrassing thing that ever happened to her; but then she remembered being called ugly by Evaroo and dismissed it. Still, it was at the very top of her list, which was just one of the many reasons her face was burning crimson. She was just about to wish that earth would swallow her right now when Natsu suddenly burst out laughing hoarsely.

"Jeez, Luce. You're really something," he managed to say between chuckles, one hand still on his mouth. "That was the worst first kiss ever."

Lucy felt her face heat up even more until she was scared it would maybe explode or something. "Sh-shut up! It's your own fault," she sputtered in offence. "You were taking so damn long that I had to do something."

Natsu grinned widely at her. "Thank God you did that. I was really nervous before, but you broke the ice."

She glanced up at him sheepishly, hesitantly touching his mouth. "Does it hurt?"

"I don't care," whispered Natsu, taking her hand away to free his lips.

Lucy had barely time to widen her eyes as he leaned down to her level once more, this time not hesitating even one bit as he sealed his lips over hers. Sighing in relief at finally feeling the sensation of his mouth pressed against hers, Lucy raised her arms to touch his face, feeling him grabbing her waist to bring her closer, until there was no more room left between them and even then he couldn't seem to get enough.

She was overwhelmed by a sudden burst of warmth spreading through her whole body, unable to form even one real thought as his raw lips moved over hers. Her mind was clouded and very unclear, she only knew that he was the one single thing that mattered right now, and soon her body took over, leaving rationality behind when she opened his mouth for his tongue to dive in, feeling his grip tighten on her.

From then on, things seemed to heat up rather quickly, involving a lot of sucking, gentle biting, teeth clanging together from time to time and desperate clutching for something to hold onto. Hands wandering to delicate places, eliciting moans or grunts, and somewhere along he slipped his hands under her bottom, picking her up and pushing her up against the next best wall. Clothes came off in the blink of an eye and soon soaked, cool flesh smacked together, heating up in an instant. Somehow, they landed on the cold floor, naked and yearning to feel more, feel everything they had to give.

Engulfed by a wonderfully new heat, they gave reign to their instincts, groans and screams of pleasure filling the air as a friendship withered to bloom into so much more.

tbc