Hello, people! Nightlingbolt here! Welcome to my new oneshot, "Halfway There!" Yes, a new story, even though I should be working on Lucky Star, ABCs, Scenes, and that Young Justice story I keep promising!

Speaking of Young Justice, inspiration for this story is drawn heavily from a Young Justice story called "Almost There," written by a talented author known as Animegoil. This pretty much follows the same basic formula as that. For those of you who've read it, you could equate Natsu to Robin, Erza to Artemis, and Jellal to Wally/Kid Flash (even though Jellal would probably never be caught dead in the same room as KF, but just go with it). In other words, I'm sorry this isn't an original plot, but I really think Almost There is a perfect expression of Natsu's feelings for Erza with Jellal in the guild. Because with the way Fairy Tail seems to be shaping up, I'm really starting to believe Jellal will join the guild at the end of this arc. Scarily enough, I'm also warming up to the idea of Gerza, but like I've always said, if Jellal can truly live free, then I will support him ending up with Erza. Of course, that doesn't mean I'd give up on Natza, but... you know what? If I keep talking, this is just gonna turn into a long-winded rant about my shipping beliefs, and no one wants to hear that crap!

Once again, apologies to Animegoil, but I feel like your idea works for my shipping. If she wants me to take it down, I will. With that, on with the show!

I do not own Fairy Tail or its characters, Hiro Mashima does.

Once again, Natsu and Erza were in the middle of an intense sparring session. Erza had started off with Flame Empress as a cautionary measure, but had been forced to abandon that plan when Natsu switched to hand-to-hand, fists ablaze. Currently, she was giving Natsu the runaround with her Flight Armor.

Erza would openly admit to deriving a sort of naughty pleasure from speeding away from a frustrated Natsu just as he was about to land a blow. However, she would justify it by saying that if Natsu was going to reach S-Class level, he needed to be able to adapt to several different styles of combat. By Erza's own admission, Natsu was stronger than her, though his fighting style was pathetically static compared to her own dynamic combat style, and that was the difference between them.

Eventually, Natsu got tired of playing Erza's game and ignited his Fire Dragon's Claw so he could keep up with her. This caused Erza to smirk. So he'd finally figured out how to match Flight Armor. She crossed her swords and sped forward, attempting to strike a decisive blow.

However, Natsu surprised her by turning away from the impact. Before she had time to react, he had appeared behind her and put all his power into an Iron Fist, knocking her to the ground with great force and causing her to roll on the ground.

It seemed Natsu was especially quick with his reflexes today, because as soon as she stopped rolling, Natsu had pinned her down with both hands. She was about to summon the strength to break free, but they made eye contact briefly, and Erza could see a primal look in the Dragon Slayer's eyes. Her arms had been captured by his, and somehow, Erza knew she had that same animalistic gleam in her eyes as well. She had dreamed of this day, the day that Natsu would best her in single combat; she had dreamed of Natsu taking her, his prize, his spoils of battle...

And all of a sudden, Natsu yanked back his hands, almost as if it burned just to touch her. "I'msorryIknowyo'vegotJellalandidon''tkillme!"

To say Erza was put off was an understatement. Here, Natsu had finally dominated her, and he was begging her not to kill him? Outrageous!

She had caught Jellal's name within Natsu's babbling. "What does Jellal have to do with anything?" she asked.

Natsu sighed. "Ever since Crime Sorciere joined the guild, everyone's been saying it's only a matter of time before you and Jellal become... you know... a couple." The blush on Natsu's face suggested that he was uncomfortable talking about this kind of thing.

That's right, thought Erza. Crime Sorciere had had a part in stopping the fiasco at the Grand Magic Games. The Games were cancelled for the year with the results inconclusive – much to the horror of Master, who had really wanted that 30 million Jewel prize – and in his gratitude, the King of Fiore himself had exonerated the members of Crime Sorciere of their past crimes. Jellal, Ultear, and Meredy had been invited to join Fairy Tail, and all three had accepted.

Which led to what was currently going on between arguably Fairy Tail's two most notorious mages. "And you don't want to make a move on me unless Jellal says you can." It wasn't a question.

"Aye," said Natsu timidly.

Erza sighed and sat up. "All right, Natsu, here it is," she said. "Jellal is my best friend, and I love him more than words could possibly describe – as I do everyone in Fairy Tail!" She added the last part hastily, seeing Natsu's face fall.

"I would trust anyone and everyone in the guild with my life if I had to..." Erza continued. "But..." she sighed again as she looked at Natsu. "When the Magic Council took Jellal away, I came to the crippling realization that I couldn't wait on others for my own happiness anymore. But then, Jellal joined the guild... that was three months ago, and he hasn't made so much as a pass at me since then."

Erza sighed. "Jellal's changed so much from when we were kids," she said sadly. "He's not as sure of himself as he once was. I don't want to have to hold my lover's hand and constantly reassure him that everything is all right. And yes, Ultear has changed for the better, but that doesn't change the fact that she destroyed Jellal all those years ago."

Natsu said nothing, choosing instead to avoid Erza's gaze. It's just as well, she was being stupid. She drew circles in the dirt as she tried to find the words to say.

"What I want out of a relationship... is not having to be the strong one. For all my strength, I just want to find that one person I can be weak around. Someone whose ars I can just melt into nothing in... no worries, no problems... just someone I can let go with. Someone... who wants to protect me..."

Erza blushed furiously. Why had she spilt such an intimate secret to Natsu, of all people? She trusted him without question, but this... this was something she had never even told Master!

Natsu gave a gentle smile. "I can see that," said Natsu. "I'm the opposite, then. I feel stronger when I'm protecting people. I want... no, I need to protect someone to feel whole."

Silence, then Erza's heart went into overdrive.

Here she was, Titania Erza, the strongest woman in Fairy Tail, possibly the greatest female mage on the continent, admitting she wanted to be weak, to be protected. She had often commented that she wished she was weak, that she was no better than any other mage, and every time, she had been laughed at – not her, exactly, but the idea that she didn't want to be strong. No way in Hell Natsu could just accept her weakness, the idea that-

She stood up. "We should, um... get back to the guild... this is stupid, anyway..."

Natsu grabbed her arm with both hands, and the way Erza froze, you would think he was an Ice Dragon. "No it's not," he said softly. "It's you. I mean, I like you strong and scary... but you're beautiful when you submit to someone who wants to take care of you." His words tickle her ear, and she starts to burn, every single cell set ablaze by his voice, usually loud and boisterous, but here, alone with her, the softest velvet.

"Natsu..." cooed Erza.

Natsu smiled, pleased with Erza's reaction. "I'll talk to Jellal man-to-man when he gets back," he said. "I'm pretty sure he's just punishing himself or some bullshit by not trying anything with you. But for now..." He snaked his arms underneath Erza's, wrapping them tight around her stomach. "Let me pretend that you're already mine."

What Natsu didn't know was, at that moment, Erza wasn't pretending.

Because we all know that secretly, Erza melts under her dragon's touch. ;)

You can find the story that inspired this, Almost There, under my Favorite Stories. Once again, if Animegoil decides she wants me to take this down, I will, but I feel like I've made the plot my own.

Quick announcement: I'm probably going to be rewriting Scenes a little bit, partly to reflect my revised predictions for the Grand Magic Games arc, and partly because I had the brilliant idea to pair Meredy with Sting. Odd choice of pairing, I know, but think about it: a boy who killed his foster parent, and a girl who worships hers. Hey, crazier pairings have happened, like Ren and Sherri. Hey, I never predicted they'd end up engaged either, but looking back on the Oracion Seis arc, it's so obvious! Still, I wonder how Sherri fell out of love with Lyon... never mind! Muse about it somewhere else!

Peace. Love. Nightlingbolt. Bye!