midnightstar | Happy Holidays Charlie Brown! .. oh wait wrong canon

He missed the gauntlets but the lessons had stayed with him and he wouldn't forget them ever.

Natsu lowered his hand from its pose and finally walked over to his audience.

"How was that?!" He asked with a very proud grin. He could see the kits loved it to bits but he wanted to hear the impressions from everyone including Lucy.

Regina laughed as Natsu approached, clapping politely, "It was astounding, Natsu - and the children appreciate the display as well, as you can see. Getting them to sleep tonight will be ..interesting." The kids were quite excitedly talking to each other about it even now. But hey, they'll have interesting dreams~!

Lucy grinned at the proud smile on his face, nodding agreement with Regina's assessment, "It was completely breathtaking, Natsu. It was.. incredible." But saying even that didn't feel like appropriate wording - it felt like it didn't do it justice.

"Hehe. I promised them a show so might as well go all out." Natsu laughed happily before he heard Lucy's answer. Well if she felt the words didn't convey it enough she was welcome to elaborate on that once the kids retired.

"Glad to hear you all liked it though. Had to make a few last minute modifications to the design but it turned out great in the end~"

She'd have to take him up on that unspoken suggestion. Though to be fair, she probably would have anyway - he was much too much of a temptation. Not that she was complaining. "Last minute modifications?" Well he probably won't get a chance to answer that, since he's about to be swarmed by the two kids, excitedly bouncing around him and heaping praise after praise after praise. Lucy mentally facepalmed, but she leaned over to Regina with a grin. "Great, he's going to be impossible to deal with now."

Yes, she knows he heard her. She wasn't even trying to cover it up, smirking in his direction.

Oh he heard that and wouldn't deny it. Having the kids fawning over him like this felt pretty damn good and he wouldn't trade it for anything. Why would he?

"Hehe I told you I'd make it worth helping with the dishes didn't I?" Natsu laughed, ruffling the hair of both kids with a bring radiant grin.

Watching the kids fawn over him was too cute, and she shifted her weight a little, chuckling. She didn't know what it was, but seeing him playing with the kids and looking out for them this was was so endearing she could help but feel warm watching him.

Neveren's grin practically split his face in half it was so big, and he nodded eagerly. "Yeah, it was awesome! Can you do it again next time?!"

Regina, getting to her feet, dusted herself off, laughing. "All right all right. You two both need to get ready for bed. Big day tomorrow morning." Though it wasn't terribly late, but she'd been leting the kids stay up later than usual the past few nights. Enjoy the mutual kidlet-pouts though, Natsu~!

It totally wasn't the first budding embers of a maternal instinct. That was preposterous! Natsu let out another laugh hearing Nev's question.

"You bet I can. Maybe I'll even make it take the form of something else too. Unless you'd want another dragon~" He's so spoiling them it's not even funny. That being said when Regina calls to take them to bed well he'll have to side with her this time.

"Come on don't look like that. We'll have more fun tomorrow and the days after that to make up for a bit of early bed time." Those pouts are so totally his weakness though.

Absolutely not! No sir, no way, nope. Totally preposterous that was. Of course if he'd sided with the kids, Lucy would have stepped in - those kids had him wraped around their pinky they could probably get him to do anything. Which might be a problem if one of them tried to push their luck a bit - but they were so far good kids and didn't try things like that.

"Really? Cool!!" Nev gushed at his hero. Something else - what would it be? He's about to pepper Natsu with more question when Regina gently caught hold of his shoulders and started to guide him away from the pair. "Nev, come on now, you can ask your questions in the morning; it's time to sleep now." Justyne was already heading inside - fortunately Natsu's reassurance appeased Neveren enough that he didn't complain any more, trotting into the guild after his sister.

Lucy gave a tolerant sigh, "You're spoiling them too much, Natsu." She scolded gently, amused. ... she guilty of spoiling them a little too though - but not to the extent he did.

Natsu waved the two kidlings off to bed before Lucy spoke up. He laughed lightly before looking up to the night sky.

"I'm not doin anything Igneel wouldn't have done for me." And there it was again. That soft wistful smile whenever he thought of his dear father.

She watched him in silence for a moment, her smile softening at the sight of that smile. ... maybe she should change the subject, she didn't want him to dwell or feel sad about not meeting up with his father still. She got to her feet, dusting herself off, and stretched, arms over her head. "Haaa, is that so?" She shifted her weight lightly, tilting her head at the dragon slayer with an impish smile. "So that's why you're spoiled rotten. I should have known!~"

Natsu had quite a few things keeping him from going all out into brooding mode on that topic. Two of them had just been taken off to bed and the third was right there teasing him right back.

"Oh come on? You weren't complaining last time I was spoiling you~ Or could it be you're jealous of Nev and Justyne~"

"Mmhm, and how long ago was that? That was forever ago." A whole twenty four hours! That's criminal! She twitched at that teasing comment, eyeing him. "Wha..? Me, jealous? W-Why would I be jealous of them!"

She's not jealous. No sir~! .... yeah no, she's really not, but it's fun to pretend, since they constantly fell into their teasing-each-other pattern.

"Forever ago huh?" Natsu said and slowly crept up on Lucy, a mischievous glint filling his eyes as he came wihint arm's reach of Lucy.

"Well I don't know why you'd be. Especially when you know how important you are to me~"

Crept up indeed since she was pretending to be huffy and not looking at him. HMPH. "Well that's easy to just say something like that..." A corner of her lip twitched slightly. It occurred to her he could use her 'argument' against her as well in the future, but eh, she'd cross that bridge when and if she crossed it.

After a moment, she risked sneaking a glance towards him out of the corner of her eye and Hey when did he get that close?

"Oh? So you want me to show you then? While Regina and the kids were here watching us?" Oh yes he was going to tease and mess with her for every last second he could get. Why wouldn't he? SHe was the one who started this little playacting game.

When she actually glanced his way, Natsu immediately lunged and wrapped his arm around Lucy's waist to pull her in against him.

Lucy blushed at that point he made, stifling an awkward chuckle. "Don't be ridiculous, of course I wouldn't.. especially not while they were watchi-!" Attacked! Or, well, not attacked exactly but she still was caught by surprise. Literally. For a second she almost forgot the little game. "And what do you think you're doing?" Boy, it was hard to keep up the act when she wanted to grin at him.

Oh there it was. That blushing and tension in response to his grab. Natsu was tempted to just go straight for her neck with the nuzzling but somehow held back for the moment. He wasn't intending to release her either way.

"What? Oh just catching up on lost time~"

"Oh, is that right?" she chuckled under her breath, playfully leaning away, as if she really intended on keeping him from catching up on lost time. Not that she can lean very far, considering he could just pull her closer again. "I'm supposed to just let you?" She teased.

The thought does occur to her to lean back in and nuzzle into the warmth of his arms, but she was supposed to be playing hard to get. (Wait, can she be hard to get when he already got her trapped?)

He is more than aware how ensnared his dear celestial spirit mage actually is and leans in closer and closer after her, the grin on his face growing more and more.

"Well you can try and stop me. But i don't think you'll get far doing that. Not when-" Natsu said and lowered his voice to a level he'd only used behind closed doors. "I. Know. Your. Every. Weakness~"

... T.. That is SO not fair, using that voice on her. She made a strangled noise in her throat, a blush coloring her cheeks. Stay strong Lucy~! Remember the game! "O.. oh, is... is that so..?" She stammered softly. "-Every- weakness..?" she cleared her throat a little, laughing softly, "Y.. you couldn't possibly know -every- weakness.

... well if he was using THAT voice on her ...

Playing fair isn't fun and her attempt to take back the flow is simply not good enough. He used his other hand to ghost light touches at the back of Lucy's neck while he canted his head to the side giving her a very knowing smirk

"You don't sound so convinced about that, Lucy~"

Hmph. She supposed playing fair /wasn't/ fun -- at least when they were together -- and she knew perfectly well that if the tables were turned she would be doing the same thing to him. That being said those light touches were .. definitely distracting. "Is... is that so? Ah w-well, you know I am. I .. I bet there are plenty of weaknesses you don't know about..!"

Is he buying it?

Oh she so would be just as merciless if the roles were reversed. Natsu had no illusions pertaining to that. Which was exactly why he wasn't giving Lucy that opening she so desperately needed.

"Is that so? Then maybe I should take you to our room and fix that~ If it were true that is~" Natsu chuckled as he dragged one nail over one of those weak spots he had been nibbling on last time they got some time alone~

That didn't mean she wasn't watching for it! Although it... was hard to watch for it when he was doing that. "M..maybe," she managed, though the voice came out in little more than a strangled little squeak, barely even paying attention to what he was saying. Especially at the feel of his nail trailing against that spot, which only served to remind her of that last time they were alone. She sucked in a breath quietly, shivering at the sensation.

Wait, what did she maybe to? She shook her head a little. What was she saying again? "Ah.. I.. I mean it is true." Trying to rally for a clear head, she glanced away briefly, "I can't believe you .. wouldn't believe that..!" Tsk!

She was making it only worse for her really. Trying to act it off like he wasn't having a devastating effect on her defenses already. But it was also something so very Lucy to do.

"Well maybe if you managed to make it sound more confident~" Yes now he was challenging her to admit defeat or actually come up with a convincing story.

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