I rolled over and was greeted by a mouthful of sand. Certainly a harsh wakeup call to quickly remind me of the current situation. Spitting and coughing, I remember the dangerous and horrible aspects of my current situation. Then I hear a small sigh from next to me, and remember the wonderful parts of all this.

It wouldn't be enough to just say Luce is the light of my life now. But it'd be accurate. I don't know if I've expressed to her how much I've thought about this in depth, but maybe that's because I lose all train of thought when I see her. Lucy is my light. I realize now that I was in a bad place those years I spent basically taking advantage of girls. All I had to do was stand up and say loudly that I was hungry, or that I wanted a certain video game, and food would appear in my hand. A gift would appear outside my door. I didn't even think of how wrong that was.

Before Lisanna came back, I was recovering from Grandeeny's death. When school started up I was swept into it all, forced to abandon that shield of grief I had all summer. Lisanna and I dated for about three months at the beginning of the school year. We broke up the winter of freshman year, around the anniversary of Grandeeny's death. She couldn't have known much about the incident, but around that time I always became a little more sensitive. We said some things, shouted some things, and whispered some things. In the end I decided it would be better I just go solo, and worked on building that shield again, just in a different way. Rather than becoming indifferent to the world, I became numb to girls' feelings towards me. Except for Lucy. When she called me out that day outside the dorms it felt like a slap to the face. She yelled at me a little for brushing her off, then turned her back and walked away. I couldn't ignore that. So I opened up. I made her mine, and gave myself to her. I let myself go.

I also let myself go last night. With the both of us overflowing with emotion and wrapped in each other's arms I'm not surprised something happened. Actually, I think the most surprising thing of last night was finding out Lucy was not as pure as tabloids might want to think. Not only was that girl not a virgin, but she had some tricks up her sleeve... And I definitely do not want an earful from her father about defiling her.

I sit up and glance over at her sleeping form. Just as beautiful as she was last night, and every night since I met her. The sun is up and hanging low in the sky. Taking a deep breath, I place a hand on Lucy's shoulder.

"Luce, I'm sorry to wake you, but you should probably get up now. We need to get back somehow. Luce..." I gently rub her shoulder, but revert to sudden shakes when she doesn't move. "WAKE. UP. PLEASE. LUCY!"

"AHHH I'M UP!!" She sits up with a jolt, sending sand flying from her back. "Oh, thank god Natsu. I had the weirdest dream..."

"Did it involve getting stranded on an island?" I ask, knowing the feeling.

"No, why?" She asks, forgetting for a moment where we are. "Oh, right. Well..." She opens her mouth to ask a question, but is interrupted by the sound of a very unhappy stomach. Her face flushes as she wraps her arms around her midsection.

"We didn't get to eat dinner yesterday, and now we're missing breakfast. I wonder what they're serving at the resort..." I start to salivate, thinking of crisp bacon, warm sausages, and golden waffles.

Lucy seems to share my daydream until she suddenly grabs my arm. "Oh my god, the resort... our friends! Do you think they've been looking for us?"

"Ahh shit, they must be worried out of their minds." I quickly look around us again, and thankfully spot the rowboat from yesterday safely on shore. It's probably bad for the boat somehow to have been dragged so far onto the beach, but it's better than leaving it to float aimlessly on the ocean.

"How are we going to get back?" Lucy asks, the worry evident in her tone.

"I'm not sure. Right now it seems like our best bet would be for someone to find us, but who knows how long that will take. Nobody knows where to look."

Lucy looks away before saying, "any chance your new friends will come sweeping past this island in another rowboat? Or will they not be able to row it themselves..."

I stand up and stretch out my arms, trying to ignore the painful rumblings in my belly. "Who are you talking about?" Lucy just puffs out her cheeks. I turn the gears in my brain until something clicks. "Are you talking about those two girls from the boat? Why would they find us?"

"I don't know. You were being chummy with one of them on the beach." Lucy is still turned away from me, but I make a face anyways.

"Please. I was just trying to be nice. Those two have their own stuff to work out, and I didn't even mean to be the middleman. She just... wait a second." I walk around until I'm standing where Lucy has to look at me. "Are you... jealous?"

Her face turns a cute shade of pink before she retorts, "well, not anymore! But I guess now you understand. I felt like I was losing everything."

"You have nothing to be jealous of, Lucy. I'm your boyfriend, and you're my girlfriend. Let's make that painfully clear now, okay? Nobody's gonna change that."

The expression on her face radiates pure joy, and her eyes start to water a little. I realize slowly that maybe this is just what Lucy needed. To me there was no question that Lucy is mine and I am hers. But in the darkness that clouded her mind maybe that wasn't so clear.

I bend down and take her hands, helping her stand up. With the momentum I steal a quick kiss on the tip of her nose. For a second she looks startled, before relaxing again.

"Thank you Natsu," she murmurs. "Now let's find a way off this place."

~

Some kind of well-wishing fairy must have been looking down on us, because it wasn't long after that Mira and Laxus found us. They appeared as a dot on the water, but after our shouting and jumping they came in closer. Laxus found a rope to attach the rowboat to the back of their motor boat. Mira told us the story on the boat ride back.

When Lucy and I didn't show up after I ran off, Levy started to worry. She explained a little on how Lucy was in a bad place, and that we could have been kidnapped or lost or anywhere else on the island. They agreed that it was too late and too dark to look then, so they set an alarm early in the morning so they could go searching. Thankfully they came across some people who saw or heard us near the docks, and spoke to the boatman. He told them he was down one boat, and everyone assumed the worst. After a quick explanation and name dropping, the man lent the group three small motor boats.

"He didn't want to get sued, or have to call in the coast guard." Mira explained with a smile. "Just the mention of Jude Heartfilia's name had him nervous, so when we told him it was his daughter missing in one of his boats, he was more inclined to offer his services."

"Whatever," I said. "I'm just glad things didn't turn out worse."

~

As planned, Zodiac's Eleventh would take us home tomorrow. After a hearty meal for Luce and I, and two hours of concentrated packing, we all slumped down on the couches. The rest of the gang had yet to pry about what happened last night, but it's bound to happen, and now's as good a time as any.

I sigh, "just spit it out alread-"

"WHAT THE HELL HAPPENED?" "ARE YOU OKAY?" "WHY'D YOU RUN OFF?" "WHERE DID YOU GO?" "DID YOU MEAN TO LEAVE?" "WERE YOU GOING TO COME BACK?" "DID YOU DO 'IT'?"

Lucy blushed and looked away at the last one, but I tried to move the attention away from her. Man, it's like I removed the pin from a grenade! But I guess I shouldn't have expected anything less from our friends.

"Yes, I'm glad we're safe too!" I say sarcastically, rolling my eyes. "Seriously, you guys are worse than paparazzi. Probably."

Gray rests his head on one hand. "We're happy you guys are back, but we're dying to know why you left."

"You don't look very dead to me Gray," I retort. He snorts, but doesn't say anything.

"I lost my bracelet on the rowboat and went back to get it. Natsu found me and helped me, but we ended up floating out into the ocean. We paddled with our hands towards that island and stayed the night." I guess it's part of her storytelling skills, but Lucy easily summarized the important parts of that night for our friends.

"How'd the boat get loose?" "Were you scared?" "How'd you see anything?" "You didn't have oars?" "It was raining, weren't you soaked?" "Did you do 'it'?"

There's no satisfying these people, is there?!

I take a deep breath. "I must have tripped on the rope, terrified, phone flashlight, no oars, freezing to death, no comment."

Mira pouts. "No comment my ass."

Levy looks up, her eyes still a little puffy from crying out of worry, then relief. "Natsu, what about the flowers you brought back? We didn't let them die, like you asked."

"What flower? Natsu?" Lucy turns to me with questioning eyes.

"Well, I told you I had overheard the conversation between you and your father. I wanted to cheer you up. So before I went out looking for you I went down to that little cove where you showed me those flowers..." I trail off as Lucy moves her gaze past me and settles on the vase of flowers behind me.

She rises from her seat as if levitating and walks over to them. "Oh, Natsu. You actually got them! They're... they're perfect. Thank you." Her eyes start to tear up again, so I walk over to hold her.

"'Was nothing," I say with a grin while feeling the throbbing pain in my hands all over again. This time it's Lucy who initiates a kiss, yet I register more everyone else's reactions before my own.

I press my forehead against hers, "you know, you can't just do that. Otherwise we'll have to deal with those animals."

She just smiles and looks up at me with her big, brown eyes. "Are you saying you don't want anymore kisses?"

"Definitely not!" I immediately respond. Like hell I don't! The thought of Lucy initiating kisses more often makes my heart flip, but there's no way I'm telling her that.

"AHHH I CAN'T KEEP IT IN ANYMORE!!! STOP BEING SO CUTE."

I smile despite myself and reply with just the necessary amount of sarcasm. "Hmm, I wonder who that could be."

"I apologize on her behalf, but c'mon man. We've been waiting for you guys to be legit for the longest time." Laxus' deadpan face while speaking does not help the situation.

"Yeah, nice to see you finally grew a pair," Gajeel teases. Levy hits his arm, but grins anyways, winking at Lucy.

I casually sling an arm around Lucy's shoulders. "Hey, if anyone here needs to grow a pair, it's Gray."

"What are you talking about?" Gray calls over from where he's still sitting. "Hmm. I guess we really are the best secret keepers." He lets out a sigh, and Juvia starts giggling like the crazy girl I used to know, as if he flipped her switch.

"But Gray-sama, it was so nice and romantic..." Her eyes form hearts, but she doesn't move towards Gray. He places a hand on her arm and looks at her very seriously.

"It's time."

"Oh. My. God. Stop making this like some drama and just spit it out!" I exclaim.

Juvia places a hand on Gray's shoulder and whispers something into his ear. Gray shrugs his shoulders. "I mean, I would man but Mira already looks like she's planning on killing me so... I guess confession time will wait."

"Oh I'll get you to confess alright." Mira says with a smile, a dark aura forming around her. "Now. Are there any other couples that have something to share?" She turns towards Levy, who automatically ducks behind Gajeel.

I laugh a little. "I don't know about a 'couple' secret, but Gajeel here has been trying very hard to hide the fact that he needs goggles to swim!"

Gajeel turns his head so sharply I'm surprised it didn't snap and fall off. "You promised to keep that secret!"

"Oh come on man, you can't keep that a secret! Guys, he looks absolutely ridiculous in goggles!" I laugh harder just thinking about it.

"So that's why you didn't want to go in the ocean..." Levy whispers, her eyes wide as she combs over all the events of this vacation.

Cana laughs along with me. "Gajeel, it's nothing to be ashamed of."

"Don't say that while laughing at me!"

"I can't help it! Now I'm picturing you in goggles, and it's hilarious!"

"Shut up!" Gajeel does another one of his angry-pouty faces, which causes Levy to snap out of it and comfort him. Gray and Juvia are swapping whispered words back on the couch, while Mira, Laxus, and Cana paint a picture of Gajeel in full scuba gear, still too afraid to go in the water. I smile at the comforting chaos our friends have naturally leapt into, while Lucy does a little Luce Laugh next to me.

"What're you laughing at?" I ask her gently.

She shakes her head. "Everything," she says softly, her smile happy enough to erase away any problem.

~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~

I'M NOT DEAD. AND I STILL HAVEN'T GIVEN UP ON THIS BOOK. I've just been less inspired to write in general, and I've lost sight of where this is going exactly. I'll keep coming up with cute stuff in the meantime when I can though! Also you will be getting no lemons from me *^* I hope the little insight from Natsu in the beginning was good though ❤️
If you guys want to bless me with inspiration or ideas feel free!

The song is Save Your Goodbye by Mike Posner