Lucy often woke up in the middle of the night, her hand extending slowly to touch her soft lips. They were warm, much warmer than anywhere else on her body.
It felt like a feverish heat, a fire almost cracking with kindle in the pit.
She didn't understand why, assumed at times that it was just the way her body worked. But there were nights she stirred, feeling an applied pressure, maybe even hearing a slight satisfied hum.
She would sit up to look out her balcony, the curtains wide open since she liked to fall asleep under the watch of the stars. The door was still locked, and not a sound could be heard in her corner of the castle.
She was a romantic at heart, so her thoughts did tend to wander.
Lucy didn't know what a kiss felt like, so she couldn't say that was a definite possibility.
But what else if not a kiss? Maybe a fairy visited her at night to show his affections. Her mother always told her about the beings from the magical forest when she was a child.
It was forbidden for humans to enter it nowadays, but there were many legends of what hid beyond its trees.
The creatures were kind and sweet, some with brave and chivalrous hearts, others jealous and possessive. They had a love and fascination for humans, but the spirit king was adamant to keep his forest safe from the corruption of greedy souls.
The princess planned to test her theory by attempting to stay up for the entire night.
She laid in bed, silently reading books from her memory to pass the time. She wondered if this would all be in vain at the end of the night, but she had to know. Her stomach fluttered with butterflies as her mind created the fantasy of her magical midnight guest.
Another voice in the back of her mind hissed for her not to get her hopes up, that this was only something an oblivious child would do. It sounded all too much like her father's, who didn't care for the princess to still believe in such fairy tales.
So when she closed her eyes the next night, she tried her best not to fall asleep.
Her hands clutched the top of her blanket, fingers fidgeting in anticipation. She could feel her heart ready to burst, excitement building up within her every passing second. Was it so much to ask from the world for this one little thing? The walls of the castle made her feel so confinded, that this one escape from her reality was something she wanted more than anything.
She hadn't known how much time passed, the moon looking as though it was barely moving. Her curtains were wide open and the door was unlocked, in case whoever the spirit was couldn't do it himself.
But her eyes began to betray her, lips parting to yawn. The princess felt her lids lower and lower, blinks becoming harder to perform. She tried to fight off another yawn, getting to the point where at times she couldn't tell her eyes were supposed to stay open.
The rattle of the door startled her, a gasp waking her from her drifting state. She kept her eyes closed, listening for what might be outside.
A subtle mumble drifted into the room before she could feel the presence of someone above her. They emitted a warmth that found its way under the covers and soothed her soul.
"She's even cuter than yesterday," A voice sighed, Lucy trying not to blush at the sudden compliment. "Gosh, I love her,"
"Dont you get tired of coming here? I do," A squeaker voice asked, yawning and smacking his lips.
"Shush! You know that I've always gotta come see her," He huffed, Lucy feeling the boy land on the bed beside her. "Gramps'll get mad if she sees me when she's awake,"
"But we're already breaking the rules," The whiny voice huffed, yelping quietly as he seemed to have received a smack.
"I don't care," She could hear a pout in his tone. "I think I'll die if I don't kiss her,"
Lucy felt her heart beat at a wildly fast pace, her dreams fully imagined as she felt the soft touch of his lips upon hers. They were splendidly soothing, beyond that even. It was akin to a fire that she wished always rested within her. And she never wanted to let it go.
Lucy opened her eyes as he pulled away, the boy startled out of his schmoozed demeanor.
"E-Eek! Natsu, run!" She glanced down to see a tiny flying kitten at the end of her bed, his wings quickly carrying him into the air. He tugged and tugged on the spirit-like boy who refused to move.
He had red scales crawling up the sides of his face, patches on his arms as well. His eyes were bright yet dark at the same time, their onyx color shining like a jewel. His lips pulled upward in a half-cocked smile, cheeks rosy as he blushed.
"Sorry, I woke ya up," He sprouted webbed wings from his back, their deep crimson color matching his scales.
"Its okay," She shook her head as he began to float, gathering the panicking kitten in his arms. "I was waiting for you,"
"Really?" His smile grew, splitting to cover the width of his face.
"I wanted to thank you for the kiss," She nodded, blushing as she gripped the edges of her blanket. "Will I get to see you again?"
"Nu uh! You know the rules!" Natsu muffled the kitten's voice, nodding happily before he ducked out the window.
"Yeah! Tomorrow!"
