Wheels of Fire

Anguish and Solace

The front door to Lucy's apartment slammed open, letting in moonlight as Lucy and Edo-Natsu entered laughing loudly.

Between gasping chuckles, she asked, "How ... how did you ever manage to get tickets to that show?"

Fireball shrugged nonchalantly. "While you were gone on that mission, I entered a contest at the grocery store and won the drawing. I figured on surprising you. Did you like it?"

"Oh my gosh, I have never seen a comedy duo like that." Lucy grabbing her side as her laughs began to hurt her stomach. "That was outrageous! I've heard of them, they're really famous in Crocus, the capitol city, but I didn't think they'd ever perform in a town like Magnolia."

He smiled as he watched her put away her purse and hang up a cute sweater she had worn that night. Treating a girl out was oddly satisfying. Edo-Natsu sat on the plush chair and yanked Lucy down to sit on his lap. She looked a little surprised, but she quickly snuggled up against him.

"I'm really glad you liked it," he said with heartfelt relief. "And dinner, was that okay?"

"I never turn down good curry." She adjusted her seat on his lap and leaned on his shoulder. "I'll be honest, this was the best date I've ever had. Not that I date around a lot," she assured him. "It was ... perfect."

"Not perfect yet." He held her cheek and leaned in for a kiss.

Lucy's eyes widened at such boldness from the timid Fireball, but his lips were gentle on hers. Her eyelids sank as she felt her body grow heavy under the magic of his kiss. It did not last long, and when he pulled back, she saw bashfulness in his face.

"Now, it's a perfect date," he declared in a soft, deep voice.

She coyly tucked her head down with pink tinting her cheeks. "I ... I hope I wasn't too boring tonight. I hardly talked."

"I could never get bored gazing at you," he replied.

Lucy blushed even brighter. "You ... you didn't mind, even though it was just me?"

"Just you?" he laughed. "Did you see the jealous looks I was getting? Every man in that restaurant was envious that I had such a breathtaking lady with me. I even saw a couple of wives hit their husbands." He touched her cheek again, feeling the softness of her pale skin. "With beauty like yours, we could have sat in total silence for five hours, and I would still be overwhelmed with joy at the end of the night."

That made her titter softy, and her stomach coiled slightly. "How is it that you know all the perfect things to say?"

Edo-Natsu thanked the stars that Lucy Heartfilia had never read any of Gildarts Nash's romance novels. He had been directly quoting from those stories all night long.

After an awkward silence, during which her cheeks cooled off some, Lucy muttered, "So, what else would make this a perfect night?"

Edo-Natsu tried to think of what to say. How would Gildarts Nash have his dashing, hunky protagonist reply to that question? "Sometimes, a perfect night ends in splurging on all the ardor that life and love offers to us."

She raised her eyes with a soft gasp, wondering if he was suggesting that.

"And sometimes," he said, patting her hand reassuringly, "it's best to save perfection for another day."

Gildarts would nod in approval on that one! He would have to remember it and tell the writer later. Of course, that meant going back home to Edolas. That prospect, after such a fun date with the most beautiful and sweetest girl he knew, soured the night a little. To push past it, he smiled even bigger and gave Lucy a kiss on the cheek.