I don't own Fairy Tail :(
Thank you to everyone who checked out my first story, Special Delivery. I was inspired to write Lucy's side of things by all of your kind reviews. Hope you enjoy this and that you find it fun!
If anyone can PM me with any advice on how to navigate this website please do- like, how do communities work? What's the 'following' etiquette? Why would someone follow instead of favourite? Etc, etc. I'm a novice.
If I get enough nice reviews I'll get on with writing a multichapter fic! I have an idea for one... oh who am I kidding, I'll probably go ahead and write it anyway.
Special Delivery: Girls' Night
Lucy Heartfilia subtly massaged her sore legs as she balanced her bicycle, standing in front of a student accommodation block. Working for Deliveroo wasn't an easy job. Firstly, she had to cycle for freakin MILES. For a girl who spent most of her day in a lab or a lecture theatre, physical exertion didn't feature that much in her life. Secondly, the ridiculously tiny shorts that were mandatory uniform were totally riding up her legs as she cycled- she could tell by the unfortunate chafing.
Damn you, Erza, she thought irritably.
When was this idiot going to arrive anyway?
She spied movement on the stairs behind the door's glass pane. She attempted to straighten up, and self-consciously fiddled with her ponytail. The bright blond hair had been hastily tucked through the back of her baseball cap- another charming feature of the Deliveroo uniform- to stay out of her eyes.
The door swung open.
"Hi. Did you make an order?"
She caught a glimpse of a strong physique, all tanned skin and muscles, from under her cap. Her hand was already on the food bag, ready to get a move on. She really wasn't that fast on a bike, and she was pretty sure all of her deliveries would be late- and then- she shuddered- Erza would have her head.
"I. Um." Said a pleasingly rough male voice.
"Fire chicken? From Madame Mira's?" Lucy was getting a touch impatient.
"I. Yes. Yes I did."
Not the brightest bulb in the box, thought Lucy somewhat huffily as she rooted around in the bag. Bringing out his order, she tilted her cap up a little. Chocolate eyes met deep, steely grey- and suddenly, the world fell out from under her.
Lucy choked a little on what she was about to say. What had she been about to say? Think, Lucy, think!
"That'll be…" (How much? How much will it be?) "Ten fifty, please."
(Yes Lucy, yes! Mental self high five.)
She studied him curiously, and non-obviously, from under the cap. He was tall, and she'd already registered the muscles. Most intriguingly, his hair was a gorgeous pink, and it didn't even look out of place on him. And oh my goodness, is that his chest? Does he just hang out in his apartment without a shirt? Lucy lost herself in glorious imaginings as the guy pulled out his money.
"So! How long have you worked for Deliveroo for?"
Her attention snapped back, somewhat unwillingly. Her cheeks heated involuntarily. Damn you, traitorous female body.
"Oh, on and off. I'm a student at St Makarov's actually."
"Seriously? Me too! What's your major?"
"Astrophysics." Lucy smiled, a bit nervously. Physics and maths subjects were in general not very popular with girls, so guys had the tendency to run for the hills when she told them. "You?"
"Me? Oh, um… I haven't really decided yet. I'm more here for extra curriculars, you know?"
"Like?"
"MMA." Lucy's mind went a mile a minute, considering how incredible this boy would look in a fight- "You know- mixed martial arts?"
Not bothering to correct him that she already knew what it was, she answered, "Oh, right! That sounds cool."
"Are you kidding? Astrophysics? That sounds a hundred times cooler."
A laugh bubbled out of her, and Lucy decided that this guy was something special.
"So what's your name?"
"It's Lucy." She pointed at the name badge for emphasis, pinned somewhat precariously on her too-tight shirt. A slight pause followed.
"I'm Natsu."
"Well it was nice to meet you Natsu."
"Yeah!"
The conversation had reached an impasse. Lucy tried and failed to come up with something to say- it's not that she thought she couldn't talk to this guy for hours on end, watch masses of TV with him, share pizza with him, or generally just cuddle in warm, happy silence- but her hormones were overwhelming her.
And Erza's terrifying face popped into her mind.
"Ah... well, I better get going. Lots of deliveries to make, you know?"
"Oh yeah. Yeah, sure."
"Be seeing you, then." She tried to keep the longing out of her voice, but wasn't quite sure she was successful.
"Yes. See you." Was it her imagination, or could she hear something unusual in his voice too?
And then, Erza's stormy eyes at the forefront of her mind, she hastily picked up the bag, got on the bike, and set off down the road.
A thought struck her a few hundred metres along.
"Aw man. I have to wear this stupid tiny outfit, and it didn't even get me a TIP?"
…..
"Oh my GOSH!" Mira squealed, causing Lucy to cover her ears. "Did I hear you right? Did you meet a GUY?"
"No I didn't meet a guy", Lucy hissed, a touch defensively. "I just, ran into someone while I was making deliveries. No big deal, Mira."
"If it wasn't a big deal, why did you mention it?" Cana pointed out.
Lucy glared at her so-called friends. It was true that her brief encounter the previous night had been playing on her mind, but she was valiantly trying to brush it off. She was currently sat at an empty table in Madame Mira's, the popular restaurant her friend ran near St Makarov's campus, as Mira herself stacked chairs away and Cana wiped down the bar cough cough finished any open bottles of wine.
"Greetings, girls" came an authoritative voice from the doorway as Erza Scarlet swept in. Her tone was quite at odds with her cutesy Deliveroo uniform and its green kangaroo logo. She deposited her food bag at the counter, sitting down next to Lucy and stretching out her legs.
"Thanks again for covering for me last night, Lucy. I really owe you one!"
Erza aimed for a warm smile, which looked so unnatural that it had Lucy breaking into a sweat. Tentatively she replied, "you're… welcome?"
"By the way," Erza continued, as Cana and Mira listened with interest. "Some guy was asking about you tonight."
Mira fell over a chair. "SOME GUY?"
"Yes. Fairly distinctive, too. He had pink hair."
A warm rush built in Lucy's chest, as she struggled to keep a massive grin off her face. Everybody noticed though.
"You like him" Cana said slyly, injecting as much sexual implication into the words as she could possibly muster. "You're thinking about him right now. I bet you're thinking all about his big strong arms, and how it would feel to have them wrapped around you, and how amazing it would be to make out with him, and get him on a bed, and-"
"Ok, Cana, that's enough!" Mira deftly swiped the wine bottle from her, and she blinked in confusion. "So Lucy. You've got to get in touch with him! Did you get his number?"
"… No." She said dejectedly. Erza looked at her in disapproval.
"What else do you know about him?" Mira probed gently.
"Um… he's involved with MMA."
Cana was oddly silent on this matter, prompting Lucy to realise she was probably still stuck in her previous fantasy.
"You could probably track him down, then!" Mira encouraged. "The MMA team definitely has a social media page, just add him through there!"
The voice of Erza Scarlet rolled firmly through the restaurant.
"No."
Lucy and Cana cowered.
"Lucy, I'm thoroughly disappointed you didn't simply ask for his number straight away." (Lucy here bit back her response about time wasting on a job and worrying about whether Erza would kill her) "-but I cannot condone clear social media stalking. If you like this boy, you get him to come to YOU."
Lucy was sure there was a double standard somewhere in that statement, but she was too interested in Erza's advice to care.
"So here's what you do. You can easily find him online. See if you can arrange a 'chance' meeting. All of your problems are taken care of."
"Yes! Then it won't be creepy stalking that brings you together, it'll be FATE!" Cana joined in enthusiastically.
Mira narrowed her eyes slightly. "Well, as long as you're together by the end of the month, I won't complain."
"Yes!" Cana punched the air sloppily. "Operation Get Lucy Laid is GO!"
"Oh, we are so not calling it that."
…..
A couple of days later, on Lucy's friends group chat; thoughtfully renamed "Operation Get Lucy Laid":
LoserLuce: (The nickname had not been her choice): Guys OMG
Iwantabeer: OMG What?
LoserLuce: I found him.
EatatMiras: NOOOOO WAAAAYYYYY
As the messages flitted over Lucy's screen, a green dot appeared next to Erza's name, as well as that of Levy McGarden- Lucy's best friend, an English major and a fan of all the same books.
ScarletWitch: Excellent job, Lucy! So what's the plan?
Leviathon: oooohhh exciting!
Lucy replayed the last hour in her mind. She'd successfully tracked down the college MMA team page, and scrolled through the various members until she caught a flash of pink hair. Following the profile pic along had led her to her goal- one Natsu Dragneel. Handsome, humorous, and most importantly, single.
He'd recently been tagged in a post. Lucy followed it to another page- (God, this guy's privacy settings really sucked)- titled "Fairy Tail". It sounded familiar. It hit her that this was the new bar everyone was talking about, and the page was a currently open guestlist for Saturday night. She saw Natsu tagged in a list of names a little ways down. Heart racing, she added herself to the top of the guestlist and went to her group chat. Now she just needed some backup.
LoserLuce: So it looks like he's gonna be at that new club, Fairy Tail, on Saturday night. I could use some support ladies. Who wants to come with?
Leviathon: Oooooh I will, I will!
Iwantabeer: I got your back, Lucy
EatatMiras: I'm sorry hun, I gotta work the restaurant Saturday night L Ah student life. Best of luck!
ScarletWitch: Alas! I too have alternate arrangements on that evening.
This struck Lucy as somewhat suspicious. Who, exactly, was Erza seeing?
Iwantabeer: Anyone we know, Erza? ;)
EatatMiras: Oh, I bet you it's that guy with the blue hair and the tattoo on his face I saw hanging round the restaurant the other night!
A notable silence ensued from ScarletWitch.
EatatMiras: Ooh, he's so mysterious. You have to tell me everything next time!
ScarletWitch had gone offline.
EatatMiras: You can't run away from me ;) Anyway I gotta go for now, good luck on Saturday everyone!
Everyone signed off one by one, and Lucy added Levy and Cana to the Fairy Tail guestlist. She couldn't decide whether she was dreading Saturday night, couldn't wait for it to arrive, or was stuck in some beautiful, nerve-wracking state in between.
…..
Saturday night. Date night.
Lucy was currently at the front of the Fairy Tail queue. Cana was standing arrogantly next to her, showing off her latest blue bikini top and surreptitiously swigging from a silver hip flask. The tiny Levy was struggling to bat away the elbows and shoulders of inconsiderate guys who kept "not noticing" she was there.
Lucy shivered a little in the cold breeze, and fiddled with the back of her short skirt as the queue moved forward. Anticipation raced its way up her spine as they neared the door. Yes! Almost there!
"IDs, ladies?" inquired the bouncer.
Levy was expecting this, and already had hers out, handing it over without a pause. Cana grumbled a little, "don't I look old enough to you?" but grudgingly pulled hers out as well. After Lucy had displayed hers, the three were ushered inside with a smile and a wink.
Music was blaring from every corner, and the place was packed. Lucy vaguely recognised a bunch of people she'd seen around Makarov's campus, and waved a little when she caught their eye.
"LET'S HEAD TO THE BAR", Cana suggested loudly in Lucy's ear. She grabbed Levy's hands so she wouldn't get trapped in the mass of bodies.
The bar was a little more sane. Cana immediately hopped on a barstool, which she'd had no trouble getting some guy to vacate for her.
"Beer, thanks". She'd apparently had no trouble getting immediate service either.
Lucy started to look around, hoping to catch sight of some pink- the flashing coloured lights weren't exactly helping.
"Don't worry," Levy said confidently, putting a hand on her arm. "He'll show up!"
"Who'll show up?"
Lucy felt an unexpected hand on her other arm, and freaked out a little. Shaking it off, she turned to the guy who'd spoken; handsome, with a shock of ginger hair, he wore a suit jacket and tinted glasses.
"Hi- er, who are you, exactly?"
"Oh, I'm Loke." He flashed her a practiced grin, which didn't really put her at ease. Levy, too, was giving him a wary glare.
"I don't suppose you're an astrophysicist, are you?"
"What?" Lucy was stunned. "How did you know? Do we share a class?"
The guy chuckled. "Call me psychic. Wow… you actually ARE crazy hot."
Before Lucy could decide whether or not to be offended by that, the music ramped up even louder, which she had considered a physical impossibility. Consequently, this Loke guy felt the need to lean in to her ear.
"Hey, listen. I've got a… friend who's really excited to meet you. Why don't you come over there-" he gestured vaguely to a dark spot beyond the people and flashing lights- "and say hello?"
At this point, a reasonably tipsy Cana, who had somehow overheard the entire exchange, went "Oh my GOD. Is he talking about his di-"
"WHAT?!" Lucy shrieked, cutting off the end of Cana's sentence (thank goodness, for the sake of Levy's poor, innocent ears), wrenching away from Loke's grip into and Levy's protective stance. "I can't BELIEVE you just ASKED me that!"
At this point, Loke had realised that his approach had gone somewhat awry. Holding up his hands in a placating manner, he tried to explain, "No no, you've got it all wrong-"
"Look, I don't know who you are and why you think you know me, but seriously. Stay away from me you creep!"
Suddenly a familiar, dangerous, male voice sounded from behind Loke. "Hey. Can we help you?"
Lucy stopped short, and tried to look around Loke's body as he suggested they "take it outside". Before she knew it, the boys were out the side door and gone from sight. She could have sworn she'd seen pink.
"Oh my goodness, Levy!" she whirled around to her concerned friend.
"What even WAS that?"
"I think that was him," she breathed. "I think it was Natsu!"
Levy recovered herself quite quickly. "Well what are you waiting for?" she urged. "Go get him!"
With a shove from Levy (Cana's attention now fully occupied by the bar), Lucy started making her slow way through the crowds of people. She caught sight of the door opening, and then-
There he was.
Can't lose face now, she thought, as she determinedly walked up to him.
"Natsu? Is that you?"
The boy turned, and Lucy got another flash of those deep, dark eyes that took her breath away. His hair was mussed up, he looked a bit flushed from the heat, but man, did it suit him.
"Uh yes! Yes! You remember me." He smiled, and Lucy fought the urge to grin back like a maniac.
"It was nice what you just did for me". She began, quite serenely. Then taking even herself by surprise, she hit him in the arm. The urge to have an excuse to subtly feel him up was simply too strong.
"But I didn't need you to. I can take care of myself. I'm not your girlfriend or anything."
"But you could be!"
Wait. Wait, what?
"Um, I mean. I'd like you to be. Um. Would you like to go out some time?"
Yes, yes! A thousand times yes!
Lucy managed to rein in her enthusiasm, and went for a coy smile.
"Let's get a drink and we can talk about it."
END