Summary:Natsu never realized that cute barista was a lady of many talents. (Modern day college AU Nalu one-shot)
Author's Note: I've lost track of the prompt list, but there was one of AU's where characters didn't know they knew each other. So here this is.
It wasn't just that the coffee shop was close to campus that kept Natsu coming back. Hands down, they served up the best coffee in town along with reliable wifi and some incredibly tasty pastries. You could lounge around there most of the afternoon, surrounded by the scent of freshly roasted coffee beans and sweet rolls, all while working away on your paper. His continued patronage might have had a little something to do with the girl behind the counter too.
"You're my hero!" he declared, having grown used to the mysterious smile and soft giggle the phrase seemed to draw from the cute blonde. Her hand came up to shield her mouth when he winked.
The first time she'd done that he'd been a bit weirded out. Her caramel colored eyes had widened like she was shocked right before she chuckled quietly and a sly twist appeared on her glossy lips. The second time he'd been a bit offended. What was so funny? Was it some private joke she didn't like to share? It was rude to laugh at your customers.
By the fourth time, he started to think it was just a tiny bit adorable. She didn't seem to be making fun of him, really, just indulging in a bit of closely kept humor. Now he said it just to see her smile. And there was also the fact that the coffee somehow tasted even better when she made it. The girl seriously had a magic touch with caffeine.
Dropping into one of the overstuffed chairs that littered the trendily decorated eatery, Natsu pried his rickety laptop out of his bag and punched the power button while he slurped some of his hot beverage. Today was a good day for the drink since he'd been up all night trying to finally finish the never ending history assignment. The exhaustion was going to play hell with him later when he had to go to his job, but hopefully the caffeine would keep him running long enough to get through class.
It wasn't that he was actually having trouble with the paper that made it take forever, oh no. It was that his beat up computer decided to freak out every other day during the scant few hours he had between work and class. Honestly, if it wasn't for the university's amazing IT hotline service he would've been sunk on more than one occasion.
Though, if he was being very honest, it was really the dogged assistance of one particularly brilliant young lady that saved his ass repeatedly. He'd been more than a little fortunate that she always seemed to be the one to catch his panicked calls. Someday he would finally track her down and grovel at her feet.
He blinked as the laptop cycled through the bootup sequence a second time, noting the same absurd number of updates that it was loading. Drumming his fingers on the tabletop, he tried hard not to worry. Nervously, he took another sip of his drink and ignored the trickle of cold sweat down his spine.
"Not today, okay? Just… work for once, will ya?" he muttered, and then glanced around to see if anyone noticed him coaching his aging piece-of-crap computer. All he needed to do was review the paper one more time before submitting it. Was it too much to ask for a little leniency from his technology? The blonde behind the counter smiled faintly when he caught her eye.
A fourth sequence with the now painfully familiar update numbers scrolled by, and Natsu scrubbed a hand through his spiky hair. "Aww, c'mon! What now?" His golden voiced tech goddess had warned him that the laptop seemed like it wasn't long for the world, but he'd been praying it would hold together at least until the assignment was done. "Pleeeease? I just need you to stay on long enough to -"
Natsu broke off when a shadow fell across the screen. The pretty barista was looking at the display curiously. "How long has it been doing that?" she asked.
They hadn't actually had a conversation before which made him hesitate. "Since I turned on just now. This is the fifth - well, now the sixth time it's gone through this."
"Do you mind if I…?" She gestured slightly towards the laptop, and he nodded quickly.
"If you can do anything, that'd be a huge help. I'm not so good with this stuff." And there was that secretive little smile of hers again. Damn, but that made him curious.
As the computer looped again, she started tapping one of the keys on the keyboard quickly. Natsu recognized the menu that eventually popped up as one his glorious tech support angel had talked him through, taking the computer into safe mode. Sitting forward to watch, he glanced up at the girl whose face was framed by tendrils of sunny hair escaping from her messy bun. Mesmerized by the intense look of concentration she wore, he completely missed whatever steps she had taken.
"I bet it's that one update that went through last night. I've seen a few other people having the exact same issue. I'll just uninstall it, and then change this setting…" He stared at her hard. Something about all this was jarringly familiar.
"Let's try this," she said, pressing a few keys with a little conductor's flourish. They both waited as the display rolled through the different stages right into the normal sequence and his blessedly intact desktop. "And there you go!"
She always said that when she magically solved his problems.
"You know," the woman said, wiping her hands on the towel tucked into the front pocket of her apron, "you should really consider getting set up with a cloud syncing service in case this thing decides to give up altogether. I know of a few free ones that might -"
Natsu started to laugh silently, shoulders shaking. Finally, his mirth burst through and he cackled loudly. "Holy crap! It's been you all this time! I feel so dumb."
She smiled and shrugged, tucking the loose strands of hair behind her ear. "Well, I guess there's no reason to think a comp-sci major would be working a second job at a coffee shop, and there's lots of Lucy's around."
His face blanked as he finally registered the silver name tag she'd been wearing. "Jeez. I never even noticed that."
"Yeah, lots of people don't - What are you…?!"
Lurching forward, Natsu ended up on his knees, clutching her pair of beautifully soft hands and staring up into wide brown eyes. "Lucy, you are amazing! I can't even tell you how many times you've saved my butt, and you make the best coffee I've ever had in my life."
The girl glanced around, realizing that everyone in the cafe was staring at the two of them. "Um, that's great, but could you not -"
"You're for sure the smartest person I've ever met. That jackass at the ITS center didn't know what he was talking about when he said you were only top of the class because of your boo - Er…" His brain caught up with his mouth by the time her eyes narrowed dangerously. It probably wasn't the best idea to mention the incident when he'd tried to learn more about his phone-only-savior from her peers. "Anyway, you're my hero, and I don't know what I'd do without you!"
A chorus of 'awwwws' greeted his proclamation as the customers observed. One of the older ladies who was a regular called out "Kiss 'er, sonny! Don't let a gal like that get away!"
Lucy's face turned the color of a stop sign. "W-we're not… It isn't…"
She squeaked when he kissed her knuckles and jumped to his feet to envelop her in a bear hug. Lifted off the ground in his surprisingly toned arms, the blonde was frozen in shock as he swung her side to side. "You are the absolute best. I swear I'm gonna do something to pay you back. You'll see!"
"P-put me down, and we can call it even!"
He dropped her, hands still resting on her upper arms, but his face looked quite serious. "That's definitely not even. I owe you big time." His eyes widened and a grin broke across his face like a summer dawn. "I know! I'll take you to dinner!"
Lucy's tawny eyebrows jumped. "Dinner?! Whoa now, let's not start getting -"
"All you can eat, even. I swear I won't cheap out on you."
She just couldn't help the smile that cracked through her embarrassment. It certainly didn't sound like he was trying to hit on her or take advantage of the situation, though she had to admit there was a part of her that wouldn't mind that so much - he looked practically edible in those worn blue jeans and tight t-shirt. And those warm, dark eyes... "Well," she stalled.
"Say yes!" yelled more than one of the customers who all broke into applause when she nodded jerkily in assent. The calls of "So cute!" and "They look good together" made her furious blush turn into a deep burning, and he crushed her into another absurdly strong hug.
"All right!" he crowed and released her so abruptly she staggered and had to brace herself on a tabletop. "I gotta go now, but I'll pick you up here at 8, yeah?"
"S-sure, that sounds fine."
He kept grinning at her while he stuffed his belongings into a battered backpack and hefted it over his arm. Backing out of the shop, still beaming so brightly, he almost knocked over one of the cafe tables. It was like he was afraid if he took his eyes off her she'd disappear or something. Of course, he'd once referred to her as his 'mighty tech ninja' so who could be sure? "Eight o'clock. Don't forget!"
"I won't!" Good lord, but that guy's excitement was infectious. She waved until he disappeared from sight beyond the entrance. A little sigh escaped her, bubbling warmth suffusing her entire body.
At least until she turned around and saw every single person in the shop watching her, including her supervisor. Lucy's chin dropped down towards her apron clad chest, and she scurried back behind the counter with a whispered "Sorry 'bout that" and a chagrined expression.
One thing was sure, though. Even if the rest of her day was fraught with stingy customers, cranky professors, and interminable database programming she now had something to look forward to at the end of it all: dinner with the nicest guy with the most busted laptop she'd ever seen.
Three cheers for shoddy technology.
Author's Note:In case anyone thinks it's weird that a writer would end up in computer science, I know a pretty significant number of IT folks who have bachelor's in English and the like. That's mainly where this idea came from. Plus, I dig the thought of Lucy as a computer programmer.