In the nineteen years Lucy had lived, not once had she enjoyed having a summer job. Regardless of whether she was inside or outside, it was hot, sticky, and exhausting. Having a summer job was the last thing she wanted.

But as summer began to roll its way into Magnolia, Lucy came to the realization that whether she wanted to admit it or not, she was broke. One hundred percent broke.

It wasn't her fault. College was more expensive than she initially expected. So were the books at the bookstore, but that wasn't the point.

Lucy needed a job. Fast.

Hastily typing out a website with a list of job offers in Magnolia, her eyes skimmed through them. She was willing to do anything, but she still had some standards. She wasn't going to do anything with children—she'd experienced enough of that disaster. Working with food was also out of the question.

It wasn't until Lucy's eyes landed on an offer that not only included the hours she'd be working, but also the hourly wage she'd be receiving. After reading the qualifications and fitting all of them, she didn't need any more. This was definitely the job she needed this summer.

Lucy didn't think twice to dial the number of the company. She cleared her throat seconds before the call connected, preparing the most warm, friendly voice she could offer.

"Hi, my name is Lucy Heartfilia, and I'm interested in your job offer," she spoke into the phone, spinning her computer chair back and forth. She paused as the voice on the other end responded. "Oh, we're going to have the interview right now?"

An interview over the phone wasn't what she was expecting, but she could roll with it. The questions weren't particularly hard although she found herself stumbling over her words when asked why she wanted the job. She grinned when only ten minutes later, she was being told where to go for orientation the next day.

"That was easy," she said after disconnecting the call.

The next day, Lucy wasn't sure what to feel as she entered the company's building. She felt anxious knowing that she needed to make a good first impression. However, all of her apprehension was in vain because there was no tension in the room she entered.

What was in the room were a group of people who were definitely around her age. No doubt they all had the same intentions as her. She couldn't help but feel a new sense of ease. Taking a seat, she waited for the orientation to begin.

"Welcome to our company!" a man soon announced. "Today, we'll be telling you what you'll be doing for us this summer. Please, don't hesitate to ask questions if you have them."

The more Lucy learned about her new job, the more she wanted to get it all over with. She didn't mind that she would have to knock on people's doors; what she did mind was that she'd knocking on doors for hours. She could already tell iced water was going to become her new best friend.

And as expected, it did. During her five days of training and practicing what she'd be doing on her own, she'd gone through at least three water bottles in two hours. The dry summer air was enough for her to become dehydrated in seconds. But if she could get through a full summer of screaming kids, she'd surely be able to withstand this no problem.

And just one week later, Lucy was already waking up for her first day. With what she'd observed during training, she knew that having a smile on her face at all times was a must. Additionally, she needed to have an incredible amount of patience.

"You can do this," Lucy encouraged herself as she entered the neighborhood she'd be selling to that day. It felt strange not having anyone beside her telling her what to do like in training. All of sudden, it felt lonesome.

Lucy viewed the neighborhood she was in, feeling all the dogs curiously staring at her behind the fences. The neighborhood was pretty nice, so perhaps the people will be, too? She knew the two had no correlation whatsoever, but with how she was feeling at that moment, she needed some comfort.

Gripping onto her clipboard, she read through the addresses she was allowed to sell to. In her mind, Lucy replayed all the words she was required to say. She said them so much in the past week, she could recite it in her sleep. But just in case, she wanted to rehearse.

Immediately, Lucy was able to hear the blaring of music reverberating through the first house she reached. She was afraid the owner of the house wouldn't be able to hear her knocks on the door. Nonetheless, she knocked several times, taking a step back to wait for the door to open.

Usually, it didn't take long for the door to open. The longer the wait, the slower the door would open. Though with this house, it was the complete opposite. Lucy's eyes widened once the door suddenly swung open after nearly two minutes, finding a man with vibrant pink hair. They stared at one another for a second too long.

"You're not the pizza guy," he scrutinized at her. "Who are you?"

Lucy opened her mouth to respond, but nothing came out as her eyes fell on the man's bare chest. A few droplets of water shined on his shoulders. This was not what she experienced during training.

"M-My name is Lucy," she began, stammering all over the place. "I-I'm here on the behalf of—"

"I'm Natsu, wanna come in? Just looking at you is making me sweat," he interrupted her. "We have a pool in the back that you can come swim in."

"I am looking to speak to the person in charge of home services!" Lucy squeaked.

"Oh, he's not here right now. He won't be here for a while now. How about you come in and we'll wait for him?" he suggested, leaning against the doorframe with half of a smirk.

Lucy couldn't tell if her cheeks were blazing because of the weather or because of him. She didn't want to stick around to find out.

"I will be back here tomorrow. Have a nice day!" she spoke quickly before swiveling around and striding away. Her back burned as she felt his eyes watching her go away.

"What the hell was that?" Lucy inquired under her breath when she was far away enough the sense on her back faded. She hastily fanned herself with her clipboard, promptly gulping down her water.

She didn't want to go back to that house again. Whoever Natsu was, he gave her a feeling she didn't want to be feeling. This feeling of warmth and security—she'd never felt anything like it before.

Luckily, the rest of her first day went as smoothly as she hoped it would. She had received many applications, meaning she was almost finished with her first neighborhood. Natsu's home was the only one she had left.

So the next day before knocking on the door again, Lucy braced herself for Natsu and his glorious chest. She wasn't going to mess up this time. She had everything under control. That's what she told herself, at least.

Brushing her knuckles against the door, she stepped back and waited. The wait this time was much shorter than yesterday. Lucy held her breath as the door flew open once more, eyes locking with Natsu. She forbade herself to look at his exposed chest too much.

"We meet again," he stated with a grin.

"My name is Lucy and I'm on the behalf of this company I'm working for. I am looking to speak to the person in charge of home services," she announced smoothly. She held back her satisfied smile since she didn't make a mistake this time.

"He's not here again," Natsu answered with a shrug. "Seriously, Lucy, you're looking hot."

Her eyes widened, but not enough for him to notice. She let out an awkward cough in response.

"Wait, I didn't mean it like that!" he suddenly realized. "I mean, it's hot outside and I can tell you're sweating already. Are you sure you don't want to come in for something to drink? We have ice cream!"

Lucy bit her lip. Was he really bribing her with ice cream? She wasn't supposed to go inside the house, anyway, so she shook her head.

"If the person in charge is not here, I'll be on my way. Thank you, though."

"Just come to the backyard! We have drinks there," he insisted. "Here, I'll walk with you to the back."

Since this was the only house from this neighborhood she was selling to, Lucy knew she had a little time to spare. With a small nod, she instinctively moved back as Natsu stepped outside with her. Together, they walked around the house to reach the backyard.

She could already tell he was taller than her, but being right next to him, she noticed her head hardly reached his chin. She peeked up towards him, her heart instantly leaping into her throat. Why was he making her feel this way when they just met?

"Oh, yeah. I have a few roommates, but ignore them," he mentioned while opening the fence gate.

Allowing her to go inside first, Lucy's body became stiff at the sight she was met with—not one, not two, but three shirtless men staring at her.

"Flame-brain, that's not the pizza guy!" one of the men called out with a frown.

"He'll be here soon!" Natsu shouted back. "Gajeel and Jellal, mind shutting Gray up for a bit?"

Lucy immediately felt uncomfortable and out of place as the four boys bickered with one another. It wasn't until she noticed the pool Natsu had mentioned when her eyes widened.

"You call that a pool?" she asked, pressing her lips together to not laugh.

"Kiddy pools are still pools!" Natsu proclaimed. "What's wrong with it?"

"They're not even swimming!" she laughed out, not being able to control herself. "Their feet are the only things getting wet!"

"Do you have a pool?" he questioned with a raised brow.

"I used to," she replied.

"Ha! I win because I currently have a pool where I can wet my feet in," he answered triumphantly, handing her a glass of water.

"I don't think that's something to be proud of," she giggled while accepting the drink. "Anyway, I'm working for a company that gives you a discount for home services. If you're interested, we can help—"

"If I accept your offer, will I be able to see you again?" he asked.

"You're not the person in charge," she reminded him.

It was then once a sheepish smile spread across his lips. "Surprise."

Lucy wasn't sure how it was possible for her face to get any redder, but oh, it did. Both of them could tell; she wanted to wipe off that lazy smirk resting on his lips. She sipped some of her water to help with her dry throat.

"I just wanted to see you again," he said softly. "Will I be able to if I accept your offer?"

"If you accept the offer, I'll need your contact information…" she began slowly. "And in return, you'll receive my contact information just in case anything happens during the installation. I will be here right away."

"That's a fancy way for asking for my number," he teased.

"You're the one who wants mine," she blurted out on instinct. She winced as he reached over and ruffled her hair.

"You're not wrong about that! I accept your offer, Lucy," he grinned.

Lucy's own grin formed as she happily gave him the application. As it was signed, she wrote down her phone number. With her most composed voice, she said the words she was required to say. "Please let me know if you experience any problems during the installation."

"I'll definitely let you know," he assured. "You probably have to get back to work now, right?"

"That's how it works," she nodded. "Thank you for accepting the offer. I hope to hear from you soon!"

"Oh, you will," he started to walk her back to the front of the house. "Talk to you later!"

Lucy waved in response, leaving the home with a tingly feeling inside of her chest. She hadn't even left the neighborhood when she felt her phone vibrate with a text message from an unknown number.

"Hey, I think there's a problem with the installation."

Lucy smiled down at her screen, her steps coming to a pause. She hadn't even reported his application yet. But before she backed out it, she quickly responded.

"I'll be there right away!"

Hi guys! I hope you enjoyed this surprise one-shot! This is a quick Nalu drabble dedicated to a good friend on here named Cathy! I have no idea how she hasn't gotten tired of me yet, but I would just like to thank her for being so sweet and kind.

This drabble came to life when Cathy was telling me about her job a few days ago and then boom. This was born!

I hope this not only puts a smile on her face but one on yours too! It's always nice to have some random Nalu fluff every once in a while.

Thank you so much for reading!