We Danced

Inspired by the song by Brad Paisley

A Nalu Oneshot.

Ok, so I know there are some people who are looking for the next chapter of FairyTail Bride. I understand. Trust me. I would have updated by now, but my flash drive decided to go MIA. So while I look for it…

*gets on hands and knees* Please kindly except these humble offerings of Various assortments of Fairytail Fluff. Happy Reading!

~Mwali

Natsu's POV

I hated my job. Working nights at Fairy's Sports and Billiards Bar wasn't exactly what you'd call a career. I was busting tables, cleaning up spilled beer, and, oh joy… Handling toxic waste in the bathrooms.

Don't get me wrong. The pay was alright and I liked the other employees, for the most part. There was this one dude that I despised –Gray, - who never wore his uniform right. The guy was a natural ladies man who left his shirt totally unbuttoned- off, really, if he could get away with it…- and I hated his guts. But everyone else, even Juvia, who idolized Gray, were all pretty cool.

I guess that what really bothered me was that it's a tough place to try to find someone who was worthwhile. All the women that I ever served were plastered, taken, desperate, or had a stick up their ass. Sometimes all four. The "SUYA" (Stick Up Your Ass) variety were especially annoying. All I would do is be polite and as professional as possible, and they would assume that I thought they were drunk and was trying to make a move. People had a way of making the assumption that because I worked at a bar, I must be scum.

All except one. She came in on one Friday in June. We were really busy. The College World Series Playoffs were on nearly every TV. People were cheering and booing at top drunken volume. I was hustling around, delivering enough wings, beers, and onion rings to immobilize a redneck, but I had to stop and watch as she entered, wearing a light blue tank top and capris, blonde hair pulled back into a messy bun. She was the most beautiful thing I'd ever seen. And she probably didn't think so.

She crossed the dining room, led by Mira, who always worked the seating podium, and sat right down in… Drat! Gray's corner of the room. Missed it. If previous experience was anything to go by, that stripper would have the woman falling all over him by the end of the afternoon.

Well, I thought, returning to my work, maybe next time, Natsu. Maybe next time…

WHO WAS I KIDDING?! What if there was no next time? I needed to talk to her! Today. Before it was too late!

Someone threw an empty beer can at my head. "HEY! WHAT DOES A GUY GOTTA DO TO GET SOME DAMNED MOZZARELLA STICKS AROUND HERE!?" A drunken man's voice slurred. I dutifully reached down and picked up the can, tossing it into the trash as I went into the kitchen.

"Where did they GO!?" I heard Erza, our manager, roar as I entered.

"I don't know," said Gajeel in an annoyed tone. "one minute, Stripper and Juvia were taking a to~go order out to the curb, the next, nobody can find them. Slackers."

"Today of all days…" The redhead groaned, glancing skyward with a look of 'why me?' on her face. She straightened. "ALRIGHT!" she shouted, "EVERYONE, I NEED YOUR ATTENTION PLEASE!" We all jostled for a position where we could see both Erza and any food that was still on the grill. The redhead gestured to the diagram of the dining room on the wall behind her.

"As most of you have already heard, Gray and Juvia are inexplicably MIA. As a result, on one of the busiest weekends of the year, we are down two servers." She wiped the two names off of the board. "That means that the rest of you on the wait staff will need to expand your areas of the floor. Lisana and Levy, the two of you will have to split Juvia's area." Saying this, Erza alternately labeled each of the tables with the two girls names in black marker. "Gajeel, you take the front half of Gray's space. Be sure to check you-know-who because the baby spills."

The 'Who' to which the manager referred was a regular couple named Alzac and Bisca Connel and their six month old daughter Asuka. Gajeel didn't look too excited.

That meant that there was only one area of the floor left. Her corner. I closed my eyes. Please please please please.

"And….. I want…" Erza surveyed the room slowly. "…Natsu," YES! "Will you take that back wall?"

I had to consciously stop myself from jumping up and down and squealing. I cleared my throat for good measure. "Ah, yes ma'am." I said, trying to sound bored, but not too bored to be respectful.

"Alright then," Erza said with finality. "Let's get going, people!" Everyone began to move back to their stations, grumbling about how they were going to chew Gray and Juvia out when they showed up again. Reedus served me up a plate of mozzarella sticks, and I headed back out to the dining room, my first smile of the day spread across my face.

I dropped off the appetizer with the guy that threw the beer can at me, and went over to the back wall, where the lone blonde sat patiently. She smiled at me as I walked up. She had a great smile.

"Hi," I said, "Welcome to Fairy's! Sorry for the wait. I'm Natsu, and I will be your server this afternoon."

"Hi Natsu," she returned. "Wow, you guys are really busy today, huh?"

"Oh, nah, we just run ourselves ragged as a general rule. If you think this is bad, you should see Karaoke Night." I grinned.

She giggled, and I had to make a true effort to not stare too long.

"Ah, anyway, what can I get you to drink?"

"I'll have a Coke, please."

Oh crap. I wrote it down anyway, not bothering to mention that we were a Pepsi carrier.

"Ok," I said, looking up, "can I get you anything else?"

"Well," she scanned the menu before her, "I'd like some fried pickles."

I jotted that down. "Yes ma'am. I'll be back with your drink shortly." I turned and walked as calmly as I could, stuffing my pad into the front pocket of my apron.

As the door shut behind me, I undid the strings of my apron. I deposited it in my locker in the break room and bolted out of the rear exit at top speed.

I stopped after exiting. Where was I going? An excellent question. As I turned to my left, I heard the distinct sound of an intense make-out session around the corner behind me. For a moment, I was curious, but I'm not nosey, so I ignored it and went on.

Besides, I was on a mission. One that involved Troya General Store, which was a couple shops down in Fiore Square, the strip mall that Fairy's sat at the end of.

About seven minutes later, I was walking back into Fairy's, a six pack of glass bottled Cokes in my hand. I quickly grabbed a glass and poured one of the bottles over the ice. I stuffed the remaining five bottles into the refrigerator and placed the glass on a tray with the blonde's fried pickles. I wiped the sweat off of my brow from my jog in the mid-June heat, and walked back out into the dining area.

Levy was standing there, talking to the blonde as I walked up. They stopped talking as I placed the pickles and Coke on the table.

"Sorry." I said as I dug into my apron pocket for her straw. "As she's probably told you, we're a little short this afternoon."

She flashed me an understanding smile. "Yes, she mentioned it. I understand." She looked pointedly at the bluenette. "I don't want the others mad at you for talking to me so long. I'll still be here when you get off, and we can talk more at the bookstore."

Levy nodded. "Alright. See ya in a few hours, Lucy. Assuming I live through this," she walked away.

"Well," I said, fishing my pad and pencil from my pocket, "Are you ready to order, ma'am?"

"Yes, I think so, but first: I know you're just being professional, but please, don't call me ma'am again. You say ma'am, and I turn and look for my mother. Just 'Lucy' will be fine. Second, I'd like a ten-piece order of hot wings with celery and Ranch on the side, please."

I smiled. "To the first, I can do that, and to the second… I can do that too!" I jotted it down.

"Oh," she said "and thank you for not giving me a hard time."

"For what?" I asked, seizing the opportunity to continue to talk with her.

"I know you guys are a Pepsi place," she explained "I just normally drink Coke, so that was the first thing that came to mind. But you understood me and just got me the closest thing you had. No 'sorry, we serve Pepsi here.' You just adjusted for it. I appreciate that."

I grinned again. "Well I appreciate that you appreciate it." Just wait 'til you learn that that is a Coke. I added mentally.

"And I appreciate that you appreciate that I appreciate it." She said with a smile. I was about to continue the game, but Gajeel walked by, a heaping tray in each hand.

"Hey Pyro!" He snapped at me, "Quit chatting with your girlfriend and give me a hand here, huh?"

I blushed and followed him, taking one of the trays.

That's pretty much how the rest of the afternoon went: making up reasons to go out and check on Lucy, the rest of the wait staff mocking me about how low it was to try to pick up a woman at a bar and making up reasons to keep me in the kitchen just to keep me from interacting with her.

All too soon, the end of Levy's shift came and I was forced to bring the check folder out to Lucy's table. I meandered out into the dining area and across the floor. "Can I get you anything else?" I asked hopefully as I reached her table.

"No, I don't think so…" She replied, "that chocolate milkshake topped everything off nicely, thanks."

I tried to contain my disappointment. "Well, alright." I set the black folder on the table and left without a word.

By the time I came back five minutes later to clear the table, she was gone. I glanced out the window and saw her walking down the sidewalk with Levy. They seemed to be talking about something that Lucy thought was serious, but was extremely funny to Levy. I shrugged and began to stack the dishes up and put them in the wash cart I had brought out with me. I wiped down the table and the chairs and picked up the bill folder. She'd left me a five dollar tip, (Really good, considering she'd only bought $15 or so worth of food) and the following review at the bottom of the receipt:

Great food! Phenomenal service from an even better server. I will be back. Keep up the great work.

Well, I don't have to tell you, but that made my day. Or night. Whichever. I was working the close tonight, so… Both.

A stray fried pickle fell to the floor. As I stooped to pick it up, I saw that she had left her purse under her seat. I picked it up wistfully and put it behind the counter at the bar.

The crowd trickled out slowly. In about an hour, no one would have believed the dinner crowd size. Everyone was gone. That included Juvia and Gray, who were supposed to help me close. I was on my own. I looked at the filthy tables. I went around the corner and peered into the kitchen. The stack of dishes was as tall as me. I grimaced.

Another reason to hate Gray? Ding ding ding! We have a WINNER! I rolled up my sleeves and got to work.

I was just getting through (Three hours later… Thanks GRAY!) when I heard a tapping at the front door.

It was her, and my heart skipped a beat. I went over and opened the door. I grinned. "Welcome to Fairy's! My name is Natsu and I will be your server this evening. What can I do for you, Lucy?"

"I just left something behind."

" Ya know, when the note said you'd be back, I didn't think you meant today."

She smiled. "I didn't think that was what I meant either, but I left my purse." As she spoke, I went behind the counter. "I would say 'Sorry for the inconvenience,' but I'm really not."

She chuckled. "I can tell." She said, gesturing to my broad grin. "Speaking of inconveniences, how did you do it?"

"What?"

"I know fresh, glass bottled Coke when I taste it. I thought Fairy's was a Pepsi place."

"Yes, well… WE are, but Troya General isn't." I pulled her purse and the rest of the Cokes out from beneath the counter. "This it?" I asked.

She nodded and reached for it. I held it back. She gave me a questioning look. "You only get this back on one condition…" I told her what I wanted, and to my surprise, she agreed.

And we danced,

Out there on that empty hardwood floor,

The chairs up and the lights turned way down low.

The music played,

We held each other close.

And we danced.

TADA! The first installment! Seriously, how COULD I start a Fairytail Oneshot collection with anything other than Nalu? It's ALMOST a rule!

Let me Know what you guys think. Reviews, people, reviews!

Special Shoutout to Dumamoja, my brother and publisher on Fanfiction. Nakupenda!

Lala Salaam~ Mwali

Fairy Tail bride will be updated today should the internet gods smile down on us.

duma