Hello there!

Wow, this is odd, writing to an audience. My name is Technosauruspunk. This is my very first ever fanfiction, and is a Fairy Tail high AU. Right now, it's just around prom season, and poor Lucy's high standards have left her without a date! Or does she?

Prom - Chapter 1

Only a month left, Lucy sighed to herself, wandering the corridors of Fairy Tail high. She still had not found herself a date – not that she had not been asked. Everybody knew Lucy was one of the prettiest girls in school, along with Juvia, Erza, and Mirajane. Lucy had gotten many date requests (a total of twenty-three!) for prom, but none of the young men had caught her fancy.

Lucy would have to stop being picky soon, however – Jellel had asked Erza, Mirajane was going with some freshman who had nearly passed out asking her out of pity, heck, even Juvia had somehow convinced Gray to be her date. She did not even know why she had turned down all those men, Lucy remembered thinking some were cute herself, even before they had asked her. What was she waiting for?

Shaking herself awake, Lucy found herself standing outside her last class for the day and frowned. Celestial basics. Usually Lucy would be looking forward to this class, but felt no joy in the prospect of attending this afternoon. She checked her watch - 1:00 – and made a decision she had not made since she had accidentally walked into the wrong locker room for gym. She turned around, and walked out of the school.

Lucy stretched her arms over her head as she walked down the sidewalk towards her apartment. She got to the fork separating downtown and the district where she lived and paused – then, suddenly, took the right leading to downtown. Her favorite store was having a sale, and Lucy decided that even if she did not have a date, she could still go to prom by herself and have a good time – if not, she still got a fabulous new dress out of it.

Loving the ching of the tiny charm outside of Fuwafuwa Fairy's door, a smile softened Lucy's face as she entered the familiar building. The cashier looked up, slightly surprised, from her issue of Cat-Scratch Weekly, "Lu, aren't you out a little early from school?" Lucy was a frequent customer, sometimes even coming in just to chat up the cashiers.

"I decided to take the rest of the day off," Lucy explained. "I only had Celestial basics left, and I've already learned all o the material."

"Awrite. But next time, you change out of your uniform first, 'kay? Don't want you getting caught skipping, do we?"

"I know, I know. Just thought I'd pop by to check out the sale before heading home. I won't be long."

And Lucy meant what she said. She smiled at the cashier and made her way to the back of the store, where the dresses were. Not very far into her search, one particular dress caught her eye – and over the shoulder dress with a small peep just above the bust – to tease a bit, no doubt, just like Lucy's personality. The top was a gorgeous bright orange that faded into an orangy-pink, with a thin layer of darker tool draped down and around the bottom of the dress starting at the hip that created a beautiful illusion of flames. It must have been made for her, because as soon as Lucy tried it on, she knew it was the one. The way it fit to her body, the way the dress seemed to melt into a flame, yet make her amber eyes pop with barely a hit of eyeliner on, the way her blonde hair gave the illusion of being the flickering tip of a fire. She knew.

Lucy was humming to herself when she unlocked the door to her apartment, overjoyed by her purchase. The dress not only made her look gorgeous, it barely cost a thing! She could barely believe her luck. She couldn't wait to take a hot bath and work on coordinating her outfit – perhaps black heels and matching jewelry? – when she opened the door to find and unexpected –but not unusual- guest in her apartment.

Sprawled out on her couch, Lucy found her classmate and friend Natsu fast asleep, with one arm covering his eyes and the other on his stomach, a leg hanging off the side. Lucy sighed, but couldn't help chuckling to herself. He had probably noticed that she wasn't in for the last class, and come to make sure she was okay. Lucy usually seemed frustrated and yelled at Natsu for entering her apartment when she wasn't home – how did he even get in? – but she secretly enjoyed coming home to someone waiting for her.

Placing her purchase and school bag in her room, Lucy changed out of her Fairy Tail High uniform and slipped into a tank top and shorts. She then proceeded to poke Natsu several times while trying to rouse him from his slumber, with no success. Finding her efforts futile at the moment, Lucy gazed at him for a while, watching his chest rise and fall with deep and even breaths, how the sides of his mouth twitched upward as if he was having a particularly enjoyable dream. She finally realized what she was doing as she brushed a lock of his pink hair away from his face and stood up, her own face burning. What was she doing? Lucy had encountered Natsu sleeping away the time many times before. Why had she stared, and even touched his face while he was asleep? How had she not seen how attractive he was before?….. Was he the reason she had turned down all those men..?

Lucy shook her head and smacked her face a couple times. What am I thinking? After her face had cooled off, she started to make a little after-school snack – something spicy, that Natsu would enjoy. Natsu absolutely loved spicy food for some reason. She set down the little spitfires in front of Natsu on her small coffee table and headed back into her room, leaving the door open. If Natsu didn't wake up while she was making those, then Lucy figured he wouldn't be waking up any time soon. Just the smell of spicy food could wake Natsu up sometimes. Lucy slipped into her new dress, finding a complimenting pair of black heels and night black earrings to complete the outfit. Dabbing on a bit of red eye shadow around her eyes, and a pale pink lipstick, she just about finalized her outfit by pinning up her hair.

There was a soft heat on Lucy's back, trailing down then around her waist. "You look beautiful," a voice whispered in her ear, sending a fierce heat to her face and a chill down her spine. The voice was deep and husky with a slight grogginess to it – and the voice belonged to Natsu.

Still sleepy, Natsu had slipped behind Lucy on her stool, so that she was situated between his legs. The warmth she had felt were his hands, wrapped around his waist, and his chest against her back. Natsu's head was resting on her shoulder, where he whispered again, "You look like a flaming jewel. Fire suits you." He was staring at her through the mirror, and no matter how much she wanted to, Lucy couldn't find the strength to break his gaze.

"So, who'd you buy this treasure for?" he asked, rescuing her from her seemingly shocked state. "P-prom," she managed, looking down at her feet. "Got yourself a date, huh? Must be all fired up." Lucy's expression darkened slightly, and Natsu took note of this, placing a hand on top of hers, concerned. "You okay?" "Yeah. I mean, no, I don't have a date, yes, I'm okay." Lucy smiled back at him through the mirror, sliding her hand slightly out from under his.

"Really? You don't have a date? Are you joking?" Natsu accused, still trying to cheer Lucy up a little. "Then why did you get this dress?" Lucy blushed and looked away, puffing her cheeks a little defensively. "Just because I don't have a date doesn't mean I can't go. I might as well look good doing it, too," she countered. Why should he care?

She felt Natsu move his head and glanced back at the mirror. He now hat his forehead resting against her back, an d Lucy couldn't see his face. When Natsu spoke again, it was barely audible. " ….You know… you don't have to go alone…" "What?" Natsu shuffled his feet a little, then lifted his head to speak more clearly, revealing that his face had turned a fiery red. "I said…. You don't have to go to prom alone." Lucy raised an eyebrow, "I know. I just did not like any of the guys who asked me enough to let them take me. It's not that big a deal, I'll still have fun."

Natsu groaned a little. "Lucyy… I was asking you if you'd… be my date for prom.." his voice barely above a whisper by the end of the sentence.