notes: I absolutely adore French!
notes2: It's even better that I'm in Canada, because it's the second language! (Well, that's how my love for it developed but whatever)
notes3: Don't criticize me much on that though. I only know the basics (haha, define basics), and I'm not even sure about one of these sentences. The others I wrote from what I learned. If I get one or all the sentences wrong, I apologize!
notes4: Another school!AU (in one night) just because I can.
notes5: For GoldenRoseTanya!
disclaimer: I sure hope I'm an adult already who has a wonderful job and is worshipped by people all over the world (well, maybe not yet).
summary: Out of all the French sentences he could've said, it had to be that.
"Damn, Luce, this is hard!"
Both of them were currently at the local library, papers of scrawled notes, plastic wrappers of finished-up chips and a pink sticky note scattered on the wooden desk. A thick dictionary lay opened in front of Natsu, spine bent from old age and overuse. The big reminder on the sticky note slapped the news of a big French test the next day on his face.
"I can't do anything much for you." Beside him, Lucy shifted through her folder for more helpful notes. "You have to get this into your brain on your own."
He pouted. "You could've told me sooner."
"I did. Twice." His best friend looked annoyed. "One time you weren't listening. The other you were, but you just didn't care then." She took the sticky note off the paper and stuck it onto his forehead. "That was the third."
He scowled as he took the memo off his skin, some baby hair coming with it. "You should know that I don't listen during the first three or four reminders."
That damnable, sickly-sweet, evil smile came back to her face, and he involuntarily shuddered. "Then how about I don't remind you at all?" she said, curved lips and dark eyes contradicting with each other, "Wouldn't that be much better?"
"No!" he immediately replied, "I didn't mean that!" Sighing, he looked at her with an almost desperate expression, eyebrows dipping down with his lips. "I just really need your help."
Finally conceding (because he knew she can't really resist him, much less in his desperate state), she nodded her head. "Fine." An idea seemed to strike her, and she smiled pleasantly at him (too pleasantly). "Peut-être je dois te parler en français."
"Great." He rolled his eyes at her. Immersion, of course. "Now you're talking to me in French?"
She tilted her head to the side with a confused look, as if she didn't understand what he just said. "Quoi? Je ne comprends pas."
It came to him that Lucy would not be talking to him in English unless he spoke in French. The problem was that he was incapable of speaking French. He obviously needed help, but this was not the kind he wanted. "Shit, what are you saying, Luce?"
Lucy glared at him, like speaking in English to talk to her was a sin. "Parle en français," she said with so much insistence to the point of threatening.
Panicking, he said the first French sentence that came to his mind. "Uh...uh—je t'aime!"
Lucy stopped short, her smug smile being replaced by shocked eyes and an open mouth. "... Do you know what you just said?"
He scratched his head in thought. "Well, it was the only thing I remembered from class," he said before giving her a measured, wary look, "but judging from your reaction, it's either a good thing or a bad thing."
"So you don't know what it means?" His best friend sounded painfully disappointed.
He shook his head no.
There was a crestfallen expression on Lucy's face for a brief moment before it suddenly turned irate. "You know what? Forget it." She stood up, hands clenched to her sides. "Figure it out yourself, you asshole!" And she left without even gathering her things and bringing them with her.
"Luce!" he shouted after her retreating figure, utterly confused, "Wha—why are you—what did I say wrong?!"
He contemplated that maybe he should never say that to her ever again, because it didn't seem like it meant anything good.
Translations:
Peut-être je dois te parler en français - Maybe I have to talk to you in French
Quoi? Je ne comprends pas - What? I don't understand
Parle en français - Speak in French
Je t'aime - I like/love you
notes: I love misunderstandings.
notes2: If only he knew...but, of course, this is Natsu, and does he ever know?
notes3: I apologize again if I ever wrote something wrong in French because I am still learning the language :)
notes4: Hope you liked it, RO-chan!