::Fairy Tail and all its Characters are property of Hiro Mashima::
He hadn't called.
Even after Lucy had gathered up the courage to give the slip of paper she had noted her cell phone number on, to the barista in the coffeeshop not far from her college.
She had been certain he would call within a week. He didn't.
Maybe he was not interested in her? He did smile when she handed him the paper, telling him to call her, whenever he had free time to spend.
Maybe he had not understood what she was trying to say?
How did her ray of sunshine become that overclouded?
And she could not even go to the coffee shop to drown her worries in hot chocolate with cinnamon, because he would be there. Her life had started being a mess once more.
Leaving her head hanging slightly she walked beside her best friend.
Levy too was a sunshine to her. She was always bubbly and happy. Talking about art, and books, and college. Even more so since she had met that creepy guy and his buddy, who just happened to accompany them today.
Her brown eyes looked the three of them over.
Levy insisted she and Gajeel, the black haired man with piercings all over his face and a sharp edged jaw, were not an item. And while Lucy believed that, she saw how much they cared. They did not hold hands, were not all over each other. But to be honest this Gajeel did not seem like the type for doing this.
He was tall and tan skinned. His eyes had a scary crimson colour, the thing Levy said she liked the most, and were glistering when he scowled at people. But they also gleamed when he was smiling. As scary as he seemed, he was interesting. And right now he was talking with Lily.
Lily.
That was a girlish name for a man. Especially this one.
On first sight he seemed scary, even more so than Gajeel. He was as good as one foot taller than the black haired man, and his skin was dark. A deep shade of brown, that was rarely seen in this part of the country. And it made the large scar on his eye stand out even more. A crescent shaped scar, right on the corner of his eye. It made him look dangerous.
His large muscles and hands as big as Lucys whole head, did the rest.
The deep sonorous voice gave him a seriousness nobody would expect. The only thing revealing he was not what he seemed were his eyes.
They were dark, but full of life. Scarred by his past, and sparked by the present. She wondered about that.
This man also was a perfect gentleman. Nobody would have believed her, when they first met him. He had needed some time to warm up with her, but he was nice. And, after Gajeel had taken Levys bags, he had kindly offered to take hers. A wide smile on his full lips.
He would have called. Lucy was certain, if she had given her number to this man, he would have called within a week.
The group was walking side by side, talking and laughing, while they passed a school yard.
Lucy would not have noticed it. Levy was talking about how much of a shame it was the barista did not call her, when an unfamiliar voice interrupted them.
"PAPA!"
They came to a sudden halt and turned around. Lucy was as surprised as Levy was. But Gajeel and Lily did not even bat an eye. Instead Lily gave Lucys bags to Gajeel and opened his arms.
If they could have seen his face, they could have seen a wide smile on it as a small flaxen haired girl leapt into his arms.
Her eyes grew wide, when the tall man stood up again, the smile girl in his arms. She was tiny and incredibly pale against his dark skin. She did not look like him at all. But she still held on tight on his shirt, smiling up to him like a daughter did to her father.
This tiny little thing, with the porcelain skin and the light hair could not possibly be related to him.
"I thought you weren't allowed to leave the school ground." Lily said in a mock-scolding tone.
But that girl didn't even listen, she started talking. Her voice was sweet, and her eyes were gleaming like the sun, while she was held.
"Papa! We have bring and tell next week, and we can bring whatever or whoever we want to!" she said excited.
"Is that so?" he asked. He seemed genuinely interested in what she had to say. Like a father was with his won child. This interaction confused Lucy even more.
"And... and... I want to bring you!" she said. The porcelain cheeks blushing in a cherry blossom pink. Her brown eyes looking at Lily in a pleading manner.
"And you ran all the way over the yard to tell me? Even though our mother told you not to run like this?" the man asked, raising a brow. The girl nodded fiercely.
"It'd be my pleasure." a smile widened his lips. The girl squealed and flung herself around his neck, not reaching around it and tensed up when she heard the bell ring.
Time to get back to class.
Again she hugged him as tightly as she could and he lowered her onto the ground. She kissed his cheek, her skin again incredibly pale against his, before she ran again. Yelling a "Thank you, Papa!" in their direction and waving before she entered the building again.
When she had made it back safely through the door, the man turned back to them, holding out his hand to retrieve Lucys bags again.
Lucy and Levy were baffled.
"Um..." it was the bluenettes small voice that started speaking. "... I don't want to be nosy, but who was that?"
Lilys dark eyes wandered down to meet Levys. They were still sparkling with life and Lucy thought maybe this little girl was the reason for the life in his eyes.
"I-I don't mean... she doesn't look like you at all... and she calls you Papa and all and..."
Levy blushed in embarrassment. She did not like being nosy, especially with someone she did not know for long. And Lucy thought she would not want to disappoint Gajeel, who seemed to be very close with Lily.
But the tall man did not bat an eye at this. Again he smiled. It was that kind smile that betrayed his serious features. He was honest, at least Lucy thought he was, and would not lie to her. He was not a person to mock others, not with that serious of a topic.
"She ain't my daughter." he said. Levys eyes went wide, and so did Lucys.
Was that girl even an orphan? But he had talked about her mother.
"She's the child of my wife and her first husband." he explained. His words were serious, and his expression made evident how he wished he was he father, because he deserved it, at least that was Lucys thought.
"And her biologic ol' man is a big jerk." Gajeel mentioned, crossing his arms in front of his chest. Lily did not oppose to that statement, but he also did not look like he would want to talk about that either. Not too thrilling of a topic it seemed.
"You are married?" Levy burst out. She had not known him for long, and he did not wear a ring either. It was a surprising revelation. And it made the tall man smirk. Before he could respond a cell phone ringing interrupted their conversation yet again.
Lucy felt the buzz in her bag and her heart started to race. It was her phone!
Quickly she dug it out and looked at the number. It was shown but she did not know it. After a short glance to her best friend and a nod from said woman, she answered the call. Turning away a little, to have some privacy, all the well knowing Levy was listening.
Gajeel had jet again engaged Lily in a conversation about how he would manage to attend the bring and tell, when he had to work. All Lily replied was, how he had the night shift next week anyway. The blonde did not see the look that spoke 'that's what I'm talking about, idiot' on Gajeels face.
"Hello? This is Heartfilia." he said, waiting for a reply.
"Ah~ Hello! This is Natsu, You remember? The barista in your coffee shop!" a voice she knew well responded.
Those words tinted her cheeks pink. Her heart bumped loudly in her chest and her stomach felt warm and funny.
The courage to give him and paid off in the end.
::So I continued the College AU, huh? Oh well... there are some more things I want to write in this. I want you to meet Lilys wife (although you might know who she is), I want you to see Natsu again, and oh my god I want Gajeel and Levy be together properly. XD This might take some time, but I really love this AU~
Reviews are always welcome~::
