He did not belong here.
The pink mop of spiky hair on his head was unruly and wild and just plain silly. His instrument case was covered in tacky flames that snaked their way across the black lacquer, and the folder that he casually tossed onto the stand in front of his chair was almost completely torn apart, save for a few shreds of bright red duct tape holding it together.
Lucy Heartfilia frowned as she watched the man plop comfortably into the chair next to hers, the spot reserved for the leader of the section. There was absolutely no way he was first chair. She had been expecting someone well-dressed and polished, someone who seemed a bit more deserving of the coveted position he was in. Not someone who looked like they had just rolled out of bed and was trying to pretend his case was a hot rod.
She had been prepared to write this whole semester in orchestra off as a joke; after all, she was the student who always got first chair. She had taken cello lessons for as long as she could remember, and she deserved that spot, damn it.
The soft thunks of case latches popping open caught her attention, and what Lucy saw when she glanced over made her breath hitch in surprise.
His cello was absolutely gorgeous.
The wood was a rich, deep red that seemed more akin to fire than the flames decorating his case. Its surface was smooth and shiny, making Lucy painfully aware of the softened edges of her own cello, worn smooth from years of rubbing against her legs. It made her incredibly jealous and she almost hated him for it.
At least, until she heard him play.
He had opened his folder and pulled out a single untitled sheet of music, most likely warm ups and exercises. As soon as his bow began moving across the strings, Lucy was hooked.
The notes and chords that he played were simple but graceful passages, full of emotion that was accentuated by the way he moved his body. He would rock back and forth, creating his own time signature and playing at whatever speed pleased him the most. His swaying reminded Lucy of ocean waves crashing on a beach, the deep billowing tones swirling around them.
"Hey."
She instantly felt like she had intruded upon a very personal moment, because the man's head snapped up to look at her, his eyes wide. After he realized that it had only been the blonde with soft brown eyes sitting next him that had spoken, he grinned widely and let out a short bark of laughter. He brought a hand to the back of his head to rub through his hair as a light blush covered his cheeks.
"Sorry! I didn't realize you were talking to me. What's up?"
Lucy couldn't help but smile at the man's reaction. Had she been wrong about him? "I just wanted to let you know that you're a really fantastic musician. I've only been watching you for a few minutes, but I can tell that you really feel the music when you play. That's pretty admirable, and I look forward to playing with you the rest of the year." Lucy felt a genuine smile cross her face as she settled back in her chair and began getting her music ready for rehearsal.
"Wow, really? Thanks a lot! Most people think it's kinda funny how I always move when I play." She didn't think it had been possible, but the man's smile was even bigger than it had been before. "I've heard some pretty good things about your playing as well, so the feeling's mutual! I'm Natsu, by the way. What's your name?"
"Lucy. Lucy Heartfilia."
Well, she had been right about one thing. He didn't belong here. He belonged in a much better orchestra, one that valued his skills more than some random university would. But having him play with her wouldn't be so bad either.