I had this laying around for quite a few months and decided to finally finish it... it was only supposed to be a drabble thus there is no real point to this, I just wanted to play around with genderbent!NaLu's interactions. Enjoy!


"Natsu."

A grunt.

"Natsu."

This time no response. Lucas sighed, leaning over his bed and the pink haired girl laying face down on top his comforter. Using the hand not holding onto the bag of groceries, Lucas poked the girl's side repeatedly. "Natsu," he repeated, "come on get up, it's not even dark out."

"Ish nap time." Came Natsu's muffled reply.

Lucas narrowed his eyes. "So you are awake."

"Yeah, thanks to you being so damn loud I am." Natsu huffed, pushing her face out of the plush blue comforter and looking up to cast a sleepy glare at the blond. When Lucas didn't flinch, Natsu sighed and finished pushing herself up. She sat cross leg on the mattress, pouting.

Lucas frowned, choosing to ignore the comment and instead heading for his kitchen. Natsu followed him with her eyes until he disappeared behind the red curtain, her expression turning into one of curiosity. "Where were you anyhow?" She asked, scratching an itch on her head and trying to suppress a yawn.

"Shopping." Lucas called back from the kitchen, a hint of annoyance in his tone.

"Are you going to make us dinner?" Natsu asked, now picking at a stray sting on her pants.

Lucas poked his head out. "'Us?'" He quoted, narrowing his eyes at her.

"Yeah, Happy and me." Natsu said, and adding as an after thought, "And you too, of course."

Lucas sighed again, ignoring her grammar mistake and moving back behind the door frame. After a long pause to consider, Lucas spoke again. "Fine." He conceded to which Natsu let out a cheerful whoop. Before the girl could cheer for long, Lucas called out again. "But where is Happy?"

The dragon slayer froze. Where was her canine partner? She cast a glance around the room, not spotting the ball of blue fur anywhere. "Uh," she called back, "check the pantry?"

Unfortunately, before the warning could be heard, Lucas had already found the dog. "Happy!" Natsu heard him yell to which she bounded off the bed and into the kitchen to see what all the commotion was about. What she found was Happy standing on the table with Lucas leaning over, hands on his hips.

"Just because I bought you dog treats, don't mean you have to inhale them in the first two days!"

Happy had the decency to look sheepish as she brushed crumbs off her cheek. "Sorry."

Lucas shook his head in disbelief, waving the dog off before returning to storing his purchases. The sooner they were put away, the sooner he could get dinner made, and the sooner he could shove these two out the door. Then, he could finally have the relaxing evening he had planned before he discovered Natsu a sleeping mess on his bed.

As if sensing his thoughts on her, Natsu spoke up. Her tone was casual as she asked, "So whats for dinner?"


The meal was over, the dishes were put away, and the leftovers…well, there weren't any leftovers; Happy and Natsu were like bottomless pits, so that took care of that. The only thing left to do before Lucas' relaxation could take place was to get them out of his apartment. Currently, the pair was lounging on his couch, arms and legs spread out as if it were their own home. They were also snacking on some kind of chips that Lucas had bought earlier. Bottomless pits indeed. The dinner they had was enough to feed six men yet they were still hungry.

Lucas crossed the distance between the kitchen to his couch and leaned over, arms crossed. "Time to go home." He stated firmly. No use beating around the bush, at least not with these two. He had learned from experience that only the direct approached worked or at least, worked best.

Natsu's eye lazily shifted from the ceiling to Lucas. "It's only seven." She objected.

Lucas' gaze narrowed. "No, it's eight. And besides, you guys should be getting home soon before it gets too dark."

"Meh." Natsu shrugged.

"Meh." Happy mirrored.

Lucas felt his patience waning. "You've been here all day, longer than even I have—" Lucas frowned at the thought, "—If you don't want to go to your house, then go to the guild or something. I don't care! But just, please, leave my house."

Natsu grumbled quietly before sitting up, effectively pushing the bag of chips and Happy off her lap. "Fine." She relented, running a salty, greasy hand through her hair to push it out of her face. Lucas cringed upon seeing the action. He couldn't hold back the question that he knew he'd regret asking.

"When was the last time you washed your hair?"

Natsu raised a brow before tilting her head in thought. "Maybe…a week or two ago?"

"Probably two." Happy piped in.

Lucas felt his eyes bulge. And she laid her head on my comforter..! "You're kidding, right?!" He choked out.

"No..?" Her replies still sounded more like questions themselves. Lucas sighed. He already regretted asking, because now he knew he couldn't just leave this alone.

Taking in a deep breath first, Lucas pointed his his bathroom door and gave Natsu a very serious look. "Go. Into the bathroom." He ordered to which Natsu's expression scrunched up in confusion. "You are not leaving until your hair is washed and clean."

"..You're the one kidding now."

"Nope."

"Lucas."

"Into the bathroom. March."

Natsu groaned very loudly, stomping to her feet and headed as ordered to the bathroom. As she went, Lucas turned a critical eye to Happy.

"And what about you?"

Happy grinned, looking quite confident. "I'm not as bad as Natsu. I bathed Friday."

Today was Thursday. Meaning it had been at least a week for the dog too. Lucas repressed a shudder and pointed promptly to the bathroom again. Happy didn't need to be told twice and was soon on her way towards the bathroom as well.

"I'll be right there." Lucas told them, heading towards one of his dressers. He pulled out three towels—one for Happy, two for Natsu. If it had been that long since Natsu washed her hair, it had probably been a long time since she had a proper bath as well. Tucking the cloths under his arms, he also grabbed a bubble bath powder. He didn't use it often but maybe it would cheer up the other two.

Entering the bathroom, Lucas found Natsu hunched over on the edge of the tub. Her arms were crossed and she looked pretty cross herself. "It's for your own good." He told her, stepping around Happy and setting the towels down on the counter. He then turned on the bath water, letting it run until the water heated enough to his liking and plugged the tub.

"Let that fill up," Lucas said, drying his damp hands off on his jeans. "I'll step outside so you can undress." He moved towards the door before stopping, grabbing the bubble powder off the counter and tossing it to Natsu. As she caught it, he gave her a smile. "Don't use too much."

Natsu raised an eyebrow but nodded, the eagerness at being able to play with bubbles—and having the power to control as much as she wished—clear in the small upturn of her lips. Lucas smile wider and stepped out of the room again. He waited outside until Natsu called him, giving him the all clear to come back in.

Natsu was already in the tub, bubbles blocking all her private parts; Lucas was careful to avert his gaze still though. Happy sat on the edge of the tub, dipping her paws in to test the water before diving in. Thankfully, the splash stayed within the confines of the tub.

Lucas handed Natsu a bottle of shampoo. "It's not really feminine but it's all I have…" His voice trailed off.

"Whatever." Natsu shrugged. She stared at the bottle, examining it before turning it over in her hand and pouring a large amount into her palm. Before Lucas could stop her, she put it all into her dry hair. The smell of spices in the shampoo filled the room as Lucas pulled the bottle away from her.

"You can't just put in like that." He chided to which Natsu just shrugged. "Here—" Lucas bent beside the tub, "—let me do it."

Natsu edged away, her eyes narrow suspiciously and a hand coming up to cover her chest beneath the foamy bubbles. "What!" Lucas said throwing his hands up. "I'm not going to do anything, just let me wash your hair before the shampoo runs down into your eyes."

Natsu still didn't look very convinced but spun around nonetheless. Her back now faced Lucas, making it easier for him to wash her hair. Lucas quickly got to work. He used the shower head's hose attachment to get her hair and the shampoo wet enough to lather. Happy watched bemusedly from the other side of the tub as Lucas worked to get the hair clean.

It felt weird washing someone else's hair, Lucas decided as he scrubbed. It felt weird washing Natsu's hair in general. Surprisingly, despite it being two weeks dirty, the pink hair was soft and fine between his fingers. Lucas hadn't expected that. With the way it looked most of the time, he'd figure the hair was completely made of hair gel and would be rough to the touch.

Before long, Lucas deemed the hair clean and grabbed the shower head again, switching it on. He rinsed the soap out of her hair as best he could without getting it in her eyes. It was also a challenge not to wash away the bubbles surrounding her body. Lucas tried to keep his mind on the task at hand and above water. He was confused at himself later for it being such a challenge to do so.

"There." He said, hooking back up the nozzle and standing up. "All clean."

Natsu turned back to how she was sitting before. "Thanks." She mumbled sheepishly.

Lucas nodded, also feeling a bit sheepish. "No problem." He replied, turning towards the counter to dry off his hands. "I'll let you guys keep soaking for a bit. Natsu, you won't be able to wear your old clothes so I'll see what I can find of mine for you to wear."

Natsu, already over her nervousness, flashed him a grin. "Thanks, Lucas."

He waved off before leaving again.


"Your hair is already dry?"

Natsu turned her head at the question. She was already out of the tub but still in her towel, sitting perched on the edge of Lucas' bed. "Yeah." Natsu nodded, continuing to brush the pink locks with the comb Lucas lent her. "I used my magic. It's a neat trick, huh?"

Lucas nodded absentmindedly, tucking away the new information away for later; it could come in handy someday.

"Is Happy done?" Natsu asked, setting the comb aside once she was satisfied. Her hair looked floppy as for once it didn't have any styling products in it, making the spiky locks fall flat against her forehead. She brushed them aside with her hand but it didn't make much of a difference.

"She's just drying off." Lucas answered her, returning his attention from her hair back to the conversation. He pointed to the clothes laying folded beside her, raising a brow. "Aren't you going to get dressed?"

"Well, not with you here."

Lucas frowned. "That's not what I meant."

Natsu snorted, waving a hand at him. "I wanted to dry my hair first."

"Oh."

Lucas shifted nervously. It was awkward and he knew exactly why: here was his female teammate, sitting in only a towel, on his bed after he ordered her to take a bath. Natsu may just be Natsu but she was still a female and Lucas was still a male. It wasn't really an ideal situation and most outsiders would see it as him taking advantage of her. Thankfully, she wasn't blaming him of such a deed. Regardless, he felt bad.

"I'll leave then." Lucas said, breaking the silence that had surrounded them. Maybe getting some fresh air would be good for him.

Natsu's face scrunched up in confusion. "Huh? I'll just go in the bathroom." Before he could refuse she had already grabbed the clothes and was gone. He stayed standing where he was until she returned. Thankfully, when she did come back, Happy was with her to keep her attention making her miss the stare Lucas gave her upon seeing her again.

Lucas felt his face heat up. The shirt was old. Lucas usually used it for days at the beach and it was altogether quite baggy on her, going down to her mid-thigh and the sleeves almost reaching her elbows. The newer, yet still old, gray sweatpants were too big for her as well. They sagged at her feet but graciously, the drawstring kept them around her waist. Seeing Natsu in his clothes…Lucas found it hard to think. They looked good on her. Startlingly good on her.

"—got any snacks?"

The question snapped Lucas back to reality. "Huh?"

Natsu raised a brow. "Snacks. Got any?"

"But you just ate!"

Natsu crossed her arms over her chest, drawing Lucas' attention to the place but he snapped his eyes back up again just as quickly. "Soooo?" Natsu drawled on as though what he just said wasn't an issue.

"Yeah, I want more dog treats!" Happy piped up.

"It's too late for that." Lucas frowned, glancing at the clock on his wall. It was already well past nine. So much for his relaxing evening.

Natsu and Happy shared a look. "Well, if it's too late for snacks I guess it's too late to go home. Right, Happy?"

"Wait—" Lucas tried to interject but was interrupted when Happy chirped back her reply of agreement to Natsu.

"Guess that means we get to sleep here." Natsu continued, her expression way too smug for Lucas' liking.

Lucas had to stop this before things got out of hand. "Hold on! I'll walk you home and everyone will get to sleep in their own beds and—"

As if one cue, the sound of rain hitting the windows began. Lucas quickly ran up to one of them and looked out with despair. This wasn't happening; the weather report said nothing about rain! Someone must have made Juvio upset, he thought offhandedly as he turned back to Natsu and Happy. It was like they knew it was going to rain, what with those smug expressions, and they probably did due to their enhanced sense of smell.

For the second time that day, Lucas gave in to their request. "Fine."


Lucas felt his stress level rising.

If he thought his relaxing evening was gone before, then he'd cry at the situation now. Not that Natsu and Happy sleeping in his bed was anything new. It had happened on several occasions already, sometimes where Lucas would wake up to them curled under his sheets beside him or like earlier, when he would come home to find one or both of them on his bed. It was again a situation where any outsider looking in could easily misunderstand their relationship, so Lucas tried not to bring it up with anyone. Still, it bugged him to no end and it was for more than just one reason.

"If you're staying here you have to sleep on the couch." Lucas said, standing once more at his bedside feeling awkward.

Natsu's head was the only part of her he could see sticking out above the bed sheets. He silently wondered if that was a good thing. "The couch is uncomfortable for sleeping." She objected, breaking his thoughts.

"Well I'm not sleeping on it, this is my house."

"Just sleep in the bed."

"But you're sleeping in the bed."

"So?"

Lucas was getting flustered. "So?! It's not appropriate!"

"Pfft, we do it all the time!"

"Against my will!"

Natsu huffed, sitting up and resting her chin on her knees. "It's not like we're doing anything." She said with a shrug and Lucas felt his heart beat faster at her meaning. So she wasn't as innocent and naive of those things as he thought she was after all. "Besides, I trust you. You're not going to do anything."

At those words, Lucas suddenly felt guilty. His attention had slipped far more times today than he had wished yet she trusted him to share a bed with her. He shifted nervously again. Why, oh why, did it have to rain? He cast a hopeful, wayward glance at the window.

"I think it's letting up." He tried.

Natsu groaned. "C'mon, Lue!"

"Can you two stop being loud, I want to sleep." Happy complained, her voice muffled by the sheets. It was the first time she had spoken in awhile and Lucas startled, almost had forgotten her presence.

With no other way out, Lucas sighed and climbed into bed beside them. Natsu scooted closer to the wall to allow more room for him but even then their shoulders were touching. As long as it stayed at this level of contact, Lucas figured he could keep his sanity through the night. He quickly flicked off the light and laid back on his side. He had no idea where Happy was laying though he thought he felt something furry at his feet.

Realizing Natsu was still sitting up, Lucas turned over to face her. It wasn't easy to see but the dim light coming through the window gave him enough to see that Natsu was staring at him.

"Natsu, is something wrong?" Lucas asked quietly.

Natsu jumped, like she hadn't noticed him until he spoke, and then slowly shook her head. "Nothing." She mumbled and shifted to lay down. She was now facing him directly, same as him and again Lucas felt his heart race.

"You sure?" He asked tentatively, trying to ignore the pound in his chest she was sure to hear.

Natsu hummed lightly, nodding her head. "Yeah." She said then paused, as if debating something. Lucas was surprised when she spoke again. "I was just thinking about how you washed my hair. No one has ever done that before—wash my hair, I mean. It felt nice." Her eyes shifted up to meet his. "Thanks."

Lucas swallowed and gave her a small smile. "You're welcome."

She returned the smile before turning over to face the wall, while Lucas stayed as he was. It wasn't long before he heard Natsu's breathing even out, signalling that she was asleep. From this distance he could smell his shampoo in her hair. It was actually all he could smell. Though he was used to the scent in his own hair, when Natsu smelled like it combined with her own natural scent—which he could only describe as being a combination of campfire and cloves—it was nearly intoxicating and it kept him awake.

He laid staring at the back at her head instead, trying to will himself to sleep but finding it impossible. The more he stared, the more curious he became to see if her hair was as soft when dry as it was wet. Slowly, he reached out a hand to touch it but he quickly jerked it away. She trusted him but here he was losing his grip on his self-control. To make matters worse, he didn't understand why he was being like this. Like she had said, they did this all the time so it wasn't like this was anything new. Far from it. In fact, they were constantly in close proximity to each other. Yet why was he feeling so…like this?

Lucas huffed, rolling onto his back. He glanced to the clock on the wall, roughly making out the time to be eleven. He'd been staring at her for an hour! He groaned—quietly, so not wake Happy or Natsu—and ran his hand over his face. He needed sleep badly. He'd just have to save sorting out his feelings, if that's what they were, for later.

Of course, that was easier said than done.


Lucas awoke several hours later to the sun shining through the curtains. There was still a orange-pink hue to the light so he figured it must be quite early in the day yet. He felt half-dead despite just waking up and wasn't sure what time he had finally fallen asleep, though he knew it was at least after midnight. Groggily, he shifted closer under the sheets, hoping to get a bit more shuteye before Natsu and Happy sprung awake but froze when he felt something against his torso.

Now fully alert, Lucas hesitantly lifted up the sheets to discover Natsu's arm around his mid-section. He followed the limb up to her shoulder and then the rest of her, his eyes growing in surprise. Somehow, in the middle of the night, the girl had ended up rolling into his side and latching on.

Lucas took a deep breath, trying to remain calm by reminding himself that this wasn't the first time he had awoken to Natsu clinging to him. But with all his mixed feelings—still a pending title, as he wasn't sure what they were yet—he found that it wasn't much help. Nor did that damn scent again! With her head resting against his shoulder, the smell of Natsu's hair was even closer than before.

He needed to get up and out and away before something happened. He didn't know what that something was but it was probably better to just not find out.

His eyes frantically searched the room. His keys were hanging up by his belt on the other side of the room, making them unavailable. Not that he'd want to use their help anyway, the teasing he'd get from his Celestial Spirits afterwards would probably last for the rest of his life. He glanced to the end of the bed. Happy. In the morning light he could now see the bump that she made in the sheets, still sleeping unassumingly. Lucas quickly decided that using the dog to get out of this situation was definitely not an option. If his Spirits were going to be bad, then the teasing he'd get from Happy would last well into the afterlife.

I'll just get out of bed, Lucas finally decided. Say I had to go to the bathroom.

It really was a simple as that. Or so he told himself. First, he had to somehow slip out of Natsu's hold without waking her. Thankfully, she wasn't holding on as tight as he thought. Gently, he pulled her fingers and then her hand from him, then began wiggling and shifting his way off the bed. When his feet landed on the ground, he gently set her arm down where he was laying before pulling the sheets he had moved back over her.

With a silent sigh of relief that she was still asleep, he crept his way to the bathroom. Once the door was shut behind him, he leaned against the wood and slid down until he reached the ground with a light thud. He was overreacting way too much for this situation though he couldn't reason why.

He ran a hand through his messy hair and frowned. This whole situation started over hair because he was too much of a clean-freak.

But, if he was being honest, this shift in their relationship had started long ago. Way back before the events of Tenrou Island he had begun feeling strange around Natsu. He had tried to convince himself it was nothing but it just kept getting worse. Lucas prided himself on being pretty in-tune with his feelings but he had been denying a lot over the past few months—well, years counting the time skip. All of these things he'd been repressing or just shrugging off involved Natsu. The girl had stole her way into his heart in more than a sense of being a partner and best friend, he realized. No, he liked her in that special way. Lucas wouldn't call it love just yet but it certainly felt like it.

Abruptly Lucas stood up, his face bright red.

He was maybe kind of in love with Natsu.

He repeated the thought over and over in his mind, finding it harder and harder to believe it each time while at the same time, sounding all the more right. Oh, now he really wished he'd just let her go home with dirty hair.


With nothing else to do and with no hope of returning to bed, Lucas decided to take a shower. Not a long one like he wanted but it was good enough and gave him some time to brace himself before seeing Natsu again.

Exiting the bathroom fully clothed in his pajamas from earlier—he could just change once Natsu and Happy left—and a tower wrapped around his shoulder, he wasn't surprised to find Natsu and Happy awake. It usually didn't take long for them to do so once Lucas had gotten up.

"Oh good you showered!" Natsu grinned upon seeing Lucas but there was a flash of something in her expression before that that had Lucas stopping in his tracks. Was it..relief? "Now we can eat and head to the guild. I'm in the mood for a job."

Lucas nodded mutely, changing coarse from the bed to the dresser instead. Maybe he wasn't ready to see Natsu yet, with the way his heart was already pounding.

"Can we have a big breakfast?" Happy asked.

"Sure!" Natsu cheered and if Lucas had been paying closer attention to the conversation he would have quickly snapped that a small, simple breakfast was enough. When Lucas didn't do exactly that, Natsu looked at him with a worried expression. "Something wrong, Lue?"

Closing his dresser drawer, Lucas turned to face the both equally concerned females. His hands played with the fabric of the shirt he had selected nervously. He had forgotten that Natsu was still wearing his clothes and that combined with that smile and his previous epiphany… it nearly bowled him over. "Yeah, fine. I was just looking for something and couldn't find it." The lie came out smoothly, surprising even himself. "I'm just going to wear something else." He added.

Natsu seemed to accept the excuse before her eyes suddenly widened and she lightly hit the side of her fist into her palm. "Oh! I've gotta go home and get a changa' clothes."

"No need, I washed your clothes for you." Lucas said, gesturing with his hand to the clothes folded neatly on the armrest of the couch. He had done it while Natsu and Happy were snacking again the night before.

"Woah, thanks, Lue!" Natsu said, shooting him another one of those grins. Lucas' heart rate sped up instantly.

"I'm going to go get dressed." Lucas said quickly, already turning on his heel to retreat to the bathroom. Before he got more than three steps, Natsu was at his side, stopping him in his tracks.

"Lemme dry your hair. It's a really neat trick, you gotta see it!"

"Aye, Natsu helped me dry off last night with it." Happy said from the bed.

Lucas really did not want to see this trick if it involved: A, any fire near his hair; B, Natsu in anyway closer to him than she already was, let alone touching him; or C, any more chances for him to lose his cool. Unfortunately for him, the trick more than likely included all three and there was no backing out.

"Okay."

Natsu's expression grew excited and Lucas shortly found himself seated on the edge of his bed. Natsu was kneeling behind him, her hands ghosting over his wet hair in a rather unnerving manner. As far as he could tell, she hadn't done anything yet and the movements were just for show. "Prepare to be amazed…" her voice trailed off, dangerously close to his ear as she said it. Lucas felt his heart rate spike. This couldn't possibly be good for his health.

Heat started to emanate from Natsu's hands and soon steam was coming off of Lucas' hair. It was beginning to feel dryer as Natsu continued and after a few minutes, Lucas' blond locks were completely dry. Natsu patted his shoulder once she was finished. "All done." She announced, awaiting his response.

Lucas ran a hand through his hair and nodded his approval. "Very cool." He told her, smiling. It hadn't been as dangerous, in more ways than one, than he thought it would be. "Thanks, Natsu." Looking pleased, Natsu returned the smile and Lucas made to get off the bed when her arms wrapped around his neck. With the way she was holding onto him, her chest and most of her torso was pressed against his back. Lucas gulped. Slowly he turned his head to look back at her. "What are you doing?" He sputtered with feigned annoyance. There was little he could do about the blush that was already coating his face.

Natsu didn't say anything, just hummed to herself and not meeting his eyes. The silence—though he heard some clattering in the kitchen, noting for the first time that Happy had left to get a snack at some point during the hair drying—was unnerving and Lucas shifted nervously. Finally, Natsu looked to him, an unreadable expression on her face. It almost looked…forlorn.

Lucas opened his mouth to speak but Natsu cut him off before he could say anything. "I like it better when you're still in the bed when I wake up." She said with a hint of tentativeness. Lucas' brows came together. He hadn't been expecting her to say something like that.

He was about to say something but again was stopped when Natsu continued, her voice quieter this time. "I don't like waking up alone."

Lucas felt a pang in his chest. He understood the loneliness in her voice. When he was little, his father would often lay beside him until he fell asleep. When he awoke in the morning or sometimes the middle of the night, he would feel scared and lonesome when his father wasn't there. It got worse after he died, because when Lucas would wake up from nightmares or in the dawn, there was no longer a reassurance that his father had just gone to his own bed. He realized he really was alone.

Lucas imagined that it must have been twice as worse for Natsu. He recalled one of the few times she'd brought up her mother, how she'd sleep in the crook of the dragon's large arm where it was warm and safe. Every night Natsu had said they'd do that until her disappearance. Going to bed beside someone, only to wake up completely by herself…Lucas had repeated the same thing with Natsu this morning, though maybe not on the same level.

Lucas' expression softened. "Sorry."

Natsu's gaze slid to his and she didn't say anything at first, merely tightening her hold on him. "Don't do it again?"

There was a frailty to her voice, a vulnerability, something Lucas could never quite get used to the few times he'd heard it. He looked at her seriously before giving her a firm nod. "I won't." He promised.

Natsu smiled warmly at him in a way that had his heart racing differently that it did when he saw her other smiles. This one had his face heating up and he found it hard to look away. It didn't last long though before the smile morphed into her usual face-splitting one and she released her hold on his neck. She bounced up on the bed, standing behind him and with a shout she announced, "Let's go to the guild! I'm starved!"

Lucas found it hard not to smile, too, though he wondered vaguely if what he promised meant that she'd be having even more sleepovers at his place. His sleep schedule would suffer but he found himself liking the idea a lot.