note: OMG MY FIRST MULTI-CHAPTERED STORY! *throws confetti*
note2: I wanted a summer fic, so this was born.
note3: It's all just pure fluff and randomness.
note4: They might be a little OOC, but meh, it's AU.
note5: I think you'll probably if my story is multi-chaptered through the title. Like, I actually properly capitalize multi-chaptered ones.
disclaimer: I think the only things in Fairy Tail remotely related to summer are Natsu's name and the beach pictures Mashima loved to draw.
summary: Lucy gets dragged on one of Natsu's ideas again, and this one happened to take the whole summer long.
title: the beginning is where we start
It wasn't really her fault she didn't land herself a part-time job that summer, leaving her with a crapload of free time and nothing to do on her hands.
It also wasn't her fault she finished all her schoolwork on time that she didn't have to attend summer school (then again, it was her last year of high school, so it wouldn't have been good to go to summer school, but still...).
And it absolutely, positively, definitely wasn't her fault that she found herself, annoyed beyond belief, sitting in the back seat of a family van with a very green boy leaning his head on her shoulder, a very confused—yet still as calm as always—boy flipping a map up and around who somehow managed to lose his shirt in a matter of 5 seconds, a girl with an iron grip on the wheel and very firm foot on the gas pedal and a gray, cemented highway that seemed to stretch out to unbelievable distances to keep her company.
Really, none of this was her fault—and yet she was somehow getting punished for it.
She was, quite literally, strapped in for a very wild ride.
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1
The Beginning Is Where We Start
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A sigh escaped her lips, content, as she snuggled deeper into her comfy cotton blanket, feet finding the cold spot on the sheets. Her body clock told her it was way past the time she would normally wake up, but she merely turned on her side in response.
It was the first day of summer vacation, and she had no other plans besides sleeping the day off.
Having prepared since the night before, the dark, heavy curtains were already pulled tight, allowing absolutely no stream of light to enter the room and dance at her skin. Her alarm clock was de-alarmed, her phone has been in silent mode for the longest of time, and her dad was in an out-of-town business trip, guaranteeing no intrusions on her blissful, blissful sleep time.
(It was well-deserved, of course, after being obedient to the 8-hour sleep for 10 months.)
Sure, it was pretty boring to start a wonderful summer vacation with sleeping in (but not a very bad idea), but, really, senior year has been one hell of a roller coaster ride and she knew she needed the break. Life has had too much adventure with Nat—
A part of the mattress dipped down.
(Was that just her imagination?)
All thoughts halted in favor of squeezing her eyes shut to get rid of some horrifying possibilities (too much horror movies), and she tried, vehemently, to convince herself it was a dream.
(So much for being alone.)
Hot breath fanned at her face.
All sleepiness left her, and adrenaline freely coursed through her veins, heart beat catching up speed.
(Oh dear god what the hell is going on is this reality why is there someone in my face help meeee!)
It was after a few seconds that her resolve built up enough for her to be able to open her eyes and confirm to herself that it was all a dream.
Big, black eyes stared at her directly, a familiar grin adorning a face practically centimeters away from hers. "Hey, Luce."
She screamed right at the face in a mix of fear and surprise (and she knew that just popped his eardrums, considering his sensitive sense of hearing), almost falling off the edge of her bed had his reflexes not been fast enough to circle an arm around her waist (making her flush—good thing the room was dark). "Whoa, Lucy, I got you."
Willing the blush to go the heck away, she screeched her complaint. "OH MY GOD NATSU, what the hell are you doing here?" A thought came to her, and her mouth gaped open, mortified. "How did you even get inside?!"
Natsu rolled his eyes. "Psh, there's a window for a reason." Before she could yell the usual 'Use the door, you idiot!', he cut her off when he said, "Oh, I already packed your bags for you."
Following his jabbed thumb, she found herself looking at her open black luggage with clothes carelessly thrown into, a multicolor of sleeves spilling at the edges (she even thought she saw her pink, lacy unmentionables somewhere in there, and she wondered how Natsu could've put them there with a straight face—then again, this was Natsu she was talking about, and there was no ounce of perversion nor shame in his hot-blooded body).
Her hazy, half-asleep mind processed the thought a little too slow just as Natsu released her and made to get up. Coming to realization was like being doused with cold water from head to toe—sharp and start-inducing. She sat up almost immediately. "Wait, what?" she asked, now looking at the pink-haired boy starting to rummage through her closet for God knows what with raised eyebrows. "What would you need to pack my clothes for?"
The signature toothy grin filled the bottom half of his face, and she knew she was in for trouble.
"I've decided to go on a road trip," he said, throwing her favorite top-and-skirt combination on a spot on the bed near her, "and you're coming with me."
Giving her no means of escape, he pushed her into the bathroom and held it close from his side of the door. Out of choices, she just complied, knowing there was no running away from a very persistent Natsu. The disappointed sigh came out of her lips with the visible slumping of her shoulders.
So much for a normal summer.
She should've expected it, really. Natsu was as bright as the sun, and summer was obviously the peak of all his energy. Hell, it was his name.
"Alright, Natsu," she started, looking down at the nauseous boy with narrowed, irritated eyes, "what am I doing sitting my ass on this chair for?"
Through lidded eyes, he met her stare and smiled crookedly. "It's a bonding experience."
She snorted. "Right." She turned towards the two people at the front. "What are you doing here, Erza?"
The redhead didn't even take her eyes off the road nor blink as she said, "Natsu promised me cake."
Somehow, that didn't surprise her. "And you, Gray?"
Gray crossed his arms over his chest, glaring ahead slightly. "The idiot blackmailed me." There was almost a pout in his voice.
Well, that didn't surprise her either. "Figures. I doubt you two will ever go willingly." She wouldn't either (actually, maybe), but like she had a choice.
Beside her, Natsu mustered as much indignation as he can to shoot each of them a dirty look (Erza secretly, of course), but it wasn't as effective as when his face wasn't green and his cheeks weren't puffed out like balloons. "You—you assholes," he muttered, and whether the others in the vehicle heard it or not, they gave no indication. "I even...filled the gas tank...of my baby...for this trip..." Another wave of motion sickness hit him.
"How someone with motion sickness has a car, I will never know," Gray said with a roll of his eyes.
"I-I don't get motion sickness when I'm the driver," the boy said, "but with the way Erza's driving..."
Suddenly, the car lurched forward, and the passengers sank into the chairs with the change of speed. "What's wrong with my driving?" Erza looked back at them and asked, having instinctively stepped on the gas pedal a little too hard with the remark.
In between attempts of holding back a scream, she answered with a pitchy, feeble voice. "Nothing, Erza!" Oh god, good thing there were no cars in front of them to crash into—the part of the highway was practically empty. "Absolutely nothing!"
"So—just continue to do whatever you were doing before!" Gray was holding onto the handle above his head with a whitening grip. "Don't listen to that idiot!" Natsu seemed too apologetic to retort (or too sick to even speak).
The car slowed back to their original speed—still faster than normal, but a great relief from that deadly hundred-something miles per hour they were going just a moment ago. She was pretty sure that, somewhere between the frozen screams and the I don't want to die's stuck in her throat, she saw her life flash before her eyes.
The cause of their near-death experience buried his head deeper into the corner where her shoulder and neck met. "F-from now on...I will not say anything...about Erza's driving."
The glare was automatic. "I'd like to come back home in one piece, thank you very much."
Home. Home. The word seemed to replay in her head for some reason, like it was ringing some bell, and she didn't even hear Natsu's weak response. Home. Home. Home—
"Oh. My. God." With much panic, she whipped her phone out of her pocket and stared at the time. The sun was already beginning to set, and the numbers on her phone displayed 7:38. Despite being bright out, it was already night. "I am so dead."
This got the attention of everyone in the car. "What?" was Gray's intelligible reply.
"My dad is coming home early tomorrow morning and he's not gonna see anyone there." Her brown eyes were sharp. "And where am I? Hundreds of miles away from home." Her head fell on the back of her chair, letting out a long, dragging sigh. "I am so gonna get grounded for life."
Natsu's head perked up, all sickness miraculously gone from his face. "So all I'm hearing is that you're gonna get in trouble anyway."
She gave him a deadpan stare. "No, I'm going home before he ever finds out I was gone."
Natsu's smirk was devious, almost challenging. "Like hell I'd let you."
The tension in the car grew thick. "You're not the one holding the wheel." She turned to their redhead driver. "Erza, turn the car back. I'm going home."
The pink-haired boy stuck out his lower lip in a pout. "No, Erza! You're not getting the cake if Lucy goes home!"
"I could give you more cake, Erza! Turn back!"
"Have I mentioned I'll add a discount coupon for that costume shop at the mall?"
"I could get you so much more, Erza."
Victory was achieved by her, but before Erza could turn the car back and towards her home, Natsu leaned forward and stared at Erza. Really stared. He whispered something only the two at the front could hear.
And then something weird happened.
Erza actually listened to Natsu and turned the wheel sharply to the right, barely managing to make the exit.
The tangy taste in her tongue tasted like defeat.
"Yes! Thanks, Erza, I owe you one!" Natsu leaned back on the car seat and resumed like nothing happened. He even had the gall to return to his head's place on her shoulder (for some reason, she didn't shrug it off).
When she looked at Gray for help, the boy only shrugged and smirked.
"It's gonna be worth it. Believe me," Natsu mumbled from beside her.
Oh, great. She was supposed to be at home. Everyone was against her on this trip. She's gonna be grounded for life. It was all Natsu's fault. Her dad is gonna freak. She was miles and miles away from home.
And she found herself looking forward to where this trip would take them.
Really, it couldn't get any crazier than this.
note: So, what do you think?
note2: This is so random I don't even know.
note3: Yeah, don't question me about Natsu's motion sickness. Everything doesn't make sense as it already is.