A/N: Holy Weird. I went from being a Hey Arnold! author to a quick dabble into FT (on tumblr) then a quick dabble into Naruto and now I'm back with FT. That's because I just love this universe so much!

I wrote a thing based off a prompt from themultifandomnerd's Stranger's AU prompt list. I was also inspired by missyplatina's fanfics recently (specifically Virtual Flames and Texting Fire), since they kept me giggling until 5am for the two days last week xD

I wonder if you can guess the prompt based off the title and story :3 I'll put it at the end if you're interested!

Disclaimer: As much as I would love to own Natsu-I MEAN FAIRY TAIL AND ITS CHARACTERS AND ORIGINAL CONCEPT- I CAN'T :'( Darn :/

She sighed as she stared at the white ceiling of her room. It was a Saturday morning like any other for the outside world, but for the blonde teen, staring at her ceiling, today was the first day of training. She sighed as she hastily threw some clothes on and got her equipment ready.

As ecstatic as she was about getting into her number one choice University this Fall, recently, she paled slightly upon realizing an important detail; her University and the corresponding town were big on bikes. Almost all the students and residents rode their bikes, even in harsh weather conditions. Plus the fact that bike licenses and bike tickets were also highly monitored by the city. Her new home was quite literally a bike happy town and it couldn't have made her more miserable.

She gulped as she climbed down the stairs with her helmet and gear and walked towards the garage where she uncovered her bike. Her new (but technically used), completely yellow, bike.

The truth about Lucy Heartfilia was that she was not a bike fanatic; quite the opposite actually. She never learned how to ride a bike properly, and there were specific reasons why that was. She shuddered at the thoughts.

Despite her memories flooding back and her sense of impending doom looming over her head, Lucy was determined to ride this yellow monstrosity. Maybe not to the level of expertise some possessed, but at least enough for her to break without falling and keep her balance while riding; she'd take the bus on stormy days, she decided.

She walked the bike to a nearby park a few streets away from her house and was internally grateful for having bought shin pads, since the pedal kept hitting the front of her leg. I bet that'd leave a nasty bruise without the guard, she mused as she approached the grassy area of the park.

She had chosen what could possibly be described as the flattest park in the city, with few hills and only slight inclinations elsewhere. The bike path was a bit old and broken, but the abundance of grass eased her worries about injuries. The shin, elbow, and forearm guard also helped ease said worries.

Ok Lucy, you can do this. Just take it slow. There's still a few weeks until move-in date. You can totally learn the basics by then!

The blonde went to the middle of the almost deserted park, where the inclination was nonexistent and focused on learning balance first. She would've preferred to have someone help her in person throughout this entire process, but it seemed like everyone had already learned how to ride their bikes when they were younger; what's worse is that no one she talked to was able to give Lucy tips. She had to rely on Youtube videos and practically memorized one video in particular.

Lucy began by trying to adjust her seat; her bike was two inches too tall and even though she was shown where to pull to adjust the height of the bike, she just couldn't get a good grip on the little lever.

"Why is this so hard to do? I haven't even started riding yet!" she whispered to herself. After a few minutes of what must have been hilarious Daffy Duck like fiddling, she shrugged off the two inches. What was two extra inches, right?

She failed to realize that those two inches separated her toes from reaching the ground. She cursed her short height but decided to still keep trying what the video showed her.

First, balance with one leg on the pedal and one leg moving forward on the ground. A lot easier said than done, she thought dryly. She couldn't adjust her bike to accommodate that position. She was either standing because of her foot on the ground, with a slight tilt to one side or she was tilting awkwardly to fit the position. When she tried to ride away, she found herself going in circles, because of the tilt.

She was still able to get the hang of the balance thing though, and soon kept trying to bring her other leg up to the pedal. Maybe I don't actually need the seat lowered, she thought with a spreading grin on her face.

Maybe it wasn't such a bad thing that her new home was a bike town. Maybe-

There was a curve approaching on the path, and although not remotely dangerous, the curve would force her to lean on the opposite side more than the one she was currently leaning on.

In other words, to make the turn, she would have to not rely on the ground for support. And she wasn't sure she could do it. She wasn't even sure she should be approaching this curve so quickly either and just as she was about to stop, she remembered the shopkeeper tell her this bike's handlebar brakes were in need of a tune up to work properly.

She was supposed to stop the bike with her feet…the feet that couldn't touch the floor because her seat was too high. At least there's grass, she thought as the curve got closer. She waited until she reached the grassy area past the curve and then let go of the bike only for it to get stuck in her sweats's fabric, make her trip over the metal frame as it fell.

Once again, she was thankful for bringing all this protective equipment.

She groaned in slight discomfort, not from pain but from the suddenly moving world. She closed her eyes in hopes of calming her eyesight. She looked up at a summer blue sky and couldn't help thinking this was way more peaceful than falling off a stupid yellow bike anyway.

She sat up and sighed but started to dust her clothes off, blades of grass clinging stubbornly to the fabric, when she saw a hand reach out to her. A tanned hand. She looked up only to see pink hair arranged in disorganized spikes.

Pink hair!?

She was so entranced by the exotic hair, she missed the dark, slanted eyes that showed green undertones with the sunlight, a scaly looking scarf (being worn in the summer?) draped slightly over a dark red shirt with a black outline of a dragon and black cargo pants, and a grin showing off pearly white fangs and teeth.

"Thanks," she muttered, standing and quickly retracting her hand with a flush. She frowned slightly. It was summer and 7am at that! She was really hoping no one her age would be up but here she was proven wrong by this pink haired guy.

Who was staring at her.

She looked up and saw his grin shift to a smirk, which attempted to hold in laughter, but did so in an obvious way.

Jerk, she thought immediately, completely aware of her failed attempt to turn. On a flat bike path. With no inclination. Because she could not reach the ground. Because she was two inches too short for a bike two inches too tall.

"I know you don't know me," his voice began, low and clam, and snapped Lucy out of her thoughts, "and I definitely don't know you…" He paused. She looked at him again and saw that poorly hidden laugh tug at his lips.

Don't say it, she thought. Please dear God, don't say it.

"-but you really suck at riding this bike," he chuckled and she rolled her eyes. Of course. Not like she didn't already know that. Who in the hell was this guy anyway? Acting so polite at first only to laugh at her right afterwards! The word 'jerk' flashed in her mind once more but then she heard a cough.

He looked at her expectantly and she stared back blankly. He shook his head in what must have been amused disbelief. "So I guess I'll teach you how to ride right now to save you from future embarrassment," he finished and Lucy's eyes became as wide as dinner plates.

A beat of silence and staring.

"WHATTT?" She screamed, causing the pink haired guy to flinch away at the high pitched voice. She smirked, smug she got him back a little, even if it was a little petty at this point. She was just kinda sensitive about the bike stuff, and having a pink haired hunk (he was toned ok!? Someone can be a hunk and a jerk too!) help you, then say you suck at riding said bike, then offer to help you learn to save yourself from "future embarrassment" (Lucy rolled her eyes at the phrase again) was a bit overwhelming.

She was actually surprised she didn't scream sooner.

"I asked if you had anyone who could help you learn to ride your bike and you just kinda looked at me like you were lost so I offered to teach you to save-"

"Yeah yeah embarrassment I get it," she waved off and glared at him.

How could I even trust him? I don't even know his name yet! She thought to herself.

"I'm Natsu by the way," he adding, as if reading her mind, and extended his hand with the intention to shake hers.

Well at least now I know his name, she corrected and exchanged handshakes.

"Lucy" she added curtly and saw him chuckle again. She saw a flash of fangs before he withdrew his hand.

He glanced over the bike, almost forgotten about, laying on the grassy patch and then cracked his knuckles. "Let's see what I got myself into."

"Why would someone even buy a bike that was too tall for them anyone?" he grumbled, working the lever under the seat. The lever which was a bit too tight.

"Well it was this bike at a cheap price or a smaller bike at three times the cost. I'd rather not break the bank over a piece of metal, thank you very much," she guarded, completely aware of her mistake. Not like she didn't beat herself up over it already.

"Better to break the bank than buy something useless," he grumbled back. He got up and stretched, turning away from the bike and blonde. "Maybe I should just stop and let you learn with the height handicap. It could be useful later," he offered.

"It won't be useful if I can't learn to begin with," she shot back, smug she used similar logic on him. She crouched down near the seat while balancing on the balls of her feet. "I. REFUSE. TO. LET. THIS. BIKE. BEAT ME," she exclaimed, pulling the lever between each word to emphasize her point.

"You know, that might not work all that well-" he turned back upon hearing her exclamation and saw her now sitting. His eyes looked at the lever, expecting it to be as tight as it was a few seconds ago.

But it wasn't.

Well shit, he thought amused at her sudden strength. He gave himself credit for loosening it up though, but still. Damn.

"I DID IT!" she yelled excitedly, as she brought the seat down and locked the lever again. She got on the bike again and sighed, still a bit annoyed. Yes the seat went down, but she was still off the ground again, though only by a margin of an inch. Better than nothing.

"You're gonna have to bring your other foot up to the pedal sooner or later!"

"I prefer later!"

They had been at the park for about an hour now. Lucy was finally getting the hang of balancing herself on one pedal but almost immediately lost balance when trying to bring her other foot up to the pedal. She was psuedo-pedaling over a hilly region of the park now, feeling comfortable doing that much with her balancing.

"I'm not gonna be here all day you know," he cautioned.

"Really? Then who's gonna save me from 'embarrassing myself in the future'," she quipped.

"'Save you from future embarrassment', Luigi, get it right!" he countered and she stopped moving. She turned to him and he could swear he saw a menacing, purple aura surrounding her.

"What did you call me?" she hissed back, causing him to gulp nervously.

"It was a joke! To see if you were paying attention," he continued, cautiously, unsettled by her sudden anger. And he watched her stay still, the aura only slightly dissipating.

"Then what's my real name?" she responded lowly, mentally deciding that if he didn't actually know, he'd pay.

"Huh? Your real name? It's Lucy, right?" he responded, still confused and cautious.

She looked away and felt a flush on her cheeks. Odd, but there was something about the way he said it. Something about it made it sound natural, as if they'd known each other for years already.

Snapping out of her thought, she nodded approvingly and turned to look in front of her once more, purple aura completely gone.

Just keep pedaling. Just keep pedaling, she thought to herself as she finally brought her other foot on the pedal and laughed giddily at the unintentional reference to Finding Nemo.

She was pedaling! She was really doing it!

"Hey Lucy! What if I call you Luce instead?"

The next thing Lucy remembered seeing was the grassy patch in the sky.

"Luce! Wake up! C'mon Luce!"

She felt her eyes struggle to open and then felt the sting of the sudden light in her eyes. What happened?

Her mind flashed to her sudden break. She gripped one of the crappy handlebar brakes when still pedaling down the hill and jerked her handlebar towards the grass slightly before the bike's brake halted the front tire. Her bike's back tire, as well as her continued pedaling and gravity must have caused her think it was better to let go of the handlebar instead of stopping the bike with her feet. The mistake was so painfully obvious now that she was laying down on the grass, awake after being unconscious for who knows how long.

"You're finally awake," she heard Natsu say in what sounded like a relieved sigh.

Relieved?

"Yeah. Now I see why the shop keeper told me to check out the handlebar brakes. Those things must be hooked up to the wrong wheel," she noted. Just then, she turned her head away, completely embarrassed that she fell off her bike for such a stupid mistake. Again. In front of the pink haired hunk/jerk.

So much for saving me from future embarrassment, she thought glumly, almost sure that there was no possible way that could happen.

"Yeah well, a weirdo like you should probably know that a bike has a front andback brake, and that stopping in the middle of a hill incline by using the front break lever and still pedaling can cause injury, whether you grip the brake tightly or not," he chided.

She wanted to be sarcastic in return. Hell, maybe even pretend that nothing embarrassing happened. Keep her cool and play it off.

But she just settled for gaping at the man instead, who was now standing the bike and testing the brakes.

What just happened?

"Well, the good news, I guess, is that your bike here does actually have problems with the brakes. They need way too much force to actually work, causing a sudden stop as you know."

She nodded, having recovered from the shock of his knowledge about bikes. She looked away again, suddenly feeling like she should have researched her bike more.

"Don't worry, I can fix it easy. But the bad news is that I have to get to work soon, so I can't do it right now."

She bit her lip. She didn't actually think he had to be somewhere today. She figured he was just lying to push her to use both feet to pedal but the fact that she was wrong made her feel bad. She completely misread Natsu and the thought didn't sit well with her.

"What do you think I should do?" she asked him suddenly.

He blinked at her and then she saw a childish grin overtake his features.

"Hmm well I know a mechanic who'd be willing to fix it for free. But," he pulled out his watch dramatically at this point, "his shift won't start for another hour, I think," he finished, nodding to himself.

"Mechanic?" she asked dumbfounded. "Isn't that a bit of overkill for a bike?"

He shook his head and chuckled. "The place I'm talking about fixes anything from kiddie tricycles to 18 Wheelers. There's lots of people who fix stuff there, and I heard they even found a guy who knows how to tune up trains recently."

Lucy was in awe. Such a place existed?

"Here," she saw a folded piece of paper being offered to her with an address and a name written on there.

"Salamander?" she asked dubiously.

"Yeah, the mechanic I'm talking about who'll fix your bike for free. He's definitely one of the best mechanics there too," he nodded, mostly to himself.

"Is he like…your cousin or something like that?" she asked the question before she could stop herself.

He looked at her and smiled. "Yeah. Something like that."

"Fairy Tail?" she blinked at the sign, confused.

What kind of place is this?

She looked at the huge building in front of her, standing at least three stories high. It was huge and looked more like a giant house more than a place for mechanics. There seemed to be a bar and restaurant inside too. But no sign of a garage…

She frowned. Was she tricked? She was actually starting to trust Natsu to help her, but maybe she was being overly optimistic.

I mean what kind of stranger would try to help you get your bike fixed for free the same day he meets you?

She sighed, and started wondering if he had asked her on a date. Not that hewasn't attractive, but lying for a date definitely caused a warning sign in Lucy's head to flash.

She approached the front door cautiously, following the lead of a group of friends, and saw the inside. As the group went over to the bar, Lucy's eyes explored the inside layout. This building definitely gave off a homey feel. There were cobblestone floors and walls, with a few huge support beams to hold the upper level, which Lucy couldn't see clearly from where she stood. Around the inside, wooden benches were carefully organized in a messy pattern around a front stage area, which currently had red velvet curtains draped across it. The bar itself was also wooden and had a few wooden benches surrounding it as well. The staircase to the higher floor was near the bar area, and under the stairs and behind the bar front must have been either a supply room or even a small kitchen, Lucy guessed.

Lucy looked forward and saw a symbol she didn't recognize. She saw that same symbol in the front of the building, near the sign. Was it supposed to be a fairy?

"Oh hello there, would you like a drink?" a soft voice snapped her out of her thoughts. Lucy looked at the girl in front of her. She had long, silver hair with dark blue eyes and had her bangs up in a ponytail above her forehead. She was wearing a black dress with white accessories.

"Ummm..sorry I was looking for a mechanic to fix my bike and was told to come to this address," Lucy pulled out the note and let the silver haired girl take a look at it.

"Ahh you must be looking for the garage. I can take you there, if you want. I'm not the best at giving directions," the girl admitted.

"That would be great. Thanks," Lucy accepted, feeling better. This girl seemed like she was honest, so she doubted she was in trouble but still, she stayed cautious. She'd never been to this side of Magnolia before, so the unfamiliarity unsettled her.

"Hey Lisanna! Please take care of the bar front for me for a few minutes! I'll be right back!" the girl called to another, similar looking silver-haired girl with shorter hair.

"Will do!" the girl with shorter hair, Lisanna, affirmed as she walked behind the bar and began talking to the people sitting around it.

"Sorry about that. I'm Mirajane, though everyone calls me Mira, and I'm usually at the bar front so I had to ask for Lisanna to cover for me," Mira explained.

"I'm Lucy. Sorry for causing you and Lisanna trouble," Lucy apologized.

"It's no problem. Lisanna's trained to work the bar front in case I need to run an errand for Fairy Tail," Mira answered, giggling a little at the apology from Lucy.

Apologies were rare at Fairy Tail.

They got to Lucy's bike and Mira began leading Lucy to the garage.

"So what is this place exactly? It looks like a bar and restaurant on the inside, but there's a garage for fixing lots of loads of transportation? Next thing you know, you're gonna tell me there's a swimming pool," Lucy exaggerated. What kind of place, besides a hotel, has all that?

"The swimming pool is behind the dining area, and it ranges from 3 feet for beginners to 10 feet for more experienced swimmers. We even have three levels of diving boards," Mira chimed in.

"SERIOUSLY!?"

Where in the hell was she?

"Yup, though we don't have a spa or steam room," Mira added as an afterthought.

"Is this a hotel?" Lucy blurted out, feeling red thinking Natsu gave her directions to a hotel.

Mira instead, blinked and giggled. "Of course not silly! We don't have rooms here. Although we do have a property for dormitories not too far from here."

Lucy, at this point was at a loss for words.

"Where in the hell am I?" she whispered, mostly to herself.

"You're at Fairy Tail, silly."

"Well here it is! Just ask Gajeel for Salamander, and you'll be set," Mira informed, emphasizing Salamander with a giggle. However, Lucy didn't catch the change in voice because standing behind Mira, Lucy was trying to catch her breath. She didn't realize how complicated the path to the garage was, but now she understood why Mira offered to walk with her. The place was practically hidden behind the entire building, and since the building was so irregularly shaped, the path had more turns than Lucy expected. She lost Mira a few times because of all the sudden turns.

"T-thanks Mira. But who's Gajeel?"

"Right here, kid," Lucy looked up and saw a dark man with long, unruly black hair and many facial piercings in front of her. Are those eyes RED?!

"Well? I'm waiting," the man gruffed. He was definitely buff, and his shirt emphasized that point, but he also had a lot of scars everywhere. He sure was intimidating.

"Gajeel, need I remind you that Makarov doesn't like you snapping at guests," Mira reminded, clearly not scared by the hulking man's presence.

Gajeel growled and stared back, with no intention to back down. Lucy was suddenly scared for Mira; she didn't want to cause a fight.

She wasn't sure how, or why, but eventually, Mira looked away and Gajeel looked back at Lucy, a calmer expression on his features. When she looked at Mira, she smiled back sweetly.

What just happened?

"Bike repair?" Gajeel stated, looking at the yellow bike. His eyes focused on her bell and he chuckled. "Bunny girl much?"

Lucy flushed, completely embarrassed. She happened to like this bunny character, thank you very much, but being called out on it was unexpected. And she had already felt humiliated enough today.

"I'm looking for someone named Salamander," she asserted, desperately trying to change the topic. "Natsu told me he'd fix my bike…for free," she added, unsure if she should have added the last two words.

Gajeel's eyebrows shot up and then he gave an amused laugh (which suspiciously sounded like "geehee") and shook his head with another amused look. Mira, who was still standing next to Gajeel, brought her hand to her cheek and whispered a "oh my".

"Sure, I'll get'em," Gajeel answered and motioned for Lucy to follow him.

"I'll be going back to the bar front now. Good luck with your bike, Lucy. If you don't remember the way back to the front, ask Salamander to lead you back," Mira giggled again, emphasizing Salamander once more, and sprinted back to the winding path. With her eyes closed. In heels.

Damn, Lucy thought, envious of how unfazed the walk left Mira.

"You coming in or not, Bunny Girl?" Gajeel interjected, sticking his head out of the door. Lucy sighed.

How did Mira get Gajeel to calm down earlier? Lucy mused as she walked her bike over to the garage door.

Lucy was sitting on a few huge tires and parked her bike next to her. Gajeel sure was taking long to get Salamander. Lucy, once again for what may have been the fifth time, wandered her eyes over the garage. The floor was cement, but the garage walls, unlike the main buildings, were wooden. There were shelves and indentations for tools to fit everywhere along the walls. Even though this was a garage, the building was still huge and could definitely fit a couple of rows of cars.

Though getting the tools from wall to wall may be a hassle, Lucy thought.

Suddenly, she heard a door open and stiffened. She turned and saw a blue haired girl stare back. She was short, even shorter than Lucy, and was wearing red reading glasses, a book in hand. She had big, golden brown eyes.

"Hi," the girl began, shifting awkwardly.

"Hi," Lucy repeated, also awkward.

"I'm sorry, do you know where Gajeel is? I had to tell him something," she asked, her eyes looking around the room for said guy.

"Oh, he went through the back door looking for Salamander," Lucy responded, unconsciously pointing at the door.

"Thanks! I'm Levy, by the way," the blue haired girl, Levy, replied, as she extended her hand to Lucy.

"I'm Lucy. Nice to meet you," Lucy returned, shaking Levy's hand. She looked over and saw the title of the book in Levy's other hand.

"Is that 'Protector of the Small' by Tamora Pierce?" Lucy implored. Levy looked startled by the question, but eventually grinned.

"Yeah! Set in the kingdom of Tortall post-Alanna of Trebond," Levy answered, a gleam in her eyes.

"Is that the complete book series or one of the quarters?" Lucy practically yelled excitedly.

"The complete series in one hardcover! Have you read it?" Levy guessed, sitting on the tires by Lucy.

"Yeah a few years ago. A friend let me borrow the hardcover with all the books in it and told me to read it. I swear I couldn't put it down! It was just so good!" Lucy beamed. She hadn't met anyone besides the friend that lent it to her that heard of the book series, much less read it.

"I just finished it! It was really good!" Levy beamed too. Meeting another book lover at Fairy Tail wasn't the easiest thing to do.

"What was your favorite part?" Lucy insisted, ready to talk about Kel for hours.

"Oh that's easy. It was that part where-"

"Shrimp," Lucy heard Gajeel speak and saw Levy smile softly with a small blush on her face. Lucy looked over at Gajeel and saw a smug look on his face.

Is that supposed to be a term of endearment or something?

"There you are Gajeel! I was looking for you," Levy scolded, though Lucy knew she didn't mean it.

"Didn't look like you were looking for me," Gajeel answered, an incredulous eyebrow raised.

"Just because I wasn't actively looking for you doesn't mean I wasn't looking for you," Levy pouted.

Gajeel chuckled. "Whatcha' need Shrimp?"

Levy brightened and held up 'Protector of the Small'. "Thanks for the present! It was such a good book!"

Gajeel chuckled again and kept his eyebrow raised. "Finished it already? I just gave it to you a few hours ago."

Lucy, in the background, sputtered. Didn't Levy just say she just finished it?

How fast does that girl read?

"You know I read faster with these glasses," Levy boasted, sticking her tongue out at Gajeel.

"Glad you liked it Shrimp. The title did remind me of you," Gajeel teased.

Are-Are they FLIRTING?

Lucy's head was spinning. She wasn't sure what could make this day more confusing.

"Hey Luce! You made it!"

Lucy turned and saw Natsu, wearing an open vest and baggy pants, which was definitely different from his casual dragon t-shirt and cargo pants outfit from this morning. He was still wearing his scaly scarf though, but the ends of which were on his back.

"Natsu, what are you doing here?" she questioned, caught off guard.

Didn't he say he had to go somewhere? Wait a minute.

Natsu said he could fix her bike but said he had to go somewhere. Salamander was supposed to begin his shift soon and was a mechanic.

Lucy could feel the wheels turning in her head until finally it hit her.

"Don't tell me…Y-YOU'RE SALAMANDER!?" she screamed for what may have been the umpteenth time that day.

Natsu, in turn, just grinned. "Something like that." -

A/N: Can I just say I love how this came out and that I'm thinking about writing more but I don't think it will be too many chapter wise. But to be fair, this first chapter is like 12 pages long with a 12 font Times New Roman. So yeah...we'll see how this story goes :3

Original Prompt: I know you don't know me, and I definitely don't know you, but you really suck at riding this bike so I'll teach you how to ride right now to save you future embarrassment.