"And so…I got fired again," I said sadly as I finished off the cup of juice right before me. Gray had told me dozens of times that purchasing juice in a bar was a joke to all men, but I had never liked the taste of alcohol much. Besides, juice was healthier than that toxic stuff any day.

"It's not really a surprise that you did, flame brain," Gray retorted with a snort. "You've got to find some way to control that stupid pyromaniac urge of yours. You can't just start playing with a lighter right in the middle of an office that's filled with flammable papers and boxes."

I groaned, letting my head fall into my hands. "I can't help it…it's…my hands get sweaty, and I get fidgety, and…the only way to stop the urge is to feed the urge. I mean, come on…"

I dug a lighter out of my pants, and flicked the mechanism on the side so that a flame started up. "Who could resist something as beautiful as a flame?"

"People who want to keep a decent job," Gray snapped. "You could have at least found an obsession that isn't as dangerous as fire. What about ice?"

"The only thing weirder than a person obsessed with fire is a person who's obsessed with ice," I snorted, wrapping my scarf around my neck tightly. "Besides, it's the middle of winter! Why would I want to lug around something that would only make me colder?"

"People play in snow…" he mumbled as he stood up. "I got to go to the bathroom. Try not to burn the whole place down while I'm gone, would you?"

I shot him a glare before he left.

As if I'd be stupid enough to-

My eyes suddenly froze on a particular chair at the bar countertop. I looked down at my lighter, then the chair, and then the lighter. How would that stool react to a little fire? The urge washed over me. Suddenly, I wasn't a guy who had just lost his job because he can't seem to keep away from fire, I was just a pyromaniac who wanted to play with fire. With a certain relish, I flicked the lighter so that a flame flickered on top of it, and slid out of the booth I was in. I got down on my knees, and held the flame to the chair.

For a moment, I just stared at the blaze licking the stool leg, and the next, I was suddenly sprawled onto the ground.

"What are you doing?!" a voice screeched. I looked up, and gazed at a blonde that towered over me like Godzilla would tower over the city of Tokyo. Her brown eyes were filled with rage, and I could see that she was ready to punch my face in.

"Um…uh," I spluttered. Come on, Natsu, you can think yourself out of this situation…I think.

"Uh…I just thought you were so hot that…you deserved to be set on fire?" I said, trying to grin flirtatiously.

The woman looked about ready to strangle me for my lame pick-up line. Her white-haired friend, on the other hand, giggled at my faulty attempt to score a date (or what I wanted her to believe, anyways. How could I tell a stranger I had wanted to set her chair on fire because I like the sight of it?). The blonde's right eye twitched, and she scooped down, and grabbed me by the collar. "I repeat…what were you doing?"

"I…uh…you…know…trying to set the chair on fire?"

"Why?"

"B-because I'm a pyromaniac!"

At that reply, her face didn't even twitch. She just let go of my shirt collar, and let me drop to the ground in a heap. She looked furiously at her beautiful friend, enraged. "You see, Mira? This is why I'd rather stay at home to work on my novel. Going out into the world…who knows what kind of weirdoes you might meet?"

"I wouldn't say being a pyro would make me weird. I'd say that it's a condition I can't really get rid-" I stopped talking abruptly as I saw her murderous glare. "I mean…yeah…weirdo…ahahaha."

The blonde slammed a few bills onto the countertop, turned around, and left in a flurry. Her friend also paid her share, and ran out, crying, "Hold up! Lucy! Come on! He was kinda cute, don't you think?!"

I rubbed the back of my head sorely as a familiar sneaker appeared on my right side. I looked up from my place on the ground, and let a tiny groan escape my throat when I saw Gray's familiar face. My friend arched an eyebrow. "What a place for a twenty-three year old guy to make a scene, huh?"

"Right, scene," I mumbled, and got up from the floor. "I'm going home. I've already found a job I'm going to apply to, tomorrow."

"Where are you working?"

"A bookshop."

"You idiot!" Gray hissed, shaking his head profusely.

"What?"

"Bookshop means books, which means paper, which means fire can burn paper!"

"Whatever. I'll get fired then…" I muttered. "But I'm still going to go."

The next morning, shivering from the cold, I entered the bookshop where I had applied to. Immediately the scent of books filled my nose, and I picked up a worn out book from a shelf before I continued on. I stopped at the counter, where I could see a blonde with her back turned to me.

"Uh…I'm here to apply for a job for Lucy Heartfilia…the owner of this shop?"

"You're talking to her," the blonde said cheerfully and turned around. Her face (and mine) dropped as we came face-to-face.

"You!" we both said at the same time, backing away in horror.

"What are you doing here?!" she demanded.

"Like I said…for a job."

"If you think I'm going to let someone who likes to play with fire in a bookshop, then you are thoroughly mistaken!"

"Mistaken…but…come on! Please! I've got nowhere else to work!" I said, emphasizing 'nowhere'. "If I don't get this job, then I'm going to have to find some new way to pay the rent for my apartment!"

"Ha!" the blonde said, her eyes narrowing. "I used to have the same problem! But I got this shop and fixed it! And you know why I have this shop? Because I'm not a flipping pyromaniac!"

"What's all the commotion in here?" asked a sweet voice as a box filled to the brim with books stepped from the storage room behind Lucy. When the box was set down, the white-haired girl from yesterday was revealed. Her face lit up in happiness when her eyes landed on me. "It's you! From last night! Oh! Lucy!"

I arched an eyebrow as the girl grabbed the blonde's hands, and put on a deadly serious face. "This is fate."

"W-what? Mira…what are you talking about?"

"You two…are destined to be together! Your left ring fingers are connected by the red string of fate! You two are going to get married!"

If I had had anything else but saliva in my mouth, I would have chocked and hacked, and had a coughing fit. But as nothing but spit was available, I choked on that instead. "Married?!"

"Married," the girl said, nodding her head as if to confirm it.

"Are you kidding me!?" Lucy and I cried at the same time.

"Oh, so in sync! You two are going to be such a cute couple!" she gushed.

"We are not!" we cried in unison again. We shot each other a glare to tell the other to "stop it; you're not helping matters by synchronizing what we say".

The girl giggled, and extended her hand to me. "My name is Mirajane Strauss – you can call me Mira, and we'll be happy to have you here!"

"What?!" Lucy said in protest. "I totally disagree! I will not have someone who will endanger these books to be here! No way!"

"But Lucy…he's just too good-looking for you to let him walk away," Mira argued, jutting out her lower lip in a cute pout.

I felt my whole face warm at her words.

"But he's probably never even read a book! How's he going to work here?" the blonde demanded.

"I have, too," I said indignantly.

"Prove it."

I shot her a glare, and picked up a random book of the shelf. "Les Miserables…follows the story of a man named Jean Valjean, who, after nineteen years in prison, tries to seek a new life as mayor of a town. He takes in the orphaned Cosette – whose mother passed away because of a fever – and fathers her. And-"

"Okay, okay," Lucy said, "But that's just one book. How about…this one?"

She slid a novel towards me.

"Harry Potter?" I asked. "Are you kidding me? You seriously don't expect me to read one of the most well-known book series…? Are you expecting me to recount the events of a series that even people who haven't read the books know?"

She then gave me a romance novel. From the front cover, I could tell it was about mythical beings and the like. I gave her a disgusted face. "No. Never. Absolutely not. I read classics, adventure, friendship…romance and whatever comes close to a teenage love story should stay a one hundred feet radius away from me at all times."

The blonde slammed a final book before me, and I read the title slowly.

"Sherlock Holmes!" I exclaimed. "Now this, this guy was totally awesome. His refined sense of-!"

"Okay! I got it!" she yelled. "You read. And fine. You're hired. But if I find one scorch mark on any of these – novel or novella – you're going to find yourself with a seriously dented in face."

"Yes!" I exclaimed, pumping my fists into the air. I reached over and hugged her. "Thanks, Luce!"

"What the-?! Fine! I get it! Just let me go!" she cried, resisting against my embrace.

I let her go as Mira giggled mischievously. I marveled at the blonde's red face, before she pushed a box in front of my face. "Go shelve these!"

"Um…okay."

Some people could be so un – cute.

-A Few Weeks Later-

So far, I had managed to control myself. Gray had told me dozens of times that the best way to prevent me playing with fire is to not bring a lighter in my pocket. But I couldn't bring myself to do it. Without that familiar rectangular shape in my pocket, I couldn't be focused on work.

I sighed heavily as I spent my one millionth day shelving books on the bottom shelf of the fifth aisle of the bookshop. Lucy was somewhere at the counter, talking to an elderly lady who was in desperate need of a particular book. In a raspy voice, she told the blonde it was for her grandchild's birthday, and every other place didn't seem to sell it. With a chipper voice, Luce told the woman to wait for a minute while she checked our inventory. I chuckled softly. For the past few weeks, I had grown used to the blonde's low murmur as she spoke to customers, and her optimistic attitude towards them. Her smile, which she rarely directed towards me, was…cute. And I couldn't really deny the fact that she was beautiful. Her blonde hair was like gold streaming out of her scalp, and her eyes represented steaming hot chocolate in a mug; since it was the middle of winter, and had snowed fairly recently, hot chocolate was a good thing to be reminded of. I had grown so used to Luce's presence that I felt like I needed a good dose of the sight of her everyday just to pull through.

I sighed as I placed a book into a certain position on one of the bookcases.

"That's what I call L-O-V-E, my friend," Mira had gushed when I had admitted these feelings to her. Even though I had seen the white-haired girl everyday as well, I didn't harbor the same kinds of emotions towards her that I felt for Luce. I had known better than to consult this woman who considered herself a matchmaker of sorts, but the truth was, not many people could lie when confronted with the innocent – or what seemed like it, anyways – smile of the long-haired beauty, Mirajane Strauss. She had blown on her cup of tea as she muttered something about "wedding" and "wedding dress would be so beautiful on her". I had scratched back of my head as I had laughed awkwardly at her accusation. "That can't be it, Mira. I mean…what if it's just a best-friend sort of thing?"

"Best friend?" the girl had asked me with a tone that fully expressed that she didn't believe it. "Pssh."

"But anyways, Lucy hates me."

"What?!" Mira had shouted indignantly, and then had quieted her voice when I had shot her an alarmed look. "No, she doesn't. Don't you see the way she looks at you? She gets red every time she sees your face, and I swear…she gets this expression on her face every time you're speaking about a book to another customer."

"Mira…no offense, but sometimes, I think you're delusional."

"Hmph!" the white-haired girl had snorted, and then had stalked away back to the shop.

I blinked as a voice sounded beside me, and tore me out of my thoughts.

"Um…excuse me?"

It was a middle school aged girl with blue hair tied back into twin tails. She twiddled her thumbs as she shifted her feet, and opened her mouth to speak to me. "Um…do you have…um…the book…'How to Stop Being Timid and Confess to Your…Crush'?"

I blinked. Her voice had gotten really squeaky at the end of her question.

"Do you have it?"

"Oh, uh…" I said, scratching my head. "If I remember correctly, I think we're out of those copies. I guess there's a lot of shy people out there, huh?"

"Um, y-yeah! I think I'll just go-!"

"Hold on," I said, standing up. "I think we're going to get a new stock of them in two days. Do you want me to reserve one for you?"

A look of relief spread across her face. "Yes, please."

"Great. Come with me to the front counter please."

We headed towards the front, where Lucy was busy selling the book the elderly woman had wanted. I grabbed one of the many pieces of paper on the table, and grabbed a pen. I poised it just above the paper, and asked, "What's your name?"

"W-Wendy Marvel."

I scrawled that down. "And the book you want is-"

"How to Stop Being Timid and Confess to Your Crush."

I wrote that down as well.

"All right, then…can you pay for it now? Or would you like to wait until it comes?"

"Now."

"All right then. That'll be thirteen dollars and fifty cents please."

She dug into her pockets, and handed me a twenty dollar bill. I gave her change, and told her to be here in two days for her back. She nodded in comprehension, and rushed out of the bookshop as if a monster were at her heels. The elderly woman left right after.

"I'm just going to keep this in a safe place," I said, gesturing towards the paper with the girl's name on it.

Lucy nodded, not looking at me.

I sighed. Mira was definitely wrong. There was no way a female who couldn't even bear to look at me would be in love with me. No matter how much I love her. That's right. I admitted it, okay? I love her.

I ducked into the back, and tucked the paper in a safe place where I was sure to remember it, and stopped when I saw a pile of papers on a desk in the corner. Curious, I approached it, and picked it up. The writing was messy, but I could make out the words. 'The Lost Key' was what was on the cover. With a sudden shock, I realized it was a novel of some kind, and I began to read it be the window, where a stream of light filtered through. I was already past the fifth chapter when Lucy barged in, her chin jutted out in indignation.

"Natsu! What have you been-!?" she stopped as she noticed what was in my hand. She looked about ready to scream.

"Luce!" I said before she could. "Have you read this?! This is amazing! The plot is so well planned out, the characters seem so real that I feel like I've known them my whole life, and every chapter makes me think, 'what happens next?' Do you know who wrote this?!"

For a long moment, the blonde didn't answer. And finally, in a perfectly calm voice, she said softly, "I did."

"You did?!" I said. My mind rewound back to the day we had met in the most unfortunate way at the bar.

You see, Mira? This is why I'd rather stay at home to work on my novel.

"Oh, right!" I said, snapping my fingers as I remembered. "You said you were working on some kind of novel the night we met! I never thought it'd turn out to be this amazing – uh, did I say something wrong?"

The blonde looked up at me, her face streaked with tears.

Oh, Mavis, I thought, thinking back on my words, what did I do wrong? What did I screw up this time?!

"I – uh, I'm sorry?!" I said, and mentally slapped myself for sounding confused – even though I was confused. "I…uh…did I do something wrong?!"

"No, you idiot!" Lucy tried to growl, but it was ruined by a hiccup. She burst into more tears. "I'm…I'm just so glad somebody likes my story!"

"Well, it's a pretty neat story…I think anyone would like it. The writing is clear…and-!"

I stopped as she sobbed even louder. I should just shut up. I should just take some tape, and staple it onto my mouth, and spread hot glue around the edges.

"Th-thank you, Natsu," she said when she finally calmed down.

"Ehe," I said, scratching the bridge of my nose awkwardly. I could see that she was embarrassed from crying in front of me. I cleared my throat, and said, "Um…any chance I could continue to read? It was just getting good when someone interrupted with their obnoxious crying."

The blonde made a face – which I found superbly cute – and said, "No reading on the job, Natsu."

I groaned teasingly. She smiled at me – which made my heart skip a beat – and turned around. "Unless you don't want to get paid?"

"You know what? Reading is a free time sort of thing, huh?" I said quickly, following right behind her. "Work is priority!"

"Ahahaha!" she laughed. "And what did you mean by you 'never thought it'd turn out to be this amazing'?"

"Uh…my choice of words can be very…questionable… sometimes."

"Ahahaha!"

As we exited, I noticed her red face as Mira smiled suggestively at us.

A few days later, I was at the counter (Lucy was in the back counting inventory) when a girl with brown hair and a huge chest bounced in. She looked half-drunk, half sober, and giggled when she saw me. Behind her, a man with red hair came in; he had a scar across one of his eyes, and I immediately thought, "That guys looks…awesome!"

The brunette gestured to the redhead – who I think is her father – and said, "Look, look, Dad…isn't that pink-haired guy at the counter totally cute?"

The man pursed his lips, and looked at me, narrowing his eyes, and officially marking me as "The Enemy".

He approached me, and leaned on the counter casually, trying to look menacing. I've seen fish that have looked scarier. He said in a rough, low tone, "My name's Gildarts…this here is my daughter Cana…Cana! Stop smiling at him! And I'm looking for a good book that has…uh…adventure?"

"Okay…" I said, and tried to ignore the brunette eyeing me. I grabbed a novel off the shelf that was titled 'The Great Journey', and set it down in front of the man apparently named Gildarts. A smile graced my lips, and I said, "This is a good one."

"What's it about?"

"It's about man who sets off on an adventure in a hot air balloon equipped with nothing but wits and guts, and…" I spent the next twenty minutes giving him an overall description of the book. With every passing minute, he seemed to grow more and more interested with it.

"I'll take it," he said when I was done talking.

"That'll be fifteen dollars, twenty cents."

The man handed me the exact change, and left in a good mood, dragging out his daughter – who was flipping her hair in every direction possible in my line of sight.

"I think you're the most good-looking when you talk about a book."

I whirl around, and spot Luce, whose face is bright red.

"Hmm?"

"N-nothing," she said, and hurried past me to put away some novellas.

I shrugged, and was about to turn around when Lucy turned on her heels, and said, "You look super awesome and cool when you talk about books with other people. I like to stare at your face when you do."

I felt my face warm. "Uh…thanks?"

"No problem."

She turned to leave, but I said hesitantly, "Hey, Luce?"

"Yeah?"

"When is the next chapter of your book going to be done?"

I could see the corner of her smile. "Soon."

"Here it is," Luce said with a flourish as she handed me her new chapter.

"Thanks, Lucy," I said, grabbing the papers in hurry. Before I could read it however, someone burst into the lounge. I barely jumped at the sudden interruption, and instead stared in utter amusement at the guy in front of us. He looked like a wuss.

His hair was orange, and he had tinted glasses over his eyes. He was wearing a white suit, and carrying a bouquet of colorful roses. He smiled a dazzling, pearly white smile, and said in a musical voice. "Hello, there Princess Lucy! I have come here to declare my everlasting love for you-!"

I flicked a tissue at him, and he blinked in horror. Lucy tried to hold back a snort of laughter.

"Natsuuu!" he screeched, standing up, and dusting off his suit. "You've ruined everything again! Before you came to work here, each proclamation of my love for Lucy was perfect, and now-!"

"Get lost, Loke," I said flatly, taking a sip of my coffee.

"Don't tell me…you've fallen for my dear sweet?!"

I choked on my beverage as Lucy turned entirely red.

"What – the – hell – Loke?!" I managed to say through my coughing fit.

"Let me just say this now, Natsu…you're not suited for this fair princess!"

"What?" I asked, my anger suddenly spiking.

"Loke!" Luce said, suddenly angered as well. "You don't get to say who is suited for me or not…"

"But it's true isn't it?" Loke protested. "He's a barbarian, you are a princess. He's vulgar, you're delicate. He is ugly; you are the very definition of beautiful. He is a hot-tempered dumbass, and you are a calm, smart girl….Basically, your relationship resembles the soap operas where he's the delinquent and you are the refined CEO of a huge company-!"

"GET THE F*** OUT!" Luce screamed at the top of her lungs. "How DARE you have enough nerve to insult Natsu?!"

As Loke spluttered, I tried to control my troubled feelings. The frustration was quickly growing, and I ripped the lighter from my pants pocket. I flicked the mechanism and a flame instantly appeared. For a moment, a calm resonated through me, but quickly dissipated when the end of the first page of the tenth chapter of Lucy's novel suddenly caught fire. The blonde whipped around as she saw the flicker in the corner of her eyes, and screamed at the small flame now eating away at the first few pages of her tenth chapter installment. She fumbled for the fire extinguisher, and sprayed the contents of it towards the general area where I was sitting. I flinched as the stuff hit me, and effectively doused the fire.

My heart beating loudly in my chest, I dug through the mess, and pulled forth the drenched remains of Luce's tenth chapter. It was scorched from the flames and flimsy from the fire extinguisher.

I couldn't bear to look at Luce, who breathing heavily, as she dropped the red canister onto the ground.

"S-see?" Loke piped up, his voice slightly shaking. "See what he did?! How can a pyromaniac and a writer who uses paper ever make a relationship work! You two just don't belong together!"

"Just get out, Loke, "Lucy said grimly, and shot him a murderous glare when he opened his mouth to argue. He paled at the sight of her enraged expression, and fled the scene, probably sure that I was in for it. I was sure of that, too.

Luce bent down to the ground, where a few pages had dropped.

"I'm so sorry, Lucy," I said, clutching my hair in my hands.

"It's okay, Natsu," the blonde said cheerfully. "Really…That was only the final draft…I still have the rough draft – Natsu?"

"We really don't belong together," I said in a low tone.

"W-what?"

I shoved the lighter between us, and lit it. "We don't. And we never will. No matter how much I love you. As long as I love fire, I can never be with you who is a writer. I quit."

"Wait…but Natsu!"

I ignored her as I grabbed my scarf, and left the shop.

"Are you okay with this?" Gray asked me, drinking his cup of soda as I laid my head on the bar counter in dejection.

"Yeah," I mumbled back. These days, I felt incredibly tired.

"Why do you keep calling me out to the bar all the time if you're not going to drink anything…or even talk with me?"

I covered my head, and answered in a muffled voice. "I don't know…"

I honestly didn't. There was always this feeling that compelled me to come here. And even I didn't know what it was…maybe it was just to hear people laughing merrily – no matter how slurred their laughter was – and to see guys bringing in their girls – though I can't imagine what guy thinks their girlfriend is going to enjoy a date at a bar filled with other men. But that wasn't it. I knew that. When I had tried to settle that as the answer, I had emerged unsatisfied, and I would end up thinking about it all over again. It was a cycle I went through everyday, and that was no exception today.

What are you doing?!

You see, Mira? This is why I'd rather stay at home to work on my novel. Going out into the world…who knows what kind of weirdoes you might meet?

I think you're the most good-looking when you talk about a book.

I'm just so glad somebody likes my story!

Thank you, Natsu.

You look super awesome and cool when you talk about books with other people. I like to stare at your face when you do.

How DARE you have enough nerve to insult Natsu!?

I open my eyes, and sit up suddenly.

"That's it," I muttered.

Gray spluttered on his drink. "What's it?"

"The reason why I come here…isn't to here laughing, or see guys with their girls…it's because…no matter what, I'm hoping to see her again!"

"See who again?"

"Sorry, Gray! I'll see you tomorrow, okay!?"

Gray stared at me in shock as I raced out the door, and down the streets towards the bookshop. It had been begun to rain lightly, but I didn't care about how wet my hair was getting or how cold I was going to be later; the only thing that mattered to me at that instant was to get to her quickly. As I turned the last corner, I could see her locking the door, and retiring for the day. Slipping and sliding in puddles, and I sprinted towards her.

"Lucy!" I cried.

She turned towards the sound of my voice in surprise, and her eyes widened at the sight of me hurtling towards her.

"Natsu-?" she began, but I crashed into her and pinned her to the door of the shop.

We were shielded from the rain because of the overhang above us, and the only sound that passed for a while was the patter of rain, the swoosh of cars driving by, and our breaths as we tried our best to regain our normal breathing rate.

"Lucy…"I breathed.

"What are you doing, Natsu?" she demanded, her voice trembling.

I put my forehead against hers, and stared into her eyes. "Luce…there's been something wrong with me these past couple of days…"

"Huh?"

"I've been super tired…and I haven't even bothered to find a new job."

No reply.

"In short, it feels just like those times where I was forced to stop bringing my lighter to work. My lighter is important to me; no matter how silly that may seem, it's true. But that's not why I've been so exhausted lately…"

Still nothing from the blonde.

"Because I've left something much more important than the lighter…I've left the fire behind…"

She still didn't say anything, but her breathing had become shallower. Our foreheads were still pressed together.

"Luce…I think you're just like a fire…"

"What?"

"I think you're like a fire…" I repeated, "…because I'm irrationally addicted to you."

I leaned in and kissed her. For a moment, I was scared that she was going to resist and push me away – maybe slap me for my incompetence. But she didn't. After a few seconds, she kissed me back, and put each of her hands on my cheeks. Her own were as red as tomato, and her eyes were dazed as she said, "It's rational."

"Hmm?"

"It's rational," she said, and her voice cracked. "Because you love me, right?"

I looked into her eyes for a moment, before I broke into a wide grin. "Yeah."

I hugged her tightly.

"Well…in that case Natsu Dragneel…I'm rationally addicted to you, too."

That's the end of this NaLu one-shot. Now time for the others. All the stories will be linked in some way though (i.e. In Gray's story, Natsu and Lucy will be there...)

Thanks for reading! Please review and tell me what you think!