"Mr. Dragneel, please stop staring at me and start the practice questions I've made for you." A stern and somewhat annoyed voice snapped Natsu out of his daze. He blinked and his eyes focused on his not so pleased tutor.
"Sorry," he weakly apologized. His mind was too focused on something else, or rather, someone else.
A blonde girl his age glared at Natsu with irritation clearly written on her face. This girl was his tutor. She went to the same school he did, but was in AP classes and was very serious when it came to education. And to make things worse for him, she despised his lazy personality. Her name was Lucy Heartfilia, and she was hired by Natsu's father, Igneel, as a tutor for his son.
She sighed. "This is the fifteenth time you've been staring at me. Is there something on my face? You've only done nine of the thirty-two questions I've assigned you and we have two hours left. Don't let your father's money and our time be wasted."
"I'm trying to do it, but it's so boring! I can't focus at all," he complained.
"Do not complain. I've heard from your father, Mr. Dragneel. You sleep through class or skip it altogether. It may be boring, but you say that to cover the fact that you don't know how to solve the problems." Damn it Igneel! You talk too much.
"I don't want to do it though."
"That is not an excuse. My patience is wearing thin, you better start working." Natsu shivered. Lucy was scary when she was mad, she acted like the school president Erza.
One time he had pushed the wrong button and ended up earning himself a black eye. When Igneel came back, Natsu had told him to fire Lucy. "Look at my eye!" He had said. Igneel just shook his head and guessed that his son had probably been dumb and said or did something to deserve it.
"C'mon, Luce. Working an hour straight without any rest is tiring. Give me a break."
"How 'bout a compromise?"
"What?"
"How about we strike a deal?" Lucy explained. "For every question you get right, I'll give you a prize."
"What type of prize?" Natsu asked skeptically.
Lucy smirked. "A workbook for every subject you're failing. Each are about one hundred pages with equations and questions that'll surely test your brain and make you smarter."
"There's no way I'll agree to that!" Natsu yelled. He was pretty much failing all seven of his classes. If he got those workbooks, that would be seven hundred pages of extra work. He had more important stuff to do, like watching Netflix and sleeping in.
"I was joking."
"Huh?"
"I said, I was joking. I'm not that mean. Even if I gave you those workbooks, you most likely wouldn't even touch them." Spot on.
"Princess Lucy Heartfilia cracked a joke?" Natsu feigned shock. In return, she playfully smacked his arm.
"Don't call me princess. And yes, I can crack a joke. Unlike you, I have a sense of humor."
"I do too!" No sense of humor? Why, he'll show her!
"I do not find puns funny." He gasped.
"Puns are the best! You can make a pun out of anything." Natsu waved his arms around. Lucy rolled her eyes, but she had a smile on her face. Cute.
"You're being quite childish, waving your arms like that. Calm down, Pun Boy. Back on topic, the prize. So long as it is within my abilities, you can get any prize you desire." She's being all business-like again. "What do you say," Lucy inquired.
Natsu hummed thoughtfully. After thinking it through, he nodded.
"Okay."
And so, the conquest began. While Natsu did focus and do a few questions, he would often stop and try to converse with his tutor. Maybe it was just him, but it looked like she was warming up to him.
At first, she would refuse to have a chat. "Back to reading, Mr. Dragneel." After a few more attempts, she'd finally let him take a break and talk with her. He learned a lot.
She had a dog called Plue. She was writing a novel in which Levy would be the first to read it, and she was the heiress to the famous and wealthy Heartfilia family. She had run away from home as well. Natsu knew better than to pry, and tried to talk about something a bit happier. She noticed this, and was glad he was being considerate.
"Ten minutes left, Mr. Dragneel. Are you done?" Lucy had a smile on her face this time, her eyes sparkling. Natsu internally cheered. Normally, she'd have a scowl or frown, but this time it was different, most likely because she had opened up.
"Almost..." Natsu scribbled a sentence and then exclaimed, "done!"
"Let me check," Lucy took the papers from him and went through each question. "I'm surprised, Mr. Dragneel." She sighed.
"What?" Natsu asked, curious. Was it because he got a lot right? Just then, his phone vibrated in his pocket. He took it out, checked the message, and groaned. The message said:
Igneel: Ask Lucy if she can stay for another hour. Final exams are coming up, and I certainly don't want you to fail. And~ Maybe something interesting might happen, if you know what I mean ;)
Interesting? He found getting black eyes interesting? But maybe he meant something else? Another vibration set his phone off. What now?
Tell her I'll pay extra for that hour.
Natsu sighed. "Hey Lucy, can you stay over another hour? Igneel will pay extra."
"I don't mind. Besides, you're going to need that extra hour." She set his papers down, spreading them out. Every single paper had an X by the questions. They also had a big 0 on the corner of the paper.
"What?! I got none of them right? But I tried!?" Natsu couldn't believe it. It had to be a joke. Looking at Lucy's face though, he could tell she was serious.
"I know. That's why I'll give you another chance. The deal still stands. Here, for this question, you should..."
Ten minutes later, Natsu asked a question that caught Lucy off guard. "Do you hate me?"
"Why would you ask me something like this?"
"Because it seems like you do," he replied. She frowned.
"I'm sorry if it came out like that. No, I don't hate you, I just dislike you're laid back attitude. You're a pretty nice guy."
"Which is it? Am I nice or am I lazy? My personality is a part of me. You just contradicted yourself."
"Prince Dragneel used a word like contradicted? This must be the start of the end of the world." Lucy put one hand on her chest and rested the other on her forehead. "Whatever should we do?"
"I'm smart. I just don't try." He puffed his chest out proudly. She giggled.
"Well you better try, otherwise you won't get your prize," she said, eyes twinkling, smile presently small and gentle.
"Cute."
"Huh?" Her angelic appearance faded as she looked at him in confusion.
"I said you were cute." Natsu said, not blushing, not embarrassed in the slightest.
"I-idiot!" Lucy quickly rose from her seat. "I'm taking a break, but you have to finish all of the questions!" Wonder why she left. All I called her was cute. She's such a weirdo.
Lucy didn't come back until the session was over. "Done?" She asked as she took a seat. Natsu nodded. He handed her his paper and let her check.
"How'd I do?"
"Well I can tell you were kind of reading the book."
"It had a dragon in it, of course I read it!" He grinned.
"Yet, you only got one problem right." She gave him his paper, but that didn't matter to him."
"I get my prize!" She nodded. "You have to let me do it, since it's something only you can do."
"Wha-" Natsu leaned in and kissed her. Lucy blushed a crimson red. "Natsu, why did you-"
"Ha! You called me by my first name!" He threw his hands up in the air triumphantly.
"That was your goal?"
"Yes and no," he smiled, "I got my kiss and you called me by my first name. That was a surprise."
"I-I'm leaving," she grabbed her coat in a fluster." Bye, Natsu."
"What about your money?"
"I won't need to wait." A door slam was heard. "Your father's home."
"I'm back!" Igneel called out. He walked into the room and handed Lucy a check. "Sorry for making you stay longer."
"It's no big deal. Goodbye." Lucy left the house. Both men watched her get in her car and drive away. Once the car was no longer visible, Igneel turned to Natsu.
"So, did anything happen?" He asked teasingly and curiously.
"You missed it." He gaped at Natsu.
"Tell me."
"No." Natsu walked back to his room, Igneel following close by.
"C'mon!" He go on his knees and begged. "Son, tell me."
"Hehe." Natsu closed the door, leaving his father groaning and complaining on the floor.