AN: Fairy Tail belongs to Hiro Mashima!
Just a 'little' something I started writing a while back! It's still unfinished, but here's the first chapter! Just wrote this for fun, so please enjoy the humour! :)
Chapter One
The stupid brat was going to make him late for work again. What makes him think he can just keep doing this? Even Blondie keeps telling him to stop and he still breaks into her damn flat! Gajeel sighed as he reached the right building, knowing that his half-brother was in there. Gajeel even knew which flat – it was the second door from the top of the stairs that brought him from the ground floor to the first. He also knew how the idiot was getting into his friend's flat, but he was not planning to give that away any time soon – it was too amusing to see Blondie's face as she handed him over. It always managed to make the irritating problems of turning up late for work bearable.
He sighed, staring at the panel of buzzers. Normally, Blondie would have text him and she would have met him there, dragging his irritating brat of a younger half-brother. This morning, he had actually woken up early and found the brat's bed empty on his way to the bathroom. He had not been amused. He had ended up backtracking to his room and pulling on some clothes, very reluctantly. He had then stuck his head into his little sister's room to make sure she was still asleep, before grabbing his car keys and running out the front door. The brat was going to get him fired one of these days.
He glared at the buzzers, pulling his phone out of his pocket. She had not text him yet, so she was probably still asleep. Would she hear her phone if he text her to say he was outside? Knowing his luck, probably not. He sighed and looked back at the buzzers looking for 'Lucy'. He came to the fifth label and squinted, trying to read the tiny joined-up writing – what was it with high school girls and weird writing?! Well, it certainly looked like 'Lucy'...at least, it definitely had four letters, started with an 'L' and ended with a 'y'...the middle two letters looked like they could be 'uc'. He jabbed his thumb onto the buzzer, holding it there until a crackle sounded from the speaker.
"Excuse me, but could you release my buzzer? There really isn't any need to hold it down." A female voice called through the static.
"Look, I'm just here to pick the brat up, so can you just kick him out already?" He grunted, releasing the buzzer.
"Excuse me?"
"I don't have time for this, just kick him out and I'll take him home, ok?!" He sighed, not bothering to keep the frustration out of his voice.
"I have no idea what you are talking about?"
"Come on! You don't normally give me this shit! You're normally the one texting me to come get his sorry ass! Are you just doing this to piss me off?!" He growled, leaning his arm above the speaker to make sure he was close enough in for her to hear just how unhappy he was.
"I have no idea who you are – I think you must have the wrong flat."
"Seriously?! I'm going to be late for work and the kid is going to wonder why the hell she's been left alone in the damn flat! Just kick him out or let me in to do it!" He snapped, thumping the base of his fist against the speaker.
The static vanished, leaving him standing in silence on the front doorstep. What the hell was Blondie playing at?! She knew he had to get him home so that the brat could get ready for school, before he could to drop him and the kid off, and then try to get to work on time! He jabbed the buzzer again, shoving it in as far as it would go, holding it as he stood furiously waiting for the bitch to answer again. He knew she was there and he knew the brat was there too. If the brat was not in his own bed, he was in hers. That was how it always was.
"Look, I have no idea what you want from me, but please leave me alone." The female voice suddenly called out, the static returned.
"You know I can't do that – if he skips school again he's going to get suspended and I can't deal with that shit! I've got the kid to look after too! You don't normally agree to hide him, so just let me in already, Blondie!" He exclaimed, glancing at his watch nervously.
"Blondie? Hahaha, you have the wrong buzzer – you want the one below mine!"
"What?" He grunted, frowning at the speaker as if it had just slapped him.
"I think you are looking for my friend, Lucy? You must be Natsu's brother?" The voice smiled through the static.
"Eh, yeah, I'm the brat's brother...?" He mumbled, cringing as he realised he had just lost his temper at some woman he had never met.
"Haha, am I correct in guessing he's broken into Lu's flat again? I'll just buzz you in – I'm assuming you know which door is hers?"
"Yeah...Blondie's brought me up a few times to actually drag him out...He won't come home if we've fallen out..." He explained awkwardly, unsure what to say. "...Sorry...for shouting at you...I thought Blondie was messing me around..."
"Hehe, I realise that now – just come on up." The voice giggled as the door clicked, signalling that it had been unlocked.
The static cut out and he pulled the door open, cringing at the idea of the woman waiting for him. Would she come out of her flat? Or would she just forget he had even been there until she next seen Blondie? He walked past two doors that lead to ground floor flats and began his ascent, peaking through the bottom of the railings as his head became level with the first floor. He could see the two doors sitting side by side. He had pressed the fifth buzzer and the woman had told him he had wanted the sixth. The woman must be behind that first door...Should he knock and apologise? No, he was already going to be late.
He finished his ascent and walked up to the second door, banging loudly on the pine-coated chip-wood door. He heard laughter come from somewhere inside the flat next door, knowing it was the woman he had just been yelling at. He really would have to apologise, but he did not have time. He heard the chain on the other side of the door slide loose, before the chub ground loudly, the door swinging open to reveal a sleepy looking Blondie, sighing heavily at the sight of him.
"I didn't even have a chance to kick him out of my bed...Just found him when you knocked...Figured I'd better answer the door...How'd you get in?" She yawned, shuffling back to let him in.
"Your neighbour...I pressed the wrong buzzer." He grumbled, wandering into the bedroom and grabbing a handful of cherry blossom pink hair, pulling the teen into a sitting position. "Get up, Brat! I don't have time for this shit! The kid'll be awake before we get back!"
"Let go of my hair, jerk!" The pink haired teen snapped, kicking out at Gajeel.
"Natsu, just get out of my bed already." Lucy sighed from the doorway, watching the two of them as she ran a brush through the tangles in her bed head. "You're making Wendy sit alone at yours and Gajeel is going to be late for work."
"Fine..." Natsu moaned, Gajeel finally releasing his hair.
"Sorry about the brat – he ain't got any manners." Gajeel grunted, walking back out of Lucy's room while his younger brother followed after him, pulling his clothes back on. "Chances are I'll see you again tomorrow."
"Well at least wait until after you pick him up from school to shout at him or I'll have to text you tonight to get him out of my flat." Lucy joked, holding the flat door open for them.
"Good point." Gajeel sighed, disappearing out of the door.
"Morning." Gajeel grunted into the speaker as the static sounded.
"Morning. I thought I corrected your mistake yesterday?"
"You did..." He replied awkwardly, finding himself without any good words.
"So why did you press my buzzer? Although, can I just complement you on your appropriate use of said buzzer?"
"Why thank you, I generally try not to be an asshole to complete strangers." He returned, smirking at her attitude.
"That is a very good idea." The voice laughed. "Now, why were you pressing my buzzer and not Lu's?"
"Well...Shit...Em, well...I figured since you were already up...it was...you know, easier...to ask you to, em, let me in? I know Blondie's still asleep because she hasn't text me yet." He explained, looking down at his feet, noticing his boots could do with a bit of a clean.
"Uh-huh. What makes you think you aren't waking me up by pressing my buzzer?"
"You don't sound tired." He smirked, waiting for her to come up with a smart comeback.
"Shouldn't that have been a giveaway yesterday then?"
"I wasn't paying attention yesterday..." He replied, cringing at how easily she had turned that around.
"Then your answer doesn't work unless you have been thinking about our conversation yesterday."
"Shit...Well, I wanted to apologise but I ain't good with people...Didn't know what to say..." He mumbled, rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly.
"You apologised yesterday!" The voice laughed, irking him.
"Well don't expect me to do it again!" He snapped. He slapped his hand against his forehead; he had just shouted at her. Again.
"Hahaha, quite the temper, haven't we?" The voice mused. "I'll just buzz you up."
The static cut out and the door clicked, allowing him to walk in unhindered. He marched up the stairs and banged on Lucy's door, hearing shouting erupt from the inside followed by his brother's yelp. Well, he had come here again. Her flat door swung open, revealing an angry looking Blondie and guilty looking brat. He smirked as Lucy practically threw his brother at him before slamming the door, earning a giggle from the flat next door. He lifted Natsu up to his eye level to glare at him before dropping him back to the floor and beginning to shove him downstairs in the direction of his car.
"Morning." He grunted, waiting for some smart reply.
"Good morning. Coming to apologise for losing your temper three days ago?"
"Come on, it's Friday morning...Can you just let me in?" He groaned, rubbing his forehead.
"Why don't you ask Lu to let you in?"
"Because you're awake and I don't want to stand out here like an idiot while she wakes up, yells at him, and drags him down here." He sighed, falling back against the door.
"You have a point...How come you've just started coming to the door and pressing the buzzer?"
"Because I woke up early last Monday and now I've realised I end up less late if I wake up fifteen minutes earlier so that I can come straight here if the brat isn't in his own bed." He replied, suddenly wondering why he was explaining himself to a complete stranger.
"Well that makes sense...I'll let you up on one condition."
"And what's that?" He sighed, turning to grab the handle, waiting for the click.
"I get to see Lu's face when she answers the door – I only get to hear the aftermath when I see her later."
"I'm pretty sure you get to hear it through the wall too, but deal."
The static silenced and the door clicked, letting him in. He hurried up the stairs, stopping as his eyes reached level with the first floor, curious to finally get a glimpse of the mysterious woman on the other side of the speaker. Her door was closed. Was he supposed to knock? Or would she open her door when she heard him knock on Blondie's? Was she really going to appear, or was she just testing him to see if he would agree to her terms? He sighed and continued his ascent, not taking his eyes off of her door as he walked up to Lucy's. He knocked on the door, hearing a shout.
The door next to him opened.
"Wow." He gasped.
"What?" She mused, looking back up at him.
"I was not expecting a skinny little midget with electric blue hair." He stared, unable to look away as his surprise held him there.
"Well I wasn't expecting a red-eyed giant with metal sticking out of every inch of his face." She returned, glaring at him. "I guess I shouldn't have been surprised, given your skills when it comes to getting something that you want."
"I wasn't trying to be a jerk..." He replied awkwardly, looking away from her. "So-"
"Morning, Gajeel!" Lucy snapped, swinging the door open. "Natsu's here, so you can come get him – he's clinging onto my bedroom window as if I'm trying to drag him to his execution."
"You are." Gajeel returned, storming into the flat, unaware of the little blunette following after him. "You. Car. NOW!" He roared, yanking at the back of Natsu's t-shirt.
"I'm not going anywhere with you, Metalface! I'm staying here!" Natsu yelled back, kicking out at Gajeel as he clung to the window frame.
"You've made me leave the kid alone in the house three times this week, brat! Get to the damn car!" Gajeel snapped, grabbing Natsu's arm and pulling him free. "You're going to apologise the second that you get in the damn door, you got that?!"
"I heard you, Metalface! I just don't want to go with you!" Natsu shouted, glaring up at Gajeel.
"I don't give a shit, Dumbass! Just get out to the car! It's not like I'm looking after your sorry ass for my own amusement!" Gajeel growled, literally kicking him out the door. "Sorry, Blondie – I'll put a damn lock on his door tomorrow!"
"Bye, Gajeel. Bye, Natsu – apologise to Wendy or I'll kick your ass again!" Lucy called after them to the sound of cute giggling.