Author's Note: HEY EVERYBODY! So two chapters in one day right? I felt the first chapter, like all my first chapters, are short and sweet but tantalizing. So I wanted to start this fanfic off right by uploading two chapters to get you into the feel of where I am going with this fanfic. Don't worry, the serious stuff will be weaved in. Just enjoy the fluff as it comes guys!
Also on a brighter note! I got 1 review so far and it was positive! -fangurls-
Okay enough silliness from my part. I will try to update once a week, maybe Wednesdays or even Sundays? I dunno! But the minimum is once a week! I hope you guys like this as much as I did writing it all! So the song for this chapter is "Cold Coffee" by Ed Sheeran! So pull up the song and enjoy reading guys!
Way You Want Me To
~Chapter Two~
Natsu took a spot next to Lucy as he set the two coffee trays down between them. Lucy looked down in confusion.
"So what is with all the coffee?" she asked.
"Heh, told you, challenge accepted. I'm getting that kiss." his grin never even faltered once. Lucy raised an eyebrow at his confidence.
"Are you always this competitive?"
"Only when things matter." he picked up a cup and set it in her hands. Lucy could feel her face grow suddenly hot. The way he spoke and carried himself with such conviction and this sure way sense of self he had could only make Lucy feel a little bit of admiration; however, his conviction wasn't the only thing she was appreciating. He was more handsome than how she remembered from last night. He had deep olive eyes, spiky locks of salmon colored hair, and a grin that made him that much more heart throbbing. He wore a tight fitted tank that Lucy could easily view his well toned muscles and he smelled of campfire and sandalwood amber.
Taking a sip from the coffee she could only grimace from how plain and bitter it is as it broke her out of her inner crush dialogue, "Guess that is a 'no'." he replaced the cup with another.
"You are so weird." Lucy laughed, "Who grabs a bunch of random coffee and force a person to drink them?"
"When that same person offers a prize. Here, drink this one." Natsu gently encouraged. After a few different kinds, Lucy settled on a sweet coffee she enjoyed and Natsu looked like the cat that got away with the treats. Leaning over, Lucy kissed his cheek, which in turn earned a pout.
"That isn't a kiss."
"Never specified where." Lucy winked and dejected boy tossed the rest of the coffee into the trash can nearby. He sulked back over to the bench and eyed Lucy.
"Luce is mean."
"Luce?"
"Yeah, it is what I'm gonna call you, unless you really want to be called Princess?"
"No, no! Luce is fine. I...I kinda like it." her cheeks blushed and his dejected form quickly turned back into his grin which only grew wider. A comfortable silence settled between them as they looked out at the beautiful day and watching the people in the park. They sipped their coffee and Lucy couldn't help but think that this is something that they have been doing for years. This felt like a natural rhythm that they practiced even though they never really met until last night.
"So was last night the first time you came to our fraternity?" Natsu asked breaking the silence.
"Yeah, actually you guys are pretty popular and I am surprised you invited us all out. So how is the birthday boy? Bet he is really got wasted." Lucy giggled.
"Yeah he did, but he did have a great time. He met this amazing girl and he even got her to come out and meet him today for coffee." he gave a mischievous smile. Lucy's eyes widen as he realized the whole celebration for last night was sitting next to her.
"It was your birthday?!"
"Yeah." he rubbed the back of his head with his smile turning into a sheepish grin.
"Must have been some party. I am afraid that I don't remember most of it, but I remember you. I had a great time last night." Lucy smiled warmly.
"You too huh? I think we had too much fun at the drinking games, but you were an awesome team member. We floored everyone. So what else do you remember besides me?" he asked.
"Like I said, not much. The games, laughing with you, and I think we danced?" Lucy sipped her hot beverage, "So what about you?"
"Pretty much the same thing. But kinda glad my guys took care of me when the party was over. But did you get home alright last night?"
"Yeah, I woke up in my own bed, so that means I was carried in. I totally owe them." she cracked a smile. They returned to their comfortable silence as both were in thought of how the events of last night went.
"You know...this is kinda nice...you are kinda nice too." Natsu abruptly spoke bluntly.
"Um..thanks?" Lucy felt a little taken aback. He turned and stared at her so intensely as if he was internally thinking something until he finally grabbed her spare hand and leaned in.
"Yep, its decided." he nodded.
"Decided?" Lucy's voice rose in confusion at the strange boy. Natsu's serious expression melted into one of a 'knowing' look.
"You are my best friend." he grinned.
"Ehh?!" Lucy almost spilled her coffee in shock, "I can't be your best friend!" she looked at him like he was really that dense and his grinning turned into a frown.
"Of course you can." he crossed his arms stubbornly.
"You don't know the first thing about me! Hell, I don't even know the first thing about you!" Lucy defended.
"So? We will get to eventually. And I made p my mind, we are going to be best friends." he nodded.
"You are crazy." Lucy could only shake her head at the idiocy of this boy. Either he was really strange or really dense. She was leaning more towards the latter.
"Not the first time someone has told me that." Natsu's grin returned with much triumph victory; much to Lucy's annoyance. For years, Lucy has never had even a close friend and not even meeting this idiot for less than twenty-four hours, he had the audacity to proclaim that they were going to be best friends. Who the hell was this guy?
"Hey, stop looking at me like that weirdo! Your face is all red and you keep opening your lips like a fish." Natsu teased. Lucy shook her head as she couldn't believe she was blushing once again. This guy ha d a weird effect on her and she needed to stop blushing damnit! Natsu let out a laugh at the girl beside him.
"You know, you are kinda cute too for being a weirdo Luigi." he teased even further.
"Lucy! My name is not Luigi and I am not a weirdo! You are the weird one if anything!" Lucy huffed as Natsu's laughed whole heartedly.
"Relax Luce, I was just joking. You are even cuter when you are mad." he chuckled. Lucy could only sputter and tried to retaliate with a quick word, but all failed her. This guy was sending mixed, unfamiliar signals and she couldn't make tails or head of them.
"Hmph!" she folded her arms and turned away from him as she let him laugh himself out.
"I'm glad I made this decision. You know, you are kinda awesome too in all that weirdness." Natsu watched her peek back at him.
"Well I can't be anyone's best friend without knowing them first." she stuck to her resolve as she watched Natsu ponder what she had just said.
"Well, what do you want to know?" he asked. Now Lucy, once again, found herself at a loss. What did she want to know? Better yet, did she even want to? Seeing Natsu, almost, impatient gaze sealed the deal for her.
"I guess...whatever you feel comfortable sharing?"
"Well, my name is Natsu Dragneel. I grew up in foster care until my dad adopted me when I was little. I grew up, came to college, and joined my fraternity. I like martial arts, video games, and food mostly. I really like to fish and my favorite color is red! Oh! And I really like dragons!" he smiled brightly. Lucy didn't know if it was her, but watching Natsu talk and that smile, it reminded her of fire and how it lit up and consumed everything around it in its passionate glow. As he neared the end of his explanation, she did laugh a little at the last part.
"Dragons? No, no I couldn't tell from my phone." she teased.
"Well, what about you Princess?" Natsu affectionately leaned near her.
"W-well not much to tell. I am just Lucy and my Mom went to this school. So it was natural that I would also come here as well. I like to write and I like swimming at the beach. Um...I am an only child and I like the color pink." Lucy tried to return the favor with her own information.
"See, that wasn't so bad."
"Say, do you want to go eat? My treat." Lucy suddenly wanted to change the topic, but still didn't want him to go.
"Food?! And you are buying?! Damn straight I am in!" Natsu jumped up. It reminded her of an excited little kid, but somehow it suited him.
"Come on, I have this favorite haunt of mine I think you will like."
"Yeah! I am all fired up!" he pumped his fist in the air and followed closely behind a giggling Lucy at his antics.
~Sometime Middle of Next Week~
Lucy sat in the middle of her astronomy course taking notes. It was another day at college as she stared at the board from her raised seating in a group of no less than 300 students. However, she was finding it rather difficult to understand the mythology of Draco the Dragon by the light snoring right next to her. She felt the tick going off in her head as she eyed the mop of pink hair on the table before them as he was sleeping. Inwardly she was cursing the idiot. He went out of his way to start hanging out with her. When he wasn't in class, he was studying with her, going out to their meals together, and even slumming it with her in her own classes. Although it was embarrassing at times, she couldn't find it in herself to complain too much. They always had so much fun together and it was nice to have someone to talk to and actually understand her...even if he did follow up with jokes, silly pranks, and goofing off.
She rested her chin on her hand as she watched the idiot nap at the table. She couldn't help but admire his smooth, careless features as he slept without a care in this world.
"Lucy Heartfilia!" her name was suddenly called and she snapped her attention to the front of the class where the smug professor had folded his arms and was looking directly at her amused, "Perhaps watching your boyfriend sleep is more interesting than learning about the mythology of the constellations."
"He isn't my boyfriend-" Lucy started.
"Yet. She isn't my girlfriend yet, but I'm working on it." came the recognizable voice next to her that made Lucy fall out of her chair. A ripple of giggles and snickers came from the class as the professor smug look deepened. Lucy felt the wave of humiliation wash over her and shot daggered looks at the grinning fool. He places his hands behind his head and leaned back in his seat with that confidence of his.
"I thought I recognized you Mr. Dragneel. I was wondering why you may have missed my Earth Science course earlier today, but somehow managed to worm your way into this one. Now the reason has become apparent."
"Well learning is much more interesting when I have someone to keep me company." Natsu chuckled.
"Says the idiot who was sleeping!" Lucy retorted. This earned another around of laughter from everyone. Lucy, whom found herself back in her seat, sank further into said seat as her body felt hot. What she would give to sink into a hole into the ground.
"Be that as it may, Miss Heartfilia, do make sure he keeps his snoring to a minimum and I expect an essay of no less than 3,000 words from either of you on constellation mythology due by Friday."
"WHAT?!" both cried.
"The price you pay for doing standup comedy in my class. Keep it up and I'll make it 5,000 words."
"...Sorry sir..." they spoke once again in unison.
"Oh and Mr. Dragneel, I wouldn't let that one get away if I were you." the professor winked and turned back to the board to get back to his lesson plan.
After the class ended, Lucy walked ahead of Natsu fuming as he whined for her notes.
"But Luuuuccceee! I don't even take this class! Please let me use your notes and help me with this!" he begged shamelessly.
"It is your stupid fault we got in trouble and now I have to write a stupid essay on top of it! You embarrassed me!" Lucy turned her nose up at his pleading. Already she was reeling from what Natsu had said in class. Did he really mean what he said? She shook her head 'no'. Of course he wouldn't! He was a cute friend and he was trying to get to know her. There was nothing more to this than him probably him wanting better grades and for him to be best friends.
She felt an arm around her shoulder and stayed by her side. Natsu walked close with her under his arm and her body pressed to his side, "Come on, have a heart! Can't you just let this slide once and I promise to make it up to you?" he sighed.
"How?" Lucy peeked up at him as that grin returned in its glory at knowing he had won her over.
"Anything you want?" he offered.
"Too easy. This is your problem and you need to be the one to persuade me." Lucy frowned annoyed.
"How about I treat you to a date?"
"I don't date best friends." she spoke coolly.
"Can't you make an exception?" Natsu's frown mimicked hers.
"Seriously? Natsu, stop playing around."
"Who is playing around? I want to take you out on a date."
"You can't be serious-" Natsu stopped moving and gazed down at her seriously.
"Am I really that bad of a guy?" he firmly asked. Lucy had to blink unsure of how to answer that type of question. Natsu is extremely handsome and stubborn to a fault, but he was also loyal, kind, and really sweet when he wanted to be. Would one silly date hurt? Who knows, if she hated it then she can just tell them that they are 'only friends'.
"Luce, I'm waiting here." Natsu interrupted her inner debate.
"You...aren't the worst idea...but I don't want a date just so you can get notes from me. You have to ask properly and actually want to go on a date. You aren't serious and honestly, it makes you look like an ass." she folded her arms and stepped away from him.
"Luce-"
"You know what, I just remembered I have something to do. I'll email you the notes and your outline. I have to run." she quickly turned on her heel and before he could get a word in otherwise, she disappeared into the crowd of students on campus.
