On her way out of the stadium, Lucy couldn't help but wish she had gone out, thinking that it would have been a great time as well as a good opportunity to meet and become closer with some of the people that worked for the FTFC, but even so the young Blond couldn't deny that it had been a great first night at Fairy Tail and there would always be next time to go out with everyone and that would only be next weekend so it's not like she would have to wait and wonder what if for very long.
As the golden haired girl rounded a corner she couldn't help but feel a little uneasy, as there was a guy up ahead that was visibly drunk and didn't seem like he was all that nice, however there was only one side of the street so crossing to avoid him wasn't really an option, Lucy decided that chances are he would just stumble passed her though without anything happening so she just kept walking. Although as she got closer she could smell the alcohol on him, which really didn't help her level of stress. The man then turned and saw Lucy, he moved to be right in front of her line of walking making Lucy become uneasy and a tightening in her stomach starting to form, her mind started to race with thoughts that just continued to increase her fear, as she was finally close enough to be within a few strides of the man he spoke to her in a very aggressive tone with no hint of being a friendly drunk.
"Oi, yer that new ring gurl at that fighty place, aint ya!" he started to move side to side so as to not let Lucy passed, he widened his arms to his side so as to really block the young ladies path. "Yer i seen ya, i was there at the fight, ya looked really sexy in them pants girly. i think I'd like to see what you got underneath em" before Lucy knew what he had said he launched towards her grabbing her shoulders, causing Lucy to squeal. But before she could let out any more he put one hand over her mouth as the other gripped tight around her back forcing Lucy against his alcohol soaked body, Tears began to well in her eyes as she started to fear the worst, as those fearful thoughts from before started to come to fruition. She did know what to do but to try and bang her hands against any part of his body but her frail frame didn't really do much damage as he easily kept her in place.
Through her tear soaked eyes she seen another figure behind the drunk man that currently had his hand over her mouth, she began to think it was an accomplice of his as she tried her hardest to scream again but to no avail as the man's hand effectively muffled any noise she gave out. However, the next thing she saw was an arm slink around the drunk man's neck and visibly squeeze, she heard the man who was attacking her start to gargle and choke on the saliva in his mouth, even in the darkness she could see his face began to change colour, most likely to a shade of blue. She felt both his hand and his arm lose their strength around her and she was able to push the man off of her, but in her haste she effectively pushed herself from the man but also lost her balance and fell to the ground landing with a thud on her back side.
As she looked up from the ground still not fully understanding the situation with her racing mind, she seen the second man who was of a much slimmer build throw the drunken man against a building that lined the sidewalk. The slimmer man then effectively trapped the drunken man by his neck between the building and his own hand, putting pressure to the bigger man's neck taking the air from his lungs.
Easing his grip so as not to force the man into unconsciousness the second man, who Lucy could now see was wearing quite a nice black button up shirt with a nice yellow trim and a nice pair of dark blue jeans as well as a white checkered scarf, began to speak in a very low and dangerous tone, "Listen here you piece of scum, if i so much as see you around this stadium or this area of town, i will personally be your down fall, do you understand?" the larger man nodded his head as much as he could with the second man's hand still wrapped firmly around his neck "I hope you can remember that when you wake up."
Before the other man could even question what he meant the man in the white scarf head-butted the larger man right between the eyes, knocking him out cold.
As the man slowly let the other slide down the wall, he then turned to Lucy "Sorry about that, I'm sorry for how i acted and i hope he didn't hurt you?" he spoke still with a slight danger to his voice but Lucy could tell he was calming down, before she could figure out what he meant with his apology he walked towards her, causing Lucy to freeze, she really couldn't go through this again if this man planned to hurt her. He crouched down now eye level with the young Blonde and smiled. Then it all clicked in Lucy's head, she knew that voice, and she definitely knew that pink hair and that smile, yeah she wouldn't be able to forget that smile not after tonight. "N-Natsu?" Lucy inquired with a voice that was still understandably shaky.
"Yeah, sorry i should have said that sooner huh? i probably scared you half to death just now." Natsu began to rub the back of his head realising his mistake, but still having a slight smile on his face. "He didn't hurt you or anything did he?" there was a real worry in his voice this time as he began to look Lucy over. The young Heartfilia just stared but shortly after began to shake her head ever so slightly, she then found her voice and gathered her confidence to speak.
"O-oh um no he didn't hurt me, Y-you were just in time... Thank you Natsu" Lucy couldn't help her voice even though she knew she was going to be fine apparently her body was still recovering from the shock.
She just sat there in silence for a few more moments that started to feel like minutes. she doesn't know why but she leapt forward and gave him a hug that pressed his body close to hers. Natsu froze for a second, glad that it was dark and that the young blond couldn't see the bloody rushing to his face and sending him a shade that closely resembled an apple, he eventually began to return the hug although he was still a little confused. Lucy could feel him begin to return the hug, and for some reason that seemed to calm her down somewhat, she pulled away from him slowly so to look at his face.
"What was that for?... Not that I'm complaining." Natsu asked with a slight chuckle bubbling underneath.
"Just to say thank you i guess" Lucy responded with a similar chuckle in her own voice, as a smile began to crawl onto her face.
"Well listen, the reason i was actually out here looking for you, was to try and convince you to come out for a drink... NOT WITH ME. I mean obviously I'll be there but it's with the whole group, you know and it will be really fun cause it always is, and you will be able to meet everyone and it will be a good opportunity to get closer to people and know people better and..." Lucy couldn't help but find the dragon slayers rambling quite cute, she didn't think this guy could get all flustered and weird like this.
She decided to put him out of his misery and just answer his question "Yes, I'd love to come out... i actually wanted to come out but for some reason my mouth said no but my mind was saying yes" With her answer she stopped the rambling of Natsu Dragneel, but then he gave her a quizzical look soon after.
"You're weird Lucy" Natsu said rather plainly as if it wasn't an insult, Lucy couldn't believe what he had just said, did he seriously just insult her after saving her? what was this kids problem.
"WHAT!? how rude" Lucy began to shout and feeling a rant coming on as she took in another deep breath so she wouldn't have to stop mid rant.
"Chill out Luce, i like weird" Natsu managed to say before Lucy was able to take her breath and began her tirade of words on him. She was once again surprised by what the rosy haired teen said except this time it was a completely different feeling, she knows he didn't say that he liked her but Lucy still couldn't help the slight blush that came across her cheeks. "You don't mind if i call you that, right?... Luce" Natsu decided to speak, since she was still a little too shocked to do so, Lucy didn't know what to do except be glad he couldn't see her tinge of pink,
"Oh um no that's fine you can call me Luce." she managed to strangle out as she softly shook her head from side to side.
"Ok cool, well how about we go back in, the team is waiting for us. If you are ready that is" there was that smile again as Natsu reached out his hand to help Lucy to her feet, as he made sure she was ready to go.
"Yeah sounds good, i definitely need a drink after all that" Lucy smiled and giggled slightly trying to forget the traumatic experience that she just went through, she was just so glad that Natsu was there to save her, he really was quite incredible.
"Your first round is on me Natsu, you know to say to say thank you" the Blonde ring girl said through her bright smile to her hero of the night.
"LUCY! are you ok? Natsu told me what happened. Why didn't you say anything when you came back to the stadium?" Juvia said looking quite distraught as she gave her new friend a big hug, Lucy could see that she was almost going to cry, the blonde hugged her friend back to try calm her down. " Its ok Juvia I'm fine, no harm done, just scary was all." Lucy smiled as Juvia hung on Lucy's every word she really was concerned for her, which made Lucy smile just that little bit more "And i didn't want to tell the group cause i didn't want to bring the group down before we all went out. But I'm fine honestly, I'm just glad that Natsu was there to save me, it was pretty impressive how strong he was." Lucy let her eyes fall to where Natsu was standing in the bar, as he stood with Gray, Elfman and Gajeel having a beer, probably talking about something manly since that's all she seemed to hear from Elfman whenever she tried to listen in.
"Yeah he is pretty strong isn't he, Juvia can tell he was a little shaken up when you two came back, when he told Gray and Juvia, Juvia could see he tensed up at the thought of what happened." Juvia spoke with a tone that was sympathetic for both her and Natsu, Lucy didn't realise what it had done to Natsu she thought he would have just shaken it off, but apparently not.
"I didn't realise it affected him as well, he seemed fine to me." Lucy probed trying to get Juvia to elaborate without actually asking her too.
"Yeah he really doesn't like when the people he is close with are put in danger, Juvia has seen it a few times he gets really protective, and then he beats himself up for letting it happen in the first place after it's all over." Juvia chose to look over to Natsu when she spoke again feeling bad for him, even though she could see that he was fine now.
"But we only just met, I'm not close with him at all?" Lucy asked confusion in her voice as she didn't quite understand why he would be so effected by what happen.
"Juvia thinks that Natsu must really like you for it to affect him like it has." Although Juvia knew it was a serious conversation she couldn't help but give a wink at that last comment. Lucy almost spat out the drink she was currently sipping as she began to redden, she would definitely blame the red on the fact she just nearly choked and not on her blushing like a schoolgirl over a comment about a boy liking her.
"JUVIA!" Lucy screeched gathering a few looks from those around her
"Seriously don't say that so loud, someone might hear you" Lucy looked around frantically to see whether what she had just said held any truth to it.
"Juvia thinks the only one whose worried about it is you Lucy" Juvia couldn't help but have a sly smirk on her face as she gave her friend a quick wink. "He is no Gray, but still he isn't ugly. Juvia thinks that you would be great with Natsu" there was that very suggestive tone that came from Juvias mouth, the blonde couldn't blame anything on the red creeping on her face this time, it was obvious she was embarrassed by what Juvia had just suggested, looking away from her friends gaze Lucy began to let her thoughts run without restraint, all the while her eyes made their way over to Natsu 'Well he wouldn't be a bad boyfriend from what she has seen' the yellow haired girl thought to herself as she began to imagine more and more scenarios, the blush never really leaving her face as she done so.
"Ok this has nothing to do with what we were just talking about...but i need to go buy Natsu a drink i forgot i said i would buy him a round to say thank you" Lucy squeaked as she refused to look Juvia in the eyes, preferring to stare at her drink or her feet.
"Mmmm ok, Juvia will help you and go take Gray and the other's away from Natsu." Juvia said in an all too familiar suggestive tone, however Lucy was thankful that she wouldn't have to get the guys away from Natsu herself, but she wouldn't let her blue haired friend know that, as she walked over to rid Natsu of her Boyfriend and his trainer and other friends.
Once the others left Lucy swooped in so that he wouldn't leave his spot to go find another group of friends to chat with, "Hey Natsu" Lucy said simply, smiling while approaching the man some knew as the dragon slayer.
"Hey Luce, how you holding up?" Natsu asked with the smile he seemed to always have planted on his face, but then dropping to a more worried look as he wanted to make sure she was ok, Lucy couldn't help but think of what Juvia said a few minutes ago and like clockwork the blush started to slither back again, "Oh I'm fine thanks to you." Lucy said thinking that maybe continuing the conversation would hold the blush at bay "That's actually what i came over for, how about i buy you that drink that i said i would to say thank you?" Lucy felt that her blush had somewhat stopped, she was a genius sometimes if she did say so herself.
"Oh right, I almost forgot about that" Natsu grinned as he remembered her offer "Hey how about instead we go out for dinner and a movie and you can buy my movie ticket?" Natsu was grinning wider as he finished, there was no lack of confidence in his voice as he spoke..."Shit, i mean it's just i like food a lot more than i like to drink and the movies are always fun. Crap sorry i didn't mean it too sound like that." Natsu looked desperate, desperate to back track on what he had just let slip, he didn't realise how he had sounded, 'crap' he thought, he just asked her out on a date and now she is going to think he was a pervert 'crap, crap, crap' he thought again.
The young Blond couldn't quite believe what she had just heard, did he really just ask her out on a date, this guy who just saved her from who knows what no more than a few hours ago, this guy who had her tripping over herself earlier in the night was asking her out on a date. If she had held back her blush before she couldn't now, it's like the flood gates had been opened now and the blush now engulfed her face. she couldn't form words in her head let alone in her mouth as she stood there stunned at his request, after what felt like minutes passing she opened her mouth.
"Y-you ah you wanna go on a... date?" she finally managed to ask the rosy haired boy who seemed just as embarrassed as she was, luckily for him though his tanned skin hid his blush a little better than Lucy could, but she was still able to catch the faintest signs of it. Natsu was silent, he just stood in the dim light that the bar provided without so much as a peep, 'what do i do now' the young Fairy Tail fighter thought to himself, 'i have got to say something, i can't just stand here looking at her without an answer'. Natsu was starting to form two minds, did he swallow that lump in his throat and just steer into what he had said and see what her answer would be, or did he jumble out an excuse and hope that she buys it. 'Well if she says yes to the date, awesome you now have a date with the gorgeous new ring girl.' Natsu began to smile on the inside hoping that it wasn't starting to show on the outside as well, 'But if she says no, well crap everything would go awkward, she would think I'm a creep and would avoid me like the plague' the dragon slayer finished that thought feeling rather down at the possibility. All this contemplating really did help his decision, there was no clear winner. 'Wait what am i talking about, I'm a fighter of Fairy Tail, i never back down from anything, why should this be any different' the teen could feel his confidence growing, he got that all too familiar feeling in his stomach like he did before a fight, that feeling meant that he was ready for whatever was in front of him, in this case it was a Blond bombshell waiting on an answer.
"Well Yeah, I think going out on a date would be great!" the salmon topped teen said with a spirit that was probably better suited to answering a challenge, not asking a girl out, but the important thing was that he said something and that he didn't back down, well that's what the boy told himself anyway.
Lucy was now looking more like a statue than a person. 'Did he really just say that. Oh god, alright Lucy play it cool, just say something, anything, that won't make you look like an imbecile' with a deep breath and a face the colour of the bars fire extinguisher the blonde managed to look up at the body of muscles standing in front of her, but only for a second before she looked away once more. "Ok" the blonde was able to say, however she doubted that he heard her because honestly a mouse could have whispered louder than what she just spoke.
"Really!? Awesome. How does Tuesday night sound, there is a place i know that serves the best wings in all Magnolia?" Natsu said with not a hint of uncertainty, still reveling in the answer that he had just gotten the teen felt like he was on cloud nine at the moment and nothing could bring him down. Meanwhile the blond across from him started to display her own smile, she was glad that this guy had what must have been super human hearing to catch what she had said because she doesn't think she would have been able to repeat herself if he didn't hear her that first time.
"Yeah sounds great, what time?" Lucy Heartfilia started to gather her own confidence, although still sporting what seemed to be her trademark blush as of late, because he wasn't the only one excited that he had a date, she was just as excited and now that she could put a fully coherent sentence together everything seemed to be working out well, until the young Heiress caught sight of the time, usually she wouldn't care that it was late on a weekend, but after she rang her father to tell him she had a job he suggested they get breakfast the morning after her first night, so the young blond thought that she should really be getting home soon.
"Crap, i should really get home I've got breakfast with my dad in like 7 hours" Lucy unintentionally blurted out her thoughts in a very un-lady like manner, which her father would not approve of.
"Oh ok then. well let's go then." the rosy haired teen answered in a very flat and plain voice, Lucy however started to choke on her drink and began coughing violently, "WHAT!" she managed to cough out in a surprised voice, 'did he seriously think he was coming home with me, who the hell does he think he is, what a fricking pervert.' the blond started her rant inside her head ready to fully unleash it upon the young male she stood with in the bar. "Yeah I'll walk you home, don't want another drunk guy attacking you or anything like that" Natsu answered fully unaware of the tongue lashing he was moments from receiving.
Lucy couldn't help but notice the look on his face, he honestly didn't see how that could be taken the wrong way, he was seriously just wanting to make sure she got home safely, for what seemed like the hundredth time this evening the blush that only left her face no more than a few minutes ago was back, but much to Lucy's gratitude it was much less prominent than before. "Oh. right, well ill just say goodbye to everyone and we can get going ok" Lucy was still a bit giddy about this strong young man wanting to protect her that she forgot how quiet she was talking.
After their goodbyes and a few suggestive smirks from Juvia, Gray and Gajeel, both Lucy and Natsu started the short walk back to Lucy's apartment. The walk to Lucy's surprise wasn't awkward in the slightest, the two young Fairy Tail members talked about how Natsu first got into professional fighting and how long he had known all the people from Fairy Tail, as well as some slight goss about some of the happenings that went on in the guild of fighters, like how Gajeel and Levy started to date in secrecy but got caught one day by Erza in Levy's office after hours. There was also how Erza was sort of dating a criminal who was on the run, but Natsu said that he was actually a terrific guy and he was forced to do what he did, they then started to talk about why Lucy decided to move to Magnolia and what her father and childhood was like. Before she knew it and before she wanted the walk to be over they were at her apartment, as much as she wanted to keep talking to Natsu she knew that if word got out that she had invited him up to her apartment even just to chat, the 'family' she just became a part of would think the worst of her.
"Well this is my place." Lucy started in a soft voice
"Wow, your place is really nice… Well it seems that i completed my mission and got you home safely" Natsu interrupted before Lucy could even continue, not that she would have said anything of real importance anyway so it didn't bother her. "Well i will see you on Tuesday then? I'll pick you up around 7, if that's ok with you Luce?" Natsu continued obviously not planning or even attempting to come up to her apartment. Lucy was dumbfounded by this guy sometimes, it's like he could be a super smooth confident guy, one minute, like when he asked her out. And then other times be such an innocent guy like he did understand obvious sexual situations, she thought that he must have just been oblivious to this kind of stuff and that he didn't really mean to portray that sexy confident guy she saw him as.
If he only knew the effect he had on her, Lucy thought in the back of her mind. "Yeah that sounds good. I'll see you Tuesday then." she spoke softly again as she looked him in those Dark coal coloured eyes, then she slowly moved forward as she kept the contact between their eyes, she could see that he had a slightly confused look on his face as she moved forward slightly but he didn't move despite his confusion, before she knew what her body was really doing she had her arms around him and her head on his shoulder as she lightly embraced the young dragon slayer in a hug. "Thanks again. You know for saving me" she let the words leave her lips with a slow exhale from her lungs.
It took the Natsu a couple of seconds before her returned her light embrace and found a clear patch in his mind to speak properly "No Problem, Anytime". They both stood in the embrace for a few more seconds, Lucy wanting to let him know how grateful she was, not to mention that he felt really warm and strong as she hugged him. And Natsu just wanting to feel her against him.
Eventually they parted at what felt like the same moment and looked at each other again locking their gaze with one another's... "Ok, well I'll see you soon then Natsu" Lucy was the first to speak almost sounding like she didn't actually want to say the words but was compelled to do them none the less.
"Yeah, see you later Lucy" Natsu said sounding more or less on par with Lucy however shortly after he shot her that wide smile that had caused quite a few problems tonight and he then turned to leave.
Lucy began her ascent into her apartment and gave out an audible sigh when she got inside her doorway, she then closed the door behind her and leaned her back against it letting the sides of her mouth turn up slightly in a light smile.