It's been a while, you guys! This chapter is dedicated to Star , for being my very first reviewer. Thanks for the positive feedback! Anyway, I was gone for a while so I would like to apologize for that.
Lisanna plays a girl who likes Natsu here but this does not mean that I hate her. I just decided to use her of all the women in Fairy Tail because I think she suits the role best than any other girl who has no chemistry with Natsu. I also decided last minute to use actual Fairy Tail characters so my readers would not have a hard time visualizing the story and that this is not at all a message saying I hate these two characters. I just thought that they are the ones far more suitable for this role as they do share some chemistry with our main couple. So that's it and I hope you bear with it. For the newer readers, to those who have read the edited version, please disregard this note.
I won't hold you off any longer so here you go! I hope you enjoy!
Secret Love Chapter Three: Jujitsushita Jikan (Quality Time)
Previously on Secret Love: All of a sudden, a tall figure was looming above Lucy. She opened her eyes and saw Loke there, smiling kindly. His smile said it all. That it was going to be okay, that sucking at sports is nothing to be ashamed about, and that he cares. Lucy smiled and rest her head upon the post.
"It's okay, Luce" he said, and Lucy nodded and he hugged her.
"What the actual fuck?" Everybody turned to see Natsu, fuming with anger. His face was red beyond words as if he just got out of a cartoon, his fists were balled up, and his eyes were screaming.
"Dragneel, watch your words!" shouted Mr. Macao, approaching the scene. "Would you like to tell me what just 'appened that caused 'dis ruckus?"
Lucy knew better than to say anything so she kept quiet. Loke had let go of her and was now caressing her back for comfort. She moved one step away from him to avoid further problems. "What's wrong?" she asked Levy.
"I'm not entirely sure, but I think, I think, it has something to do with what Loke just did?" Levy whispered to her ear. Lucy's face turned in annoyance, she knew Natsu had the tendency to be jealous but she didn't think he could actually blurt out some ugly words in public.
Lucy looked at Natsu. He was breathing in and out, trying to suppress his anger. He shook his head, which was coming back to their original color now. "Nothing sir, I'm sorry for my sudden outburst."
"I'm sure you are, Dragneel. I'm sure you are." nodded Mr. Macao. "'Owever, you just spoke informally and I don't care if you're a scholar or not, I will not take this kind of be'avior lightly."
"Yes, sir." Natsu was now caressing his hands which were probably still hurting as a result from his clenching. "I understand, and I will be on my way now."
Lucy watched as Natsu left for the Principal's office. She wasn't sure as to how Natsu will explain his behavior but she just hoped that it had nothing to do with the truth. The school was all about good grades and perfect attendance when it comes to its students which is why Lucy didn't want the school to know about her and Natsu but she knew that this was just the reason that she kept on pushing herself to believe. She knew it wasn't really the reason. She knew that it wasn't about the school's views about relationships but more about her thoughts on how people are going to judge her.
"Well, that was uncalled for." said Mr. Macao facing the class whose faces were struck with surprise. "Anyways, we're done with Volleyball for dis year and we're going with Swimming next so I expect you bring your swimming trunks and suits next week Monday. Are we clear?"
Everybody muttered a yes in response and went on their ways. Lucy didn't know how she could possibly make a great argument in her head for today's debate after what just happened with Natsu. She knew it was her mistake and that might be all that she would be thinking about the whole day.
"I screwed up,Lev." groaned Lucy, her arms linking with her best friend. It was just the two of them now since Mira and Kinana weren't a part of the debate team. "I screwed up big time."
"Don't be so hard on yourself, Lu." said Levy, her other hand brushing Lucy's arm in comfort. "You couldn't have expected for that to happen."
Lucy wanted to agree with Levy. She wanted nothing more than to shift this blame to anyone else but she knew that it was nobody's fault but hers. She could have backed away so that Loke wouldn't hug her, or she could have just aced Volleyball so that all this Loke thing would never even start in the first place.
"That's not true, Lu." comforted Levy. "There are things that we just couldn't control and this is just one of them. You will have to get used to them because there will be more to come in the future."
"Did I just blurt out my inner thoughts again?" groaned Lucy. She had got to put that in control.
"Yes, you just did." laughed Levy. "But unlike what just happened in the gym, that can be controlled so do your best to put it at bay because that might be dangerous at certain times."
Lucy nodded and they turned right to see that the debate room was brimming with people. Lucy wondered if they were this years applicants since the school is one of the pioneers when it comes to producing great debaters and anyone who thinks they are qualified enough to join usually crowds the club's office in the first day of school to apply for that one slot available this year but Lucy thinks that nobody needs to know that. "Well, good luck to these first years."
"Pfft," laughed Levy. She nodded her head and they asked the students to move a bit so they could pass through. When they were inside the room, everybody was already there except Loke who was probably still changing. "Hey you guys. Ready for today?"
"Yeah, but you should probably do something with those people outside first." pointed Hibiki, their very own super boy who had all the looks and brains. "Or you know, how you both look?"
Lucy looked down to realize that she was still wearing her gym clothes. She sighed and went to the club's closet that held pretty much nothing and was spacious enough for a person to get in. "I'm changing first, then I'll take care of 'em."
When Lucy was done changing, she put her hair up in a bun and opened the office's door to meet face to face with almost fifteen people. "Good morning, everybody. Here's how this year's application is gonna go, I want all of your names in a paper and we'll schedule a debate for all of you. We're going to form two groups out of you and we'll see who gets the slot. And please remind everybody that interested applicants will only be accepted until today, so I need that list by 3 PM. Any questions?" Lucy said, ending with a smile. While she may not be that confident at sports, she sure was a killer when it comes to debate so she wants everybody who applies to respect her, hence the confident speech.
Lucy looked around to see someone at the back raising their hand so she motioned for the person to come forward. "You said 'the slot', does this mean you will only accept one person this year?" Lucy smile turned to a grin.
"That's right. Only one person will be accepted to this year's debate team since we already have enough skilled members to compete at a national level, but of course there are three extra slots for spectators."
"Of course 'spectators' would mean that you only get to watch us during matches and practices and ask us a couple of questions but you can't really gain some experience from actual debates." inserted Levy, wearing her practice suit which consisted of black overalls and a blazer. "But I think it's better to be a spectator than to be nothing at all. Anyways, that's that and we'll see you all hopefully soon."
Levy closed the door as soon as the students were leaving and sighed. They may act all happy and fine with it but it really was a shame to only have one new member for this year's debate. "Let's start?" said Loke by the door, who was sporting a casual formal look of a turtle neck and some pants.
"Sure, what's today's practice topic?" asked Juvia, one of their three new members from last year. It seems to Lucy that the debate team was accepting fewer new applicants by the year, and she was scared that it might be due to their performance but that can't be true since they just won Champion in all debate competitions last year and to be fair, it might have been the school's best performances. Back when Lucy was in 10th grade, they accepted four scholar students; Loke, Hibiki, Levy, and Lucy. Last year, they accepted three; Juvia, Cana, and Yukino. This year, their club moderator told them to only accept one student but to choose three promising spectators. Lucy didn't know what that meant but she decided that it would be better to just follow.
"Well since we're still in the first day of school, why don't we talk about some sort of ideology?" offered Yukino who was typing away in her laptop, not even bothering to look up.
"Sure but I'm warning you, I suck at this." muttered Cana, who was sitting at the edge of the table with her arms propped against the table. Cana was a great debater but only when she is actually interested at the topic.
"Okay, let's talk about ideologies then." agreed Hibiki. Despite his bad boy looks, he is actually the one who usually closes and finalizes the club's discussion in order to stop everyone from going overboard because as debaters, they were prone to getting overboard. "Now does anybody want to specify a little bit?"
"I don't know about you guys, but this Feminism thing has been all over the place so why not that?" suggested Levy.
"Sounds good," nodded Lucy. "It's not too complex nor is it too vague and its content and effects can be debated upon."
As the debate went on and on, the sun was slowly setting and by the time the clock hit 3, a knock came from the door.
"In a minute!" exploded a rather frustrated Bisca. "Can't you see the sign?!" They decided to put up a sign that says "Please Do Not Disturb" every time they are debating in order to avoid disruptions such as a knock and stop the debate's momentum.
"Oh! I'm sorry, miss." replied someone, her voice a bit too sweet for a freshman in high school. "I-I'm just here to s-submit the final listing for e-everyone that's interested in j-joining the t-team."
Everybody's face were etched with confusion. Lucy wondered if the girl herself was interested in joining but wondered if she could ever make it. "Just wait a sec, please. We're not finished yet."
"O-okay. I understand very clearly ma'am." She replied. Everybody shook their heads in frustration and finished wrapping up their debate session.
"To conclude, feminism is an irrational ideology to have in the 21st century where women's rights and privileges are as valued as that of the senior citizens." finished Hibiki, frustrated that he had to be against his actual thoughts about the ideology. Lucy had always liked Hibiki because of the way he sees things and she laughed at the thought of him having to think of great arguments that were against his beliefs.
"Okay, nice job everyone." Lucy said, standing up and shaking hands with everyone. "Today's debate was great but I will expect more from us at the actual competition. Can I believe that you won't break my expectations?"
"Oh shut up, Lucy. Of course we won't, when have we ever?" Loke commented and followed with a roll with his eyes. The rest of the debate team laughed and Levy stood up to open the door.
"Hey, sorry for the wait." Levy smiled, she took the signage from the doorknob and motioned for the girl to go in. "Is this the full list?"
A girl who was a bit shorter than Levy entered the club room and handed Levy the list with a nod. "We w-went from d-door to door to make s-sure we didn't m-miss a-anybody."
"What's the matter?" asked Lucy, concerned about the way the girl talks. "Are you nervous or something? Because if so, you don't have to be. What's your name, by the way?"
"M-my name's W-Wendy, Miss L-Lucy." said the girl, raising her head a bit to meet Lucy's eyes. "A-and I-I'm not n-nervous, t-this is j-just t-the way I t-talk."
Hibiki stepped up with a sigh. "I see, Miss Wendy. Are you interested in joining the debate team as well, or are you just delivering the list?"
Lucy knew deep down that everybody was hoping that Wendy wasn't joining because even though they knew that they would have a hard time rejecting such a cute young lady. "Y-Yes, a-actually." Wendy nodded, confirming everyone's problem.
Lucy sighed, "You know we can't have a stutter right? A debater must be confident not just physically but as well as with how she sounds and a stutter doesn't make you sound like you're confident. As a matter of fact, it makes you sound scared."
"I-I know t-that, Miss." Wendy said, looking down on the ground. "B-But I a-assure you t-that I h-have a-amazing p-points a-and I c-can f-fix my s-stutter." Lucy looked at Levy for help. She wanted to discourage Wendy now, in order to not have her go through the rejection phase.
"I see, Wendy. Well, just go through screening and we'll see if we can help you get through your stutter, okay?" Offered Levy, which was the exact opposite of what Lucy wanted Levy to say and all she could do was silently groan.
"T-Thank you, M-Miss Levy!" Wendy exclaimed, all giddy and happy. "W-when's the s-screening?"
"Tomorrow, actually." smiled Levy, Lucy's eyes widened in realization. Loke noticed this and gave her a questioning look. Lucy shook her head, implying that she is going to explain later. "I expect you to be there, okay?"
Wendy nodded her head so hard it seemed like it would fall off any moment now. They all watched and smiled as Wendy said her thanks and went on her way. After the door was closed, Hibiki was the first one to break the silence. "Oh God, we're gonna have a rough afternoon tomorrow." Everybody smiled and shook their heads at this and started cleaning up.
"I can't make it tomorrow." Lucy broke the news and everybody stopped and froze mid-action. "We have a family dinner and I was asked to help prepare. You all know how much my family values family dinners. I'm so sorry, you guys."
"Ugh, first that Wendy the stutter and now you?" groaned Levy. "Can't we just face one problem at a time?"
"What on earth were you thinking, Lucy?" complained Cana, setting the books that were on her arms at the cabinet. "How are we going through with the screening without you there? You're the president, you know!"
"What's going on, Bis? What's with the temper?" asked Lucy. It was not new that Cana had an uncontrollable temper but that was just during debates and her being this hot-headed during a casual conversation was weird. "I'm just gonna ask Ms. Aries to fill in for me, I'm sure it's fine with her. Would that make things okay?"
"I guess," started Loke. "I'm fine with having Ms. Aries over but I'm just thinking about your choices. You are very picky when it comes to new club members."
Everybody nodded in unison, which made Lucy scoff. "I am not that bad." she laughed, shaking her hand as a gesture to disagree. "I just didn't think our previous president was as good at sensing talents as he was at debating."
"Oh come on!" Juvia exclaimed, startling everyone. "You stayed silent the entire screening process last year and when our president started announcing the names of the ones accepted you startled everyone by suddenly standing up and disagreeing with him."
"You went all bizarre," commented Yukino, who stayed silent the whole time. "You even said 'Your selection abilities are sadly poor, Mr. President! Here's what we're gonna do..' and you went on and on about who's good and whatnot."
Lucy turned to Levy with an imploring look, but to her dismay, Levy did nothing but laugh at her misery. "It is true, Lu. It's fine with us if you won't get to come but is it fine with you?"
"Of course not." grumbled Lucy. This was one of the most exciting parts of the year for her, and missing it intentionally was getting her frustrated. "But what can I do though? This is my family we're talking about. Besides, if I'm not fine with your choices then I'll just hold another screening session."
"Then why not put it on hold?" suggested Juvia. It was a reasonable suggestion but they can't afford to put it on hold since they were already scheduled to have a screening session tomorrow.
"Sadly, that can't be done. We're holding screening sessions at the AVR, yes? Levy here, has surely already booked it for our session tomorrow and as it is still the beginning of the school year, all clubs are surely dying to get booked for their own session." explained Lucy. The AVR had always been a hard place to book even though they have 3 rooms assigned for it because of the countless clubs that need to go through their own screening process. "If we cancel now, we don't know when we would have another chance to book it. We can't waste such a grand opportunity, yes?"
"I agree, if we cancel the AVR now we'll surely end up doing our screening at that God-forsaken gymnasium where everybody has to shout to hear each other." said Loke, who was already packing his bag and was back to his casual clothes.
"See? Anyways, I'm sure you'll do a great job at the session tomorrow and that I won't have to hold another session because I am confident that you'll pick the right people." smiled Lucy, piling the books that the applicants can read tomorrow before they start. "Just remember my standard and you'll be fine."
When Lucy arrived home, it was dead-silent. It was as if a ghost had gone through and took everyone with it. Lucy was about to head upstairs when the clanking of pots sounded off from the kitchen followed by a series of profanities. Lucy laughed and shook her head, only one person was responsible for such a mess.
"Natsu!" she shouted, startling the guy who was trying to clean up spaghetti sauce on the floor. "Oh my God, what happened here?" Lucy laughed at the mess he created, it was as if a murder was committed and he looked as if he just got caught.
"Luce, why are you home already?" groaned Natsu, wiping the almost-cleaned mess with a towel. "I thought you have a debate until 5?"
"We were supposed to have two debate sessions but I noticed that everyone was still too hung up on summer so I decided to settle with just one, which is why we ended early." explained Lucy, helping Natsu with the mess. She looked up at the dinner table to see that he had fixed a rather formal looking meal for them.
"What's with the set-up?" she asked, admiring the beautifully plated serving of spaghetti, white chrysanthemums that were at the center of the table, and glasses of milk tea. "Did you do something wrong?" she joked.
"Actually, yes." he replied, wiping the spaghetti dirt from his apron and finally removing it and hanging it by the fridge. He was still wearing his school jersey but he was already sporting a pair of black pants that looked incredibly hot on him, according to Lucy. "I'm sorry about the jerk moves I did today. I realized that what I did was really inconsiderate and this is my way of saying I'm sorry."
"I see." smiled Lucy. She really didn't mind about what he did today but him doing this just because he thought he might have offended her squeezed her heart and it just added up to the pile of list of the reasons why she loves him. "Where are my parents, though?"
"They're out town, remember?" said Natsu, pointing to the sticky note that was placed at the fridge that said 'Town.', plain and simple. "They went out to buy some stuff that we need for tomorrow's dinner."
"Oh, yeah." groaned Lucy, massaging her forehead. "I always keep forgetting about these kind of things. Do they know you're here?"
"That's why I'm here," laughed Natsu. "And yes, they do know, actually. They were still here by the time I got here. They even laughed at me for buying your favorite milk tea, saying it didn't go with the mood I was going for and that wine would be better but I said no, thinking you might hit me in the head for offering you wine. Anyways, shall we eat?"
"Sure, I wouldn't want to waste such an extravagant effort from you." said Lucy, pulling the seat and motioning for Natsu to sit. Natsu laughed at this, sat down, and said his thanks. Lucy nodded with a smile and headed to her side of the table. "Least I could do, dear sir."
"How's life, Natsu?" Lucy started. It had been days since they had any alone time together since they were so busy with the starting of classes. Lucy was elected as club president for the Debate Club so she was busy preparing their timetable and gathering possible topics while Natsu was well on his way to being team captain which meant that he was working twice as hard in order for their professor to choose him. "I heard that Gray was kicking your ass today at practice."
"That has got to be the shittiest lie ever." Natsu replied, laughing through his food. "I kicked his ass, Luce. Not to brag or anything, but I'm way better than him. Anyways, how 'bout you? Selection process is approaching right?"
"Approaching? It's already here. We're having it tomorrow and it's frustrating that I have to miss it because of a family dinner." laughed Lucy, savoring Natsu's cooking and constantly wondering when she would be able to have it again. They talked and talked like that, as if their time apart never happened in the first place. Lucy kept thinking about how they were handling their relationship and why can they not spend as much time as other couples do.
"Natsu, I have something to say." Lucy said, picking up the dirty dishes in the table and placing it in the dishwasher while Natsu put the uneaten batch of spaghetti in a container. Natsu looked up from what he was doing and gave Lucy a questioning look. "I want to be able to spend more time with you. Like this, or just lounging by the couch doing nothing, or playing video games, or watching a movie. Can't we do that?"
Natsu placed the container in the fridge and embraced Lucy from behind. "What on earth are you sayin', love? Don't we do those kind of stuff already?" Natsu was confused as to why Lucy was saying this out of the blue since she had always seemed content with the time they spent together during weekends.
"No, I don't mean just that." Lucy started, rubbing Natsu's arms for comfort. "I want to able to run up to you in the hallway at school and hug you, I want to have the freedom to eat lunch with you, and laugh at the stupid things our schoolmates say or do, I want to partner up with you at school activities, and I want to be seen with you at school and not be judged as that "nerd" girl. Do you get it?"
Natsu's heart clenched in pain. He had no idea that Lucy ever felt this way. "Of course we can, Luce. You can do that. But I don't mean this in a bad way, okay? But it's you, you know?" He said, Lucy was now facing him in confusion. "It was you who decided to hide our relationship from the school, saying you didn't want people to get the wrong idea. What's with the sudden change of heart?"
"You know what, you're right." Lucy said, tightly hugging Natsu. She had forgotten about what people thought. Oh God, the horror of people finding out about them. What would they think? Would they assume that Natsu was only dating Lucy out of pity? Or would they think that Lucy was extra fancy and rich that Natsu, theNatsu, dated her? "I don't want people to get the wrong idea. I'm sorry I brought up such a silly topic."
"Are you sure you're okay?" Natsu asked, rubbing circles in Lucy's back. "We can tell the whole world, you know. I wouldn't care and to be honest, I'd be ecstatic. But if you're not ready yet, then we won't. I won't push you to do things you're not comfortable with. So less worrying, mm'kay?"
Lucy laughed and nodded her head, loving the feeling of having Natsu's protective arms around her and the thought that nothing and no one can harm her as long as his arms are around her.
"There's the two lovebirds." chirped Lucy's mom, carrying a bunch of grocery bags. The two broke off from their hug and Natsu went off to help Lucy's mom. "How was dinner?"
Natsu went back to the kitchen, two bags of grocery in his arms. He set it at the island and kissed Lucy before replying to Lucy's mom who had said something to him when he took the groceries from her arms, and disappearing from the kitchen. "It was great, Mom." replied Lucy, kissing her Mom's cheek. Lucy proceeded to taking out the items from their bags and placing them in their assigned places around the kitchen. "Where's Natsu and Dad?"
"Oh, they're in the garage. Your dad said he wanted Natsu to look at his old car and see if they can fix it so that you can make use of it. It is a waste to just throw it out." Lucy nodded and sat down by the island, finishing her glass of milk tea. Lucy's mother sat down beside her and caressed Lucy's back. "What's wrong?"
"Nothing it's just, these days, I just feel like all I ever want to do is to shout my love for him to the whole world, you know?" said Lucy, biting the straw of her tea out of habit. "I mean I know it sounds kinda corny but I'm just so tired, Mom. I'm tired of all the hiding, of all the misunderstanding because of us not being open to the society. It gets tiring."
"Oh, my baby." cooed her Mom, side-hugging Lucy. "It's okay, that's okay. We will eventually get tired of everything but whenever you do, just think of the reason why you started it. But hun, I think it's time you let the world know. There's nothing to be scared of. If the school is against it, then let your voice be heard. Face this with the heart, mind, and the conviction of the Lucy I know. We'll be here, supporting you. Okay?"
Lucy nodded with a smile, thankful for having a mother who supports her at her endeavors. "Thanks, Mom. But, I don't think I should just yet." Lucy released herself from the hug and stood up, kissing her Mother's cheek.
"Then don't. I trust you enough to know that you know what's best for yourself. But whenever you make decisions that will involve him, then consult with him first. You're a team, so act like one." Lucy nodded and headed off to her room to finish filling up the form that she needs to submit by tomorrow for their annual field tour.
Lucy was focused on not making a single mistake on her paper since the school was incredibly meticulous when it comes to these things. A sudden knock on the door jolted her from her concentration and resulted to her almost mistake. Lucy turned to the door with a glare, only to see Natsu with suds all over his hands. "That bad, huh?" Natsu nodded with a smile and entered Lucy's room without asking for permission. "Can it be fixed?"
"With a little time and effort, yeah." replied Natsu. He sat down in Lucy's bed and stared down his hands. "Is that the form we need to answer for our tour? I heard that it only includes scholars."
"I see, glad to hear it." Lucy lifted the form for Natsu to see and nodded. "Yep, this is it. Be careful answering yours, it says here that we should avoid erasures. I think they've mistaken this for an exam. And yes, it's just us, scholars. It's said to be a joint collaboration between the government and some private schools."
"I don't think I can do a great job at avoiding erasures so why don't you just answer mine?" Natsu said, standing up from the bed and leaving the room to possibly get his form. Lucy returned to answering hers and looked it up again and again to make sure there were no mistakes. "Here ya go." Natsu handed the paper to Lucy. He had disregarded his top and had clean hands.
"How many times do I have to tell you not to strip in our house?" Lucy said. "When Mom sees you, she's gonna flip." Lucy started answering Natsu's form with concentration.
"FYI, it was your Mom that told me to remove my shirt, saying she's gonna put it in the laundry. Anyways, I have to go. Can you just hand that to me by tomorrow?" Natsu asked, opening Lucy's drawer where he puts all of his clothes in.
"Yeah, sure. Thanks for tonight. I really appreciated it." Lucy said, not bothering to stand up. She beckoned for Natsu to crouch, and kissed him. "I wonder when I'll be having a taste of your cooking again. I miss it already."
Natsu laughed and shook his head. He was now sporting a pastel pink shirt and his black pants and Lucy couldn't help but think about the fact that he looked hella hot in his pastel shirt. "There's still some leftovers on the fridge. See you tomorrow."
There it was! I hope everyone enjoyed reading this chapter as much as I enjoyed writing it. I still haven't decided on a fixed update schedule however, I will do my best to update weekly! Thank you very much for your constant support and I will really appreciate your feedbacks! Hope to see you in the next chapter!