A/N: Thank you for reading! :)
Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters in this story! they're purely Hiro Mashima's creations so all credits to him.
CHAPTER III: Getting to Know Lucy
The moment she stepped out of the room, Lucy Heartfilia breathed out a sigh of relief. Out of everything that she had imagined in her own Lucy lala world, she had not expected this to happen on her first day.
'Hit my head on the desk for the first day, huh? I wonder what I need to look out for in the future.' The beautiful blonde thought to herself, smiling nervously.
"A-ano... Lucy-san right?" Her head perked up at the sound of someone calling out to her.
She actually thought that she was all alone in the hallway since it was class hours and all, but the pink haired Dragneel and dark haired Fullbuster stood there shyly. She blinked at them, studying them for a while.
Gray had his hands deep in his pockets, looking at everywhere but Lucy's direction, a slight tinge of pink was present on his cheeks. Natsu, on the other hand, looked directly at her brown eyes with his own deep onyx. Scratching the back of his head, Natsu grinned at her sheepishly as he let out a slight chuckle, a blush also visible on his cheeks.
"W-We wanted to apologize about what happened. We didn't mean to bump into you." Natsu uncharacteristically stuttered.
"Y-yeah. We're really sorry and we'll do anything to make it up to you." Gray agreed with his pink haired friend who nodded.
Lucy cocked her head slightly to the side. She hadn't expected for both of them to actually apologize. She knew boys, having been living in the same roof with five, didn't express their feelings through words that much and that the have called male-ego that seem to get in the way of their words. But now these two were actually here, moving their pride aside and asking for forgiveness. This totally surprised the wits out of her. And she was, to say, kind of flattered.
"I... It's ok really! I mean, it was an accident and no one meant for it to happen right?" Lucy assured both of them with a smile as she waved her hands in front of her to prove her point.
Both boys nodded at her, "Still, an apology was in order. And We won't take back what we said. We'll make it up to you. Anything you want us to do, we'll do it" Natsu spoke so sincerely that it made Lucy blush a bit.
'W-what the hell? W-why are my cheeks burning up?' Lucy thought to herself.
"W-well, could you guys just tone the fighting down a bit?" Lucy asked, looking expectantly at both men.
Gray and Natsu looked at each other before looking back at Lucy and nodding.
"Sure thing." Gray replied with a small smile.
"Anything for you, Luce!" Natsu grinned at her.
To this, Lucy's blush deepened, but she smiled back anyway. She could feel her heart pounding in her chest right now but she paid no attention to it. She didn't want to make herself a stuttering lovesick newbie in front of the two boys. No, Lucy Heartfilia is, by no means, your normal girl who'd melt at the sight of a boy that turns her on. But she does kinda get out of character given the chance.
"So, uhmm, I guess we should go back to our room now huh?" Lucy decided to break the silence building up between them before it got awkward. She received a nod from the two boys and they all made their way towardstheir classroom.
"Hey did you hear about the new girl?" A group of girls gossiped as they were huddled in a table in the cafeteria.
The lunch bell had just rung a little more than five minutes ago and now the cafeteria was buzzing with hungry students and apparently loud ones.
"The one from Gray-sama's class who hit her head on the desk?"
"Oh that one! I heard she was rushed into the infirmary. Ain't that pretty stupid of her?"
"Like yeah, who the hell hits their head on the desk?" A brown haired one said as she rolled her eyes.
This statement made a certain pink-haired young man's ears perk up while he sat happily at a table with Lucy, Gray, Juvia, Levy and Gajeel.
Ever since that incident with Lucy, Natsu found himself quite attracted to the blonde beauty and he couldn't help but smile whenever he sees her. So when he heard some people talking about Lucy in a way he doesn't tolerate, something snapped inside of him.
He was about to get up and show those people a piece of his mind but then was stopped by a hand. His head snapped towards the one who grabbed his hand and held him down and found Lucy's smiling face and his face was suddenly rid of any anger all because of that smile.
"Let them talk, Natsu. They're not worth our time." The blonde calmly stated.
Natsu furrowed his brows at this, "Aren't you bothered by what they're saying about you?" He was confused, why wasn't Lucy mad?
She just shook her head no, "They're just rumors. They don't mean anything to me. Besides, if we go there and make a scene, more are bound to spring out." She explained.
Natsu looked at her with surprise painted on his face before pouting and crossing his arms across chest, sinking into his seat. "Fine..." He muttered under his breath.
Lucy giggled at his sudden change of mood. He's like a child! Couldn't hold herself back anymore, she landed a chaste peck on his cheek,
"Thank you." She whispered into his ear and then pinched his cheek to hide the fact that she actually kissed him. Not that anyone noticed though. They were all too busy chatting with each other to notice.
Natsu could pass as a tomato at how red he turned. His dark eyes were as wide as saucers as he processed what Lucy just did. When it finally sunk into his brain, he stole a glance at Lucy who was now part of a conversation with Juvia and Levy. It was faint but Natsu noticed the inconspicuous blush on her cheeks as she conversed with the other girls. The salmon-haired boy unconsciously let a dreamy smile slip on his face.
He just received a kiss from the gorgeous Lucy Heartfilia. A kiss! It may just be on the cheek but it was still a kiss! A kiss is a kiss! Or maybe he was just overreacting?
"Oy, flamebrain, what's with the creepy grin?" The cool voice of his long time friend/rival snapped him out of his reverie.
Natsu shook his head and glared at his friend, "Nothing you should know, ice princess!" He bit back.
"Whatever." Dark haired Gray just said.
Normally he'd throw back his own wave of insults and they'd fight to death and then make-up only to fight some more. But they had both promised Lucy earlier that they'd avoid quarelling with each other and he's just keeping his part of the bargain. And apparently Natsu did too. He stopped glaring at Gray the moment his friend quieted down.
"Ne! Guys, why don't we get some food now? I'm famished!" Natsu exclaimed and as if on cue, his tummy agreed with a grumble. He blushed a bit, letting out an embarrassed chuckle as he did. Lucy unconssciously giggled at his demeanor and then stood up.
"Ok come on. Let's go get something to eat." Lucy proclaimed.
As soon as they we're back on their table, eating from their own trays, Levy began another topic,
"So, Lucy. Tell us more about yourself." The blue-haired girl told her friend.
Lucy pondered for a while as she took a sip from her coke can.
"Well, I was previously attending Mermaid Heel Academy before I moved here due to... personal reasons." The blonde started.
Juvia's blue brows shot up as Lucy mentioned that, "Mermaid Heel, as in that all girl's school where daughters of wickedly rich people go to? That Mermaid Heel?" The blue haired Juvia's tone was both of awe and disbelief.
"Yes. That one." Lucy shyly confessed.
"Cool! I saw a group of their students once and their uniform was just utterly gorgeous!" Levy sighed dreamily.
"Yeah and I heard they have good education system there, Lucy. Why would you even want to switch schools?" Juvia asked.
"Well... after some years of studying there I just realize that the atmosphere there wasn't really my thing you know?" Lucy defended as she took a bite from her apple.
"Hmm. Well, it can't be helped can it? So you've gone to MHA. Anything else? Likes, dislikes? What about your zodiac sign? Tell, tell, tell!" Levy kept shooting questions enthusiastically.
It wasn't every day you get to be with a person who had been, somewhat, from another world and Levy was a girl of shallow happiness. Every single thing just seems to excite her. Lucy just giggled at her new found friend's childlike attitude.
"Oh, well then, I like reading books and writing, and uhmm, strawberries? My dislikes, well err, people who are so full of theirselves and treat others like trash. And my zodiac sign is cancer." Lucy replied patiently at her friend's questions.
"Hmm, what about your family Luce? Tell us about them." This time, it was Natsu who asked as he leaned closer to Lucy.
"Well, you already know that Principal Makarov is my grandfather. My father's name is Jude Heartfilia and he's a businessman. My mother is Layla Heartfilia and she's... well... dead. She died years ago, back when we were just kids..." The last part she told them sadly and the group muttered their own sorries.
"It's ok. It's been a long time anyway..." She assured them but they could tell by the unshed tears in her pretty brown eyes that she was far from getting over that fact. Nevertheless, they said nothing.
After a few seconds Lucy continued, "I'm the fourth child of my parents. I have three brothers and a younger sister." Her tone was a bit happy this time as she mentioned her siblings.
"Aren't you a handful?" It was Gajeel who spoke this time while he smirked.
Lucy grinned back at him and replied, "My mother and father loved each other. And they didn't hold back anything when it came to 'showing' it." At this, boys snickered while Juvia and Levy blushed.
After they got over it, Lucy continued, "Our eldest brother is Laxus. You probably know him, he studies here and is part of the football team."
At this revelation, she left her friends eyes wide in shock. Well, except for Levy. She already figured out since Laxus was there the moment He heard Lucy was sent to the infirmary.
"Laxus as in Laxus Dreyar? The Lightning Bolt of The Fairies?" Juvia asked in disbelief.
"Yeah that's him." Lucy smiled innocently.
"But he's a Dreyar..." Gray pointed out, brows furrowed.
"Uhh, yeah, about that. Laxus-nii just likes our mom's maiden surname better. It's more... 'badass' as he so proudly claimed." The blonde explained smirking.
Natsu gave out a heart laugh, "Sounds like Laxus alright. So that's why he and Principal Makarov had the same surname." He rubbed his chin as he said that.
Lucy raised a golden brow at this, "You mean you don't know Laxus and the headmaster were related?"
Everyone at the table shook their heads.
"Laxus never really talked much about his personal life. Even to his friends. Only one person really knows Laxus very well." Levy stated.
"Let me guess. Mirajane Strauss?" It wasn't actually a question. Lucy knew her siblings like the back of her hand, and vice versa. Laxus may not have talked much about what's going on in his life but his siblings knew every detail of it.
"Yeah. The top female model of The Sorcerer." Gray said.
The Sorcerer was the monthly magazine, yes magazine, of the school; The school paper was a seperate one. It showcases the student models (i.e. the super hot students of FTH), couples of the month, student information and other whatnots. Mirajane Strauss and Loke Heartfilia are the leading cover models of the magazine ever since they had been in Fairy Tail.
Lucy giggled at the thought of her comical orange-haired brother being a cover guy for a magazine. Not that she hadn't seen him in one before. As a matter of fact, they have been up for modelling before in one of their father's businesses, which was a clotheline, The August Libra.
"What's so funny, bunny girl?" Gajeel asked, earning him a playful glare from Lucy.
Apparently, he had accidentally seen a picture of her in a bunny girl costume when he was unintentionally looking at some pictures of Lucy's dogs in her phone. Since then, he never stopped teasing her about it and neither did she stop glaring at him whenever he called her that.
"Nothing. It's just that an image of my brother as a cover guy of The Sorcerer suddenly popped into my mind." Lucy waved off with a smile.
"Laxus as a cover guy? Well that oughta be hilarious!" Gray laughed and Natsu joined him.
"Not him silly. Loke, my other brother." Lucy told them.
Ok so this one they haven't been prepared to hear. It shouldn't have come as a shock to them really since it's actually too obvious since Loke Heartfilia is famed for his playboy attitude and not to mention, as being one of the models for The Sorcerer.
"Lu-chan has such amazing brothers hasn't she?" Levy smiled at her friend.
Lucy chuckled nervously at this. "They're really caring brothers despite those wise guy and cocky attitudes. They're so lovable!" Lucy proudly exclaimed although if her brothers heard her say that, they'd totally deny it.
"What about your remaining two siblings?" Natsu asked while munching on his chips.
"My third brother, Sting, doesn't attend Fairy Tail High. He's actually studying at Sabertooth High."
"You mean the rival camp?" Gray asked nonchalantly as he innocently slid his arm around Juvia's shoulders which earned him a fangirl transformed Juvia.
The blue eyed girl clung to him like there was no tomorrow and began all, "Gray-samaaaa!" As her eyes turned to throbbing hearts. Not that he hated it though.
"Uh-huh, the rival camp. He's actually a player of SH's football team so whenever the game is on between The Fairies and The Tigers, it's hard to decide which side we'll be on." Lucy explained.
"Now that's just so cracked up." Gajeel commented.
"Tell me about it. Whenever they go all football on us, we wouldn't hear the end of it. Although usually, Michelle and I would side with Sting since Laxus and Loke we're just too strong of a team but nothing ever became serious about it. It's just a game as grandpa would always tell us." Lucy lovingly stated.
She loved talking about her siblings. She feels so proud whenever she sees them whether they be laughing, crying or whatever. She just loved her family to bits. She just wish that her mother was there to be with them through everything.
'I wish you could see us right now, mommy.' The blonde thought to herself as the tears began to form.
"-arth to Lucy!" The sound of Natsu's voice and a hand waving in front of her face snapped her out of her short thought.
She stared at them for a while and found them staring right back at her with concern etched on their faces. She put up a bright smile and thanked the gods her tears didn't fall.
"So! What's next?" She asked them in a cheerful tone.
"Tell us about your sister..." Natsu began after a couple of seconds.
"Oh that's something that may take some time. Hmm... where to start..." Lucy gathered her thoughts and then spoke,
"Ok! So her name is Michelle..."
