That Thing About Love
Neither of them spoke too much on their short way to the restaurant, only Lucy's occasional efforts to start up a conversation, but it was meaningless when he seemed so determinate to snap at her short answers.
So she gave up mid way, and the rest of it they shared a weird silence. Lucy had noticed his distant gaze; his eyes looking everywhere, but nowhere. He seemed out of focus, but she decided against asking him what was wrong.
He'd snap at her again, anyways.
"Here we are!" she said, forcing a smile to her lips. 8-Island was not a fancy food place, but the atmosphere was always familiar and comfy, so she hoped it would help to calm down Natsu's aggressiveness. Besides, the food Yajima cooked was absolutely delicious.
"Uh?" Natsu asked, his eyes finally coming to present time and looking at the doors in front of them, where a family just exited.
"This is 8-Island," Lucy explained. "Have you come here before?"
"No." he said. "Not enough money to go out."
Lucy blinked at him, perplexed. She surely wasn't expecting that. Many question popped in her mind as she watched him. How did he manage to pay the rent of his apartment if he couldn't afford eating outside? It was quite expensive, and she didn't believe Gray paid it all. Was that why he worked on the coffee shop?
"Stop staring." he said, his voice harsh.
Lucy snapped out of her trance, blushing when she realized he had noticed the look she was giving him. Her heart speed up.
"S-Sorry," she apologized, lowering her head and entering the place to avoid his gaze ever again -well, for some seconds, actually.
The scent of fries, chocolate and meat; all of them suffocated her the second she stepped inside. It should've been weird, but Lucy found it very enjoyable. She could see some families in the tables, old people and a particular group of friends laughing in the corner.
As they passed through them to get a seat, one of the teenage boys shouted, "Yo blondie, wanna seat with us?"
Lucy stopped in her tracks to glare at him. From her peripheral vision, she saw Natsu scowl, an angry look on his dark eyes. He seemed ready to start a fight, but she put a hand on his chest to prevent it.
Smiling sweetly, she said, "Sorry, I don't seat with kids."
As they continued, she could hear the laughter of the boy's friend, mocking him for his failed attempt at 'flirting'.
They sat next to the window, tables away of the high school students, and Lucy sighed. She looked up to see her pink haired companion, and what she found was a surprised expression from him.
"What?" she asked, feeling her face heat up.
"Nothing," he murmured fastly, avoiding her, "Do you... uh... do you always have to put up with jerks like that?"
Shocked, Lucy stared at him with wide eyes. A warmth sensation went through her body, and she gave him a true sweet smile. She waved it off as if it didn't matter, "Ah, don't sweat it. It's nothing."
"I think it is something." Natsu said, too serious all of sudden. "It's really disgusting."
"Well," Lucy said, playing with the hem of her shirt, "It is, but it doesn't surprise me anymore."
"What do you mean?" he asked. He looked genuinely curious, which made him look kind of cute.
Lucy shrugged, "It's happened to me my entire life, I guess. Since I was ten."
"Uh?" Natsu's face was priceless, and she'd laughed at it if it weren't because he looked very worried and surprised.
So she only smiled, "I guess the environment I grew up at was like that," she didn't feel like sharing such dark details in a nice place like that, and besides, she didn't know him that much. Maybe someday, but definitely not now.
"Oh." he said, and she felt like he really understood.
"Anyways," she sighed, showing him a toothed, wide smile, "What would you like to it? The treat is on me."
"You sure?" he said, smirking. At least the uneasy mood form before vanished. "I don't want you to be unable to pay your rent this month."
"So this is how it goes?" Lucy arched her eyebrows amusingly.
He shrugged, "I'll trust you with the money."
As in on cue, the gorgeous waitress of the restaurant, Evergreen, appeared next to their table in her pretty orange uniform. Her blondish, brown hair was tied up in a bun; her eyes hidden behind her eyeglasses. Her mouth was painted a tempting, sexy shade of red. Lucy eyed her, feeling completely defeated. Evergreen smiled at them, though Lucy could say it wasn't directed at her at all.
"Good night, what will you like to order?" she asked.
"I'd like spaghetti," Lucy said.
"Well, I'd like…" Natsu said, and both of the young women looked at him with wide, shocked eyes as he practically ordered the whole menu. Speechless, Evergreen left towards the kitchen behind the counter.
Lucy inhaled deeply as she eyed her company for the night. "You're crazy."
Natsu flashed her another smirk, mixed with amusement, pride and madness. Oh God, what had she gotten herself into?
She shook her head, already feeling the pain that would be handing her credit card to pay for their 'little' dinner. Maybe it'd have been better if he refused at first…
No, she told herself. It is something he deserves, after all.
It didn't matter if he had been a dick with her since they met. He still helped her when she needed him, so maybe there was kindness in his rotten heart, after all.
"Anyways," Lucy said. "I hope I can make it up to you with this."
Natsu watched her sweet smile, his eyes unreadable. "I don't get why are you so insistent with that. Didn't I tell you it was alright?"
Lucy blushed. "I-I know!" she said, avoiding his piercing eyes. "But still…"
"Still what?" he asked.
Lucy sighed, acknowledging she already lost the battle. "I had many panic attack in the past, you know, and I guess it shocked me when you helped me, since a lot of people just decided to ignore me."
He didn't look surprised, nor shocked; he just looked as if he already knew it. The eyes of a person who had witnessed a lot, and yet here was, enduring it all.
"I see." Natsu said, cupping his chin in his calloused hand.
And he spoke no more, and decided instead to gaze off.
It was the first time Lucy stopped to think the spontaneity that drove them where they were now, and how amusing it would've been to her if someone told her it was going to happen two days ago. Because really, going out on dinner with Natsu Dragneel wasn't on her plans.
Carefully, she eyed him. They had never been this close, even it a small table separated them, and he holding her while she was panicking didn't count.
His weird, wild pink hair rarely looked softer up close. She noticed slight dark circles under his sharp, dark and tired eyes. She noticed for the first time, that tiny, shiny earring in his left ear. It had been hidden under the messy locks of his ear, but now, she got a good close look at it. Lucy could still see the ending of a red and black tattoo in the side of his neck, barely covered by that scarf of his.
"Here you go," Evergreen stepped at their side, a weird smile on her face. She put down Lucy's order in front of her, and about other five men held Natsu's food. Another one brought another table, indeed, so it could fit.
Lucy was too awestruck to say anything, and in the blink of an eye, Natsu's distant expression became an happy, ear-to-ear grin. All of the employees left, but she still could feel all the weird glances they were receiving.
"How are you even going to eat that much?" Lucy shrieked, trying not to yell in astonishment.
"Wanna bet?" Natsu eyed her, wiggling his eyebrows at her in some kind of challenge that held something more and made her stomach lit a fire.
She lifted her hands in surrender. "No thanks. Go ahead."
To say she was utterly shocked was a complete understatement.
As she slowly ate her own, small plate of food, Natsu devoured everything like fire burning down a house; fast and wild, never ending. He wasn't as graceful as flames were, with crumbs spilling out and staying in his chin, gulping down an entire glass of water and not even shooting her a single glance. He ate silently, or as much as he could.
"Do you… need something?" Lucy offered quietly as he bit off chicken. She twitched her eye when he didn't answer, only focusing on eating like an animal.
Sighing, she continued to eat slowly, watching him. A part -one really weird and dangerous- thought Natsu actually looked… like a cute little kid, despite his rude appearance. His eyes shone at the mention of any food, and the way his face was getting so dirty… it was almost adorable.
Her phone vibrated inside her pocket, and considering how Natsu didn't even bat an eyelash at her, she took it out to read Levy's message.
Hey Lucy, wanna come over and pull of a movie night?
Lucy shook her head, imagining her friend's face if she told her what was happening right now. She considered to do it, but she guessed the short-tempered boy in front of her would get pissed again, and it would throw away any progress they had until now.
She didn't want to.
"Whatcha doin'?" a muffled voice asked, and Lucy lifted her gaze, with amazement, to find Natsu looking at her with curious eyes.
Like a freaking, adorable lost puppy.
How many faces did this boy have?
"Uh… Levy sent me a text," Lucy told him.
"Oh…" he said, gulping down a bite of meat. "Tell her I say hi."
Lucy's eyes bugged out in total shock. That was definitely not the answer she had been waiting.
"You sure?" she asked, only to check if she had heard him right.
He shrugged. "Why not?"
"Okay…" she said, before typing it down, along the lines Sorry, I can't tonight. Maybe tomorrow?
"Why are you claustrophobic, anyway?" he asked.
Lucy frowned, wondering why he talked so much now. The answer was literally in front of her when with her very own eyes, she saw all the empty dishes lying scattered around the table. Knowing it was the best not to comment on it, she sighed.
He must've seen her expression, because he hurriedly added, "You don't answer if you don't want to."
She smiled softly and shrugged, "It's okay, really. Not a secret, anyways."
Lucy watched him blink a couple of times before she continued. "When I was young, after… my mom died, I locked myself up in the attic and cried there several hours…" her voice cracked up, but she swallowed it down, "And when I wanted to get outta there because it was really creepy, I found the door locked with key. I guess I got too scared, and I screamed for help, but I ended up staying there the whole night… and I guess I got…"
"Oh." He said.
He didn't add anything else, but his eyes were enough for her. It told her much more than words could convey.
And she was grateful.
"Anyway," Lucy said, trying to smile cheerfully. "My attacks aren't as bad as before, so I call it progress."
Natsu's lips quirked up. "Guess so."
Lucy felt truly content to see him so open up like this now, he looked much more relaxed than before, and she dared to say he was much friendly-
"I think we should go now."
Lucy wanted to grab her fork right there and threw it in the middle of her forehead for ruining the moment, but he looked dead serious.
"Uh -why?"
He frowned at her, "What why? We already finished our food."
Lucy blinked several times, looking at him with a straight face -she guessed there was no coming back now, he had said it and he was going to do it.
"Okay…" she murmured, before calling Ever over and paying for the meal. They quickly stood up and exited the familiar restaurant, leaving the delicious scent behind 8-Island doors.
The sun had started to hide behind the horizon, the sky getting a beautiful shade of pink, red and light blue. The moon had appeared in the middle of it, barely visible and ready to shine later. A cold breeze blew, making Lucy shiver. It had been obviously hotter an hour ago, but she guessed the weather wasn't one to be trusted.
She glared enviously at Natsu, with his scarf wrapped around his neck and the leather jacket hanging lazily over his shoulders again.
It looked so warm…
"Ya going home?" he asked. She may as well imaginated it, but it was as if some walls had been lifted, the harshness of his gaze returning.
"Yeah," she said.
"I'm going elsewhere." he said, not looking at her. Suddenly, in the split of a second, he shoved her his black, big leather jacket into her surprised arms. "Night then."
Lucy could only blink and gasp as she watched his back walking in the opposite direction, where the sun was hiding and the night awoke.
You hope and pray the right one comes along
But some fools don't know what they've got till it's gone
The very one you think will never hurt ya
Always seems to be, the one that does
Whoa, that's the thing about love
Sorry for the extremely long wait, I've been very bussy and I'm really sorry. Thank you so much for all your support, it's really meaningful to me and for this story. Hope this chapter made it up for you!