Hi there, everybody! Yeesh, I've really been slipping on this lately. So busy, so busy... I'll try to keep up in the future, haha.

First one from Natsu's POV! Yay!


#44 Spy

"I don't think we should be doing this…"

"Shh!" Gray hissed angrily. "You want her to hear you?"

Natsu shut his mouth and ducked lower in the bushes below the window he'd probably broken into a hundred times. "Well let's not be too long, I've got to get back home." When Gray remained silent, Natsu sighed and went on, "Remind me why we're here again?"

Gray raised his head above the windowsill and peered in through the glass, eyes narrowed as he looked around. "Lucy's our friend, right?" he asked rhetorically. "So if she's got a secret boyfriend, I think we deserve to know about it."

Natsu felt a lump rise in his throat at these words. "What makes you think she's got a secret boyfriend?"

Gray fixed his friend with a pointed look. "Isn't it obvious?" he went on. "She sneaks around a lot, she's always busy on the weekends, she's been dressing different, she's always happy… She's in love, and she's not very good at hiding it."

"Since when are you the expert on how girls act?" Natsu challenged Gray with a chuckle, though he knew he was right. Lucy had been a little too obvious in her actions and moods lately.

"I just… notice these things, okay?" Gray answered, creeping up to the window again.

Natsu suppressed a laugh and said quietly, "What would Juvia say if she saw you spying on Lucy late at night?" effectively distracting Gray once again.

Gray's face paled instantly and his eyes widened. He shot Natsu a warning look and insisted, "That's got nothing to do with this!" Natsu turned away from the window to keep from laughing out loud, as Gray cleared his throat awkwardly and continued, "Now, I asked Lucy earlier about doing a mission tonight, just to see if she'd make an excuse again, and she said she had plans already! She wouldn't even tell me what they were! That means she's obviously hiding something—a secret relationship, to be specific. The question is, who's the guy? I don't think it's someone from our guild, since she acts the same around everyone except you and me. If you ask me, those Blue Pegasus guys are pretty suspicious… There she is!"

Natsu raised his head enough to see in the living room window, where sure enough, Lucy had emerged from the hallway wearing a bathrobe and slippers, her wet hair sitting loosely on her shoulders. "This has gotta be some sort of invasion of privacy…" he muttered, shaking his head as they watched Lucy stride to a corner of the room and inspect different pairs of earrings.

Gray scoffed and waved a hand. "There's no such thing as privacy between friends," he reasoned. "She's totally got a date tonight. Just look!" Once she seemed to have decided on a set of jewelry, she rung some loose water out of her hair and left the room, disappearing back into the hallway. "We've got to find out more," Gray whispered. "Come on." With that, he began leading the way around the outside of the house. The boys did their best to keep quiet, but before they reached Lucy's bedroom window, a thought hit Natsu: she was probably getting dressed. And if they hadn't invaded her privacy already, that would be over stepping the bounds big time.

"Gray, wait," Natsu said, coming to a halt near the front door and holding out an arm to stop his friend. "This isn't right. I'm sure if we just asked her she'd tell us the truth."

"Are you kidding?" Gray responded. "Like she'd talk to us about this. Relationships are girl talk. She might talk to Levy or Erza, but never us."

"Then we can get it out of one of them," Natsu argued back, placing himself in Gray's way as the latter tried to dodge around him. "I just don't think we should be spying on her like this."

Gray took a deep breath and glared at Natsu. "Look. Lucy's our friend, which means she shouldn't be keeping secrets from us, right?"

Natsu shrugged, apprehensive. "Everybody has secrets, right?"

Gray raised his eyebrows. "Are you saying you've got a secret, too?" he demanded.

"…Not exactly," Natsu answered evasively, preferring not to go there. It would really be best if they just got out of there while they still could. If Lucy caught them… Well, secrets would be the least of their worries.

"Whatever," Gray brushed the matter off. "But she's got a secret, and I'm gonna find out what it is."

"No, Gray, wait—"

"Out of the way!" Gray shoved Natsu to the side and darted past him, but froze when he heard the sound of the doorbell ring just inside the house. Natsu straightened up and looked behind him, realizing with a pang of dread that he'd fallen against the button for the doorbell.

"Uh-oh…" Natsu said.

"Hide!" Gray whispered frantically, diving into the nearest bush. Natsu was about to follow him when the door opened from inside, spilling light onto the front step.

"Natsu?" Lucy said in wonder. "What are you doing here?"

He turned to face her, an awkward smile on his face. "I was… just passing through. Thought I'd say 'hi'." He glanced sideways at where he knew Gray was hiding, listening to every word. Don't say anything, don't say anything, don't say anything… he silently pleaded.

But Lucy couldn't hear him. "I wasn't expecting you for over an hour. Sneak away from Gray early tonight?" Lucy shot him a mischievous glance and giggled. Natsu could swear he heard a tiny rustle in the bushes—probably the sound of Gray's jaw dropping. Well, cat's out of the bag now, he thought, mentally smacking himself in the forehead. No use pretending anymore.

"Sort of," Natsu answered, rubbing the back of his neck. "On our way back to the guild. Can't stay long though, he's probably around here somewhere."

"Ooh, dangerous," she said with a laugh. "Exciting, huh?"

He couldn't help but grin at the look on Lucy's face, and the look he imagined on Gray's. "Well I left Happy at the guild hall, better get back and get him home. I'll see you later tonight, okay?"

Lucy smiled, before stepping forward and wrapping her arms around Natsu's neck, his instinctively finding her waist. She pressed her lips against his for a moment, before replying, "Can't wait." And with that, she disappeared back into the house.

When the sound of Lucy's retreating footsteps had disappeared, Natsu let out a heavy sigh and turned to see Gray rising slowly from the bush beside the door, wearing much the same expression of complete and utter shock that Natsu had envisioned. It was more than a little funny, to tell the truth, it was all Natsu could do not to burst out laughing, even though it meant his and Lucy's secret was finally out.

"What," Gray began in a voice of forced calm, "the hell just happened?"


I wasn't originally gonna end it there, but I'm tired and I think I like it ending there, haha. Anyway, I really love the idea of Natsu and Lucy sneaking around behind the backs of the rest of the guild, especially Gray, haha. I think I have one more to that effect later on in my list... :D

Catch y'all on the flipside! Oh, and drop me a review, pretty please! Thankies!

-oMM