It had been two weeks since Lucy got home from the snobbish town with Natsu. She hadn´t seen the dragon slayer that much, he was always busy with new stuff. And Lucy seemed to be busy as well because she had a visitor who took most of her time and energy these days.
"Where did you find this beauty?" Cana said happily with a little much to drink this afternoon.
"Yeah he´s adorable." Mirajane and Lisanna said in choir as they sighed heavy.
"Okey, okey. I get it, you like him and you can have him." Lucy said annoyed as she sat at the bar drinking her strawberry milkshake.
Makarov wanted to renovate the guild and had put all the guys at work which left the women some real eye candy as they watched the guilds sweaty men hammering and wandering around with big piles of wood on their shoulders.
"Lucy can you help me get that paint bucket?" a voice called her, she knew exactly who it belonged to.
"Cana can help you." She said and gave the drunken girl a nod as she whispered thanks back and then run down to the handsome boy.
"Why couldn´t you choose me?" Levy complained as she sat next to her blond best friend but got interrupted by a big shadow grow behind her.
"Come on shrimp, I need your help." Gajeel said just as annoyed as Lucy and dragged the blue haired girl away, not listening to her protest.
Just a couple of days after Lucys returning to Magnolia she had run into Trick at the guild when he was searching for her. She had lost one of her earrings at the party and he had recognized it from the moment he asked her to dance with him. Glad of having it back she had agreed to show him around town. Then the guild had fallen in love with him (girls side of the guild) and the rest are history. He´s not a member of Fairy Tail but after following Lucy around everywhere everyone became used to see him there. He lived in one of Magnolias hotels and spends his time with Lucy or in the guild. The women there where crazy in him and he had succeed to get half of Magnolias girls to start stalking him already.
"Geesh, you could guessed that they never seen a man before." Grey said as he watched Trick standing around the guilds girl, even Juvia was in the crowd.
"Take another man's girl are not a man!" Elfman whined as he watched Evergreen flirt with the rich boy.
"Hey flame brain." Grey said to Natsu who was getting new plank on place instead of destroying them. "Why did you invite that freak show here?"
"It wasn´t me snow man." Natsu growled. He had watched that Trick following Lucy like a puppy and tried to avoid him as much as possible; before he knocked his teeth out. But because of that he hadn´t had been able to see Lucy anything. "He keeps on following Lucy. You should talk with her about it."
Grey snorted as he dragged away crying Elfman.
"Come on, let´s get to work." Makarov said with a smile. "You too Laxus."
"Why are there only us who have to work? Can´t the ladies help as well?" Laxus said irritated as he was forced to rebuild the inside.
"Actually the ladies are going to get a special task they too." Makarov said and giggled. Laxus grabbed the perverted man before he managed to escape.
"Don´t you try anything nasty you perverted old man." He treated him.
Makarov got away leaving the guys to finish the work.
"I´m really sick at that dude, can´t you kill him Laxus?" Freed asked hopefully.
Laxus just laughed at his friend. "If you´re worried about that loser is going to get your little girlfriends that´s just sad. Be a man and take what's yours."
Natsu watched how Gajeel dragged away Levy and forced her to hold the metal he was placing for strengthen the wood, and Levy always had to yell at him for stopping him from eating it. Geesh, wonder who had provided Gajeel with that sort of task? Not even he was that stupid…
He thought about Laxus words, take what´s yours. Gajeel could do that, Levy was crazy about the iron dragon slayer. Grey could easily scoop up Juvia and everybody knew that Elfman and Evergreen was secretly dating. But Natsu had already tried taking what was his, and she didn´t agree. How are you supposed to go from there?
"Cana come and drinks with us." Macao whined as he sat with Wakaba in the corner.
Cana looked at the older man. "Why aren´t you guys helping?"
"Because we´re old enough for making that choice." Macao laughed.
"Dad you lazy old man. Get over here and help." Romeo said as he went inside with new boards for Natsu. Helping his hero place they right.
"Come on Romeo, your old man are not that strong anymore."
Romeo snorted and walked towards Trick and his crowd of women.
"Come on Trick, you´re supposed to be helping." The young fire mage said and pulled him away with a strong "nooo" from the girls.
"Sorry for that." Trick said and started to paint again. "Oh no." he said as he spilled some over his shirt. "Damn it." The hot boy took off his shirt (oooooww) and throws it away on the ground. He didn´t notice the evil gaze he got from the guys, even Romeo seemed irritated. But that maybe was because of Wendy couldn´t stop talking about that Tricks magic was similar to hers, the sky and the sun.
"Great this is going to explode soon." Lucy sighed as she watched Tricks little fan club fainted and the guys looking like they were about to kill. "Can´t you throw them out?" she asked Mirajane.
"No, the guild is open for everybody on Wednesdays, and they knew that we´re renovating so they are curios."
"No it just for Trick they have come." Lisanna said as she selected the same glass for polish it the third time.
"But they´re giving me a headache with all this noise." Lucy complained as she finished her milkshake.
"Oi Luce, a little help here please." Natsu screamed which made the stellar mage jump on her feet.
"Sure." She said and rushed down where he was standing on the ladder.
"Could you get me that nails over there, mine are completely gone up here."
"Yeah they might have disappeared into the wall." Romeo smirked and got a fire ball thrown at him.
"Don't get cocky." Natsu said from his height. "I can take you down anytime."
"Don't fight with the kids." Lucy said as she had gathered the nails in her pockets and was on her way up on the ladder. "Are you sure this is steady enough for both of us?"
"Of course it is would I ever ask you to do anything dangerous Luce?" Natsu said which made her flush. "Would I?" he asked again when she didn´t answer him.
"No." Lucy admitted as she had reached him. "Here" She held the nails up to him.
"Not near enough, you have to take a few steps more."
Lucy sighed but she did, she was just some steps down from the dragon slayers feet going a few more. She could feel the warmth from the fire mage when her face reached his legs. And then she stood on the step beneath him, pushed against his back as she held a tight grip onto the ladder.
"Here." She said again and nearly pulled down the nails in his pockets herself.
"Thanks Luce." Natsu said, taking the nails and had to remind himself of breathing when he felt her so near him. "That wasn´t so hard to do?" he teased her. She punched him on the shoulder, but lost her balance in the movements and ramble on to the first thing she could find for prevent her falling… Natsu. When she opened her eyes again, seeing that she was still living and realized her arms where placed tight around Natsus waist as she was pressed against him.
"So… sorry." Lucy stumbles as she slowly let go and find her grip on the ladder again.
"It´s okay. Are you stable now?" Natsu wondered, still feeling the blonde's arms around him.
"Yep, I´m good now." She said and started to step down, a little faster than she usually would do and felt a great relief when her feet hit the ground.
"Lucy could you help me next?" Trick asked with sweet puppy eyes making the crowd go jealousy mad.
"Naah I´ve promised to help Mirajane next. I think you can manage." Lucy said as she escaped before the crowd nearly crushed her to death. Didn´t notice Natsus wide smile as he started to hammer the nail into the building once more, no one than Trick and Grey noted the happy dragon up there.
"Great work today." Mirajane said as she gave every male a drink when the sun had went down.
"Yeah, it´s almost finished." Grey sighed happy, the only one who hadn´t put on his shirt afterwards.
"I have to get going or I´ll miss the closing of the bookstore." Lucy said as she placed the bag over her shoulders and smiled at everyone.
"I´m going with you." Trick said immediately as he followed the blonde girl out with disappointed sigh from his fans after him. Even Lucy sighed but not for that reason.
Well goodbye then." She said with a last gaze at the dragon slayer who poked Happy with a bored face.
The guild waved goodbye to the stellar mage, no one except Grey had notice Natsu move earlier. Of instinct the boy had stood up when Lucy said that she was leaving, but when Trick offered to go with her he had sat down again. Knowing that he couldn´t stand being near that sun eating bastard.
"Natsu could I talk with you?" Grey asked in low voice that only the fire mage could hear. He nodded a little confused and followed Grey outdoor.
What happened?" he demanded to know, almost pushing Natsu up the wall.
"What do you mean?" Natsu answer, already ready for a fight.
"With Lucy dumber, don´t you think I see your longing face or her unsure attitude against you? It´s like you broke up or something, but still not."
"Yeah, sort off I guess." Natsu murmured still angry.
"And?"
"She´s not interested okay! Are you satisfied now because I´m out of here." Natsu growled as he tried to walk away but Grey stopped him.
"No not a bit. You say that you don´t care about that jackass chasing after her right now?"
"Grey back off! I´m not in the mood for revealing my heart or crying on your shoulder." Natsu made a disgust grimace about the meaning of his words. "I can´t do anything about it. And why do you care about me, aren´t you interested in her too?"
Gray smiled. "I really like Lucy, but a guy know when she isn´t your girl to hit on. I could never be with here because it would only be a matter of time…" he went silent.
"What?" Natsu demanded to know surprised over his answer.
"Nothing, but right now you have to make sure that you´re not letting that freak scoop you off." Grey shakes his head. "Mavis… how stupid could you be. Right now Lucy seems pretty confused, take advantage of her confusion before that jerk does."
"I don´t want to take advantage of her…" Natsu protested.
"You want Lucy right?"
He nodded, it was no lie that his soul were longing after the stellar spirit mage.
"Then don´t try to be the good guy Natsu, because I already know how incredible egoistic you is. And when you want something you never stop from getting it. You don´t see it maybe, but even now you´re playing with her."
"I´m not playing…"
"Earlier today on the ladder! You have been avoiding her for the latest week and now you needed her help. Lucy nearly started running when you called her name, I´ve never seen her doing that before. So yeah, you are playing a pretty cruel game."
Natsu growled and got out of Greys corner, the ice mage just shrugged and went inside again leaving the fire mage in deep thoughts that made his brain ache.
Was he playing with the blonde? Punishing her for making his heart ache by doing the same to her. It made him feel disgusted by himself. But at the same time he knew that he wouldn´t stop. This was the only way for him to get her to react and he liked feeling in control over situations. It was just like Grey said, he was egoistic in heart. He wanted what belonged to him and even if it seemed like his body stopped from getting it, his brain never did. He was surprised how Lucy seemed so different; maybe she was ready for the next step. Natsu knew better than trying to kiss her again, but if he got her to kiss him then he would win. With a big grin spreading on his lips he went back into the guild for finishing his drink.
Sometimes it´s good to work 24 hours at once. Then you got time to write two chapters during the night ;)
