The Dragon and His Girl
Chapter Eight
Dedicated to ToastedWeirdBrain
Lucy felt warm and comfortable as she slept through the night. Exhaling, she snuggled closer to her pillow, arms wrapping around her.
She froze. Since when did pillows have arms? Opening her eyes in a panic, pink hair was the first thing she saw. There was only one person she knew that has pink hair.
Natsu. Her mate. In her bed.
Tossing the covers aside, she quickly moved away from his embrace, falling out of bed in the process. The loud thud woke Natsu up.
"W-what are you doing h-here?" she sputtered, staring at him with wide eyes.
"Morning Lucy," he sat up yawning. "I should be the one asking you that."
"Huh?"
He stretched lazily before he looked back at her with a playful smirk. "This is my room."
"WHAT?!" True enough, when she looked around, white plain walls greeted her instead of her lavender and rose ones. Holy guacamole! How did she get there?!
"I'm so sorry," she cried out in embarrassment, running out of the room hurriedly, as his laughter echoed. Thankfully, nobody was out in the hallway when she ran back to her room. Closing the door behind her, she flopped to her bed, landing ungracefully on her stomach. This mate thing was very, very, very dangerous to her sanity.
Trying to get over the embarrassing incident, Lucy then took a quick shower. While drying her hair, she scanned her wardrobe for the perfect outfit. What was she supposed to wear? After school, she will be going to the mall with Natsu. Was it a date? Her face burned at the thought, repeatedly convincing herself that it wasn't a date. They were merely going shopping together. Ten minutes later, she finally settled on her cute denim jumper shorts over a gray fitted sleeveless shirt and a pair of black sneakers. She tied her hair on a side ponytail, applied light blush and a bit of eyeliner then grabbed her salmon shade lip tint for later.
She didn't see Natsu until she had left for school. He probably went back to sleep and she was still too shy to face him after what had happened. Pushing the thoughts aside, she prepared herself for a new day in school. She will see him in a few hours anyway, and it's something to look forward to.
"Tell me what you know," Laxus demanded, staring calmly at the prisoner chained against the wall.
The hunter remained silent. Laxus crossed his arms, as a lightning bolt shot out from his body and into the man in front of him. The dragon master watched as the hunter's eyes grew wide before shouting in pain when it hit him.
"What the… fuck… are… you?" the hunter wheezed, his breathing labored. Another bolt shot out and he screamed again.
"I think you're forgetting the position you're in," Laxus berated. "I'm the only one who gets to ask the questions. Do you understand?"
"Fuck y-" The hunter wasn't able to finish because he was screaming in pain once more.
"Do you understand?" Laxus repeated.
"Not telling you anything- AAAAHH!"
"I can do this for hours you know," Laxus said boredly. "Electrocute you until you pass out. And when you wake up, I'll do it again. You can't escape. You can't die because we'll keep you alive until you 'fess up. So I suggest you weigh your options now."
"Just kill me already."
"I'd love to. If you confess, I'll grant you a painless death," Laxus stated blankly. "I'll be back in 30 minutes. Let me know your decision then." With that, he walked away.
Classes ended soon enough and she was finally making her way out of the school building. Juvia and Levy had to go to the library to work on an assignment they had so she was alone. Passing by the football field, she saw the school team practicing. Sting immediately sensed her, glancing to where she was with a wave. Beside him, Rogue gave a curt nod when he spotted her. She smiled, waving back.
It was cute how Sting and Rogue totally contrast each other- from their physical appearance, attitude and even their dragons and yet they were best friends. Sting represented the light- lively and hot-headed. Rogue was the shadow- quiet and calm. They perfectly balanced each other out.
She continued on her way until she reached the gates. True to his promise, Natsu was waiting for her outside, looking rather attractive in a black shirt and jeans. He was leaning back against a white Audi that she didn't know he had. His arms were crossed and she could see the muscles in his arms. He was hot alright.
She had learned at a young age that male shifters were in very good physical shape, having regularly seen them train without their shirts on. Natsu wasn't bulky, but he was tall and fit and she could almost see his six pack and V line under his shirt. Yep, definitely hot.
He smirked when he caught her checking him out, enjoying the sight of a blush on her cheeks. He waited as she made her way to him, never taking his eyes off her. She was honestly the most beautiful girl he had ever seen. He held out his hand, Igneel wagging his tail like a puppy in his mind when she took it with no delay. Pulling her in his arms, he took a deep breath, taking in the scent of mango nectar and hibiscus that was solely hers.
"Hi," he whispered in her ear. "I missed you."
She sighed contentedly, lithe arms wrapping around his waist. "Me too." She pulled away after a few seconds. "Did you just buy a new car?"
"Well, since I'll be staying here for a while, I thought I should get one," he said with a careless shrug. "This way, I'd be able to pick you up from school everyday."
Did he do it for her? She didn't dare ask, but the possibility alone made her happy. "We shou-" Her stomach growled. "I'm hungry."
He chuckled. "Okay, we'll eat first before shopping." Leading her to the passenger's side of the car, he opened the door for her like a true gentlemen.
"How was school?" he asked conversationally when they were both inside the car.
"School was school," she answered distractedly, too busy exploring the luxurious car. "Nothing interesting happened." She breathed in deeply. "I love the smell of a new car, and leather seats!"
He smirked in amusement at her childlike excitement as he started to drive. "Do you have somewhere specific that you want to go?"
She shook her head. "Not really."
"I was thinking of grabbing some light snacks in the mall and then have dinner after shopping? If it's okay with you?"
She nodded, not caring where to eat or what to eat, as long as she got to eat. "Yeah, sure."
Three hours later, they exit the mall, arms filled with shopping bags. Natsu apparently hated shopping, thus he decided to buy a month's worth of wardrobe so he never had to go shopping again. He insisted that she go buy things for herself as well, even offering to pay, but she politely refused. Before classes started, she already did a grand online shopping spree from her favorite brands. She mostly shopped online. It was convenient and she didn't want to go to the mall with three guards behind her.
Shopping with Natsu had been fun. He had asked her to help him and she quite enjoyed dressing him up. By the time they were done, she was surprised that three hours had gone by.
"Ready for dinner?" he asked as soon as they placed everything inside the car.
"Yeah, I'm starved."
When she realized where he was taking her, she was so happy she could almost kiss him. As soon as he parked in front of her favorite restaurant, she jumped out, not even waiting for him to open the door for her.
It was a restaurant called Pegasus and served the best Italian dishes in the city. When her parents were still alive, they would take her there during Sundays. The place held good memories.
"Are you okay?" he asked concernedly when she zoned out, just staring at the place.
She nodded. "My parents used to take me here when they were still alive. I have a lot of fun memories in this place."
He held out his hand with a boyish grin. "Let's make more fun memories then."
Staring at his hand, she realized that no matter what happened, she would be taking this hand, wherever it may lead her. She would always be holding this hand. Always.
"Let's," she agreed with a gleeful smile, reaching out to take it.
xxx
Note: I'd be dedicating chapters to my avid reviewers from now on. So if you review please leave a name. Hehe.
So about mate bonds... The attraction is instant, but love is not. They may be predestined, but completing the bond would be a choice, so is falling in love. For shifters, the bond is very strong, especially for those with higher ranks, like Natsu. But they are better in controlling it as well. For a human mate like Lucy, she would still feel it but not as strong. So if Lucy gets clingy, just imagine the torture for Natsu.
I'll be on vacation and will be back next week. Don't forget to review. Thanks to everyone who always do. You rock!
