Chapter Ten: Stereotypes
Natsu and Lucy turned to face the people who interrupted their moment. The pink haired teen was completely aware of who the two boys were, but Lucy was lost. She'd never seen them before, so she wasn't sure what to expect.
"Lovely day we're having," a teenage male with medium length, dirty blonde hair said. His voice was laced with a sarcastic tone, his sharp yellow eyes glaring at Natsu as if he had a personal vendetta with the pink haired teen.
Lucy took a step closer to Natsu, her hand gripping his hand tighter in hopes that it would calm her nerves. She'd never seen the two boys in front of them, but judging by the way Natsu tensed, she guessed they were bad news.
She looked at the one who had just spoken to them. Around his right eye he had black spots. She guessed they were birthmarks, but she wouldn't be surprised if they were tattoos. He wouldn't be the first teenager at this school she saw with a facial tattoo. Jellal had been a prime example, with a red tribal marking over his right eye as well.
The other male with him was a lot taller than everyone else in the area. He had long hair, but Lucy was unsure of the color. It looked like a mixture between brown, blonde and green. The predominant color was definitely blonde though. He had a mean gaze, his eyes looking devoid of emotions.
The shorter male snickered, "what's wrong? Cat got your tongue?" He teased Natsu, giving the pink haired teen all of his attention. "Or maybe it's a jackal?"
A light bulb went off in Lucy's head. The conversation she had with Levy two weeks ago surfaced in her mind. It was when they spoke in the library about Natsu's past.
"Who were the people making fun of him?"
"His name is Jackal. I'm sure you've seen him around."
Lucy had heard the name a few more times since that talk, but she still didn't have a face to place with the name, until now. If that was Jackal, then she assumed the other male was Tempester, but she wasn't sure.
"What do you want Jackal?" Natsu finally asked, his voice sounded strong, but she could feel the subtle shaking from his hand. He was nervous, and Lucy could only guess why.
"What are you doing on our field?" The dirty blond demanded an answer, placing his hands on his hips.
"The season's over," Natsu started, not taking his eyes off the shorter male. "We can use it if we want."
Lucy was surprised he was speaking that way to the other guys. She thought for sure he'd revert back to his shy self, but Natsu seemed confident -and honestly a little stubborn. She found this side of him appealing, though she'd never say that out loud.
"What are you doing here anyway?" Jackal asked, taking two quick steps to Natsu and snatching his phone from his hand before he could react.
"Hey! Give that back!" The pink haired teen took a step towards the male with dirty blond hair, unaware that he was doing exactly what the bully wanted him to do. For every step Natsu took towards Jackal, the other male took a quicker step back.
They were a good distance away before Jackal laughed. "Hey Tempester! He's playing that dumb Pokémon game!"
Natsu held back a growl as the two teens stopped with their steps. "Just give it back."
"No way, I think I want to try to play," Jackal said in a mocking tone. "I have no idea why all you losers are playing this game." He smirked, "maybe I should just get rid of some of these Pokémon, that'll make your game more interesting."
"Don't you dare!" Natsu clenched his fists. It might be 'just a game', but he spent a lot of time and effort to collect and raise those Pokémon. It wasn't fair for Jackal to transfer them, since he clearly didn't understand how important they were to Natsu.
"I have a better idea," the bully grinned, then threw Natsu's phone several feet to the side. "Go fetch!"
The pink haired teen glowered at Jackal. He didn't want to 'go fetch', but at the same time he needed to retrieve his phone. He just bought this one recently, and it would take months to save up enough money to buy a new one if this one got damaged. Plus Natsu could only imagine how much further Gray would get in Pokémon GO while he was without a phone.
Hating himself for giving in, he turned, then walked over to where his device fell. He took only two steps before hearing Jackal take off in a sprint through the field. Natsu glanced over, wondering what the hell he was doing before he realized he left Lucy all by herself.
It seemed like his fears were coming true before his eyes. Jackal was already standing in front of Lucy while she was looking directly at Natsu. He started heading back towards her, and caught the short conversation between them.
"I don't believe we've met," the shorter male smiled, revealing teeth sharper than Natsu's. Lucy didn't think that was possible, but she couldn't deny what she saw. "My name is Jackal, Magnolia High's quarterback. And you are?"
"Not interested in talking to you," Lucy said with a sharp tongue. She wouldn't let this guy intimidate her, or attempt to charm her. She crossed her arms over her chest, angry over seeing the way this guy treated her best friend.
"Oh, you're feisty. I like that." His fingers came out, caressing the red bow holding up her side ponytail. "How much for a night with you, Blondie?" Jackal asked, his eyes tracing every curve on Lucy's body with a lewd expression.
She took a step back, thoroughly creeped out now. "What are you talking about?" The girl narrowed her eyes in disgust, but the action went unnoticed, since Natsu yelled at the boys while she was talking.
"Just leave her alone! She's not bothering anyone," the pink haired teen looked furious, a fire dancing in his dark green eyes. Lucy had never seen him this riled up, she didn't know what to make of it. He took one more step closer to Lucy, but a shadowy figure blocked his path.
"Nah," the larger male spoke. "The fun's just starting. You never answered Jackal's question."
"Thank you Tempester, Natsu over here is being so rude by interrupting us." The quarterback looked back at Lucy. "So how much?"
"I don't know what you're talking about," she answered honestly, feeling sick with what he was implying.
Jackal circled around Lucy, the dark glint in his eyes sending shivers down her spine. He threw an arm around her waist, pulling her flush against him. She let out a gasp when her chest collided with his, knocking the air from her lungs. She vaguely heard Natsu yell, but his voice quickly turned into a muffle.
She struggled against his tight grip, finding it difficult since the male was much stronger than her. "Let me go you creep!"
A devious laugh rang in her ears, Jackal's hot breath fanning over her ear as he whispered, "I could do things to you that would make your mind explode." His words were accommodated with a harsh slap to her ass, causing her to wince.
The blonde's eyes widened, fear and anger fueling her actions as she pulled her leg up, then threw it backwards, hitting Jackal's body as hard as she could. She wasn't sure where she struck, but he fell to the ground holding his thigh, so she guessed there.
Once she was free, Lucy looked around for Natsu, finding him in the larger male's hold. A hand was placed over his mouth, keeping the squirming boy quiet. Once he saw Lucy, he calmed down, knowing she wasn't being touched anymore.
Distracted by his friend falling, Tempester's hold on Natsu loosened, letting the pink haired teen escape. He jabbed his elbow into the taller male's gut, causing him to wheeze as he clutched at his stomach. Natsu gave him no time to recover before throwing a swift punch to the guy's face.
"What the fuck!" The larger male tried covering his face, but Natsu was faster, giving him one more punch for good measures.
Tempester went down, groaning in pain. The pink haired teen ignored him, eyes searching for the asshole who violated Lucy right in front of him. He found Jackal, still laying on the ground. The male with dirty blond hair was starting to get up, pausing in a kneeling position.
"You're gonna pay, Blondie," Jackal said as he stood up.
He was taller than Lucy, towering over the girl before lunging at her. He barely made it a foot towards her before someone grabbed her wrist and jerked her out of the way. At the same time, Natsu was charging towards Jackal at a fast pace.
The pink haired male threw all of his weight into hitting Jackal, knocking the other male off his feet, forcing him to land on his butt as Natsu threw punch after punch his way. The dirty blond blocked some of them, but most struck his face, irritating him that the school's biggest dork was dominating him.
Natsu was about to punch him one more time, but another male's voice shouted at him.
"Hey! Natsu, let him go! You won already, now get off!"
Said boy glanced up, eyes locking with the football team's wide receiver. "Sting?" Before he got confirmation, he was being thrown off by the boy underneath him.
"You're gonna wish you never touched me," Jackal sneered, pulling his arm back to strike Natsu. However, the hit never landed, since a strong hand grabbed his arm.
"Seriously you two," a black haired male with piercing red eyes scolded, "knock it off."
"This has nothing to do with you Rogue!" Jackal practically spat, angered that he was being denied the chance to fight with the dork who was now walking over to the blonde girl.
Lucy was standing by a teenage boy who appeared to be their age. He had spiky blonde hair and clear blue eyes. If it wasn't for the scar running through his eyebrow, he could pass as a model. He was definitely handsome, even with the facial scar.
Natsu didn't hesitate to wrap an arm around Lucy once he reached her, not sure if the fight was truly over or not. Until he knew, he would do everything he could to make sure no one touched her inappropriately again.
'Wait... Isn't that what I'm doing right now?' He thought once he realized Lucy probably didn't want his hands on her either. He quickly let go of her, opting to stand closer instead of directly touching.
He looked down at his hands. His right one was sore, and he realized why. His knuckles were bruising, and there was a bit of blood smeared on them. He wiped the blood off in the grass, but more beads of the crimson liquid surfaced, letting him know he cut open his hand.
A girl with very short, light blue -almost silver- hair came up to Lucy, her soft voice sounded soothing despite the tense atmosphere. "Are you hurt?" She looked up at the blonde with concerned eyes.
"I'm fine," Lucy lied, she was anything but fine. Her heart was beating out of control, her butt still stung from the slap, and she wished Natsu didn't let go of her. He was the only thing keeping her from freaking out in that moment.
Going against her better judgement, she reached out, her hand grabbing Natsu's with a tight grip. The pink haired teen flinched for a second before calming down. He was relieved she wanted to have contact with him just as much as he did. He was more glad that she didn't grab his bloody hand that still hadn't stopped dripping. He held it out, making sure to keep it away from his clothes. He'd never hear the end of it if his mom found out he ruined something else.
"Why don't you just leave?" Sting suggested, his hands making a shooing motion. "Or should I tell coach you were fucking with Natsu again?"
Jackal glared at him, his arms crossing over his chest as he huffed, "like I give a fuck what he thinks. He won't do shit and you know it. He needs me on the team." He would have been more intimidating if it weren't for the busted chin Natsu gave him. It was still bleeding, staining his shirt.
The quarterback thought he had the upper hand until Lucy spoke up. "How about I tell your girlfriend about you slapping my ass!"
Everyone was now glancing at Lucy, similar looks being shared among them. Mostly they gawked, shocked that she would mention that. The girl wasn't backing down though, angry that she was sexually assaulted. "What's her name again... Oh yeah, Kyôka! I'm sure she'd love to hear about that!"
She seemed confident, but Natsu could feel the tremors coursing through her body as he tightened his grip on her hand. He'd never seen Lucy so scared. It pained him to see her going through this, knowing well how difficult it was to deal with bullies. He was barely fighting off the urge to give into his anxiety. If Lucy wasn't here than he knew he'd succumb to the feeling.
"You wouldn't dare!" Jackal glared at the blonde before him. No one ever threatened him, so he wasn't sure how to handle it. The only thing he knew was to call her bluff, hoping she would back down without dragging it out further. He opened his mouth to give her a warning, but a hand rested on his shoulder, causing him to tense.
"We should get going," Tempester whispered, "I don't want Kyôka to find out, because I know she'll find a way to blame me." Both boys shuddered, knowing how terrifying the girl could be when she was angered. "We'll get them back, don't you worry."
"Fine," the dirty blond grunted, then raised his voice so everyone could hear him. "Play your stupid game, I don't give a shit!"
"What game?" The male known as Rogue asked.
"Pokémon GO," Natsu answered for him, causing Jackal to glare at him in disgust.
The blond male with spiky locks started laughing, "is that what this is all about?" He glanced over to the black haired male, "we were just talking about how awesome that game is! I'm addicted to it!"
It pissed Jackal off that he said that. Sting was part of the football team. He was supposed to act a certain way. It was simple: be cool. Instead of doing that, he just proved how different he was by enjoying a game meant for kids and dorks with too much time on their hands. He shook his head, hating that the guy was actually needed on the team for them to have a chance at winning next season.
"You're all fucking losers," Jackal finally groused. He wiped his bloody chin off on his sleeve, then glared at Natsu's dripping hand. "I swear if I catch your freaky disease I'm going to kill you." That empty threat was the last thing he said before him and Tempester turned to leave the football field.
Sting whispered loud enough so everyone but Jackal and Tempester could hear, "don't mind him. He's just upset he's failing math. Coach threatened to cut him from the team if he can't get his grade up soon."
Lucy's eyebrows rose. 'Why would he pick on Natsu just because his own grade is low?' The concept made no sense to Lucy, who was still fairly new to going to a real school.
Natsu didn't pay attention to Sting's words. He was waiting until the bullies were completely out of sight before releasing Lucy's hand. He tried to ignore the pounding in his chest, but it was no use. He knew Lucy heard what Jackal said. He didn't want her to think she could catch an imaginary disease that most people seemed to think he had. That would really make him panic.
"I'll be right back," he said as he left to search the ground, trying to find his phone. It wasn't hard to spot, since it had a red case on, contrasting easily against the green grass.
"Is your phone okay?" Lucy asked, trying to peer over Natsu's shoulder as he inspected it. He didn't realize she'd followed him.
"Yeah," he said, showing her the undamaged device. "My case protected it." He was glad. His money could go to better things than replacing his phone for no reason.
The blonde sighed in relief, "that's good." She glanced down at his hand, seeing it was covered in blood. He cringed, waiting for her reaction. He was guessing she'd either think he was disgusting or a freak. 'Or both...' He wasn't completely optimistic at this point, but he still hoped they could remain friends.
Lucy didn't think twice when she undid the red ribbon in her hair. She searched through her backpack, pulling out a small package of tissues. Levy told her the rumors that Natsu has a contagious disease were lies, and even if Levy hadn't said anything, Lucy trusted Natsu to warn her if she was actually at risk of getting infected with something. To her knowledge, all he had was motion sickness, and that definitely wasn't something she could catch.
Natsu tried not to flinch away when she brought the tissues to his knuckles, shocked by what she was doing. Lucy made sure to be delicate with him, not wanting to spook him. She dabbed them against his skin, soaking up most of the blood. Then she pulled out her water bottle and squirted some of the water on his hand.
The pink haired teen watched as she cleaned his hand with a tender touch. He felt the heat flooding his cheeks, especially when her pretty eyes flitted up at him to check his reactions, or to ask if he was okay. When she dried off his hand, it looked mostly clean.
Lucy balled up the dirty tissues in a clean one. She was about to put it in her backpack when Natsu reached out his hand. She gave them to him, then watched as he stuffed them in his pants.
That's when she started wrapping the ribbon around his knuckles -that were already trying to bleed again.
"I can't let you do that," Natsu said, attempting to pull his hand away from her.
She held on tight, not surrendering. "It's fine, I have more." She was careful to keep it secure enough to stop the bleeding, but not too loose that it would slip off. She tied it up, smiling at her work.
Without thinking, she brought his hand to her lips. She softly kissed the bandaged hand, hoping it would take away any pain he might be feeling. At the same moment, Natsu's heart nearly stopped. His breath hitched, his body tensed. She was kissing his hand, and he had no idea how he was supposed to react. He decided on averting his eyes so she couldn't see how flustered she made him.
When she let go of his hand, he flexed his knuckles. The ribbon worked well, though he couldn't completely move his fingers. It would do its job until he got home and cleaned it properly. "Th-thanks a lot. Where'd you learn to do that?" He still wasn't meeting her gaze, terrified that he'd reveal how he truly felt about her.
"I used to practice on my stuffed animals when they got hurt," Lucy said, then immediately regretted even talking. She hadn't meant to confess that, realizing how childish it sounded.
"Oh my gosh, I mean... Uh, not like toys. They were-" She started to panic. 'Don't say they were your friends growing up. He's going to think you're psychotic.' Despite her own advice, she opened her mouth and said, "-my friends."
'Too late!'
The blonde didn't know what else to do. She'd never been so embarrassed in her life. She did the only thing that seemed reasonable to her. She sat down and curled up into a tight ball as quickly as she could.
Natsu stared down at Lucy. She had just said one of the weirdest things he'd ever heard in his entire life -and he'd heard some crazy stuff before. A large grin took over his face. He crouched down, poking her knee. He was glad she was wearing shorts under her skirt, otherwise he'd be able to see her panties, and that'd be awkward. "Luce?"
"Go away," she mumbled against her legs. "Lucy's not here anymore. She died of embarrassment."
"That's too bad," Natsu said, finding some newfound confidence. He was starting to realize there was no reason to be afraid of Lucy. If his crush -the beautiful blonde who seemed perfectly imperfect in every single way possible- could say things that dorky... Well, it made him think for a second that he wasn't that bad off after all.
Natsu was sure she could hear the smile in his voice when he said, "I guess I'm going to have to go on our date by myself." He saw the way she tensed, only making him burst into laughter. "Just get up you weirdo," he grabbed her hands and pulled her up despite her weak protests.
He brought the blonde to her feet easily. She pouted, but it was useless against him. He was already in a much better mood, thanks to Lucy's honesty. It made him want to ask her more about her adventures with these stuffed animals. How did they get hurt? Did she do the same thing to them that she did to Natsu, or did she improvise with other things? What were their names? Did she still have them? He was already forming a long list of silly questions to ask her, though he knew she'd think he was teasing her.
Lucy finally brought her head up. Her face was extremely red, and she couldn't bring herself to look Natsu in the eyes. She glanced around, gaze landing on the three students from earlier walking up to them.
The heat drained from Lucy's face. She leaned towards her best friend, whispering in his ear, "who are they exactly?"
The pink haired male shoved his phone in his pocket before looking towards the small group who stopped in front of them. "They're some acquaintances," he kept it as vague as possible.
"What?" The spiky blond haired male gawked, "I thought we were friends!"
Natsu forced an uneasy laugh. "I just tutored you a few times," he didn't think that changed their status to friends. Especially since they used to pick on him as well. He was just thankful their friend Minerva got them to stop, because now they were halfway tolerable.
"My name's Sting Eucliffe," the blond male stuck out his hand to Lucy, ignoring Natsu's statement. "If it wasn't for Natsu, I would have flunked last year. Don't listen to him, we're totally friends."
Lucy let out a soft giggle when she saw the pink haired teen's irritated glare. She thought he looked adorable, but she decided not to say anything. "My name's Lucy Ashley."
Natsu's eyes flitted over to Lucy, studying her face. She looked so calm and peaceful, even when lying about her last name. They had a talk a few days after they met about her keeping her true last name a secret, and he respected her wishes. However, seeing how she could lie with such a straight face made him uneasy. It made him wonder what else she could be lying about.
The pink haired teen shook his head. 'Lucy's not like that,' he repeated the message in his head a few more times before letting out a deep breath. He whispered to himself, "She's not like that..." He smiled, believing his own words. It would be enough for now.
When Natsu looked back at Lucy, she was already being introduced to someone else. "My name is Yukino Agria," the girl with light blue hair offered her hand to shake. "I've heard a lot about you."
The blonde cocked her head, "you have?"
Yukino nodded, but gave no further explanation. Lucy didn't know if she should ask what she heard, because honestly she wasn't sure she wanted to know. This school seemed like toxic when it came to stories and rumors. She would prefer it if people stayed out of her business, but she already knew that was impossible at Magnolia High.
After she was done shaking the girl's hand, the blonde glanced over to the male with black hair and scary red eyes. He seemed to be in a foul mood, judging by the frown on his face. He didn't say anything for a few moments until Sting elbowed him in the arm.
The black haired male scowled at the other teen before looking at Lucy with that indifferent expression he wore so well. "I'm Rogue Cheney."
"Nice to meet you," Lucy said, but she wasn't honestly sure it was true since he looked like he didn't care either way.
She was thankful the trio came to their rescue, but she sensed tension from Natsu, which put her on edge. She absentmindedly stepped closer to her best friend until their arms touched. Just the little contact was enough to settle her nerves. His warm skin sent jolts through her arm, causing goosebumps to line her skin. A small smile formed on her face at the same time her blush showed up.
Things started looking better -at least that's what it seemed like. Of course the moment was bound to be ruined in three, two, one.
"Whoa, so it is true!" Sting's smile grew wide. "You two are really an item?"
"What!?" Lucy jerked, thrown off by his enthusiasm. She glanced over to Natsu, seeing the pink tint to his cheeks. Despite the heat, he buried his nose in his scarf, his blush hiding from watchful eyes.
"We're just friends," Natsu quickly mumbled, though once he admitted that, he felt a pang in his heart. 'Just friends...' He wished it could be different, but knew it could always be worse. They could not even know each other, or be enemies. Hell, she could have been one of the bullies who picked on him!
In the long run he was fine with being her friend, as long as she was happy.
The blonde female felt a similar painful feeling in her chest. She tried to hide the disappointment from her voice, but it leaked out a bit. "Yeah... What he said..."
"Are you sure?" Yukino asked, studying the two students who looked extremely close for 'just friends'.
He pulled his scarf down, letting him talk normally. "Pretty sure," the pink haired teen said, wondering what she meant. 'How would we not be sure?' He would know if he was dating Lucy...
"Ignore them," Rogue finally spoke again. "They're just nosy.
"Already on it," Natsu brushed off what they said, knowing it was silly to give himself false hope. Lucy could have any guy she wanted. There was no way she'd pick him. "Thanks and all for the help, but we're gonna head out to get food."
"Are you two going on a date?" Sting waggled his eyebrows.
Heat immediately filled Natsu's cheeks, remembering they both agreed it would be their second date. "N-no... None of your business!"
"Not a date?" Sting looked beyond amused. "Then you wouldn't mind if we tagged along, right?"
Natsu opened his mouth to retort. He tried to say any excuse he could think of that would discourage them from joining, but none came to mind. He looked over to Lucy, hoping she would come up with a good answer.
"Sure," Lucy said, causing Natsu to internally groan.
He really wanted to spend some alone time with Lucy. This was there first real chance in two weeks, but it seemed like fate had other plans. He just couldn't catch a break.
'Just when I thought we were finally gonna be alone...'
Added some new characters!
Thank you for the favorites and follows! And thank you to those who reviewed: cookie panda-roo, westerngoddess, Dark Shining Light, NaluNom, Shunakoo25, Mad Cheshire Rabbit, SakuraStar1862, KittyCrow12, Ashnmarley, Crimsonlink310, FlameDragonHime, OtakuFaithy, bluey-bear, & NeonElement!
I know I don't always respond, but I promise I read every single review and they make me so freakin' happy. Literally, I smile at my phone like an idiot every time I read them, people stare, but I don't care! :D
Up next, Chapter Eleven: Jealousy. (Who wants to see a jealous Lucy?)