~ Shooting Stars Across Fiore ~

NaLu Week 2017


Profanity

Natsu was pissed. It was three in the morning and for the fifth day in a row there was some psychotic asshole screaming his head off down the hall.

The guy did not live in the building, Natsu knew that much, but somehow he kept getting in.

Probably Misses Babasaama on the third floor, he thought. Old bat keeps leaving the door open for her cats.

Whatever the reason, Natsu had to be up early for work and losing sleep for five days in a row was making him irritable.

Natsu sighed and started to pull himself out of bed, trying not to disturb the sleeping cat on his pillow. He tugged on a loose pair of sweatpants and made his way to the front door. Usually someone made the maniac go away after he had shouted himself hoarse in an empty hallway and wandered off, but tonight the poor soul he was after had come out of hiding and the man seemed determined to stay.

"LET ME IN GODDAMMIT YOU FUCKING WHORE!" the man was screaming as Natsu opened his door.

A tall, red-haired man in a rumpled business suit was standing in front of a unit on the other end of the hall from Natsu, so his entrance went unnoticed. The man was drunk and slumped where he stood, looking about to topple over at any moment. A young, blonde woman in her tiny sleepwear was standing between him and the door he shouted at. Natsu recognized her vaguely as the single tenant who lived there although they had never spoken before.

"You need to go away," she said with practiced patience, shutting her door firmly behind her.

"I just want to be with you, Lucy," the man wailed, trying to push past her into the apartment. "Just be with me again."

"No. Go home." She shoved him away from her. Her arms crossed over her chest and she looked even more annoyed than Natsu felt.

"YOU ARE GOING TO LET ME IN, YOU ARE GOING TO GET IN THAT BED AND LET ME FUCK YOU LIKE THE GOOD LITTLE BITCH YOU ARE." The man started frothing at the mouth. Natsu's eyes widened at the mood swings the man was going through and stepped forward to interfere.

"I WILL DO NO SUCH THING!" the woman, Lucy, screamed back, stopping Natsu in his tracks. "YOU WILL GET OUT OF MY FUCKING BUILDING OR I WILL CALL THE FUCKING COPS. HOW DID YOU FIND ME?"

The man toppled over and fell to his knees. "Why don't you love me anymore, Lucy?"

"You cheated on me with my roommate, to start. You set my fucking apartment on fire, you poisoned my dog and fucking killed her, you mailed me a box of bees that I'm FUCKING ALLERGIC TO and now you have apparently managed to stalk me across the fucking country!"

"I told you I was sorry," he whined.

"Sorry will never cut it. Anyway, I'm seeing someone else now. Another guy in the building and if you don't leave right now, he will come up here and kick your ass."

Natsu knew she was lying about that. He was the only guy in the building under fifty and none of them were single or midlife crisis crazy. He himself had barely spoken two words to her. The man on the floor was too inebriated to know that though and took her words at face value. Getting back onto shaky legs, the man's face turned purple with rage.

"I WILL FUCKING KILL YOU, BITCH! HOW DARE YOU CHEAT ON ME WITH SOME RANDOM FUCK! YOU ARE MINE AND MINE ALONE! YOU'RE GONNA LET ANOTHER MAN TOUCH THAT PATHETIC PUSSY AND THINK YOU CAN GET AWAY WITH IT? I AM GOING TO STRAP YOU DOWN OVER A CHAIR AND SHOVE MY COCK UP YOUR PRETTY LITTLE ASS AS I CHOKE THE EVER FUCKING LIFE OUT OF YOU. THEN I'LL THROW YOU OFF A BRIDGE YOU UNGRATEFUL HARLOT!"

Natsu stepped forward. He was not going to let this man murder someone in his building. Or at all, if he could help it. His neighbor's stubbornness was fading away to fear and after what she had already said this man had done to her, Natsu did not want to find out how serious he was..

"Lucy, babe? Is everything alright?" he called out to her. He could play pretend boyfriend if that meant diffusing or redirecting the man's anger.

Lucy's eyes shot over to him with surprise. A smile of relief broke out across her face as she recognized him and realized his willingness to play along.

"Hey, honey. This guy is just leaving. I should be okay," she called back.

The red-haired man turned around, stumbling, to look at Natsu. He slurred out, "Who're you?"

Natsu shoved him aside and wrapped an arm around Lucy protectively. She melted into his embrace easily and blushed against his bare chest. Natsu tried not to chuckle.

"Natsu Dragneel. Lucy's boyfriend. You?" Natsu cocked his head to the side with feigned interest. Lucy was trembling beneath his arm and he wanted to get her away from this guy quickly.

The man ignored him, his eyes focused on Lucy. "You left me for this punk?"

"She left you long before she met me," Natsu butted in.

Natsu saw the fist coming for him and pushed Lucy back before ducking down to dodge. He twisted up with an uppercut, connecting solidly to the man's jaw. The red-head slammed into the wall behind him and fell to the floor, unconscious.

Natsu bent over, hands on his knees, relieved that the man was out cold. He had not wanted to have a full out brawl in the middle of his hallway. Lucy started to cry behind him.

"Hey, hey, hey." Natsu crouched down by where she had crumpled against her door. "Don't cry. I'm going to call the cops. They'll take him away and he won't bother you again."

"T-th-thank you-u-u," she cried.

"How long has he been harassing you?" Natsu asked, standing back up to pull his phone out of his pocket.

"Three years," she sniffled. "I didn't know he was here until I woke up tonight."

"He's been at that door for the last five nights," Natsu commented. "That didn't wake you up?"

"I was house sitting for my friend. I haven't been here."

"That explains it then. Do you have a restraining order?"

Lucy shook her head. "Not one that's recognized in this state. I didn't think he would find me here."

Natsu nodded and pressed send on his phone. Someone picked up the other end almost instantly. "Hey, is the Chief in yet? It's Natsu… Yeah, that's fine. Thanks… Hey Erza, I need a pick-up at my place. Crazy guy in the hallway threatened my neighbor. Need a protection order issued tonight… Alright… Yeah, see you in a few."

"You're a cop?" Lucy asked as he hung up.

He grinned. "Firefighter, actually. I'm close with the police department though, one of my best friends works directly with the Chief."

"I see," she murmured. She wiped her tears off her cheeks and stood up. "Well, it is nice to meet you, Natsu. Thank you for pretending to be my boyfriend to help me out."

Natsu stared at the hand she stretched out between them then back to her face. He smiled, seeing the resilience shining from her eyes. He took her hand with a chuckle. "It's good to meet you too, Lucy."

Natsu waited with her until the dispatched unit arrived at their building and carted her ex off in the back of their cruiser. Lucy stared in awe as a scarlet haired bombshell of a woman took her statement and handed her a temporary restraining order, bidding her to come down to the station in the morning to file for a permanent one.

Natsu greeted the woman as she made her way outside, following her to the grass. "Thanks for coming, Erza."

The woman nodded. "Will Gray and I be seeing you at the bar on Saturday?"

"Probably. As long as Conbolt's kid doesn't blow up his science fair project again."

Erza chuckled and slapped his back. "Put a shirt on. You're turning into Gray."

Natsu bristled. "I'm nothing like that stripper and you know it!"

Erza was already walking away, her hand in the air to bid him a good night.

Natsu headed back inside, eager to get back to bed. His blonde neighbor was nowhere in sight. He assumed she was just as tired as he was and went inside to get back to sleep.


Natsu woke up the next night when he heard a loud scream from down the hall. He looked at the clock and cursed. Three in the morning.

"Are you fucking kidding me?" he whined to his ceiling. He had fallen asleep on the couch during a Deep Space Nine Star Trek marathon, about six episodes ago judging by his TV screen, and tomorrow was his first day off in two weeks.

Another squeal echoed through the hall, quieter this time. Natsu thought he recognized the voice from the night before and panicked.

"Shit," he breathed and jumped to his feet. He was still in his day clothes so he went straight for the door.

Natsu jogged down to the hall and stopped at her door. He smelled smoke and gas coming from within. When he heard soft curses coming from the other side of the door he started pounding on the wooden frame.

"Lucy, are you okay in there?" he called. He heard her stifle a shriek and soft footsteps approached the door. She opened the door a crack and peered through, door chain still in place.

"Oh, it's you Natsu," she sighed with relief. She closed the door and he heard her unlatch the lock before opening it again.

"What happened? Your screams woke me up. Did that guy come back?" Natsu saw a white towel wrapped around her forearm, dripping with water.

"I'm so sorry, Natsu," she smiled sheepishly and tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear. "I'm okay. He didn't come back. I didn't mean to wake you up."

"Are you alright?" he asked, reaching for the towel.

She tried to pull her arm back but he was too quick. The towel was damp but warm in his hand as he revealed a large red welt across the length of her arm. Lucy looked away, embarrassed.

"I burnt myself baking cookies," she muttered. "Arm hit the edge of the pan after I burned a batch."

"That explains the smell of smoke," he teased. "What kind of cookies."

"Chocolate chip."

"How burnt are they?"

"I wouldn't eat them."

"Did you throw them out?"

"Not yet."

"Can I have them?"

Lucy looked up as he wrapped the towel back around her arm. "Why do you want burnt cookies?"

Natsu shrugged. "I don't mind them if they're a little crispy. Also chocolate and why would you waste a cookie?"

"Well, the whole lot was supposed to be for you so… I guess they're yours by default." Lucy blushed and pulled her arm back to her chest.

Natsu smiled. "You're baking me cookies at three in the morning?"

Lucy's shoulders hunched as she hugged herself. "I wanted to thank you for last night. I don't do a ton of it but I like to bake. I didn't know what kind you liked but chocolate is chocolate unless you're allergic. I hope you're not fucking allergic -."

"Lucy." Natsu cut her off. He smiled as she looked up at him uncertainly. "I have no food allergies and my stomach is a bottomless pit. I eat everything. Chocolate chip cookies are perfect. Even the burnt ones."

Lucy smiled and stepped to the side. "Do you want to come in?"

Natsu considered it. He almost returned to his lounging until he heard the TV from her room. "Are you watching the Deep Space Nine marathon?"

She blushed again. "Yeah? I can change it if you want."

"Nah. I was watching it at my place anyway." He stepped into the apartment and headed for the kitchen. "Are the cookies in here?"

"Yeah."

"I could get used to waking up this early for cookies and Star Trek," he laughed, popping a crispy cookie into his mouth, and they made their way into the living room for the first of many late night marathons and freshly baked goods.


A/N - For anyone who wants to know, I threw in her babbling about allergies because I'm allergic to chocolate and this happens all the time. People try to do something nice and bring me sweets I can't eat. Luckily it's the thought that counts and I'm happy to have something to share. -xoxo