AN: Hello everyone! Sorry for the late update! I like to update all of my stories together and Family was giving me a hard time so I couldn't update. Anyways, re-reading this chapter I found that I switched POV's so if I missed something somewhere, sorry. :')

Chapter 21

Lucy P.O.V. (Saturday)

Rushing through the mansion I still refused to call home, I picked up anything that was where it didn't belong and put it in its rightful place. If there was a speck of dust, I cleaned it. If there was any trash laying anywhere, I picked it up. Was I going overboard? Maybe. But it was Natsu's first dinner at my place, one in which he would be meeting my dad under better circumstances.

Sure I could've had the staff clean it up like they were paid to do, but that was something I wasn't fond of doing. I preferred getting things done on my own. It wasn't like my legs were broken or anything. There was nothing hindering me from doing it myself.

"So, brat, finally got a boyfriend, huh?" a familiar and annoyed voice sounded from behind me while I fluffeded one of the cushions on the living room sofa.

I turned and smiled nervously while I answered, "He's not my boyfriend, Aquarius."

Aquarius was technically my swim coach, though I hadn't swam in years. Really she was only hired to teach me how to swim when I was a kid so that I wouldn't drown. But after becoming close friends with my mother- and somewhat my father- they decided to keep her along as my swim coach even after I learned to swim.

Aquarius was a woman in her twenties with fair skin and dark eyes that were usually narrowed in anger. Her hair was a bright blue, brighter than Levy's and Jellal's, that was slicked back, almost as if she had just gotten out of the pool. In all the time that I had known her, she always wore the same dangling crystal earrings and navy blue choker. Overall, the woman was beautiful but scary.

Aquarius was known for her attitude and temper. Since my mother died, I spent a lot of time trying to bug Aquarius to play with me when I was a kid. She would always get mad, but sometimes she would play with me. Truthfully, she was my first friend, there to keep me company in the loneliness of the mansion until Loke showed up.

"Huh? He's not your boyfriend?" Aquarius asked. "Then why the hell is he coming over here?"

I flushed from head to toe as I averted my gaze and answered, "B-Because I want Papa to get to know him."

Aquarius smirked and asked, "Huh? Is that right? Well then it looks like you're growing up, brat. It's about damn time you start dating. Then again, you'll never land a guy with your annoying personality."

"Oh hush! I am not annoying! And I'm not trying to get Natsu to be my boyfriend anyways!"

"You aren't?"

"No. He doesn't like me like that."

"Your father said otherwise."

"Well he doesn't know what he's talking about."

Aquarius gave an annoyed sigh.

"Maybe you should pay close attention around him," Aquarius suggested. "You think he doesn't feel the same? Watch him and find out. Watch his body language, expressions, and tone of voice. Compare it to how he is around others. If he doesn't like you, sucks for you. If he does, maybe you'll stop being an annoying brat in denial and accept it already."

"Your advice always has some sort of insult," I replied with a sigh. "Alright, alright. I'll watch him. Now can I get back to cleaning?"

Aquarius smirked before leaving me alone.

Levy P.O.V.

After throwing on my favorite orange sundress, I slipped on my sandals and raced out the door. I already had the route to Gajeel's apartment memorized, whether it be from my house or from the school. I could even walk there from Lucy's house if I wanted, but she lived far away that I don't think I would survive the walk.

Gajeel wasn't expecting me to come over today. I didn't really know I was either until I realized none of my books were interesting me and I needed something to do. What could beat spending time with my newfound boyfriend?

It hadn't even been a whole week of dating Gajeel and yet he seemed like the most important thing in my world. I knew I was moving too fast with my feelings but I couldn't help it. Truthfully, I caught myself wondering if I was in love. It sure felt like it. But then again, how would I know what love felt like?

I've read about it countless times and yet I still didn't have my head completely wrapped around the idea. Things were so new to me, the touches, the blushing, all of it. We kissed plenty of times- some of them pretty explicit- so maybe I was in love.

I shook my head and thought, "No. If I was in love, I would know."

And I believed that. I cared for Gajeel a lot but I wasn't in love with him. Not yet at least.

When I reached Gajeel's apartment, I knocked twice before his adoptive grandmother opened the door. The woman was kind towards me and I could tell she cared deeply for Gajeel as if he was her own flesh and blood. She was accepting of our relationship and made me feel like I could join their little family someday.

"Hello, Levy," she greeted with a kind smile.

"Hello," I replied. "Is Gajeel here?"

"He's actually at the shop for today. He told me he asked for longer hours and they are finally giving it to him. I'm sure the brat wouldn't mind if you dropped in on him."

"Oh okay. I guess I'll do that then! Goodbye!"

It took me another ten minutes until I was finally approaching the mechanic shop Gajeel worked part-time in. I heard before from Jellal that Gajeel used to skip school to work, so I knew that he must've loved his job. That, or he really hated school. Maybe even a combination of both.

Opening the door, I was met with the scent of oil and the sight of a bunch of cars. Some were new and probably only there for an oil change and others were banged up from accidents. Not being much of a car person, I didn't bother inspecting any of them. Instead, I went to ask the receptionist if Gajeel was there, only to be interrupted by the boy himself.

"What are you doing here, Shrimp?" he asked.

I turned around to face him and my heart stopped at the sight of him. He was in a basic tank top, showing off his muscular arms. Seriously, his muscles were probably bigger than my head. A bandana kept his hair out of his face and grime was all over him and yet I found him hot. Incredibly hot.

"Is he seriously my boyfriend?" I wondered, practically drooling over Gajeel. I couldn't tear my eyes away. How could someone so attractive be with someone like me?

Gajeel smirked, noticing me ogling him before notifying the person I thought was the receptionist but turned out being the manager that he was taking a break. Dragging me outside of the shop, he pulled me towards a bench outside and we sat down.

"So what are you doing here?" he asked again.

I felt my face warm up as I answered, "I just wanted to see you."

Gajeel raised a brow and asked, "Really? Why?"

"What do you mean why?" I asked irately. "Did you forget you're my boyfriend?"

"No but I figured you would be busy working on your project or something. Our presentations are due next week and I'm pretty sure you're the type to stress about it."

"I don't stress about schoolwork, it's easy to me, remember? And I have Jellal as a partner so he actually helps me."

"Alright. Don't want you being like Bunny Girl, getting distracted and stuff. Then your parents will never let you hang out with me. I mean, if you ever tell them about me in the first place."

"I'll tell them about you!" I stated, crossing my arms with a huff. "Just not yet… They're kinda traditional so I don't know how they'll take it."

Gajeel smirked and asked, "You mean that their daughter is dating a bad guy? I'm telling you now that my piercings ain't coming out, got it?"

"Yeah, yeah. I wouldn't ask you to take them out anyways. And you aren't a bad guy, Gajeel. You just didn't pay enough attention before in school. And you never listened to the teachers. And you skipped school. Alright, so you may be a bad boy. But hey, I like that."

"Oh really?" Gajeel asked with a smirk. "Little ol' Levy is into the bad boys huh? Does that mean I should go back to how I was before?"

"I didn't mean it like that!" I protested. "I meant that I like your courage that came with the bad boy act. You had a carefree life and I like your roughness. It makes you different, deeper. It makes you interesting."

Gajeel's cheeks turned pink as he averted his gaze, probably in an attempt to hide it. But I saw, and it made me giggle. Gajeel was rough around the edges but deep down he was like a teddy bear. A teddy bear with sharp teeth.

"I'm starving, let's go get something to eat," Gajeel said as he stood up from the bench.

I smirked and asked, "Are you asking me on a date?" Wow, before I would never have the courage to say something confident like that to a boy. But witih Gajeel it was like I could really be myself: a snarky nerd.

The boy blushed again and cursed under his breath before gently grabbing my wrist and leading me to who knows where. I glanced at his hand that was encircling my wrist and frowned. As nice as it was to have any physical contact, I wanted something a bit more… romantic. With crimson cheeks, I slid my hand out of his hold and into his hand and intertwined our fingers. I felt Gajeel tense but he didn't snatch his hand away, so that was a good sign.

With a triumphant smile, I let Gajeel lead the way silently to wherever he wanted to go for lunch. Most people might think the silence was weird, but it was comfortable with him. Everything was comfortable with him, but also nerve-wracking at the same time. Gajeel was a contradiction.

Gajeel stopped outside of Subway and asked, "You like this place?"

"I guess," I answered with a shrug. "I'm not really hungry."

With that, we stepped inside the store. Gajeel told me to sit down while he ordered his food and I obliged. After he paid for everything and got his sandwich, he sat in the seat opposite from me and began scarfing the sandwich down.

"Sorry I ain't great company today," Gajeel started after swallowing his bite of food. I was honestly surprised he had manners. I figured he was like Natsu, who talked with a full mouth. "I got work today and my break ain't long so I wanna eat while I can. Ain't much of a date."

"That's okay," I replied with a smile. And I meant it. It didn't matter what I was doing with him so long as I was with him.

So, I watched as he ate his sandwich and listened as he told me about his job, and the whole time, a smile stayed plastered to my face.

Natsu P.O.V.

Once I reached Lucy's house, I gulped before knocking three times on the door. I glanced down to look at my outfit. I was wearing black jeans and a red tee shirt with a dragon on it. Not exactly formal attire to be meeting Lucy's overly strict dad. But hey, she told me to dress normally so if he didn't like it, I could just blame her.

Was I excited about this dinner? Hell no. Well, maybe a little. But only because I would be able to see Lucy. But being around Lucy's dad? No way. It already sucked since he hated me and blamed me for Lucy's bad grades. It's like I was walking into the lion's den.

I was about to knock again when the door opened, revealing the maid I met last time with pink hair. Oh, and she had that weird kink! What was her name again? Burger? Wait, no! Virgo! My memory ain't that bad after all!

"Hello, Natsu-san," Virgo said with a bow. Wow, this place really was formal. "Come on in. Princess and Jude-san are waiting in the dining room. I shall escort you there."

"Uhh, thanks?" I replied, following. Lucy's house was just as big and fancy as the last time I came over.

When we got into the dining room, I grinned seeing Lucy. She smiled back at me and I noticed that even though she told me not to dress up, she went and dressed up! She was wearing a pink dress that went down to her thighs and her hair was curled and everything! Was she setting me up? Maybe.

Then I saw Jude. The guy was wearing another suit and was giving me another cold glare, colder than the ice cream served at Freezies. But when Lucy turned to look at him, he dropped the glare immediately and smiled at her. Fake bastard.

"Hi, Natsu!" Lucy greeted, gesturing to the seat next to her. "Sit here!"

"Okay," I replied, taking my seat. I decided to keep my attention on Lucy unless Jude was talking. That would make things less awkward.

"Papa, this is Natsu. My best friend," Lucy said, giving her dad a smile that said If you don't be nice then I will hurt you.

Jude seemed to understand the look and gave me a clearly forced smile. "It's nice to see you again, Natsu."

"Likewise," I replied.

The three of us then sat in complete silence and man it was awkward. Lucy tried starting a conversation but could never start one that involved all three of us. It was either she talked to me or she talked to her dad.

When Virgo set the food in front of us, I frowned seeing nothing but salad and a tray of finger sandwiches. I was hoping there would be meat or something spicy. Still, I was starving so I went ahead and grabbed as much food as I knew I would be able to eat, which ended up being half the tray of sandwiches and a decent amount of the salad. I could see Jude glaring at me again from the corner of my eye and I had to fight the urge to laugh.

Man, annoying Jude was almost as fun as annoying Lucy.

"So Natsu," Jude started as he picked up some sandwiches with that one pincher-utensil. Shit. Maybe that's why he was glaring at me. I used my hands. Oh well. "How are your grades in school?"

With a full mouth I answered, "Not too good but I'll pass."

"Not too good? Care to elaborate?"

"You know, a few C's and a D. But I also have a B+ so that's pretty good!"

"You have a D? Do you not study?"

"Not really. A D is passing so there's no need to."

Jude glanced at Lucy, who awkwardly chuckled. Was I saying something wrong? I was just telling the truth. Lucy told me to be myself, and I ain't a liar.

"Natsu is better at sports than with grades," Lucy told her dad with a smile. "He's captain of the soccer team!"

"That's not going to get him into any universities," he replied. Honestly, I would've been offended if I actually wanted to go to college. But I didn't.

"I don't wanna go to college anyways," I said.

"You don't?" they both replied at the same time.

I shrugged and answered, "Nah. School ain't my thing."

"Clearly," Jude replied. "What are your plans then after high school?"

"Don't really have any yet."

"And your parents are okay with that?"

"Don't got any."

Jude quickly shut his mouth after that. Which was good. That conversation was definitely going to some bad places. We ate our food in silence the rest of the dinner. I glanced at Lucy and saw that she was frowning and it made me feel guilty.

Should I have lied? Should I have dressed up and pretended to be some fancy geezer with good grades and plans after high school? Would that have made Lucy happy?

"Nah. She's friends with me because of who I am and she told me not to pretend anyways."

Virgo came by along with some other maids and took our dishes and the leftover food. I was starting to sweat with how awkward it was. Nobody was saying anything. So I decided to be the one to speak.

"Thanks for letting me hang out with your daughter more," I said to Jude. And I meant that honestly. He could've prohibited it or something but he didn't. And I was grateful for that. "I know I ain't the most fancy of guys, so thanks."

"I am not doing it for you, I am doing it for my daughter," Jude replied.

I shrugged. "Whatever your reason, thanks. Lucy's my best friend, it would've sucked if I had to sneak around to hang out with her."

"You're saying that you would have snuck around my back to hang out with Lucy?"

"Hell yeah! Gotta hang out with her somehow!"

I grinned at Lucy, who giggled behind her hands. I loved making her laugh. Then I turned and saw Jude glaring at me.

"Alright, Lucy. I will escort Natsu out. Say your goodbyes now," he said. And with that, I knew I was screwed.

Lucy looked reluctant to go but knew better than to argue with her father after what happened with her grades and everything. She smiled at me and said, "Bye, Natsu. I'll see you at school on Monday."

"Alright. Later, Luce," I replied. She then left the room and went upstairs to her room while I had to follow her dad outside.

Once we got outside, Jude closed the door behind him and glared at me.

"You are a terrible influence on my daughter," he stated, crossing his arms.

And honestly, I couldn't deny that. It was true. Lucy used to be the second-highest ranked kid in our grade. Now she was in the teens. But hey, that wasn't enough to stop either of us.

"I might be," I replied with a smirk, "but I also make her laugh and smile. She loosens up around me. I think you could use some loosening up too. You're too uptight."

"Excuse me?"

"You heard me. And you know what, I may not be some fancy prick, but I am still Lucy's best friend, so that's something good about me. I'm never going to be the guy that you want your daughter hanging around because I am never going to change who I am. And I wouldn't expect Lucy to change herself either. If you ask me, I'm the perfect guy to be hanging around Lucy."

Jude studied me before shaking his head. "Is there no amount of money I can pay you to leave my daughter alone?"

"Hell no!" I answered.

"Not even ten thousand dollars?"

"Not even for a million, geezer!"

Jude sighed and shook his head. "Alright. If my daughter means that much to you, then I shall allow your little friendship to continue. But only if you answer one question for me. And you have to be honest, boy."

"What is it?" I asked, fired up to finally have the guy's approval.

"Are you in love with my daughter?"

And with that, all of my resolve disappeared and I was left a blushing mess. Seriously, just a seven-word question had that effect on me. The worst part of it was that I didn't know the answer. So I decided to tell the truth.

"I don't know," I answered, my cheeks still warm. "I don't know if I can call whatever this is love. I ain't too experienced. But it doesn't matter. Lucy doesn't feel the same and I'm not going to act on these feelings because of it. Our friendship means too much."

I swear I saw the corners of Jude's lips twitch upwards into a smile.

"Alright," he said. "I will let you continue to be my daughter's friend. And if she ever lets you move forward, I'll allow that as well. But if you ever break my daughter's heart, I will have my hitmen come after you. Got that, boy?"

"Loud and clear," I answered with a grin.

"Oh, and there is another term to our agreement. You will be attending tutoring sessions with my daughter."

"What!? Why?"

"Because your grades are horrendous and I will not allow my daughter to hang out with someone like that. I will look out for Lucy's friends, even if they are pains in the ass. Are you saying that you will not do this simple task for Lucy?"

I glared at the old man and answered, "Of course I'll do it for her."

Jude smirked and replied, "Great. Then I will see you here after you get out of school on Monday."

With that, Jude went back into the house and closed the door without giving me another glance. Was today fun? Not at all. Did it go smoothly at least? Nope. But did I get Jude's approval? Yep! And that was enough for me.

And he even gave me approval to date Lucy if it ever came down to it. Would it? Nah, probably not. But it was cool having the option. So, that day was yet another victory for me. I've been having so many victories with Lucy lately it got me thinking.

When am I gonna have a loss?

Because there's no way in hell the universe will just let me keep winning.

AN: Hope you all liked the chapter. :)

SingingAngel327: I can totally see Layla being the one with the pants lol. And Jude was the awkward dad haha! But he's going to get even better from here on out. :') And they go to the garden on Friday! :D

ThatOneFriend-3: That was my favorite part too lmao. I think if Natsu ever got the chance to talk to Jude before he died he would totally be sassy lol. Thank you so much! :D

Guest: OMFG I DIDN'T KNOW IT WAS SPELLED THAT WAY. Thank you so much for correcting me, seriously. Now I know not to use it that way. :') lol I can't believe I've been spelling it wrong this entire time.

Guest: Thank you so much! :D And the Gruvia date will be next chapter! :D

Flire and Ice: No it was actually based on the movie 50 First Dates! I've never heard of that anime before! I should totally check it out!

Lucydragneelft13: Ahhh I'm glad I cheered you up! :')

Nalulove: I agree, I will have the next Jerza moment longer. :) And thank you so much! :D

Alexa60765: Hahaha Jude completely destroyed that moment haha! And thank you so much, hope the dinner scene was acceptable. :')

.Heartfilia: AHHH THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THE REVIEWS! I saw you reviewed for New Beginnings too, thank you so much. :') Glad you like it! :D

BloodedInk: Haha the two dinguses will get there eventually! And thank you so much I'm trying to work on my pacing. :')

Grizzly98: Haha you see more of Jude's different attitudes towards them this chapter too! :D And I just had to let the girls win, even if it resorted to them cheating haha! :D

Lunahartz: Hahaha sounds like first you gotta decide sis! ;D

LunafreyaLuna: THANK YOU I'M GLAD YOU LIKE IT! And omg I don't even have a clue with this new question lol. And a weird fact about me is that I love nail art! I have over 200 bottles of nail polish. :') And thank you! Even though I may be late updating sometimes, I refuse to leave a Nalu story unfinished. :)

Soul Eater Maka: HAHAHA THANK YOU THAT WAS MY FAV PART TOO.

Charcoal Kitten: Thank you so much! :D And I know, I wish my high school experience was like this lol. And in regards to the cursing and whatnot, the story is rated T so there will be some more adulty themes. :) And in truth, most high schoolers do take their relationship to far levels. Don't worry though, there will be no lemon in this story. :)

Avhaskake: Haha Jude is always threatening Natsu it's amazing. :')

IndianaCombs: Would that be a good OVA idea for Erza? And yes they are all having a good time even if they lost. :)

Darkroses13: Haha yes our two dinguses are getting closer! :D

| Death of a Legacy |: Well, Natsu deserved it lol. And if you meant to say that you're dropping this fic, good for you? Lmao.