I won't lie, the chapter after this is one of my favorites... Hohohohoho.
Life Safety Rope
Rope used solely for the purpose of supporting people during firefighting, rescue, other emergency operations and training.
The meal went as well as could be expected for being impromptu and in Natsu's house of all places. Struggling to get the gas lit stove to work was hard enough, and Natsu nearly burned off his fingerprints when they realized the gas was running but the igniter didn't work. He had the bright idea to use his lighter at that point, which almost caused a trip to the hospital.
After the minor singeing, Natsu seemed to be fine. Luckily the rest of the cooking without a hitch, with Lucy demanding to know how Natsu could not know his stove didn't work until just now.
"He doesn't know how to cook," Erza explained, grilling a long row of chicken breasts. She prodded them with a plastic fork as Natsu owned no tongs. They would have to do for now.
"Most of his food turns into compressed charcoal," Jellal admitted as he covered a pot of rice, attention diverted between his work and Erza.
Lucy noticed a ring on their left hands. Both a matching set.
Those two were engaged.
She hid a smile, knowing Natsu had more than likely picked up on the fact with how easily he was bouncing around.
Soon the food was ready, and they all got heaping portions. All except Lucy, who could eat with some amount of restraint, unlike the three she was dining with. They all laughed and exchanged stories, getting to know one another.
Natsu asked eager questions about their lives. What had they done after he was arrested, where had they'd gone, and who did they meet along the way. Natsu's thirst for information about his family was clear enough, but he didn't bother slowing down his questions. He was delighted to find out Jellal had opened a shelter for homeless and runaway teenagers.
Natsu nearly burst a kidney laughing so hard when he realized not only was Erza a lieutenant, but she had also gone through the process while she was an engineer to take the arson investigator classes.
The irony was not lost on any of them.
Eventually though, as she predicted it would, the conversation drifted back to Lucy and her involvement with Natsu. Their plan bubbled up to the surface and she explained it in more detail to them so they could truly understand everything was going to be alright.
"So let me get this straight, you want to prey on Jackal's idea of validation and his ego," Jellal clarified, his expression thoughtful. It wasn't hard to pick up the concern on his face. Unfortunately for Erza's argument the rationale behind the plan was sound.
"Pretty much," Natsu tapped the plastic fork against a paper plate, his grin unrepentant, "That's how I beat him before, by being bigger and flashier than him. It's gotta bug him that I'm doin' it again."
Lucy listened to the conversation with a sense of unease and trepidation, one Erza seemed to reflect, "Under normal circumstances, I would be doubtful of how this plan would play out. But considering your history with Jackal, there is a good chance it could work."
The reluctance she admitted while saying that gave Lucy's stomach flop with discomfort. She shouldn't be reacting like this. This was what she wanted, for Natsu to catch Jackal.
But there was no denying she had come to care very strongly about her favorite pyro. This was a reason she hadn't been able to predict for wanting to keep their relationship professional. How her own feelings would protectively surge to the forefront.
The risks for Jackal wanting revenge were always there, but Lucy could calculate them. Assign a detail to Natsu's home to make sure he didn't burn alive in it. That should have been enough. He was a big boy capable of protecting himself.
But Lucy couldn't help wanting to do it.
"That's why Lucy has a recording to seal the deal," Natsu chewed absently on the end of his plastic fork, his eyes on Lucy, "I'd have to do this alone though. Nothing that could give me away."
Lucy stiffened at that, and Erza looked as if she were on her side.
"I'm not sure I like the idea of you going in there alone," Lucy hesitated. Jackal had killed before, and he seemed to have an axe to grind with Natsu. She swallowed past the lump of nausea building in her chest. She had let herself become too deeply attached to Natsu, and the trickle of fear she felt for him couldn't be shaken.
"Well it has to be alone. It's bad enough he will have his sights set on me, if you're there then Jackal will feel the need to escalate things," Natsu was oblivious to Lucy's internal conflict. He speared the end of a potato with his fork and chewed on it happily, talking with his mouth full, "It'll be hard enough to keep from sockin' him in the jaw."
"Be as that may, what makes you think he's going to take you seriously with a recorder and looking like you came off the street?" Jellal asked, "From the description you gave of Jackal, he considers himself a high roller now. He won't be impressed by dirty boots and an iffy looking tape."
"Oi, what's wrong with the way I look?" Natsu protested, swallowing thickly around a mouthful of potatoes.
"Absolutely nothing," Lucy muttered under her breath, but spoke just loud enough for the others at the table to hear her.
Erza stared at her and both Jellal and Natsu's heads twisted to look at her in surprise. Lucy's spine stiffened and her face colored as pink as her arsonists' hair. Backtracking as quickly as she could, Lucy scrambled for a way to salvage her embarrassment, "Ah, I mean. That-"
A shit eating grin split Natsu's face so wide, Lucy was certain the corners of his lips were going to creep up into his eyes at any moment.
"Oh shut up, Natsu!" Lucy flushed, unable to come up with anything to defend herself, or the slip of her tongue.
"What's the matter, Detective, your face is a little flushed," Natsu teased, shifting his weight on his elbows to lean over to her. His arms were crossed around his plate, but for once his attention was not on the food. Instead his focus was on Lucy, and the clever glint to his dark green eyes was reminiscent of a predator.
Like a shark tasting out fresh blood.
Erza stared between them. Her eyes were wide and filled with a sort of maternal glee that had Lucy gulping. She gave off that 'big sister' vibe in a wave, her cheeks growing rosy. Lucy could practically see the sparkles of joy clouding over her head, "Natsu, could it be you and Detective Heartfilia are-"
"You know what I think?" Lucy squeaked, cutting off Erza before she could finish that sentence. She knew her face was turning as red as the firefighter's hair now. She felt like she had lost every ounce of control over her life ever since Natsu fell into it.
Scrambling for even a semblance of dignity, she tried to change the subject to very little success, "I think the police need to provide an alternative outfit. And a burner phone for Natsu to play the recording from!"
Natsu's eyes shuttered halfway, a mischievous look glinting under his long lashes. He smirked, sharp canines brushing against his bottom lip, as if inviting her to take a closer look.
It wasn't hard, her eyes had already dropped to his mouth, remembering the rake and feel of those unusually sharp teeth pressing punishingly into her lips. Or the way he had snatched the air from her lungs, criminal in the way he plundered her mouth.
"If you say so, Luce."
Did the bastard just purr at her?
"O-Oh my," Erza's entire face had turned red and she looked at Jellal for help. The latter of which was staring at them wide eyed, his mouth dropping open in shock.
"Perhaps we should go?" He suggested
"Yes, I think we should," Erza flustered, standing up in a second. It dragged the attention of Natsu away from Lucy for a moment, pinning the couple with a steady look.
"You… coming back?" Natsu asked, and Lucy knew she didn't imagine the note of hesitation in his voice. It was as if he were uncertain if they would return. If after so long a separation, they still would consider him one of their own.
Erza's eye softened, Jellal's smile curling up at the corners. And Lucy knew they were thinking the same thing. If they would be welcome by Natsu.
"Yeah. We'll see you again soon," Erza tugged Natsu into a sideways hug. His pink head disappeared under a curtain of scarlet hair and Jellal's hand rested on the back of Natsu's shoulder. It was there for just a moment, before both were stepping away and heading towards the door. When they separated, Natsu looked a little dazed.
"It was nice meeting you again, this time out of work," Erza gave Lucy a kind look, enveloping her into a crushing hug. Lucy's arms flailed out in surprise.
Suddenly, Natsu's daze made much more sense.
Lucy had never been concussed by a hug before, it was almost as if the woman wore kevlar under her shirt.
"Thank you," she murmured into Lucy's ear, squeezing her tightly enough she thought her head was about to pop off from the pressure alone.
Once released, she returned to Jellal, who had been in the middle of checking Natsu for a head injury. Together they twined their hands together, saying their goodbyes to a flushed-cheeked Natsu and Lucy.
Jellal seemed to have muttered something into Natsu's ear that caused the backs of them to turn as red as Erza's hair. They left soon after, giving Lucy the time to sigh and sit down on the table. Truthfully she was a little exhausted after meeting Natsu's family.
...They were definitely characters…
Natsu for his part breathed out a sigh when he was finally free of both Jellal and Erza. Lucy was still seated on the kitchen table since he had no chairs for it. They had all eaten standing or leaning over it.
The creamy arc her legs made while swinging back and forth in that cute little skirt she was wearing distracted him for the moment.
Daisies.
He liked them.
Biting his lip, he watched her eyes travel over the expanse of his kitchen, and a sudden wave of nervousness gripped him. This was the first time she had been in his home. Natsu had been over to hers plenty of times, but had never dared believe the bright spot that was Lucy would ever step foot into his hellhole.
Suddenly self-conscious about the state of his living arrangements now that his family wasn't there to distract him anymore, he coughed to catch her attention after he had moved into the adjoining room to lock the door behind his redhead friend.
"Uhm, yeah, so that was-..." He trailed off, a nervous hand coming to scratch into his pink hair. He made his way over to Lucy and began to pick up the dirty paper plates they had eaten on. He tossed them into a garbage bag tied to the cabinet under his sink as he didn't actually own a trash bin.
"Interesting?" Lucy quipped, hopping off the table to help him clean up a bit. Erza had already done her fair share of cleaning and sweeping, and Natsu found himself suddenly grateful Lucy wouldn't be picking herself through the random piles of grime he collected. Natsu hadn't bothered to clean because his place was already such crap.
Livable was the bare minimum he would stand for after all.
Although now he wished he had put a little more thought into its maintenance.
"You could say that," he admitted. Natsu moved to the sink to get some running water. The pipes made an unholy shriek that had Lucy jumping in surprise, but Natsu barely even noticed since he was so used to the sound. A trickle of brown water leaked through the faucet and Natsu made an expression of disgust. He would have to remember to call someone.
"I have to say, I wasn't expecting them to be anything like that based on how you described them," Lucy peeked over his shoulder and made a face as they waited for the water to turn clear.
"And how was that?" He asked, dipping a worn looking rag underneath the the stream snapping the valve off a second later. Natsu leaned back against the counter, wringing it out.
"I dunno, I just- well I'm not sure. Erza has been a colleague of mine for a very long time. I heard she got engaged but I had no idea she had a past that rocky," Lucy admitted, looking rather at a loss for such a detail going unnoticed. A snort escaped Natsu, detectives and their snooping.
"It's probably not something she advertises," Natsu pushed off the counter towards the table, using his damp rag to wipe it clean. The meal had been delicious, but the hazards of using paper plates meant that not all of it ended up in his stomach. He spoke as he worked, stretching over the small table to get the spots he missed, "It's something she's put behind her, both of them have."
A thoughtful sound escaped Lucy while he was busy, and Natsu almost didn't realize she was thinking about something until her hesitant voice raised behind him,"Does that bother you? That they never saw you?"
Natsu froze, his gaze straight ahead as he felt the sharp edge behind her worried words. Jaw locking, Natsu let loose a heavy breath through his nose. He knew Lucy had to ask a question like that. She wouldn't be doing her job as a detective if she didn't try to sleuth out if Natsu had a potential to go down a dark road.
With how he had acted at those fires, Natsu was surprised she hadn't pulled the plug on this whole thing immediately. Grappling against getting caught in the insanity of his flames had been an exhausting mental battle. One Natsu wasn't sure he could repeat. That was why his new plan with Jackal had to work.
He didn't think he could try to escalate his fires to spark Jackal's jealousy and make it out unscathed.
But he could understand why she would ask about Jellal and Erza. Before he had told her how he would have taken the fall for them again. That hadn't been a lie. It still wasn't. That being said, he knew why it would seem doubtful to a detective like Lucy. She wasn't an idiot.
Bad feelings got built up behind iron bars and barbed wire.
"What, that they made something out of their lives while I was stuck in prison?" Natsu asked, his fist gripping into the towel. He swiped across the table top and threw the rag back into the sink when he was done, keeping his hands busy, "Honestly, no. Not anymore."
"But it had? I thought you said you didn't mind taking the fall for them?" Lucy's voice asked, just as soft as before.
And there it was.
Despite Lucy being the exception to his 'hate all cops' rule, she was still a badge. That meant she had a few predictable paths her thoughts had to cross, one's Natsu had learned from the many times he had been dragged into the station.
"Oh, yeah that I don't mind at all," he assured her, flashing Lucy a quick smile. He knew it didn't quite reach his eyes, because his thoughts were hampered by memories, "I would have done that a hundred times without thinking twice about it. They deserved the chance to be free."
"Then I don't think I understand?" She asked in confusion and Natsu was genuinely surprised she didn't immediately realize what his problem was. What he could possibly hold any lingering anger at those two over, if not for leaving him behind.
"You're thinking about it too hard, Luce," Natsu's lips twisted into a sardonic grin. His scar seemed to coil and tighten, a twinge of ghostly pain running along his spine, "You saw my back, read my file."
"I did," Lucy frowned, still not comprehending. But those beautiful, dark brown eyes were still staring at him, as if trying to sniff out all his answers. He wanted to give them all to her too. This woman was picking him apart at lightspeed.
"Come on, detective, do some detecting," He turned away to his fridge, snagging two bottles of water and tossing one to Lucy. He watched her juggle it with some amusement before he sighed and just gave her the answer she was waiting for, "What seventeen year old kid wants to put himself back together without his family around?"
"It was a year of painful physical therapy by myself. Just learning how to do basic things all over again and rebuilding my strength. If I'm honest, I'm still not a hundred percent. I probably never will be," Natsu sat do the edge of his counter, dismissing the table as a seat. Lucy could get away with sitting on it, but knowing his luck, it would probably collapse under his weight. At least, he thought, the counter was attached to the wall.
Natsu did not miss the way Lucy's mouth opened in a soft circle, her eyes flashing with a realization that left him nodding in approval, "It hurt not to have them there. Even though I knew they would have been there if they could."
"And later, when I was in prison, they didn't visit me," he sighed, cracking the seal on his water, "That bugged me for a while, but when time went on and I was able to cool off, I realized I didn't want them to see me behind bars."
"I don't think they wanted to either. I think they felt guilty," He admitted, "It's why they took so long just to visit me."
"You think they were ashamed?" Lucy asked, frustratedly tugging at the cap on the water a few times while Natsu watched with amusement.
"I would be, even if there isn't a reason for it," He asked after a few futile moments of watching her struggle, raising an eyebrow, "Uh, you need some help there?
"No- I- got it-"
"You sure?" He didn't bother to hide his spreading smirk, as she drifted near him. She yanked violently at it and he marveled at her stubbornness as she tried to wrestle with the difficult bottle. It was almost incredible watching her work at it, and the dark thoughts that had clouded over his mind had already begun to dissipate.
"Yes!" Lucy growled, actually growled at him. It sparked surprised laughter bubbling from his chest at her feisty snarl, and she snapped her head towards him, "What is so funny- AHA!"
In her distraction, she managed to get the bottle loosened. But her shout of victory broke off with a scream from her and a swear from him when her tight grip on the bottle caused the water to explode over both of them. They scattered from the counter as a unit, Lucy dropping the bottle instinctively and making everything worse.
Granted, Natsu's reflex was to throw his arm up to stop the water from getting on his face, only for him to forget about the bottle in his hand.
And have a stream of water smack Lucy directly in the face.
Natsu stared at her in shock, and her eyes were absolutely wide. He thought to apologize for a split second, but instead of sorry, rampant laughter broke free and he clutched at his sides, laughing at the drowned cat impression she made.
"Yo-Your face!" He cackled.
So busy was he laughing, he missed the devilish glint lighting her eyes until he looked up from his wheezing.
"My face huh?" She purred, and Natsu's eyes bugged out just in time for him to be showered with a spray of water directly to the face. He squawked as he backed away, the corner of the table digging into the small of his back in his attempt to escape.
She huffed and brought the bottle to her lips, a smile curling around the plastic as Natsu spluttered his surprise.
"There, now we're even," Lucy gave him a smug smile.
He licked his lips, his bangs flattening down under the heavy wave of water that she had splashed him with. His spikes drooped and he slowly rolled the bottom of his shirt up to mop the water dripping into his eyes. Natsu moved deliberately, but when he pulled the shirt from his face, Lucy was rewarded with a pair of dark eyes glinting.
"Not even close," He growled.
Nastu didn't notice the distracted flicker of Lucy's eyes down to his exposed skin. He was only paying attention to snagging his water and throwing it all over her. She let out a shriek of rebellion and ran, the prim detective running away from him like they were a pair of children on the schoolyard.
So somehow, the both of them managed to make a huge, watery mess of the inside of Natsu's kitchen with only two water bottles and a lot of creative thinking. The weapons of ice cubes had been employed by a mischievous Lucy. Dropping a few down the back of Natsu's pants when he wasn't looking was a delightful sin. Especially since it caused his entire face to turn an interesting shade of red as he let loose the most girlish scream she had ever heard.
Neither thought about the case, or Jackal, or what they were doing. Playing this weird game of water tag in Natsu's kitchen, together they managed to recapture something elusive and fun.
When they were done and they were both somehow soaked, Natsu gave Lucy one of his spare shirts he still had from when he was seventeen and a pair of baggy sweatpants that seemed to swallow her whole.
Seeing her in his clothes was not a sight he would ever complain about. Natsu had to bite the inside of his cheek as he watched her struggle to keep the waistband around her curvy hips. She tried to fluff her soggy hair out, but the look was tarnished by the obnoxious dragon graphic emblazoned on the old shirt.
It was starting to get dark out by the time she had dried off enough to leave. Natsu didn't know if he should offer her a place to crash for the night, since all he really had was a dingy sleeping bag and an even dingier mattress. It didn't even have a box spring or a frame.
Lucy decided on a cab, which Natsu had insisted on if she was planning on leaving. A pretty girl walking in his neighborhood at night. Even the reminder that she was gun carrying cop was not enough to make him rest easy without the knowledge she was going to be locked safely behind doors.
She looked up at him when the harsh lights of the taxi drifted by his window and he watched her fingers trying desperately to smooth his wrinkled shirt down her hips. He opened the door for her and leaned a forearm against it, his hand flat on his handle.
She stood on his stoop, brown eyes flashing to his face. Lucy was trying to gain a professional air again in a teenager's graphic tee and a pair of sweatpants she had to roll up three times around the ankles.
The sight was so contrary and adorable, Natsu couldn't help but smirk.
"Ah, so. I'll see if I can drop off the phone for you sometime tomorrow before Jackal's party," Lucy looked up at him, clearing her throat and raising her chin as if she hadn't just acted like a four year old in his house. The only thing they had been missing were waterballoons.
"Sure thing detective," Natsu hummed. A smile drifted across his face, "I'll see you tomorrow."
She gave a tiny wave over her shoulder and filed out. He kept the door open long enough to see her get inside the cab and drive off before he closed the door and threw the deadbolt.
He groaned and stretched out, his muscles in his back twitching and pulling tight around his scar. Natsu really had overdone it today, first beating the crap out of some of the bags at the community gym, and then an impromptu water fight that turned out more to be a wrestling match. Lucy was a back climber and hair puller, who knew.
Natsu groaned as he headed into his room and fell face first down onto his mattress with a grateful sigh. It was hard, thin, and felt like a hundred of tiny metal spokes dug into his stomach. But at the moment it felt like he was laying on top of a cloud.
Lucy sank into all of his senses, filling him with a strange, golden warmth that left tingles in his fingers and gut. Really, it was pathetic. Soon he was going to have to run out and chop wood or something just to prove to himself that he had testosterone in his body instead of honey nut feelios. Some hardened criminal he was. He let out a silly giggle.
Strange though, he could still smell strawberries.
Confused, Natsu lifted his head and saw that he was resting his face on a dark blue skirt with white daisies. He blinked as a warm flush worked over the back of his neck and cheeks. Lucy had forgotten her clothes here…
Coughing, he picked them up, hooking his fingers around her white crop top and skirt, he gently placed them down next to his mattress. He would have to remember to wash and dry them for her when he returned her clothes. Natsu could only imagine the looks he was going to get at the laundromat.
He almost snorted on a laugh as he thought about just owning up to it and claiming they were his.
Grinning, he dropped his head onto his pillow, the faint scent of strawberries and cream still clinging to it. He drifted off to sleep in seconds, soothed by dreams of waterfights, golden warmth, and daisies.
We were asked 'don't fightfighters have background checks?' – I'm glad you asked that! Yes, Erza is a fighter, and they do perform background checks. However, remember Natsu was arrested alone. That was the only fire they could ever connect to him and it wasn't his usual MO either since Jellal screwed it up. He never gave up Erza or Jellal, so those two don't have a record.
Also, I want to say thank you to everyone who decided to stick with us this long! I know the idea of switching writers THREE TIMES is a lot to wrap your brain around.
Special thanks to everyone who reviewed! And sorry if I've been misspelling your names! I've just been copying down what I see, so if I do it again, I'm sorry. I have the memory of a colander - Ikityan - smilekey - cookie panda-roo - Andysfire - Mo0nyMoon - Snavej - sasukeluver02 - Princessatj - fanficlove2014 - CrimsonLightKey - Footser26 - ClumsyPinkTiger - BookAlchemist2 - Cassia-Adea - oreobark - semi-absorbed - lucifire - Guest - Guest