Feeling cheeky. Going fast now.

Sam.

21: Love Message

25th February, Sat. Fairy Tail Corp. Lucy's office. 11:45a.m.

What she was going to do from now on, Lucy had no idea.

They had returned to the apartments in what was a very solemn walk; with Lucy preoccupied with her mental breakdown and Natsu feeling too nauseous to trade words. After they both had freshened up, they met outside in the corridor, got takeaway breakfasts and then crossed the street to Fairy Tail Corp, again all in heavy silence.

Burying her face in her hands, the blonde groaned loud enough to wake the dead. But if the one close-to-death person two doors down had heard her he did not let on, for which the blonde was utterly thankful. She would have made quite the sight and she was in no mood to deal with curious onlookers just yet.

The second she had stepped into her office, Lucy had dramatically swept all the papers on her table onto the floor in a flourish and then proceeded to crumple onto the floor herself. Her legs were folded in awkward angles and her flats had been kicked somewhere under her desk. The only thing she had yet to do to complete the picture of downtrodden female was bawl her eyes out.

At least she had on no makeup. That would really have been the icing on the cake.

The blonde had known for days now that she was still, to some extent, attracted to the man next door, she just had not wanted to reflect on how deep that attraction ran. Now that it was clear to her, she could not simply erase that awareness or tuck it back into the deepest recesses of her subconscious. It lingered in the fore of her thoughts where it had rapidly grown flame-and-blade-resistant roots.

"Oh my Goooood…" Lucy dragged one hand down the side of her face.

Just what had gone wrong? Her attack plans never failed! Lucy scrambled on all fours towards the other side of her desk, where she fumbled about in the last drawer. She pulled forth a piece of paper that had been scribbled over many times, the most outstanding features of course being the red ink that she had taken to all of Natsu's references. Her eyes blazing, she reread through everything that she had written for herself, from staying away from the Accursed to conducting secret grapevine investigation on her new colleagues. Much to her horror, Lucy realized that she had broken almost all of the Golden Rules she had set for herself when it came to The Accursed.

1) Use a liaison at all times?

Broken. That, she blamed on the beauteous Sena Oakheart. Did the woman have to look so perfect all the time?!

2) Stay away from him?

Broken. And broken with impunity. Not only had she not deterred him from seeking her out, she had actively sought him out.

3) Don't see or discuss him outside work.

Hell, the man lived a meter away from her. Did she even have a chance for success in the first place?

The more Lucy read, the more depressed she got. Lucy had created the list in order to protect herself but whatever she did just seemed to negate those protective forces. She stretched a leg out and kicked the side of her desk hard, punctuating each kick with a curse.

"Godamn stupid man! Godamnit, Godamnit, Godamnit!"

Her attention snagged back onto the large sheet of paper in her hands and her frustration boiled again.

"And, you! Godamn piece of shit! You were no help at all! Die, you miserable son of a bitch, you-"

Snarling, she gripped the sides of the sheet in her hands and tore the paper down the middle, taking sadistic pleasure in the ripping sounds that echoed. "You scumbag of the century-"

Picking up the two halves, she tore those again, and again. "You fuc-"

"I can't concentrate with you cursing like- what the hell?"

The blonde instantly dropped the scraps of paper, which proceeded to flutter confetti-like all over the floor and her dress. Her eyes widened in horror and her jaw failed her when she realized that her office door now stood wide open. Standing with one arm propped up against the glass frame was the man who infested her thoughts, his face appearing to be as shocked as her own.

Natsu took in the blonde sitting on the floor, her dress hitched halfway up her thigh as her left leg hovered tableside in mid-kick. Sheets of papers with typed notes that he instantly recognized as his and the other three members' were scattered messily all over the carpet. A grimace turned his lips down when he noticed the tiny white flakes dotting her red dress. Arching a brow, he continued in a sarcastic voice.

"That had better not be one of the idea sheets everyone worked so hard on."

"Don't worry. It's not." The blonde snapped angrily as she swept the flakes off her dress and stood up, growling when Natsu chuckled at her lack of footwear.

"Shut up."

"I didn't say anything," though if anything, he merely chuckled louder, earning himself a full-blown glare as Lucy directed all her fury onto him. "What the hell do you want, Dragneel?"

"Oh, we're back to last names now? And I thought that we had a pretty good morning."

The last thing she wanted to be reminded of was the morning and Lucy planted herself onto her chair firmly. "If you only came in here to mock me, then leave. I still have a lot of work to finish." She picked up a pen only to realize that there was not a single sheet of paper left on her desk, not even a blank note piece. Determined to maintain her dignity, she switched over to a pencil instead and immediately proceeded to scribble on her wooden desk.

To her consternation, she heard a loud snort followed by a rustling sound as Natsu squatted down and started picking up papers.

"What are you doing?" Lucy ground out.

"Oh nothing. Just figured I'd help you tidy up since you're so busy with your work."

He arched his head to look at her desk and pointed at her scribbles. "I think you miscalculated something there, Heartfilia. Might want to take another look."

She glared at him again and redirected her attention back onto her pencil. Godamn that blasted man. She tensed when he suddenly stood up and placed a stack of papers onto her desk. "It's not in order… but I don't think that matters to you anymore," he laughed. Turning out of her office, he called out over his shoulder.

"Hold on. I'll get a broom for your confetti party."

"You'll ge- wait, hold on!" Lucy leaped out from behind her desk and dashed out after him.

"What are y- Oof!" Natsu stumbled forward when the blonde rocketed straight into his back and nearly sent him sprawling forward. "Lucy!"

"I'll get it myself." She stated bluntly and walked past him.

"Suit yourself." He replied, but made no move to return to his office.

Trailing behind her as she walked back through the office ground with a broom set, Natsu found himself twitching with amusement at how his day was going. He had been poring over spreadsheet after spreadsheet alone in his office when his attention had been snatched by a mournful groan. The familiarity in that voice had quickly piqued his interest and the man had sat at attention waiting for a follow-up.

Lucy had certainly not disappointed. He had been stifling back laughter as he heard her curse and thump something loud enough for the rest of the office to hear had they been present. His determination to stay in his office and do more boring work had quickly crumbled and the man had found himself moving closer and closer to her room. The sight that had greeted him was beyond even his imagination and he chuckled again at the memory of it.

"Why are you still following me?" Lucy whirled around suddenly. "Shoo."

"I'm just interested in watching the rest of the show." He smiled innocently. If anything his reply only served to infuriate her and Lucy brandished the broom in front of his chest. "Get lost, Natsu."

"You are sending very mixed signals with the use of my names and…" He smirked down at her weapon of choice. "Your household tool."

"I said get lost. Go do your work. I don't have the patience to deal with your childishness." To emphasize her point, she jabbed the bristles in his direction.

He raised his arms in surrender. "Alright, alright I'm gone… but only cause you've ruined enough of my clothing for one lifetime." Still chuckling under his breath, he turned down the aisle towards his office.

By the time she looked up again at the clock, it was nearly half past 3 and she was done. Flicking off her desktop, Lucy stood and stretched her arms up and out. Damn she was hungry. Grabbing her purse as she went, she casually strolled past the neighboring offices. Sena's office door was open but not the inner one, though there was a small doorjamb fixed onto the glass. Peeking through the gaps in frosting, Lucy caught sight of a patch of pink hair in a corner. She didn't know what she checking for; did she think that he would leave without telling her? But then again, nothing seemed to be going her way anymore.

Lucy returned 20 minutes later with bags of sandwiches and drinks. This time instead of peeking, she brazenly strolled into his office, a simple action that gave her no small amount of exhilaration. Natsu did not look up when she came in and noticed that his ears were plugged. Didn't matter; she had better, though highly inappropriate, things to do. Leaning against a wall, Lucy ran her eyes over his form.

The man had moved from his desk to the sofa in the wing of his office. A large pillow had been propped up behind his back and his legs were stretched out across the seat cushions. In his hand, he held a stapled set of notes and his other hand busied itself at the keyboard sitting on his lap. Lucy was instantly reminded of how much she loved watching him work. His otherwise playful demeanor would shed, giving way to a serious, 150% in-concentration one. She saw him lift his hand from the keyboard to grab onto a scarf end, both of which now trailed his chest. His fingers twiddled with the cloth for a moment of silence before he dropped it and his hand began flying across the keyboard again. His thinking habits had yet to change, Lucy thought amusedly. Raising a fist to the door, she rapped the glass twice.

Natsu's head spun around and his eyes widened at the sight of her. Setting his laptop and papers down, he swung his legs over the sofa and tugged off his headphones. Amusement bubbled within her at the strip of slightly flattened hair on his head.

"Lucy, hey."

She lifted the bags. "I brought rations."

"Oh, good. Thanks."

She unloaded the items next to his laptop. "Smoked ham and bacon sandwiches in chili and honeyed black tea. Just the way you like it." She ignored the reproachful look that her conscience gave her; here she was breaking the Rules yet again. Visiting him and admitting that she still remembered what he liked? Bad, bad Lucy. She was really going to hate on herself later. At least he was not privy to her inner turmoil; he already had a sandwich down and was starting on the second. Looking up, he flashed her a toothy grin. "Thanks, Luce."

"Y-you're welcome." The blonde ducked her face behind her own sandwich, all too aware that she had started to burn up. She hated the way just his smile could reduce her to a mere schoolgirl. Shit! Get a hold of yourself, Lucy Heartfilia!

"Did you say something?"

"Er, no." Damn it, she hadn't realized that she had spoken out loud. Damnit, she tore into her sandwich with anger-fueled gusto.

Natsu would have been blind if he said that he hadn't noticed her blush. Whenever it came to Lucy Heartfilia, it didn't matter if he was trying; he always noticed every single little detail about her. Like how her hitched-up dress from before had revealed the tiny constellation of moles she had on her upper thigh; how tiny droplets of sweat had trailed her neck when she had been walking alongside him and now, the small patch of sauce that stained the corner of her mouth. Chuckling, he gestured towards his own mouth. "Luce."

"Hmm? There's nothing on your mouth."

He shook his head and pointed at her before gesturing back to his own mouth. A flustered look flitted across her face and she raised a serviette to her mouth. "Gone?"

"Not quite. Still a little bit to your… Oh, geez. I'll do it."

Her amber eyes widened a tiny fraction when the male suddenly leaned forth and traced the calloused pad of his thumb across the side of her cheek. With his finger brushing fire across her skin and the scent of clean soap and light cologne drifting her way, Lucy's body began to arouse. In her chest cavity, her heart began to race again, something that was happening all too often nowadays. As if in response, she saw Natsu's hand freeze for just a moment before he pulled it away again. Knowing him and his keen senses, the blasted man had mostly likely heard it. Gratefully though, he did no say anything to tease her and she snuck a glance up at him from under her lashes.

Natsu had returned his attention to his unfinished sandwich. However, there was now a downturn to his lips and his eyes seemed to be focused on an area beyond her. If her own eyes were not deceiving her, there was also a tint of his hair color on his cheeks. If masculine bravado did it for other women, Natsu's shy embarrassment was her tipping point, just like how it had broken her down so easily 2 weeks ago. Clenching her fists so tightly it hurt her palms, Lucy squeezed her eyes shut and willed the bud of arousal within her to die out. A weight landed on her shoulder and her eyes flew open to see Natsu was standing over her.

"Lucy? Something wrong?"

Beneath the shadows of the single bang over his eye, his dark eyes were filled worry. She shook her head.

"Just… a little tired."

"Do you bleed your own palms when you're tired?" Squatting down beside her, he sighed as he took her left hand in his own, unfurling her fingers till the tiny red lines on her palms came into view. Natsu pressed his palm flat against hers to re-straighten her fingers before looking up at her. "If you're in pain around me, tell me, I'll leave."

"I-I'm not."

"Don't lie, your skin is torn." He lightly sandwiched her hands between his. "I told you the other day that I would protect you and I meant what I said. If protecting you means staying away, I will not hesitate to do so."

She shook her head again. "I know what you said, but I'm not in pain. I'm just-"

"Just… What are you, Lucy?"

She was in love, painfully and irrevocably so.

"Lucy."

His soft voice and beseeching look were quickly crumbling her protective walls but she could not find the voice to reply him. Instead, the blonde looked right into his eyes, her features drawn tight with all the emotion she could not convey. Within seconds, his own face had changed to mirror hers and his voice was strangled.

"Please don't. You and I both know that that's a terrible idea."

"…"

"Damn it, Luce." He sighed. "Don't test my self-control. I'm having a hard time as it is without you-"

Her gaze held as she whispered. "Without me… what?"

He shot her a scornful look as he gritted out his reply. "Without you look at me like you want to kiss me."

Lucy did not reply but inside, her mind was yelling out a frantic 'Yes!' Something must have shown in her eyes for he tightened his grip around her hands and shook his head. "I don't trust myself to have enough sense for the both of us. I need you to work with me."

"I-"

"Do this for your sake if not mine." He beseeched.

A pained look came into her eyes as she tugged her hands free. "I'm not trying to feel this way, but every time I look at you nowadays it's just… I keep thinking about how much I used to love you. I can't stop doing it; you don't know how hard I've tried, how much I'm still trying. And then today I… I realized how much I still… that I'm still…"

Unable to continue, she looked up at him.

A hooded look came into his eyes. "Don't."

"Natsu, I couldn't stop myself from thinking it." She moaned. "Have you ever tried to stop thinking about something that just… just keeps raging and pounding inside your head till it occupies your every waking moment? It's exhausting."

She drew in a shaky breath to calm herself. "This morning when you were lying on my lap, I-"

He groaned into a hand. "This morning we had a nice, peaceful walk back from the station and then we came to work. Nothing happened."

"No, nothing happened, but that didn't mean that I could deny it any longer." She looked up him, her expression melancholic.

"Lucy."

The stress of her mental turmoil was weighing heavily down on her and she took in a shaky breath. When she opened her eyes again, he was still crouched in front of her, his expression drawn and reflective of her own exhaustion. Reaching up, she cupped her hand against his cheek, willing the tiredness to go away. There was a tiny pressure against her palm when he leaned in a fractional amount, the emotion in his eyes glimmering. Closing her own, she leaned in till their noses grazed.

"I still… I still love you."

The silence that hung between them now was palpable but Lucy remained quiet, simply savoring the moment and relief that came with letting go of her mental burden. The moment however, shattered quickly with his reply and the blonde blinked and leaned away from him.

"What?"

"I said that I don't." He stated again. "Not anymore."

Noting the confusion on her face, Natsu stood quickly, letting her hand slide off his skin. Gritting his teeth, he stepped away and willed himself to ignore the pain burning on her face.

"You were the one who left me, Lucy. You ignored every attempt that I made to apologize and hightailed out of Magnolia. I wanted you back, I tried so hard at it and all you did was slam the door in my face. Repeatedly. So… I gave up. It's so much easier being single anyway."

"You- I don't understand…"

"Give us up, Lucy." He rounded the table and picked up his laptop before stepping out the door. Turning back for a sidelong glance, he continued. "I've moved on, I think you should too."

Next one coming soon but the magic password to gain entry isn't 'open sesame'. It's 'click that button below and leave a love message.'

Sam.