Chapter Twenty-Five: Sharing
The rest of Lucy's day seemed to drag on forever. She only had a few classes after lunch, but each one seemed to take twice as long as normal. It didn't help that she started to feel more paranoid. She didn't want to be, but she definitely noticed all the eyes watching her throughout the day.
Most of the time she chalked it up to her overreacting, but it got worst towards the end of the day. In her last class, she caught four people blatantly staring at her. She had to hold their glares -for way longer than necessary- before they finally looked the other way.
To say it made her uncomfortable would be an understatement.
She had Natsu's jacket zipped up to the top, so no one could see her upper body, but her thighs still felt exposed. If she'd known people were going to be looking at her like this, she never would have worn this outfit to school.
The scent coming from the jacket worked to calm her down. She was tempted to tell Natsu she was just going to steal his jacket, but she knew the smell would fade. Still, it felt nice to wear his clothes, even if he just lent it to her in a friendly manner. It made her feel connected to him in some type of bizarre way.
When Lucy's last class ended, she went down the hall where Levy was waiting for her. They walked together, making their way out of the school.
"Are you meeting up with Gajeel to study?" Lucy smirked, noticing the bright blush on Levy's face. The blonde enjoyed teasing her friend about her alone time with her boyfriend. It was no secret something was going on between them that involved more than just kissing.
"Shhh," the bookworm looked around, making sure no one heard them as they went down the stairs. When she determined no one would hear them, she smiled, "Yeah, I'm going to his house..."
"Well I'm glad you're happy," The blonde teen said in earnest.
Levy nodded, holding back a squeal, "Thanks. I hope you're able to get with Natsu soon."
That stopped Lucy right in her tracks. "What?"
"What?"
"Why would you say that?" Lucy asked, feet finally moving to catch up with her friend.
"Oh, I thought it was obvious you had a crush on him. Am I wrong?" Levy raised her brows, genuinely confused.
Lucy on the other hand tipped her head back to look at the ceiling. Anything to avoid looking at Levy's eyes as she said, "Maybe I do have a crush on him, but don't tell anyone."
"I won't," the blue haired teen promised, but her smile remained. "Are you going to ask him out?"
Lucy sighed just as they exited the school's main entrance. "I don't think so..."
"Why not?"
"Well for one, I don't know if he likes me back..."
Levy scoffed, "Please. He obviously likes you back."
"Obviously...?" She shook her head as they left the school. "Anyways... Even if I found out he likes me back, there's no guarantee we can go out. My dad has some strict rules on dating. I don't know if Natsu's willing to take a drug test and background check and meet my dad. My father's not exactly the most understanding guy."
"Really?" Levy asked, realizing Lucy rarely spoke about her family. "What's he like?"
"Well," Lucy started, trying to find a nice word to replace 'asshole'. "He's-"
"Slut!"
Lucy's head jerked to the side, seeing a group of boys laughing and pointing her way. Her brown eyes narrowed at their smiles. She didn't think twice before demanding, "Who are you talking to?"
"You!"
"What?" She recoiled, shocked to hear a stranger say such a foul word to her. She put her hands on her hips, but that didn't stop the boys from laughing.
"I said you're a slut!" One of the boys yelled out, not caring that multiple people besides Lucy and Levy were staring at him.
"Take that back!" Lucy balled her hands into fists, ready to defend her honor.
"Make me," the same boy shouted, not taking her seriously.
She glanced around, seeing that more eyes were now on her. The students stared at her face, then glanced down to her outfit -specifically her short skirt.
Suddenly Lucy felt more self-conscious about her choice of clothing. Natsu's jacket helped cover up her top, but her legs and thighs were on display for anyone to see. Before she could react, she felt a hand tugging her wrist.
Lucy looked to see Levy pulling her along, away from the crowd that was gathering. "Ignore them," the bookworm instructed. "Let's just go."
She followed her friend, but still wanted to say her piece. "I should go back there and set him straight. I'm not a sl-" Lucy didn't want to say the word. She'd never been called such an ugly name before.
"I know you're not, but it's not worth dealing with. It's easier to just ignore it."
"But I don't want to ignore it. I want to correct it." Lucy couldn't understand why Levy wanted her to leave. If she didn't say something, wouldn't people assume she really was what that boy said she was?
Levy didn't answer her, instead dragging her to the group of teens waiting by the edge of the football field. Once she made it there, Levy leaned in close, whispering into Lucy's ear, "Trust me. It's better to leave it alone than to say anything. I don't want to see you get hurt."
By now, Natsu and the others noticed Lucy and Levy standing a few feet away from them. They watched as Lucy pulled back, shaking her head. "I can't let him get away with it though. That'll only make him think he can do it again."
"Do what again?" Erza asked, stepping forward.
"Nothing!" Levy answered immediately. She glanced over at Lucy, a pleading look in her eye. She leaned in again. "Just let it go, please."
Levy pulled away to say, "Well I need to meet up with Gajeel. Text me later?"
"Y-yeah?" Lucy said, not sure what was happening. 'Why doesn't Levy want me to stand up for myself?' Then she recalled a conversation they had a few weeks ago.
"Most of the time when people confront a rumor, it gets worse. The person who thought they were helping becomes the newest target. It's easier to stay out of it, or else you'll get attacked too."
Lucy had tried to reason that bullying shouldn't be ignored, but Levy stayed adamant on leaving things alone. It was better that way, but Lucy didn't want to let something like this go. That boy insulted her. The thing he called her cut deep, especially since she hadn't even had her first kiss yet. She didn't know why he would call her that. Her outfit was the only thing she could blame. She wanted to change... now!
When Levy started walking away, Erza moved in closer. "What was that about?"
Lucy sighed. She wanted to tell Erza, but after this morning's reaction to her saying Dan groped her butt, she was pretty sure Erza would kill that guy who called her a slut. Lucy could see the handle of the short sword sticking out from redhead's backpack. With Erza's temper, she probably would take it to the extreme.
"It's nothing," Lucy said in defeat.
Once she let go of the fire that burned within her, she felt the day weigh down on her. The lack of sleep finally got to her, making everything about her feel dull. "I think I'm going to go home early... I'm kinda tired."
"Are you sure?" The redhead asked, watching as Lucy turned to start walking to her bus stop.
"Yeah," she nodded. Lucy looked over to Natsu, seeing him patiently waiting for an explanation over what just happened. She cast him a fake smile, but she felt the corners of her lips dipping down. "I'm heading home... Tired."
"Oh, really?" She could see the way his shoulders fell.
"Yeah," she yawned, causing him to yawn too. "I should get some sleep."
Natsu stayed quiet for a few seconds before opening his mouth again. "C-can I walk you home?" He asked, hopeful to spend a little more time with her.
Lucy thought about it. The bus would be a lot faster, but Natsu's company was something she couldn't pass up. "Yeah. I'd like that."
"Cool," the pink haired boy grinned, then looked past her to his friends. "I'll see you guys later!" He didn't wait for a reply before turning around, walking next to Lucy on her way to her house.
On the way there, he decided to play Pokémon GO. Since Lucy didn't have a lot of data, she chose to watch. Halfway to her house, she remembered what Gray said earlier. "Oh yeah, I heard there's going to be a new update for the game soon."
"Again? I feel like I just upgraded it a few days ago. What's it gonna be for this time?" Natsu threw a Poké ball at a Weedle.
"I didn't read about it yet, but Gray said they're going to make it to where we can't cheat anymore."
"What do you mean?" He asked, raising a brow at her in confusion.
"Like how you caught me that Sandslash and I caught you that Snorlax. I guess we're not going to be able to do that." Lucy sighed, "He said something about if we log in too far away from our last log in within a certain amount of time... I'm not sure."
"Well that sucks," Natsu groused, transferring his Weedle for some candy. "Can we still do it if we're in the same town? That's not that far away."
"I think so," Lucy tapped her chin, the sleeve on Natsu's jacket slipping from the action. "I guess we'll just have to see."
"So you still want to try?"
"Well yeah," she smiled, readjusting the jacket. "Oh, do you want this back?" She grabbed the material over her chest, pulling it out to let him know she was referring to his jacket. "I can wash it tonight and bring it back tomorrow."
"No rush," he smiled, biting on his lower lip. He mumbled under his breath, "Looks better on you than me anyways..." The pink stain on his face matched his hair.
Lucy smiled, liking the feeling of being in his jacket despite the warm weather. Her exposed skin on her legs counteracted the weather a bit, but not completely.
As Natsu swiped for a Pokéstop they were passing, Lucy giggled to herself. "Hey look! It's a Butterfree!"
"What? Where?" Natsu looked at his screen, zooming out to find the bug type Pokémon. His brows furrowed, frustrated at his phone. "I don't see it."
He looked up at Lucy, seeing the cheeky grin plastered on her pretty face. "Wait... If you're not playing, how do you see a Butterfree?"
She only giggled again, pointing to a bush to her left. "It's right there."
Natsu followed the direction of her finger, shaking his head as he realized what she meant. Fluttering around the bush was an ordinary butterfly, but he couldn't help but laugh at her silly joke. "I dunno... Looks more like a Venomoth to me."
Lucy put her hand to her lips as she laughed, "I guess some butterflies look like moths." She felt her lips pulling into a wider smile as she saw a furry creature cross their path. "Oh look! It's a Meowth!"
Natsu put his phone away, watching as the cat jumped over a short fence to venture into someone's yard. A dog started barking, so he decided to keep the joke going. "And there's a Houndour!"
"What?" Lucy looked over, noticing the dog barking at the cat. "No, you have to use Pokémon from the first generation."
"Says who?"
"Says me!"
"Well I like Houndour," Natsu argued, laughing at the way Lucy's cheeks puffed out in frustration.
She shook her head, adamant with her earlier statement. "Looks more like a Growlithe to me."
Natsu looked over, seeing her smirk. "I'm not even getting started with you on that. It wasn't a Growlithe."
"Was too!" Lucy defended, giving him a light shove to his arm.
He wasn't expecting it, letting himself be pushed a few inches. He smiled, ready to tease her back. "Was not!" He gave her a slight push back, not wanting to accidentally hurt her. Sometimes he didn't know his own strength.
Lucy barely stumbled, more surprised than anything. She smiled, calling out another, "Was too," then went to push him again.
Natsu was prepared this time. Stepping out of the way but stopping when he saw her lose her footing. He acted quickly, reaching out and wrapping an arm around the girl to steady her. "You okay?"
He looked down at her since her head hit his chest. She didn't hurt him, so he wasn't concerned with himself. He felt Lucy shaking, worried that somehow she got injured. She glanced up, a bright smile on her face as she continued laughing. "Was too!"
"Okay," Natsu nodded softly, deciding this wasn't a battle he could win. Lucy was clearly more stubborn than she looked. "Sounds good to me."
With his arm still around her shoulders, he started walking, leading her along. She didn't protest or try to pull away. Neither wanted to admit out loud that they liked Natsu holding her, so they remained oddly quiet for a while. It seemed like they were both trying to make up for the horrible weekend they had, taking full advantage of the other's company.
When they had to cross a street, he finally let go of her. It was probably for the best. Being that close to Lucy made him nervous in a way he wasn't used to. He could already feel his palms and underarms start to sweat, and the last thing he wanted to do was get stinky around her.
Breaking the comfortable silence, Lucy asked, "How was the library trip with Beth?"
Natsu raised a brow, looking over at Lucy to read her expression. She seemed normal, her eyes staying ahead of her as they walked. He debated telling Lucy about the little misunderstanding he had with his lab partner when she thought he asked her out on a date, but he decided against it. It didn't seem like the best thing to bring up to his crush.
"Ehh, it was just like being in class. Although Ice Princess wasn't there, so that helped. He's always getting in my way," Natsu laughed, frustrated that his oldest friend was also in his chemistry class. "I guess I get in his way sometimes too..."
"I heard," Lucy nodded, remembering one afternoon when Erza scolded the boys for acting out in class. "Is Erza in your class too?" She chose to drop the subject of the library. Honestly she didn't want to know if he had a good time hanging out with Beth. 'If he really did, he'd try to be with her now instead of me...'
That thought alone made her heart soar.
'Unless she just works today...'
That thought made her heart sink.
"She's in some of my classes, but not chemistry." Natsu sighed to himself, counting himself lucky for not having the redhead around when he did lab work. She was already controlling. He couldn't imagine what would happen if she was there to 'supervise' him.
"I wish I had a class with you," Lucy glanced at him, seeing that bright smile still on his face. "I only have one with Juvia and some with Levy."
"It'd be pretty cool to have a class with you, but usually kids in different grades only get the same elective classes."
"Yeah," the blonde teen agreed. "Only class I have with Juvia is art. Wait, is Juvia a junior like you, Gray and Erza?"
"Yup. All of us are juniors except Jellal." Natsu answered. "I'm a little worried about Erza. She's gonna be upset when Jellal graduates this year."
"So she does like him?" Lucy knew it wasn't her imagination that there was an attraction between Erza and Jellal.
"More like in love..." He sighed, "They just keep dancing around each other. Might as well start a betting pool on when they'll get together."
"Well if you do, I'd like to place a bet," Lucy giggled, ignoring the part about dancing around their feelings. She knew she was guilty of the same thing.
"Sure thing," he chuckled, then noticed the neighborhood around them started looking fancier. All the lawns were in pristine condition and all the houses were built large. They were in Lucy's neighborhood.
"I think you're house is that way?" He asked, pointing down a street.
She nodded, leading the way. "Yup. Almost home." She tipped her head back, looking at the beautiful sky. "I'm not feeling all that tired anymore. I guess I could've stayed and hung out with everyone."
"They'll be fine," Natsu assured, secretly glad he was able to spend this little time with her alone. His walk home would kill his legs, but it was worth it to get some one on one time with his crush. Her house finally came into view. It looked slightly different, but he figured it was because last time he saw it was at night.
He gulped, finding the large house more intimidating than before. Her father's text surfaced in his mind.
"It would be wise to stop talking to my daughter."
"Do you want to hang out some more?" Lucy asked, bringing Natsu out of his memory.
"In your house?"
"Yeah?" She raised a brow at him, wondering why he looked so jittery all of a sudden.
His throat bobbed when he tried to swallow, "Are you sure you want to?"
Lucy held back a laugh, "Why not? I don't bite."
That comment only made his heart race. "Is your dad home?" The boy asked instantly, looking at the driveway and seeing no cars.
"No, he's actually staying in Crocus for now."
Natsu's eyes flitted over to her, seeing her hardly react to that news. "Who's taking care of you then?"
"Virgo," Lucy said without skipping a beat.
"Who's that?"
"She's the family friend I told you about... She also happens to be our maid."
Natsu blinked in surprise. "Oh... You have a maid?"
Lucy flushed under his gaze. "Yeah..." She felt embarrassed for admitting it, but that was her life. Ever since her mother passed away, she'd been raised by maids. First it was Miss Spetto, but she retired about four years ago. That was when Virgo was brought in. Lucy had been fortunate to get two great women in her life to raise her after her mother's death.
The two teens stopped in front of the gates surrounding her house. Natsu hesitated before asking, "Will she be okay with you having company?"
"I dunno," Lucy shrugged, "Let's find out."
She opened the gate, then walked up to her porch. Natsu stood still for a moment, terrified of going into her home. He had to chant in his head to calm him down. 'It's okay. Nothing bad is gonna happen. It's just Lucy. You're okay...'
After swallowing hard, he started to move, closing the gate behind him before walking up to where Lucy was unlocking her door. Once she stepped inside, she announced, "Virgo! I'm home! Can I ask you something?"
The two teens were met with silence.
"Nice house," Natsu commented as he entered the two story home. They were in a short hall where he could make out her living room. A brown leather couch with light blue pillows rested in the center of the room. It was facing a rather large television, encased in a dark brown entertainment center. He could only imagine how great it'd be to play video games on a screen that big.
"Thanks," Lucy closed the front door and locked it. She kept her voice steady, even though her heart was beating erratically. Not even Levy had been inside her home. "D-do you want a tour while I look for Virgo?"
"Sure." He followed the girl through the house as she showed him each room. The rest of the house was just as impressive.
Natsu's house could probably fit in her living room and dining room alone. He couldn't fathom why they had such a large house when it seemed like no one was ever home. Lucy spent a lot of time at school, her father was apparently in another city, and the maid was nowhere to be found.
When they went to the kitchen, Lucy found a note from Virgo saying she would be out buying groceries. The note didn't have a time when she left, so Lucy had no clue when the maid would be home. The tour continued with both teens aware they were alone.
Downstairs held the normal things like living room, kitchen, a study, etc, while the upstairs held the bedrooms. Only three rooms remained closed during the tour. Jude's bedroom, Virgo's bedroom, and Jude's study were off limits to Lucy, though she had no desire to snoop in there anyway.
Natsu felt weird walking behind her going up the stairs. He caught a glimpse of her panties since her skirt was so short. Once he saw the pink material he ducked his head, staring at the stairs to avoid being inappropriate. He was embarrassed, but also upset. He knew for a fact Lucy had a few classes upstairs, meaning some people probably saw up Lucy's skirt as well. He wanted to tell her to never wear clothes like that again, but he knew it wasn't his place. He just had to deal with her choices, just like she couldn't tell him how to dress.
The last room of Lucy's tour happened to be her room, and she was nervous as to what the pink haired boy would think. Slowly, after gulping, she opened her room to let him explore. "And this is my room..."
Natsu was nervous to be stepping into the girl's room. Hell, he'd be nervous to go into any girl's room. He hesitated before walking inside. 'It's okay... Lucy is nice... She won't hurt you... It's okay...'
He took a deep, reassuring breath, instantly getting hit by a strong, pleasant smell. "Wow," he mumbled, taking in another breath. The whole place smelled like Lucy, and it was heavenly. It put him at ease and made his heart speed up at the same time. "I like it."
"That's good." She stepped into the room, debating if she should close the door or not. She went ahead and left it open. She flipped on the lights to brighten the place up. Natsu and Lucy put their backpacks by her door while Lucy hung her purse on the door knob.
"Who's this little guy?" Natsu spoke up, picking up a white stuffed animal from the foot of her bed. "Actually, what is this little guy?" He turned it around in his hands trying to get a better idea of the creature's species. He took note that she wasn't opposed to stuffed animals.
Lucy giggled as he inspected her toy. "He's a dog, from the constellation Canis Minor. I call him Plue."
He glanced up at her for a second before focusing on the white dog again. It didn't really look like a dog to him... "Plue huh? I've never seen anything like it before. Kinda looks like a snowman..." A grin surfaced on his face. "It's weird, just like you."
"Hey!" She puffed out her cheeks to convey her displeasure.
Natsu stared at her, shaking his head. "Damn you're funny when you get mad."
Her cheeks deflated as they grew warmer. She turned to the side as she tried to conceal her embarrassment. "Shut up..."
"Did your mom get Plue for you?"
He heard her sharp inhale. She turned to face him again, her eyes swimming with memories. "Yeah. My mom was always trying to make me feel less lonely."
"Lonely?"
"Yeah..." Lucy went over to her bed, taking Plue into her hands. She took a seat at the edge. "My only friend's growing up was my mom and my cousin..."
"You have a cousin?"
"Yeah. For the longest time she felt like my little sister. We did everything together. Her name is Michelle. She moved to a different town a few months before my mom passed away..." Lucy stayed quiet for a few minutes, thankful that Natsu didn't try to push her into finishing her story. During that time she took off Natsu's jacket, resting it on the bed behind her.
Natsu's eyes widened when she said 'Michelle'. He recognized it from part of the story he read this morning. Now his curiosity burned like a wildfire. He desperately wanted to ask, but he remained quiet, not wanting to upset her since he shouldn't have been reading her story this morning without permission.
Lucy took a deep breath, letting the darker memories leave her mind as she continued. "I wasn't able to see Michelle a lot after that. My father was always too busy to take me to see her."
Natsu took a few steps closer to her, but he didn't sit down on the bed. Instead he sat on the ground by her, looking up to listen to what else she had to say.
"Hopefully I get to see her this weekend. I have to ask Virgo if my father arranged for my visit or not. He gets forgetful if it's not dealing with his business."
After a few more silent minutes between the teens, Natsu finally spoke. "I... kinda know how you feel... about being lonely..."
"You do?" She raised an eyebrow, surprised by his statement. She always saw him surrounded by friends -except the day she met him.
He nodded, eyes falling until they landed on her pink bed skirt. He didn't want to see her face when he admitted this. "Sometimes... even when I'm surrounded by people... I still feel isolated." He took a shuttering breath, feeling his heartbeat accelerate. "I try to not let it bother me... but it does. Sometimes I have to force myself to smile just to get me through the day..."
Lucy's heart clenched at hearing that. She knew all too well what it was like forcing a smile to get through something, though hers were for social gatherings. Still, she could relate.
Natsu turned away from her, resting his back against her bed. In a whisper he was sure she couldn't hear, he said, "I just want to be normal."
Lucy heard what he said, and it only added weight onto her pained heart. She'd wanted to be normal for so long too. That's why she wanted to go to a public school in a new town. She was just fortunate that her father started up another branch for his business in Magnolia. She didn't hesitate to agree to come to the new town, hoping she could convince her father to let her stay and attend school there. It took a lot of convincing, but it all paid off.
The blonde set Plue on her pillow, then got off her bed to sit next to Natsu. His eyes were hidden under his pink bangs, but she could see the quivering of his bottom lip. He was close to crying, and she wouldn't allow him to feel sad anymore.
"I'm glad you're not normal," she confessed, seeing the way her voice caused him to jolt. From the looks of it, she doubted he even noticed that she moved next to him.
"Huh?"
She smiled, placing a hand on his shoulder. "I'm glad you're not normal. Normal is boring. I think you're pretty fun to be around just like you are now."
He lifted his head up, green eyes meeting her gaze. "You do?"
"I do," she nodded, no doubts in her mind. "My mom always told me that as long as you're happy, it doesn't matter what other people think. Are you happy, Natsu?"
He thought about it, long and hard. He had a lot of downs in his life, but that wasn't enough to keep him from being happy. Overall his life was pretty good, even if he had to ignore his school life in order to think that way. "I think so," he finally said, unsure if it was the truth or not.
Lucy's smile wavered only slightly. "Do you know what would make you happy?"
He shook his head, knowing that was definitely a lie. All he really wanted was for people to never pick on him in the first place. Then he wouldn't feel like such a freak. "Can we change the subject?"
Lucy's brown eyes widened, realizing she made him feel uncomfortable. "Of course! What would you like to talk about?"
"I don't know," he sighed, moving his eyes to the carpet. "Tell me about your mom... What was she like? What did she look like."
The blonde nodded to herself. She rarely spoke about her mom, but it was only because it brought up memories of being alone. With Natsu here, she felt a little safe.
"I can show you." The teen stood up, spinning on her heel to walk over to an old desk. She carefully picked up an antique picture frame to bring over to the boy. After she took her seat beside him again, she looked down at the photo.
"Be careful with it," Lucy pleaded in a soft voice. Any louder and her words would crack. She held this picture close to her heart since it was the last one taken of her mother before she fell ill. It was during a time when Lucy had less troubles in her life. Her mom was her rock growing up.
"I'll be careful," Natsu promised, handling the picture frame as delicately as he could. He was known for his destructive nature, but he knew how to be gentle with things when needed. He helped take care of Wendy after all.
"Th-thanks," Lucy stammered, her fingers slightly shaking now that the frame was no longer in her possession.
Natsu looked down at the photo, a smile ghosting over his lips. Layla Heartfilia. Lucy looked like the spitting image of her mother. They shared the same beautiful golden hair. The older woman's hair was pinned up, with two thick locks framing her pale and flawless face. The mother's brown eyes were deep, and filled with kindness. She wore an extravagant dress, fit for a queen. It was a light pink, with white ruffles trimming the off-the-shoulder dress. A single, dark pink rose was centered on the woman's bust.
He wondered if Lucy would grow up looking exactly like her mom. If so, she was lucky. Her mother was gorgeous, just like her. He stole a glance over to Lucy, seeing her chewing on her bottom lip as she anticipated his reaction.
"She's beautiful." Natsu subconsciously wrapped an arm around Lucy's shoulder as he spoke, wanting to ease her distress. His fingers brushing against her shirt as he said, "You two look almost like twin sisters."
Lucy tried to calm her racing heart. Natsu's fingers barely touched her, but it felt like fire coursed through his hands from his hot touch. She tried to swallow, feeling a lump forming in her throat. She didn't want to admit to herself how great it felt being this close to Natsu, especially when she felt so anxious.
Forcing herself to remain in control of her emotions, she spoke with a shaky voice. "S-she was young when she p-passed away. She never even hit thirty years old." Lucy leaned into the warm body, he was so comforting to be around.
Talking about her mother always upset her, but somehow, she didn't feel that deep regret and sadness that always accompanied her whenever she spoke of her late mom. It still upset her that she was stolen away from this world at such a young age, but somehow, it was bearable talking about with Natsu by her side. She felt like it was safe to open up to him, especially because she knew he lost both his birth parents. He could understand her pain.
"I wish I could have met her." The pink haired boy's hand moved, thumb rubbing at her bare shoulder. He felt goosebumps forming under his touch, but he thought nothing of it as he stared at the photo in his hands. "I'd tell her what a great daughter you grew up to be. So smart... So caring..."
Lucy felt her heart swell as he spoke, until he added, "So weird... Oww! Don't pinch me!"
Natsu jolted away from Lucy, taking his hands off her. She had her fingers held out, imitating a pinching motion. She wore a mock scowl on her face that he easily saw through. "I was also gonna say really c-cute too," he blushed, eyes drifting away from her to look at the photo again, embarrassed over his own statement.
Lucy stopped her future finger assaults and leaned against her bed. She knew her face was red, but she didn't care. 'Natsu called me cute again!' The blonde looked at the picture too, missing her mom even more. "She was an amazing woman. Best mother I could have ever asked for."
The pink haired teen let out a sigh. "I'm not really spiritual and stuff, but I'd like to think she's watching over you."
"Yeah... Me too..." Lucy always thought about her mother when she looked at the stars. In her mind, her mother was just another star, looking down on her and watching her grow up.
"Here, I'll go put her back in her proper place." Natsu stood up, padding over to the desk. There was a large mirror hanging above it, and several notebooks scattered on the surface of the chipped wood. He could only guess what the notebooks were filled with.
He placed the antique looking picture frame where he saw Lucy pick it up from. Giving one last look at the woman, he proceeded back to Lucy. His eyes caught on the thing resting beside her desk. He felt jealous seeing the girl had her own mini fridge in her room.
Natsu then looked at her bare walls. A question floated out of his mouth before his mind could keep up. "Why isn't there anything on your walls?"
"Hmm?" Lucy looked around, puzzled. "What would I put up there?"
He thought it was obvious! Pictures of friends and family.
His mouth opened to speak, but closed when he realized anything he said would sound insensitive. Lucy already said she didn't have a lot of friends, and her family seemed scarce. "Whatever you want to put up there. Doesn't matter." He made a silent vow to make sure she got a few pictures taken with him and his friends to fill her wall with.
Natsu's eyes continued to look around her room. Something odd struck him. "What are those two doors for?" The pink haired teen pointed at two doors on the wall furthest from her bed.
"Oh, that one's my closet." She pointed towards the one closer to them, then directed her finger to the left. "And that's my bathroom."
"You have your own bathroom? Man that's pretty cool." Natsu stared at the door in awe and envy. Lucy didn't answer him, not thinking it was a big deal. Since she was a little girl she'd always had her own bathroom.
"I have to share a bathroom with my kid sister," Natsu groused, but a smile played on his lips. "She takes forever getting ready in the morning."
Lucy giggled, stretching out her legs. When she felt the carpet touch her upper thighs she realized she was still in her short skirt. She stood up, walking over to her dresser. As she grabbed a change of clothes, she took hold of the remote resting by the tv mounted over her dresser. "I'm going to get changed. Do you want to watch tv?"
She walked over to the boy, handing him the remote before he could answer. "I'll be right back." She disappeared into her bathroom, locking the door behind her just in case Natsu thought to burst in on her while she was undressed. She didn't suspect him to be a pervert or anything, she just feared that his lack of personal boundaries sometimes would cause him to not think about it.
Lucy changed into a pair of sweatpants and a simple shirt. They were a little baggy on her, but she didn't mind. When she was at home, she went for comfort, not looks. As she reached for the door handle, she froze. 'What if Natsu thinks I look unattractive wearing this?'
She took a look in the mirror, seeing the bland clothes covering her body. Her bottom lip caught between her teeth as she debated if she wanted him to see her in the outfit or not. Before she could decide, she heard the sound of her TV coming on.
"I don't think he'll care..." She tried to assure herself. As if to make up her mind for her, she swung open the door, letting that be the end of the discussion in her head. Just as she took her first step outside her bathroom, her stomach growled. 'Oh yeah... I only had a bag of chips for lunch...'
While Natsu flipped through channels, she asked, "Are you hungry?"
"Kinda," he shot her a glance before returning to the screen. He tried to calm his now racing heart. Seeing Lucy in plain clothes made him feel strangely intimate with her. He knew girls didn't dress down normally, unless they were comfortable around the other person. Plus, seeing her in normal clothes made him relax. He didn't have to worry about accidentally staring at her skin for too long. "Do... Do you want to go somewhere to eat?"
Lucy flushed as she contemplated his offer. Instead of asking him if he meant another date, she said, "I can try to make us something..."
Natsu cocked his head, looking back at her, "Really?"
She twisted the tip of her foot into the carpet. "I can't guarantee it'll be something great..."
"That's fine," his smile showed he told the truth.
Lucy nodded, determined to find something for them to eat. She told him to stay put while she ventured downstairs to the kitchen. Once inside the kitchen, she cringed. "... I don't know how to cook..."
It was just another reason to resent the life she lived before this. Her father didn't want her to bother with cooking, always saying that a maid can make something if she gets hungry. Now she wished she'd been more defiant and learned how to cook regardless of his instructions.
She looked in the pantry, trying to find something she could handle. She was tempted to go with plain cereal, but walking upstairs with two bowls filled with milk wouldn't be wise. Lucy ended up grabbing a box of oatmeal packets.
She retrieved two bowls, filling them with two packets each of her favorite oatmeal. Dinosaur Eggs.
Lucy figured Natsu would like them too, seeing as the eggs melted to reveal little green and red dinosaurs when cooked. She popped the bowls in the microwave after adding the right amount of milk to each. It didn't take too long to cook.
Lucy smiled, glad she could make something for him to eat, even if it was super simple. She'd have to take cooking lessons from Virgo in the future. With any luck, she could learn to cook a real meal for Natsu someday.
Lucy brought back two bowls of oatmeal. The bowls were hot, but she managed to carry them back to her room without spilling them. She was glad she left the door open since it allowed her to walk in without worries.
She made her way over to the pink haired boy, finding him in the same place she left him, sitting against her bed. She handed him his bowl, heart warming when she saw his toothy smile. "Thanks Luce! I love this kind!" He peered down at the dinosaurs mixed in with the food.
"No problem," her simple act seemed to brighten his mood. She went to grab a water from her mini fridge, then started walking back to Natsu. On the way back, her foot caught on her history book, causing her to lose her balance.
She stumbled, using her hands to grab onto her desk so she wouldn't fall. In the process, she let go of what was in her hands, making her eyes grow wide. "NOOO!"
Natsu's head jerked up from his bowl of food to see the mess in front of him. Lucy had her hands on both sides of her head, eyes wide as she whined, "My oatmeal!"
"What happened?"
"I dropped it!" She threw her hands at the spilled food in front of her, tears coming to the corners of her eyes as she realized she wouldn't get to eat the oatmealy goodness. "It's ruined!" She dropped her head, bangs covering her eyes.
Natsu was about to stand up and help her out, but he stopped when he saw her shaking. "Are you okay?" He thought she might be crying, but instead of sobs he heard something he didn't expect.
Lucy started laughing.
"Oh man," she glanced up, hand coming up to wipe at her eyes. "I'm such a klutz!" Her laughing increased as she bent over. She picked up her spoon, then used her hand to scoop the big pieces back in the bowl. "It's hot!"
Despite her complaining, she continued to clean up the mess. Her fingers getting sticky and hot from the food. She was halfway done when she looked over at Natsu. A smile was on her face while she laughed, "This is a low point in my life."
"I... I don't know if I should laugh or not?" Natsu stared at her, wanting to laugh but terrified of offending her.
"Go ahead and laugh," she sighed, "I'm laughing too."
He put his bowl of food to the side and walked over to Lucy. "Need any help?" He asked with a slight chuckle.
"There's a towel in the bathroom floor. Can you get half of it wet with hot water and bring it here... The... The dinosaurs are staining my carpet."
The little dinosaur pieces melted, making red and green spots on the floor. She only hoped they would clean up with some hot water. Natsu wasted no time fulfilling her request. He brought the half-wet towel to her, watching as she patted the spots first, then began to scrub the more difficult stains.
When Lucy was satisfied, she used the dry end of the towel to scrub at it some more. She really wished she had a dog right now, that way it could clean up her messes like this. 'Can dogs even eat oatmeal?' She thought to herself as she stood up. She'd have to look into that later because now the question was bugging her.
Lucy tossed the dirty towel back into the bathroom, then took her seat by the bed. Natsu joined her, then offered her his bowl of oatmeal. "Here, I wasn't very hungry anyways." It was a lie, and both of them knew it a second later when his stomach growled. "Umm... I..."
"It's okay Natsu, you take it."
The pink haired teen frowned. "But I'd feel bad."
"Don't," she smiled. "If it really bothers you, we can share."
"Sh-share?"
"Yeah," Lucy picked up the bowl to scoop up some oatmeal, making sure to have at least one dinosaur with it. She popped it in her mouth, realizing she should have cooled it off first since it was still hot. She swallowed, tasting the brown sugared meal go down her throat.
Without any awkwardness, she passed it back to him. "Share."
His shaky hands grabbed the bowl, bringing it to his lap. Drinking after her this morning was one thing, but this? 'Does she not realize this isn't normal? This is way beyond a simple indirect kiss...' He pushed the thought aside, deciding he could call her weird another time. His stomach growled again. He was admittedly hungry, so he scooped up some oatmeal with the same spoon Lucy used, then brought it to his mouth.
Natsu was quick to pull the spoon out, not wanting to seem odd to her. Then again, this whole sharing food was odd to him! First she shared her coffee and now she shared her oatmeal! This was crazy!
He set the bowl between them, letting her be the next to eat. Lucy grabbed the remote, flipping through the channels to find something to watch. It landed on an episode of 'The 100', so she kept it there.
"Have you seen this show? It's really good," Lucy stared at the screen as she reached for the food.
"I haven't, but I've heard it's good." His eyes watched her movements instead of the tv.
"It's awesome," Lucy corrected. She took a bite of the oatmeal, not realizing how strange it was. To her, she was just sharing food. She knew Natsu wasn't gross, so she didn't see any reason not to eat after him. She wouldn't do it with someone she didn't know, but she trusted Natsu enough to do this. It would be no different than if Erza wanted her to share her cake.
The blonde thought a little about it as she set the food down. She wouldn't care about sharing food with Levy either, or even Juvia. She had more reservations about sharing food with Gray, Gajeel, or Jellal, but that was because she knew three girls who would be upset if she did that. She could already imagine the accusations Juvia would throw her way, or the blades Erza would produce to scare Lucy away.
She didn't notice Natsu taking another bite, instead focusing more on her thoughts. The more she stayed in her mind, the more she realized maybe it wasn't such a normal thing. She'd never shared meals with anyone else besides her mother and Michelle, but maybe it was different if the other person wasn't a family member.
Lucy wondered if Natsu ever shared meals with other people. Judging from his reaction when she presented the idea, she guessed not. He seemed hesitant to eat after her. She hoped he didn't think she had any bad germs or something similar. She wouldn't offer if she thought she was sick or had something he could catch.
The two teens finished their oatmeal while watching the show. Natsu knew they had to be in the middle of the series because nothing made sense to him, but every time he glanced over to Lucy, he saw how focused she was on the screen.
Natsu smiled, setting the empty bowl between them. "Thanks for inviting me in," he said, glad that nothing horrible had happened. He was worried before, but he felt at ease now. He should have known to trust Lucy more. She was a great friend, and nothing bad would happen. 'I can trust her...'
The blonde tore her eyes away from the screen, matching Natsu's smile. "Thanks for walking me home." She appreciated that he took the time to do it. It would have been easy for him to let her go and for her to ride the bus home, but this felt so much better. She had missed him over the weekend, so hanging out with him almost made up for how crappy her time in Crocus went.
"Yeah," he nodded. He didn't mind walking so much. It was great exercise, plus he got to spend more time with Lucy. He already found out a bit more about her past, even if he knew there was so much more he didn't know. The longer they spent time together, the more comfortable he felt around her. He reached out to take her hand. It was softer and smaller than his own, and it seemed to fit against his perfectly.
Lucy didn't flinch away from him, instead she intertwined their fingers to get closer to the warmth of his skin. Natsu looked her in the eyes as he said, "Anytime, Luce."
Thank you for the follows/favorites, and the reviews: ElementalMiko12(x2), katiekat2001, Grizzly98, jayaisland, Guest, CelestialLunaPanda-Senpai, xoticsweetnesseclare, DragonQ, Snavej, MissyPlatinum, Justabigshipper21, JacJac-Arie, Abdltf, FairyTailLover04, Alice Harkey, 1996cas(x2), Crimsonlink310, Ashnmarley, WildfireWriter, Guest, lkityan02, Mad Cheshire Rabbit, The Golden-Haired Doll, Monika, Mirai, MystpopGIRL, Adtrboy0916, Nikita, RosesAreAilsa, & enchantressXofsouls!
Up next, Chapter Twenty-Six: Trust
Couldn't resist the fluffy chapter. :) I figured they needed some serious alone time to make up for the weekend apart. Anyone mind? Let me know whatcha think! :D