Chapter Thirty-Six: The gift- Part One

Lucy exited the bathroom. Her face was still flushed despite splashing cold water on her skin, but she did managed to calm her racing heart. Whatever she thought Natsu was about to do shouldn't stop her from enjoying her time out with friends. So what if she thought he was actually going to kiss her, only to find out he had no such goals? It only crushed her heart a little. She would get over it...

'Right?'

She had no right to force her feelings on him. It wasn't fair to either of them. Lucy frowned as she leaned against a wall outside the bathroom. She wasn't ready to face Natsu yet. She could only imagine how weird he thought she was for leaving so abruptly like that. She closed her eyes, letting the sound of people talking around her clear her mind of her own thoughts.

That was, until she felt a tap on her shoulder. She peeked an eye open, frowning when she saw a teenage boy with shaggy brown hair looking at her. She didn't recognize him, but she would only guess what he wanted. "Hey," he started, cocking his head. "I'm-"

"No," Lucy shook her head.

The boy paused. "Excuse me?"

"The answer is no," she narrowed her eyes. When would guys learn she wouldn't go on dates with people she just met? She was about to add more, go into a little rant, but stopped when her eyes landed on his shirt. More importantly, she saw the movie theater's logo sewn on his chest with the word 'security' under it.

He raised a brow. In a slightly harsher tone, he said, "I'm going to need to see your ticket if you're going to be back here."

Lucy felt her stomach flip from embarrassment. Here she was thinking another guy was hitting on her, but it turned out to be just a normal employee doing his job. 'When did I start assuming all guys were going to hit on me?' Mortified, she pulled out her torn ticket stub with shaky fingers. "I am so s-sorry," she mumbled as he inspected the ticket.

Nothing was said about her apology as he handed it back to her. When she slipped it into her pocket he checked his watch. "You should go to your movie. You've already been standing out here for ten minutes."

"Ten minutes?" Lucy paled. That didn't sound right. She didn't hesitate to bolt, heading towards the theater to avoid missing more of the movie. Even if she was having a mini freak out that didn't give her the right to waste Natsu's money.

Lucy's eyes took a second to adjust when she entered the dark room. She was instantly greeted with screaming. She glanced up at the large screen, seeing the girl possessed floating in the air as a religious person performed an exorcism on her.

Lucy kept her head down as she walked up the stairs, only tiny lights on either side to help guide her. She found her seat still empty. It was a relief until she saw green eyes flicker up at her. Her steps stuttered for a moment before she ungracefully flopped down in her seat. She couldn't force herself to look over to Natsu, even when she felt his gaze lingering on her.

The movie made little sense to her since she missed out on a chunk. She was tempted to ask Natsu what she missed, but that would require talking to him, and she still wasn't ready for that. However, the pink haired boy wasn't aware of her hesitation. He carefully tapped her shoulder, gaining a sideways glance from her. He then cupped a hand over half his mouth to show he wanted to whisper something to her.

Lucy felt her heart pound harder in her chest as she leaned over, eyes staying on the screen in fear he would somehow know what she was thinking if he looked at her directly. She felt the edge of his finger touch the side of her face before his warm breath fanned over her ear.

"So the family called for help, but the first guy they hired turned out to be a fake who only pissed off the demon more," Natsu started, his warm breath fanning over her ear. "That part was pretty funny. Then the second lady they brought in tried to do some new age healing stuff, but that didn't work, so now they got this guy."

Natsu pulled away from her, not noticing the fierce blush stained on her cheeks from the close contact. He decided to brush away his earlier fears. If Lucy thought he was trying to kiss her and left he would understand, but she came back. That had to be a good sign? If not he had to test the waters, and what better way than just talking to her and seeing how she reacted?

"Thanks," Lucy mumbled, sinking deeper into her seat.

"No problem," Natsu tried to flash her a smile, but she wasn't looking his way. Feeling slightly disappointed, he turned back to watch the movie. 'At least she didn't leave,' he thought, but that got crushed when he realized all her stuff was in Gray's car. Of course she couldn't leave.

Natsu really wished he could read minds right now. He'd see exactly what Lucy was thinking. Taking a risk, Natsu leaned over again in an attempt to smooth things over. "Hey... I'm sorry if I made you uncomfortable earlier." He quickly leaned back to his seat, a little scared to see her face.

Lucy blinked in shock. 'He... He thinks I feel uncomfortable?' She thought she was the one who made things weird by bailing, but maybe she wasn't as crazy as she thought she was. Maybe... Maybe Natsu really had tried to kiss her? Her throat felt tight, her palms already sweating despite the chilly theater air.

"Natsu," Lucy whispered, gaining the boy's attention. She didn't dare look up at him when she leaned a little towards his seat, eyes staying on the movie as she spoke. "Earlier... Were..." She felt her words die in her throat. How was she supposed to ask something like that? "W-were y-you... trying t-to..."

"Yes," he answered, his limbs going numb from the simple word. His green eyes widened when he realized what he just said. He hadn't meant to answer like that, but it was too late now. The air around him felt thin, his mind overwhelming as anxious thoughts took over. A heaviness settled on his chest. "S-sorry..."

Lucy wanted to say something. She pleaded with herself to say anything, but nothing came out no matter how hard she tried. She looked over, seeing the dullness spread over his green eyes. She couldn't see him like that. The Natsu she liked should always be smiling, so she gave him the only reassurance she felt she could give given her muted state.

Her hand came over the arm rest to seize his hand. Lucy could feel the slight shaking in his limbs. It was similar to hers. She held onto his hand tightly, hoping it would give him all the reassurance he needed. A smile worked its way on her face. Natsu was just as nervous as she was. Not only that, but he basically admitted he was trying to kiss her earlier. That alone made her heart soar.

She felt a little silly, smiling like an idiot while she stared at the movie where someone was getting ripped to shreds by a demon. She couldn't help it. 'Natsu actually tried to kiss me!' She didn't know completely if that was his intent or not, seeing as she didn't ask the full question, but she knew he was a smart boy. It didn't take a genius to put it all together.

But that realization left her with more questions.

Would the kiss mean something to him? How would it feel kissing him? Would it have changed anything between them? Did he like her? Was the almost-kiss purely because the moment felt right? Would he do it again?

She hoped he would.

Lucy used her free hand to clench tightly at the seat beneath her. She felt her face heat up, easily counteracting the cold air around her. Neither looked at each other, or said anything else as the movie played out.

Natsu and her flinched a few times when an especially scary part popped up. Lucy feared she would have nightmares tonight. She wouldn't be surprised if she ended up staying up late because she was too scared to fall asleep. It wouldn't be the first time.

By the time the movie ended Natsu and Lucy's palms were a little more wet than desirable from their nervousness. When the credits rolled Lucy released his hand to grab some of the trash. She heard their friends murmuring to each other about the movie, no one seeming to notice the strange behavior between Natsu and herself.

They exited the theater, Lucy quickly disposing of the trash when she saw a can. Her eyes roamed until they feel on green orbs, a blush surfacing to her face when she saw Natsu was looking right at her, a pink tint glowing on his cheeks.

Lucy avoided his gaze as she walked over to him. "D-did you like the movie?" She didn't know what else to say. She didn't think now was the best time to bring up what happened in the theater, or what almost happened.

"It was pretty good," Natsu gave an awkward laugh, but it was cut short when Gray threw an arm over his shoulders.

"We're all thinkin' about headin' to Mermaid Heels. You guys in?"

"Umm," Lucy looked at Gray, then over to their friends who were waiting for an answer. She risked a glance at Natsu, catching the end of his shrug. "Sure." She originally wanted to go to dinner with just Natsu, but it seemed better to go in a group now that she didn't know how to act around him.

Was she supposed to tell him how she felt now? Or maybe give flirting another try? She was so lost when it came to these kinds of things. She'd need to ask Levy later to see if her friend had any advice.

Lucy followed behind the group. Natsu was still being held by Gray who seemed to be whispering in the boy's ear every few minutes as they walked to Mermaid Heel. On the way there they ran into a couple of people they seemed to know. Lucy recognized the drunk girl again, mentally noting her name was 'Cana' when Erza greeted her. The boy next to her also appeared slightly intoxicated, but he was doing better at not swaggering.

Lucy wasn't sure how, since her focus kept switching over to Natsu, but Cana and the other boy were invited to join them for dinner. Lucy tried to keep herself in high spirits. Meeting new people didn't have to be scary. Besides, Cana did warn Lucy about the rumor. She figured the least she could do was be nice to her, even if the girl's eyes wandered over to Lucy's chest on more than one occasion.

With her hands now crossed over her chest, Lucy continued to follow them to Mermaid Heel. They arrived in what felt like no time since it wasn't that far away. While Erza went inside to reserve a table for ten, Lucy sat on the curb. She wanted to spend time with Natsu, but he was busy with Gray still. She figured it was for the best. This gave them a little time to think about what was going on.

She had no idea what to make of their current situation. Just because she didn't have any experience with romance didn't mean she was completely oblivious. A kiss definitely meant something. It had to. Natsu didn't seem like the type of guy to just be throwing kisses to a girl for no reason.

Lucy was so lost in thought she almost didn't hear when someone walked up to her. "Oh, hey," she smiled when she saw Levy sit down next to her.

"Did you like the movie? It was a little too scary for me, but Gajeel loved it."

Lucy nodded. "It was good." She wanted to add that she missed a part of the movie, but she was sure Levy saw her get out of her seat since they were sitting next to each other in the theater.

Levy didn't comment on that, instead she said, "Maybe next week we can all try to see a different movie? Something with less blood preferably."

"Maybe," Lucy turned to look at the ground. "Or we could try to do something else." Lucy didn't want to get into a routine of seeing a movie every Friday afternoon. As much as she liked movies, she liked talking and listening better. Not a lot of that could happen if she had to focus on the screen.

"Yeah," Levy wrapped her arms around her legs to pull them to her chest. "Hey Lu, remember when I said there was something I wanted to talk to you about..."

Lucy thought for a moment, her memory searching until she remembered texting Levy Monday night. Her eyes widened, realizing she let her own problems with her rumor keep her from finding out what Levy wanted. "Oh yeah! What was it?"

Levy looked around to make sure no one could hear her. "It's about Gajeel. We-"

"Table's ready!" Erza called from the entrance to Mermaid Heel.

Lucy groaned, already knowing what Levy was going to say. "I'll just tell you later."

Yup. Lucy was right. "Promise?"

"I promise," Levy raised from the curb and held out a hand for Lucy. She took it, whispering a thanks when she stood up. The two girls shuffled towards the restaurant, Lucy's eyes flitting around until she found Natsu.

He was still talking to Gray, shaking his head about something, then turning to head towards the restaurant. He didn't bother looking out for her, sending a slight pang to Lucy's heart. She tried to ignore it as she entered. They were greeted by a girl -who Lucy noted was not Beth like last time, then led to the back where a large table was. It was actually one regular table pushed up to a booth, but no one minded as they sat down.

Lucy chose to sit in the booth since it would be more comfortable. She saw Erza and Jellal sit across from her, then Cana set next to Erza and Cana's friend sat at the table adjoining the booth. Lucy felt herself get disappointed when she saw Natsu heading towards the other side of the table. That was, until he jerked out of Gray's grasp and stumbled over to Lucy's side.

Before Levy could take a seat at the booth Natsu slid in and scooted next to Lucy. She was a little surprised, but overall happy he was next to her. Levy took her seat beside Natsu, followed by Gajeel sitting at the table.

Juvia sat next to Gajeel. To avoid sitting across from her, Gray chose to sit at the end of the table. No one said anything, most already knowing Juvia would be upset if she was away from 'her beloved' for too long, even if that meant a few feet.

"Sorry about that," Natsu muttered under his breath. His cheeks were burning and he could barely look her in the eye, but Lucy didn't mind as long as he sat by her. "Gray wouldn't leave me alone."

"What was that about?" Lucy whispered. She wasn't sure if Gray could hear considering he was a few seats away, but she wanted to be sure.

Lucy didn't think his cheeks could grow a darker red, but she was proven wrong. "Just some stuff. Doesn't matter." There was no way he was telling her Gray saw his failed attempt at making a move on Lucy.

Gray thought he was being a good friend by talking to Natsu about it. All it did was embarrass the teenager further. He barely stuttered out a 'no' when Gray asked if he liked Lucy. He wasn't ready to tell his friends yet. The only reason he told his sister was because he knew she wouldn't meddle like them.

Despite Natsu denying his feelings for Gray, the guy still tried giving him advice for 'next time'. Like hell Natsu was going to try to make another move again after that disastrous first attempt. He counted himself lucky she hadn't decided to leave right after he told her he did in fact try to kiss her.

Well, he hadn't said those exact words, but he knew what she was implying. That wasn't the worst part. It was not knowing how she felt about it. She didn't say anything, but he didn't know if that was a good or bad thing. She did hold his hand afterwards, so that was a good sign.

At least Natsu hoped it was a good sign.

He still had the gift in his pocket. It was hard to ignore seeing as it pressed against his thigh when he sat down. He really hoped she liked it. In reality Natsu knew she was going to love it, but was she going to love receiving it from him specifically?

Before Natsu or Lucy could continue their short conversation, a waitress, who Lucy recognized as Millianna again, came up to hand them their menus and get their drink orders. Lucy ordered the strawberry lemonade, remembering how good it was the last time she was there. Natsu decided to go with soda this time since he wouldn't be ordering a dessert for his meal.

Millianna left, practically purring as she said she'd be back with their drinks. The group of teens started chatting, but Lucy stayed quiet to observe everyone. She learned from the conversations the boy Cana was with was named Bacchus. Apparently they were hanging out at the mall but got kicked out for 'disturbing the peace', so they decided to hit up the arcade since the employees there don't mind disorderly conduct as much. That's when they ran into the group.

"Wanna join us after?" Cana smiled, pulling out a silver flask to take a swig before tucking it into her puffy blue purse.

"It'll be fun," Bacchus said. "They're doin' a special tonight. You get twice as many tokens."

"Is there a catch?" Gray asked, skeptical.

"Nah, just a promo." Lucy watched as the boy dug into Cana's purse for her flask. Before he could pull it out Millianna was already back with their drinks.

"Here you go," the waitress placed each glass on the table, carefully balancing her tray as she went through the drinks. Lucy couldn't help but feel a little impressed. She would certainly drop it if she tried doing that.

"Now, what can I getcha?" The girl smiled, squirming in place as she pulled out her notepad. The girl always seemed so chipper.

One by one they ordered. Lucy decided on a simple cheeseburger while Natsu got a chicken fried steak with mashed potatoes. Lucy was a little surprised when he didn't order anything spicy, but realized it might be due to the two additional members to their group.

She didn't say anything. Instead she smiled to herself when she realized Natsu ordered something spicy the same day they met. It had to be a clear sign he at least thought of her as a friend that early on. Lucy would file it as a win, seeing as there was no one to refute her mental claim.

"Okay, I'll get these orders right in," Millianna placed her notepad in her apron, then started walking away. "Stay pawsome while I'm gone!"

Lucy let a giggle slip past her lips at the cute line. It seemed to fit Millianna since the girl was clearly a cat person. Natsu smiled to himself when he heard her laugh. He was amazed how well it worked to calm him down.

The group continued with small talk. Gray and Natsu argued despite being a few seats apart from each other. Levy tried to talk behind Natsu's back to Lucy, who was busy laughing at Erza's angry reaction when she told the boys to settle down. Gajeel and Juvia talked about school since they shared a class together. Cana and Bacchus tried discretely pouring the contents of her flask into their drinks, and Jellal tried to calm Erza down.

Their food arrived about twenty minutes later. By then Cana was swaying a bit, but Lucy didn't notice. Her focus was on the food being set in front of her. She didn't realize how hungry she was until now. Popcorn was good, but the burger looked amazing.

As Lucy ate, she didn't notice Gray and Juvia whispering to each other. The blue haired girl pulled out her phone, sending a message to another girl at the table. Lucy vaguely heard Erza's notification sound go off, but didn't pay it any mind.

Erza read the text Juvia sent, a small smirk coming to her face as she devised a plan. She waited until Lucy wasn't eating or drinking anything before she said, "Hey Natsu..." She succeeded in gaining more than just his attention. "I forget. What's your favorite colors again?"

Lucy finally glanced up at Erza, cocking her head in the process. How could Erza forget? She thought they'd been friends for years. She thought it was obvious what Natsu's favorite color was. It was red, right? He chose Team Valor after all. Lucy even remembered him saying red was awesome.

'Wait...'

Lucy's skin tingled when something from earlier popped into her mind. It was small, soft, and currently sitting in a bag in Gray's car. 'No... She wouldn't...'

"What? You couldn't seriously forget!" Natsu gaped at Erza as if she'd just told him something outlandish. "It's red and black!"

Lucy's eyes widened when she connected the dots. In her mind she envisioned those red and black panties that left little to the imagination. "Th-that's why you made me buy those?!" Lucy accused, staring into Erza's brown eyes.

"I have no idea what you're talking about," Erza shrugged, but her smirk didn't fade.

Natsu raised a brow, a little amused at Lucy's reaction. He enjoyed seeing her flustered, even if he wasn't the cause of it. She always seemed more real to him when she acted like that. "Buy what?"

"N-nothing!" Lucy shrieked. A few neighboring tables glanced her way, but most ignored her. They saw nothing more than an overreacting teenager, which in that moment perfectly described her.

Lucy ducked her head, face burning hot. 'That little... ugh! What was she thinking?! A few weeks ago she acted like she hated me! Now it looks like she's encouraging-' Lucy couldn't finish that thought. There was no point anyway. She was nowhere near ready to show Natsu what type of panties she bought, let alone actually wear them in front of him. A swimsuit was one thing, but something as intimate as lingerie? She'd die of embarrassment!

"Okay..." Natsu tried to steal a peek at her face, but her blonde hair easily acted as a curtain, keeping him from seeing her bright red cheeks. He decided to chalk up her reaction to her being weird again. To put her at ease, he went to place his hand on her hand, but at the last second she moved her hand to bring it up to her stomach. That resulted in Natsu accidentally setting his large hand on her thigh.

He felt her instantly tense under his touch, so he yanked his hand away from her. Even if he just touched her jeans he didn't want her to feel uncomfortable. "Sorry," Natsu cringed. "I was tryin' to grab your hand."

Lucy didn't get a chance to say he was fine. Instead Cana cut in, sounding slightly more inebriated than before. "Sho when did ju two become a couple?"

Lucy's head snapped up in an instant. She tried to answer, but Natsu beat her to it. "We're just friends," he clarified, not wanting anyone to get the wrong idea. Despite having feelings for her he didn't want to embarrass her. Confessing his feelings for her now would be a poor decision anyway. He'd rather it just be the two of them so they could have their privacy, but that was only if he ever grew the courage to admit it to her.

"For now," Gray mumbled under his breath loud enough for Natsu to hear. He doubted anyone else heard, except maybe Gajeel. For some reason Gajeel also seemed to have better senses than everyone else.

Luckily Lucy spoke up, breaking Natsu's focus on Gray's comment. "Umm... Can you stop tapping my foot?"

All eyes landed on Lucy, then flitted to where she was looking at. Jellal parted his lips in surprise, "Oh wow, that's embarrassing. Sorry."

"It's okay," Lucy laughed it off, thankful for the distraction. She honestly didn't know how else she was going to get out of that awkward question.

When Levy asked what happened, Lucy smiled. "I just felt a foot tapping my foot. I assume you thought it was the table stand?" She asked Jellal.

Said boy nodded, eyes falling to his plate. Despite being student council he could sometimes have trouble talking to people. "Yeah. My bad."

"It's alright," Lucy said. With that, the group started talking again. When the food was eaten and the checks arrived, Lucy snatched up Natsu's billfold along with hers. She didn't give him time to protest. "I already said it was my treat," she reminded, slipping her card and both receipts into one billfold before handing it back to Millianna.

Natsu barely held back his grumble. "But the guy's supposed to pay for the girl..."

Lucy raised a brow. "Well we're in the twenty-first century. I think I'm capable of paying." Sounding more passive aggressive than she intended, she added, "Plus we're just friends, so it shouldn't matter anyways."

Natsu wanted to say 'ouch'. The way she said it sounded harsh. He hadn't meant to offend her, but he realized he did somehow. "Sorry..."

"Hmm?" Lucy glanced away from the scene in front of her. She didn't mean to stare, but she caught the end of Jellal grabbing Erza's check to pay for her as well.

"I said," Natsu sighed, "never mind. Do you wanna go to the arcade?"

"Arshade!" Cana threw her hands in the air. "Yesh!"

Cana started ranting to Bacchus about how fun the arcade was going to be, slurring every few words, but the boy seemed to understand what she was saying with ease. Lucy let out a few chuckles at the scene. The only time she saw drunk people were older men and women at social gatherings her father dragged her to, but she was never really all that close to it like she was now.

"Anyways..." Lucy resisted the urge to shake her head when she saw Cana pout, mumbling something about running out of alcohol. "Yeah, I want to go to the arcade." She didn't get to go last time, so this would be fun. "Plus, I did say I wanted a rematch. I don't intend on losing." She was still a little upset about the way their Monopoly game ended.

"Great!" Natsu beamed. He really enjoyed playing video games, so with Lucy there he was sure to have a great night. He didn't back away from challenges, even when they came from someone as pretty as Lucy.

He wanted to snort. 'As if anyone could be pretty like her.' She wasn't just gorgeous on the outside. The longer he knew her the more he found himself captivated by her. Not only was she nice and smart, she was also strong-willed, and that was something Natsu couldn't help but find attractive.

"You're on, Dragon Boy," Lucy whispered, smirking a little when she saw a flash of determination in his green eyes.

"Bring it, Heartf-," he cringed when he realized he almost slipped up again. "Bring it, Luce," he corrected himself.

Lucy opened her mouth to retort, but stopped when Millianna came back with the checks. She passed them out, handing two slips of paper to Lucy to sign. The girl got to work writing out a tip and signing her fake name on the dotted line.

She wondered briefly if what she was doing was illegal. She signed as 'Lucy Ashley', but it didn't seem like it should matter seeing as her name wasn't even on the card. It was one of those reloadable prepaid cards people buy in stores. Jude had it set to automatically load a certain amount for her allowance every month to keep her going. It was easier than getting her a real card, seeing as her identity would come to light if someone caught her last name.

When the group of ten finished paying, they headed to the arcade next door. Natsu stumbled a little when someone passing by blew out cigarette smoke, some of it catching in the wind to hit him in the face.

It reminded him he was going to be taking the train tomorrow with Lucy. That meant taking a pill, which meant all the nasty side effects. Smoking those cigarettes helped a little, but it was all just temporary. That's what he continued to remind himself until the harsh smell of smoke dissipated.

Natsu glanced over to Lucy, seeing a bright smile adorning her face. She seemed really excited to be going to the arcade. He decided he would give her the gift inside. He didn't know how long she would be able to stay out, so he didn't want to risk his chance slipping away.

If he waited too long he would have to give it to her tomorrow, but he didn't know if he'd be able to make it that long. The gift was nagging him every step of the way, not letting his brain think much of anything else when he walked.

The group went up to the counter. Natsu and Lucy each spent five dollars, earning them ten dollars worth of tokens a piece since the arcade really was doing a promotion for double tokens. Once their friends got their tokens they scattered through the arcade. Natsu and Lucy smiled as they headed straight for the 'Dragon Slayer' game since it was his favorite.

Thank you for all the favorites, follows, and reviews! I really appreciate all the support! Shout out to those who reviewed: Snavej, Grizzly98, ThatOneFriend-3, DragonQ, FairyTailxFanGirl, SmirkedySmirk, Meetrie, Abdltf, FairyTailLover04, co0ki3.m0n5ter, MayraLilacBunny, Crimsonlink310, NaluNom, LucyMarieHeartfilia, PrincessSarahDragneel, Animemama328, SakuraStar1862, Soul-of-glass, Unova03, ThayetJade, BloodRedRubies, ElementalMiko12, saItysarah, FlameDragonHime, quite-a-riot, Ashnmarley, zerophelia, xXPokeFictionXx(x2), HawkAnimations, ADomesticHousecat, WhiteshadowFF, and Argo0!

Up next, Chapter Thirty-Seven: The gift- Part Two

I totally stole the 'stay pawsome' line from MystpopGIRL. I hope you don't mind me using it? I think it's cute!