Hello everyone!
Thanks for all your reviews and pointers! I really appreciate them ^_^
This is chapter 15 and we're way over half way now. There are still a few more chapters left to go - maybe 10 or so. Thanks for supporting this story!
This chapter was meant to be twice this long, but I cut it in half so all the chapters can be around the same length. On the upside, it means that chapter 16 is almost ready to be uploaded too ;D
Let me know what you guys think!
Sorry for any spelling mistakes (I always miss a few when I proof read, I don't know why).
Enjoy!
The next morning, Lucy wakes up to the sound of her alarm beeping. The blonde girl groans into her pillow. The absolute worst part about mornings is waking up. She could never get back to sleep once she'd been woken up. Unfortunately, Lucy couldn't even relax more because she had to get ready for school.
Mondays really were the worst...or was it Tuesdays?
A giant yawn escapes her as she pulls away the covers. The memories from last night swirl in her head as she rolls up into a sitting position. It all almost felt like a dream. It was still so strange to know that Natsu and Lisanna were aliens. Even yesterday, at the lake…
Lucy's heart skips a beat at the memory. Natsu had been so kind and sweet to her. Lately, she felt like she was really starting to understand him, and...it was nice. Natsu Dragneel was complex – he could be mysterious, cold and frankly pretty jerky – but he could also be caring and soft and just -
Lucy smiled through the beginnings of a blush, her eyes going towards the window. The curtains were closed, but she could imagine the Dragneel household on the other side, all large and mysterious – just like it's owners.
Natsu was...he was strong. But also fragile, it was just hard to notice with the facade he put on. She was grateful for that mask slipping a little more and more the more they spent time together.
"Lucy! Are you up?"
Lucy jolts at the voice, before looking towards her door. Her aunt was still here? The blonde quickly hoped onto her feet and skips towards the closed door, opening it enough to yell out; "I'm just getting ready, Aqua!"
"Hurry up! You should set that alarm of yours earlier –"
Lucy shakes her head fondly as she shuts the door again, before walking over to her closet. She pulls out a violet, sleeveless shirt and a mocha-colored mini-skirt. Lucy's lips pursed as she admired the possible outfit, holding them out in front of her.
"...I think it's going to be warm today..." she hums, casting a quick look back at the window. The sun beams were shining invitingly through the curtains. It was a good sign. Lucy nodded, before getting dressed. She decided to go with two high ponytails, leaving a her shoulders and upper back almost bare. The sun would feel good against her skin. After a quick session of putting on some makeup, Lucy grabs her backpack.
No matter what happened today, she was going to stay positive.
A loud honking sounded and Lucy's eyes went to her window. Another honk and Lucy walked over, pulling back the curtains to look out.
Below, stood Lisanna, beaming up at her and waving. One hand was still resting on the horn of her car, the driver's door wide open. Lucy grinned at the display and opened her window to wave back.
"Morning, L!"
"Lucy! Good morning!" the silver-haired girl yelled back, her voice like a calming melody in the wind. "I'm gonna head to school, see you at lunch?"
"Okay! I'll see you there, I still need to get ready!"
Lisanna's head shook with friendly judgment – which somehow was a thing if it came from Lisanna Strauss. The dainty girl waved enthusiastically once more in her direction, before gracefully climbing into her car.
Lucy watched her drive off with silent laughter. At least Lisanna seemed to be in a good mood today. She'd follow the lead.
The blonde's eyes went to look around the rest of the lawn. There was no sign of Natsu's bakkie anywhere – and he hadn't driven with Lisanna either. He must have already left, something she was surprised by considering how early Lisanna left for school.
An unsettling feeling washed over her as she leaned back into her room. Was Natsu already avoiding her?
Maybe a little too aggressively, Lucy shook her head. She shouldn't jump to conclusions yet. She had to stay positive.
With her new mindset, the blonde adjusted her hold on her backpack and walked out of her room.
It was still pretty early when Lucy walked into the school hallway. There was still another half an hour before the bell rang for the first class. She was honestly surprised to see so many students inside. Some were chatting against their lockers or walking through the halls, same as her. She'd given up the idea of trying to find Lisanna after parking in the lot. The silver-haired sweetie was probably already in her own classroom too. Lucy would just wait until lunch to see her. Until then, she's just get to her first class too.
In AP Calculus Lucy is surprised to see Levy already at her desk, who is busy talking with a standing Erza. It was a nice surprise as it meant she'd have some people to talk to until class started. Some of the other students in the classroom that noticed her gave her funny looks as she stepped into the room– others smiled at her, one even waved. Lucy, not wanting to seem rude, waved and smiled back. She didn't stop to speak with any of them though, her steps never faltering on her destination to her newest girl friends. No one could ever replace Lisanna, but Erza and Levy seemed like really nice girls and the blonde was eager to get to know them more. After all, she was going to be in this small town for a while, she might as well make as many friends as she could – she had that opportunity here.
And maybe, if she tried hard enough, she could get Lisanna to hang out with them too. She knew the shy girl really wanted friends, but their reputation prevented any of it. Maybe, now that Natsu was starting to trust Lucy a bit too, she could get him to ease up with this issue – at least enough to be friendly with the other humans.
When she gets close enough, she can hear the two girls already sharing their weekend stories. If only she could tell them hers. Even if she didn't know them that well, Lucy had a funny feeling that Levy would die over the news. Even without the mention of aliens, it was still a pretty cool story. The only reason she was going to keep it to herself was because she didn't know if Natsu would be happy with her telling anyone about them hanging out together. She still wasn't sure if he would avoid her again now that they would be surrounded by the other Luxen. The reminder of that little fear formed a lump in the blonde's throat. She had tried not to think about it too much after Natsu walked her home yesterday, but now...would she be able to hang out with Lisanna without one of them putting up a fight?
Had Lisanna and Natsu even told the other Luxen that she now knew everything? She probably should have asked…
"-Jellal seemed to really enjoy the trip too. It was nice to get out a little."
"Ugh. I wish I could take a trip to North Carolina. I got to spend my weekend working my ass off at the diner. There was this one women who just kept coming at me – how did Jellal even get off? It's not fair that I have to suffer alone-"
The sound of the Levy's depressed and envious voice had Lucy snap out of her drowning thoughts. She was more than grateful for the distraction and decided to focus on them instead. It would certainly make the day easier to get through. She walked over, a friendly smile on her face. Erza was the first to notice her and grinned stunningly back at her.
"Oh Lucy, hey," the scarlet-haired beauty greeted her. Some of that silky-looking hair fell over her one eye, covering half of her unfairly gorgeous face. It wasn't to hide her, Lucy noted. Nor was it a timid or shy move that Lisanna tended to do. Not at all. Erza still stood with that same authority and confidence she had when the blonde first met her. Lucy couldn't help but feel envious of her.
"Morning Erza, hey Levy," Lucy said cheerfully as she sets down her bag on the desk next to them, before moving to stand next Levy's table. "What's this about a trip?"
Erza made to reply, but paused to smile down at the sitting blue head, who groaned once more.
"No~ Lucy, don't give her an excuse to brag more about her perfect relationship," Levy pleaded as she ducked her blue head into her folded arms. Erza laughed, a classy sound. Some of the other students paused in their own conversations to peek over at the tall amazon, obviously admiring the action. Lucy didn't blame them.
"It's far from perfect, Levy," the red-head blushed just a little after a small pause "But that's what I like about it too."
Lucy smiled at her new friend. She hadn't seen Jellal and Erza together yet, but by the way the girl's voice softened and how her cheeks flushed just slightly insured her of how much she was in love. It was sweet.
Levy seemed to have gotten over the couple though, if the small, defeated sigh was any indication. To be fair, the short girl did know them for a lot longer and had probably seen them act all loved up plenty.
"I need a boyfriend..."
Lucy giggled at the pitiful tone, while Erza rolled her eyes with undeniable fondness.
"Don't worry, Levy," Lucy said and touched the girl's small shoulders. "You and I can binge old rom-coms and read some good old love novels – like Pride and Prejudice!"
That seemed to perk up the spunky bluenette, who raised her head to grin up at Lucy. "Hmm, I do love me some Jane Austen. Ooh! We can have a like a J.A. sleep over!"
Honestly? Lucy would love that!
"Oh I'm so in!" Lucy almost squealed. She wondered if Lisanna would be interested too? She knows her best friend enjoyed books too – albeit not as much as herself, but still! It would also be a good chance to get Lisanna more well known with some other people, it might even settle some of the bad rumors! "It's a date!"
"What's a date?" A male voice asked behind them and Lucy jumped slightly at it, before turning around.
A boy with blue hair – a couple shades darker than Levy's own – walked over to them, a pleasant smile on his handsome face. He was tall-ish. Not the tallest male Lucy had met in the town, but he still stood at about a head taller than her, she'd guess. He wasn't in this class, she didn't remember seeing him last week. It was possible he had been sick, but she doubted it. Lucy had seen him before though – that blue hair, matched with that strange, red tattoo under his right eye was unmistakable. She recognized him as the friendly waiter from the diner – the one that had served her and Lisanna the first time she ate there. By the way he walked right up to Erza and how his eyes softened oh so visibly – not to mention the way the red-head's lips curved into an almost dopey smile upon seeing him – Lucy guessed he must be Jellal, the boyfriend.
The blue-haired boy came to a stop when he reached Erza, leaning in to affectionately touch shoulders with her – confirming Lucy's suspicions of his identity.
"Hey."
Erza's lips quirked higher at the soft greeting and leaned just a bit more into him too. "Hi."
His dark green eyes almost seemed to brighten at the sound of Erza's shy hello. Lucy felt her own cheeks warm up at the sweet meeting. Okay – they had to be together. It was obvious how much they cared for each other just by the way they looked at one another. Lucy kinda felt like she was intruding. Was this what Levy had complaining about the other day?
"Why hello, Jellal. How are you? I'm good, thanks."
The casual voice of Levy pulled the two love birds out of their little spell, and Jellal smiled apologetically down at his other friend. Erza seemed less then impressed.
Levy, on the other hand, seemed pretty proud of herself at that very moment and smiled a little too innocently back at them. Lucy couldn't help but smile amusingly.
"Hey Levy, good weekend?" Jellal asked. There was no annoyance in his voice as he talked to her. Lucy got the feeling that they were good enough friends to tease each other and get away with it.
"Yeah, except I got stuck working the whole weekend because a certain somebody left for a mini honeymoon."
"Levy!" Erza gasped, her one visible eye widening in distaste and embarrassment. Jellal laughed instead and toyed with some of the back of his blue hair, just a tiny tinge of red appearing over his one cheek.
"Sorry about that Levy, I told Ernie that I'd take the next weekend though. Good enough for payment?"
Levy tapped a finger on her chin a couple times in mock thought, before shrugging. "It's a start," her smile then moves up to Lucy, who still watches the exchange silently. "Actually, it's kind of perfect. We're thinking of having a little book party soon. Why not this weekend?"
Lucy's eyes widen at the suggestion. She opens her mouth to answer, when Jellal clears his throat. She looks at him.
"You're Lucy Heartfilia," he says, his eyes widened just a little. His voice sounds a little embarrassed and it really seems like he just now realized she was here. If it were another time, Lucy might have felt a bit insulted, but considering how obsorbed he had been with Erza, she can't really be too angry with him. She felt kind of jealous, honestly. It would be nice to have someone look at her that way too.
A sudden image of Natsu's soft gaze flashed in her brain and Lucy felt her heart skip a beat.
"I remember you from the diner," Jellal continues to say and Lucy blinked away her thoughts just in time to see him offer his hand in a proper greeting. "I'm Jellal Fernandez, Erza's told me a lot about you. It's nice to officially meet."
Lucy smiles politely back at him and accepts his handshake, before letting go again. He still had that nice-guy feel about him. Whether he had been putting on an act for the sake of his job or not, Lucy now appreciated how civil, and even open, he spoken to Lisanna. She hoped he was always like that. So far, so good. "Nice to meet you, I've heard a little about you too."
Jellal huffs at that and sneaks an amused look at Erza. "Good or bad things?"
Erza rolls her eyes, but smiles all the same. "I'd be more concerned about what Levy's said then me."
"Oh sure, blame the short girl," Levy sighs with a touch of fake despair, one tiny hand moving to dramatically clasp the material over her heart. "We are such easy targets."
"Only because you put yourself in those positions," Erza smiled, before catching Lucy's eyes and winking at her. Lucy giggled in turn. It was actually pretty easy to feel at ease with them. It was probably their dynamic.
Levy gave both girls a fake glare, but eventually dissolved into her own little giggles. "Hehe-whatever, fine – but remember this when your excluded from Lucy's and my awesome Jane Austen party." She looked up at Lucy with a cheery grin. "We might even watch Erza's favorite movie, you know the one where the hooker meets the hot, rich -"
"That is not my favorite movie!"
Levy waves her off dismissively. "Right-right, but you're going to have to admit eventually about how much of romantic you are – it's not like it'd come to a surprise."
Erza folds her arms at the statement and pointedly looks away, choosing not to answer that statement.
Jellal smiles softly down at his pouting girlfriend. Lucy catches when he moves one arm behind her and soothingly rubs up and down her arm. The effect it has on Erza is immediate, her red brows easing once more.
"Movie and book-reading party, huh?" Jellal hums, looking back at Levy and then Lucy. "Original. Any chance we can get in on that?"
Levy tilts her chin up. "Nope, sorry. It's singles only. Right Lucy?"
The blonde smiles widely, tilting her head slightly to the side. "Definitely! Why should couples have all the fun?"
Levy squeals at the cheeky tone in Lucy's voice and pops up from her chair to give the blonde a quick squeeze. Lucy giggles with the short girl, while Erza smiles as she shakes her head. Jellal leans down to whisper something in Erza's ear and the scarlet-haired girl's smile widens as she turns to look at him.
Levy stills her squeezes and leans her head against Lucy's shoulder, before saying, "How scandelous, right? Whispering such naughty things in a classroom and in front of us no less." Levy's words were just quiet enough to be heard in their little group. Erza seemed to be the most affect as her face turned the same colour of her hair. It was a strange sight on someone to stunningly confident. Yet, Lucy still found it endearing. Even Jellal had the decency to full on blush this time, but unlike the glaring Scarlet, he chuckled at the words.
Lucy joined and even giggled herself too. Big mistake, because she got a glare from Erza. She wasn't going to lie, it was bone chilling! No wonder Erza was class rep, if she could pull out those kind of glares, Lucy wouldn't dare put up any fights with her. Levy must be one brave cookie. Lucy was quick to mouth an apology, as Levy still giggled at her own jokes. Erza thankfully softened then and smiled, shaking her head forgivingly.
Well, at least she dodged that bullet. Lucy silently made a note to stay off teasing Erza. She'd rather leave that entirely up to Levy.
"Uhh, anyway," Jellal voiced, bring all attention to him, his eyes landed on Lucy. "Erza says that you live just outside town with Aquarius?"
"Yeah, she's my aunt – not blood related, but we might as well be."
He nodded. "How do you like the town so far? Missing home yet?"
Lucy laughed to herself, a quick, small sound. "It's different here, that's for sure, but it's not as bad as I expected it to be. This place has got some highlights."
Levy hummed as she re-seated herself at her desk. "What's not to love? Limited stores and one library. And at least twice a day, I'll run into someone I used to hang out with when dyppers were still a massive roll in my life."
"Do you get a kick out of being this sarcastic so early in the morning?" Erza huffed with a hitch of amusement. Levy grinned at her.
"When I haven't had my coffee, yes Ms Scarlet. Indeed I do."
Erza rolls her eyes, before looking back at Lucy. "How was your weekend? Do anything interesting?"
'Not much. Just found out my best friend and the guy I'm kinda into are beings, called Luxen, from a different planet. Oh – I almost died, but was saved thanks to said guy, and then spent a lovely afternoon finding out more and more about them. Also, I think I may be starting to find fire a little attractive – is that weird? So yeah, not much.'
"I spend my weekend mostly reading or gardening. Not much, really, but I had fun."
"I'd take the book part as my kind of fun," Levy said, a far away look crossing over her hazel eyes afterwards. "As for gardening...I somehow always manage to kill everything I try to grow."
"She's not kidding," Erza says when Lucy smiles. Jellal nods in agreement.
"Like you two could do any better than me," the little blue-head pouts.
"Maybe Lucy can give you some tips about how to keep plants from dying?" Jellal offers and Lucy smiles encouragingly at the idea. Levy looks a little uncertain, before rubbing at the back of her neck and shakes her head, a wide, defeated grin on her cute face.
"I'm good, Luce. I don't think nature intended for me to have that relationship with them, so why push it? I think I'll just stick at what I'm good at and keep reading."
Lucy giggles at that. "I get it. It's like me with singing. Just not meant to be and I should never try it."
Levy laughs too.
Just then, the door slams open, and the four of them, along with a few of the other students, turn to see who just walked in. For a beat of a second, Lucy thinks it might be Natsu. Her chest flutters at the possibility and doesn't bother to deny her wish-fullness. It was a little late for that.
However, the flutters die down when Simon – the jock boy she'd met on her first week – struts into the classroom.
It was probably for the best, honestly. She doesn't know how she'd react if Natsu came in here and ignored her again.
The rest of the classroom seems to ease as well at the sight of him, some of the other boys walking up to high five him or slap him welcomingly on the back. A few of the boys wore football jackets, so Lucy knew they were part of his pose-y, though he also greeted some of the other students. It was nice to see a popular guy treating others with the same charisma.
"It's just Simon," Levy says as Lucy watches now less interested as he enthusiastically and loudly chats with his friends.
"What's he doing here though?" Jellal voiced, his tone a pitch lower than usual and Lucy looked at him in confusion. He was watching the jock with a blank expression, but something about he way he said the guy's name told Lucy that Jellal wasn't a big fan of his. She wondered why? She had only spoken with Simon maybe twice, but he didn't seem so bad. To be fair, she didn't know the two boy's relationship.
"I heard he was swapping classes. He's with us this year," Erza answered. Her words didn't sit too well with Jellal, who's blank expression broke for a split second when his lips twitched unhappily.
'Yeah, Jellal definitely doesn't like Simon.'
Lucy's brows furrowed un-surely with this new information and looks back over to the jock. Simon was still surrounded by his friends, before his baby blue eyes settled on her. His grin widens.
"Is he staring at us?" Levy whispered, one blue brow raised and just as Lucy looks back at her, they hear the jock call out.
"Hey, Lucy!"
"And we have an answer," Erza said just as Lucy turned back to see the man walking over to them.
Simon's eyes stayed glued to Lucy as he walked over, until he was standing right in front of Levy's desk. "Mornings, mornings. Erza, Levy, how are my girls doing today?"
Levy was the first to answer, her arms folding over her chest. "Hey Simon. Is this barging into a classroom going to be an everyday thing? My heart almost jumped out of my chest when you walked in."
Simon barked a laugh at that, before shaking his head. "Noted, sorry Levy. I was just excited to get to class this morning..." his eyes flicker over to Lucy, who blinked in thought. He smiled confidently at her, before looking at Jellal and smiled a toothier grin.
"What's up Jellal? You good, man?"
It probably happened too quick for Simon to notice, but Lucy caught the way the blue-haired man's cheek twitched at the greeting.
"Yeah, nice to see you too, Simon." It was almost too polite, how Jellal replied – almost practiced. There was some distaste in his eyes as he looked at the slightly taller man, and Lucy looked at Erza with questioning eyes.
The red-head caught the look and cleared her throat, one of her hands reaching up to rest on her boyfriend's chest. She smiled at Simon.
"So you really changed to this class, Simon? You know it's not an easy switch."
The blond jock's grin went to the scarlet beauty. "I think I can handle it, Scarlet. I've been known to exceed expectation."
"I'll take your word for it," Erza said, her voice even and not impolite.
Simon shrugged and winked. "I won't let you down." He then turned his body almost entirely to Lucy and looked her over, before meeting her eyes. "Hi Lucy. Looking good – as always."
Lucy blinked at the compliment and offered her own smile. She didn't know him enough to judge him yet, so it was the right thing to do, besides, he had been nice to her the few times they'd talked. She didn't know why Jellal seemed so annoyed, but it wasn't right to just dislike somebody just because you're possible new friend didn't. She liked to be open-minded.
"Thanks, Simon. You too."
It was a true compliment. Simon was a good looking guy, in that 'so obviously a jock' kind of way. He was dressed up in his football jacket again, a white t-shirt underneath it, and worn out skinny jeans and green sneakers. His blonde hair was gelled a little and slicked back, but not flat, just stylish. He looked good. Clean. Lucy might even say he was cute if that stupid voice in her head didn't keep comparing him to Natsu. It just wasn't fair to compare anyone to Natsu Dragneel.
"How was your Labor Day weekend?" Lucy said in a little bit of a rush. She had to get her thoughts clear before it became weird. She just hoped it wasn't noticeable.
Simon flashes her another boyish smile before casually shrugging. "It was fine. I didn't do anything great, just hung out with my pals. What about you?" His hands dig into his pants pockets as he looks at her. "You know if you ever feel lonely, I'd be happy to hang out sometime-"
"Yeah, well you'll have to get in line," Levy sings as she leans back in her seat, smiling cheekily up at the jock. "I've already booked her this weekend."
Simon looks sour about that fact for a moment, before shrugging and smiles at Lucy. "Maybe next time, then."
Lucy smiles.
"Anyway, I just wanted to remind you all that Homecoming is happening soon," Simon says, pulling his eyes away from the blonde to give the others a small bit of acknowledgment as he speaks. "Might want to get cracking on with that."
"It's not til October, Erza's on the class rep, remember? We'd know before you did," Jellal says and Lucy's sure he is struggling not to roll his eyes. Simon still seems to be oblivious and even pats the other man on the shoulder. She almost snickers at the way Jellal looks down at his shoulder afterwards. Must be an ego thing.
"Right, shit, I forgot," Simon admits a little bashfully. "Guess you guys don't need me to keep you up to date, you have the Queen of the school to keep you in check." He then looks back at Lucy. "It's just good to be prepared, you know? Homecoming is the best, especially if you go with the right person." There's a twinkling in his eyes as he says this and Lucy's shoulders tense a little at the unspoken indication.
Erza hums her agreement. Levy doesn't seem all that interested in the conversation anymore and has taken to pulling out her books.
"Queen of the school?" Lucy asks, generally interested and wanting to steer the conversation to something else.
Erza looks a little proud of the name and smirks at her. "It's nothing, just a nickname I've gained over the years."
"You mean earned, Erza," the eased version of Jellal is back as he smiles down at his girlfriend, the shift in his eyes a giant contrast to how they were a minute ago. He was obviously proud of her. Lucy smiles too and thinks that the name actually does suit her.
"Yeah...I'm still waiting for my nickname," Levy pitches in and the group laughs, she pouts. "I'm serious!"
"Oh! How about - 'Book-wielder'? Or 'The blue Pixie'? Or even 'the Spunk-master'?"
Levy cringes at the options, but laughs all the same. "Now way! Those suck – don't you dare start spreading those around!"
"Gotcha," Simon says. "I'll keep thinking."
Lucy laughs too. "I think Levy is good enough." Levy smiles a little shyly and nods.
"I think you're right. If those are my best bets, I'd rather stick with my name."
"Seconded," Erza agrees.
"So yeah, uhm, back to the homecoming thing," Simon says. "As per tradition, there's a post-dance after-party." He flashes them a smile. "All of you are invited, of course."
"Can't wait," is Jellal's response, and Lucy has to bite the inside of her cheek to keep a startled giggle from escaping. The sarcastic remark sounded so strange from such a nice guy like Jellal. It was surprising.
Simon beamed at the answer and then turned a little to leave. "Anyway, looking forward to seeing you guys at the dance," he says this looking directly at Lucy, almost pointedly, before walking off to chat with his friends again.
Lucy's cheeks warm at the obvious meaning behind his words. Simon really did seem like such a nice guy. Not the usual popular boy type. Her mind betrayed her once more with another memory of a smile Natsu and the blonde's lips curled upwards shyly. She was really going to have to stop denying her feelings, no matter how embarrassing. Simon was a nice guy, but she couldn't get her mind off of the broken alien.
Still, it was nice to be noticed a little bit.
'Homecoming, hm?' Lucy's cheeks flushed a deeper red. 'Would Natsu possibly want to – No.' Her feelings aside, there was no telling for sure how he felt about her. And even if there was a chance he felt the same way, she wasn't sure he'd own up to those feelings…
"Luce...Lucy?"
"Huh?" the blonde's eyes widened at the call and looked to see Erza, Jellal and Levy all giving her weird looks. Oh...she must have been spacing out again. She really had to sort herself out.
Levy's eyes turn more worried then at the blonde girl and she reaches out to touch her side. "Everything okay, Luce? You seemed deep in thought there."
"You shouldn't be worried about Simon, he's mostly harmless," Erza said after a second. Jellal frowned at that, but didn't argue with her.
"Oh, it's not that," Lucy smiled reassuringly. "I just spaced a little. It's nothing to worry about."
Erza makes a thoughtful sound, before saying, "If it's about homecoming. I doubt you have anything to worry about. I know a bunch of the guys at the school are interest. You won't be dateless."
Lucy turned beet red at the words and struggled to find words to deny the fact, but Levy's annoyed groan beat her to it.
"Do we really have to talk about the dance? It's still months away!"
Jellal chuckled at his tiny friend and reached out to ruff up her messy, blue hair. She squeaks at the motion. "Ahh, don't worry Lev, you'll find someone too. I'm sure Jet or Droy would love to take you if you can't find a date. Or you can always tag along with Erza and I."
Levy slaps his hand away without much force and rolls her eyes. "Yeah, going to the dance with your friends is every girl's dream," her eyes turned a little accusing. "And do you have to keep rubbing your relationship in my face – have some shame, dude!"
"You know it's not like that, Levy," Jellal smiles. Levy doesn't look very convinced.
"Speaking of dates..." Erza's eyes then settle on Lucy, she seems to contemplate whether to say something or not, before giving in and asking, "Are you hoping for a special someone to take you to homecoming, Lucy? I remember you seemed a little taken with..." by the trailing off, she seems to regret her words and Lucy doesn't have to wonder why.
She was talking about Natsu.
Erza and Levy had both warned Lucy about the Dragneel boy, though it thankfully seemed that they didn't have anything against him. Just the rumors, though if she remembered, Erza didn't care too much for them, was even unwilling to bring them up until Levy got it out of her. As for Levy, she seemed to be uncertain, but at least she also didn't seem to hate the guy – or Lisanna. The Dragneels and maybe the Redfox's just put up a wall to keep others out. It was just the way things were.
"Don't tell me you like Simon Cutters?" Jellal seemed almost insulted at the notion and Lucy smiled. Right, he hadn't been there for Levy's teasing.
"I don't know," Levy hummed softly, looking down at her books. "She's probably still hooked on that Natsu-fever. All new girls go through it." Even as she whispers it, Lucy's happy to note that Levy isn't looking down on her. There's a crease in her brow like she's still worried about it, but there's no judgment. She must have taken Lucy's words to heart when she said stood up for the siblings in the cafeteria.
Lucy smiles contently at that. Maybe it wasn't too late to change their minds on them. They had said that they were friend's with Natsu before Zeref disappeared.
"Natsu Dragneel, huh? You've fallen under that spell?" Jellal smiled knowingly at Lucy. She couldn't help but blush at the look. It was almost like he could read her. "Well, you were hanging out with Lisanna at the diner, so I guess it was more than likely going to happen."
Lucy's mouth falls open. Was Jellal teasing her too?
"She lives next door to them too," Levy adds, some of her prior cheekiness returning.
"Interesting," Jellal hums.
Erza frowns at Jellal, pulling a little at his shirt her hand was still resting against. "You're as bad as Levy. Don't tease her, Jellal. You know it's not right – not after what happened with..." Erza's word die down and Jellal softens at her, before looking back at Lucy.
"I guess you heard the story?"
She almost wished she hadn't.
"Yes," Lucy's eyes lower. "I heard. Natsu and Lisanna also told me a little." The look that crosses over Erza's is a mix between hope and surprise. Jellal smiles small-y.
"It's good to see he's opening up if he's told you personally," his voice quiets down a pitch. "Natsu and Lisanna had it rough for a long time." He then smiles at her. "I know Natsu can be a little hard to handle sometimes – and that was before the...the incident, but...I think you can handle him actually." He finishes this with a small wink, and even with the small blush that rises over her cheeks, Lucy decides that she really likes Jellal Fernandez.
It was nice to see that there were more people in the town that didn't look down at her neighbors, even if the list was few. So far, it seemed to be Natsu's ex friends that still felt for him. Funny how something like time and a tragedy can pull people apart.
"Look, she's blushing," Levy snickers and Lucy pouts at her. It only makes her laugh louder.
Something catches her eye and Lucy looks forward to see Simon staring at her from across the room. He's frowning about something, but once he notices her staring back, he smiles again, before turning back to the other boys who are deep in conversation.
Before Lucy can gather her thoughts on the matter, the first warning bell for first period rings, jolting her slightly.
"Aw, the time went so fast," Levy complains, looking up to the ceiling with a small pout. "Couldn't the principle let things slip just once?"
Erza perches her hands on her hips, regarding the sitting girl with the raised brow. "I thought book worms loved school?"
"First off – all because I like books, does not mean that I have to love school. Second off – of course I like school, just not this particular subject."
Erza rolls her eyes once more, before turning back at Jellal, her hands moving to fold across her chest. "I suppose you need to get to class to – you shouldn't be late." Lucy tries not to stare too much at the couple, but the sweetness of it all just called out to her. Erza wasn't directly looking into his eyes, instead finding something about his pale shirt much more interesting. Jellal tilted his head as he watched his girlfriend and reached out to toy with the ends of Erza's dark hair. Either he forgot that Lucy and Levy were watching a few inches away or he wasn't bother by it.
"I'll see at lunch, then?" Jellal asked, a smile gracing his lips and Erza smiles too.
"You'll just have to wait and see, won't you?"
"Ooh, Erza – aren't you such a tease?" Levy said, bringing all eyes to her once more. Lucy was starting to suspect that she really did enjoy teasing them.
Erza looked like she was ready to strangle Levy, her face a dark colour once more. Jellal chuckles as he moved his hands up to gently grasp her shoulders. If Lucy didn't know better, she'd think he was restraining her from doing just that.
"Alright, before Levy kicks me out, I should get going. I bet Gray's waiting for me anyway," Jellal laughed good-naturally and tugged gently at Erza's shoulders to get her to look at him again. Unfortunately for him, the titled Queen was still deep in embarrassment and stood solid, refusing to meet his eyes.
Sighing in defeat, Jellal looked over at Lucy and smiled. "It was nice speaking to you outside the diner, Lucy. I'm sure we'll get to hang out more since Erza and Levy have taken such a liking to you."
Lucy honestly wouldn't mind that at all. Jellal seemed like a really nice guy, someone she could see her being friends with too.
"Sounds great, I'm glad we could talk too," Lucy agreed.
Jellal's eyes go back to his girlfriend who's cheeks still burn rose-y, but considerably better than before. He doesn't say anything, but smiles down at her. Erza's shoulder rise and fall in a short sigh, before turning to finally look at him. She eyes his smile and rolls her eyes and smiles too. Jellal takes that as permission for his next move, and before Erza can look away again, one of his hands brush back the hair still covering her one eye and plants a lingering kiss there on her temple. Erza gasps quietly at the feeling – her face regaining its prior deep red. This time though, it's accompanied by a gushy smile too. A few of the other students around them whistle at the display, but Lucy is the only one to startle at the noise.
Jellal slowly pulls back and the winks at Erza, who huffs at him.
The second warning bell rings and Erza gently pushes at the man's chest. "Go, before you I have to give you detention."
"I'm going," Jellal says, reluctantly letting her go. He shoots a nod of goodbye to the other two girls who still watch in the background – Levy with a cheeky expression – Lucy with cooing eyes, before he walks away.
"Awe, Erza! I'm so jealous!" Lucy cries as she turns to look at the still smiling red-head. Erza gives her a happy grin, before shaking her head. "I'm glad you like him, Lucy. Since we're friends now, you'll be seeing him a lot."
Lucy laughs at that. "It may be bad for my inner romantic – but I have to say that you guys are really cute together."
"Thanks Lucy," Erza blushes, a stunning sight on the amazon.
"I can't believe you threatened him with detention," Levy snorts. "Isn't the best thing about dating the class rep to get away with some things?"
"This is why I'm class representative and you're not, Levy."
"Sounds like a challenge," Lucy beams.
"Oh, I'd definitely go against her this year – but I don't want to put myself through that nightmare," Levy pales. Lucy takes that as advice not to run against Erza.
"I'm not that bad," Erza frowns, seeing the uneasy look on Lucy's face.
"I didn't say any-"
"No she is, trust me."
"Thanks Levy," Erza drawls as Lucy laughs in relief. Erza then straightens her blouse and says, "Alright, that was the second bell. The teacher will be hear soon. We should take our seats." She says the words loud enough that they practically echo around the classroom. Lucy watches amazed as all the students obey her and start moving to their desks. Erza then looks at Lucy and smiles. "You too, Lucy."
"Right," Lucy says, before turning to the desk right next to Levy's. Erza walks to hers a few rows down.
Just as Lucy pulls out her chair out, the door swings open again, and this time it is Natsu that walks in.
The rest of the class quiets down a little once he's entered the room, but mostly people carry on chatting. His dark eyes scan the room before it lands on her, and suddenly Lucy forgets how to breath. She faintly hears the girls at the desk on the other side of her whispering little awes and oohs about her neighbor. She doesn't bother looking over at them, somehow she can't tear her eyes away from his.
Her stomach feels sick as her mind runs with possible scenarios. Would he avoid her in public? Would all the progress they've made be thrown away? Lucy wanted to walk over and demand he say something – to get this over with. She didn't want to go back to their old relationship. He must know how nervous she was – he can see her aura right? What was the colour of fear?
Somewhere in the back of her mind, Lucy knew she needed to calm herself down. If Natsu didn't want to have anything to do with her out in the open, it meant that he didn't care enough about her – not the way she secretly wanted him to – and that was okay.
Except is wasn't.
Something flickers in Natsu's dark eyes – a small brightness she's begun to get to know. He's watching her, closely. Lucy's fingers grip the chair's back and slowly offers the tiniest of smiles. A question silently attached to it – one she hopes he'll get.
And then he smiles at her.
Not a smirk or a cheeky grin, but a real smile, one that she's rarely seen, but knows instantly. It's just a simple tug of one side of his lips, but it makes Lucy's chest warm with relief, her own smile widening to mirror the feeling.
He's still standing there, smiling at her and Lucy wants to walk over to properly greet him. The fact that he acknowledged her meant that he wouldn't avoid her, right? She chose to believe that. Lucy doesn't have to contemplate going over to him for too long, because Natsu takes a step towards her. Lucy's hands move away from the chair and her smile widens as she starts to mouth her greeting. He was making an effort too.
"Mor-" Just as Lucy starts the word, their teacher marches into the classroom, briefcase and a pile of papers in hand.
Natsu's pink head turns to look behind him and frowns at the man, who walks straight up to his desk, before looking back at Lucy – whose teeth had sunk disappointingly into her bottom lip. He mouths something to her, quick and expressionless, but it was more than enough to keep her spirits up.
'Later.'
They would talk later.
Lucy smiles in relief as she watches Natsu move back to his desk and takes a seat, before doing the same. There's a few other screeches against the floor as the remaining students also take theirs seats, a few late-comers hurrying to their desks. The teacher doesn't bat an eye at any of them, he just picks up a piece of chalk and begins righting on the board, not even bothering to say good morning.
"Open you textbooks to page 83. We'll be going through Friday's work once more."
Lucy's hands reach for her bag, when her ears prickle from the sound of nearby whispers – those girls again. She brushes the sounds off, because honestly – her and Natsu's friendship is none of there business. She's was already forming a reputation in the school, but it seemed so small to the worlds she was beginning to know.
She finds her books and pulls them out just as Levy catches her eyes. She meets the stare and flushes at bewilded look the blue-head girl gives her. She doesn't have to question why her new friend was looking at her like that – it was the same reason the girls on the other side were whispering about her – she'd obviously seen what just happened between Natsu and her. It wasn't anything scandalous, but considering Natsu's loner reputation, yeah. It was still embarrassing to be caught by a friend. She offers a shy smile to the girl who raises a blue brow at her. Behind Levy, a few rows down, Lucy notice's Erza staring at her too – her eyes shining with something she can't place. Erza catches her eyes and tries to hide the fact that she was staring, instead dropping her eyes to her textbook. There's still the tiniest of smiles on Erza's lips though and Lucy appreciates it.
Lucy follows the class rep's lead and looks at her textbook.
So far, it had been a pretty good morning.
When the bell mercifully rang, Lucy was quick to start packing up her things. The other students around her were already getting up to leave and Lucy wondered how they packed so fast. Must be a small town thing? It had been the longest class yet and if she knew Natsu by now, she was sure he'd be out the classroom already. She'd hoped to catch him before he left though, maybe she could catch up with him before the next warning bell.
"Hello, kitten."
The familiar voice has her book slip out of her hand in fright, dropping back on the desk with a thud.
Lucy looks up to see Natsu standing in front of her desk, smirking down at her. She can't help the way her heart flips at the sight.
Oh. He waited for her.
A welcoming smile appears on the blonde's face as she leans a little back in her chair to see him better. As usual – Natsu looked good this morning. His pink hair was a little messy and some of it fell just into his eyes, but didn't hide them – a fact she was most grateful for. His arms where bare with the sleeveless, black shirt he wore too. Lucy kept her eyes from trailing up the tones arms – she was not that kind of girl, nope.
"Morning," the blonde replied, her voice embarrassingly soft. She blamed it on the built up stress that she'd experienced this morning, worrying whether he'd want nothing to do with her again. That – plus the relief she now had. That trademark smirk of his slowly turned to a more gentle smile and Lucy almost swooned.
It wasn't fair how much of an effect he had on her now. Yes, he'd always had some effect, but after everything, it felt different.
"Did I scare you?"
"A little," Lucy answers truthfully. "I didn't even hear you walk over."
The pink-haired boy tilts his head in mock disapproval. "No wonder you're always getting into trouble, kitten. You're never aware of what's going on around you."
"And yet, somehow, I still managed to live long enough to have this delightful conversation," Lucy says in the same mocking tone, earning an amused huff from the other boy. She grinned back. It was so weird and yet so nice to be speaking to him so easily in school.
"Anyway, I just wanted to tell you something," Natsu's voice drops to a huskier tone as he plants his hands on her desk and leans in a little. Lucy keeps herself where she is, partly wanting to win at whatever game he was about to play, partly because she also wanted to get closer to him.
"Let me guess," the blonde hums, her eyes following his as he leans closer. "We have plans after school?" She could almost feel that blazing warmth that seeps off his skin. Unconsciously, she pushes her body just the slightest bit closer too.
Natsu pauses for a moment to smirk down at her, before chuckling. To Lucy's hidden dismay, he also pulls back, before saying, "how did you know I was going to say that?"
The blonde shrugs and pretends to be more interested in packing up her pens. "Oh, you know, it was just a feeling. Some might say I read minds."
She hears Natsu huff at the words and can't help but peek up at him. He's watching her hands with a quirked brow and amused smile. However, his eyes find hers the second after she looks at him, capturing her stare. He smirks.
"You sure sound pretty confident, kitten."
"What's wrong with that? I might even say you're beginning to like my company, Dragneel."
Something sparks in Natsu's eyes at the sentence – a beautiful flicker of gold. Lucy finds herself drawn to it, wishing she could see more. For a moment, Natsu doesn't say anything and the blonde girl almost wants to take back her words. Had she overstepped? Luckily, the pink-haired alien eases her worries when he leans down a little closer to her again. Lucy's shoulders stiffen when his nose comes only a few inches away from hers. Had he heard her wish to see the gold specks better?
No, they couldn't read minds. Thank goodness.
Natsu stays right there, leaning onto the desk to keep them close, his eyes watch her intently and strangely quiet, considering who he is. Lucy can already tell that her face must resemble something similiar to a tomato. She doesn't dare move back though, because really, why would she?
When Natsu speaks, his voice is soft and intrigued.
"Yeah? So does this mean that you're excited to spend some more alone time with me, kitten?"
Lucy can feel his breath wisp over her lips as he speaks and for a moment she forgets how to talk. She can just stare. Her mouth falls open in an attempt to try though, but no words come out. To her shock, those black and golden eyes dart down to stare at her lips. They stare there and Lucy's chest flutters to the point that she might faint.
"Natsu-"
Hushed gasps sound from behind Natsu and it's enough to wake up the blonde who jolts back in her seat to stand. She's instantly relieved when she doesn't end up tripping over herself. Natsu moves back too, although much more reserved and lazily, and with a little irritation, she thinks. Lucy forces herself not to dwell too much on that fact and moves her eyes to the front of the classroom.
Levy and Erza stand just by the door, looking at them with widened eyes. Erza seems to be speechless, while Levy looks like she's torn between smirking and gaping.
Well, this wasn't awkward at all.
Lucy feels her face burn bright red as she stares at her two friends. She doesn't dare look at Natsu. Her aura must be so telling right now and she didn't want to see whatever look he might be giving her.
"Sorry – we were just wondering why you were taking so long and just wanted to make sure everything was...okay," Levy says, her wide eyes still watching them. "But I see everything's fine." Her lips perch upwards in a badly hidden smirk – Lucy could already dreaded what thoughts were going through in the short girl's head, still, at least it was a good reaction.
Erza's eyes were firmly trained on Natsu, an unreadable look in her dark orbs. "It's good to see that you and Lucy get along, Natsu." Her words are calm, but something sad lingers underneath. Lucy's eyes flick to Natsu, her brows unsure. Natsu doesn't reply, just remains looking at the red-head with a blank expression. The one she knows he uses to hide himself.
"...I'll see you later, kitten," Natsu says after a second, looking over at the blonde, who jerks at the sudden attention.
"Right..."
Natsu then turns away and walks passed Erza and Levy, only nodding at them in greeting. Erza's eyes follow him worriedly, while Levy's go straight back to Lucy, before walking up to her.
"What was that?" she asked fully intrigued. Her eyes widen the second after she says the words, and with a softer voice asks, "We didn't interrupt or anything –"
Lucy's shoulder tense and shakes her head a little too forcefully. "No-no. We were just talking."
Levy seems to get over her worries at the rushed and nervous tone, her smirk making another appearance. "Right – just talking. Cause I always prefer to speak a breath away from someones lips."
"Levy, you really are awful!" Lucy blushes hard, making the other girl giggle. She couldn't be too upset though. At least Levy didn't seem as against the idea of Lucy liking Natsu as she had been a few days ago. Honestly, she was still trying to calm her nerves of what just took place – and with Levy talking about lips…had...had Natsu been about to kiss her?
She could still feel the way his breath ghosted over her lips as he whispered to her. The memory was too much to think and Lucy's chest tightened. Maybe now wasn't the best time to think about it. Besides, Natsu always kept her guessing. She might be wrong.
"You two seem very close."
"Hm?"
This time it was Erza who spoke and Lucy looked up to see the scarlet girl looking at her carefully. It almost felt like she was being studied. Erza then smiled, a small, but true one. "I'm glad," Erza said.
"Erza," Lucy blinked, but the taller girl had already turned towards the door, beconing them with one hand.
"Come on, we need to get to our next class before the next bell rings."
"But I'm not done here," Levy whined, giving Lucy a cheeky smile afterwards. It made the blonde laugh.
"Actually, I think I'm with Erza on this one," Lucy said and grabbed her bag. When she turned back to the girls, Levy was pouting at her, obviously disappointed.
"Fine, but don't think this is over," the blue-head sighed, before pointing a sassy finger at her. "I've never seen Natsu act like that around anyone. I want full details later."
Lucy wanted to understand a little more herself.
"Sure," Lucy rolled her eyes as they all walked out the door. "But when you find someone you like, I'll be giving you this same treatment."
"Yeah, good luck with that," Levy snorted. "It's a small town, I don't have many options."
"Well, on the upside, we've now officially established that Lucy indeed does like Natsu," Erza hummed as they walked into the hallway.
Lucy paled at being caught so easily and very elegantly almost tripped over her own feet.
The rest of the school day flies by in a blur. Lucy hadn't seen Natsu again that day to her disappointment.
She also hadn't seen any of the Redfox's either – not even during lunch. Their usual table had been empty. The only upside had been that Lucy had dodged whatever confrontation she might have received if they had been there. If she was being honest with herself, she was kinda nervous about seeing them again. She wasn't sure if Natsu and Lisanna told them what she now knew, but it would be weird if they didn't, right? They must know – and she still wasn't sure if all of them would take it well.
She hadn't seen Lisanna either, but at least she had gotten a heads up from the girl. After the second period, Lisanna had texted her saying she had left early because she wasn't feeling too well. Lucy had called her to see if she was okay, only to be reassured that it was nothing serious, just a headache. With her best friend missing, Lucy ended up eating lunch again with Erza and Levy, which wasn't a bad experience. They were a blast to be around, even Jellal and Gray had joined them this time, which added to the fun.
She had just been hoping to get Lisanna to sit with them. She didn't think they'd be against the idea, especially now that she was beginning to really know them. She also knew that once Lisanna felt welcome enough, she'd also love the new friendship.
But, maybe she should first ask Lisanna before she made any plans.
Either way, the school day was peaceful and enjoyable. Levy and Erza were turning out to be great friends and the more time Lucy spent with Gray and Jellal, the more she liked them. Gray especially, he was easy to talk to and pretty laid back. He was the typical 'cool' boy and seeing the dynamic between him and Jellal (the all around nice guy) was pretty interesting. At the end of the day, Lucy felt truly a member of the group. For that, she was grateful.
Though, when it came to Gray, if Lucy was being very honest, he seemed kinda distracted today at lunch. She'd caught him glancing over at the empty table that belonged to the Dragneel's and Redfox's on a few occations when he thought no one would notice. Lucy did, because she'd been glancing too.
She wondered if it had anything to do with that Juvia girl. She still remembered how weird it had gotten when Gray saw her in the gardens last week. She hadn't brought it up again, but she knew there had to be something going on there. For that reason, she could sympathize with the raven boy. She of all people knew how complicated life could be when it came to the Luxen family – and she was the only human in the town who currently knew what they were! Lisanna had told her that Gray and Juvia
had been close once, but that ended once Juvia left. Was that really how it ended? Or did Juvia start avoiding Gray because of the Zeref incident – the same like Natsu did with his old friends? Lucy had a funny feeling that that was exactly the case.
By the time Lucy gets home, she's surprised to see Natsu waiting for her.
She can't stop herself from smiling as she climbs out of her car and starts walking towards him. The pink-haired alien was leaning against his own red bakkie. His eyes stayed glued to her as she walked closer, a tiny tug of his lips was visible. Lucy like it.
"Hey stranger," Lucy greets, hoping to sound casual under his intense eyes. "What happened to you? I didn't see again after first period."
Natsu shrugs at the answer, eyes moving to look at his house. "Sounds like someone missed me."
Lucy rolls her eyes at the half-hearted tease. "Says the guy waiting for me to get home."
Yip, two can plan at this game.
Natsu chuckles as he pushes himself away from his car, the glinting light playing off of his bright hair.
"Fine, a teacher may have let me out early today," he answers her earlier question, raising a teasing brow at her. "Satisfied, kitten?"
"Not so much, Dragneel."
He smiles at her cheekiness, and in a blink of an eyes, Natsu's standing mere inches in front of her. The blonde girl gasps at the sudden appearance and stumbles back, but is luckily stabled by Natsu's strong arms that catch her. That warmth caresses her arms as he holds hers, a welcome feeling that makes Lucy almost lean into him more if she let her last bit of decency go. His presence is sharp, intense and demanding as he looks down at her through dark, sooty lashes. Lucy can only stare up at him powerlessly as she takes in the golden flicks in his eyes. It was funny how just a few hours ago she had been wishing she could stare at them again and now she was getting her chance. Natsu's eyes scanned her own brown orbs, a playful smile tugging at his lips.
"So, when are you coming over?"
The soft question takes Lucy aback and she takes in a breath she hadn't known she needed, before furrowing her light brows at him.
"Excuse me?"
He shouldn't be allowed to talk to her when they were this close. She could barely register her own thoughts.
The man chuckles again at the question, his hands squeezing her arms gently as he looks at her. "I guess you're not really used to the speed yet, huh?"
Was he teasing her. Oh, wait – it's Natsu. He was always teasing her.
Lucy's eyes roll in mock irritation, when really she just needed another moment to clear her thoughts. Taking a step away from him would be the better solution – but she wasn't ready to leave his warmth yet.
"Well, you could walk over to me like a normal person," Lucy quips at him playfully. He gives her a look.
"Why should I? Just walking over to you wouldn't have made you get all flustered like you are now."
"You're such a jerk – and I'm not flustered!"
"Sure you're not, kitten."
The way he smirks at her is unfair and Lucy already knows her earlier statement – though there was no way she was going to admit it to him. Instead, she tries to backtrack their conversation.
"And you know, you really should be more careful. What if my aunt saw you?"
Natsu looks back at the house, one pink brow raised when he looks back at her. "She's not here. Do you see her care?"
Lucy looks around too and true enough, her aunt's car is nowhere to be seen. Oh wait, didn't Aqua say that she would be working late again?
Defeated, Lucy looks back at Natsu. He meets her eyes with a winning grin. She frowns at him, earning another huff of laughter from him. Frustrated with his teasing, the blonde elbows him in the ribs, it doesn't seem to have much of an effect on him, but Natsu does at least stop laughing.
"Alright, sorry Lucy. I guess I'm just getting a little too comfortable around..." Natsu trails off when Lucy's eyes meet his, waiting for him to finish the sentence. He doesn't, instead pausing to stare at her, before clearing his throat. His hands release their grasp on her arms and he takes a step back, offering some distance. Lucy's disappointment rises, but tries not to let it show. Instead she focuses on the positive.
Natsu was getting more comfortable around her and that was enough for now.
She sees him run a hand through his hair as he thinks something over, some of his frustration evident on his face. When he looks at her again, Lucy smiles at him. He relaxes a little at that and then scoffs at it, through his own smile.
"Anyway, the question still stands," Natsu says. "When are you coming over?"
"I didn't realize I was invited."
"I did say we have plans though," the pink-head states and Lucy huffs.
"I remember you deciding that on your own too," there's no bite to her words, just a little more teasing. Natsu gives her an almost pleading look and Lucy laughs. It felt good to be the torturer sometimes. "Okay, fine. When do you want me over?"
"The sooner the better, but I also don't want your aunt to worry. You should probably call her."
Lucy's brows lift in understanding. "...I take it that means I'll be sleeping over again?" Was that why Natsu wanted to hang out with her?
Natsu looks at her for a moment, before saying, "I think it's a better idea if you stayed as close to us as possible during the night – at least until your trace weakens."
Guess that answers that question.
"I see."
Natsu's lips tighten at the sound of her voice, not unhappy or angry, just without emotion. She hoped that he couldn't somehow sense her disappointment.
"Listen, if you don't want to come over now, how about we meet at around 6:30?"
Lucy's head bobs up to stare at him, her mouth opening to reassure him. "It's not that – I just..." Natsu gives her a confused look and Lucy sighs, shaking her head. She pulls on a smile. "Sounds good. 6:30 it is then."
Natsu still doesn't seem too sure, but thankfully doesn't push her. He nods too. "Great. I'll see you then, kitten."
Lucy smiles a small smile, before walking over to her door. For a moment she wonders if she should invite him in for some lemonade or something, but decides against it. She didn't want to push it and even though she wanted to spend more time with him, she wasn't sure he felt the same way.
Just before she gets to her door, the blonde blinks and turns to look back at him. Natsu was still standing in the same spot, watching her.
"Something wrong?" he asks unsurely when she looks at him.
"No, uhm..." she looks over at his house. Lisanna's car is parked there too. "Is Lisanna fine with me sleeping over tonight? I know she was feeling sick earlier."
There's a brief pause, before Natsu answers. "Yeah no, she's fine." Lucy looks at him with curious eyes. Natsu smirks at her. "Come on, Lucy. It's Lisanna we're talking about. She'd want you over even if she was puking her guts out."
Lucy laughs at that a little self-consciously. "I don't know about that, but I think I'll just give her a call too. See if she needs anything from town."
"Always the over achiever, are you?"
"I like to be helpful."
Natsu smirks at the response and gives her a slight salute, before walking backwards towards his house. "I'll see you tonight, Lucy." With that said, he saunters away, leaving the blonde teenager on her porch with her heart hammering in her chest.
Even now, she found Natsu Dragneel utterly confusing.
Thanks for reading!