It all started with a rug

Summary: Choose your wording carefully, otherwise you might sound like a creep! Modern AU.

Rated T

Genre: Humor

Word Count: 1.5K

Lucy held in a groan as she listened to the customer try to explain to her why she was wrong, even though she knew without a shadow of a doubt she had given him the correct wrench for the project he had in mind. She nodded along, letting him vent his frustrations before suggesting they bring in another employee to get the matter resolved.

After a quick call on her mic, Lucy smiled as Gajeel came to her rescue. The only thing that could have made the moment better was if she could get a picture of the guy's face as Gajeel told the man she had been right all along.

She didn't particularly like working at the home improvement store, but she needed a job during summer breaks. Being an English teacher had its challenges, but even her students weren't as stubborn as some of the people she helped when she took on a retail-type job.

"That was infuriating," Lucy sighed as her and Gajeel walked towards the carpet section. She had been pulled away from her job to help a customer while her coworker was headed to the break room.

"Nothing you can do to fix ignorance," Gajeel said, patting her on the head.

She gave him a fake pout before easing into a smile. "Only two more weeks, then I'm out of here!"

"Gi hi, don't let Laxus hear you say that. You might be packing your bag by the end of the day."

Lucy shivered, not wanting to invoke the wrath of their manager. "True." As they neared the hardwood section, Gajeel broke off, whistling a tune while Lucy returned to her station. She helped mind the flooring department, which was about as much fun as it sounded, but it gave her some extra money and kept her from going insane with boredom between school years.

'What was I doing again? Oh right, sorting the sample tiles someone didn't put back.'

Before Lucy could make her way to her destination, someone caught her eye, a man down the aisle waving towards her. She looked behind her, realizing he was waving at her.

"Can I help you?" Lucy asked, strolling down the aisle surrounded by rugs. They had all sizes, some the size of a welcome mat while others could cover a whole room. The man in question held one perfect for a small bedroom.

"Hey, sorry to bother you miss," he said, gripping the rolled material before giving it a good look. "Are you good with fashion and stuff like that?"

Lucy held back a smile, finding the customer oddly cute, even with his bright pink hair. "I think I'm pretty good. What do you need?"

"Do you think this rug looks good? I wanna put it in my living room, but I'm not sure. I think it looks cool, but I've been told I have bad taste."

Lucy couldn't help but let her eyes flit over to his clothes, finding that statement true. 'Who wears a hoodie in the summer? Maybe that's why one sleeve looks like it got ripped off, to keep him from overheating? At least his shorts are the same color as his hoodie...'

She didn't comment on his clothes, instead focusing on his question. "It's a nice rug, but I guess it depends on what your other decor looks like if you want it to match. What color scheme do you have in your living room?"

The man snorted, lips pulling back to reveal a devilish smile that made Lucy's pulse jump. "That's such a weird phrase, color scheme. Like they're up to something devious."

Ignoring the heat slowly growing in her cheeks, Lucy cleared her throat. "What color are the walls?" she asked, trying to remind herself where she was. If she wasn't at work, where flirting with customers was prohibited, she would likely lean into it and see if he was feeling some chemistry.

She didn't know who could blame her. It wasn't every day she met a guy who appeared the same age as her who looked as good as he did. 'Maybe I've been single for too long. I need to cut it out and act professional!'

The man's dark eyes seemed to light up as he shifted the rug to his side. "Would you take a look at my apartment and see if the rug would be a nice fit?"

Lucy paled, her eyes widening at the absurd suggestion. She didn't notice him reaching in his back pocket, her nerves unraveled as she took a step back. "Please don't."

"Huh?" the man cocked his head as Lucy narrowed her eyes.

"I've heard a lot of pickup lines, but that has to be the creepiest by far." Which was saying something, considering she had heard a lot between the ages of seventeen and twenty-eight. "I can find someone else to help you."

As Lucy started to turn, the man panicked, shaking his head before holding up his phone. "It's not like that! Promise! I-I was gonna show you a picture of my living room!"

Lucy's jaw dropped as things started clicking together, her face steadily burning with a flush of embarrassment. "Oh... my gosh," she whispered, mortified from her wrong assumption. "I am so sorry sir! I... I thought—"

"Don't apologize," he said, his brows furrowed as he did his best to force a smile through the awkwardness. "I shoulda worded that better. I guess it did sound like I was suggesting... Anyways, no, I gotta picture if you'd take a look."

"Absolutely," Lucy started, her underarms and palms sweating as she stepped closer.

She watched as his hand shook while unlocking his phone, scrolling through his photos until he found the right one. "Cute cat," Lucy said as she looked at a picture of his couch, a little blue feline curled at one end while some mismatched pillows sat at the other end.

"Thanks! His name is Happy," the stranger said, giving her a strained laugh as his nerves calmed down.

Lucy watched as he flipped through three more pictures, her concern growing the more she saw. "Well, if I'm being honest, there doesn't seem to be any connections between your decor." The blue walls didn't match the off-white leather couch, nor did they match the brown chair or black entertainment center.

She looked at the rug for a moment before turning towards the selections around her. "It may take a minute, but maybe I can find something to piece them together."

"That'd be great!" he said, giving her a toothy grin that made her heartbeat faster. "Thanks!"

"N-no problem." She turned her head, failing to hide her blush. "Let's see what we have..."

"Alright Natsu, I think we got you all set," Lucy said, looking at the cart full of goodies. After finding a decent rug to match the unmatchable living room, he had asked her about lamps and other items to pull his apartment together.

Somewhere along the lines Lucy had forgotten she was even at work, enjoying her time spent looking for things as she got little hints as to the type of person Natsu was. He seemed to be a funny and quirky individual, the man catching Lucy's interest quickly into their shopping trip.

So much so, that when he asked for her number -so he could send her pictures of his living room after the makeover, she said yes.

"Thanks for your help Lucy! I really appreciate it!"

She grinned, giving him a nod before stepping backwards. "Well, I better get back to work. It was nice meeting you."

"Same! I'll text ya once I get all set up." Natsu closed his eyes as he smiled, Lucy's heart leaping at the sheer cuteness radiating off him.

"I look forward to it," she said, not bothering to hide her flush. "Have a good day."

"You too!" Natsu watched as Lucy walked back to her department, his stomach filled with butterflies, but he welcomed it.

He didn't get all the way out of the store before he dialed his friend, who happened to be a teacher as well.

"Hello?"

Natsu smiled as he pushed his cart towards his car, a giddy grin plastered on his face. "You weren't kidding, she's awesome!"

A laugh filtered through the line before Lisanna exclaimed, "And she's single! Did you two hit it off? I really think you two would be cute together!"

"I think it went pretty well," Natsu said before laughing. "I messed up though and made it sound like I was a creep, but it got sorted out."

"Well tell us all about it tonight."

Natsu nodded, looking forward to Erza's infamous game night. He could count on three things from those events: Getting drunk, playing lots of games, and taking part in the teasing among friends.

He had a feeling he was going to be at the receiving end of the teasing when he told them about his encounter with Lucy, the gorgeous and kind English teacher that Lisanna had been trying to set him up with for the better part of a year now. He had finally caved and agreed, but instead of a normal blind date, Lisanna wanted them to meet in a less traditional way.

He hadn't thought it was a good idea at first, but after meeting Lucy, he was glad he went along with it.

Story inspired by a moment that happened like a year or so ago when I went to a home improvement store and a guy asked me for an option on a rug, to which I said I would be the worst person to ask because I have no sense of fashion XD But, that moment stuck in my head and it wouldn't leave me alone until I got it out, so here ya go! :P Not sure when I'll be able to update my other stories, but I promise I haven't abandoned them. I don't see it happening, but if I do give up on them I'll be writing a summary to let you know how I was going to have the story go so there's some type of closure, but that's going to be a worst-case scenario. I want to finish them, I just need to get my motivation up and make time for them. Thank you so much for your patience! Hope you enjoyed this long drabble/short one-shot! Have a great day/night!