Chapter 9
At the Dragneel's home, the duo is nearing the end of Guardians of the Galaxy. Lucy chose it since she figured it will have enough action and humor in it for Natsu. The two are happily curled up on the couch while Happy is napping on her lap.
Natsu prods her with a finger and says with controlled excitement, "You're gonna like this scene coming up."
"B-but Groot…" she whimpers.
"I'm home!" Wendy announces as she makes her way through the front door.
"We're in here!" Natsu calls.
With some shopping bags in hand, Wendy strolls into the family room. "Hey, Natsu loves this movie."
"You're just in time for the dance off!" he says.
She laughs, taking a seat and setting her bags down. "This movie–"
Natsu puts a finger to his lips, eyes glued to the TV screen. "Shh!"
It isn't long before Lucy finds herself cheering up at what the actors are doing on screen. It is rather funny. The rest of the movie isn't bad either. When the credits start rolling, it is obvious that more is to come.
"I still can't believe you've never seen that movie before," Natsu comments.
Lucy shrugs. "It's not what I normally like to watch."
"What do you like?" Wendy inquires.
"Horror," she replies.
Natsu deadpans. "Huh?"
"I like horror. And thriller. Psychological, too." Lucy grins. "Maybe a mix of all three of them."
Wendy laughs. "Natsu absolutely hates movies like that!"
"It's because I'd rather watch something funny!" he says to defend himself.
"Not because he had nightmares of The Sixth Sense when he saw it when he was ten," Wendy stage whispers to Lucy.
"Ten?" she snorts.
"So where have you been?" Natsu asks Wendy, changing the subject.
"Oh, I was shopping with some friends for my birthday!"
"That sounds like fun," Lucy comments.
Wendy nods. "I'm glad we all were able to go and spend time together."
"Didja get that necklace while shopping?" Natsu inquires.
Lucy looks at the piece of jewelry around her neck. On a silver chain is a blue cat-like piece that is less than an inch long. "It's pretty!" she compliments.
"Thank you." Wendy softly smiles. "I like it, too."
"So didja get it while shopping?" Natsu asks again since she did not answer him.
"A friend gave it to me as a birthday gift," she replies.
"Which friend?"
"A friend."
Lucy feels somewhat out of the loop. She has no idea why Natsu is being so relentless about learning about the necklace's origins. Maybe it is a sibling thing the two share. Maybe she doesn't understand because she is an only child.
Natsu smiles smugly. "I'll let Romeo know he did a good job."
Because of his words, Wendy's cheeks turn red. "Why would you do that… ?" she mumbles.
Now Lucy is catching on. It is blatantly obvious Romeo is a crush of hers. And clearly Natsu helped him out.
"Oh, c'mon, Wendy," Natsu says. "It's obvious he likes you and you like him. I'm surprised you guys haven't started dating by now."
"That's big talk coming from you," she points out.
Natsu blinks, having not expected their conversation to make a turn like this. "Me?"
"Why aren't you and your crush dating yet?" Wendy asks, turning the tables on him. "I'm surprised that you two haven't started dating by now."
Lucy feels awkward. Has she been reading Natsu wrong this entire time? She thinks they might have something and are working towards being a couple. Is there a possibility he only wants to remain friends? Her mind races. But then why did he get her a bouquet of seven roses with baby's breath? That has to mean something, right?
"Hey, I'm working on it!" Natsu says, cheeks beginning to turn pink.
That is what does it for Lucy. "Well, I think it's time I get going."
Natsu immediately looks at her. "Now?"
"I do have some work to do."
His face falls. "Oh."
"I did have fun though." Lucy smiles a little it. "Thank you for everything."
"You're welcome, Luce!"
x-X-x
Rather than writing like Lucy originally planned on, writer' block is taking a heavy toll on her. Once again, she looks away from the screen to stare at the bouquet, the main source of her distraction. She is still trying to wrap her mind around Natsu and the roses. Is it normal for a friend to give their friend a bouquet of seven roses? Especially after knowing them for less than a week?
Lucy's gaze returns to the word document opened on her laptop. She has failed miserably at brainstorming what she wants for her next novel. Elvina ended in a way she could possibly write a sequel. However, she is quite happy at not continuing it because of how it ended. She also has a couple of other ideas she believes her readers will find interesting.
Suddenly, Lucy's phone goes off because of a text. She sees Natsu's name pop up on the screen. She bites her lip as she reaches for her phone to read the message.
Natsu: So how are things going for you, Luce?
This is the third text in two hours that he has sent that she hasn't responded to. She feels like a reply from her will be weird and not a typical Lucy text.
She sighs loudly and starts talking to herself. "Ugh, what am I supposed to do? I like him, but he has a crush." Lucy huffs and leans back on her couch, giving up on writing for now. "But why did he get me roses if he has a crush? And why have we gone on two dates so far? That makes no sense."
She looks back at the roses, feeling bittersweet about them. "What if there is me and someone else he is choosing between? Maybe he's playing the field to figure out which one he wants to date?" Lucy thinks back to what Wendy said. "Wendy is probably voting on Natsu's crush."
Groaning, she rubs her face with both of her hands. Maybe her next novel will involve a female protagonist who is facing problems because of her confusing male romantic interest. She can probably put a comical twist on the matter so her readers can enjoy it at least. At least her novel can have a happy ending…
Lucy checks the time on her phone, realizing it is after ten o'clock. Too bad she is not tired or she would try going to sleep. "Maybe a shower will help…"
x-X-x
Now that she is all squeaky clean, Lucy feels absolutely refreshed. She is now wearing blue pajamas so she will be ready for bed when she finally does go to bed. Just as she sits down with her laptop, there is a knock on her apartment door. Surprised that someone is knocking this late at night, she looks over at before standing up. "Coming!"
When Lucy unlocks the door and opens it, she is more than surprised to see who is on the other side.
Natsu flashes her a sheepish grin. "Uh, hiya. I figured you weren't responding because you were hard at work." He raises the box from Makarov's Pizzeria. "I also figured you might be hungry so I gotcha your favorite."
Her heart melts a little bit because of his sweet actions.
"But from the look of things, it looks like I interrupted you from going to bed…" he continues.
Lucy shakes her head. "I was just taking a break from writing." Then she opens her door some more and steps aside. "I could take a longer break I suppose."
With a smile on his face, Natsu strolls into her apartment. "Is it just you living here?"
"It's been that way for a few years now. Ever since I moved out really." In reality, she is used to being alone. Her father buried himself in his work and left Lucy in the care of the maids and butlers. Over time, they became less and less involved with her since she was getting older.
"Doesn't it get kinda lonely?"
"Sometimes," she admits. "Leaving the TV on or playing music helps though."
Natsu sets the pizza box down on the kitchen table and turns to face her. "You don't have a pet or anything to keep you company?"
She shakes her head. "I've never had a pet."
He looks surprised. "Really? Like ever?"
"Not even a pet rock." Lucy busies herself with getting two plates from the cupboard.
"Hey, Luce?"
She walks towards him with the plates. "Yes?"
Natsu studies her carefully. "Are you okay?"
She is caught off guard from the question. "What?"
"You seem a little off. Like you've been off since you left the house."
"I'm fine."
Natsu arches his eyebrows.
Lucy sets the plates down. "I'm serious." Then she smiles. "And thank you for the pizza."
Smiling, he flips the lid open. "Can't thank me now. You haven't had a slice yet."
A/N: For Wendy's necklace charm, just imagine it's the Cait Shelter's symbol! I couldn't think of what else and just decided to go with it since nothing else came to mind :P Also, no spoilers, but I'm pretttttttttttttttttttty sure y'all are gonna like what I have planned for the next chapter :D Make sure to stick around!
Edited as of 2/14/2017
