Chapter 13

Taking a step forward into the house, Natsu had his wide grin on his face. Feeling a little confident in showing his home, he warmly invites the blonde next to him as he says, "Welcome to my house," Natsu then pulls Lucy inside, who had a total confused look on her face. It was obvious to Lucy that she was not really sure why she would be standing inside the flat of the Dragneel president, but here she is standing before his personal elevator and glancing at his living room.

"Wow…" Lucy said as she stared at the place, taking slow steps forward, feeling very wary about being there
"Impressed?" Natsu boosted himself as he grinned at the blonde woman, "I really tried my best to keep this place clean as possible…" Natsu then nods his head in agreement to himself
"…by not living here" Lucy added as she smiled to herself first before she looks back at the pinkette who was suddenly gaped at her
"…no…by..." Natsu then trails off again, which Lucy took it as a chance to tease the man again
"hiring a maid?" Lucy then laughs as Natsu slightly turns red. Tapping the man by his shoulder, Lucy then takes a small walk towards his sofa to run her fingers across it, "Okay, fine…impressive"

Lucy then turns to look at Natsu with her raised brows. When she saw Natsu has relaxed down to her admission, she suddenly folds her arm over her chest, and she says, "But,"
"But what?" Natsu repeats with a curious look thrown to Lucy
"Is there a reason for me to be here?" Lucy then took cautious steps towards the pinkette until she was standing before him, "Why'd bring me here?"
"Does it really matter? Why, are you afraid to be with me here, alone?" Natsu states the last word to Lucy huskily as he leaned closer to the blonde. Noticing the short distance between them, Lucy quickly took a step back to give them space.

"What? No. Of course not…" Lucy then walks away from Natsu and heads to the couch to take a seat. As she settles down to the couch, she glanced at the pink-haired man again and casually said, "Why are you just standing there?"

With the question of the blonde, Natsu then chortles in response. He never knew Lucy was such a clingy woman, but he didn't mind, after all, Lucy was fun to tease. So, as he takes a step forward towards the couch he suddenly stops when Lucy said, "Why are you heading here? Shouldn't you head to the kitchen? You said were going to cook dinner for me..."

Perplexed by the statement of the woman, Natsu quickly halts in his steps. Of course, Lucy had to remember his deal with her, to cook dinner for her as a means to be forgiven for something he has done in the grocery store, which he doesn't remember. So, laughing at his weird thought that Lucy wanted to hang out for a moment before they let their stomachs decide, he quickly shook his head before he turns his heels to head towards the kitchen.

"Alright madam," Natsu then disappears into the kitchen, making Lucy finally sigh in relief.

When Natsu was no longer in sight and she sat alone on the couch, Lucy took it as a chance to look around once again. Lucy inspected every corner of his living room, and the more she does the more she feels weird. For some odd reason, when she saw his house, she instantly feels at home. And it's not right. Imagine, it's the first time Lucy ever steps into Natsu's house and right at the sight of his home, she feels warm and relaxed. It's like no one would be able to criticize her if she suddenly decides to wear the weirdest clothes she could ever wear.

Despite not being sure why she was feeling such emotion, she decided to just let it go and smile. After all, this feeling could only be once in a lifetime. So, standing up from the couch, she roamed around the place and looked at the things she could investigate at. The first thing she noticed was the scattered magazines and somehow she was feeling cautious about finding porn magazines. So, as she attempts to scan the types of magazines Natsu reads, she made sure to be alert.

Stacking up those reading materials, she suddenly realized these magazines were not actual magazines but rather some mangas. Chuckling a little, she picked up one and looked at the cover, "Who knew you read mangas?" she then smiled to herself before she puts the manga back and left it alone. Moving on to the next things Lucy could inspect, she walked around the table and notices the shelf. It wasn't a shelf full of books but rather filled with figurines and pictures.

As Lucy walks up to the shelf, she quickly noticed the collectibles that Natsu had. It was an amazing collection of dragons that had different colors. In total there were nine dragon figurines but the biggest figurine was a dark red scaled dragon that had a scar on his right eye.

"Oh look, this is cute…" Lucy then gently took the figurine and admired it. She slightly played with it by making it fly pretentiously before she chuckles to her childish antics. Holding carefully the figurine, she said to herself "I suppose a dragon could be cute right?" she then returns the figurine gently to the shelf before she glances at the kitchen to check if Natsu was looking at her. But Natsu wasn't in sight, and she continues to hear the clanging of pans, which only means Natsu was busy cooking.

"Well…let's move on to other things…" Lucy then walked away from the shelf but quickly stops and retracts her steps when she noticed the picture frames. At the same shelf, a few picture frames were displayed below the row of figurines. Smiling excitedly, she abruptly took one, in which it was a picture of Natsu when he was a little kid.

Laughing at the very innocent grin of the pinkette, sitting in an inflatable pool, wearing only his brief as his swimwear, Lucy couldn't help but grin back. It's very amusing to see the young pink-haired man. His smile never changed and she likes that kind of smile. So, feeling a little devious, she began to pull out her own phone and took a quick snap to the picture. She couldn't resist, Natsu as a kid was so cute. Once she was done, she placed the photo back to its place and moved on to the next things.

As Lucy was about to check out the stacks of DVD's, Natsu suddenly comes out of the kitchen, wearing his apron, and calls Lucy's attention, "Yo, Luce!"
Abruptly turning her head to face Natsu like she was some deer in headlights, Natsu suddenly sniggers with the expression on Lucy's face. Seeing the man chuckle and grin to her, Lucy shortly changes her expression from surprise to confusion. Raising her brow at Natsu, Lucy questions, "You like using nicknames, don't ya?" slowly, a smile creeps on her face
"Well, it's better than Luigi, right?" Natsu snickers again when Lucy scrunches her face and groans
"Please don't call me that…" Lucy annoyed states before she rolls her eyes and walks closer to the pinkette, "So, do you need help?" She offered
"Nah, I got this…" Natsu then crosses his arms as he smugly looked at the blonde
"Then why did you come out and call me?" Lucy skeptically asks
"I wanted to offer you some wine…you want?" Natsu then childishly grins at the blonde, who quickly chortled at the lame excuse
"Sure, why not…" Lucy then turns Natsu around and pushed him back to the kitchen, which Natsu willingly complied.

When the two were at the kitchen, Natsu abruptly handed a glass of wine to the blonde, who happily accepted it as she took a seat on the stool of Natsu's kitchen island and sipped her wine.

"So," Lucy instantly tries to break the ice, "How many girlfriends have you brought here?"
"Wait, this is a question portion now?" Natsu shockingly looked at the blonde, who just smiled and shrugged her shoulder,
"Just curious…" Lucy then pushes the glass to the side as she crosses her arms over the table to lean forward, "After all, I'm your girlfriend…right?"
"In front of the media, yes…but behind the camera…" Natsu then scrunches his face as a sign that it was a no, but Lucy quickly added, making Natsu look at the blonde surprised
"We're friends…agree?" Lucy then happily smiles at the man, who nods his head in response
"Agree…" Natsu then turns around as he continued preparing the meal.

When Natsu agreed, Lucy expected that Natsu would answer her question but then the man just ignored her and continued his work. So gawking at the attempt of Natsu ignoring her question, she quickly remarked, "Hey, you didn't answer my question!"
"Oh, me?" Natsu half turned to look at the blonde with his smile, but then he turned away again, making Lucy groan in annoyance. Laughing at the expected response of the blonde, he finally turned around to glance at the pissed off woman.

"You know you look ridiculous with that face…" Natsu points, making Lucy frown, which he intended to do. So, he laughed once more
"Why do you keep on laughing at my face?" Lucy said irritated before she looks away from the pinkette. Grinning at the blonde, Natsu swiftly leans forward making Lucy pull back at little. Trying to give them a little distance, she unexpected meets the dark onyx eyes of the pinkette
"Because I find your face amusing…" Natsu gently smiles at her as he adds, "And I mean it as a compliment,"
"How's that suppose to be a compliment?" Lucy skeptically asks back, still staring at his eyes
"I don't know…just take it as a compliment," Natsu then pulls away as the pressure cooker suddenly hissed indicating that the beef was cooked.

As Natsu returns to his cooking, Lucy huffs in exasperation. With Natsu being a little tease and playful man, she doesn't know how to keep up with his energy. All she wanted to do now was know him. After all, they were just beginning to be friends. But seeing Natsu so reluctant to share, Lucy thought it was pretty hopeless to get Natsu, placing her arms back to the table with one arm up as she leans her head into it, Lucy sighs again before she speaks.

"So, why exactly are you avoiding my questions?" Lucy boringly looked at the broad shoulders of the man cooking
"I'm not really avoiding your questions. I just answered one," Natsu said without looking back at her but he had a smile on his lips
"Oh, really? So, you're trying to be sarcastic to me now..." Lucy replies and Natsu finally turns around to look at her with his arms crossed over his chest
"Fine, I'll answer your questions if you answer my questions…" Natsu self-assured look at the blonde, who lazily looked back at him
"Okay, shoot away…" Lucy then slowly sat up straight as she waited for Natsu to ask.

With the permission of the blonde, Natsu couldn't help but grin with the opportunity to know more about the actress. So, getting excited to do this questioning, he quickly turned off the stove and closed the cooker.

"Okay," Natsu then pulls a stool to seat in front of the blonde
"Wait, what about our food?" Lucy suddenly feeling nervous that Natsu was taking this questioning seriously
"Don't worry, it's done…I'll serve it in a bit…" Natsu replies with his grin prominent on his face
"O-okay…" Lucy slightly stutters before she swallows hard, suddenly regretting that she allowed Natsu to throw some questions to her
"Alright, I ask the first question then you're next…" Natsu triumphantly says, making Lucy look back at him with suspicion
"What's the catch?" Lucy asks
"Nothing…" Natsu then laughs out loud making Lucy scowl at the laughing man
"Fine! Ask now!" Lucy shouts to cut the laughter out
"Okay," Natsu then sat up straight as he looked at the woman in front of him, "What is it like to be an heiress of the Heartfilia family?"
"Why are you asking me this again?" Lucy shook her head in disbelief
"Nah-ah, you don't get to ask, only answer…" Natsu smirks at the scowling blonde
"Fine…terrible," Lucy shortly answers then looks at the pinkette bored
"Why?" Natsu asks the second time but Lucy shook her head as she smiled this time
"Nah-ah…my turn," Lucy chuckles a little when Natsu pouted for a moment before he returns the smile, "Okay…how many girlfriends you had?" Lucy then patiently waits for the man to answer
"Around…five girlfriends…three flings and two serious," Natsu then kept his lips tight as if he was closing the idea to add more information, "Alright, my turn!"

Soon, the two continued to throw questions and answer them. When their stomachs began to grumble, the two immediately prepared their meals and let the game continue over their food. As they did, their game of questions finally turned into real conversations, laughing at each other's funny experiences.

The night got deeper and two decided to continue their casual conversation in the balcony, where the night sky was obviously before them.

"So, you dated Loke for almost three years. In those three years, what was Loke like?" Natsu then glanced at the blonde who suddenly quiet in her seat
"Loke?" Lucy echoes back as she glances at Natsu, who was patiently waiting, "Well, what can I say? He's charming, sweet…"
"Tell me something you haven't told me…" Natsu interrupts, making Lucy suspiciously look at him, "I'm not gay. Now, will you continue?"
Laughing for a moment, Lucy then tries to calm her laughter first before she continues, "Okay, Loke…um, he's the typical romantic guy. He makes you sweep off your feet with his sweet words, compliments, stares…" Lucy then looked at Natsu, "But um…" Lucy then looks away when she realized that Natsu was intently staring back at her, making her heart jump a little, "his words are too unrealistic that it made me wonder if he's even real…"
"And you used to like it?" Natsu suddenly questions
"No…not one bit. It's one of the things Loke does that annoys me because he just makes himself too unbelievable…" Lucy then chuckles at the memory of Loke giving sweet nothings
"Then why'd you fell in love with him?" Natsu asks again
"'Cause he made me feel loved when I wanted to be loved…" Lucy then looked down to her glass of wine in hand, "He made me feel special and made me believe that I was worth it…"
"But then he cheated on you…" Natsu suddenly trails off not realizing what he said. He only did when he heard Lucy chuckle
"Yeah, he did…It was a hard slap in my face. But, I can't blame him. I sort of turned cold to him when he started putting so much control over my life," Lucy then looked out on the night view
"Just like your father…" Natsu added but this time fully aware of his words. As Lucy glanced at him, she gave a gentle smile before she puts down her legs and stood up to place the glass of wine down to the small table in between them
"I think I should head home…" Lucy said softly, almost whispering but with Natsu's incredible hearing, the man then nods. Putting down his glass and stood up next to the blonde, Natsu gave the same soft smile. He then placed a hand on her shoulder as he says, "Thanks for sharing. It's nice to know things about you."

"The same for me," Lucy then tucks a loose hair back to her ear as she nods to the man
"Alright, let me drive you home," and with that, Natsu steps back to enter back inside.

When she was left on her own, Lucy looked back at the vast night sky again and gave a gentle smile at it. It was nice making new friends, friends who didn't judge you for your decisions and principles in life. She may be in the show business and know a lot of actors but not all of them are her friends. It was nice to feel ordinary, where no eyes and cameras continuously follow her.

Hearing Natsu shouts in pain after bumping his toe to his coffee table, Lucy suddenly chuckles. Loving how this day turned out, she couldn't wait to start the day tomorrow, to get to know more of her new friend.


It's late Saturday night and a sudden visitor comes by the Dragneel Manor. It wasn't unusual for a sudden visitor to come by since head officials from the Dragon Empire Group sometimes drop by to hand over official documents to the CEO. But what was odd was the unexpected visitor of the wife of the CEO.

A red-haired young lady sits on the couch, patiently waiting to be called and accepted to meet Mrs. Dragneel, who was readying herself to meet her. Minutes pass by and a maid suddenly comes down and heads towards her.

"Madame Grandine is ready to see you, Ms. Scarlet," the maid said after bowing her head to the young woman. The woman then stood up as she gently smiled at her and bowed her head, "Thank you. If you may lead,"
"Of course, right this way," and with that, the maid assisted the young scarlet towards the office located on the third floor of the manor. As the maid stopped right at the side of the door, she bows once again to the scarlet and left her.

As soon as she was alone, Erza released her tension by exhaling then knocked on the door gently. After three knocks, a sweet and confident voice answers, telling her to come in. Slowly turning the knob and open the door, Grandine is revealed to be sitting on a blue cushion chair, with a cup of tea and a hot pot at the side.

"Erza," Grandine then stands to meet the young woman to give her a hug. After they hugged, Erza bows her head in respect as she says, "I'm sorry Mrs. Dragneel for the late visit…"
"Oh come on, Erza, don't be too formal. You call me Auntie Grandine," Grandine chuckles when Erza turned a little red
"Well…I sort of came here for work," Erza bashfully looked at the middle-aged blue haired woman
"Ahhh…" Grandine turns around and took her previous seat to drink her tea, "Please, take a seat and grab a tea,"
complying with Grandine's request, Erza quickly sat on the chair and helped herself some tea. As she did, Grandine said, "I see that Eileen assigned you to my request,"
"Yes, Auntie Grandine…" Erza then looked down to her steaming tea, "It seems like, I have to investigate on Natsu and his girlfriend again just like before…"
"True…" Grandine nods as she leans her back to her chair and sighs, "You do have to inspect about Natsu and his new girlfriend. But,"
Erza then looks up, a little surprise with the sudden catch of her task, "But?"
"Yes, Erza…" Grandine then smiles at the scarlet-haired woman, "I want you to investigate his relationship to prove to me that they are a real couple. I don't want to have reasons to believe that this is a fake, pretentious game of Natsu's."
"You actually want me to check if the two are really a couple? And not some fake relationship?" Erza stunned asks
"Yes. I know the last time I asked you to do this, I asked you to find proof that the woman Natsu dated before was actually just trying to loot his money…" Grandine then scowls at the memory, "But not this time. I just want you to find out if Natsu is really in a relationship…"
"Who is this woman?" Erza questions,
"Her name's Lucy…Lucy Heartfilia," Grandine mentions the name with certainty in her voice, "She's the daughter of a businessman that we used to have a good affiliation with. Until one day, her father cut-offs his ties with us,"
"I see. It seems like it has something to do with business. Are you afraid that this Lucy is using her relationship with Natsu to bring back that affiliation?" Erza questions, getting more intrigued with the woman in topic
"Maybe. I don't know. Business is not my concern, but you may look into it as well…" Grandine then gave a stern look at the scarlet, who quickly knew what the Dragneel madam wanted
"Alright, I'll get into it then…" Erza then puts down her cup before she stands and bows her head to the older woman
"Thank you Erza," Grandine stands up as well to embrace the young lady once again

When they did, Erza pulls away and bids goodbye. But right when Erza was about to step out, Grandine calls her once again, successfully stopping the scarlet, "Erza," Grandine then takes a step closer, "Don't be afraid to be friends with her…I know, you two might just get along,"
"Thank you, Auntie Grandine…until next time," Erza said with a smile and soon turns away to head out.

When Grandine was alone by herself in the office, she sighs in tiredness before she takes her seat once again.

"I just do hope this turns out well…"


Sunday morning came and Erza was preparing to head her way out of her apartment, when a certain blue-haired man with a red tattoo above and under his right eye, suddenly appears from the bedroom, wearing only his sleeping pants.

"Where are you going?" The man quickly asks as he watches Erza put things to her small sling bag
"I'm heading out for coffee…" Erza replies without looking at the man as she just continued to check on her things
"Without me?" The man then approaches the scarlet-haired woman, making her finally look up at him and reply sternly
"This is not a leisure thing, Jellal. This is…" Erza then pauses as she realized that her boyfriend wouldn't like one bit of what she would be doing
"This is what?" the man named Jellal, then raises his brow at his girlfriend, "Should I guess what this whole coffee thing is about or you would tell me?"
"Um…" Erza then tightens her lips as she stood up straight, hesitating to share her task despite being under the same security agency
"Okay, I'll guess," Jellal then takes a step forward, making Erza a little nervous, "This has something to do with Natsu…"
"Out of all the people, why would you guess him?" Erza surprised asks, trying to hide the fact that he had caught her
"Erza, we work at the same company. I don't think your mission would be a secret to me," Jellal then chuckles as he watched Erza puff her cheeks and sigh, "How about I drive you to your destination and tell me about your plan…"
"Alright, then get dressed. Lucy is sure to be heading her way already," and with that, Erza turns away from her boyfriend and headed out.

Soon enough, the couple was on the road and Erza began to explain to Jellal about her true task. She mentioned to him that she would be once again doing an undercover mission, to know Lucy Heartfilia this time. Apparently, Grandine feels suspicious about Lucy's sudden revelation about her identity, knowing that the blonde woman was an actress for almost seven years.

Her task was to get more background about Lucy and her family, more than what people already know about the Heartfilia. She also has to counter check some facts that Natsu and Lucy have given to Grandine. With that, she will be able to know if their relationship is fraud or true.

"So, how is going to the coffee shop help with the mission?" Jellal suddenly asks as he gave a short glance at the scarlet-haired woman, who was reading the file of Lucy Heartfilia
"Lucy goes to a coffee shop nearby her condominium building every Sunday. At times, she goes there for coffee and at times just to read a book. She usually goes there early morning to avoid many customers, but as the place becomes crowded she leaves. So, I need to get there before the place becomes crowded"
"How exactly did you know this?" Jellal questions, curious to the method Erza used to gather information about the actress
"Her personal assistant," Erza simply states before she points out a corner, "Jelly-bear, over there,"
Instead of answering the redhead, Jellal suddenly chuckled, making Erza raise her brow in wonder why the man next to her was laughing, "What?" She skeptically asked while Jellal slows down the car to the side
"Nothing…" Jellal says dishonestly while trying to keep his laughter down
"Uh! Fine, I won't ever call you that," Erza then frowns at the blue-haired man before she turns in her seat to open the door of the car and step out. But before she could, a hand suddenly stops her by holding down her wrist.

As Erza glanced at her shoulder, Jellal was smiling genuinely at her and says, "Don't I get a kiss?"
"What?" Erza staggeringly looked at Jellal, and without warning, the man leaned in and gave a gentle kiss on her cheek.

With her cheeks reddening, Erza quietly looked back at the man when he pulled away. Jellal then stifles his laughter to say, "Good luck with your mission, Erzy-bear," and with that, Erza astonishingly nodded and turns away to step out of the car.

When the car left, Erza shook her head as she tries to forget how cute her boyfriend could be whenever he tried to be. Despite knowing Jellal is a serious and quiet person, Erza knew that Jellal had a cute side. It just so happens he shows it in a random timing, like now.

"Erza, get yourself together!" She said to herself as she slaps her cheeks, to organize her thoughts. When suddenly she noticed a blonde woman sitting by the window, with a book in hand and a mug placed on the table, "It's Lucy," Erza states as her mission quickly ran to her mind

"I better get this started…" And with that, Erza crossed the street and casually entered the coffee shop.

Once she entered, she quickly ordered her coffee as a prop to look like a customer. When she was done, she glanced at the side of the coffee shop, and there she sees Lucy sitting by herself. Erza then shakes her head a little to make her hair flow backward before she heads towards the table of the blonde. As she was close by, she brought a smile that showed excitement.

"Oh my god, aren't you Lucy?" Erza asks enthusiastically, making Lucy look up with curious eyes
"Um, yeah…" Lucy softly answers before she timidly smiles back at the redhead
"Oh my goodness, hi!" Erza then extends her hand as she adds, "I'm Erza! I'm a fan of yours,"

Lucy then takes the hand and gives it a gentle shake, "Hi, nice to meet you, Erza,"
"Do you mind if I join you?" then, without waiting for Lucy to reply, Erza took the seat in front of the blonde and happily places her things on the table
"…sure," Lucy trails off, stunned, as she watches the redhead take her seat. When the scarlet-haired woman was settled, she gave a nervous smile as she cocked her head in confusion.

"Oh, I'm sorry you must be thinking I'm some weird fan trying to invade your privacy," Erza then chuckles to herself as Lucy awkwardly laughs with her
"Well, not so much…" Lucy then nervously smiles at the redhead
"Don't worry I'm not just a fan…" Erza then trails off as she intended to watch the reaction of the blonde. When Lucy suddenly sat up straight, Erza took note of how the blonde was suddenly cautious, then she adds "I'm also a friend of Natsu…"
"Y-you know Natsu?" Lucy staggered, making her close her book and put it down on the table as she eyes the redhead
"Yeah, and I also know that you're his girlfriend," Erza then gave a knowing smile, "Correct?"
"Um, yeah…" Lucy then swallows hard, trying to keep herself calm despite the sudden introduction of the redhead, "Wait, I think I've heard your name…"
"Really?" Erza then skeptically observed Lucy's reaction
"Yeah, he mentioned you as his friend who was not picky as a woman…" Lucy then gave a genuine smile, more confident in taking part in the conversation
"Oh really…well, it's true. I act quite boyish for Natsu," Erza then chuckles along with the blonde

"Wait, um..." Lucy then trails off as she keeps a cautious step in knowing the redhead, "So, how did you know I'm Natsu's girlfriend? I don't remember you coming to the charity ball..."
"Ah, a mutual friend told me about you," Erza then smiles politely at the blonde, realizing that Lucy was trying to investigate her as well. Suddenly feeling challenged, she then asks, "So, how did you and Natsu meet? I never knew Natsu had so many showbiz friends,"
"He doesn't," Lucy assured answers before she smirks, "It just so happens he's friends with Lisanna, who is also my friend,"

"She got that correct..." Erza thought to herself as she nods her head, "Really? Just like that? You suddenly meet Natsu because of Lisanna?"
"Well, yeah. Though, she set me up with him," Lucy then shakes her head as she remembers the first time she was to meet Natsu, "I thought at first I was going to meet Natsu as a casual friend, but then Lisanna made it our blind date,"
"Ah, tricky woman, just like her sister," Erza then chuckles as she thought about the older white-haired woman
"Pretty much...Mirajane is quite a matchmaker too," Lucy then grins when Erza nodded furiously to her comment

"So, you like books..." Erza suddenly took notice of the thick book sitting on the table
"Ah, yes. Do you?" Lucy returns the question
"Well, I don't read as much as Gajeel's girlfriend," Erza then gave a knowing smile, trying to know more people whom she may be affiliated
"Oh, you mean Levy? Yeah, that woman is sure a bookworm," Lucy then grabs her book to read the cover, "She actually gave me this..."
"You also know Levy?" Erza skeptically questions

Before Lucy could answer, the barista on the front counter suddenly calls out to Erza's name, making the red-haired woman excuse herself to grab her drink. As she was getting her coffee, she pulled out her phone and opened the soft copy of the file of Heartfilia. Soon, she typed in new information, about Lucy being familiar with Levy McGarden.

As she was heading back to the table, she looked at her phone one last time to check on the information she needs to confirm. When she imprinted the information in her mind, she tucked her phone away in her bag and place a smile on her face.

"Sorry about that," Erza quickly says as she takes her previous seat
"No problem…" Lucy then smiled, "So, where do you work?"
"BSA Corporation," Erza confidently smiles
"Oh…" Lucy then trails off as she tried to think of what kind of company the redhead was affiliated with
"I guess you're not familiar with it. It's Belserion Security Agency, a corporation that provides security personnel to different companies"
"Ahh, I see…and you are the…" Lucy expectantly waits for the scarlet to continue for her
"Security Training Department Manager,"

As Lucy continuously questions the red-haired woman, Erza kept a calm expression. She isn't bothered at all to give information about herself as it is her tactic to make the blonde believe that she is just coming as a friend. But of course, Erza still kept in mind her task, so when the conversation was dwelling too long on her, she tapped her finger on the table successfully catching the attention of the blonde who curiously looked back.

"Enough about me…" Erza then hunches forward as she places her arms on the table, "Tell me about you and Natsu…"
"Natsu and me? Why?" Lucy asks, feeling so confused to why the woman was so persistent in knowing about her relationship with Natsu
"Well because it's been a long time since Natsu introduced someone to his family. The last time he was in a serious relationship, he was nearly broken…" Erza then tilts her head as she asks the blonde, "So, what's your love story? After all, Natsu has gone through a heartbreak …"
"Well, our story is um…" Lucy then deliberates as she tries to think of a good story, "What do you call this?" Lucy gestures with her finger twirling around like a tornado while snapping occasionally to bring the word out of her lips, when suddenly she remembers and points at the redhead, "Whirlwind!"
"A whirlwind?" Erza echoes back with bemusement in her voice and Lucy just chortles awkwardly, "Yeah…" Lucy then smiles innocently when Erza furrowed her brows at her
"That's odd. I've never seen Natsu's past relationships having a description of a whirlwind…" Erza then skeptically looked at the blonde, who suddenly straightens her back
"Look, I'm not really fond of talking about Natsu's past flings. So, I never asked him nor he insisted on telling me about his past relationships…" Lucy then trails off as she confidently looked at the redhead, feeling a little bold with her words, "But one thing I know, I am way better than his ex-girlfriends,"
"How sure are you? I mean, you just met him for what?"
"A few months…" Lucy said, trying to make her meet up with Natsu a little realistic than saying for a week
"See, a few months. How can you make Natsu fall for you in few months?" Erza presses on, making Lucy a little nervous again
"Erza, of course, he was head over heels for me…" Lucy then smiles sweetly despite the stupid reason she gave. It was the only excuse she could think of to make Natsu fall in love with her in a short span of time, "I don't mean to brag…but, yeah. He was head over heels for me…and I was too. That's why our love story is like a whirlwind,"
"Huh," Erza then sighs dubiously, "Well, there could always be a first time for everything…"
"Indeed," Lucy then swallows hard as she tries to bare the intense gaze of the scarlet-haired woman, who was obviously thinking over about the information, "If you don't mind, I'll head on first. I have a date to prepare for…"
"Sure," And with that, Lucy quickly took her things as she stood up and smiled at Erza
"See you next time…" and with that, the blonde walked away and headed out of the coffee shop

When Erza was on her own, she quickly relaxed her body back to her chair. Sighing in exhaustion, Erza couldn't help but feel apprehensive, after all her tactic awhile ago was not her best performance. It still bothers her that she is doing this task out of order and not because she intends to know the woman Natsu was dating. What she said to Lucy about Natsu was true and it really makes her curious how Natsu could quickly introduce Lucy to his family when he said to himself that he'll never find love once again.

"I am far from finding the truth between the two…"


As Lucy paces in her condo unit, thinking about her encounter with the red-haired woman, Lucy felt agitated about how the conversation in the coffee shop went. She couldn't believe it, she just met a friend of Natsu and she is sure, Erza is not just some friend of her fake boyfriend but could be a family friend. And this could only mean that Erza could be close to Grandine and Igneel.

"Am I screwed?" Lucy mutters to herself as she stops from pacing. But then she paces again and this time taps her mobile phone against the palm of her other hand, "I should tell this to Natsu…" Lucy utters and nods at her own suggestion before she stops in her spot to call the pinkette.

After dialing his number and a few ring, the call was accepted by the pinkette, making Lucy yelp in anticipation, "Natsu!"
"Yeah, Luce…what up?" Natsu replies, quite confused with the sudden call
"I need you to come to my condo. Now!" and with that, Lucy hangs up the call without even giving any explanation. Soon, she began to pace again.

Surprised with the sudden call from the blonde, Natsu couldn't help but furrow his brows as he stares at his phone, "Now, what is wrong with this woman?" He grumbles to himself before blowing some raspberries.

Despite not feeling like stepping out of his house, he sighed and turned off the television before he stands up from his couch. Lazily walking, he went back to his room and began to strip from his sleepwear and changed into clothes more appropriate for outside. When he stepped out of his room wearing a simple black v-neck t-shirt and dark blue jeans he immediately grabbed his leather jacket and white scaly scarf. And soon, he grabbed his motorbike's key and wallet before he went inside his personal elevator.

As he rode the small contraption down to the underground parking, he tried to think of a reason why Lucy had to call him early Sunday morning. He barely knows Lucy so he doesn't know what runs inside Lucy's head. But one thing he is sure, the blonde could be overreacting at times and possibly this is just one of it.

When he arrived at the underground parking, Natsu quickly rode his big bike and drove off back to the condominium building of the blonde actress. After a good fifteen minutes, Natsu was able to park his black Ducati in the underground parking and headed up to Lucy's unit.

He barely gave thought to what this urgency was all about, so when he pressed the doorbell to Lucy's condo and the door flung opened, he was startled when he was quickly pulled inside.

"Gah! Luce!" Natsu shouts as he stumbles forward and Lucy releases her grip to his collar
"Natsu, I think I'm in big trouble," Lucy mumbles frantically as she continues to walk towards her closed curtains
"Lucy! Seriously?! Did you have to pull me by my shirt?!" Natsu furiously questions as he tries to gain his balance. But then the blonde didn't pay attention to him as she continued to mumble to herself, "Oy, Lucy, what are you muttering about?" Natsu asks, trying to catch the attention of the blonde

Seeing how Lucy was not hearing him, Natsu then takes a step closer to the blonde, reaching out to tap her on the shoulder when suddenly she turns with her eyes wide, making him step back in surprise.

"Natsu! Didn't you hear me?! I think I screwed up our secret!" Lucy then pulls her hair in frustration as she walked past the pinkette
"Would you calm down...?" Natsu says as he recovers from his surprise. Turning around to hold Lucy in place, he quickly grasps her shoulder and turned her to face him.
"Alright, take a deep breath..." Natsu instructed and as Lucy does he then grins at her. When Lucy somehow calmed down, Natsu's hold then loosens so that he may cross his arms.

"Now, tell me from the start what is going on," Natsu stood tall as Lucy agrees

"It started this morning. I went to the nearby coffee shop near this building to read my book when suddenly someone came to approach me..." Lucy was then nudged by Natsu to seat down to the couch with him assisting her. When they were seated, Lucy continued, "She said her name was Erza,"
"Erza?" Natsu questions astoundingly and Lucy fervently nods
"Yeah and I remembered you telling me about her being quite not girlish," Lucy hunches forward as she rests her elbows on her knees
"What did she want?" Natsu asks, finally getting the idea of the problem
"I don't know..." Lucy then looks at the man, "She just came to me and introduced herself. She said she was your friend then she started asking questions,"

Natsu then leans forward too, contemplating about the situation. As they become silent, Lucy began to ask, trying to know if she did screw up, "Are we screwed?"

"It depends," Natsu then sits up straight as he directly looked at Lucy, "What did she ask?"
"Um, she asked about how we met," Lucy then bit her lower lip as she watched the reaction of the man
"And you said..." Natsu trails off for Lucy to answer
"I met you because of Lisanna," Lucy then smiles when Natsu nodded his head and said, "Good, that's what I told mom too...What else?"
"Oh, um...she asked me for how long we've known each other,"
"What did you say?" Natsu then leans a little closer to the blonde
"I said a few months...I couldn't say we just met a week ago," Lucy began to fumble with her fingers
"That's alright..." Natsu then stands and walks around the coffee table with his hands shoved in his pants' pocket, "We have to take note of our facts,"
"Yeah, we do..." Lucy agrees diligently
"Are there more questions she asked?" Natsu then tried to remember the time Erza did questioning to his ex-girlfriend, "Did she ask you random questions or something?"
"She did!" Lucy points while she shouted, suddenly feeling excited but quickly replaced by worry, "She asked about my habit of reading..."
"Did you mention a name?" Natsu probingly questions
"Yeah, I mentioned Levy..."
"Who else did you mention?"
"I mentioned Lisanna and Mirajane...that's it," Lucy then bites her lower lip, "Now, am I screwed?"

Seeing the way Lucy was panicking, Natsu couldn't help but chuckle a little. He has never seen her panic like this, though she panicked the night before the charity ball, "Is this how you acted the night before the charity ball?"
"Natsu! Would you quit it and answer my question?! Can't you see that I'm anxious right now?!" Lucy bellows before she huffs in annoyance and crosses her arms over her chest. Dropping her back to the couch, she looked away from the pinkette as she continuously hears Natsu laugh
"Sorry, sorry," Natsu said in between laughter before he shakes his head, "It's just that...you're panicking too much," Natsu then walks back to the couch and drops himself next to the blonde

"Relax actress, there is nothing to worry about. You didn't screw up anything," Natsu then rests his back to the sofa as Lucy skeptically looked at him
"How can you be sure? Erza practically interrogated me in a very casual way and I never realized it until I became short-handed with my adlibs," Lucy then intensely stares at the pinkette, who was supposed to be intimidated but was only amused with the anger boiling inside Lucy
"This isn't the first time Erza investigated about my girlfriend. Nothing's going to happen wrong as long as everyone who knows about our deal is in sync with our own facts,"
"Wait, Erza has investigated your girlfriends?" Lucy asks surprised, not sure how to take in that information, "What exactly is her job?"
"She's part of the investigative personnel of the Dragon Empire Group," Natsu then smirks when Lucy just gawked at him
"But she said she was the…the…security manager?" Lucy says more like a question than a statement
"She's the department manager for security training of BSA corp, which is under our company,"

Suddenly feeling weak, Lucy slacks down on her seat as she stared off at her living room. She couldn't believe a friend of Natsu would do such thing. She understands that Natsu's mother could be suspicious of her but ask for Natsu's friend to investigate on her son's personal life was too much.

"I'm sorry, why aren't you finding this disturbing?" Lucy confusingly asks the pinkette, who was just silently waiting for her to reaction
"Because I expected this," Natsu then leans closer to the blonde as he gave a confident smile to her, "Mom would do anything to know about the women I introduce to them,"
"Okay, so, this is normal?" Lucy curiously queries the man, who nodded in response, "And I shouldn't worry at all?"
"Nope, just cautious and alert" Natsu then taps the blonde locks of the woman, who was left speechless. As Natsu begins to stand up, he was quickly stopped from walking away when Lucy held on to his wrist.

Looking back at the blonde, Natsu's brows suddenly creases in confusion as he watches her stand up. Lucy had a serious look this time and it only meant that Natsu had to listen well.

"We can't just ignore this. Your mom could always ask Erza to dig deep about us. And I'm sure you wouldn't want your family to discover the fake relationship you have been trying to make them believe" Lucy calmly looks at the pinkette who was not at all worried about this, "Natsu, I barely know you. We've just met for a week and this lie is barely even ready to be revealed. We had a deal. You help me get rid off my horrible rumors and I help get your parents off your back,"

"Well, the deal is still on. So, I don't get the idea of you worrying," Natsu indecisively looks at Lucy, who didn't flinch a bit

"You may not be worried today. But one day, you will regret it, hoping you would have done something about this. So, I'm saving you from that," Lucy suddenly steps away from him to head to her drawers and pulled out a few pieces of paper and pen. Once she had it, she walked up to Natsu and handed the papers and pen.

Raising his brow in confusion, Natsu still dubiously takes the papers from Lucy. He doesn't know what the paper and pen were needed for in their current dilemma, but, he hopes that a clearer idea of what was happening would be explained. As Lucy stares at the pinkette, she knew Natsu would get confused to what was happening, so she immediately clears her throat.

"We'll set a few details that we need to remember for our relationship. Erza cannot find out that we are frauds, so we need to do this," and with that, Lucy gave a confident smile to Natsu, who continued to be speechless, even after Lucy has taken her seat by the couch.

When Lucy noticed that Natsu was still as confused as a little kid, she just sighed and told herself to give more patience to the man. After all, she needs this diversion. She needs Natsu to break her rumors.

"Shall we?"

To be continued…