Hi everyone! Hope you all are staying positive and healthy! I keep getting asked when I'll be posting the next chapter. So again, I will post every other Thursday, twice a month. Please understand I can only write so fast haha. This chapter has some cringe parts, but please bare with it since I wanted some fun awkwardness. Hope you enjoy the chapter! I'll say more at the end
CHAPTER 6
Natsu walked away from the club tasked with the job of finding a ride home. He wasn't complaining though, an easier one of the three choices in his opinion, considering the other two options were dealing with Loke and Cana.
As he pulled out his phone and walked towards the street. Natsu tried to ignore the disappointing feeling lingering in the back of his mind. He had hoped he would run into Lucy again, thinking the search would be easy once he was in the crowd. To his surprise there were a great amount of blondes at the club that night.
Shaking his head, Natsu was quickly dragged out of his thoughts when he heard his name being called out. Before he could find the owner of the voice, his arm was then snatched and pulled the opposite direction.
Confused and angry by the sudden action he went to yell at the anonymous attacker. "What the fu-"
But, Natsu immediately caught his breath as a familiar set of deep brown eyes locked with his.
"Lucy…" He unknowingly mumbled her name aloud. A buzz of emotions beginning to form in his chest.
"What took you so long?" She exhaled, "I've been waiting for you."
Natsu was now back to being confused. Looking more closely at her, he noticed she was out of breath, like she had just ran. Her expression was scrunched up and a forced smile was clearly plastered on her face. Was she upset? No...That wasn't it. His gaze then followed the trail from where she had come from. That's when he realized Lucy was not alone.
A light haired man Natsu did not recognize followed one step behind Lucy. Walking up to her, he paid no mind to Natsu.
"Good girls don't run off like that." He stated, aggressively grabbing hold of her wrist.
Lucy's grip on Natsu's forearm tightened. Her eyes widened as her fake smile turned into a pleading cry for help. Instantly he understood what was happening. A muscle in his jaw clenched as he shot his gaze to the man's hold on Lucy.
Natsu violently grabbed onto the man's wrist, earning a wince from the stranger.
"Thank you for keeping her company." Natsu bit in a deathly calm voice. "You can leave now." He did not know who this man was, or what his intentions were, but it was clear Lucy did not want either of them.
The man scoffed and stared at Natsu, neither attempting to leave nor furthering his advances.
Angered that he was still holding onto Lucy's wrist, Natsu stepped closer. Closing the distance between them and squeezing his grip tighter. The veins in his arm flexed and he allowed a low growl to escape from the back of his throat as one last warning.
"Leave. Now." Natsu snarled.
The stranger swallowed, eyes widening and a bead of sweat forming at his temples. He slowly released his hold on Lucy, taking caution to Natsu's warning.
Once free, Lucy moved behind Natsu. He could feel her hands cling to the back of his shirt as he roughly threw the man's hand out of his own grasp. Natsu was unable to catch whatever words the man muttered under his breath. Figuring it was directed at Natsu and his interference, he played it off as if he heard the insult and smirked.
The stranger glanced at Lucy again, but Natsu stepped into his line of sight in front of her. Causing the bastard to spit out a curse as he slowly backed away. Giving Natsu one last scowl before turning around and finally leaving. Disappearing as quickly as he appeared.
Natsu held his burning glare. Making sure the creep had in fact left, but Lucy's voice drew his attention away. "Th-Thank you…" She stuttered. One hand was still holding his shirt while the other held her phone over her heart. She seemed shaken, no doubt.
"Are you okay? Did he do anything to you?" Natsu worriedly asked. His hands hovered over her shoulders, not entirely sure if touching her would be okay.
"I'm fine. He just…" She trailed off and Natsu waited patiently for her to resume. "He just came out of nowhere and started dragging me away." Tears started to collect in the corner of her eyes, but they never fell.
Natsu did his best to comfort her, giving her the time and space to recollect herself before she seemingly relaxed and released her grip on his shirt.
"Sorry…" She mumbled.
"Don't worry about it." Natsu responded. Wondering why she was even apologizing.
Wanting to focus her mind on something else, he decided to spark a new topic. "Where are your friends at? Are they still in the building?" He asked.
"No…" She sniffled. "They're probably home by now. I told them to go ahead without me." Still standing close to Natsu she looked up at him, a half smile appearing. "I wanted to hang back a little longer."
Natsu smiled, "Ahhh...Not quite ready to face the reality of everyday life?" He joked, figuring that's how most of the people around here felt.
Lucy let her head fall as she nodded in agreement. Her small smile fading and the brown in her eyes deepened. It seemed that Natsu had hit the mark, but something about her response had him concerned.
"Yeah…" Natsu pulled at his neck, awkwardly trying his best to keep the mood up. "I just got off a long job with my previous client. She basically drained the life out of me." He groaned. "Going back to work sounds like a death sentence at this point."
Lucy giggled and Natsu immersed in the warm feeling the sound brought to him. "Client?" She questioned, "Who's this Client of yours that almost sent you to your death bed?"
Tilting his head up and to the side, Natsu hummed. "Hmm, I'm afraid that's classified information." He grinned.
He watched as her brows furrowed, clearly displeased at his obscure response. "Well that doesn't sound shady at all." She huffed, flipping her hair over her shoulder.
Natsu smirked. "Nothing shady about a man and his secrets." He stated, continuing the confusion with his cryptic responses.
"There are so many things wrong with that sentence." Lucy groaned. "Now I'm really curious about your job," Chuckling, she arched her brow before continuing, "But if you're not going to tell me. Then I guess I'll just have to make assumptions."
"Oh?" Nastu provoked, leaning further into the conversation, "And what might those assumptions be?"
Her eyes narrowed, a sly grin growing on her slim face as she crossed her arms. "I guess a man of the night. A boo-ty-call." She teased, her nose wrinkling with the taunt.
Natsu couldn't help but let out a laugh. "Wow your mind really jumps to the extreme! Doesn't it!?"
Lucy blushed, "Hey! With how weird you're being, a girl can only wonder." She defended while Natsu tried to catch his breath beside her.
"Nope, you're definitely the weird one." Natsu grinned. "I'm happy to hear how curious you are about me. And as good as I may be IF that were my job, it is not." He winked.
"Oh really?" She replied. Rolling her eyes at the cocky statement.
"Yes weirdo." Natsu chuckled, his smile growing wider the more they spoke. "As much as I would loooove to prove you wrong. I can't say much about it since there are a lot of legal documents involved with my work. Especially with this last client." Natsu swears he could feel a headache beginning to form just from mentioning the dreadful woman. Focusing back on their conversation, Natsu watched as Lucy debated if that was an acceptable response.
"Hm, I suppose that will do." She giggled. "But if you were trying to make yourself seem less shady, you did a poor job at it."
Natsu smiled and shrugged. "Eh, agree to disagree."
Once again Natsu found himself comforted by the pleasant buzz in his chest. He was happy she seemed to have relaxed, hoping she was able to put what had happened in the back of her mind for now. If Natsu ever saw that creep again, he wouldn't know if he'd be able to stop himself from beating the living shit out of him.
Lucy's phone then dinged and she frantically fumbled with it in her hands. She was still standing close to Natsu, her arm brushing against his as she responded to the text. "Sorry, that was my friend." She mumbled, "She was seeing if I've left yet."
Natsu asked if she had a way home. Which, Lucy let him know she had just booked a ride. "I'll wait with you. Until your driver comes?" He suggested. Happy when she didn't refuse his offer as they began to walk further down the sidewalk. While walking, Natsu continued their small chit chat, asking if she enjoyed the rest of her night.
"Yes! It started off a bit dull, but I had a lot of fun in the end." She smiled. "How about you?"
Natsu saw a bit of blush rise as she continued to stare down at her feet. Pressing his lips into a fine line. He couldn't lie and say he had enjoyed the rest of the night after she had left. Most of it was spent searching for her and his stupid friends giving him all kinds of shit for it.
His face must have mimicked his displeased thoughts as he heard Lucy laugh besides him.
"I'm sorry your night wasn't as fun." She chuckled, nudging him with her elbow as they came to a stop on the sidewalk. "Did you end up missing me that much?" She teased.
Natsu had no reason to deny that he did. The rest of the night was basically a blur to him and the only focus was Lucy.
Locking his gaze with hers, he casually responded. "Yes. Actually."
The bluntness of his response had Lucy shocked, probably because she wasn't expecting her joke to be true. She pulled her eyes from his and cupped her rosy cheeks.
"It was pretty boring after you left." Natsu continued. "I even tried looking for you later on." The last sentence caused Lucy to meet with his locked gaze again. He knew he probably looked lame and desperate, but he didn't care. It was all the truth and he figured she deserved to know.
"You'd be surprised at how many blondes were at the club tonight." Natsu chuckled as he looked down at Lucy's flushed face. Her hands were still covering her cheeks as she stared back up at him with her doe-like eyes. Natsu had to fight back the urge to reach out and pull her hands away. Everything about her was so beautiful to him, the pink of her cheeks blending perfectly with her pale skin, the way her nose crinkled when she laughed, how her eyes sharpened with curiosity the more they spoke. Every little detail of her was perfect.
Lucy ended their silence. "Well, I would be lying if I said I wasn't kind of sad to leave." She mumbled quietly. Her eyes flickering from the sky, to the floor, and then back to her feet. Was she embarrassed to say it to his face?
"Oh really?" Natsu nudged, unable to help himself from pestering.
"Yes, really!" Lucy mimicked. "You and your friends are very...interesting to be around."
Natsu laughed at her choice of words. "Interesting is one way to put it."
Lucy joined his chuckle. "Okay, you were all very fun. How's that?" She asked.
Natsu tilted his head back and forth, accepting the compliment while Lucy continued. "But, I am sort of relieved you didn't end up finding me...My friend might have killed you."
Natsu pressed his lips together and huffed. "Ha! I'd like to see them try! I know how to fight and I can take on anyone." He boasted as he flexed one of his arm muscles. He watched Lucy eye his bicep, her honey gaze trailing from his arm, to his chest, then back up to his face.
"I believe that." She giggled. "But, she may put up more of a fight than you think. Her mother is the chief of police and she has been training for years." Lowering her voice Lucy then whispered. "Her glare alone can send any men running."
Natsu felt an immense shiver run down his spine as the thought of her friend became more clear. Swallowing thickly he assured himself he could still win. 'Probably.'
Lucy looked down at her phone, stating that her driver should be here any second. The two searched for the red vehicle and found it only a couple cars back. Lucy began to walk and when Natsu realized that he was going to have to finally say goodbye, his stomach turned.
Not wanting to miss his chance again he called out to Lucy, gaining her attention she turned around. She was like a goddess, it was unearthly how the moon light bounced off her golden hair and pale face. She shined bright, like a star in the night.
"I-I was...Uh..." Natsu struggled with his words as he ran his hand through his hair. Trying to catch his breath, he inhaled deeply. "I would love to see you again." He finally forced out. His heart was pounding, the muscle thumping loud in his chest. He swears Lucy could hear it as he watched her eyes widen.
"Do you think- I mean...Would it be alright, if I asked for your number?" He stumbled.
Natsu could feel the tips of his ears heat up. Why was this so difficult for him? Was he embarrassed? About what? This was nothing new. Trying to ignore the thousands of thoughts running through his mind, he met Lucy's gaze. She was blushing as she stared back at him. Her expression was soft, but her smile seemed sad. A familiar darkness glossing over her large brown eyes.
Natsu immediately took back his words. "I'm sorry! I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable! I just thought we-"
"-You didn't make me uncomfortable." Lucy reassured, a half smile tugging at her lips. "Sorry...You're a great guy...but..."
Natsu could already feel the pit in his stomach began to form. She was going to reject him, and she had no reason not to. Sure he had found something special in her, seeming as if all of this were fate, but to her, he was just some guy. Another guy of many to probably ask for her number.
"...As much as I would like to see you again. It wouldn't work out." She spoke.
Natsu's brows furrowed as he studied the seriousness in her tone. He wanted to defend himself, to guarantee that he would do anything to make it work... But it was not his place, and so he remained quiet, the feeling of defeat engulfing him.
"I'm really sorry…" Lucy repeated. Her voice was soft and shaky as she bit down on her lip and her eyes began to water.
Panic ran through him as he saw the tears begin to form. "No it's fine!" Natsu rushed to close the distance between the two of them. He could smell the strawberry shampoo in her hair and the vanilla perfume soaked in her skin.
"You really are a weirdo." He chuckled, lightly grabbing her chin, he brought her face to meet his. "Don't apologize for something as silly as this."
Lucy didn't move from his grip as she wiped away the few tears that had escaped with her palms. "I- If it were any other circumstance…"
"It's fine." Natsu stopped her. It hurt him to see how upset she was. "You don't have to explain if you don't want to. I may not understand why, but I do understand you must have your reasons." His lips curled into a grin. "Nothing shady about a woman and her secrets."
The comment earned a small giggle from Lucy. "Th-Thank you..." She sniffled as her eyes fluttered up to meet him. "I'm sorry..."
Moving his hand from her chin and bringing both to cup her face. Natsu squeezed her cheeks and gently shook her head. "And stop apologizing!" He declared. Flashing her his biggest smile, she laughed in response.
The two stood as they were, soaking in the comforting sensation. Natsu was still holding her cheeks, brushing his thumb over the soft skin as she held onto his wrists. His eyes flickered to the red car pulling up behind her. "I think your ride is here." Natsu mumbled, telling himself the fact more than her.
The driver rolled down their window and asked for Lucy. Lucy responded saying she will be there in a moment and turned back to Natsu, placing her face back in between his hands. "Thank you again. For everything tonight." She spoke.
"Thank you for making it fun." Natsu responded, feeling her giggle into his palms.
Determined to make this departure anything but sad, Natsu took his chance and brought her face closer to his. Squeezing her cheeks he tilted her head down and placed his lips lightly on her forehead. Leaving a warm kiss. "I hope our paths cross again." He whispered.
Pulling away, Lucy instantly blushed. Her face turning beat red as her grip on his wrists tightened. Before she could even mutter out another word. Natsu released his hold and pointed to the car waiting behind her. "Get home safe." He smiled.
Understanding that this was goodbye, Lucy nodded and told Natsu to do the same. Sitting inside the car, Natsu watched as she adjusted the seat belt and placed her belongings on her lap. She said a few words to the driver and then turned to gaze back out the car window. Smiling, she held up her hand and waved to Natsu. Natsu waved back, smiling until the car was no longer in sight.
Welcome back!
How'd you like it? Hopefully it wasn't too bad, lol.
At this point it was starting to formulate the plot a bit more and needed to merge the two stories together. I think it came out okay? Right? Haha.
I got my first "bad" review the other day, it was really nothing, so I'll take that as my first negative comment haha.
Lately I've been feeling a bit down, but when I went through the comments for this fic that def lifted my spirts and gave me motivation. So as always, thank you for being so awesome and supportive!