Was it just Lucy or were Mira and Erza's PowerPoint skills improving? Okay, so maybe that was not exactly what she should have been focusing on. But Lucy was coming to terms with the fact that what she should and would be focusing on no longer tended to correlate. If Lucy was supposed to be focused on maths she thought about vouge covers. If she was supposed to be focusing on vouge covers she was focusing on baseball, if she was supposed to be focusing on baseball she was focusing on Nats- you get the picture.

Although Lucy may have accepted this teeny tiny character flaw Erza and Mira certainly did not. 'Okay, Lucy, we are changing topics here, I was saving this one till last, but it seems you don't even have the basics down.' Mira's glasses where now in her hand, the girl usually wearing contacts but occasionally considering then a nice accessory. Lucy thought they would look cute with some formal trousers she'd seen in the mall a few days back.

Deciding not to take offence to the mild jab at her, well Lucy didn't know what was being jabbed at but she sure didn't like it. 'We are going to be learning about the beauty of a girl with brains' this is what she didn't have the basics down of?

'Are you insinuating that I don't have a brain, because I'm afraid we are going to have to fact check here'

'Don't worry we have' Erza said, not looking up from where she was finding the "brains n' beauty" file.

Damnnn Erza could dish it. A laugh was stifled around the side of the room Cana was sprawled across, no notes just vibes. Lucy ignored the urge to throw her own back, she was more…passive these days anyway.

If anyone had noticed they chose not to mention, instead of focusing on the now, which was a bubble gum pink PowerPoint. 'so, an important lesson for any woman of the working world is' she grinned at us, Mira treated these classes like her own show, 'a girls gotta think for herself. I mean,' she drawled, 'not to be that girl or anything but men like to think they are the brains behind any and every operation' she laughed at herself there, amused at memories of such occasions, 'so we have to be better. Because when and if we are better, we are seen as equals' the was a mild uproar, either because it was true or because it was unjust. 'I had a teacher once tell me ''to be as good as a man you have to be better than a man'' and that, unfortunately, rings true'

'so' she began again, after another pause of dramatic effect, 'let's get those grades up!' and then and there Lucy realised why Natsu had feared Mira as much as Erza. The aurora around her was menacing. Evil.

Erza was dyslexic. It was news to Lucy because Erza's grades were much, much higher than her own. Apart from English, Erza struggled there. It wasn't a secret, and it seemed Erza didn't consider it a setback. 'My brains just wired differently, I have to learn to work with it' although she did admit the current education system did make it a tad harder to deal with then it should have been.

Lucy got the message, "if I can you can" work ethic was a large part of brains and Lucy. Lucy didn't have much work ethic.

They taught her how to study, showed her different methods, timetables. Levy even gifted her a planner. It was a pale shade of pink, a colour Lucy had secretly been fond of, for no reason in particular. No one at all. Natsu's hair was salmon after all.

And then came her homework, something Lucy had not expected, nor wanted. 'Join a club'

Had Lucy's attention been anywhere else a moment before it certainly was not anymore, 'what?' she cried, sitting up straighter.

'You heard her,' Erza resorted, calmly, as if she regularly dealt with temper tantrums, well, the group was quite a riot, 'it would benefit you in more ways than one, Lucy, some extra circular stuff always looks good on paper' she was right about that. Even the boys had one or two things that they could put down, Lucy had been the exception, in fact, she hadn't really noticed the clubs the boys did. Natsu didn't do anything so she always had someone around.

The PowerPoint was over then, Mira and Erza packing up, saying they had to be someplace or another but Lucy must defiantly have joined a club by their next meetup or by the gods she would suffer. She didn't question where they were going, pr-occupied by the idea of joining a club.

Juvia consoled her, 'if Lucy likes she can join the art club Juvia's in' Juvia was an art major. It being the dominate thing in her curricular. Choosing subjects she could link with art.

'No thanks juv's, arts not my speciality' slumping her head on the desk Lucy considered what she was good at. Maybe a new sport? There was a netball team, she didn't know the rules but surely she could learn as she went.

The following week Lucy found herself actively trying to be more present in her classes. She took notes, wrote down due dates, asked questions. Even emailed her teachers questions she forgot to ask in class. Lucy had made herself hard to get hold of, the library been her new sanctuary. They would be having exams soon and Lucy wanted to do well, okay so maybe she wanted to blow them out of the water. She was naturally competitive, as one becomes when befriending Natsu, although, it hadn't ever occurred to her maybe it could become a fault.

The library was not a hot spot for the assholes that roamed the corridors Lucy found herself comfortable in there. Even befriending the librarian.

Natsu had come in to sit with her, but often found himself listening to music, or just watching Lucy working, Lucy had explained to him why she felt the need to work so hard, and Natsu wasn't so sure such extremities were needed. But he also knew as a man he couldn't say that with certainty, not having experienced predjust on his sex, well, apart from getting made fun of for his hair being "girly". But he knew even Levy was not living in the library.

She'd been cutting out time after school too. Homework this, studying that. In the many many years of knowing Lucy he had never seen her study, or at least not like this. They had always specialised at the last minute cramming in her bedroom. They hadn't been to the arcade all week and she'd missed all their baseball meetups.

They missed her. He missed her.

Looking over at Lucy, she was wearing a tinted lip gloss, making her lips redder than they had been at the arcade. They were so shiny, he wondered how they would feel on his. And the immediately felt like an ass. He could not objectify his best friend.

But the thought lingered. Along with her being in his arms, laughing as they watched an absolutely terrible horror movie. Stealing kisses in between games at the arcade, his lips pressed against her neck- no he could not think of Lucy like this. She would be furious if she knew he was thinking of her like that. Not to mention SHE WAS HIS BEST FRIEND. There was nobody as much of an ass as he was. Who thought about kissing their best friend? Didn't that break the friend code?

He never thought about making out with Grey or Loke? Well, it was obvious, they weren't Lucy. But he didn't want to think about that. About in all his life, Natsu had never felt what he felt for Lucy. She was so so Lucy.

The bell rung and Natsu almost thanked it. He wouldn't have to sit the in silence and think about Lucy's shiny blond hair or glossy lips or perfect face. Dammit, Natsu get to class!

He didn't wait for Lucy, telling her he had to dash. Something he did feel kind of bad for when he saw the disappointment flash through e eyes. But he also felt like she was a tad relieved, which he certainly was taking offence too. Until he realised, he was ditching her, because she was her.

Lucy went to leave, after having packed away the mess of pens and paper she had littered all over the desk. When the librarian called her over.

There was a gentle smile on her face, Mavis was her name, she was the great-granddaughter of the founder of the school, apparently. 'Lucy, hi. I just wanted to let you know that there a new club being formed. I'm looking for members.'

The grim reminder of her homework set by Mira sent a shock through her nervous system, nodding as a cue for Mavis to continue, 'it's a writing club. Creative or not, honestly, it's less of a club than most. It's more of a group chat for you kids. I just send you all writing competitions, a better rep for the school if we win from time to time. You seemed to be a lover of words. I thought you'd like it we have a few members' she looked at the clock on the wall behind Lucy, 'goodness, you must get to class, if you're late tell the I kept you. Here is a form' an applying form was shoved into Lucy's hand as she was shooed out of the library and off to her own class. Which happened to be English. She'd ask Levy what her opinions were. This could be her saviour from Mira's wrath since netball hadn't exactly worked out.

a short chapter before things start to kick off. in the next few chapters, the story starts to finally go somewhere ya know. how do you guys feel about workaholic lucy, the highs and lows of her transformation. what about Natsu and the boys, I'm worried I'm getting Natsu to focus too much on lucys outer appearance? do you like his panic or would you rather he outright miss old lucy?