Notes: Hi Hi! Sorry it's been a bit, but here is a random appearance. Big thank you to my friend cheeryion for helping me post and check this chapter.

CHAPTER 10

Lucy was about to hit her limit. After the lovely scenario, her father so graciously forced upon her. She stormed up to her room and kept herself locked inside all day. She wondered how long her stubbornness would last as she sat on her large bed, staring at the door to her room. She thought back to the conversation she had with Erza and Levy.

She had felt so consumed by an overwhelming feeling of hopelessness that she cried the day away, soaking her pillowcase with tears. She hadn't realized how much time had passed, but it took a while for her to stop crying. It wasn't until her phone began to explode with messages and calls from Erza and Levy, that she snapped out of the clouded state.

They were both concerned for Lucy after having seen a news segment on her that morning about her father trying to arrange another marriage for her. Lucy had updated them on the situation with her father and about what had happened the night before after they left. They were both upset that Lucy didn't tell them what happened with the creep and they had given her an earful for not calling them. Even though they scolded her she knew they weren't actually mad, they were both just worried for her safety. Lucy couldn't blame them because she would have had the same reaction if the roles were reversed. She had apologized profusely and promised to call them if she's ever in a situation like that again.

Levy seemed to side with Lucy's father more, which didn't surprise Lucy all that much with how motherly Levy could be at times, but both girls agreed that a simple outing shouldn't cause such an overreaction. Her father was strict, but never to this level. Lucy couldn't wrap her head around why he seemed so determined to take control of her life and make it so miserable.

She had ended the call with her friends after they had decided to put their plans on hold until Lucy could figure out what to do. Or more importantly, what she could get away with.

Relieved after she cried it out and vented to the girls, Lucy noticed night had fallen. It was half past midnight and her stomach rumbled with hunger. She had not eaten since breakfast and her insides screamed at her to fill the hollow void in her stomach.

So now she sat, hunger and stubbornness battling one another as she stared at the door. Was she to cave and finally leave her room? Risking possibly running into Natsu and dealing with this horribly awkward situation? Or was she to starve? The choice seemed easy if you thought about it rationally, but Lucy still considered the choice of starvation.

Sighing to herself, she figured she would be able to sneak around the large estate without risking contact with Natsu. "Surely he's gone by now." She spoke aloud while sliding her slippers on. "I'll just grab some snacks from the kitchen and leave."

With her goal set, Lucy allowed her hunger to take control and lead her body to the opposite end of the room. Already dreaming about the tasty junk food she was about to stuff into her mouth. She hastily swung her bedroom door open, but instead of stepping into an empty hallway, she was greeted by a familiar figure leaning against the wall. A figure she had hoped to avoid for longer than a minute into her journey.

Head down, and arms crossed. The noise of her exiting the room alerted Natsu from his relaxed stance and his dark gaze snapped to hers. "Good evening." He greeted, voice deep and smooth.

Without thinking, Lucy immediately slammed her door shut.

"Shit. Shit. Shit." She hissed, knowing she probably made the situation a thousand times worse by shutting the door on him. She paced back and forth and contemplated her next move. She hadn't expected to immediately run into him, let alone see him standing right outside her door.

The sound of her stomach rumbling reminded her of her increasing hunger. She cursed the situation as she made her way to the door. "Get yourself together Lucy." She whispered, "You're in your own home, he's like any other guest" Rolling her shoulders back she took a deep breath as she reluctantly opened the door again.

She peeked her head into the hallway and found Natsu back in his relaxed stance against the wall. His head lowered, he peered up, lifting his eyebrow as he watched her advance further into the corridor.

"Welcome back." He smirked. Drawing away from the wall he reached up and stretched his arms as a small yawn escaped his lips.

Lucy gave him a tight smile, one that matched how the muscles in her stomach felt after she heard his voice again. She wanted to ignore the current situation the two of them had been placed in so she decided to act as if he wasn't there. Lucy made her way past him and continued towards the kitchen.

Natsu waited until she passed by before falling into step behind her. "Now where might you be heading off to?" He asked.

Lucy waited a moment before she replied. "The kitchen." If she concentrated enough on her hunger, she thought maybe the awkwardness she felt in the air would fade away.

"Are the cooks even awake at this time?"

"Why would I need cooks to get snacks?"

She didn't need a full course meal all the time and just wanted to grab some tasty snacks from the pantry prepared specifically for her midnight cravings. She continued down the hall while Natsu silently followed behind her.

Once they reached the kitchen, Natsu swiftly moved past her and held the door open as she stepped through the frame. He smirked when she peaked a glance up at him, but she quickly drew her eyes away. If he expected a thank you from her, he wasn't going to receive any forms of gratitude tonight.

"We have much to talk about...Don't you think?" He called from the door as she made her way to the pantry.

Lucy sighed. "We have nothing to talk about." She hollered back from inside the small storage room. She had hoped he caught the hint of her displeasure about addressing their situation and would remain where he stood.

She started to grab snacks and place them in her arms. She looked upwards and spotted her favorite chips perched on the top shelf. She wondered who put them so high as she stood on her tiptoes and reached for the bag as Natsu entered the small room. Her fingers had barely brushed the plastic before Natsu's large hand came from behind her and seized it. The warmth of his chest hugged her back as he brought the bag down from the shelf.

"You have nothing to say?" Natsu asked.

Annoyed and slightly embarrassed, Lucy flipped to face him. "I have nothing to say to you, Mr. Dragneel!" She snapped, ignoring how cold her back had become the moment she turned around. She snatched the chips from his hand and quickly exited the room before he could respond.

"Mr. Dragneel?" Natsu teasingly repeated. Lucy didn't have to look back to know he was smiling, she could hear it in the tone of his voice as he followed her back into the large kitchen. "What a formal way to address me." He sarcastically added.

With a deep sigh, Lucy placed her snacks on the counter and realized that he was not going to leave the situation alone. "What are you doing here? Why are you following me?" She asked as she turned back around to face the persistent man.

"Well to answer your first question I live here," Natsu smirked as he made his way to where she stood. Lucy looked at him confused and he clarified, "I'm officially your new next-door roommate!"

Lucy stared at him in shock and made the connection as to why he was loitering outside her room earlier.

"As for the second question… I am simply doing my job, Miss Heartfilia. "

"Your job!?" Lucy scoffed, choosing to ignore the way he sarcastically addressed her. "As in babysitting? Making sure I'm behaving?"

"Not exactly…" He replied. His eyes danced over her collection of snacks that sat beside her on the counter. "My job is to protect you. Not to babysit you."

Lucy rolled her eyes and wondered what he could possibly be protecting her from in her own home, "Oh I'm sorry! I'm afraid I don't see that much of a difference in this situation."

She knew she was being harsh, but she didn't care. Lucy hated not having control of her own life and having Natsu around didn't give her the freedom her father presented. If anything, Natsu was more of a leash. She was able to escape her cage, but only under a watchful eye. Not going too far out of sight and always being dragged back into her confinement.

It was far from freedom.

Not wanting to deal with the conversation any longer, she grabbed her snacks off the counter. "I would say that I appreciated your company…" Lucy spoke as she shot a glare at him. "But I'm not one for lying."

Natsu chuckled as he dragged his hand through his hair. "A bit feisty tonight aren't we?"

Her eyes followed his hand as it combed through his soft locks. Her heart skipped a beat leaving her breathless. He didn't seem in the least bit phased by their situation. He stayed calm and talked to her as if it were normal, as if everything that had happened between the two of them was normal. Her mind raced as every bone in her body wanted to pick up where they left off the night at the club.

She snapped back to reality when Natsu asked a ridiculous question. "Shall we head back up to your room Miss Heartfilia?"

Shocked by the bold inquiry, Lucy stared wide-eyed at his playful gaze before quickly recovering. "WE!?" She sneered. "WE will not be doing anything. I am more than capable of getting to my room on my own."

He smirked at her reaction, enjoying how flustered she had become. "As you wish Miss Heartfilia. Just don't go sneaking off tonight. Alright?"

Lucy knew he was teasing her, but she couldn't help but feel irritated by the reminder that his job was to keep an eye on her. "You don't get to tell me what I can and can't do!" She bit. "And stop calling me that!"

She stormed out of the kitchen towards her room, her rage and annoyance fueled her every step. Lucy was so caught up in her frustration that she failed to notice Natsu following behind her as she reached the staircase. She tried to pick up her pace, but he skipped every other step and caught up to her quickly.

"What? Calling you Miss. Heartfilia?"

"Yes!" She snapped.

"Do you not like it?"

"No." Feeling out of breath from trying to outpace the long-legged man, she finally gave up as they reached the hallway to her bedroom.

"Then how should I address you?" He continued.

"I don't care. Just not that!"

Natus smirked at her before replying in a low playful tone. "So very demanding."

She once again glared up at him as they continued to walk side by side down the hall. "I am not demanding." She argued.

Natsu cocked his head to the side. "Hm, I'm not too sure about that princess." He chuckled.

Lucy's cheeks immediately burned at the pet name. 'Princess?'

She wanted to give him an earful, but they had reached her door and she was tired and hungry. She had a feeling she wouldn't be able to get through his thick skull, so she allowed the comment to slide.

Moving her snacks into one arm, she hastily reached for the door knob. With how the night was going she wasn't surprised when Natsu once again interfered, stopping her from escaping his company.

He grabbed her wrist and held it up as he quickly moved in front of the bedroom door, not leaving much space in between them. "One last thing…" He whispered, his eyes locked on her lips as his thumb traced circles across her wrist.

Her face flushed as she inhaled at the touch. Immediately regretting the choice when his cologne flooded her senses, "What?" She managed to mutter.

Natsu laughed at the stern response. His gaze slowly moved from her lips to rest on her eyes, "You know…" He spoke softly. "I had no idea about this."

Lucy scowled as she felt his warm breath caress her cheek. She couldn't tell if the heat that was consuming her body was from herself or from how close he was to her. "About what?" She responded.

"About this job." He released her wrist and brought his hand up to lightly poke the scrunched muscles in between her brows. "About you."

The action slightly shocked Lucy as her face loosened. She thought it was a cute way to get her to relax, but she quickly dismissed the light-hearted thought. Once his words settled in she swatted his hand away. "Sure you didn't."

Natsu frowned and drew his hand back. He looked disappointed and hurt by her disbelief, and Lucy couldn't help but feel a bit ashamed. Maybe she was being too hard on him and should try to hear him out.

Natsu's gaze held strong as they stood in the stiff silence she felt she had created. She couldn't tell what he was thinking and was about to cave and apologize when he said her name.

"Lucy…" He spoke deeply. "I'm being serious..."

She held her breath as he drew closer.

"I had no idea that you were his daughter. That I would be watching over you. If I had...I would hav-I would of…" Natsu trailed off as his confidence in his own statement faded.

"-You would have what?" Lucy cut in, as she felt her anger rise once again. "Not taken the job? Told my father no?" She had a feeling she already knew the answer, but she wanted to hear it from him.

Brows pinched, Natsu hesitated. "No...That's not- I wouldn't-" He struggled as he searched for the correct answer, but both he and Lucy knew there was none.

He bit his lip and released a heavy sigh. "No...I still would have." He shamefully admitted.

Lucy scoffed as she broke his gaze. "Yeah, that's what I thought." Disappointed overhearing the very familiar answer. "Nobody can resist the demands of my fucking father. I mean, with all the money and power he has, who would, right? People are willing to give up so much. Their dignity, their morals, you name it! All for a quick buck. Tell me, Mr. Dragneel, how much money did my wonderful father offer you? Hmm?"

Natsu pulled back, distancing their faces. "Hey, you don't know what people are going through! To you, it might be a quick buck, but not everyone has that financial security." He immediately argued.

Lucy huffed as she stopped the urge to roll her eyes, "Oh and that makes everything okay?" This argument was all too familiar. One that she had repeated to herself multiple times to justify other people's actions and her father's. She could never understand why she was still so unhappy if money meant happiness.

"Since I'm apparently living so comfortably, then that must mean I have the world at my fingertips and there's no way I could be unhappy, right?" Natsu stared at her in silence. She continued, "Of course, that's what it means! Because money is everything and Lucky Lucy has it all!" She added, laughing at the very familiar invalidation.

Lucy huffed allowing her words to hang in the air as she tried to calm herself down. She readjusted the snacks in her arms to avoid them falling out of her hold as she waited to see if Natsu would respond. After a few moments passed without a word, she decided this was the end of their conversation and pushed past him to the bedroom door.

She wanted this horrible day to be over with.

Lucy walked into her room, dropped her pile of snacks onto her bed, and turned back towards the door to see if Natsu had left. To her surprise, he had not moved from the door frame. His fist clenched as he glared down at the ground. After a moment passed, he grunted in frustration and roughly tousled his hair with both hands before speaking again.

"Look, I'm sorry." He breathed, "What I wanted to say is...I wouldn't have accepted the job if I truly believed your father was doing this to torment you."

Natsu stood in the door frame waiting for some sort of acknowledgement but Lucy hesitated to respond, fearing her words would make matters worse. She crossed her arms and lifted her brow to indicate her doubts.

"Really Lucy!" Natsu immediately blurted out. "You may not think it, but this is all for your protection! For you! If you would just-"

Natus's voice faded out of Lucy's mind as he repeated her father's words. Her heart fell into the pit of her stomach. He was just like everyone else. Whatever hope she had for Natsu's understanding was gone. She wasn't sure why she thought this random guy she met at the club would be any different, but she already had enough people in her life telling her what was best for her. She didn't need another.

Making her way toward him, Lucy's body was on autopilot as she tuned him out. She had hit her limit and didn't want to deal with this any longer. Unaware if Natsu was still talking, she grabbed a hold of her door and without meeting his gaze, distastefully whispered, "You sound just like him."

She slammed the door shut officially ending the conversation, leaving Natsu alone with his thoughts.

NOTES: Again sorry for the wait. I lost motivation writing this and I'm very scared to disappoint you all LOL. I was also enjoying my other hobbies and dealing with life. Hope you liked the chapter! Depending how this chap goes, I'm sure having my friend here to help will get me to post again. Please stay healthy happy and safe! 3