Can I feed you?

The call lasted only three six minutes, but it left butterflies for hours.

Unfortunately, her editor rang to re-confirm a minor detail with her latest artistic submission. Even though Lucy had sorely wanted to tell Erza she wasn't free to answer, the thought of irking the redhead left shudders down her spine. She told Natsu that she would be able to resume the call quickly, but he admitted that he needed to go back to work as well.

Something about… someone chewing on the new conference room T.V. sets?

Lucy's mind replayed the last twenty seconds of the call for what must have been the hundredth time.

"Can I feed you?" she had blurted out, trying to stall for time. The second the words left her lips, her face reddened.

"What?"

"O-oh, I mean," she chuckled nervously, "you were my guest the other night, but you ended up preparing dinner. I'd… I'd like to repay the favour."

It had been so long since she had dated that even this innocent question made her toes curl. Despite having dated in the past, she did not have much experience initiating dates. Her present outfit, which consisted of comfortable pyjamas too baggy for her slender form, belied her popularity.

Gosh, why is it this nerve-wracking asking someone out, she thought, sucking on her lower lip.

His reply banished her nervousness. "Sure. I'll pick you up. Are you available tomorrow for lunch at 1?"

"Is 3.30 all right?" Lucy replied, inwardly bemoaning the lesson she had to teach. "I end class then. I guess we can have tea."

"Class?"

"I teach art. Shine Academy."

"How to draw porn?"

Lucy's face burned and she sputtered out her protests.

Choking back laughter, the pinkette apologized for teasing her but there was not a lick of sincerity in his tone. Then came a pause, and the heavy silence was almost unbearable.

"I'll pick you up. See you tomorrow."

Lucy nearly gasped her goodbye. Her heart was beating with such vehemence that it felt as though, just within those five seconds, her blood had already circulated her body twice. Only after she had hung up did she realise they had not fixed a meeting place.

The blonde hurriedly texted him a picture of the fountain near the entrance with the caption 'Let's meet here.'

However, there was no reply.

For the rest of the day, Lucy's phone remained irritatingly silent, with only a few texts coming in from Levy, who wanted to talk about her next book idea. Erza then dropped a few rah-rah messages in the chat to congratulate the pair on their latest work, and to inform them that the book would be sent for printing within a few days.

As was her usual after a deadline, Lucy took a warm bubble bath to soothe her nerves then went to bed early. Before she switched it off, she cast one more look at her phone.

No messages.

Natsu turned up at Shine Academy just before 3.

Overwhelming curiosity had driven him to arrive early. Besides, it was one of those rare weekends when he managed to finish his work on time. No way in hell was he going to stay at work when there were much more interesting places to be, and much more interesting people to see.

Security had given him a warning ahead of time that there seemed to be a few strange women gathering at the entrance. On his way out, Natsu grabbed a random cap from Gray's table to hide his attention-grabbing pink hair. While the thought of wearing the porn star's clothing made his stomach turn, Gray sported a spiky hairdo similar to his own. Typical hats would simply be incapable of hiding his unruly mop.

Tightening the cap's metal clasp, Natsu tucked the tail ends of his equally recognizable scarf into his windbreaker, making sure to flip up the collar to hide whatever was still exposed. He double-checked his appearance in the lift mirror and grinned. Once he put on sunglasses, there was no way he was going to be identified.

Even on the weekends, it was normal for there to be a sizeable crowd at Strauss Technology. The first three levels of the building functioned as a showroom, retail store as well as technical support centre. The benefits of having their customers so close to them far outweighed the disadvantages. Every now and then, whenever they were stuck, his team would pop down to the first floor to mingle with the crowd. Keeping their ears so close to the ground had paid off handsomely more than once.

Natsu winced when he saw the crowd there that day. Even at first glance, he was able to tell that the crowd demographic was extremely skewed. Spinning on his heel, he brisk-walked out the side entrance.

A good half hour, and one near vomit-scare later, he arrived at the academy. Thankfully, it was not that crowded. Despite the cool autumnal winds, a few people were milling on the lawn, stretched out on picnic mats as they doodled on sketchbooks. A group of kids were skateboarding nearby, popping wheelies amidst raucous laughter.

Nostalgia pricked him. He had been forced to give up many trivial pursuits when he started juggling work and studies. Some things he sorely missed, such as biking along a perilous meandering trail along a cliff face or disappearing for a few days to go climbing with the guys. At least there was a climbing gym near the office. It was his haven whenever things got too stressful.

The boys must have felt his stare. One of them turned to look at him curiously, and that brought the man back to reality. He waved cheerfully at them before striding towards the scrawniest kid who was struggling to keep up.

"If you lift your front knee a bit more," Natsu began, "and put more pressure on the back, you'll pull off that kickflip more easily."

"L-like this?" the boy mumbled, staring at his feet.

"A bit more."

The instant the kid's weight shifted, the front of the board awkwardly popped up.

"Yeah."

As Natsu adjusted the rest of the kid's movements, the others gathered around him, curious as to what was happening. One even snarkily commented how Natsu, who was clearly a 'clumsy' adult, didn't know what he was saying. However, the second the kid pulled off his flip, the troll's jaw fell open.

Natsu just grinned. Meanwhile, the kid's black eyes sparkled and he flashed a bright smile at the pinkette. "Thanks, mister!"

Natsu ruffled the boy's shaggy black hair before heading into the building. Where he was headed, however, he had no clue. It was only 3.10, which meant that Lucy would still be in class.

Wandering along the corridor brought him near the main office. Next to the glass entrance, there was a large bulletin board.

"Hmm…"

Removing his sunglasses, Natsu scanned the announcements. The instant his eyes found what they were looking for, a playful smile crossed his lips. "Found you."

The Sargent Room.