I began writing this right after 'Can I feed you?' went up, so I'm just going to post it early. My Wednesday is hectic, so I might not write anymore.

This chapter is all about the simmering romance. Hope you enjoy it!

Sam.

The Sargent Room

Lucy strode around the classroom, an almost impatient step to her gait. There were only a few more minutes but it didn't look like she would be able to end class on the dot.

The watercolour painting class was planned such that she would begin with a demonstration of a technique. Afterwards, she would set out an object, and the ten students would be given two hours to paint it using whatever colour palette they wanted.

That afternoon, the object was a small potted plant. Some had chosen to frame it against a backdrop of trees and grassy plains, while others were meticulously working on setting their more ornately designed pots on windowsills. Those who had completed theirs ahead of time were letting their final creations rest before putting them aside.

However, the final group made up the minority.

Experience already told her that the session was going to over-run, and probably by quite a bit.

On one hand, Lucy wanted nothing more than to end the session on time. However, the teacher in her baulked at the idea of forcing them to rush their work. She had led this class for a while now and knew that all of them were diligent students. Who was she to toss them out on a whim?

But…

She glanced at the clock again, discreetly… but apparently, not discreetly enough.

A redhead seated in the corner, Mara Whittaker, chuckled and stilled her brush over a petal.

"What's on your mind, Lucy? You remind me of a puppy anxiously awaiting the return of its owner."

Darn it. Lucy laughed sheepishly and wrung her hands. "N-nothing. It's nothing important. Continue."

"The way you keep glancing at the clock tells me there's somewhere you are desperate to be, or maybe… someone you're-"

"I'm done," a cheerful voice piped up in the corner.

"Oh! Well done, Tania!" Lucy exclaimed dramatically, scurrying off to the other end of the room only to earn more chuckles from the older woman.

Lucy busied herself with checking the 20-year-old's work. The colours were good and the brushstrokes were evenly blended. The pride evident on the girl's face was quickly mirrored on her own face.

"This is awesome work, sweetie. Have you been practising at home?"

"Mmhmm!"

The brunette flushed in delight as she brushed away some non-existent dust from her finger. "Tiara and I have been watching YouTube videos and- Oh my God, it's Dragneel! Tiara!"

Lucy froze, her body half-bent over the canvas.

Tania promptly dropped her paintbrush into the water cup and leapt at her twin. In comparison, Tiara's reaction was bland and she merely rolled her eyes at her sister's silly fangirling.

"Yes, yes," the older twin huffed and shimmied her shoulders out of Tania's grip. "Off. You're ruining my colours."

"Stop painting! That's him! The guy who's been blowing up the internet."

The peaceful silence melted away as curious murmurs began rippling throughout the room. The noisy taps of brushes being dropped into cups punctuated the words, and even without looking up, Lucy instinctively knew that no one had their eye on the canvas anymore. As if it were riding a high-speed rail, his name zoomed about the classroom, and with each passing second, it seemed to be talked about with ever-increasing enthusiasm.

Lucy pressed a hand to her chest as she drew in a steadying breath. Then, she brought herself upright, turning slowly so that her eyes could follow the direction of Tania's arm.

There, leaning casually against the doorframe with one leg crossing the other, was the villain who had been haunting her thoughts all day. The pitter-pattering of her heart was instantaneous, and she self-consciously adjusted her blouse.

"Hi," he greeted, his onyx gaze riveted to her. Instantly, ten heads whipped in her direction. Damn it, she cursed, when her rebellious stomach did flips.

Natsu wore his checkered scarf loosely, his sunglasses tucked in the 'V' of his black Henley. The black cap he wore masked most of his signature pink hair, but thick, unruly locks had already begun forcing their way out along the rim.

"Why- why are you here?" Lucy bit out, wincing when her voice shook.

"I got curious about what kind of por- art you teach."

Lucy shot him a fulminating glare but to her consternation, the male just grinned, entirely unfazed. "I'm sorry, you can continue. I'll just…"

Eleven pairs of eyes zeroed in on his every movement as he nonchalantly made his way to an empty seat in the corner. Even though the wooden seat was marked with paint streaks, he made himself comfortable on it.

"Wait here till you're done."

"I'm not…" Lucy bit her bottom lip. "Isn't it more comfortable to wait in the public lounge? The class is going to go over time."

"Nah, this is more interesting. Well, Ms Heartfilia?" The accursed man then raised one hand and one brow. "Your students are waiting."

Lucy couldn't think of a good retort that wouldn't pique her already fascinated students' curiosity further. Squaring her shoulders, she huffed, the exhalation a weak attempt at defiance. "Fine. Even if you get bored, don't bother us."

"I won't get bored," was his cryptic reply.

At this point, Natsu felt like he had teased her enough, so he withdrew his phone and pretended to busy himself with it. Under the bill of his cap, however, he snuck glances at her. She had begun marching around the room with a newfound sense of determination to ignore him and his grin was stretched wider.

Natsu already sensed that it would be so, but poking at the blonde was far more entertaining than he had ever expected. Every single one of her reactions, both the cheery and the cutting, excited him. Her expressive eyes would sometimes widen comically like when she had seen him standing there. Other times, her brows would shoot down, narrowing the amber orbs into slits.

But his favourite reaction by far was whatever she did with her mouth. One moment she would be laughing along with him, the next her acerbic tone evidenced her desire to throw him out, again.

It was only their second meeting, but he could already identify her quirks.

She was eloquent and lively, and he had enjoyed listening in while she demonstrated something to one of her students. When she got nervous, a tiny stutter would bubble to the surface. Watching her brief exchange with the older redhead had nearly made him burst out in laughter. Containing it had felt like one of the hardest things he had ever had to do.

And when she chewed on her lip, something she did with frustrating frequency, all he wanted to do was take over and do some biting of his own.

However, Natsu snipped away that line of thought before his lower half had a chance to respond. He was clearly pushing at least one button just by being here. He highly doubted she would take kindly to him getting aroused, even if she were the lead actress in his fantasies.

Meanwhile, Lucy was trying her darnedest to ignore the man.

The room was considerably spacious, and he was just one person, but for some inconceivable reason, her eyes kept getting drawn to his corner of the room. She had deliberately weaved around her students, the tall easel stands and canvases serving to block him from view, but every time she made a turn, he would somehow magically appear again in her line of sight.

It was frustrating!

On one hand, she sorely wanted him to leave for he was wreaking havoc on her good senses. On the other, the urge to sit on his lap was strangely overwhelming. The fact that she even had the desire to do that was perplexing. She had never been one for sitting on laps but his denim joggers looked like they would be extremely comfortable.

"Oh my…" Lucy exhaled and ducked down behind Yvette's canvas. The girl's position was farthest from where he sat, and the blonde needed a break. Her face felt like it was on fire!

Yvette Winters nudged Lucy gently.

"Yvette?"

The 24-year-old leaned in, her tone playful as she whispered, "Is he your boyfriend, Ms Lucy?"

Lucy jolted upright and marched to the front of the classroom. Clapping to bring everyone's attention to herself, she announced, "I'm sorry, everyone, but it's 15 past now, and I won't be able to hold this room for much longer. We need to clean up for the next group coming in."

Ignoring their curious looks and a few impish grins, Lucy made them pack up in record time then shooed them all out the door. Then, picking up her own satchel, she turned to leave but her feet refused to step out the door.

Darn it!

Whirling around, she huffed, "Are you coming or not?"

With her gaze glued to the ground, Lucy could not see him, but she did not have to. Every nerve ending in her body sizzled to life when his brown sneakers came into view. She gulped as she watched the tail ends of his scarf dangle forward when he leaned in. His face was so close to her own that his breath warmed her cheeks, sending delightful tingles down her skin. Lucy trembled, and she clutched her satchel more tightly, fearing it would actually slip through her grip.

Then, as abruptly as it had begun, the seductive assault ended. A boyish laugh rang out next to her ear as Natsu stepped back and extended one arm out.

"Lead the way, Ms Heartfilia."

I had fun writing this.

Didja like it? Hehe.

Sam.