Chapter 7: My Only Weakness...
Levy's Home
May 27 3:01pm
...
*knock, knock, knock*
...
*knock, knock, knock*
The door finally opened, revealing a very, sleepy blunette. Lucy immediately shoved herself inside the door before Levy can say anything.
"I'm so sorry to suddenly just drop in on you without calling Levy but, this is kind of urgent" The blonde placed Happy onto the small, brown ottoman next to the couch and turned to face her friend. Lucy placed her hands firmly onto her hips when she continued to speak, "You remember that rich shut in, Mr. Dragneel?"
Levy yawned as she moved over to the couch and noticed the blue cat looking up at her, "What about him?" She patted the cat and sat down next to him.
Lucy's voice was sarcastic, "Well, You're going to love this..." and sat next to the sleepy girl, "...We may or may not have found something a bit scary, thanks to Natsu's outburst earlier..."
That woke up Levy, "Outburst?!" She placed her hands onto Lucy's lap. "What happened Lu-chan? Did Natsu hurt you?"
"NO!" Lucy cleared her throat and readjusted her volume, "No, he didn't hurt anyone. If it wasn't for him though, I probably wouldn't even have thought to look twice..."
"What are you trying to say?" Showing every bit of concern for her friend.
"Levy, Do you remember Mr. Dragneel's first name?"
"His name? Uhm..." Levy jumped up excitedly and paced for a few seconds, but then her face fell with worry. She slowly turned to look at Lucy, "...Zeref...Zeref Dragneel..."
Lucy nodded to her, realizing they both came to the same conclusion.
"B-but...that's impossible" Levy laughed almost as if that was a crazy suggestion, "If that is the same person we're both thinking of, That'll make him very, very old...and if memory serves me right here, he looks very..."
"Young? I know, I thought that too which is why I never really thought about it. People over the years pretty much can have the same name, heck, A lot of people do but, what tipped me of was Natsu's reaction to the news program today..."
Levy sat back down next to her, "This is ridiculous, You know that right?" sounding a bit exasperated, "It's actually so insane that it technically should be..."
"Impossible? Levy, If we really think about it, We're dealing with people that are into dark magics, very dark. You saw those books, You saw what they stole. Who's to say that this theory is not possible"
Levy scoffed and shook her head, "Its..." The girl shoved her hands in her short-hair and scratched her head, "...You realize what this means right?"
Lucy shook her head, "Yeah, I've already sent Leo out to do a lot of digging, told him to bring the whole squad if he needs to. It'll be so dangerous Levy, especially when that man is rich. powerful and probably, endless connections to people. I would not put it past him for covering his tracks, traces or whatever those villains do..." The celestial mage got back up and started pacing as she chewed on her nail.
"Is Natsu going to be okay?" Happy spoke quietly which shocked Levy.
The girl immediately shot her head to the blue cat confused, "Did you just talk?"
"Aye!" The cat flew around and landed on Lucy's head.
"Oh, Levy sorry, uhm.." She pulled the cat off her head and hugged him, "This is Happy, Natsu's dear friend"
"Where's Natsu then, Lu-chan?"
Lucy shook her head, "I don't know. He left kind of abruptly after the news feature with Zeref. For some reason, it seemed to really have bothered him and i don't even know why..." Her voice trailed off as she looked down at the blue cat in her arms, "Whatever it is, something tells me they have history..." Lucy's thoughts continued quietly outloud, "...and I'm too scared to even try to ask him again. Natsu scared me and Happy earlier, even though he looked so scared himself. I was supposed to be training under his guidance today and then that happens..." Happy looked up at her worriedly.
Levy patted the girls back gently, "It's okay, everything will be okay" She then leaned over to Lucy's arm until she was able to calm down.
Vermillion Gardens (around 2:30 pm before Lucy reached Levy's place)
(Vendetta by Unsecret / Slowed)
Damn it...Damn it!
Natsu ran across the field, avoiding people as much as he could while trying not to scare them. He looked around frantically, trying to remember where he saw the bench that held that man.
DAMN IT, WHERE IS HE?!
The crowd of people thinned out the further into the park he got. His lungs were eventually giving out and he had to stop himself to breathe. Natsu bent over half-way to try and regain his breath back after running from Lucy's apartment, straight to the park. He closed his eyes remembering how scared his friends looked. He didn't mean to scare them, hell he was scared himself. He never expected to see that man making a public appearance so soon. He knew by that notion something was going on. He knew something had to have happened when the heists stopped cold.
"Whatever you're hiding, I'll find out, you bastard..." He growled between breaths. Footsteps were suddenly approaching him from behind. The sound of someone stepping over grass, soft, slow and steady as the breeze gently blew in his direction.
Natsu shot his gaze to the direction he heard the noise. His eyes dilated with anger at the approaching figure and Natsu growled under his breath, "Zeref, What the hell are you doing here?"
"My, My, Where have your manners gone, Natsu?" The black-haired boy smiled and walked past the dragon slayer towards the bench next to them.
Natsu pivoted and grabbed the man's arm aggressively, "Answer the damn question!" He growled louder this time.
Zeref sighed and pulled Natsu's hand off his shoulder with no effort. He then sat down on the bench and looked up to Natsu, "Mind your manners Natsu, We're in a public place with families and children, Do you really want to make a scene?" His hand gestured to the few groups of people nearby. Some of them were whispering in their direction, but Natsu didn't catch anything they were saying because he was too focused on the man next to him. His shoulders relaxed only slightly but his livid expression remained.
"Good to see we're on the same page. Now then, as for your question...Do i really need permission to walk around outside on this beautiful day? It's not everyday when the weather is just...perfect for a walk..." He closed his eyes briefly, taking in a small breath of fresh, warm air.
Natsu's hands clenched tightly into fists, making his knuckles go white and Zeref opened his eyes again.
A sinister smile slid onto his face, "Oh, Natsu, don't give me that look. I have no ill intentions as of right now" Zeref crossed his legs and spread out his arms across the back part of the bench. He wore a black, tailored suit with a dark, gray dress shirt underneath. His hair was partially combed to the side of his face but the bangs still hung loosely over his right eye.
"You never should've came here to begin with..." Natsu hissed angrily.
He shrugged. "Why's that, Natsu? There's so much to be gained in this...growing city"
Natsu jumped towards him and grabbed him by the collar, "You need to get out of here, You and your...lackeys, Don't belong here!"
Zeref scowled and grabbed Natsu's hand tightly, "You've longed lost that right to tell me what to do, Natsu" His eyes were now glowing red, "...Ever since you left all those years ago. From the moment your foot left the building..." The man flung Natsu back several feet with just one hand. The dragon slayer fell onto his back, sliding across the green grass and started wheezing between coughs. Zeref walked over to him, shadowing him under the sunlight. The red eyes were gone and the fake smile was back, "I'll be seeing you again, really soon, Natsu. Until then, be a good boy and stay out of my way..." He waved his hand as he walked off leaving the bewildered man on his back.
Shit, shit, shit...Natsu sat up and stretched, feeling his back crack a little bit, Ah, that's probably going to leave a mark...
He turned to see people staring at him from a distance, Crap i need to get out of here and... He held a hand to his head as he got up, Damn i need to apologize to her and Happy...
As he got up quickly, Natsu pulled out his phone and started to half jog his way out of the park.
Levy's Apartment (back to present time) 3:21pm
*bzzzt...bzzzt...bzzzt*
Levy and Lucy both looked at the phone ringing on the coffee table. Happy flew up and picked up the phone, "It's Natsu..." He brought the vibrating phone over to Lucy.
"You can answer it Happy, maybe he has finally calmed down?"
Levy got up, "I'll be back in a minute, I'm just going to grab my bag real quick then we can head to your place" Lucy nodded to her in agreement.
"Natsu!" Happy said enthusiastically.
"Hey there little buddy, wait, Why do you have Lucy's phone?"
"She's busy with Levy..."
"Oh, well I'm on my way back. You can tell Lucy, We can start the training exercises when I'm there"
Happy looked to Lucy and she grimaced, having already heard half of the conversation. The cat handed her the phone and he flew onto her head again, "Hey, Natsu..."
"Lucy! Uhm, i just want to say sorry about earlier, I didn't mean-..."
"It's okay. You don't need to apologize, I get it. That man probably did something really terrible to you and I'm not going to pry but, I'm just glad you're okay now"
*silence*
Happy looked to Lucy and then back towards the phone, "...Natsu?" She said carefully, "You alright?"
"Oh yeah, Sorry i was just thinking. Uhm, Are you on your way back? I'm here..."
"Yeah, I'm on my way, Levy is going to be joining us..."
"Cool, I'll see you soon then..."
*click*
Lucy sighed and turned to see Levy with her bag of books, "How do you manage to carry all of that around?" Motioning to the large bag slung over her tiny body.
"It's really not that heavy. Also, is Natsu okay then?" The blunette grabbed a water bottle from her mini fridge and started walking towards the door.
"Yeah, seems so. I just hope he didn't do anything stupid..."
Happy crawled down into Lucy's arms, "Knowing Natsu, he probably did..." The cat chimed in.
Both girls looked at him, "What's that suppose to mean, Happy?" Lucy shook her head in disapproval.
The cat shrugged, "Whenever he gets upset, he usually tries to vent it at someone. That's why Erza always gets on his case and scolds him" The cat giggled between his paws.
Lucy rolled her eyes, "Let's just hope we don't see him on the 8'oclock news..."
Lucy's apartment, (rooftop)
4:15pm
Lucy placed her bag down and helped Levy to the corner of the roof that had some shade, "At least the sun is almost setting, so it shouldn't be too bad Lu-chan"
The celestial mage smiled and patted her friend on the shoulder, "So you have everything you need then?"
"Of course, Gajeel and Erza helped me by giving me more files and paperwork to shift through, for all of the stolen items. I'm trying to compile a list of possible suspects as to who moved what, when, where and the possible incentive that could've led them there"
"Okay, well, more power to you!" Lucy smiled brightly as she stood back up.
"You need it more than i do..." Levy squinted up to her friend from the sunlight partially getting in her eyes.
"Mmm, Why's that Levy?"
"You're going to be sparring with him" Levy laughed and both girls turned to see Natsu stretching away from them.
"I guess i should go join him now then, heaven knows I'm still not mentally prepared or ever will be..." She pouted slightly then turned around and started walking towards Natsu.
"Good luck, Lu-chan! I'll be cheering from way out here!" Lucy waved to her and looked at the dragon slayer who seemed a little too eager.
Natsu turned around to look at her and smiled, "You ready, Luce?"
"Define, ready" She retorted jokingly.
He laughed, "Tell you what, Since we're doing this my way..." Lucy folded her arms and looked at him carefully. He moved closer to her and placed both of his hands onto her shoulders, "I'm going to need you to try and hit me with your best shot, Just to see where you stand, strength wise"
Lucy shook her head, "You're serious?"
"Very, Hit me with your best shot..." He opened his arms, almost like a taunt, " C'mon, Luce, No holding back" He laughed as he watched the confused blonde contemplate his statement.
"Fine, whatever..." She let out a nervous sigh and then stretched her arms out.
Natsu stared at her, amusement written all over his face as the girl approached him. She shook her hands and started to bounce in her step.
"Like i said, Don't hold back..." He snickered at her little warm-up.
"I am, I am...It's just, this is weird, to just...hit you. Doesn't seem right..."
He shrugged her off then smirked, "Okay...fine, how's this? I heard what Happy told you earlier today..."
Lucy's eyes popped, "WHAT!?" Her face completely flustered with agitation.
Natsu busted out laughing and started clapping his hands, " Alright Luce, Still going to stand there or is it because, You like me too much? " He grinned mischievously. He knew this was a good enough reason to rile up any girl, especially since something similar happened between Mira and Laxus. Natsu kept quiet about them since that mistake but, he knew Lucy wouldn't resort to tactics like they did, or so he hopes.
Without another word, Lucy leapt towards him with her striking arm raised. Natsu moved back one step as she lunged her fist in his direction.
"You're going to have to try a lot better than that Lucy" He chuckled at her weak attempt.
Lucy pivoted and attempted to strike him again. This time he stopped her first with his palm. Natsu shook his head, "What is that?" looking almost disappointed.
The blonde huffed and breathed for a second before speaking, "So, You did hear everything behind the door..."
Natsu was looking a bit smug, "Of course, the privileges of a dragon slayer. Heightened senses and all. Now enough about me, Is this really the best you can do?" looking appalled now.
Lucy narrowed her eyes at his smug face as he kept her hand in his palm. Without thinking she immediately sent him a kick to the gut, knocking him back a few feet.
"OOF..." He bent over holding his side for a moment and then stretched back up, "Haah, Alright, alright, i take it back. You do have a little fight in you after all" He approached her again, "Can you do it again though?" He crouched slightly as if he was readying himself for another kick.
She raised her eyebrows, "...You sure?"
"Yeah, c'mon...again"
She swung her arms at him, left hook, right hook and even attempted an uppercut but he grabbed her arms the second she got close enough to him. Natsu flipped her around into his arms and caged her in.
Lucy struggled against his strong arm-lock and tried to think for a moment but shivered when she felt his hot breath down her neck, "I said hit me..." he chuckled, "Not get yourself caught..."Natsu grinned when he saw her face starting to fluster again.
She stood still for a moment. Waiting for him to drop his guard and to her luck, he did. The second she felt him loosening his grip, she elbowed him and knocked her fist against his jaw, staggering him backwards.
He yelped from the stinging pain and after a minute, Lucy ran to him again knowing he wasn't going to stop from just that. Natsu caught on quickly and moved away from her at the last second, however, after a quick change of plans, she dropped herself halfway, landing on her hands and kicked backwards towards him. Natsu still stopped her kick but he was getting really excited from her dedication into this training exercise.
"There you go!" He said proudly, "Keep trying, I know you can do it, Lucy!" He let go of her leg that was caught aiming at his torso. Lucy got back up and rolled back her shoulders. She was starting to sweat and the dimmed sunlight made it look like dew drops. He was caught off-guard in the moment of staring at her when he was suddenly hit on the side with another kick.
Natsu grit his teeth and grabbed her leg. Her eyes widened as he pulled her towards him. She almost slipped but he caught her back. Lucy stared up at him while her back was being held by his hands. Their eyes locked for a moment as they tried to catch their breaths. Lucy felt her body burning under his touch and his eyes just held hers with admiration and...adoration? She wasn't quite sure but thankfully from the blood pumping through her, she was already flushed, hiding the fact she was feeling extremely flustered with embarrassment right now. Lucy sighed and pushed him back out of their hold and she took a few steps away.
"Satisfied now?" She was still feeling slightly shaken.
"Heh, i guess so" He took a deep breath and looked up into the sky, "Seems like all of your strength is in your legs" He looked back down to her with the corner of his eyes, watching as she grabbed a water bottle nearby. Lucy felt him staring at her but she didn't chance a look at him.
"So, Where does this put me then?" She asked curiously.
"Just a few daily cardio exercises to help with your endurance, so you don't tire out easily. That's the problem with most people..." He moved to her and grabbed his own bottle, "A lot of people can be strong but, their biggest weakness is stamina. You can tire those kind people out before the fight even starts..." He chuckled, "So, We're going to fix that first, If you're ready for that Luce..." looking back at her with a grin on his face. It seems he already had this all planned out.
Lucy nodded her head, "Makes sense..."
He arched an eyebrow at her, "So, Are you ready for round two?"
She took a deep breath, "Just give me another minute" He nodded and walked towards the edge of the rooftop while Lucy moved back over to her smirking friend.
"If i didn't know better, he looked like he was totally finding excuses to feel you up, at least from my point of view" Levy left no mercy towards her blonde friend.
"LEVY. Quiet!" Quickly moving over to her laughing friend. Lucy clasped a hand over the girls mouth while signaling her to be quiet, "He can hear everything..."
Levy shook her head and moved her hand away, "I'm very well aware of that. Gajeel told me all about the dragon slayer assets"
Lucy grinned devilishly, "Is that so?, All his assets...?" The blonde towered over her menacingly.
The blunette squeaked, "Don't reverse this topic on me! Right now it's all on you and Natsu"
"Oh no, no, no, We're going to have a long chat later, Me and you!" pointing a finger at each other.
Levy huffed and folded her arms, "Well let me just slip this in, You both look like you were about to make out in that little hold he got you in earlier. I'd be careful if i were you, He's so getting more out of this than you realize..."
Lucy's jaw dropped then poked her friends shoulder, "Well at least you're getting entertainment out of this. While I'm busy trying to figure out how to maneuver around him. Once he grabs me, it's like...impossible to get out of his hold unless he LETS me. It's so frustrating!" Lucy angrily huffed and sipped more out of her water bottle.
Levy clapped her hands together, "I just got an idea!"
Lucy arched an eyebrow, "You mean you found a weakness? Oh please do tell..." However, as soon as she finished saying that, Levy had the most mischievous look on her face. That face alone made Lucy want to walk immediately away and forget asking.
"Oh relax, C'mere..." Levy pulled Lucy over and started whispering into her ear.
The celestial mage first looked confused, then paled and then finally turned a bright red.
"Well? Is that not brilliant or what? I can almost guarantee it'll work" She giggled as she mentally patted herself on the back.
Lucy found herself taking in multiple deep breaths and felt her head getting lighter, "Y...You can't be serious, There's no way i can do that with a straight face..."
"Well, You don't know unless you try. I know you guys are just sparring, You obviously can't do that in an actual fight, so just have fun. The whole point of this, Is to learn how to exploit your opponents weaknesses, right?" Levy shrugged as if it was the most obvious thing to do.
"I-I guess..." Lucy turned to see Natsu staring at them from across the rooftop. From this angle it seemed he hasn't heard them or feigning ignorance. Then the blonde felt herself scowling at him, "Fine, I'll try it but if this goes wrong...Levy...I swear you'll never hear the end of this from me..."
"Good luck, Lu-chan! You know me, I'll be cheering from way out here!"
A few moments later...
Natsu nodded to her, "You ready, Luce?"
Lucy eyed him cautiously, contemplating if Levy's idea will really work. She already knew she was stepping into dangerous territory now, but this was beyond out of her comfort zone. She never really thought about getting into serious relationships with guys. She only ever made light jokes and flirted with random people because she planned to never really spend time with them after. However, the thought of purposely seducing a friend that she'd be seeing quite frequently, felt completely different. Lucy had to mentally fight herself to keep from being nervous and laughing outloud, which will probably give herself away that something was up. Throwing caution to the wind and betting all her trust she had built so far, Lucy stepped carefully over to him.
With every step, her nerves were biting away at her. She tilted her head slightly with half lidded eyes and bit her bottom lip seductively, "I'm ready, Natsu. Are you?" She murmured.
His reaction though, caught her off guard. The look in his eyes has changed, to something completely different and she felt herself immediately regretting her choice. It seemed like he caught on to what she was trying to do and responded in kind. Natsu stepped forward, lips parting slightly as he smiled down to her, revealing his canines with a small glint from the sunset behind him.
"...I'm ready" His voice was a little lower than before and it echoed in her head, breaking her train of thought. Lucy felt her insides tremble again, unnerving all her resolve within two words.
Damn it, Levy...What'd you start...Trying to regain her focus, she shyly smiled back at him, Don't let him intimidate you Lucy, This fight is yours...Wait...Levy also said if he did try anything funny...OH!
Lucy moved her arms out slightly and Natsu arched an eyebrow, wondering what she was doing as he waited for her. Lucy took a step back as she pulled her arms over head and then stretched entirely down, touching the ground with her fingers. She barely tilted her head up, making sure she was holding his gaze and boy, he was. His green eyes seemed to have gotten darker, looking almost black. She caught him biting his lip and very, faintly heard a growl coming from him. It was so strange.
Okay, okay, calm down, he has full attention on you, Don't mess this up!
She slowly pulled herself back up, arching her back but the trick was to have him look down to her breasts that were completely in view. Lucy winked up to him and spoke in a low, seductive tone, "Why are you staring so hard? I thought you were ready?"
Natsu shyly looked away and he quickly moved a hand to his mouth as his face turned to a deep shade of red. Lucy has managed to get this boy completely flustered, so she mentally patted herself on the back. He was so distracted, she took this moment and lunged herself at him. Lucy quickly moved to his blind spot and threw a fist to his side but, he still partially blocked it when he immediately pivoted and held both arms up. He staggered back a couple of feet this time, but it was still better than her earlier punches.
Lucy smirked and taunted, "I'm sorry, Were you distracted by something?" She watched him lower his arms and immediately noticed the smile he gave her. It felt...different. His dark, playful eyes said it had something else in mind, sending shivers down her spine.
"Alright, I see what you're doing..." His words held an ulterior motive and it made Lucy almost step back. She took a step forward with one foot and re-positioned herself, readying for another attack. He taunted her by motioning with his hands to come for him. Lucy ran to his side again and caught the ground with her left foot as she lunged her right fist at him. He grabbed it with his hand and flipped her around into his arms. Lucy was once again, caught in his arm lock. She tried shaking him off but all she heard was him chuckling at her failed attempts. Lucy tried elbowing him again but, this time he tightened his grip.
"I know...you can do better...than this...Luce..." Lucy barely heard the words between his shaky, heavy breaths. Natsu's hair tickled the side of her head as he leaned his head into the crook of her neck. She felt her brain starting to get fuzzy and before it could get worse, she stomped onto his foot. He dropped his hold for a few seconds and she tried kicking him again. Natsu grabbed her ankle and almost flipped her to the side but she slammed her leg down, making him lose his grip. Lucy threw herself over him and grabbed his shirt from behind, having them tumble across the rooftop.
Natsu quickly picked himself back up and walked towards her while she was still on the ground. It didn't take long for Lucy to get back onto her feet before he can get ahold of her. She lowered herself halfway, trying to get ready into position again. After regaining her breath, Lucy smiled up at him, "I may not be as strong as you but, I did learn a lot from Leo in the past"
He smirked, "I was beginning to wonder about that..." Natsu repositioned himself into a defensive stance, "...Some of those moves aren't exactly novice level" His smirk changed to a playful grin and watched her carefully. His eyes snapped to her feet when she moved again. Lucy tried to fake out her punches by switching hands last second but, he grabbed her again and flipped Lucy over himself. She almost lost her footing as she got flipped however, the moment her foot touched ground again she back kicked him with her other leg and watched him stumble backwards.
"You really know how to keep things interesting Lucy, but you're kicks are getting weaker. Need a break?" Natsu laughed as he wiped his shirt down.
Lucy shook her head 'no' at his offer and took all of the precautions she could think of as she lunged at him again. She tried her best to move quicker but, he still blocked half of her punches. Lucy tried changing up her patterns again and kicked him randomly in between, from the left, from below and from behind. She kept twisting herself while circling around him, trying to find an opening, just one...that's all she needed. She really didn't want to use Levy's trump card...yet. Lucy's foot almost slipped again and as he reached for her, she caught herself onto the ground and high-kicked him upwards. She scrapped her hands from the fall but it was a successful hit nonetheless. Lucy watched him fall backwards quite a bit, feeling quite impressed with herself. Natsu stood back up slowly, his half lidded eyes were filled with amusement and his smile was something devilish, definitely...no question about it. That was probably the last opening she had for now.
Lucy pushed herself back up and wiped her hands onto her pants while eyeing him inconspicuously. She was trying to catch her breath and stretch herself out again but, as she was pulling herself halfway up from the leg stretches, Lucy almost missed it. Natsu was still watching her and he licked his top lip slowly before smirking down at her with those large canines in view. Her heart nearly stopped while her face went crimson, or at least, felt like it did.
There's no way he is playing along too...Did he really catch on to what i was doing? Lucy felt her heart racing from that longing look he was giving her at the moment.
As Natsu shifted his stance, his eyes were now almost completely hidden by his hair. All that moving around and she can clearly see that he too, was sweating while his hair was drooping lower over his face. His breaths were also heavier from the way his chest was moving. Despite her lack of power, she definitely was wearing him down but that was only because he was holding back tremendously, she was very aware this. Lucy felt herself staring again but, it was only because he combed his hand through his spiked-hair, very slowly and it pushed his front hair-locks slightly to the side, revealing his dark, smoldering eyes. Their gazes met again and he winked. At the moment, she knew he was on to her plan.
He definitely caught on, Damn it!...I guess I'll have to use that trump card after all...She grumbled mentally.
She placed her hands onto her hips and smirked at him, "Getting tired, Natsu?" Lucy teased as she walked closer to him and stopped three feet in front of him, Attempting to keep a safe distance, just for now.
Lucy can feel herself wanting to tread in the unknown even further, but it was starting to become a little dangerous. Her nerves turned into this excited, burning feeling that wanted to keep egging him on. Lucy knew she shouldn't taunt Natsu continuously, especially when he can so easily overpower her but, He had to have some sort of self control, right? He wouldn't hurt her...right?...and she was willing to bet on that.
Natsu slipped out a dark chuckle, "Heh, Hardly, I'm just a little confused, What you're doing Luce?" He tilted his head up just enough so she can see him more clearly this time. The look in his eyes were still there, but maybe even more so compared to a few minutes ago. It made her feel bare, like he was seeing through everything. Lucy knew if she moved any closer, she would be in trouble. It had danger written all over it, and yet...it excited her. His voice changed to what seemed like a seductive tone when he spoke again, "What're you waiting for Luce? Come get me..."
Lucy had to flip the tables on him and fast. Natsu was starting to get under her skin in all sorts of ways, making her forget what they were doing to begin with and there's no way shes going to back off after getting this far. She lowered her gaze away from his eyes, regaining her resolve and lunged at him again.
Natsu picked up her movements immediately and had to change his pace again to keep up with her. Lucy quickly pivoted behind him and used all of her force to throw another back kick at him. The kick connected, sending him back a of couple feet, however, Natsu back-flipped once to regain his momentum and landed on his hands to stop the moving force. He watched her lunge at him again with another kick to his side, as he was about to grab her, she twisted herself to change direction and kicked from the other side. Natsu grinned and faked a lunge towards her, forcing her to back off.
In that instance, he charged at her shortly after, readying himself to grab Lucy with his left arm but, she dropped herself back on the ground, crouching almost like lioness, eyes hard locked onto his. Lucy then lunged at him quickly with her right fist ready to strike. He turned his body halfway as he skidded to a stop before they collided and quickly grabbed her fist. The small incoming force made him dig his heels into the ground. Natsu quickly shifted his stance back towards her and grabbed her torso, swinging them around to try and keep from falling forward. Lucy completely lost her footing from the sudden movement and pulled him down with her, toppling them both over. Then it was over.
She was sweating, tired, and her breaths were heavy. Lucy stared up at the man on top of her then noticing she was pinned from the lack of movement in her arms. She wanted to just get back in her apartment at this point to take a really, long hot bath, However, She then noticed the smug look on his face. Oh how, she badly wanted to wipe it clean off.
She tried fidgeting out of place but she was deadlocked. He spoke quietly, "Do you want to give up?"
Lucy's eyes narrowed, Give up? You idiot! You have me pinned! She mentally yelled in her head but instead, "No" was all she managed to say.
He laughed again and moved himself up but still kept her pinned. Natsu was kneeling between her legs but his hands were still locked around her wrists. So as he moved back, he slowly pulled up her arms, displaying how he has her trapped, "No?" he repeated while mocking her locked position.
She let out a deep sigh, Well it's now or never, the trump card...Gah i can't believe i'm doing this...
When her nerves finally backed off, she whispered between panting,"H-How...long do you plan on...sitting on top of me...like this...Natsu" She lowered her eyelids and left her lips slightly open, giving him the most seductive look she can possibly throw at him.
Natsu's eyes widened in shock, as if he just saw something he shouldn't have. His brain completely shut off at that moment, not knowing what to do next. Lucy noted it immediately and pushed him off the second she felt his grip loosen up.
Boys, They're all the same! i can't believe HE actually fell for it...now...my turn.
As fast she she threw him back, she immediately jumped on top of him and pinned his arms down over his head. He still had that surprised look on his face, as if he didn't know what to do still. Lucy's breathing went heavy again because it still took a lot of effort for her to pin him back, despite his guard being down. All that muscle wasn't just for show.
"Luce...What're you doing?" He asked her between his own shaky breaths.
"What i'm doing? I'm not giving up..." She said while feeling quite smug about it. Lucy moved down to him slowly so their noses were barely touching. She felt his hot breath tickling her, it was definitely a lot hotter than before. "Are you done?' Lucy whispered as if she was daring him to continue.
She felt him shaking underneath as he chuckled, "Yeah I'm done, for now" He tilted his head to the side to get a better look of her
Lucy let go of his arms and got up carefully so she didn't accidentally step on him. Natsu took a deep breath and stared up into the sky as she moved away.
She glanced at him, noticing he was still on the ground, "What're you doing?" She said before picking up her water again.
He looked at her from the corner of his eyes, "...Just thinking" and he got himself up shortly after and started to walk towards the roof door, "...I'll see you inside" He waved as he left. He seemed unusually fast about leaving her behind but, she shrugged it off.
Lucy walked over to Levy who apparently saw a lot more than she should've. The girl was completely flustered, "I can't believe you two managed to make sparring look so..." She couldn't really finish her sentence at that second, then continued as she shook her head, "...I honestly thought he was going to jump on you towards the end of that" She squealed and covered her face with both hands.
Lucy's face paled, "Are you serious? Imagine how i feel when i was only pretending!" She rolled her eyes at her.
"I didn't think you'd actually do it Lu-chan, but i was right though! He totally ate it up. They way he was eyeing you, was the same way Loke look's at women in the club..." Levy finally cracked and fell over laughing.
Lucy started to playfully punch her friend, "Stooop making it weirder Levyyy, Bad enough i won't be able to look at him the same way again, at least for a little while...AHHH! Why'd i listen to you!?"
The blunette kept laughing, nearly out of breath now, "I'm sorry, I'm sorry but if you were in my shoes watching...that, my goodness. I was beginning to think i had to change rooms"
She pouted, cheeks puffed and all, While grabbing the other girl's bags, "Whatever..." Lucy glared but knew she couldn't get 100% mad at her knowing it was her own fault for taking her friends strange advice.
Inside Lucy's Apartment
7:49pm
The girls finally returned back to the apartment and was greeted by a blue cat hovering over them. Levy moved to the living room and sat on the couch while Lucy went to feed Happy some fish.
"What happened to Natsu?" The cat mumbled between mouthfuls of food. His look was so innocent, Lucy couldn't help but answer back almost immediately.
"To Natsu? What do you mean?" She started prepping herself some tea to help relax her jittery nerves.
"He ran straight into the shower as soon as he got back. He completely ignored me!" The cat whined and started working on another fish.
Levy looked towards Lucy. They both had a hunch but decided to leave it at that, "We both just finished sparring on the rooftop, I wouldn't be able to relax after that either to be honest..." She shrugged knowing she too had to throw herself in the shower. It wasn't just sweat, all the dirt that clung to her clothes too from tumbling around.
The blonde looked at her stove and then realized maybe she should cook them something but right as she thought it, the man in question appeared by the kitchen.
"Oh Natsu, I was just about to cook us something, Do you want to eat?"
He nodded excitedly, "Yeah, I'm starving, was just about to head out to grab a bite too"
Lucy smiled and started heating up food for the three of them. They all sat around her small counter that divided the two rooms. Levy frowned as she stared into her plate intensely. Lucy placed her utensil down and decided to ask her about it, "Is something bothering you, Levy?"
"Well, It's just weird, what i came across"
Natsu turned to look at her, "What'd you find?"
The blunette sat up straight, "Every time i was trying to back track the logs for the stolen box, It hit a dead end several times. Even though I've followed the lead to where Jellal pointed out and followed the dates to shipping, who's in charge, who was where and when, It just suddenly stops to about 6 months ago. So i tried to look for a different route for another person who also kept an eye on the box, That went to a dead end a year ago. However, there was no mention of who was in charge of the box in the last 6 months after it was dropped off at the bank. There was no names left, No back up trails or papers or anything. I looked continuously but every time i tried backing up the dates it just went no where. It's like that box just showed up on their doorstep with no reason what-so ever. Its infuriating and highly suspicious. I'm just trying to get a name but can't do that if someone purposely went out of their way to remove almost everything!" Levy finally finished venting and
Lucy rubbed her temple, "So basically, We have no solid lead yet?" She grumbled.
"I don't want to say that at the moment, but yeah for now anyway. Jellal said he would call if he got ahold of solid leads to the people of the bank, like who should be there, or was recently added in around the time the box did. That's our safest line right now" Levy grumbled, "...Because right now, I'm left with a pile of books with nothing remotely useful"
Natsu thought for a moment as he listened, wondering if there was any way he can help, "I can try digging up some information from the goons that were left behind. There's almost always someone that knows the whereabouts for heists like that" Showing a cheeky grin that spelled 'up to no good'.
"I don't want you getting yourself into trouble" Lucy shot him a glare.
"Hey, I do that stuff all the time for Erza, only she's worse than me" holding his hands up in innocence.
Levy laughed, "Worse than you? What'd she do?"
"She hung them over a telephone pole. I think it was near the Stargate bridge?...Gajeel helped but..." He paused for a moment while trying to recall that memory, "...Still, I just knock them on them until one of them decide to talk..." He shrugged as if it was no big deal.
Lucy's mouth was left open and Levy couldn't come up with any words either.
The blunette snapped herself out of it and got up, "Well it's getting late Lu-chan, I'll talk to you later?" She moved over to the couch and started to pull up her things.
"Mhm, we'll talk again soon. Thanks for coming over, Levy" Lucy smiled and patted the girl.
"No problem and also..." eyeing the man behind her, "You two behave yourselves..." Then looked back to the blonde right after. Levy quickly dashed out of the apartment before Lucy could counter her terrible insinuation.
I swear this girl is going to kill me mentally! Lucy silently fumed and turned around to see Happy staring at her.
"Stop staring, Happy! Or I'm going to poke those little eyes out" She pointed her fingers at him.
The cat stifled his laugh and flew on top of Natsu's head.
"I'm going to shower now, so no funny business while my back is turned!" She said loudly as she closed the bathroom door behind herself.
As soon as the door clicked, Happy flew onto the counter top, looking up to Natsu. Knowing that look all too well, Natsu eyed him, "What's on your mind. Happy?"
"You and Lucy, That's what" He giggled, "She's making you weird too!" He frowned at the cat.
"What's that suppose to mean?" He picked up Happy by the back scruff of his neck, The cat still kept giggling.
"You liiiiiike her" He rolled his tongue and Natsu dropped him.
"I don't know what you're talking about..." He got up and started heading down the hallway.
"You're right..." The cat grinned, "You're probably too dumb to notice it anyway..." Natsu stopped and glared at his little friend. As soon as he goes to try grab his tail the cat flew into the room squealing.
"Oi get back here!" He yelled to his little feline friend.
A/N:
Hope you guys had a good time reading this chapter. Still experimenting with their relationship here, hopefully it wasn't too much? hmmm, if i made any strange mistakes though, let me know. It's hard to catch everything with my blurry eyes...anyway, I'll see you guys next time
-Rosario