Author's Note: Here is a fun little chapter that I actually wrote and added in this week! My university was closed half the day today and is closed tomorrow morning, so I had a bit more time to edit and write! I will be posting another fun chapter this week as well, so keep an eye out for that! Next week is when the action really picks up! I hope you enjoy!

February 1st

Sweat glistened on Lucy's forehead as she dropped onto the rickety stool. She had spent most of the afternoon and evening running around the bar, juggling beer and tater tots. The combination was always a happy hour favorite and happy hour just happened to run from three to six on Wednesdays. A sigh of relief escaped her lips, her shoulders hunching as she stretched her toes to brush the floor. Her limbs ached and she didn't want to see another tot for a while. Though the crunchy, greasy tots looked appetizing at first, the smell brushing her nose all evening was enough to make her nauseous. She was grateful happy hour had ended a bit before her shift was over. It allowed time for the bar odor to shift as patrons started ordering other foods like wings and mozzarella bites.

"Hey Stranger. Potato for your thoughts?" A voice pulled Lucy from the inner workings of her mind as a salty, familiar odor assaulted her nose. Her eyes fell on the basket of tots in Natsu's hands before they settled on his wide grin,

"No, please. No more tots." She groaned, dropping down so her forehead touched the bar counter. She took a deep breath, preferring the smell of the sticky alcohol residue that coated the well-used counter.

"No tots? Did you already eat some without me?" His tone feigned hurt and Lucy shook her head. She peaked up at him and frowned.

"Too many tots. The smell makes me nauseous. It's what I was thinking about before you walked over." She explained and his eyes widened. Natsu disappeared from her line of vision and she managed to pull herself up as the odor wafted away with him. An arm was slung around her shoulder and she turned to face Gray, who was shirtless and grinning at her.

"Hey Lucy. Just the girl I was looking for." He spoke nonchalantly and Lucy ducked out from under his arm.

"Hi Gray. Please put some clothes on if you're going to drape yourself over me." She playfully quipped at him, though the meaning behind her words was serious. His eyes widened as he looked over his appearance and in that moment, Lucy decided that Gray really did have a stripping problem.

"Right, sorry. I was actually wondering if you could help me with something." Lucy's brow furrowed as she waited patiently for him to continue. "Well, Levy told me that you're good at baking and I really want to make Juvia something nice for her birthday tomorrow night." He smiled sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck with his hand. Lucy's eyes widened as she thought over the few times she spent baking with Levy. It all started when Levy invited Lucy to breakfast at her house the week after she was hired at Fairy Tail. The author had baked banana nut muffins and Gajeel had made biscuits. The food smelled delicious and Lucy's mouth was nearly watering when she had sat down at their breakfast nook. Her appetite and dreams of soft, buttery biscuits were shattered as soon as she took the first bite though. The muffins were charred and dry, crumbling in her hands. And the biscuits, they were rubbery. She still couldn't figure out how Gajeel's biscuits managed to acquire that texture. It was a baking mystery.

That morning, she helped them make apple cinnamon muffins and Levy quickly trashed the breakfast her and Gajeel had made. After that, Levy invited her over anytime they wanted dessert or a baked good for breakfast. She had made banana bread, swiss rolls, honey butter biscuits, apple crumble, and blueberry pie in Levy's spacious, fully-stocked kitchen. Her kitchen was sub par in comparison, so she jumped on every opportunity that Levy offered. In fact, she had just taught Levy how to make chocolate molten cake the night prior, since it was Gajeel's favorite. Lucy had learned how to bake from the various cooks and maids that worked at her family's estate. It was one of her favorite ways to pass the time as a child and the workers loved having her tiny, eager hands in the kitchen to help. She smiled softly, her gaze refocusing on Gray's hopeful stare.

"Yeah, of course I'll help you! We can bake at my place tomorrow if you want!" Lucy suggested and Gray beamed.

"Really?" He bounced energetically. She laughed, nodding as he smiled like a child on Christmas morning.

"Yeah, I jus-" Lucy's response was cut short when a basket of orange-red fries was placed in front of her. Her left brow quirked up as she sniffed at the odd appetizer. She had never seen fries like that at Fairy Tail.

"Ice Princess." Natsu nodded his chin towards Gray and he scowled in return.

"Pyro." He spat before turning back to Lucy. "Just message me, okay? We can figure it out. Thanks again." He patted her shoulder before slipping through the crowd. Lucy's head tilted slightly, watching him retreat from the bar. She turned back towards Natsu, who was too busy frowning at Gray's departure to notice her concern. He shook his head before pushing the fries towards her.

"So, no tots. I'll remember that next time. You've gotta try these though! They're of my own design. I call them spitfire fries!" He gave Lucy a toothy grin, lifting a fry and plopping it in his mouth. He munched away while Lucy studied the odd food. She sniffed, her nose burning from the heat of whatever spice and sauce combination he used. She pinched her nose and looked at his encouraging and hopeful smile. She gulped, plucking out the smallest fry and nibbling on it. The flavors burst on her tongue as she savored the spicy and smoky flavors. "You like 'em?" He leaned forward and Lucy nodded enthusiastically,

"How'd you do it?" She shoveled a handful into her mouth, finally acknowledging the hunger clawing at her empty stomach.

"A true chef never reveals his secret. I'll take that recipe to my grave." He stuck his tongue out before stepping away to help other customers. Lucy pondered the recipe components, letting the sauce and fries settle and soak in on her tongue. Maybe she could figure it out. She could at least figure out the basics and go through a trial and error process to figure out the rest. Maybe he used sriracha and barbecue? There was a hint of sweetness though, so it could be honey barbecue. Though, most honey-based sauces lacked the smoky flavor that lingered on her tongue. Perhaps he used a smoky salt, honey barbecue sauce, sriracha, and a hot wing sauce? It didn't really have a buffalo tang to it though, so it might be a different type of wing sauce. He could have used chili pepper and cumin as well for the spiced flavors. Lucy pondered this for a while, munching on the fries happily as she made a mental list of items to purchase at the store later. She startled as her fingers brushed onto the sauce-coated paper lining the plastic basket. She had eaten the entire order and yet, she was still hungry. The basket was pulled off the bar. A basket full of fresh, steaming fries replaced it and Lucy's eyes widened. "Figured you would still be hungry. I can make yah something else instead." Natsu offered with a smirk on his lips.

"Nope, these are perfect. Thank-you Natsu." She shoveled a few fries in her mouth and he chuckled.

"Any ideas yet?" He smirked, leaning against the wall of the bar as he crossed his arms over his chest. She blinked at him a few times, tilting her head as she wondered what exactly he was referring to. "The recipe."

"Whatever do you mean?" She spoke playfully between mouthfuls of the spicy heaven.

"Come on Luce. You've been sitting there, staring off into space the entire time. You're trying to figure out how I made them, it's obvious." He stuck his tongue out and she cursed herself for being so spacey. "Good luck. You'll need it." He chuckled again before slipping into the kitchen. Lucy finished her fries and dropped a few bills on the counter for Natsu. As an employee, her meals were free, but Natsu deserved the tip.

"Goodnight Natsu!" She shouted over the counter, hoping the bartender could hear her from the kitchen. She then said her goodbyes to the customers as she wandered towards the exit. A yawn escaped her lips before she said goodbye to her friends at the very last table. Levy was seated on Gajeel's lap as she attempted to feed him a bite of her salad. Juvia and Gray were seated across from them, talking with Wendy and Cana who had drifted over at some point in the night.

"Goodnight guys. Enjoy your night." Lucy stretched her arms before slipping on her coat by the door.

"Lu! We're still going shopping this weekend, right? There's a new boutique in town that I've been dying to search!" Levy shouted over the chatter of the table and Lucy nodded. She had purposefully set aside extra spending money this week for said shopping trip. Though she didn't really need anymore clothes, she was hoping to find a new dress and a more comfortable pair of shoes to wear at work. Being on her feet all day at the bar was starting to catch up to her, making her feet cramp up and ache on her days off.

"Of course. I'll meet you at the coffee shop around eight?" She wanted to double check their agreed meeting time and place.

"Nah, I'll just pick you up at eight! Gajeel doesn't need the car since he's working from home." She insisted and Lucy nodded.

"Okay, I will see you then! Don't forget to make room in your closet." She teased, hinting at Levy's overstuffed closet. She made a lot of public appearances for book signings and panels, so she had a variety of outfits. Levy stuck her tongue out at her while the others all said their goodbyes. Lucy gave one last wave before slipping out the door.

If her night consisted of scribbling down ten or so different sauce recipes to try in her journal along with an ingredient list, no one had to know.


The next morning, Lucy spent a few hours cleaning her apartment and pulling out the baking supplies shoved in various cabinets. When everything was set up, she made a quick omelette for breakfast and sent a message to Gray. She tossed her shoes into her closet, grateful that she had the day off and that she could spend it in her warmest pair of fuzzy socks. A smile blossomed on her lips as she pushed off from her counter, her feet gliding across the floor as she twirled. The socks were perfect for dancing on the tile. Her blonde locks whipped around her as she continued twirling around the kitchen table. A knock at the door startled her, her foot slipping out from under her as she fell backwards. She yelped as her butt smacked against the floor. She huffed in annoyance, her bangs settling in front of her face.

"Come in!" She called, groaning as she tried to push herself to her feet. Her bottom was aching and she knew there was going to be a bruise there. The front door clicked open and shut again as Gray stepped into the apartment.

"Lucy? You okay?" His eyes were wide as he stood in the kitchen, a small jar in his hands. He placed it on the counter and reached forward to help her up. Once she was steadied on her feet, she laughed at herself.

"Yep, I'm fine. I just slipped. It's nothing. Whatcha bring?" She peaked over his shoulder, studying the mason jar. Gray turned to look at the jar as well and shrugged.

"No idea. It was on your steps when I got here. There's a note on the side, I think." He stepped around Lucy, eyes glazing over as he took in the abundance of cooking supplies lining the counter. Lucy picked up the jar to examine it, noting the dark gray, sparkling color of the crystals. She plucked the note off the side and unfolded the paper. It was written in a messy, cursive script and she smiled softly as she read it.

Luce,

I decided to throw you a bone. Taste a bit before continuing your quest to solve the mystery of the spitfire fries. I'm off tonight, but I'll be around Fairy Tail if you figure it out.

Natsu

P.S. Don't use too much. The stuff is overpowering.

Her curiosity was overwhelming and she twisted the jar open, dabbing the tip of her finger in. She placed it in her mouth, savoring the flavor of the salt crystals as they dissolved on her tongue. It left a smoky flavor lingering on her taste buds and she chuckled. It wasn't barbecue at all. It was actually smoked salt. This was his ace in the hole, why would he give this one up?

"Got a secret admirer or something?" Gray finally came out of his daze and locked his curious stare on Lucy.

"More towards the something." She laughed and flipped open her recipe book to the blueberry banana cake. It was her favorite growing up and she hoped Juvia would enjoy it as well. Juvia always seemed to lean towards fruity flavors, rather than chocolate or overly-sweet alternatives. It was a solid option. "So I have a few options for you. We can make this blueberry banana cake with cream cheese frosting or I have a blueberry lemon cake recipe as well. We could do something with strawberries or vanilla, even blackberry if we want to step it up even more. I should have all the ingredients for those options." Lucy went through the other options as Gray stared at the open book.

"Let's just do this one. It sounds great and Juvia loves blueberries." He nodded and Lucy internally cheered. She stepped away to grab the ingredients, but Gray grabbed her arm. "Hold on a second. What do you mean by something? Is someone from the bar trying to get with you or is someone bothering you?" He inquired and Lucy blinked at him in surprise.

"No, it's nothing like that." She assured him, freeing her arm before grabbing the over-sized bag of flour.

"Then who's it from?" He pushed on and Lucy sighed. He wasn't going to drop it.

"The salt is from Natsu so I can recreate his fry recipe. He said I couldn't do it and I told him I was going to prove him wrong. He decided to give me a hint. Happy now?" She rolled her eyes and pulled the ripe bananas from the side counter and the blueberries from her freezer.

"Flamebrain? Really Lucy?" He groaned, turning to grab the other dry ingredients from the mess of things on the counter. Lucy frowned, placing the eggs next to the bowl.

"Am I not allowed to be friends with Natsu or something? What's your deal with him anyway? It seems like you guys are always at each other's throat." She grumbled and Gray sighed.

"It's not that. When he first moved here, we got along fairly well. Erza was still here at that time. She's a very strong-willed and intimidating person. I grew up with her though, so we were fairly close. She found Natsu intriguing, so she sought out his friendship and dragged me along with her. He ended up helping Erza and I with a lot of side jobs we had, but there was something off-putting about him. It seemed like he was maintaining a facade of the sorts, but I couldn't ever figure it out. About two years later, Erza left on a job with someone she knew from childhood. Natsu and I tended to argue a lot, so we spent less time together. It was fine, until Wendy and Gajeel got here. It was like Natsu became a completely different person. He distanced himself from everyone except them. When Gajeel started seeing Levy, he lightened up a bit, but it still wasn't the same. We hung out a few more times, but then our friendship fizzled out. He actively avoids friendships, yet with you, it looks like he's trying to build one." He seemed deeply troubled by this fact and Lucy frowned again.

"Why are you telling me this Gray?" She preheated the oven and prepared the cake pans with grease and parchment paper as she spoke.

"I don't want to see you get hurt, okay? You're my friend." He sighed, shoulders slumping as Lucy handed him the recipe book.

"I trust Natsu. Whatever happened in the past that made your relationship rocky, I am sorry about, but he's been nothing but kind to me. I'm not going to distance myself from him." She retorted and he nodded, glancing away. "Now come on. This cake isn't going to bake itself and we have to make sure we follow the steps exactly. We have to focus." Of course, that focus turned into a flour fight, fishing for egg shells when Gray hit them against the bowl too hard, and losing blueberries under the stove when attempting to flour them.

"Why do we have to coat them in flour? They're going into a mixture that has flour already." Gray groaned as another blueberry shot out of his fingers and under the stove.

"It's to keep them from sinking in the cake within each layer. Someone has butter fingers." She giggled, coating the rest of the blueberries and folding them carefully into the batter.

"They're just so tiny and slippery because they're frozen." He grumbled before helping her spread the batter evenly in each pan. While the cake layers baked, they worked on the cream cheese icing. Lucy preferred to make it from scratch, so that's what they did. After that, she had Gray help her make classic chocolate chip cookies. Though she didn't have time to attempt making the spitfire fries, she could at least bring Natsu something later. She laid the cookies out on baking sheets and sprinkled the smoked salt on each cookie. When the cakes were done, she swapped them out with the cookies and Gray set the cakes on cooling racks. While they cooled, the pair planned out the decorations, drawing out flower designs they could make with the blue icing Lucy found in her pantry. After Gray nearly dumped the entire bowl of icing, Lucy decorated the cake while Gray provided moral support. When everything was done, she set the layer cake in a container for Gray to take with him to Juvia's. He thanked her profusely, in awe of the dessert they had baked.

"She's going to love it. You can thank me later, after she tries it and gushes over it. Go get her tiger!" Lucy ushered him out the door before he could chicken out or second guess his plan of a fancy dinner and dessert at his place. Juvia was going to love whatever he decided on, so there was no sense in worrying about it now. Lucy piled the cookies into a tin and pulled on her boots over her fuzzy socks. She wasn't about to take them off just to see Natsu at Fairy Tail. After twirling a scarf around her neck and slipping on her coat, she made her way to Fairy Tail, tin of cookies in hand. The sun was just beginning to set as she pushed through the large, wooden doors.

"Lucy! What are you doing here on your day off? I thought you were helping Gray today!" Wendy bounced over to her, curiosity in her sparkling eyes.

"Gray left with a beautiful cake for Juvia and I came to find Natsu. Have you seen him?" She inquired and Wendy nodded.

"He's out back by the weeping willow! It's his thinking tree." Wendy smiled brightly before saying her goodbyes and dropping down at a table with a younger boy. Lucy made her way through the bar, dodging familiar faces that could throw her off track. She managed to slip through the backdoor undetected. When she reached the small courtyard, her eyes fell on the weeping willow, towering over the building. Her gaze took in the scenery before settling on Natsu, who had his back against the trunk of the tree with his eyes shut. The branches arched over him, the leaves shielding most of his body from the bar. If she didn't know he was there already, she would've missed him. She made her way towards him and his nose twitched when she was a few feet away.

"Heya Luce." A soft smile touched his lips as his eyes blinked open to settle on her. She smiled widely, dropping down to sit across from him. When she hit the ground, she cringed, her bottom still aching from the fall earlier. "Are you okay?" He leaned forward, brow furrowed as she waved him off quickly.

"I'm fine. I fell earlier in my kitchen so my bottom is still a bit sore. It's not a big deal." She assured him, the warmth on her cheeks frustrating her.

"How'd you fall?" His brow quirked up and she sighed, already knowing that she couldn't lie to him.

"I was dancing around my kitchen because my socks glide nicely on the tile and when Gray knocked on my door, it scared me and I slipped." Natsu took in the words, processing them before he cackled, clutching his stomach as his head leaned back. Tears welled in his eyes and Lucy huffed, pulling her gaze from him.

"That's amazing." He managed to say between cackles. He wiped the tears from the corners of his eyes. "What's in the tin?" His attention was drawn elsewhere and Lucy was grateful for that.

"I made these for you." She smiled, opening the tin and placing it on his lap. He studied the cookies, eyes wide.

"You made these for me? Why?" Lucy didn't really know how to answer that question. Because she felt like it? Because he was her best friend and she wanted to make him happy? The smoked salt was an interesting baking opportunity that she didn't want to pass up? She wanted something to show him since she couldn't make the fries tonight? All were viable answers and held truth.

"I just wanted to make you something." That's what she settled on and she added a shrug for good measure. Natsu's rosy cheeks and neck threw her off and he angled his face down. He picked one of the bigger cookies and bit into it carefully. He savored the flavors on his tongue before meeting Lucy's gaze of anticipation. His eyes were bright as a smile broke out on his lips.

"You put the smoked salt on the cookies. These are amazing Luce. You have to teach me how to make these." He insisted, finishing the cookie in a single bite. He dug in for more and Lucy laughed.

"Nope, I'm taking that recipe to my grave. Sorry, not sorry." She shrugged, sticking her tongue out at him. His face fell, jaw dropping open.

"Noooo. Come on, don't be like that." He responded and she shook her head.

"It's my secret recipe." She continued and he snapped his jaw shut, pondering something for a moment.

"We can trade." He insisted.

"Trade?"

"Your cookie recipe for my spitfire fries recipe. Deal?" He extended his hand with a stern gaze.

"Really? That's all it took? Cookies?" She was baffled.

"Not just any cookies. Magical, melt in your mouth cookies. Really, now shake on it." He pushed his hand forward and she grabbed it eagerly. They spent a few hours discussing both recipes and Natsu finished the tin of cookies. With a promise of more cookies soon, they eventually went their separate ways. And just like that, the mystery of the spitfire fries was solved. Lucy was going to be able to sleep easier tonight.