I had trouble writing this part. The story I'm reading right now got very angsty recently and I had trouble working around that. I have a tendency to get pretty caught up in my reading so it sometimes gets in the way of my writing. I hope I managed to keep a lid on it enough- my goal was have some fun in this one. I've got a surplus of fun times coming up for their trip together, and a lot of NaLu time, so bear with me in the meantime.
As always, thanks for the love, and happy reading!
Lucy tossed the cans in her hand into the cart before moving again. "Let's see. Next we need rice."
"What kind?" Natsu asked looking over her shoulder at her list.
"Well, I prefer the minute rice, but you might prefer the other stuff. We'd have to get a rice cooker, though, if we went that route. It's up to you, Mr. Chef."
Natsu chuckled. "I guess let's get the minute rice then. I'll have to look into it later." Lucy nodded as she grabbed the box and moved on again. "So, any reason you wanted to go grocery shopping?"
Lucy glanced at him over her shoulder. "Is it really so weird that I want to stock up on food?"
"No, but you haven't done it since I showed up. Usually I go out and do the shopping while you're at work or something." When she paused, he nearly ran into her, not expecting it. When he leaned forward to look at her, she was staring into space somewhere ahead of herself. "Lucy?"
"I never even realized," she said, starting forward again. "I can't believe I didn't notice. I wouldn't even be out now if I didn't need to pick out out a turkey. Crazy…"
As they entered the baking aisle, Natsu lit up. As they passed through, Natsu quietly snatched a bag of marshmallows from the shelf, carefully keeping it out of sight. As they passed the right section, he spoke up again. "I think we're low on sugar," he said.
"Are we? Hmm." Lucy looked around, then took a few steps back towards the correct shelf. As she did, he quickly hid the bag of marshmallows in the cart. He turned and pretended like he was studying the shelves as she added the bag to the cart. She leaned around him to figure out what he was looking at. "Do you want pudding?"
Natsu blinked. "What's pudding?"
"Creamy, sugary deliciousness," she said seriously, grabbing a chocolate mix from in front of him and tossing it in the cart. "We're going to start you off with the best one first, and then you can try the others. Ooo, and we need this."
Natsu frowned as he read the box she held out to him. "Hot chocolate?"
"Yeah. It's a drink that's really good for this time of year. Plus, it will go nicely with that bag of marshmallows you think I didn't see you grab." To help make her point, she set the box of hot chocolate mix right on top of the mostly hidden bag. She smiled to herself when she saw him blush as he looked away from her. "What I don't get is how you know what marshmallows are but don't know about pudding and hot chocolate. They're in the same aisle, how have you not seen them?"
"Well, I know what marshmallows are because it was one of the few things that survived Happy's kitchen raid the first night we were here, and I don't know what the other things are because I usually just get what I need and leave."
"That doesn't fit in very well with your 'explore everything' plan."
He shrugged. "I'm learning what I need to when I need to."
She squinted at him. "How can food not be a priority for you?" When he only shrugged again, she decided to let it go for the moment before asking about something that had been bothering her.
"How do you pay for groceries? I remember you saying that you can't just magic up money, and I know I haven't given you any." Lucy kept her voice low while they shopped, choosing to remain silent when they passed by the other customers.
Natsu avoided looking at her as he moved to look at the spices, mumbling under his breath. He grabbed a couple jars and put them in the cart before looking at her again. She was leaning against the cart, eyebrow raised expectantly. He flushed a little as he rubbed the back of his neck. "It's not important," he finally said.
Her eyes narrowed. "Are you stealing food from the store to feed us?"
"No," he answered, "but I can't tell you how I get it."
"Why?"
"It's a demon thing."
Annoyance pricked at the edges of her mind. "You have no problem telling me about your 'dragon things,'" she said, making the motions with her fingers. She closed her mouth and began to walk again as an older couple entered the aisle. When they finally made it into the next aisle, which was empty, she continued. "Why can't you tell me about your demon thing?"
"Demons are even more secretive than dragons, and that's saying something." He raised his hand to stop her from commenting. "Most dragons are very secretive, I was just raised by one that's more loose lipped with those he cares about or trusts. That's not to say we'd share the location of our hoards or anything like that, but I'm more willing to answer questions than other demons."
Lucy briefly wondered which of the two categories she fell into, care or trust, before deciding to address another question she had. "That reminds me, I wanted to ask about Wendy. What's the story with her? She's even nicer than you, so there's no way she's a full blooded demon, right?"
Natsu grinned. "You think I'm nice?"
Lucy blinked at him a few times as she stopped again. "Why do you sound so surprised?"
He shrugged, grabbing the box she couldn't quite reach on the top shelf. "It's just not something I hear very often."
Lucy grinned at the embarrassed look on his face. "Well I think you are. Try not to get a big head over it," she teased, "and answer my question.
"Well, Wendy is about three quarters dragon and one quarter demon. She's from a race known as Sky Maidens. In the demon world, they're the nicest beings you'll ever meet. Plus, she is also one of the very few beings in our world that was raised by a dragon. While Igneel's magic revolves around fire, her mother, Grandeeney, is a sky dragon and her magic deals with wind. It mixes really well with Wendy's Sky Maiden blood, so she's really strong, even though she's young for a demon."
"How old is she?"
"Way younger than me," he answered as he eagerly moved towards the hot sauce section. Lucy giggled quietly as she watched him study the bottles as though he were making a life or death decision. He pulled down one bottle of every kind on the shelf, sometimes holding two to compare, muttering under his breath the entire time.
After a couple minutes, Lucy sighed. "I'm going to keep going. Come join me when you're done." Natsu made a noise in his throat which she took to mean he'd heard her and moved on to the next aisle. She made it through two more aisles quietly, spending some time at the tea wall when she saw a couple shelves with new flavors. She was so engrossed in what she was doing, she didn't notice someone was approaching until a pair of arms was thrown around her.
Lucy jumped. "Natsu, what are you-"
"LULU!"
Her stomach plummeted as she tried to wrestle herself from the man's grip. When she eventually managed to pull away, she moved so that her cart was between her and the newcomer. "Hello, Dan."
Dan Straight, ladies man, self proclaimed poet and scum of the earth, pouted at her as he held his arms out to her. "Aw, come on Lulu, it's been so long since we've seen each other! Come give me a proper hug."
The thought of choosing to touch him made her skin itch. "I'd rather not, Dan, if that's okay."
"You're no fun at all." He leaned heavily onto her cart and hooked a foot around one of the wheels, making it impossible for Lucy to go anywhere. "Tell me, Lulu, where have you been? You said you'd call me back, but I haven't heard from you in weeks! I missed you."
She had done no such thing, but chose not to point out his lie. "Sorry Dan, I've been busy with work and other things lately." Lucy swallowed, willing Natsu to show up and scare the man off.
"It's never good to spend too much time on your work, Lulu. You need time to relax! I can help with that," he said with a smile. "What do you say? Wanna go out with me next weekend?"
"Uh, I can't, sorry, I have plans."
"I'm available this week, too, if you'd prefer to go on a weekday."
Briefly Lucy considered summoning Natsu with the mark on her side. Don't overreact, you can handle this. "I can't do that either. I've got plans with my friends, and I have to get the apartment cleaned up before the holidays. I'm sorry."
Dan reached forward, grabbing her hand before she could pull away. "Lulu," he said seriously, his eyebrows drawn together. "You need to relax. Have some we time-"
"Don't you mean 'me' time?"
"-and go on a date with me. I won't take no for an answer!"
"I'm sorry, but that's the only answer I have," Lucy said, tugging on her hand. His grip was just hard enough to keep her from escaping but soft enough to not hurt her.
"Why do you ignore the feelings I have for you, Lulu? My soul yearns for you, my body begs for your touch, my heart beats only in anticipation of seeing you again!"
"I'm really sorry, Dan, but I just don't have time right now."
Dan leaned forward, his expression serious again. "Lulu, are you seeing someone else?"
Lucy opened her mouth, but as she saw Natsu enter the aisle they were in, she changed course. "Yes, actually, and we're an exclusive thing, sorry."
Dan pulled back and put a hand to his heart. "Oh cruel fate, why?! Lulu, I demand to know what I can do to earn another chance at your heart."
"Uh, well, there isn't anything. I, uh, I'm pretty committed." Lucy hated lying, but she perked up at her next words. "We're even living together!" Ha! That's not a lie!
Dan's hand loosened a little as his mouth fell open. Lucy took her opportunity to yank her hand away and move past him towards Natsu. The demon looked confused as she reached him, but before he could say anything, she grabbed his hand and wrapped it around her wrist, just like he did when he needed to read her without alerting anyone.
"I'm glad you're back!" She spoke loud enough Dan could hear her, while also pleading with her eyes for Natsu to understand what she wanted. "I want you to meet someone! Go with it," she whispered as she turned back to Dan, forcing all of her memories of the man to the front of her mind for Natsu to see, tacking on the idea she'd had. "Natsu, this is Dan Straight, an acquaintance of mine. Dan, this is Natsu Dragneel, my boyfriend."
To Natsu's credit, his expression gave nothing away as he quickly read Lucy and the situation so he could act accordingly. "It's nice to meet you, Dan," he said, putting his arm around Lucy's shoulder's. "I'm sorry, I don't recall Lucy ever mentioning you. How do you two know each other?"
Lucy swallowed her smile at the jab as Dan's face fell. "Lulu never even mentioned me?" He perked up. "Well that's to be expected, I guess. We did have a pretty amazing night together a couple months ago. I imagine it would be difficult to keep from comparing us if she thought about me while she was with you, and Lucy wouldn't want to hurt your feelings."
Lucy's face instantly turned red, and Natsu felt that it was from both anger and embarrassment at Dan's suggestion. "Unfortunately, I think you may be wrong, Dan. Being the best boyfriend she's ever had is only one of the things she's said I excel at."
Dan finally straightened up and let go of her cart. "Is that so?"
Natsu nodded, squeezing Lucy's shoulder to reassure her. "I'm afraid so. I'm not one to kiss and tell, but I do know there isn't a thing I've done that wasn't better than any other boyfriend or date she's had." He cocked his head to the side. "What did she tell you that you were the best at?"
Dan's face turned red. He cleared his throat and he started to walk passed them. "Lulu, I think it would be a good idea if we spent some time away from each other. Someday we can see eachother again, but I don't think it's a good idea right now." With that, he left the aisle without so much as a glance behind them.
Lucy's entire body felt warm, warmer than it should from just being pressed up against Natsu's side. When he'd been talking to Dan, she'd found herself in the strange position of being fought over. Even if it hadn't been real for Natsu, the way he'd spoken had put images in her head that she wasn't comfortable seeing. His implications that he was the best boyfriend, the best kisser, the… best that she'd ever had, had sparked a longing that she was having trouble shaking.
Lucy was no prude. She'd been on dates, she'd kissed guys, she'd even had sex twice, although neither time had been stellar. Her boyfriend at the time had been a great guy and they'd been together for two years before they finally did the deed. After the second time, they'd agreed they lacked the spark to make it work between them and broken up. A few months later, he'd figured out he was gay. She'd taken to keeping herself satisfied over the last couple years because she had trouble imagining herself sleeping with any of the guys she'd dated since then.
With Natsu, however, his words easily painted that picture for her. It wasn't difficult at all to envision herself going on dates with him. She could see them holding hands as they went to a movie together. She could see them laughing together as they went out to eat. She could see them cuddled up on her couch. She could see them kissing, her hands digging into his hair as his hands ran up her sides under her shirt. She could see them in her bedroom, removing their clothes…
"Luce? Something wrong? You feel warmer than usual."
Lucy's face heated up even more. "Yeah! Yeah, I'm fine! Sorry. I, uh, I think it's from being so close to you. You're like a living, breathing furnace."
He immediately dropped his arm. "Sorry about that. I hope I did that okay?"
Lucy's imagination ran wildly through the images she'd unconsciously created as her mouth went dry. "D-did what okay?"
"Took care of that Dan guy. You didn't give me specifics, just shouted 'get rid of him' with something vague about him thinking we were together."
"Oh!" Lucy moved forward to grab the cart and hide her face from Natsu. Get your shit together, Lucy! "Yeah, that was fine. Hopefully it sticks and he'll leave me alone for good."
Natsu followed behind her as they moved to the next aisle. "Your friends are right. You really are terrible at just telling men no."
I wouldn't tell you no. She stopped at the end of the aisle, laying down her head on her fists. Lucy squeezed the cart's handle so hard it made her joints hurt, hoping the sting would distract her thoughts enough that she could get her mind back on track. When Natsu asked if she was okay, she waved him off, telling him she needed a minute.
He didn't say anymore, just walked farther down the aisle as she focused on getting herself together. She was absolutely, positively, definitely not having dirty thoughts about her contracted, demon roommate. Nope, never. Deep breath, Lucy. Get your act together.
After a minute or so, she felt better. When she stood up again, Natsu was walking back towards her with a bag of spicy Cheetos. Lucy smiled up at him, ready to get their conversation back on track and thank him for dealing with Dan so they could discuss what they were going to have for dinner. As she did, she noticed that he'd rolled his sleeves up to his elbows again. Rolled up sleeves on a dress shirt were one of Lucy's favorite looks on men. Through in a vest or an undone button or two, and it was over for her.
He was only wearing a red long sleeved shirt, but it was one that had two buttons at the top, and they were peaking out beneath his scarf. Lucy tilted her head and regretted the action instantly- the buttons were definitely undone. She couldn't stop herself from looking him up and down as her body heated up again. He gave her a huge smile as he approached her. "Look at these, Luce! They're crunchy, they're cheesy, and they're hot! I bet they're amazing!"
Lucy had surely swallowed her tongue. Why was he so freaking hot when he was excited and smiling like that? Why did she think he was hot at all? Was it because she had been thinking about sex? It had been a while since she'd taken care of herself… When Lucy looked down at his arms again, she was almost certain she felt steam come out of her ears. As soon as he dropped the bag in the cart, she swung the cart around and headed for the frozen section, not even looking to see if he was following.
She needed to cool off. Now.
