A/N: This one goes out to my amazing friend, lucielhyung! Happy Birthday! \(^o^)/Hope you have a great one & enjoy some fluff with the otps!
Natsu's filling a latte order with warm milk when the bell on the door rings and he first sees the golden-haired goddess walking into the coffee shop where he works.
She's smiling a bright, glowing smile, talking on her phone softly, and making her way to a table in the corner.
The sun is reflecting off her hair perfectly where she sits by the window, which is cascading in light golden waves over her shoulder, rays are also catching her warm chocolate eyes just right and-
"Natsu!"
A nudge on his shoulder and an urged whisper breaks his trance. The cup was overflowing, milk spilling onto the counter.
"S-Shit, sorry," Natsu murmurs, giving Rebecca -his younger co-worker and friend- a sheepish smile, starting to clean off the counter.
"Is everything okay?" Rebecca asks, catching some concern in her voice.
Natsu tries to clear his throat. "Y-Yeah, all good!" he says much too quickly, heat starting to crawl up his neck before he goes to set the order in front of the customer.
He knows Rebecca catches his not so subtle glances at the beauty by the window when her blue eyes turn amused with a sly smirk on her lips.
"Oh? This is a first, someone caught your attention?" Rebecca teases, leaning against the counter.
It's a slow mid-morning today, which Natsu is thankful for. Less risk of people seeing him unnerved like this
Though Rebecca is right, this rarely happens to him, if at all. What's happening to him?
"Mm, whatever," Natsu mumbles, finishing cleaning off the counter and ringing out the towels in the sink and washing off his hands.
"Yes, whatever you say," Rebecca sing says, heading towards the back.
Natsu shakes his head in amusement, leaning against the counter and laughing softly. He looks up, catching the blonde's gaze already looking at him. He almost chokes on the breath in his throat at the small smile she gives him, hoping the one he gave back to her seemed like he had a brain.
He hopes the damn flush he could feel on his ears wasn't too noticeable either.
Rebecca interrupts his racing thoughts when she comes back from the backroom with a tray of fresh pastries. "Ah, I can't wait for lunch. These new chocolate chip cookies are calling my name." She practically drools as she looks over them.
Natsu snorts, setting up a new row of clean cups. "Like you didn't already have a whole tray at your break."
Rebecca sets them under the food glass. "You can't say that when I know you had just as many as I did," she smirks, "thought I wouldn't notice the-"
The soft ring of the bell on the door interrupts her words.
A new customer walks in. A young guy, seemingly around his age or maybe younger. Tall, dark hair, big smile.
Natsu looks over, catching Rebecca's very interested glances at this new customer, similar to the ones she was just teasing him for a few moments ago. He fails to smother his fanged smirk at the thought.
"Oh? Someone caught your attention?" Natsu teasingly repeats her words from earlier.
Rebecca snaps out of her gaze, eyes wide and pink quickly spreading across her cheeks. "N-No… what gave you that idea," she huffs, pushing some loose strands of her hair back behind her ear that had fallen from her bun.
"Lucy! Sorry I'm late!" Natsu overhears the new guy say, catching them pulling their phones down from their ears and giving the gorgeous mystery woman -or Lucy?- a hug.
Maybe that's who she was talking to earlier. Boyfriend maybe? Damn.
Wait, what was he doing anyway? She was probably here to enjoy her day and would surely not appreciate him having these kinds of thoughts.
Natsu tries to distract himself by cleaning up more, Rebecca chatting with him about their new schedules this semester.
Soon enough, he catches movement. The dark-haired guy was walking up to them, wide smile still on his face.
"You can take this one," he whispers to Rebecca with a smirk. She didn't have time to refuse but sent him a quick look that promised he would be in for it later, making him smother his laugh.
"Hey! How are you guys?" The new guy greeted cheerfully when he got up to the counter.
Natsu sees Rebecca's hands fidgeting with her apron beneath the counter and he tries to smother his smirk.
"Good morning, doing good thank you!" Rebecca manages to get the words out smoothly with a bright smile of her own. "What can I get you?"
The guy runs a hand through his hair, cheeks flushing a bit. "Y-Yeah uh, can I get a chai tea latte and um, a vanilla mocha for my friend Lucy? Shiki is me, I mean that's my name," he laughs roughly.
Oh? He seems to have lost a bit of his energetic confidence. Maybe it wasn't just Rebecca after all.
Rebecca doesn't seem to notice his flustered expression though as she wrote down his order. "Of course! Anything to eat?
"Oh! Hmm."
"They whipped up these amazing new cookies in the back today and are definitely worth it," Rebecca grinned.
The guy's -or Shiki's- bright smile came back quickly. "That does sound amazing, sure I'll take a couple!"
They chatted a bit more while Natsu started getting things together for their drinks, taking a little extra time on Lucy's drink. He smiles as he adds a little cat design to the top of the foam. Hopefully she likes cats? Would this be too much?
Oh well, here goes nothing, he thought.
Natsu takes a deep breath and walks over to them with a tray.
"Alright, one chai and one vanilla," Natsu says, "and threw in a couple extra cookies for ya," Natsu grins as he sets down the cups and plate of goodies in front of them.
"Oh, this looks awesome, thanks!" Shiki says cheerfully.
Natsu enjoys the way Lucy's eyes brighten when she saw the design on her drink. "That's so cute! Thank you…" Lucy looks up to search his chest.
Natsu glances to where she's looking, of course he forgot his name tag today. "Oh! The name's Natsu," he grins widely, smoothing a hand over the pocket of the apron on his chest.
"T-Thank you, Natsu." He sees a soft blush spreads over her cheeks as she catches his gaze again and gives him a radiant smile that makes him almost forget the name he just said.
"No problem," Natsu manages, rubbing the back of his neck, "um, hope you guys enjoy!"
He takes another deep breath when he's back behind the counter.
"You're so smooth," Rebecca smirks.
"Shut up," Natsu grumbles, "like you're one to talk, 'I can't even look him in the eye'."
He laughs at Rebecca's stubborn pout. She was too fun to tease sometimes.
"I can't help it, he's just so cute," she admits with a sigh, "I can't even think straight with that smile he has."
Natsu laughs again at that. Yeah, they were pretty much in the same boat there.
Natsu had been in the backroom when Lucy and Shiki had left that day. Sad at the thought of possibly never seeing Lucy again after that, but he was happily surprised when Lucy and Shiki quickly became regulars at the shop.
Sometimes they'd come in together, sometimes on their own, but each time she came in and Natsu saw Lucy's brilliant smile that lit up her eyes, he fell for her a little bit more.
They'd all gotten to talking a bit and found that they went to college here in Magnolia too. Lucy was transferring here and Shiki had just started and they were trying to navigate the new town after they'd gone to high school together back in Crocus.
Natsu and Rebecca eagerly offered to show them around town and the college. Shiki's happy, energetic energy was contagious and Natsu was all too happy to spend more time with Lucy.
Rebecca and Shiki had become fast friends too and soon were always going off on their own around town more often than not. Which Natsu joyfully teased her about whenever they had a shift together and she insisted her and Shiki were 'just friends'. But even he could tell, it was leading somewhere good.
Natsu's at the register this morning when the bell on the door sounds and he sees Lucy walking in, igniting the butterflies in his stomach again.
"Hi, Natsu," Lucy greets him brightly when she gets up to the counter.
"Mornin', Luce!" Natsu grins widely, setting down the cup he was cleaning, "The usual?"
He'd let the nickname slip one day and after she reassured him that she liked it, the name became a natural thing off his tongue.
His chest warms at the sound of her soft laugh. "You know me so well, yes please."
Natsu tells the order to Rebecca before turning back. "Hey, I'm gonna be on break right now, mind if I join you?" Natsu asks, a warm flush crawling up his neck. He hadn't seen her in a few days and wouldn't hurt to catch up right?
"Oh yeah, of course," she smiles warmly. Lucy pays and then they make their way over to her usual spot by the window.
Natsu hands her one of the big cookies he grabbed. "For you."
Lucy giggles. "Why, thank you."
Rebecca soon brings over Lucy's order. "Alright, one 'Lucy special' for Natsu's favorite customer," she smirks, setting the large cup in front of Lucy and sending him a quick wink before, handing him some of the tea he likes.
Natsu's flush quickly reaches his ears. "B-Becca!"
"Feel free to take a long break, Natsu. Enjoy!" Rebecca smiles at them over her shoulder, going back behind the counter.
Dammit, of course she would.
Natsu groans a bit. "S-Sorry, Luce," he says, dragging a hand through his hair.
"It's okay," Lucy laughs, "the drinks are one of the main drinks I come in here for anyway."
Natsu catches the teasing gleam in her eyes and her smile. He gasps dramatically, placing a hand over his chest. "You wound me, Luce. After all our mornings together."
"Well... maybe I do come in to see my favorite barista too." Lucy smiles at him behind her cup after taking a sip.
The back of his neck flushes as he breathes out a laugh. "Glad to see I'm still appreciated."
"Always," she laughs softly. Lucy's bright chocolate eyes are warm, with a hint of something more he couldn't place.
He can't help but drink in the sight of her in front of him. The way her golden hair shines in the morning light and flows over her shoulder from her ponytail, the soft quirk of her plush lips, the flecks of amber in her eyes. She's even more beautiful on the inside the more he got to know her over the past few months. Her kindness, generosity, the amazing way she just always sees the good in everyone, and so much more, always shines through brightly and he couldn't help but fall.
Warmth and affection blooms in his chest, so strongly it makes his heart ache and he can't push his bubbling feelings down and suddenly words are tumbling from his throat before he realizes it.
"Luce… there's been something I've been wanting to tell you…"
Here goes nothing.
