notes: guys thank you ever so much for all of the feedback, it made me a smiley lunatic, really.
"What. The frickety frackety. Hell. Was. That."
"Um?"
"That was wrong. So wrong. Everything in the world is wrong!"
"Hey," Levy said, twirling a finger around a blue lock of hair, "are you beefing about my haircut, or the...whole Natsu ignoring you thing? 'Cause screw you, the haircut's cute—"
"Of course it's cute, Levy, you're always cute, you're gorgeous, you could wear a garbage bag and still look like a goddamn magical pixie elf. It's him. He's wrong." Lucy's scowl blared hate like a megaphone. "I just don't get it. Like, did I do something? Is he pissed? Is he just stoned?"
With a placating tone, Levy unballed Lucy's fists and said, "Okay. Hon. Natsu doesn't do drugs. And he likes you, you know he does. He said 'I like you' about a billion times."
The scowl stayed put.
Lucy knew it seemed like she was overreacting, but it's just that... she was so sure of him that morning, so excited. So convinced that everything was perfect.
And at first, everything was. Her outfit, black converse, black jeans and a tight black hoodie, hugged and skimmed and made her look like the hottest goth chick on the block. For once her hair played nice. Even her teeth sparkled after five minutes of maniacal brushing.
Because oral hygiene matters, okay? Not because of...of any thoughts relating to kissing, or any other lip touching, or in fact anything at all to do with Natsu's mouth.
Natsu's cute, pink, ever-so-kissable mouth.
That she was so not thinking about.
Anyways, she'd been practically skipping through the halls, involuntarily scanning for spiky pink hair, before crashing, breathless, to a stop in front of the library. Pink hair had been sighted by the library doors. Natsu stood with his foot tucked against the wall, all in black, with earbuds looped around his (endearingly large?) ears. The book he held had a skull on the cover. (It looked like poetry. Depressing poetry. God that was sort of adorable, in a really strange way.)
Think of calm things, Lucy. Waterfalls. Rocks. Buddha. Yoga poses.
...I don't know any yoga poses. Or only the funny ones that sound dirty.
I am so not getting calm.
Calm or not, though, Lucy steeled herself. Running her fingers through her hair—which stayed smooth, praise Buddha—she walked up to him and said, "Hi." Then, "So. Good book? Looks super cheery, huh?"
Natsu was so startled he almost dropped the book.
Eyes wide with surprise, he took in Lucy's—most likely super nervous—face. Then her boobs. Down to her pale hands. Further down to her black-jean-covered legs. He made a soft hum, the kind suggesting some kind of conversation will follow...
...before unexpectedly shoving his book in his bag and turning away from her. No warning. Just like that. He didn't smile apologetically, or nod, or even glare at her or scowl. Not a single word. He was simply there one moment, and then...gone.
Lucy stared after him, dumbfounded.
She was still standing there when Levy found her. Silent for a few seconds after Levy asked what happened. Mouth closed, eyes wide and stunned—like a kitten who'd just ran into a windowpane. She stood until the bell rang, whereupon Levy, discovering some superhuman strength, managed to tow Lucy all the way to first period and maneuver her into her desk.
There Levy reluctantly left her, mechanically taking out her notebooks with a glazed look on her face.
Three periods into the day, Lucy's shock ebbed. Transmuted, at first, into a confused anger. Later, all she could feel was beyond pissed off with herself.
What was she thinking, imagining Natsu liked her? Picturing smoothie dates, movies, Homecoming proposals? Seriously. Homecoming? She didn't even go her freshman year. Levy went—with Gajeel Redfox, no less—and wound up moping miserably in the bathroom half the night. Levy ranted later that everything sucked: the food, her date, the crowded dance floor. Like hell she wanted to go to Homecoming.
Especially with Natsu. Who stunk. Who was a stinky, awful boy.
"With terrible breath," Levy added, "weird hair, and appalling taste in girls...not appreciating how badass and beautiful you are... We'll burn down his house or graffiti his locker or something positively evil, okay? Promise."
"Yeah," Lucy said halfheartedly. (Natsu's breath smelled like mint.)
"You are so amazing, Lu. You know? You're pretty and smart and he's a loser who's too dumb to figure out what he just missed out on. You can totally get anything you want, or anyone you want. So who needs that bastard when you have me, and I'm so fabulous?"
Lucy wrapped an arm around her friend and said, accurately, "Levy McGarden, you're the only love of my life I'm ever gonna need."
"Of course. We'll get married and adopt six babies and four cats."
Lucy laughed.
"You did mention a cat, didn't you?" Levy said.
"Instead of a boyfriend."
"Well I was wrong. Screw boyfriends. Embrace cats."
"So..." Lucy rubbed her chin, "...we're a lesbian couple now?"
"Madly in love. You'll publish Lucy's Work in Progress, get super famous and support the whole family. I'll stay home and feed the cats."
"And the kids," Lucy pointed out. "They must need feeding."
"They can share the cat food."
"We are truly awful parents, huh?" Lucy was smiling again, head tilted as she listened to Levy accuse her of abandoning their hypothetical family for the cold, corporate publishing world and coffee dates with handsome male authors. They were debating passionately about the breed, names, and appearance of their four cats—"Lucy, even if it's short for Katrina you cannot name your cat 'Kat'. I mean, come on"—when Lucy's text alert chimed from her backpack.
"Was that your phone?" Levy said, suspicious.
"Please. No one texts me but you."
"Your mom?"
"She always calls. Hates texting. Says it wrecked the social skills of the current generation."
"Well, check already."
"Hold on a sec." Lucy fished her phone out of her backpack and turned it on while Levy waited impatiently.
"Wait." She squinted hard at her screen. "Someone did text me...Hmm, don't know this number."
Suddenly, Lucy turned white as a sheet. She released a weird half-moan, half-scream and snapped her phone shut, barely even able to take a breath before Levy started jumping at her saying "What? What is it?! What's it say? I swear if you don't tell me RIGHT NOW—"
Lucy shook her head, curled forward as if she were about to hurl. God, would she hurl? Hurling didn't seem unreasonable—she would feel steadier right now on a freaking tightrope, during an earthquake, than she did after reading that text.
"Lu, for God's sake, end the suspense already—"
Wordlessly, Lucy thrust the phone into her friend's hands.
Several tense seconds passed as Levy read.
"Oh," she said. "Huh." Levy ran a hand through her blue curls. "Wow. Talk about mixed signals."
"Mixed signals," Lucy echoed faintly. "Causing all that freaking out, and then he—?"
"I know. Unbelievable." Levy blinked several times. The information processed slowly. As if she somehow still might have misunderstood, she read the text one more time aloud.
hi. this is natsu, btw. i'm at Erza's. the bakery/coffee place across the street from school. come and hang out? bring levy 2 if she wants - someone's here who wants 2 talk 2 her. also cake is on me.
Lucy and Levy stared at each other for a minute.
"So." Levy shrugged. "I don't know. You hungry?"
"A little..." Sigh. "I do love cake."
"Me too."
"It's criminal to pass up on free cake."
"I know."
"Well, then—" Lucy fidgeted. "we go, I guess?"
"Just for the cake," Levy said quickly.
"Of course," Lucy said with many vigorous nods. "Cake only. Natsu's singular purpose is to pay for all the cake we can swallow."
"Or carry. I can carry at least five cakes out the door with me for later. Which is impressive, okay, because I happen to be really, really small."
"You're amazing, you know that?"
"Trust me, I know." As the walked out together, Levy mused, "Hey, how many of Erza's cakes do you think we could fit inside my dad's garbage truck? At least a couple thousand?"
"Oh, God. I'll pray for Natsu's soul."
notes: stay tuned for cake date.