Was this a date? Lucy had to wonder. A cute, totally wacko boy asked her to coffee. He was gonna pay. It involved properly sitting down, menus, forks scooping cakes into mouths, looking at those pink Natsu lips from across the table...

...with Levy. Who he asked her to bring along.

Do people bring their best friends with them in dates?

It's not a date, she scolded herself. You don't want it to be a date. He treated you like crap this morning, and not even a cake the size of a freaking stadium could fix that.

Lucy drew on the shreds of courage left after the morning from hell. In front of her, the doors of Erza's cafe silently mocked: Open me, chicken. Pass me. Beat me; I'm literally all that stands between you and that sweet, pink treat of yours. If you dare.

"Just dare already, stupid," Levy said crossly. "I'm hungry." She whacked Lucy hard with a book half the size of the doors, propelling her through them like a bowling ball knocking back pins.

"What the hell?" Lucy sputtered, grabbing at chairs to regain her balance.

"You take too long."

"You're nuts."

"I'm not myself when I'm hungry."

"Oh don't quote freaking Snickers commercials at me, you looney tune." Lucy looked around. Realized she's standing in the cafe by herself: Levy still outside, the redheaded baker popping in and out of the back room. But there was a glaring omission of spiky pink hair.

"He's not here." The words sounded strange, tinny.

"What?" Levy's eyebrows (also blue) shot up past her hairline. "What do you mean, he's not here? Of course he's here."

"I mean, he's. Not. Here. See that dumb afro of his anywhere? Or his dumb smile? This building's Natsu-less, Levy, okay so can we just go home."

But her best friend's mouth went flat, and she refused to move. "Hold on, Lu. Not so fast. Or should I say—"

Lucy groaned.

"—Nat-su fast?"

A record-breakingly bad pun. Even for Levy.

"That was awful," Lucy started to say, at the same time laughter—loud, boyish laughter—resonated behind her. Before she turned around, she just knew.

The building was now Natsu-full.

Living proof, he stood there with an expression not quite smiling, but definitely not guilty. He looked calm. Friendly and open. He looked the exact opposite of how Lucy felt.

"Hi," he said.

A breathtaking response from Lucy Heartfilia: "...Hi?" Okay, she had to redeem herself. Deep breath, and try again: "So. I didn't see you much around school today."

He shrugged. Shrugged. "You want some cake? They have really good cake here. And I know you like cake 'cause the bus driver caught you eating some on the bus, and he made you spit out your mouthful into the garbage. He's a mean old shit, huh?"

"Lucy calls him Mister McFart," Levy piped up.

He smiled. "Accurate. And very mature."

Suddenly, the situation broke into pieces Lucy just couldn't connect. Whatever she'd expected, it wasn't him smiling the patent gooey smile at her, acting like nothing weird ever happened. It definitely wasn't her feeling off-balanced, when this date was meant to shame him.

(Not a date, Lucy. Not. A freaking. Date.)

She channeled her most disapproving, sarcastic self. "Natsu, look—"

"I'm sorry."

"Wait, what?" she said, blinking at him.

Shuffling a little, he flicked back a pink lock of hair. "About today, this morning, near the library? Sorry. It ain't cool, what I did. I get it if you're mad 'cause I'd definitely be mad, if I were you. But...ugh. This is gonna sound really, really stupid." He peeked at her nervously.

Lucy wasn't impressed.

Still, she listened, because at that moment a tiny, perfect cheesecake appeared on her table, with little chocolate hearts. And she was mad, sure. But that cheesecake smelled good the way only free food can smell.

So Natsu launched into his story.

"First of all," he started, "I like you. Which I think you know now, because of all the stupid frilly hearts on the cake (I don't do frilly, usually. Or hearts). And you make me nervous sometimes, 'cause you're totally weird and I never know what you'll do next."

"Hey!" Lucy protested.

"It's a compliment, okay? Anyway, I like you; as in a dumb-frilly-hearts kind of like, not a friendship like. You looked amazing this morning."

"But why did you—"

He sshed her (rudely, in her opinion). "I'm getting to that. So you showed up looking amazing, and I wanted to tell you that, I was about to tell you that, but..."

"Yes?" Lucy asked, getting frustrated at this point.

He groaned. "I told you this is gonna sound stupid."

"I don't really care, Natsu. You have five seconds for me to finish this delicious tiny cake, and then I'm leaving, so hurry up."

"But..."

"Spit it out, will you—"

"...I ate a bag of Funions for breakfast and washed it down with coffee," he admitted sheepishly. "My breath smelled like death."

Again, Lucy expected more of a "I met a hot girl at the mall yesterday who's way more goth than you, and wants to have all my angsty goth babies". She'd never flustered a boy before, and she definitely flustered Natsu, who looked so nervous he might've passed out. She didn't know what to say.

Luckily, she had the wonderful Levy to say it for her.

"Um, what the HELL, NATSU???"

And then Levy McGarden got all up in his grill.

Your breath? You blew off Lucy, my baby, the most precious thing in the world because of a bag of FUNIONS?"

"Wait," Natsu protested, "I did tell you it sounded— hey, ow! Shit, Levy."

Levy whacked him with her book. Which he totally deserved, Lucy thought, nodding gratefully.

"You're so, like, supernaturally stupid, Natsu! You think Lucy cares about your stinky breath?" It was almost funny seeing Natsu panicky in front of a girl literally half his size. "Have you seen Lucy, like ever? She's a total—"

Beautiful amazing badass, Lucy gloated to herself. Preach it, my friend.

"—total mess! The human manifestation of a train wreck."

Okay. So that's not what she wanted to hear.

"I mean," Levy said eagerly, just getting the ball rolling, "she has food tangled in her hair. She wears the same bra for a week straight. She eats Skittles off the floor, Natsu. Really old Skittles. You think she's gonna judge you when her room looks like a tornado just blew—"

"YEESH LEVY OKAY," the irritated blonde broke in. "I think he gets the freaking picture." Her face burned. Great, not only did her best friend advertise her slobbishness to her cute goth crush, she just discovered her cute goth crush...liked to eat Funions for breakfast.

And why was her cute goth crush smirking at her?

"So," Natsu said, "...same bra all week, huh? You must hate laundry— OW! Jesus."

He raised his arm to block Lucy's backpack flying straight towards his head. But he missed anyway, and she enjoyed it very much.

Natsu rubbed the sore spot on his head, eyes wide. "You got good aim."

"Six years of baseball, fool."

His face broke out into a huge smile. "If I let you hit me again, will you go out with me?"

Lucy considered this for a moment. The offer tempted her. But on one hand, it was a shame to mess up his pretty, pretty skin.

"How about we make a deal," she said. "If I say yes, you buy me a cake. A big cake; bigger than the moon. And for god sakes, you weirdo, don't do something stupid...and stop eating Funions, okay?"

Somehow Natsu's smile stretched a few more inches. God, didn't that hurt? "I'll take your deal."

She smiled. He smiled. It was all smiley and lovey-dovey and dumb flittering butterflies of romance. Part of Lucy wanted to hurl in a bucket at the unbelievable level of cheese her love life had just attained; but the other, stupider part just roved her eyes over his lips, his chocolatey eyes, that funny tuft of hair that stood up like a pink antenna. How weirdly perfect it all felt: relaxed, warm, gentle.

And he bought her a cake so big the moon could only feel jealous.

notes: sorry this one took so long! but definitely more to come :)