A/N: Been a while huh? Well I know, busy busy busy so... as apology, longer chapter and goodies... mhm... Have to keep you happy! :D Let me know what you think, and don't be too cruel with comments :D

"You know… we gotta find you another place to be. My place is not your hideout." Gray commented as he left kitchen, walking over to what could be defined as living-room in his small apartment. On the couch was Natsu, spread across it with shirt unbuttoned, looking up at ceiling. Gray extended his left hand, offering bottle of beer that Natsu quickly took. Pinkette was quiet, first of many signs that Gray recognized as if it was a symptom to a larger problem. Truth be told, there are very few things that Gray doesn't notice about Natsu… Happy or sad, upset or elated, he was easy to read and right now his silence was borderline annoying.

"So, care to tell me what happened?" Gray asked as he pulled chair from the table and sat on it.

"Lucy told me go at her house. Tonight, nine o'clock." Natsu answered, still keeping bottle closed and eyes focused at some unknown point on ceiling. Curiosity grew in Gray. He expected all kinds of different answers but this one took him by surprise

"And reason you are here and not at home getting ready is because…?"

"I got time." Pinkette answered, opening the bottle and taking a long swig from it.

"You know…" Gray started after long pause spent in silence "I can't say I know her enough but I have to say that it does sound fishy."

"Of course it is." Natsu leaned forward, placing his elbows firmly on knees as he looked at Gray "I know I am not exactly brightest crayon in box..."

"An understatement of the century." Gray quickly interjected, grinning wide in amusement as Natsu frowned.

"But I am not stupid." Natsu continued, speaking through gritted teeth "I know where this is going. She thinks that if we have sex, I will leave her be and forget about everything."

"Will you?"

Natsu took another pause, eyes darting around the room, trying to avoid answering this question. He knew that he cannot prolong his silence. Eventually Gray would simply repeat the question and he didn't want that. "No. Does that seem stupid to you?"

"Not at all. In fact, it sounds like something a mature person would say. What are your guts telling you right now?"

"To… not do it." Pinkette said with great hesitation. His right hand rose up, rubbing his face from top of his forehead down to his chin, followed by deep sigh "I don't know what to do."

"Well that's new." Gray remarked, taking another sip "You not knowing what to do with girl is something I did not think I'd live to see."

"I am not messing around here, Gray!" Natsu commented angrily but despite ever-rising temper, Gray remained completely unaffected by Natsu's fiery responses.

"Neither am I. You want my advice? Go there with intent of explaining things, not just fixing them. I think she deserves to at least know your side of the story before you attempt to salvage situation."

Words rang inside Natsu's head. Of course Grey is right, that wasn't the issue. Fixing things is easy to say, just wish it in head and entire scenario will unravel in accordance to your deepest desires but the reality rarely works like that. He knew he had to fix things, he knew he had to do something and change current status but wishing is one thing and achieving it is completely another thing. Arriving with flowers and chocolate is cheesy enough to earn a snarky remark and one way ticket to failure. There was also fact that Lucy was everything but the girl who would look at such gesture with smile. He could ask Gray, so far he has proven to be quite insightful, although that is natural in his case since he is watching entire drama unravel from sidelines, having completely different perspective and catching details that Natsu couldn't even notice. But he did notice something else… another change in Gray's attitude.

"What is the deal?" Natsu asked, finally opening the bottle and looking at Gray who looked back at him "At first, you told me not to go for it, then go for it, then forget about her and then entire cycle again. I swear, I can't figure out which side you are on."

"I am on your side, Natsu." Gray answered. After ten long seconds of painful silence, he took a deep breath, leaning back against the chair while eyes fell down, looking at the label on the bottle "I barely know Lucy a month and we haven't even spoke much. I cannot say that I know what she is going through. I can pretend and say "hey, I know what you're going through" but let's be honest, only one who can say that is Lucy. I do feel sympathy toward her, I truly do… but I cannot stand by her side and abandon yours. That's not me, that's not us…" His hand quickly pointed between himself and Natsu repeatedly "You and I… we know each other long time now Natsu and we've went through thick and thin. Regardless what happens in my life or your life, I am always going to stick by your side and support your decision."

Natsu smiled at his words. Indeed they have been through difficult situations, ones that would otherwise make other friendships collapse. But they emerged, often with injured faces and pride but still standing, still laughing. He respected that, he respected Gray's stance and opinions, often listening to him rather than his own voice of reason.

"If you are about to do something incredibly stupid, and we are talking about shit level of stupidity that will inevitably hurt her, then yes I will confront you about it. Fortunately, your brain doesn't push you do to something that stupid."

"What makes you say that?" Natsu asked, slightly narrowing his eyes as head back, creating a bit more distance between them, as if he is testing his friend with this question.

"You've always been an asshole, Natsu, you can't deny that… but at least you've been honest asshole. Whenever you went after girl, you always told her what to expect. You didn't promise her castles and kingdoms, just a fleeting fun. And you know what? That's fine. As long as they know where they stand, as long as you know where you stand, it's fine. All you promised was fun and you delivered and at least you were decent enough to date one girl at the time."

"So what am I supposed to do now?" Natsu asked.

"That is something I cannot tell you. The reason why I went back and forth is not because I switched sides… I merely followed you. It was you who switched sides between wanting to screw her and wanting to love her and all I did was prepare you for what might come out of those paths. The reason why it appears to you that I switch sides is because your own little world is changing. We are all centers of our little worlds but us, you, me, everyone else we know… we are all affected by choices we make. Choices that you make will affect me too. When you are sad, you rub off on me, when you are in best condition, you pull everyone with you. Hell, whenever you play 110% on the field, I need to work twice as much just to break even. You were… predictable, in a good way, but that all changed once you met Lucy. I mean come on, you making promise to protect her? Calling me to tell me you are falling for her? You don't do that if person you are trying to protect is not important to you. But you were indecisive and because of that I had to adjust my stance just so I can continue to support you and in some cases it appeared as if I am taking her side. I sympathize with girl, trust me I do not want to go through what she is… but I can't fully support her while you are standing against her. So instead, I am going to push you in direction that you chose."

"And what if I chose to… continue trying to fix things with her?"

"Then I'll do what I can to aid you in that."

"Be straight with me, Gray." Natsu started, rolling bottle between his palms "Where did I go wrong?"

"With Lucy?" Gray asked. He took one deep breath, looking above Natsu, pondering on the question that pinkette asked. "I think the bet is pretty much everything that went wrong. Maybe because you didn't tell her sooner, maybe because you didn't know just how bad it would be if she finds out. From what Loke told me, it could be any number of reasons why it went south. Perhaps she overreacted, I mean… from where we stand it is just a bet and people are objects of bets every day."

"Where do you think I did wrong? Forget sides for minute, just be honest" Natsu started asked, pressing one lip against another as eyes were fixed on student.

"Honestly?" Gray asked and Natsu nodded, granting him the freedom to speak freely "Well first of all… that bet never should've been made. Yes I know, I was not exactly helping by participating but none of us expected it would end like that. The way I see it… I think Lucy was not hurt because of bet itself, I think she was hurt more how you managed to make her be like."

"What do you mean?" Natsu asked, leaving behind the solemn expression and replacing it with genuine curiosity.

"Look at it like this. When you make the bet, all you care about is achieving victory. It is either competition or dare or show off but in the end you do what you must to get what you want, often disregarding means you use to achieve it. More often than not, you don't put much care on it. Remember when lost your scarf that you got as a present?"

"Yeah." Natsu answered with a grin "I almost cried, couldn't stop tearing house apart. Turns out I forgot it at your house. "

"Exactly." Gray quickly added, pointing at Natsu "And remember that gold chain you got as present?"

"Oh right… One that… what was her name again?"

"Maria. Rich girl Maria. She got you that chain after you had sex with her. You told her that you are not wearing it because you don't want to lose it but you lost it five days after she got it to you."

"Ok, but what does that have to do with scarf?" Natsu asked, waiting for revelation from Gray.

"When you lost it, you didn't care that much about it. I mean, you were still upset for… what? Five minutes and you forgot all about it within ten. That chain easily trumps pure value of scarf ten times over if not more but you still got upset when you lost piece of cloth simply because you care a lot about it. My point is, if Lucy didn't care about situation, about you… she would shake her head and move on. But that's not how it ended, did it?"

"Yeah…" Natsu said, lowering his voice. His eyes suddenly dropped down between his feet, trying his best not to remember the events that transpired at Laxus's party. His attempts were not successful and every moment of it was as vivid as if it happened mere minutes ago. "Still trying to forget that."

"So, she cares… or cared, not sure anymore myself." Gray said and leaned forward "I think, Lucy just thought that she is means to achieve victory, that after getting it, you might forget her, forget what you did while trying to get close to her, all those idiotic things that make one feel appreciated. The way Loke told me about it… she desperately needs another friend and that spot somehow got taken by you, only to realize that it's a fleeting thing."

"I… didn't see it that way." Natsu said, suddenly looking at Gray who simply raised his eyebrows.

"Hey, that's just my theory. Like I said, I don't know the girl enough, it could be whole different reason."

"No, you are right." Natsu stood up, placing his bottle on table and was closely followed by Gray's eyes.

"Where are you going?" Gray asked, turning his head only to see Natsu head toward the door.

"I'll tell you when I get there."

Evening was slowly approaching and it was time for the other face of Magnolia to show. With night always come creatures that lurk in it, those who shun the sun and bathe in the moonlight. Vampires… No, not the mythical creatures that drink blood, these vampires are but simple people who often became addicted to night life; it became their only way to experience full pleasure of it. It is the moment when Sabertooth comes to life, showing its full glory and allowing such unusual creatures to experience their version of ecstasy that comes from music, alcohol and plenty of random encounters. Woe to those who lurk in Magnolia unprepared for they just might drag into the night, not wanting to see the light again. Everyone who is even an iota interested in experiencing unique sensations that night-life brings are already in elated mood as they are getting themselves ready. All but one…

For Lucy, what should've been a day of rest and preparation for yet another start of chaos, is now moment of anxiety. There were way too many thoughts swirling inside her head but by far most prominent one was 'Why did I say that?' She kept repeating that question over and over as she was applying her make-up in bathroom for one guy she didn't want to even see right now. Why is it important for her to even try to look decent? She justified it with hope that if he does this quickly, she can quickly forget all that happened.

But she couldn't shake fear off.

Lucy was afraid, more with each minute that passed. What is he like? Will he force her? Will he be aggressive, dominant? Will it hurt? It hurt last time but since that one time, she not once had any form of close bond with any guy, let alone even considers having sex. Fear was deeply imbedded into her head. She put away her make-up and looked at mirror again to see herself. Any guy wouldn't even dare to call Lucy anything less than beautiful but she never saw herself beautiful. She never had time to even consider such a thing and all the comments that she received were more like a breeze… coming to her and passing by without a moment to enjoy it. Right now, she needed a good pep-talk, making herself believe that this has to be done.

She left bathroom ten minutes later, walking down the stairs and greeted by Levy's eyes that followed her closely as she approached.

"This is bad idea, Lulu." Levy commented with quite obvious worried face, watching as Lucy approached table to take her bag and rummage through it.

"Too late to change it now." Lucy added, trying her absolute best to feign confidence but with little success.

Levy took single step toward her, slightly frowning "You do realize that this is why things went south right?"

"Yes, I know… But that's what he wants. I'll go there, have as little contact as possible and get out. He can brag to his friends and I can… I can…" Lucy suddenly stuttered, as if trying to find appropriate word to follow her 'I can'

"You can what?" Levy asked.

Soft, silent sigh escaped Lucy's lips "I can… return to my life." Without much delay, she closed her bag and placed it over her shoulder, looking at one of the mirrors near the door once again.

"There is still ten more minutes."

"I don't want to let him get in here, best if I wait for him by the street."

Levy's hand ended up on her lips, pressing hard against it as even she didn't know what to do or say. Up until this point, she did decent job feigning her own confidence but now she could no longer hide signs of obvious concern. All her senses screamed at her to just grab Lucy and stop her from leaving the house, to tell her that there is probably another way. Problem is, she didn't know what else is available so for better or worse she decided to trust her best friend.

"I'm off." Lucy said as she reached for the doors "Call me if something happens, ok?"

"Ok…"

Lucy opened doors and looked out, immediately taking step back. There he is, leaned against the outside frame of the door, all dressed up in jeans and black jacket, waiting. This is not what she expected and entire situation completely burnt all possible things she could say. Natsu didn't seem to be that interested in starting the conversation, a thing she was counting on.

"How long have you been here?" Lucy asked after what seemed to be hours of silence… in truth, not longer than five seconds passed.

"Ten minutes, give or take a few." Natsu answered, pushing himself from the frame, placing both hands into front pockets of his jeans. She expected him to smile from ear to ear but in truth… he didn't seem to be happy. In fact, he was even frowning lightly.

"Right… let's go." Lucy said as she moved pass him.

"Where to?" He asked.

"I don't know." She said, raising voice slightly "Anywhere you planned except here."

"Not here?"

"No, I will not have sex in room when Michelle is sleeping."

"I see. So no sex in house?" Natsu asked. At that moment it looked like yet another stupid question to Lucy. Little did she know that he simply needed a clear confirmation.

"Yes…"

"Good." Natsu said and moved inside house, passing by Levy who watched him with great amount of curiosity, wondering what he is up to. He moved over to living-room and sat down on the couch, eagerly waiting for Lucy to walk back inside… and so she did.

"Do you need public now?" Lucy asked angrily as she walked inside and stood in front of him.

"Pffft, hell no." He commented "When I have my sexy time with girl, there is nobody in room but me and her." With wide grin he suddenly looked at Levy, raising his hand and waved "Hey!"

"Hey…" Levy replied to greeting, still curious about what she is just witnessing.

"Natsu, let's just get this over with… please…" Lucy pleaded with low tone, almost begging.

"We are. You don't know how sex with me is, so for all you know… this could easily be my foreplay and since we are on time designed for sex you accepted to have with me, I get to dictate how it goes. So first… sit down."

Natsu tapped on cushion of the couch that was beside him while Lucy simply watched him, feeling as if her every instinct was screaming but eventually she sat down, as far away as possible.

"Good, now… why don't we start with you telling me about yourself?"

"Why is this even relevant? Do you need your bimbos to tell you about themselves? Does that turn you on?"

"Hell no, usually I want to know as little as possible. Kinda makes things easier to end but I am making an exception."

"Well aren't I lucky girl…" Lucy commented with her eyes rolling.

"I want to know about you, Lucy. I never got to do it and I chose this to be best chance I will ever get to do just that." Natsu said, turning around to face Lucy fully.

With hesitation and no small amount of agitation, Lucy asked "Why do you need me to tell you when Loke already told you?"

"Because I don't want to hear it from Loke." Natsu quickly answered Lucy's question "I want to hear it from you."

"Why does it matter?"

"It matters to me!" He practically shouted "It matters to me because I did something bad, I know I did something bad but honest to God I don't want it to end like that. Without a doubt I managed to hurt you and I know 'sorry' won't cut it… but I figure, if I get to learn about you, I can understand why it hurt you so much and I can at least try to fix what I did…"

"But why do you want that?" Lucy asked, watching as Natsu now struggled to answer. It is not that he didn't know it, he knew what he wanted to say… Because I care about you… but he couldn't say it. Not now, not when things are still hot and chaotic.

"Because I… because…" He started, ironically repeating same thing Lucy did just minutes ago.

"Because?"

"Because I don't want to lose a friend…" He answered… lied "Because I tried to move on with my own bad ways only to find out that past weeks were… too much fun and honestly… I don't want it to end, not like this. So I want to learn about this person called Lucy, I want to see who she was, what she was, what are things that push her forward, I want to learn about her again."

"Don't you think it's a bit late for that?" Lucy asked, feeling as she is not as strong as she wanted to be. He was saying almost everything she needed to hear.

"No." He shot quickly "I don't think it's too late. Especially if it will help me learn more about who you are and show you who I am."

"Natsu…" Lucy started, keeping her mouth open to say something but no word came out.

"Ok, I get that it's hard so let's try this…" He pointed around them with finger, making imaginary circle. "Let's pretend that all this is 'honest zone' and while inside, you have to speak truth. Whatever you ask me I will tell you, no matter how private it is."

Childish. Yes it is childish but in Lucy's mind it did present with some form of unique opportunity. Perhaps opportunity to clear things up not just with him, but with herself too.

"Ok, I'll play that." Lucy said, crossing arms "Why did you make the bet with Loke?"

"Because I saw you as challenge." Natsu answered almost immediately, not even taking a single second to think as if he expected question to come. "Because, I never had troubles getting a girl and you just… shot me down. More and more you looked like… an achievement."

"An achievement…" Lucy repeated, feeling her heart suddenly drop down. The thought of being further defined like an object added even more weight on her.

"Yes." He said. This one word was now slowly but surely crushing Lucy, her eyes fell down to look at couch cushion, trying to find whatever strength she has left.

"But…" Natsu started, prompting Lucy to look up at him "After a while, I felt less and less motivated to sleep with you and felt urge to just… be beside, to hang out. I never once dreamed I would be helping another girl with house chores… you have to understand I am hiding when spring cleaning comes."

"Gray told me." Lucy said, curving edge of her lips up as she remembered Gray's explanation on how Natsu handles such things.

"Of course he did… fucking traitor." Natsu mumbled under breath "But, in all honesty, that day somehow felt a lot more pleasant than I could've imagined… And that caught me by surprise. I felt as if I did something good, something really, really good."

"And you no longer have the urge to sleep with me?" Lucy asked "Remember your circle."

"No, I do. I still want to have sex with you but not like this. If it happens, it's gonna happen because you want to, not because you need to. So no… today you won't be getting any of it."

Lucy was in slight shock and so was Levy who stood just out of sight but close enough to overhear entire conversation. Natsu's expression was simply put stoic, unchanging like to a man who no longer has anything to lose and decided to open his heart.

"Now my turn." He started "I want you to tell me about yourself. Describe yourself."

"You already heard that from Loke, right?"

"I did but I want you to tell me." He said with determined voice, making Lucy take a long sigh before starting her story all the way from the very beginning. Her childhood, the moment she lost her mother and moment of realization that she will never return and all the thoughts that occurred in her loneliness. She told him about the time Levy and Loke got into her life and how they started playing. Smile formed on her face at that memory, seemingly only happy one in her entire life. Then came the story of how they went to same school, carefully orchestrated by her father to ensure as healthy social life as possible. She didn't hid fact that she knows about it but she didn't cared that time… all that mattered were her friends and mundane daily life that she led… well… as mundane as possible for a daughter of agricultural magnate.

"You enjoyed it, didn't you?" Natsu asked.

"Yeah…" Lucy answered, now more relaxed than she was before, gently rubbing fingers one against another as she was telling her story "Somehow I no longer felt alone in this world."

"What about your dad?"

"Father was always busy. I rarely even saw him at home. It was always one more meeting, always one more phone call that led to him having to leave."

"You didn't know he planned to marry you to some guy?"

"Not until he told me. That was... big shock for me." Lucy said, smile that was on her face has all but disappeared "I was explained that I am heir to the family and everything it held but as I grew up and contemplated on idea, it turned out that I am just… means to an end."

Natsu's expression changed, slightly but noticeable. There it was, that sentence again 'means to an end'. Was she always that? Just another useful object to achieve some higher goals? He would've been mad, he probably would've been right in showing his anger but couldn't. After all, not so long ago he thought of her very much that way.

"Did you love him?" Natsu suddenly asked, making Lucy look at him. She could've feigned ignorance and simply ask 'Who?' but she knew exactly who Natsu is referring to. Then again, she could also lie and Natsu wouldn't be any wiser… but this circle, this, imaginary line around them somehow compelled her to speak.

"Yes…" was her answer.

"What was he like?"

"Sean was… at first he was very much like you." Lucy spoke with soft smile on her face as she was reminiscing the past "Popular, charming, handsome, rebellious… Kind once I got to know him but…"

"Is that why you fell for him?" Natsu kept asking, with every adjective given to this phantom of a guy his own willingness to listen dropped. But he wanted to hear it to the end.

"That and because… I guess at the time I thought he saw pass my own heritage. I honestly thought that… he is that one guy that I kept dreaming about. One who will take me away in arms from that cage I was living in."

"But he didn't." Natsu added, unwillingly. His lips parted as he saw her tears forming along with very forced smile. He saw it right there, all those masks that she had on her face, masks that tried to feign strength and confidence, were now cracking and showing insecurity that was dug deep inside of her. He wondered… just how much of a weight did he had to carry by herself all this time?

"When I told him about me being pregnant, all he could say is…" She stopped for a moment, feeling boulder stuck in her throat. After hard swallowing whatever air was in her mouth she continued "He said that child isn't his. No matter how much I tried to explain that he was only person I slept with, he denied. I got desperate and tried to talk to his parents but… they refused me too. Right in front of him… I was shot from all sides with accusations that I was sleeping around."

"Loke also told me that Sean didn't want child because of his studies."

"It was there in the context…" She added, wiping her moist eyes, already ruining makeup "Then he said it out loud just to make sure I understand it."

Anger. That is what Natsu felt right in that moment. Pure, unadulterated anger that he felt he needed to vent out. In his mind, fooling around is one thing but if you make a mistake, you pay for it. You accept responsibility. This person… he was more and more looking like a very decent target for a good punch-bag. It was clear to him just why Lucy erected walls around herself, why she was slow to trust him. If she only sees Natsu as Sean's double, then he needs to ensure he is seen as Levy once said he is… one out of one.

"Get up." He ordered as he stood up from the couch. Lucy shot confused look at him "We're going."

"Where?" She asked.

"Out. Foreplay is over and now main event is coming."

"Wait… what are you-"

"Sweetie, I play anywhere between half hour and forty minutes and since we are on my time, you and I are going out to grab something to eat."

"This is ridiculous…" Lucy commented, still sitting on couch, clenching her hands onto cushion.

"No it's not. You agreed to have sex with me and I chose how we spend that time. Come on, I know a good spot for some comfort food. My treat."

Lucy's mouth gaped open as she listened to him. None of this was supposed to end up like this but his continued beckoning left her in strange waters. Without much of a choice, knowing that he won't back down, she eventually agreed, without a word uttered. Perhaps it came at most opportune time too… the entire situation left her with so many anxiety today, she barely ate anything and hunger was slowly creeping in on her.

"We'll be back soon. Don't wait up." Natsu said as he walked by Levy who immediately tried to look as if she wasn't eavesdropping this entire time. What he didn't see was the amount of shock she had… and the grin too…

For long time they walked in complete silence on the sidewalk. None wanted to break it. For her, it was as awkward as it can get.

"So where exactly are we going?" Lucy asked, looking to her side at Natsu.

"Like I said, comfort food. Plus you look like you need some time out, and when I say out, I mean out of your uniforms, house, daily visit to dungeons of Inquisition. I know just the place."

There was no way around it, she had to trust him on this. For some odd reason, she felt like she does trust him. He could've cashed his 'sex check' and be done with it. She gave him that freedom but he still refused, openly elaborating his intentions to her. It was strange, unusually comfortable just to walk like that, have a small talk about random things they encountered on the street during the evening. She didn't know where he is taking her… but that didn't matter. The weight on her shoulders has been lost somewhere along the way.

They got to a park, well lit with both yellow and white light of the street lamps, further illuminated by numerous stands and small lights along the path that led further into the center. Music, smell of corn, cotton candy and fried food was ever present and all kinds of faces were around… none seemed sad. It was always like this, summer or winter like a daily festival for everyone to enjoy. Natsu suddenly smiled wide and beckoned for her to hurry up as he ran toward one of the stands where a man with white suit and rather large moustaches that proudly defied gravity.

"Yo, Sergio!" Natsu greeted man who was just giving a large, well wrapped bundle to a couple.

"Eheeey it's Natsu!" He yelled with very strong foreign accent "Back with a fresh honey hmmm?" Man grinned wide nodding at Lucy. He would've made another comment but Natsu's quick wave with head and wide eyes stopped him. It was not uncommon for him to see Natsu with a girl, but he knew when to shut up. "Now what can I get you? Eeeeeeverything is fresh!"

"Yeah I'll have your cheese pizza slice. What do you want Luce?" He turned to look at her.

"Oh umm…" Lucy stuttered a moment as he mouth watered a bit. After a quick swallow he continued, with more relaxed voice "I'll just have fries."

"You know his food ain't that bad?" Natsu commented "You can grab anything you want"

"What do you mean that bad?" Man suddenly spoke, seemingly offended by Natsu's remark which followed by series of sentences and hand gestures that neither Lucy nor Natsu understood. He was offended but that didn't stop him from pulling pizza from the heater, cutting a slice and folding it in half. As soon as he handed him wrapped bundle, he proceeded to fill a hard-paper box with fries and handed it to Lucy, still speaking in his native tongue. All she could do is keep her smile on.

"Now go, go go go, you scare my customers!" Man shouted after he took money from Natsu, shooing them with hands.

"He looks mad." She said, looking back at him.

"He's always mad. I'd be mad if I looked like him and had to stand all day on the heat. Give him mini air-conditioning unit and he's gonna be happy like a pig in a pen."

That comment drew more than just a smile on Lucy's face. She laughed, genuinely, and that gave Natsu entirely new perspective on Lucy. She was… cute without make up, turned quite stunning with make-up and her Sabertooth uniform… but this is first time he saw her laugh this much at his half-assed joke. His heart raced as he continued with his bad jokes. Truth be told, she was already amused and they just piled up but he didn't want to hear her stop.

"So how do you like comfort food?" He asked, taking another bite from his pizza.

"It's good…but I don't think you have firm grasp on what comfort food is."

"Hey, I know plenty but I ain't gonna get myself stuck in some fancy restaurant. Sure food is great but if I need a tie and a suit to enter, I will be everywhere BUT in comfort zone. I'll stop worrying about life and I'll start worrying about the bill! Give me fattest, greasiest, tastiest piece of meat… stick it between two buns with some veggies and for 200 jewels my worries are gone! That is comfort food in my dictionary, one that drags you away from problems not pulls you into new one."

"Yeah… I suppose that's true." Lucy said, still keeping her smile on. They were slowly approaching her house… last 200 meters before this little walk ends. "Hey… is that honesty circle still working?"

"Hmm? Oh, yea sure."

"Would… would you have talked to me if it wasn't for the bet?" Lucy asked, looking over at him as he licked his finger from the extra cheese that was stuck on it. He stopped walking for a moment, trying to figure out a good answer… a truthful answer…

"I don't know, honestly." He said, resuming his slow walk beside her "Maybe, maybe not… maybe I would've noticed you at the club but…"

"But?"

"Well you ain't gonna like the answer." He added.

"Humor me."

"Well I would probably just try to lure you somehow to bed and more you turn me down, more frustrated I would become and add more effort to it."

"And what would happen if you actually managed to get me to bed?" She asked curiously. This time, he knew the answer but he didn't want to tell it. Maybe if he lies… she doesn't need to know… but… he lied plenty already, now would be just wrong for his own comfort.

"I would probably tell you to just be friends… and I would probably try to just find a way to make you realize it is best if we move on." He answered, hoping from the very bottom of his heart that she won't just take this badly.

"Right." She said, making him even more nervous.

"I ain't trying that though." He quickly added, hoping it would somehow salvage it. Lucy just nodded, saying nothing. In silence they approached her door, more and more looking like this is final stop in the evening.

"I know you are thinking that I may have overreacted…" Lucy said but Natsu quickly interjected.

"No, I get why you did it. Honestly, I probably would've done the same if I was in your shoes."

"Doubt that anyone can be in my shoes." She commented, turning around to face him.

"I know but… Look… I know I look like a bad guy and I behaved like one. I get why you need to protect yourself and I feel bad for trying to invade your space, your own comfort zone. I just… I just want you to know that…"

"What?" Lucy asked, quirking her brow up in expectation for his answer.

"I am not Sean… I may act like him but I am not him."

"I know…" Lucy replied in more quiet tone.

"There is no bet left standing. What was done is… I ain't repeating that and nothing binds me to stick around but I still want to be here, to help you. It's hard to trust me but… you can lean on me."

"Thank you…" She said, offering but a faint smile. Yet again his heart started racing, fast and hard and his own mind was not falling behind. A single second looked like hour. What was he doing? Crazy idea, absurd idea. Every red light in his head started flashing, every alarm suddenly activated, telling him, warning him, threatening him to abort.

"I can wait." Natsu said, inching in just a little bit closer. He expected her to slap him, but she didn't. He expected her to step back, but she didn't.

A small moment, half a second maybe, a fast movement. He didn't intended it to happen but it did… and as soon as he parted his lips from hers he was thrown back into reality.

He expected her to slap him… but she didn't.

"Until then, I'll stick around. You need a friend and I'll be that… just… don't expect me to only be just that. Not for long."

With a soft smile he stepped back, turning around and walking away, leaving Lucy to remain before her doors, dumbstruck by the moment. Like a robot, she turned around and opened door, closing it quickly behind and leaning against it, right hand pressed against her mouth. Levy didn't take long to notice Lucy's return and she walked over to the door.

"You're back early. Why are you looking at me like that? Did something happened to your mouth? Why are you… all… red…" Every word was quieter and more elongated than previous one. Levy is genius in her own way and she doesn't need to be drawn. Her eyes were just as wide as Lucy's and the small grin suddenly turned into almost maniacal smile.

"Did he?" Levy asked, trying to make Lucy speak up.

Blonde simply rose other hand and pointed at Levy "No no no, don't you dare say it!"

"He did, didn't he? He kissed you?" Levy asked again, now bouncing on her spot with almost unnatural amount of joy. "Hold on, I have to write this down! This is history!" She said in almost squealing sound, running off to living room where her bag was, leaving Lucy to groan.

"I won't hear end of this…"