Updated: September 2022

Chapter 4

As Lucy descends the stairs to walk away from their booth, Lucy had only one thought in mind and that was to get away. She needed a break from the pinkette because she didn't like how she was starting to think. It's true, Natsu was attractive and quite fun. But of course, she wouldn't admit that to him because she had been saying she won't enjoy his company.

The pinkette was playful but attentive. It's something that she'd like in a man but after all the fuss that they had been, Lucy couldn't bear the embarrassment. So, she thought she needs a break from this and a good way to do it is to squeeze herself into the crowd.

To be honest, there was no place to squeeze in, so Lucy just keeps on moving to a space where she could go. But as she kept on going, she realizes that she wasn't going anywhere nearer to the entrance. So, she quickly stops on her spot and looked around. She barely could recognize what area of the bar she was in. People were just pushing and dancing around her and it was getting hard to stay put. When suddenly, a certain orange-haired person caught her vision.
"No way," Lucy whispered to herself as she slowly felt goosebumps around the back of her neck, "That can't be him…"

As quick as she tries to deny the idea of her ex-boyfriend, a man's voice suddenly shouts, "Loke, my man! You finally arrived!"
"What's up!" the person replies, and Lucy immediately cringed as she recognizes the familiar voice

"Shit-shit," Lucy panicked on her spot as she hears him talking again. Soon enough, there was space that allowed her to see Loke's figure. Just as how she remembers, Loke looks dashing in his suit. His very eye-catching orange mane that suits him is well-kempt. His personality is eye catchy too because he likes being the center of attention. Thinking about that made Lucy roll her eyes as she thought, typical Loke…

Soon enough, a stranger bump into her forward, making the actress a little rattled. She quickly turns around to avoid being seen by the orange-haired actor. She tries to get away from her spot and blend in again with the crowd. For the nth time, she thanked heaven that the bar is too dark for her blonde hair to stand out, so she just kept on walking. Without even realizing it, she was already retracting her steps back to her previous booth. So, with more determination to avoid the orange-haired man, she pushes her way back to their booth until she sees Natsu, who seemed to be looking for someone.

Assuming that Natsu was looking for her, she quickly reaches out and pushed the man by his chest, making the man stumble backward, "Luce?" Natsu mutters to her, surprised by her sudden appearance
"Just move," Lucy said back with conviction in her voice as she was determined to hide away within their booth
"What happened to you?" Natsu asked as he gazes at her with pure worry, which she didn't understand why so she just walked past him the moment they reached the top.

Without realizing it, Lucy was so out of breath and her face felt so warm from the exhaustion of getting out of the crowd. So, even if Natsu threw a question at her and his expression was something similar to curious and worried, she decided to ignore it and said to him, "Don't ask, I need my drink,"

Lucy quickly sits in her previous spot and grabs her margarita that was sitting on the table. Despite noticing the look that Natsu was still giving her, she chooses to ignore him and relish her drink. After all, she just saw the man that she least wants to see again.

Soon enough, the pink-haired man slowly walks around the table, keeping his gaze on Lucy as he said, "Okay, I'm not going to judge, but did something happen? You look-"
"Like shit, I know," Lucy cuts off the pinkette as she pulls her drink away from her lips to place it down on the table, "That's why I said don't ask,"
"Okay, calm down-"
"I'm calm!" Lucy bellows too quickly, which contradicts what she really wanted to say. When she saw Natsu's expression of irritation, she felt like she needed to apologize
"What the-"
"Yo, Loke!" a voice cuts off Natsu, which makes Lucy stiff all of a sudden, and then glances at the person who was calling her ex-boyfriend. Seeing the black-haired man stand three booths away from them, Lucy tries to recognize him, but she couldn't figure out who. Nonetheless, Lucy knew that this situation was going to be a mess.

Hearing the man shout out Loke's name was so ridiculous given that the music in Fairy Tail bar is so loud that you could barely hear your own voice. So, she couldn't understand why of all time in the world, she had to hear her ex-boyfriend's name despite the loud music. She didn't know if she'd be grateful about it because at least she can be prepared, or she'd feel dreadful about the possibility of encountering Loke again and then be accused of stalking him.

"Shit," Lucy quietly mutters to herself as she slowly looks away from the stranger. Soon enough, she starts panicking and began scrambling to her place. She didn't know exactly what she was doing, but she knew what she needed to do and that was to hide.

Seeing Lucy act ridiculous in her seat, Natsu couldn't help but raise a brow at the woman, "What are you doing?"
"I'm trying to hide!" Lucy exclaims as she bends sideways, testing if she could fit under the table but her whole body barely made it under. The blonde quickly sits back up and looks around once again
"Hiding? From what?" Natsu questions as he just watches the woman act franticly
"It's more of who," Lucy replies as she pauses to look around, thinking if there was any good hiding place. But to no avail, it was only under the table where you could hide
"Then who?" Natsu nonchalantly asks as he leans his arm on the couch and rests his head on his closed fist. When Lucy looked at him and saw his face like he was finding her predicament amusing, Lucy couldn't help but feel a little irritation, "Natsu, I don't really have time for this. Will you just help me hide?!" Lucy exclaims a little louder than she expected, and she saw Natsu was about to make a response when suddenly she saw in her peripheral view the infamous orange-mane hair and looked away from the pinkette, "Shit he's here…"

In a snap, Natsu was suddenly in front of the blonde, blocking her view of the orange-haired man. With the sudden closeness, Lucy was taken aback by the swift move, "Wha-what are you doing?" Lucy asks as she widens her eyes to the man and leaned back on the couch
"Do you know what's the most effective way to make other people uncomfortable?" Natsu whispered
"What are you saying?" Lucy whispers back
"PDA," Natsu utters
"What?" Lucy remarks confusedly but Natsu ignored her and commanded all of sudden with a stern look on his face, "Unbutton your blouse, go,"
"Excuse me?" Lucy widens her eyes at the man, "Have you turned into a pervert?!"
"Just do it. I'm trying to help you here," Natsu scowls at the woman before he moved in closer to the blonde, who was beginning to blush
"How is unbuttoning my blouse help me?!" Lucy retorts back
"If you won't do it, I'll do it!" Natsu was about to grab a button on Lucy's blouse when suddenly she swatted his hand away, "Hands off, I'll do it!" Lucy grumbles and muttered softly, "Goodness, what a pervert you are…"

When two buttons were undone, Natsu quickly lifts Lucy, causing her to yelp in surprise. Without warning, Natsu made her sit on his lap and straddle him. Lucy's red face even turned redder, as she locks eyes with the pinkette. Just as she had thought before, Natsu's gaze is intense that she could feel her stomach doing some somersault. Her hands were then slowly resting on Natsu's shoulders, and she could feel a little tension. Lucy suddenly had the urge to squeeze his shoulder to make him relax when suddenly she realizes that Natsu was a little nervous too. But the way Natsu was looking at her, she felt that he was trying to reassure her.

Natsu suddenly brushed Lucy's bare thigh with his hand, which made the blonde realize that her skirt had skidded up and his touches were sending her shivers. Lucy instantly grabs his wrist and stops it from going further. Whispering sultrily close to the man, she asks, "What are you doing?"
"…helping," Natsu replies before swallowing dryly as he keeps his gaze on Lucy's eyes. Trying to read her expression, Natsu couldn't help but look down at her plump lips, and suddenly feel curious about what her lips would feel like.
Lucy then leans even closer, slightly tilting her head, "Really? This is help?"
Their breath was now fanning each other's faces, making them intoxicated with each other's warmth and heat. All of sudden, Natsu and Lucy forgot about their surrounding as they just focused on one another. Not entirely sure of what they are doing and what's happening. But they could feel like they were being pulled closer, when suddenly a voice breaks their focus, "Lucy?"

Natsu and Lucy quickly backed away from one another as they felt their faces be warmer than they wanted. Lucy made a small shift and looked at the person who just called her. When Lucy saw that it was Loke, as she had expected, she suddenly gave a mocking smile at the man as she said, "Oh, it's you…"
The orange-haired man then chuckles, but then gave a questioning look at the way Lucy was positioned, "Well, yeah, it's me," he then stood closer as he tries to see the man under the blonde actress, "So, what are you doing here?" He then saw Natsu's face, who was sternly looking back at him
"Oh, you know, having fun," Lucy then relaxes and slumps on Natsu's lap, making the pinkette groan with her sudden pressure. Hearing Natsu, Lucy suddenly looked at him with wide surprise.
"Sorry," she silently worded before she sheepishly smiled at him

Noticing that Lucy's attention was no longer with him, Loke suddenly clears his throat. With that, Lucy took it as a sign to lift herself off Natsu's lap and sits next to him instead. When Lucy was finally seated next to the man, Loke took a closer look at the pinkette before he charmingly smiles at his ex-girlfriend, "Having a small party on your own then?" Lucy raised a brow at the man, as she thought about Loke's implication
"Well, I just didn't expect to see-"
"Babe, button up your blouse," Natsu interrupted as he nuzzled his nose to the blonde's neck, making Lucy giggle as she felt ticklish
"Babe," Lucy whined girly as she tap Natsu on the chest as if telling him to stop doing anything unexpected. When Natsu chuckles in response and widens his eyes to the blonde, he was mentally telling her to just go with the flow.

Lucy was about to retort back as she does what Natsu said. Then suddenly a clearing of the throat was heard again. Lucy then saw Loke getting a little impatient, and in all honesty, Lucy was enjoying the torture she was giving him.
"Oh, Loke, I'm sorry, what were you saying?" Lucy then tilts her head, like she was teasing
"Never mind…" Loke suddenly took a step back but then took a step forward again as he questioned, "Who is he by the way? A guy you just pulled out of the crowd?" Loke insults as he eyes Natsu from head to toe, trying to intimidate the pinkette
"What?" Lucy suddenly felt irritated with how Loke was handling the conversation. As Lucy was sending death glares to the actor, who seemed to be unbothered by it, she was suddenly taken aback when the pinkette stands up and extends his hand to the orange-haired man. Natsu then introduces himself, "I'm Natsu Dragneel,"
Surprised to hear the familiar name, Loke unconsciously steps back a little but quickly catches himself and tries to show confidence again. Loke then takes the hand of the pinkette to give him a firm handshake. But to his surprise, Natsu gripped his hand too tight for his liking, making him pull his hand away as he said his name "Loke, Loke De Leon"
"Oh, you're that guy…" Natsu then grinned mockingly
Loke chortles a little, surprised to know that a man like Natsu knew him, "Well-"
"You're the playboy actor," Natsu continued and this made Lucy widen her eyes at the pinkette, trying to contain her laughter before looking back at the orange-haired actor. Seeing how Loke was getting irritated again, Lucy tries to break off the tension, "B-babe," Lucy shyly calls, "That's enough," Lucy sheepishly smiles at the pink-haired man as she stood up to block his view
"Is he your boyfriend?" Loke suddenly asked, making Lucy turn to look at him
"Why do you need to know?" Lucy questioned back, "I don't ask about your women,"
Loke lets out a small chuckle as he looks away and sees his friends looking over where he stood. He then glanced at Lucy and said, "Look, Lucy, I'm just worried-"
"Oh, please, Loke, save that line for your dramas. I know you," Lucy then stood up straight as she adds, "To give you peace, Natsu is my date," Lucy then looked at Natsu, who was intently looking at the orange-haired man. For a moment, Lucy got distracted and thought, Natsu's jaws are so manly. So, without realizing it, she ran her hand over Natsu's chest, causing the pinkette to glance at her hand and then at her face. Late did she realize what she was doing, she immediately stopped her hand and looked back at Loke, "You heard me, I'm on a date with him,"
"A date?" Loke repeats with a skeptical look toward the two
"Yeah, why not? The last time I checked, I'm single and I can date a better man than you," Lucy then smiles mockingly at her ex-boyfriend. When she felt satisfied that she has hurt him, she glances at Natsu again and saw him mirroring the smile that she had on her face.

Seeing their impromptu acting to work, Natsu decided to annoy the man more by wrapping an arm around Lucy's waist and pulling her closer to him. Natsu then took Lucy's hand and brought it to his lips to give a gentle kiss on the back of her hand. Despite knowing that it was only for show, Lucy couldn't help but blush at the genuine gesture.
"Yeah, okay, sure…Whatever…" And with that Loke walks away from the booth, annoyed as ever, and soon disappears with his friends in the other booth.

When Loke was no longer around, Lucy suddenly hops in her spot and drapes her arms around Natsu's neck. As Lucy continued to hop, Natsu held her close by wrapping his other arm around her waist. When Lucy felt like she was being lifted, that is the only time it dawned on her that she was hugging the man already. She knew that she had to let go but she didn't let go immediately. For a few seconds, she let herself stare at Natsu's blissful gaze before she unwinds her arms around his neck and tapped on his shoulders to ask him to put her down. The moment that she was standing on the floor, Lucy abruptly pulls back and tucks her loose hair. "Well…that went well,"
Chuckling at the blonde, Natsu shakes his head in disbelief, "Alright, I think that calls for some explanation about what just happened,"
Smiling genuinely back at the man, Lucy looks at the pinkette and softly answers, "I guess I owe you that…"

"So, what you're saying is that Loke placed you in a bad spot and made you the crazy ex-girlfriend," Natsu then grabs his glass of whiskey and took a sip before glancing at the blonde actress, who was smiling to herself
"Yep, he made me the obsessed-stalker ex-girlfriend. Funny, right?" Lucy then swigs the tequila shot and quickly bites a lemon slice. Shaking her head in sourness, Lucy slightly chuckles again as she glanced at the observing pinkette, "Basically, I broke up with him because I caught him cheating on me then he has the audacity to turn the story around and make me the dumped girlfriend,"
"Why didn't you ever confront him?" Natsu inquired as he silently watched the blond reach for another tequila shot
"I did," Lucy replies with a scowl on her face. She then sits back and looks at her shot glass, admiring the intoxicating liquid, "The moment that rumor came out, I called him and asked him why he'd do it,"
"What did he say?" Natsu then leans in to grab a tequila shot as well and matched the blonde in gulping the liquid down
After Lucy bites the lemon slice and cringed, she replied to the pinkette, "He played dumb and said, 'I don't know what you're saying. I'm not talking to any press,' pfft!" Lucy threw her arms up in exasperation, "Such a liar,"
"But is it true that you have been seeing each other around in events?" Natsu questioned, making Lucy raise a brow at him
"You think I'm lying when I said it's coincident?" Lucy challenged, but Natsu shook his head as he slightly smiled at the blonde, "No, I believe you…It's just weird how you react when you saw him tonight,"
"Oh…" Lucy then laughs, "Believe me, I've been worse." Lucy then reached for another glass of tequila, but all the shot glasses were empty, "Waiter!" Lucy bellows as she raised her hand, trying to grab attention. Soon enough, a waiter drops by and took note of Lucy's request for another round of six tequila shots.

When the waiter left, Lucy looked back at Natsu and just stared back at him. He was just there, sitting and observing her. She was a little agitated to just sit down, so she brought her legs up and slightly rested her feet on Natsu's thighs.

"What you've seen of me tonight is nothing compared to what I do during those events that I bump into him," Lucy then grins, making Natsu cock his head in curiosity
"I've sprinted around a room just so that I could get away," Lucy said as she raised a finger, starting to count, "Another time, I literally pushed somebody in the way just to hide from him and another, I started a scene just so I could leave the event immediately,"
"Cause a scene?" Natsu asked
"Yeah, pretend to faint and ask for somebody to bring me to the hospital," Lucy then grins triumphantly before she and Natsu chuckle at the image of her fainting pretentiously
"Okay, wow…" Natsu shook his head in disbelief, "So, the whole flirting get-up was not something unusual for you,"
Lucy was then silent and tried to think about it but she shook her head and said, "Nope, nothing unusual. To be honest, it was more tamed from all the things I had to do…Although I didn't expect this from you,"
Natsu lets out a chortle as he shakes his head and swirls his drink, "I didn't expect myself either,"
"Either way…thank you," Lucy then nudged his leg with her foot, making the pinkette look up at the blonde
"I'm glad to help," Natsu softly smiles back at the blonde

Soon enough, the waiter returns with six glasses of tequila shots, making the blonde cheer before she reached out for a shot glass and quickly gulps it down.

"Slow down there, actress," Natsu comments as he eyes the woman before he nods at the waiter in thanks, "Are you planning to get drunk?"
"I don't easily get drunk," Lucy replies back as she wiggles her eyebrows at the man, "Although, to save my liver, you might want to take your fair share," Lucy then pushes a glass towards the pinkette, who willingly took it and drank it down
"Now that you know my story, let's talk about yours," Lucy then scooted a little closer to the man as she nestled her empty glass shot, "What's your story?"
Natsu eyed the woman, contemplating if Lucy was being serious. But seeing how she was moving closer and closer as if to taunt him, he finally lets out a chuckle, making the woman stop from moving and tilt her head in confusion.

"What?" Lucy questioned as she watched him softly snigger, "I'm serious, it's your turn to tell your story,"
"I don't think you'd be interested in mine. It's not as colorful and chaotic as yours," Natsu then laughs when Lucy hits him friendly in his arm
"Hey, I didn't want my story to be that messy," Lucy then puffs but smiles back at the pinkette, "Come on, I just want to know why Lisanna thought to introduce you to me,"
"Alright," Natsu then turns to face the woman before he grabs another shot glass and chugs it down, "Let's just say my parents want to see me get married but I don't have time for that," Natsu then clicks his glass to the blonde's glass, making her jump a little
"I doubt that's your story," Lucy skeptically looked at the pinkette, who only chuckles at her assumption, "I'm pretty sure there's something deeper,"
"Really, there is nothing else to say," Natsu replies, trying to contain his smile when Lucy started poking his arm
"Come on! It's either you tell the story, or I'll ask Lisanna," Lucy challenged and raised a brow at her, "And I'm sure she'll add more details that may or may not be real,"
Natsu then huffs in defeat, "Fine, but only if we drink this," Natsu then grabs his last tequila shot and so as Lucy. Without even telling, Lucy suddenly entwines her arms with the man, who was taken aback by the sudden move. As Lucy chugs the alcohol, Natsu immediately copied the woman, after which, the woman laughed in glee.

"Woo!" Lucy bellowed before she started giggling, "This is fun," Lucy then falls over Natsu, but she was easily caught
"Hey, hey, I think you're getting drunk," Natsu whispered as he helped the woman to sit up
"No-no-no, I'm only tipsy," Lucy then grinned wide at him before she uttered, "Now, tell your story,"
"Okay…" Natsu eyed the blonde for a moment as he watched her sit up straight but slowly leaned on him by his shoulder and breathed on his neck, "Um…Well, my mother had always wanted to see her children get married. But seeing how I'm putting all of my time into work, she's a little concerned that I'll be alone in life…So, she started arranging blind dates for me. But I'm getting tired of it," Natsu then grabs his glass of whiskey, the only glass left with alcohol
"Getting tired of it? Why? How long have you been arranged to do that?" Lucy asked with distaste, almost like recalling a bad memory
"Pretty much long enough…like two years," Natsu then chuckles at the gawking look of the blonde
"Goodness! I can just imagine your mother to be frustrated with you by now," Lucy then shakes her head, "But I get it, blind dates can be annoying, especially when your dates are douchebags. But it's different for guys…" Lucy then sat up straight as she points at Natsu's face, "Aren't the women that your mother chooses come from high-class families, socialites, models, businesswomen?" Lucy then snickers as she sees that she was correct based on the expression of the man, "So, why'd get sick of it? I'm pretty sure one of them was a potential wife,"
Natsu huffs laughter before he leaned close to the blonde, but the woman didn't back away, "That is the problem, I'm not interested to look for a wife yet," Lucy then tilts her head in confusion as her response. So Natsu continued as he locked his gaze with her, "At the beginning it was fun. Like, I was just fooling around, wasting time to meet women. But then, every meeting was getting more serious, as they start talking about getting married…and that's when I start getting sick of it,"
Lucy hummed in reply as she kept her eyes on the pinkette. As Natsu grabbed his last glass, Lucy quickly snatches it and chugs it down for him, making Natsu skeptically look at her.
"You just drank my whiskey," Natsu said as a matter of fact, but Lucy just shrugged her shoulders as she smirked
"I don't care…" Lucy then hands the glass back to the pink-haired man, who had finally broken his gaze with her as he placed the glass back on the table. But she wanted his attention to be completely on her, so without second thoughts, Lucy grabbed Natsu's collar and made him look back at her.

Though a little surprised with Lucy, Natsu did lock eyes with the blonde again. He just stared, trying to know what is running in her mind. He then suddenly notices her warm flushed cheeks, plump red lips, and intoxicated gaze. Her hand is still holding his collar but with a loose grip when suddenly, her hand is flat on his chest.

"With your story," Lucy started, "I don't understand why Lisanna would suggest we meet. She knew I need some diversion because of my rumors. But for you? How would a diversion help?"
"Lisanna had this idea that I should find a woman who can pretend to be my girlfriend. Someone I can use to be a front to my family. But in reality, I'm not going to be in a relationship,"
"And she thought of me…" Lucy then nods her head in understanding, "Because neither am I looking for a guy to be in a relationship. I just need someone to pretend to be my boyfriend," Lucy then smiled as if everything was getting clear already, "Now I get it,"
"But I think it's stupid," Natsu comments and Lucy dubiously looked at him
"Why? I mean it sounds…workable,"
"You don't know my family," Natsu softly smiles, as if he felt sorry for even giving her a wrong idea
"Oh, believe me, I have more experience with families like yours," Lucy suddenly moves back, as if she was setting some boundaries
"Like mine? What do you mean?"

Lucy shrugs her shoulders as she looks away from the pinkette before she scoots off the couch and grabbed her phone, "Maybe you're right. Maybe it won't work,"
"No-no-no, there is something between-"
"Let's call it a night. It's nearly 2 AM," Lucy cuts off the man, making it obvious that the actress no longer wants to talk about it. Even if Natsu wants to press on, he knew better to piss the woman off. So, he nods his head, "Okay, if you say so,"

As Natsu heads off to pay the bill, Lucy went ahead to the exit. At that point, the bar was no longer jam-packed with dancing people as most of the people inside were drunk already. So, swiftly, Lucy was out of the bar and stood by the side, waiting for the pinkette to come out. After a few minutes of waiting, the dashing man was walking out of the bar and Lucy immediately called out to him.

"Oh, there you are," Natsu strides back to her, "Ready to go?"
"Yep," Lucy stood up straight, "Aren't you too drunk to drive?"
"Not really. Still got my wits good," Natsu then grinned as Lucy chuckles
"Okay, I'm going to trust my life with you," Lucy then pushed the man to lead the way back to his motorbike.

Due to lightheadedness, Lucy quickly stood next to Natsu and held on to his arm, and leaned a little on him.
"You don't mind, do you?" Lucy asked and Natsu raised a brow in confusion, so she clarified, "Me, holding your arm like this,"
Natsu then laughed, making the blonde smile wider, "No, I don't mind. A beautiful woman is holding my arm, who minds that?" Natsu joked and Lucy softly slaps his chest. When suddenly, something caught her eyes, like there was some flash of a camera around. So, Lucy quickly glanced at their surrounding but found the area to be deserted by people.
"What's wrong?" Natsu asked as he stopped walking
"Nothing," Lucy shrugs before smiling back at the pinkette to reassure him, "I just thought I saw a flash,"
"A flash?" Natsu inquired
"Paparazzi," Lucy specified then shakes her head, "Never mind that. There is no one out here, maybe I'm just too drunk now,"
"Alright," Natsu suddenly breaks off Lucy's grip on his arm as he wrapped it around her waist instead as he said, "If you don't mind," and Lucy just chuckles in response as they started walking again.

As soon as the big bike is in view, Lucy got out of Natsu's hold and skipped toward the vehicle. When she reached the bike, she twirls around to look at the grinning man. Seeing him walk slowly, she decided to take a step closer and stood before him, "I like your bike" Lucy comments with a big smile on her face
"Really? Why? Are you into bikes as well?" Natsu asks as his smile copies the woman
"Hmm, fairly enough. I don't own one, but I enjoy watching motorbike races, riding it, and looking into them," Lucy then steps back as Natsu took a step forward. Soon enough, Lucy stumbled to a halt as she was trapped between the bike and the pinkette. So, she sat down on the bike instead as Natsu kept their distance.
"You've ridden a motorbike before?" Natsu asked
"Only once…But there are a lot of bikes I want to try…" Lucy then grinned when Natsu lowered himself to the same eye level as she, "What?" Lucy asked in confusion as her smile never leaves
"You are one interesting woman," Natsu comments before he stands up straight and pulls Lucy up, "Let me test, do you know what motorbike this is?"
"Yeah," Lucy then chuckles as Natsu's eyes widen in surprise
"Oh really? Okay, then what is it then?" he challenged
"Black Ducati Superbike 899 Panigale," Lucy mutters with confidence, which made Natsu laugh in amusement and lift Lucy to twirl her around.

Instinctively, Lucy giddily laughs as she wraps her arms around Natsu's neck and embraced him. When he puts her down, the two are still in a blissful conversation that they barely noticed the flashes hiding behind some walls and bushes.

As the two stood close to one another, with Lucy's arm still around Natsu's neck and playfully tugging Natsu's hair, Natsu and Lucy couldn't help but be genuinely happy at the moment.
"I want to confess something," Lucy whispered as she secured her arms around Natsu's neck, making the pinkette step a little closer
"What's that?" Natsu whispers back
"You are a fun person…I enjoyed your company," Lucy then smiled as she saw the glint in Natsu's eyes like he is about to tease her
"I told you," Natsu mocked, making the blonde chuckle
"I know," Lucy replies before she snickers again, "That's why I stand corrected,"
"You're one hell of a woman, Lucy—what's your last name again?" Natsu inquired, realizing that he only knew her first name
"You can call me Lucy Ashley," Lucy mutters as she shyly runs her fingers over Natsu's back hair
"Lucy Ashley…" Natsu repeats as if testing the sound of her name, "Is that your real name? or-"
"Screen name," Lucy cuts off, "Which I prefer to tell most people,"
"Most people?" Natsu repeats her words again as he takes a step closer, closing their distance even more. He was leaning down to her face when he said, "Can't I be part of your special people?"

Lucy suddenly laughs as she pulls her arms off his neck and taps on his chest before she gently nudges the man to step back from her. Seeing how Lucy was trying to put distance between them, Natsu complied and took a step back. He gave a good space between them, enough for Lucy's personal space but still able to reach him if she wanted to.

"It will take time for you to be part of that circle," Lucy comments before she stood aside and say, "Come on, let's go,"
Natsu just chuckles at the blonde before he shakes his head, with a little disappointment. But he wasn't sure if it was because he wasn't part of Lucy's special people or because he wasn't able to kiss her.

"Here, wear this," Natsu then hands over his helmet and Lucy takes it to wear it over her head. As Natsu watched Lucy effortlessly put on the helmet, he suddenly looks down at Lucy's outfit. He forgot she was wearing a tight short skirt.

So, without explanation, Natsu untucked his polo sleeves and started unbuttoning. The moment Lucy looked at the pinkette and saw his actions, she raised a brow at him as she asked, "Why are you stripping?"
"For a reason," Natsu replied, still focused on unbuttoning the last two buttons. When he was done, he quickly shook it off and handed it to Lucy, "Wear this,"
"What for?" Lucy questioned and Natsu replied by pointing at her skirt. That's when she realized Natsu's point. She'd probably reveal more than she'd like once she rides the bike. Lucy finally accepts the polo sleeves shyly and gave her thanks to the pinkette. When Natsu thought that Lucy was just going to wear it how it is usually worn, he was surprised by the woman's creativity.

Lucy started off buttoning the last three buttons and then wore the polo sleeve like a new skirt, successfully covering up her skimpy leather skirt. When the length was good enough, Lucy wrapped the sleeves around her waist and tied them up at her back.

"Voila!" Lucy exclaims as she presented her new skirt to the pinkette, "What do you think?"
"You're just awesome," Natsu compliments as he chuckles in satisfaction
"I know right?" Lucy replies as she grinned widely at the man before she moves back to let the man ride the bike first then she follows after.

Within minutes the two were speeding off on the road, heading towards Lucy's condominium building. The ride was almost a good 30-minute ride and Lucy enjoyed how the cool night air brushed over her face. She held onto Natsu's waist from time to time, and when she does, Natsu grasps her hand to secure it. But then Lucy would let go and would raise her hands up, enjoying the feel of the breeze.

When Natsu and Lucy arrive at the driveway of the condominium building, Lucy quickly offers the man a cup of coffee to sober up before he heads home. Natsu hesitated at first, saying that he doesn't want to bother the woman anymore so that she could rest. But Lucy insisted and instructed the valet attendant to park the motorbike and tugged the pinkette to enter the condominium building.

Soon enough, the two were at Lucy's unit and instructs the man to be comfortable in her living room while she grabs them some coffee.
"You know, you don't really have to bother making coffee," Natsu mutters as he walks around the living room and notices some pictures on the display. He then squatted down to see it when he suddenly hears some wobbling cups. Standing up, Natsu immediately heads closer to the blonde to help out.

"No, I insist. After all, you gave me a ride home-" Lucy replies when suddenly she trips over an untidy carpet, "Shit!"

As Lucy felt that she was losing her balance, she expected the cups to clutter the floor as she falls down as well. But to her surprise, she was caught by Natsu by her arm. Although the cups in her hands had tipped over and spilled coffee over him, making the pinkette groan in pain as the hot liquid stung his chest.
"Oh, shit!" Lucy exclaims as she stumbles to stand up straight and look at Natsu, "Natsu, are you okay?! I'm so sorry!"
Panicking at her mess, Lucy quickly settles the cups on the nearest table and looked back at Natsu. She turned him to face her and look if she had hurt him more.
"Relax, Luce, I'm fine," Natsu muttered as he watched her panic, "The coffee just spilled on my shirt,"
"But that was hot coffee!" Lucy widens her eyes, "You might have been burned!"
"Relax, I didn't," Natsu then pulled up his shirt a bit, showing his toned chest and abs to the actress, "See, I didn't get hurt,"
"But your skin turned red," Lucy then runs her hand over his stomach, feeling the skin warm and unconscious about his abs, "Does it hurt?" Lucy asked as her hand paused on his abdomen
"I told you, I'm not hurt," Natsu slowly smirks as he could still feel Lucy's warm hand over his body. When Lucy looked at him curiously as to why he was smiling, Natsu looked down at her hand, which Lucy followed. Finally, Lucy realized where her hands were and quickly pulls her hand away.

"Sorry," Lucy muttered bashfully before she gave a second look at Natsu's abs. Her eyes suddenly widen for a second before she glances up at Natsu's face, pretending that she didn't marvel at Natsu's toned stomach, "Um…you know what, I'll just wash your shirt so that it wouldn't stain," Lucy then turns her back to head to the kitchen to get her a wet cloth to offer.
"That's very nice of you, Luce. Don't mean to bother you like this," Natsu replies as he slowly takes off his shirt
"Don't be ridiculous, Natsu, I'm the one who is bothering you so much. I spilled coffee on you, for goodness' sake," Lucy retorts back before she turns to see Natsu half naked. Suddenly, Lucy stops in her tracks and paused to observe the pink-haired man.

If Lucy were to describe the image before her, she'd say she's staring at a tanned glorious man with well-toned biceps, rigid abs, and some sexy v-line abs peeking under his dress pants. She can see his muscled broad shoulders flexing as he picks up the cup on the table to finish off whatever coffee is left there.
"Luce," Natsu suddenly calls as he turns towards the direction to the kitchen, when suddenly he notices the blonde standing a few meters away, with a towel in hand but looking dazed, "Hey, you okay?" Natsu asked curiously as he placed the cup back on the table before walking closer to the blonde
Lucy suddenly snaps out of her trance when she felt like she was tugging something with her hand. She quickly looked down and saw that another hand was trying to get the wet cloth. So, she abruptly looked up to see Natsu standing close to her and immediately shoves the cloth toward the man.

"Sorry, that's a clean wet cloth… You can wipe yourself with that or clean up in the bathroom," Lucy suddenly glanced down at Natsu's body before averting her gaze back to Natsu's face, "The bathrooms over there," She points and quickly side steps to get the shirt
"I'll be right back," Lucy muttered, trying not to look back at Natsu again, and dashed towards her laundry area instead. As soon as she enters the laundry room, Lucy began to turn on the machine and put on the laundry soap. As she was about to put in the shirt, she suddenly felt curious as to what he smelled. Being cautious as ever, Lucy looked around first if the man was anywhere close. But when she noticed that she was alone, she made a quick sniff of his shirt and utters softly, "Oh, interesting, smells like woods and cinnamon,"
"Hey, Luce," Natsu suddenly calls, making the blonde throw the shirt directly to the machine and shout back, "Yeah?"
"Can I borrow some towel?" He asked aloud
"Um, yeah, sure... It's on the shelf, top left," Lucy shouts back before she tilts her head in wonder. When Natsu didn't answer back, Lucy quickly undoes the polo sleeves she was wearing and quickly added them to her laundry. The least she can do for him is wash his clothes.

When Lucy returns to the living room, she was stunned to see Natsu only in a towel and that his pants were hung on a chair.
"What happened to you?" Lucy questioned as she rounded the couch and sat across from the man
"Oh, uh…I drenched myself too much and now I got my pants wet," Natsu then scratched his head in embarrassment
"Goodness, we're such a mess," Lucy chuckles at her comment before she brought her legs up and leaned back comfortably on her couch. Natsu did laugh as well in agreement as he replies, "I guess I'm tipsy too,"
Hearing the man say this, Lucy couldn't help but smile back at him. Her eyes were getting droopy with sleep, so she looked way drunker than she wanted. Seeing Lucy like this, Natsu easily could see how the blonde needs to sleep already.
"Um, I know you're trying not to sleep because I'm a stranger in your home-"
"Psh!" Lucy waved a hand to dismiss the thought and tried to sit up straight, "I'm just drunk as hell too…after all the mess I did, my body has finally caught up with the fact that I'm drunk," Lucy then laughs, and slowly unbuttons her dress shirt, completely forgetting the fact that Natsu was in front of her
"Um, Luce," Natsu called, trying to get the attention of the undressing blonde, "Um…you might want to change in your room instead of here,"

Lucy dips her head to the side as she eyes him and pauses her hand from moving. When she noticed that Natsu was looking at her, up and down, she finally got the hint and looked down at her clothes. Her blouse was half open, revealing her leopard bra. Lucy looked back at Natsu again, but the man was no longer looking at her, intently trying to avoid seeing her in her state. So, without inhibition, Lucy untucked her blouse and finished unbuttoning it. She then sighed in relief, making the pinkette glance for a moment, thinking it was safe to do so. But Natsu was stunned to see Lucy nearly half naked as well, so he stood up and turned around.

"Luce, why are you undressing here?" Natsu questioned nervously
"Because this is my house," Lucy nonchalantly replies
"I know, but I'm right here…Don't you feel like I'm overstepping or something?" Natsu then peeked over his shoulder to check on Lucy but seeing how she even relaxed over the couch with her open blouse made Natsu turn his head away swiftly
"Hmm…you've got a point…" Lucy then paused for a moment, "But you're looking away so we're good," She then stood up and walked silently, surprising the pinkette when she stood in front of him. Natsu suddenly stumbles back as Lucy comments, "Well, you're basically naked in my living room too…so, were like nearly the same…and did you know that you've got one hell of a body to fantasize on,"
"Excuse me?" Natsu bafflingly eyed the woman, who only sniggers at his reaction
"What? You've never been told that you have a hot body?" Lucy then pokes his abs, making the man flinch a little, "Oh and by the way, your actually warm…you have this weird warmth that makes me want to hug you," Lucy then opens her arms wide like she is about to embrace the man.

But seeing Lucy with her open blouse, leopard bra, and voluptuous chest, Natsu couldn't help but be flustered. So intuitively, Natsu closed Lucy's blouse and turned her around. He slowly pushed the blonde towards a door he hopes to be Lucy's bedroom.
"Wha-what's happening?" Lucy confusingly asks as she walks toward her bedroom
"I think your too drunk to think straight right now," Natsu replies keeping an arm's length away from the blonde, trying his best not to get allured with the woman's sexiness
"Okay…so what does it have to do with me standing in front of my bedroom?" Lucy then turns to face the pinkette, who quickly drops his hold on her shoulder and took a small step back, "Wait, are you planning to sleep with me?"
"What?!" Natsu quickly shakes his head, "No! I was just…I was urging you to get inside your bedroom so that you could sleep off your drunkenness,"
"Oh…Well, what about you?" Lucy then eyed the man from head to toe then ends her gaze at his hips, where the towel is nearly about to untangle
"I'll uh…" Natsu suddenly notices Lucy's gaze and quickly snaps in front of her, which Lucy took it as a signal to look straight at his face, "Just wait for my shirt to get dry then I'll leave,"
"Or you could sleep overnight," Lucy then turns around and opens her door to walk inside.

When the blonde disappeared inside her bedroom, Natsu made a quick peek and saw her head towards her bed. He immediately grabbed the door and closed it, leaving the blonde alone to rest.

Stepping away from the door, Natsu finally sighed in relief. As he turned away and untangled the towel around his hips, Natsu muttered to himself, "This is one hell of a night," Natsu then properly secures the towel around his hips again and took a seat on the couch. Staring at the closed door of the blonde, he softly utters to no one, "You'll probably be the death of me,"

To be continued…