Updated: November 06, 2022
Chapter 6
"Great! See you later, bye!" Lucy then pulls her phone away from her ear and presses the end button. As Lucy stares ahead, she couldn't help herself but smile as she feels ecstatic about working on her diversion. Soon after, she starts dancing on her spot again and twirls in happiness when suddenly she sees a friend of hers.
"Levy!" Lucy bellows as she stops twirling and tumbles a little, "Wha-what are you doing here?!"
"What are you doing?" Levy questions with a raised brow, crossed arms and leaning on one leg
"I—I am dancing," Lucy then grinned before she giddily runs up to her friend and grasps her shoulders, "Levy-chan! You'll never believe this?!"
"Is this about Lisanna's setup for you?" Levy chuckles as she spins along with the blonde
"Yes!" Lucy then stops and points at the bluenette, "It worked!"
"Care to elaborate?" Levy chortled at the excited face of the blonde, who later on nodded her head furiously and pulled her towards her kitchen table.
Soon enough, Lucy starts telling Levy about what happened the night before and explained how their meet-up became an unexpected diversion without them intentionally planning it. But of course, Lucy had to skip out other details that only she and Natsu should know, in the meantime.
"So, you're meeting up with Natsu today?" Levy asked as she nibbles on a slice of an apple
"Yes, I am," Lucy then smirks, "I am not going to waste this perfect diversion. It may have been unexpected, but it's perfect,"
"Well…" Levy then trails off, "Are you sure Natsu's going to do this with you?"
"Actually, he already said no to me," Lucy then shakes her head, "But I'm not taking a 'no' for an answer,"
Levy then sniggers, "You are one persistent woman,"
"Of course, I am," Lucy then smirk, "You know me, I don't give up just easily, especially when I know it's worth it,"
"Then…good luck to you," Levy tight-lip smiled at the blonde, making the blonde raise a brow at the bluenette
"Wait a minute," Lucy then leans close to her friend as she furrowed her brows at the bluenette,
"Do you know something I do not?" Levy then pulled off a poker face, as if trying to show that she knows nothing. But being friends for the longest time, Lucy knew how to read Levy's face, "Spill, woman. Tell me what you know,"
"I don't know anything!" Levy defends too fast for her liking, making Lucy even more suspicious
"No, you do know something. Tell me!" Lucy said as she grabs the bluenette's shoulders, "Levy-chan, what do you know about this Dragneel guy,"
"I—I don't know much," Levy then bites her lips
"Okay…" Lucy then moves back to give space, "How do you know Dragneel?"
"Well…basically, he is Gajeel's cousin," Levy says as she shrugs her shoulders
"What?!" Lucy widens her eyes in surprise, "How come I have never heard of this? Or the fact of meeting Natsu prior then?"
"Because their family is tight kin and they don't just blab about who they are," Levy shudders
"Did you know that Gajeel's family is some rich-ass family?" Lucy bellowed
"No…In fact, I just figured that out like six months after dating Gajeel," Levy then chuckles at the memory, making Lucy furrow her brows in confusion
"Wait, what?" Lucy then shakes her head in disbelief, "How? Did he bring you to big parties or some sort?"
"No…although, he attempted that but then decided not to because their whole clan is usually there and he didn't want to pressure me, so…he just brought me to his parents,"
"Wow," Lucy exclaims with wide eyes, "So subtle…"
"It was the most subtle thing to do…" Levy said in confirmation, "I mean, for sure, you know that…"
"Well, it's not something I'd like remembering, so no, I don't know," Lucy then sighs as she takes in the information, "So, what you're saying is, if I do this diversion with Natsu, I've got to deal with this big family and business,"
Levy then laughs for a moment before she shakes her head in disagreement, "Oh, believe me, not just that,"
"What do you mean?" Lucy questions, getting a little anxious about what she's dealing
"If Gajeel's family owns a big company, well…Natsu's family pretty much oversees their clan's businesses,"
"…business," Lucy tries to clarify
"No…businesses," Levy then stabs the table with her pointer finger to emphasize her point, "You're going to deal with a big man, who has a big background, colorful family members, and dramatic stories,"
"…oh," Lucy nods slowly, as she tries to comprehend all the information. Then it clicks to her, about Natsu's apprehension of bringing her in, "Now, I get why Natsu doesn't want to get involved,"
Levy then hums in understanding, "If you two are going to work together, you're going to open up a big wild jungle,"
"Wild animals are going to come to hunt us," Lucy remarks in understanding, and Levy nods her head in agreement
"Yep…you're going to bring in a lot of rumors, gossip, headlines, and dramas…" Levy then eyes the blonde, "Will you be willing to face that if you bring Natsu into this?"
Lucy suddenly bites her lips in apprehension, "Is it worth it?" Lucy asked her friend, who shrugs her shoulders
"I don't know…but it's definitely working for you," Levy then crosses her arms, "I mean, if he can help you then that's great. But once you bring him into this make-up story, you have got to have a plan for his family,"
"A plan…" Lucy repeats as she nods her head, "Right, a plan…of course, it will work,"
Levy then widens her eyes as she sees the blonde grin slowly, "So? You're going with this?"
"Of course!" Lucy then smirks, as if resolved all of a sudden with her issue at hand, "Lucy Ashley always has a plan. Natsu's background is no threat to me…after all, I have my own weapon for it,"
With that, Lucy and Levy worked together to conceptualize their plan to make Lucy's diversion work and be beneficial for the pink-haired president. Given that Levy is more familiar with Natsu's background, the bluenette had given some pointers to Lucy that she could use to defend her case against Natsu. And within two hours, the two best friends were done with their plan.
"This is definitely going to work," Lucy mutters in triumph as she stares at her laptop, while Levy snorts in skepticism. Lucy then glances at the bluenette, "Oh, come on Levy-chan, have a little faith in here. We planned this together. It should work,"
"I mean, yeah, sure, let's hope it works," Levy then shrilled when Lucy poked her in her ticklish side, "Wah! Lu-chan, stop!" Levy then stands as she bolts away from the blonde, who quickly ran after her.
"It will work!" Lucy bellows to her best friend
"Alright! Alright! I believe you!" Levy then heaves as she stares at the optimistic blonde, "I trust you that you can convince Natsu with this plan because we made it fail-proof…so yeah, good luck,"
Lucy then nods in satisfaction, "Thank you…now, time to dress to impress," Lucy then grins as she turns toward her bedroom.
Soon enough, the two were in Lucy's room, rampaging her closet with various blouses, pants, skirts, dresses, coats, and shirts. "What do you think?" Lucy asked the bluenette as she wore a blue shirred sundress.
"Hmm…too girly for a meeting. You don't want to look like you are trying to convince him directly," Levy comments and Lucy nods her head in agreement.
"Right, we want to be subtle. Natsu shouldn't figure me out immediately," Lucy then leans over to take some clothes lying on the bed, "I'll try this on," Lucy then turns to change and after a few minutes, she comes out wearing high-waisted denim shorts and a tucked in a vintage faded black Metallica shirt, "I'm planning to wear it with these boots," Lucy then showed her black combat boots to the bluenette, who tapped her finger on her lips as she tried to study Lucy's outfit.
"It's both cool and cute but…too casual and nonchalant that Natsu can find it suspicious," Levy remarks and Lucy raises her brow in doubt.
"Are you sure? I mean Natsu doesn't know me well to think like that," Lucy reasons, but Levy shook her head.
"Trust me, Natsu has this weird way of knowing you without really knowing you. Do you get me?"
Lucy shook her head, "No, I don't. But I'll just change if that's what you're suggesting,"
"Here, try this," Levy then hands over a pair of pants and a crop top. After a few minutes, the blonde comes out wearing this time a pair of brown trousers and a white midrib halter top, "You think this outfit is good?"
"Yep, you'll be enticing and at the same time, look formal. Like you mean business," Levy then hands over a blazer that matches Lucy's trousers.
"Enticing?" Lucy repeats, a little baffled.
"Yep, you'd want to look attractive enough to make Natsu less focused, but not enough to forget that you are serious about your proposal," Levy then smirks, "This is the Lucy Ashley you want to show,"
Lucy then bobs her head in understanding, "Got that," Lucy then turns to her long mirror, "Natsu has no other option but to agree…he has to agree,"
After Lucy found her outfit, she immediately left her place as she had 15 minutes left before she and Natsu meets. Levy reminded the actress to call her and give updates once they were done. There is a lot of planning to do to make things work, given that they'll be opening the doors for more drama.
Soon enough, after driving for almost 20 minutes, Lucy arrives at the meeting place and quickly settles inside the café. As she heads inside the café, she noticed a few flashes on the street. She knew at that point; the media is getting a whiff of a new story to spread about her. But this time, it's not about her and Loke but rather about the mysterious pink-haired lad spotted with her last night.
"Hi, table for two please," Lucy utters as she stands before a crew by the door.
"Oh…" the crew obviously got surprised by the sudden appearance of the actress, "Y-yes, this way," the woman then walks ahead and leads the way for the actress. When Lucy found the table, she quickly smiled at the crew and whispered, "I'm sorry, but can you give me a table that is less seen?"
"Oh, something more private?" the crew suddenly notices a flash outside the café, "Ah, I see, cameras,"
"Yes," Lucy sheepishly smiles at the woman, "I'd like a table that is something more out of the public eye,"
"Of course, I just know the right table for you," the woman then leads the blonde towards the back of the café, with a few booths lining up. Lucy then takes the last booth, which was definitely out of the paparazzi's sight.
When Lucy took a seat, the crew immediately asked for her order and took note of it. Lucy then instructed the woman that if she sees a pink-haired man, who looks like a businessman, she should direct him toward her table. And so, Lucy waits.
As Lucy patiently waited, her order of a salted caramel cream latte and a slice of Chicago cheesecake finally arrives at her table. She then glances at her phone to check the time and realized that she has been waiting for nearly 20 minutes.
"And here I thought I was late for the meeting," Lucy then glances at her phone again and a minute had passed. She then sighs in annoyance, "That Dragneel has the audacity to stand up on me," Lucy then grumbles as she scoops a serving of her cheesecake. when suddenly a tiny voice snaps her out of her thoughts.
"Um, hello Ms. Lucy Ashley," a young brunette girl, holding her phone tightly in nervousness greeted Lucy shyly, snapping the actress out of her thoughts.
Looking at her side, Lucy saw the girl and her expression quickly shifted from annoyance to smiling, and sweetly greeted back, "Hello,"
"Um, sorry to disturb you,"
"No-no, it's fine," Lucy then smiles wider, more genuine as she sees her young fan
"I'm a big fan of yours…um, would you mind if I ask for a picture with you?"
"Of course not, I wouldn't mind, come," Lucy then stands from her seat and the young girl, excitedly shoves her phone to her friend before standing next to the actress. Soon, the other teen asked for a photo and when they took the photo, the young teens thanked her. When her young fans left, another group of teens approached her and asked for a photo. Lucy just feels genuinely happy to have a close interaction with her fans as she doesn't always get the opportunity. Her security at times prevents her fans from coming up to her.
"Thank you, Ms. Lucy!" One blonde girl said when their photo was taken then gushed over her and said "My, gosh you're so pretty!"
"Oh," Lucy then chuckles in bashfulness, "Thank you. You girls and boys look pretty and handsome as well," Lucy then smiles at the group, who were all giggling in happiness.
"I'm a total fan of yours!" A brown-haired girl exclaimed and Lucy smiled sweetly at her as well before she thanked them.
"Well, don't be shy to approach me if you ever see me again," Lucy said as she taps one of the shoulders of the teens.
"Of course, we will! And oh," A black haired boy expressed as he steps forward to be noticed by the actress, "We're happy for you that you have moved on from Loke,"
"Oh…" Lucy was stunned at the comment for a moment before she chuckles in amusement
"Let's go, guys, I think her date is here…" the blonde teen shyly pointed at the back of Lucy making her raise a brow. When Lucy turned, she suddenly spots Natsu standing a few tables away from them, just watching them take photos. As the group walks away from the blonde, Natsu began to walk toward the actress. As he walks past the group, he couldn't miss how the teens were looking at him, from head to toe, when suddenly he hears one of the kids comment, "I think that's Lucy's boyfriend. They look perfect together!"
Finally standing in front of the blonde actress, Natsu quickly noticed the shift of expression on Lucy's face. Moments ago, Natsu saw Lucy smiling but now she had furrowed brows, crossed arms, and a tight-lipped frown.
"You were just smiling a while ago," Natsu comments, and Lucy raised her brow.
"Did you expect me to smile at you?" Lucy questioned, with a tone of annoyance.
"Well…a little," Natsu teased as he tried to smirk, "After all, you're the one who needs me,"
Lucy then snorts in disbelief, "Wow, so, you think it's fine to make me wait?"
"Well, I didn't mean to make you wait—I just…" Natsu then walked past the blonde and sat at the other side of the booth, making Lucy follow after, "I have an excuse for that," Natsu then chuckles when he saw the blonde roll her eyes at him as she get comfortable on her seat, "I kinda…fell asleep on my desk after my meeting," Natsu then rubs the back of his neck, feeling bashful with his excuse.
Lucy raised a brow, skeptical at the man, "And you expect me to accept that?"
"Hopefully," Natsu replies but Lucy frowned even more.
"I waited for nearly 30 minutes! You're just lucky that my fans saved your ass," Lucy then huffs in annoyance, while Natsu sighs in defeat.
"Okay, I'm sorry for being late," Natsu smiled softly, genuinely offering an apology, "I know that's not very professional, given that I just came from a formal meeting,"
"Hm, good that you know," Lucy then scoops a piece of her cheesecake, "Have you eaten yet?" Lucy suddenly asks, changing the topic.
"No, I haven't," Natsu said as he leans back on the plush couch.
Lucy then raises a brow, "Why haven't you eaten? It's nearly after one," Lucy then pushes her plate of cheesecake to the pinkette.
"I uh…didn't have time to grab a meal," Natsu then takes Lucy's spoon and scooped a piece for himself.
"How about you?" Natsu asked back as he shoves the spoon into his mouth.
"I had brunch," Lucy replies as she watches the pinkette lick her spoon, realizing that they were sharing a spoon suddenly, "Coffee?" Lucy then offers, completely unsure why she was offering her food when they could just order for him.
"Is this with cinnamon?" Natsu inquired as he eyed the cup of the blonde
"No, salted caramel,"
Natsu then shakes his head as Lucy tilts her head in wonder, "No thanks then. I'd prefer black coffee with cinnamon," somehow, Lucy took note of his preference.
"Do you usually get sleepy at work?" Lucy questions randomly, making Natsu raise a brow at the woman before he raises a hand when he saw a crew pass by.
"Well, I do get sleepy at work. But today is quite different," Natsu then chuckles at a memory, before turning serious when the crew stood by their table. After the crew had left to fix his meal, Natsu looked back at the blonde, who seemed to wait for his further explanation, "You kept me awake last night," Natsu nonchalantly adds, making Lucy's eyes turn big.
"Oh my goodness," Lucy baffling whispered, and Natsu tips his head in confusion as she trails off, "Don't tell me…"
"What?" Natsu confusingly looked at the blonde.
"Did…did we?" Lucy asked pointing at herself and at the pinkette alternatively.
"Have sex?" Natsu's eyes then grew wide before he chuckles, making Lucy wonder, "god, no…" Lucy's forehead then creases, as if she was offended. Natsu then quickly waves his hand to explain, "I didn't mean it that way…I just mean…we could have done that, but we didn't because…" Natsu then trails off, letting Lucy fill in the blank.
"You made me go to sleep…right?" Lucy tries to complete it as she tries to recall her morning.
"Yes…I had to make you go to sleep because you were starting to strip in front of me…in your living room," Natsu tries to shrug it off but then he remembers vividly their night.
"Right," Lucy then huffs in relief despite knowing she had stripped before the pinkette. But she reasons out, it was better to strip half naked rather than have a one-night stand with the guy and then use him for her diversion, "Well, at least now it's clear to me. I don't have to worry about us having some sort of complicated connection,"
"Of course," Natsu nods his head in agreement before he tries to hide his growing grin.
Soon enough, the crew returns to their table and sets the four servings of pasta in front of the pinkette. Lucy's eyes then widen in confusion and quickly tries to correct the crew, "Excuse me, I think you got his order wrong,"
The crew then tilts his head and looked at the pink-haired man, "Um, sir, did you order 4 plates of spicy chicken in red sauce pasta? Or-"
"Four plates?!" Lucy bellowed at the crew and then glanced at the pinkette, but Natsu ignored her and just nods his head to the crew before looking back at the actress.
"I have a big appetite, sorry," Natsu grins before he grabs his fork and starts digging into his food. When Lucy still had a surprised look, Natsu just pushed a plate toward the blonde and offered, "Dig in,"
Lucy shook her head as she leans back on the couch, baffled. When Natsu had finished one plate, he began on the next immediately. And as Natsu looks up at the blonde, he can see that the woman was totally dubious about him. So, Natsu thought of asking questions instead to distract the woman, but then she beats him into it.
"How the hell do you keep your body in shape and fit if you eat like this?"
Natsu waited if Lucy was going to add more, but then he realized it was a genuine question. So, Natsu slurps the noodles before he pauses to answer, "Oh uh, I have a fast metabolism and I work out often,"
"Well, that's unfair. If I eat more than I should and carbs per se, I'll gain too much and I'll have to burn my ass off," Lucy then huffs, making Natsu chortle.
"Then workout with me, you'll burn more calories than you'd expect," Natsu then smirks before he continued to eat, "Anyways, so, about your proposal…" Natsu changes the topic, making Lucy suddenly sit up straight .
"Right, yes, I do have a proposal for you," Lucy then grabs her clutch to retrieve something inside her bag.
"Which I'm sure I'll be turning down. Just to warn you, I have been turning down proposals since this morning," Natsu calmly says before he glances at the blonde, who was smirking back at him.
Studying the blonde, Natsu couldn't help but feel at ease around her. It may be their second time seeing each other for a business meeting but he couldn't deny the feeling of familiarity and comfort. It's like he has known her for a long time. They are always bickering, and always had something to disagree on, but Natsu enjoys those bickering with her. He never felt stressed out or frustrated. He just enjoys the little arguments they have.
"Why are you staring?" Lucy suddenly questions, making her smile waver a little, "Is there something on my face?" Lucy then runs her hand over her face, trying to spot any mess but Natsu just chuckles as he informed her that she had nothing on her face.
"Okay, so, about your proposal?" Natsu returns on track and Lucy nods her head.
"Well," Lucy then sits up straight, "First off, I'd like to thank you again for your indirect and unexpected participation in helping me with my latest issue,"
"Right, yes. I did look it up a while ago and saw a few articles about it…I guess you're free from your tabloid issue," Natsu smiled as Lucy nods her head in agreement.
"Yeah, but, as I said, I need to make this new rumor about me with you stay floating. Having a one-time article about last night is not enough to disperse my tabloid issue with Loke,"
"Okay, then why does it have to be me? Why don't you just date somebody else?" Natsu inquired as he crosses his arm over his chest.
"Because that's not me," Lucy then gave a serious look to the pinkette, "Lucy Ashley does not date random guys. I don't date random guys,"
"So, you're saying, since I'm the guy that was caught with you last night, it places me as your only date?"
"Apparently, yes," Lucy then smiled knowingly, "You're the best guy to outdo Loke. He's famous for his looks, talent, and personality. But you," Lucy then pauses for a moment as she studies the pinkette, trying to think of her own perception of the man, "You have looks, you have a phenomenal background, and you're mysterious,"
"Mysterious?" Natsu utters, unconvinced.
"Yes… I heard from a friend of mine, that your family may be known in high society, but the public doesn't know who you really are. It seems that the Dragneel family and your clan were able to keep you out of the media's radar," Lucy then smirks as Natsu stares back seriously.
"And I'd like to keep it that way," Natsu and Lucy then stares at one another, "So, at this point, I'm saying no already to your proposal,"
"Let me finish first before you make any decision," Lucy then pushes a paper in front of Natsu, which had a cover page that said Confidential Proposal.
"I made this so that you'll see what I can offer in exchange for your help of pretending to be my boyfriend,"
"If that's what you want, then just use a fake name," Natsu then shrugs his shoulder, "You can use my last appearance to be your fake boyfriend. I don't see the point of being actually there, pretending to be your boyfriend,"
"That's the thing, Mr. Dragneel, the media don't buy that. One-time thing means nothing to them. One-time thing is only an intro. So, if there is no follow-up, or I made a shift of story, they'll question everything and make it worse," Lucy then leans forward for emphasis, "And I don't want that. That will be harder to destroy,"
"I don't have a reason to help you. All you're saying is for your own problem. So, find somebody else to fill in my spot," Natsu gave a stern look and Lucy was beginning to feel frustrated with how Natsu can be stubborn.
"Maybe it's easy to find someone to replace you. But like I said, a shift of story does not help my case. Knowing who I am and my persona in show business, the media can easily spot these lies, that's why I need you."
"But I don't," Natsu replies, "So, no,"
"You need me," Lucy corrects, making Natsu raise a brow at her.
"Ms. Ashley, I don't need you," Natsu replies back, making Lucy falter a little with his words but she quickly masks it with a stern gaze, "There is nothing that you can offer that will help my case,"
"I doubt that," Lucy then tips her head towards the paper in front of the man, "See for yourself,"
Natsu dubiously looked at the actress before he lifts the cover page and reads the initial paragraphs. As Lucy watches the man read, she could sense the feeling of confusion and surprise from the pinkette. And so, her smile was slowly growing, and her eyes were gleaming.
"Last night you told me about how your mother set you up, numerous times, to blind dates to find a woman to be your wife and that you date women from notable families," Lucy confidently smiles at the pinkette, who finally looks up and searches for clarity, "Well, I can help you with that. Once you pretend to be in a relationship with me, you wouldn't be subjected to finding a wife. I can be a doting girlfriend and be a potential wife. But just like many relationships, our relationship will fail due to the difference in personality and life that we choose. Having to break up will give you the excuse to avoid dating until you are ready,"
"You think it's that simple," Natsu comments and Lucy nods her head.
"We can always make it simple. It's up to us how we'll control what we'll do, what we want to show to others, it's between you and me…and some accomplices," Lucy then shrugs her shoulders as she thought of Lisanna and Levy, helping them out.
"Okay fine, let's say that plan works. But I don't think you fit into my problem," Natsu then gave a tight-lipped smile, "I mean, yeah, you are an actress, made a name for yourself, your popular, but my mother is never into that,"
"And what does your mother look for?" Lucy questions with confidence in her voice, as if she knew how to convince the man.
"As you said, notable women, who came from families that are part of high society," Natsu then shakes his head in revolt as he said those words, "Not my type, but that's what my mother only accepts. Otherwise, you'll be treated differently until you give up,"
Lucy then snickers, knowing well about that since Levy had given her a heads up, "Well, then I guess, I should properly introduce myself," Natsu raised a brow in confusion as Lucy brings out her hand for a shake, "Lucy Heartfilia, daughter of Jude and Layla Heartfilia, founder of the Heartfilia Konzern,"
Natsu's eyes grew wide at the familiar famous last name in the world of corporations and large organizations. To his surprise, he couldn't bring himself to shake the woman's hand and Lucy quickly grasps that, so she pulls her hand away and sat up straight instead.
"How do I know you're telling the truth?" Natsu suspiciously asks and Lucy just shrugs as she pulls out her wallet and showed her personal ID-code card to the man. Natsu was taken aback by the facts being presented to him, "So, you're telling me, you're the mysterious heiress of the Heartfilia Konzern that a lot of businessmen talk about," Natsu questions, completely stunned by Lucy's reveal that he barely realized the implication of his words.
Lucy just rolls her eyes at the pinkette's statement as she keeps her wallet away, "I didn't realize I was a topic among men, but yes, I am that heiress,"
"Wha-I'm sorry, I didn't mean it that way," Natsu suddenly snaps out of his thoughts as he finally realized the words he had used, "It's just that…during gatherings, they'd always expect to see Jude Heartfilia's daughter but they never did. They only heard of you but never saw you, so they had always thought that maybe Jude was just lying about his daughter being alive or something,"
Lucy then scoffs, thinking about her father and his ways in life, "Well, he had always expected me to attend those gatherings. But I never did, and I never will,"
"But you're placing yourself in this situation," Natsu then became stern after hearing the blonde, "You do know what this would imply,"
Lucy was then silent, internally battling her thoughts of hesitation, "…Yes, and I am aware of what I'll be dealing with. But that doesn't concern me, because I will not be subject there to marry a man that I don't know and love," Lucy then smirks at the pinkette, "Now, will my background work for you?"
Natsu looked at the blonde for a moment before he looks away and folded his table napkins as he replies, "Your background does work for me. But will it be fine with you to do this?" Natsu then looks up at the woman, who gave a stern look at him.
"Yes, I'll be fine, Mr. Dragneel. You don't have to worry about me. As I said, I know what I'll be dealing with. There is no reason for you to worry about me,"
"Fine," Natsu says as he nods and places the table napkin on the table, "Since you're the one who is offering to help me, then I'll help you back,"
"Perfect," Lucy then grins before she brought out a pen and hands over it to the pinkette, "Now, sign this deal and we're good,"
"Deal? As in like a contract deal?" Natsu confusingly stared at the blonde, who later on sighed.
"Yes, of course. We can't get into this plan without having a set of rules. You know that in business," Lucy mocked.
"Of course I do…I just didn't expect that it would have to end up like this, signing contracts," Natsu then flips the pages and started reading the actual contract, "Really? We're calling this the secret deal?"
"What? It is a secret and we're making a deal. Why make it complicated?" Lucy shrugs her shoulders and Natsu just rolls his eyes at the blonde's naivety.
"Okay, fine. Let me read it again…A secret deal between Lucy Heartfilia and Natsu Dragneel, which is constructed on the 24th day of May, year X797. This deal is in relation to Heartfilia and Dragneel becoming a fictitious couple in front of the media, society, and both parties' families and clans. The deal shall not be disclosed to other people, especially those who may become a liability during the pretentious relationship. This deal shall only be assisted by the chosen accomplices…" Natsu then paused, "Who are our accomplices?"
"Lisanna and Levy," Lucy quickly responds, making Natsu quirk an eyebrow at the familiar name.
"Levy? As in Levy McGarden?" Natsu guesses, and Lucy scolds herself for a moment as she realizes where this discussion is going.
"…Yes, the writer for Fiore Style Magazine,"
"and, yes, Gajeel's girlfriend," Natsu then smirks when Lucy suddenly pouts as he figures that she was intentionally trying to avoid bringing Gajeel's name into the discussion.
"We're making Gajeel an accomplice. He's my cousin, which I assume you know already given that he is Levy's boyfriend. So, obviously, he'll figure it out quickly. Now, to avoid him blabbering about it, we need him to keep mum just like every accomplice," Natsu then looks down at the paper and grabbed the pen on the table. He started scribbling their accomplices' names then continued to read, "Observing this shall ensure the secret deal to be a closed-door business between Heartfilia, Dragneel, and the accomplices. Along with this, a few rules and regulations must be employed,"
Natsu then looks up at the blonde again and tried to read her expression. But the woman only had a calm demeanor, as if expecting that he'll fall into her trap. So, Natsu put his guard up and continued reading the contract, "Rule number one…"
1. The two individuals involved are not allowed to disclose any hints about the secret deal to anyone, especially to their family and friends.
2. The two are to act as a couple only in front of the media and the family of Natsu and Lucy.
3. Physical intimacy is expected in front of the media and family. However, there shall be no touching, kissing, or any intimate actions between the two in situations that do not call for, unless there is an unexpected circumstance.
4. One should always be available in time of need of front act.
"Well, these rules are fair enough," Natsu says as he repeatedly reads the rules, "But, these are all your rules. I'd like to add mine,"
"Alright," Lucy then agrees as she stares at the pinkette with a knowing smile, "Feel free to add your rules. This is a democratic partnership,"
"Okay," Natsu then started scribbling on the back page of the rules to add his own. When done, he handed the documents to the blonde to let her read them. When Lucy took it, she silently read the following rules.
5. No complaints unless necessary, which one of the parties perceives to be physically violated.
6. One must tell their schemes regarding their deal beforehand.
"Fair enough. It's good that you thought about being informed beforehand," Lucy comments as she looks up at the pinkette, "Although, I have one more rule to add,"
"Okay, here" Natsu then handed the pen to Lucy. After writing her last rule, Lucy handed the paper back and made Natsu read the last rule.
"Seventh, no one is allowed to date anybody else while the pretentious relationship is ongoing. Nevertheless, both parties shall not develop any romantic feelings for each other," Natsu seriously glanced at Lucy who had the same expression, "Is this really necessary?" Natsu dubiously asks and Lucy just shrugs her shoulders, "Why not? We do not want to compromise this partnership. I'm not interested to be in a relationship, and neither are you,"
"Right, of course…" Natsu agrees as he remembers that he wasn't really looking forward to finding a new relationship as he still had someone else in his mind, "Having romantic feelings while doing this deal can complicate things because it will be one-sided,"
"Exactly and when it's one-sided, it causes more drama," Lucy added as she smirks finally, "So, if rule number 7 is violated, this deal is called for termination, with no appeal. The contract is only good for the next 5 months,"
"5 months? Isn't that too long?" Natsu questioned but with a smirk on his face.
"Well, it is. But for safety measures, we're dedicating 5 months to resolving our own problems. Give me at least 3 months to get the media out of my hair, completely, and we'll give our pretentious relationship a good amount of believable intimacy and solid connection, to make you appear uninterested to start a new relationship again,"
Natsu then chuckles as he considers Lucy's point and thinks about his family, "Well, given my family, I think 5 months indeed would be sufficient to make them believe we are a legitimate couple and at the same time enough for them to consider it as something not easy to move on from,"
And with that, Natsu signed the papers and handed them over to Lucy to sign herself. After giving it a final glance, Lucy looked up at the man and smiled at him.
"Well then, I'll be sending you a copy of this contact. I look forward to working with you soon Mr. Natsu Dragneel," Lucy then brought out her hand to make a handshake with the man, but then the pinkette just tips his head to the side and smirked knowingly. Natsu then stood up and stepped out of the booth to shake the blonde's hand, "Well then, I expect to work with you tomorrow,"
Lucy then stands in surprise as she hears the sudden urgency of working together, "Wait, what do you mean?" Lucy then pulls her hand as she leans away from the pinkette.
"Given that we are now in a pretentious relationship, it is immediate that you'll be my date," Natsu then gave a teasing smile as he took a step closer to the blonde, making the woman irked.
"Excuse me? The rule says we are to act as a couple only for media and your family. That does not count whenever you want to go out and date a woman," Lucy reminded the man as she took a step closer to the pinkette as well as if trying to intimidate him.
But Natsu just looked at her with a serious expression as he took his jacket from the couch and then stood straight to tower over the woman, "I know. But who said I was going to have a personal date?"
"Then what are you implying?" Lucy asked nervously as she focuses on the man's eyes.
"The Dragon Empire Group has an Annual Charity ball every 25th day of May. And so, tomorrow there will be a charity ball that I am expected to attend. But given that this is a high-profile affair, my mother is certainly going to introduce me to someone's daughter, in an attempt to make me date someone. However..." Natsu then trails off as he closes the gap between himself and the blonde.
Their body was mere inches away from each other, but the two wouldn't even bat an eyelash as they stared at one another. Natsu suddenly slowly wrapped an arm around Lucy's waist and pulled her a little closer. Lucy stiffens to his warm touch, completely confused by the gesture but wills herself to keep her gaze on the man.
Natsu then ducks close to Lucy's ear and whispers, "…given that we are now in a deal, I'm hoping that your plan does work for my problem. I'll be needing my girlfriend tomorrow, as my date," Natsu pulls back to look at the blonde.
"You can't do this," Lucy hissed as she eyes the pinkette with annoyance in her eyes, "you said it yourself. Rule number 6, one must tell their scheme beforehand,"
"I know what I said. But let's consider this as telling you beforehand," Natsu then smirks at the blonde, who was now frowning at him.
"That's unfair," Lucy shoves the man on the chest, putting a little distance between them. But Natsu's hand still rests on her small back, "This is not what we agreed on,"
"Ms. Heartfilia," Natsu called sternly, making Lucy stiff as she hears someone else say her last name after so many years, "Let me emphasize this. If you haven't insisted that I should take part in your contract, you wouldn't be placed in this kind of situation. I would have gone to that ball even without a date and just taken part in whatever plan my mother had. But you wanted me to help you and in return help me. So, this is the deal we agreed on," Natsu and Lucy then kept their gaze on one another, barely blinking as they watched each other. Natsu then whispers, "Rule number five, no complaints…"
"Unless necessary," said Lucy, menacingly while gritting her teeth. But Natsu didn't waver as he stares at the blonde.
"I understand your point. But this doesn't count as necessary," Natsu then steps back and pulls his hand away from Lucy.
Seeing that the woman was still glaring, Natsu tried to act nonchalant as he shakes off the invisible dust from his jacket and wore it, "I'll pick you up tomorrow at 7 PM. Don't be late," and with that, Natsu walked away without giving a second glance at the furious blonde.
Lucy's knuckles turned white as she kept her fists tight while she watched the pinkette walk away. At that moment, Lucy felt like stabbing the man. Levy had warned her about Natsu being spontaneous and acting recklessly. But this is not what she had imagined. Lucy felt like she could handle that pink-haired president. But it appears that she has no concrete idea who Natsu is. The moment she thought she knew Natsu, she is just proven wrong.
"Trust me, Natsu has this weird way of knowing you without really knowing you…"
Lucy recalls Levy's words as she watches Natsu disappear behind the wall separating the area from the rest of the café.
What have I gotten myself into?
Lucy thought to herself as she shuts her eyes and tries to stabilize her breathing and calm her erratic heart. Lucy then grabs her purse and took out her phone to quickly call someone. As she places her phone by her ear, the call was immediately answered.
"Levy, I need your help."
To be continued…