A/N So this chapter took two weeks. I'm sorry for the wait, but I hit a case of writers block due to poor planning. I know the direction of where I want the story to go now, so hopefully it shouldn't happen again.

Thanks to everyone who's reviewed, favorited, and followed! Reviews are most dear to my heart, but everything is appreciated.

Chapter 3-

The next morning, Natsu didn't show up to her apartment.

Logically, she should have expected it. Just because he'd shown up once didn't mean it would become a routine. And regardless of what had happened last night, that didn't guarantee a visit from him.

Still, she was disappointed. For some weird reason, she'd been looking forward to seeing him in the morning. Wherever he went, he seemed to fill the room with life. Sure, he was noisy and messy, but, as Lucy stood in her kitchen, glancing at the clock, she found herself yearning for his presence. Without him, her apartment was eerily quiet, the humming of the fridge no longer comforting, but unsettling.

Giving once last glance to the clock, she sighed. She'd have to leave now, otherwise she'd be late.

She arrived at school rather quickly, the train carrying maybe half of the passengers who had been on yesterday. As she walked through the hall, she didn't see a single person from her class. Frowning, she entered her homeroom.

She nearly screamed.

The tables were upturned, the chairs flung in many directions. One of the widows had cracked, as though someone had punched it. There was soot on the walls, as though there had been a fire. It looked as if a dragon had walked into the room and had thrown a tantrum.

"Lucy!" It was Lisanna. Her blue eyes were wide and sorrowful, "I'm sorry!"

"S-Sorry? Why?"

"I'm sorry, too" Macao walked over, "Man, I'm pathetic. I didn't even try to stop the rumors."

"Oui," Reedus walked over, his head lowered in shame, "Sorry, Lucy, for allowing a smear of slander ruin your portrait!"

"E-everyone, what's wrong? I don't understand... What happened to the room?" Lucy was really worried now..

"The dumbass burst in here screaming about how you weren't a couple," Gray said, and Lucy could already feel her heart start to thump, "He said that we were all idiots, and that you were just friends"

"N-Natsu did?" Lucy whispered, her eyes widening, "H-He said he's handle the rumors... But to go this far?"

Levy nodded, "He even said that if we made you cry one more time, he'd destroy us. And that it was unforgivable of us to make you cry even once. I'm sorry, Lu-chan, I didn't realize it affected you so much..."

'H-he said that? All of that? Natsu... Thank you. No one has ever done so much for me... No one has ever cared enough'

"Let's cut the sappy shit," Cana rolled her eyes, handing Lucy a sponge, "Quick, we gotta clean this before Mavis-sensei arrives. Since this is all your fault, Lucy, since Natsu did all of this for you, you'd better start cleaning."

Lucy nodded, "Okay!" She said enthusiastically, her famed optimism returning, "Let's do this!"

Miraculously, working together, they managed to make the class look presentable before Erza and Mavis walked in. Natsu walked in after them, acting the same way as usual, but Lucy quickly noticed the small things- the tense of his shoulders, the small frown on his forehead, the slight edge to his tone- and her fingers starting drumming on the table, her nervous habit kicking in.

He sat in the seat next to her, as always, and seemed focused in class. It was during the second lesson of the day that the worry took over Lucy's better judgement, and she passed him a note.

'Are you okay?'

Those three words seemed so little, so insignificant compared to what he'd done for her. And despite her literary abilities, Lucy found she could say nothing else. After staring at it for three minutes, trying to word it better, she finally passed it to him.

He read it, and Lucy waited for his reaction. And just like that, the frown in his brow disappeared, his posture relaxed, and his eyes softened. He turned to her, and smiled. Lucy felt her breath catch. It was a sincere smile, bright and genuine and it seemed to have come from his very soul.

She felt her lips stretching outward, returning his smile. He was fine.

After class ended and their teacher left, she quickly turned to him, fully intending to use this opportunity to thank him.

"Natsu," she said simply, "Thank you. Thank you so much."

He grinned, "Anytime. I love having an excuse to yell at people and break stuff."

"No, honestly, thank you," she said, trying to put her gratitude into words, "No-ones ever- I mean, I didn't think anyone would... No-ones ever cared enough before... I don't know what to say."

He looked slightly embarrassed, "It wasn't really that much, Luce. I'm your friend. I don't like seeing my friends cry."

Friend. Such a simple word. For some reason, it didn't seem to explain the extent of her bond with Natsu, a strong, deep trust that she couldn't express. She'd only known him for a few days, yet the word friend didn't seem enough to explain it.

Lucy decided to leave it. She didn't need to label her relationship with Natsu, anyway.

"Oi, squinty-eyes," Gray smirked, walking over, "You didn't need to break the entire classroom."

Lucy's fingers drummed on the table, gaining speed. It was so annoying- every time he came near her, she just froze up! She didn't know what to say, and she always ended up saying something stupid. Whenever she was around him, she was tongue-tied and couldn't focus. Not to mention her blush. She always blushed around him.

Natsu shrugged, "I felt like it."

Gray turned his attention to Lucy, "So, you were crying, huh?" He asked looking slightly apologetic, "Sorry. My congratulations to you yesterday probably made it more awkward for you."

"N-no, you don't need to worry about it," Lucy reassured, "It's fine. Besides, I think after Natsu's stunt this morning, everyone will be too scared to say anything."

Gray chuckled, and Lucy's stomach flipped, "Yeah. Y'know, Wakaba swore he saw a dragon instead of Natsu. Apparently Natsu's temper is strong enough to make people hallucinate."

"Really?" Natsu asked, his eyes sparkling, "He saw a dragon? Where?"

Gray whacked him on the head, "Idiot, don't you know what a hallucination is?"

Natsu glared, "Yes. It's when my fist hits your face!"

And then Natsu lunged, his right fist slamming forward. Lucy gulped. They weren't play fighting; Natsu's punch was aimed to hurt.

Gray caught his punch in his palm, and then an all out brawl ensued. At least, for five second, before Erza realized what was going on and broke them apart.

That day, Lucy was reminded why Erza had earned the nickname, 'Titania'.

"We're sorry, Erza!" They pleaded, "We won't do it again!"

"Of course you won't do it again," Erza glared, slamming her right fist into her left palm menacingly, "If you do it again, I will utterly destroy you."

"AYE-SIR!"

When Lucy, Levy and Lisanna sat at their lunch table that day, they were surprised to see Natsu, Gray and Erza already sitting there.

"Hey, Lucy!" Natsu called out cheerfully, "Come sit with us!"

Lucy glanced over at Levy and Lisanna, and they both nodded. She turned back to Natsu and grinned, "Sure!"

She went to sit beside him, but found she couldn't pull her chair out. Puzzled, she looked at the chair only to see Natsu's foot pressed on it, keeping it down. Shooting him an annoyed look, he tilted his head slightly to the other empty chair beside him.

It was a chair next to Gray.

"Natsu!" She hissed, "I'm not sitting there! No way!"

"I promised I'd help you, didn't I?" He hissed back, "Now sit down before they get suspicious!"

Thankfully, the others had completely missed their exchange. Realizing her only option left was to sit in between Natsu and Gray, she sat, her face burning. What was she going to say? What was she going to do? She had to say something witty and intelligent, something which would grab Grays attention and make him realize she wasn't just the blushing schoolgirl she transformed into when she sat next to him.

"Natsu, don't you have lunch?" Levy asked.

"I do, Lucy's going to give-"

She kicked him in the leg, hard. She did not need any more rumors being spread about them being a couple, and let's face it- if she gave him a bento in front of everyone, they would immediately assume they were a couple.

"I think he just left his lunch in his bag, right, Natsu?" Lucy asked sweetly, "I'll go with him and grab it."

She then grabbed his arm and nearly pulled him out of his chair as they left the room. As soon as they were out of earshot, he started complaining.

"Lucy, you're terrible! You didn't have to kick me that hard!"

She glared, "Yes, I did. You were about to tell them I made lunch for you! If that got spread around, there'd be no end to the rumors!"

He pulled a face, "You still didn't have to kick me."

She winced, "Sorry."

"Nah, it's okay. But your kicks are powerful. You should start an after school martial arts club. You can teach people how to do the 'Lucy Kick!"

She laughed, "Me, a martial arts instructor? You'd be much better. Anyway, here," she handed him his lunch, "Hurry up and open it! I wanna see what you think."

He took the lid off, revealing the lunch. He stood there, jaw agape in stunned silence for what felt like forever. Lucy bit her lip.

"Do you like it?" She asked.

Her voice jolted him out of his reverie. His head snapped up, his eyes still shocked.

And then-

"Lucy!" He cried out, "This is awesome! Is that hot sauce- yes, it is! It's so cool!"

She giggled, "That's good. I was worried for a second."

"How could you be worried? As if anyone wouldn't like something as awesome as this! It's a dragon!"

And just like that, with his enthusiasm and good nature, Lucy could feel her lips moving into as smile that mirrored his. His happiness was infectious- and all that effort she'd put into last night, and all the effort she'd put into the original- was worth it.

"Don't expect a lunch like this every day," She warned, "I can't spend all my nights making you lunch. I need to study, too."

They arrived back at their lunch table, only to find that Gajeel had joined them.

"Gajeel." Natsu glared.

"Salamander." Gajeel replied cooly.

Lucy looked between them, wandering why there was so much tension.

"Natsu." Erza said coldly, her voice sharp, "Sit down. Now."

Natsu sat down without fuss.

"Oh, Natsu, is that your lunch!?" Lisanna inquired, her blue eyes bright, "It's amazing! Did you make it yourself?"

"Please." Gray scoffed, "As if that matchstick could make shit. He probably bribed someone into making it."

"I didn't bribe anyone into making it for me." Natsu retorted.

"You sure as hell didn't make it yourself."

"No," Natsu admitted, "I didn't."

"Then how did you-"

Gray was interrupted by the sudden arrival of Loke.

"Lucy!" Loke sighed, getting on bended knee and grasping her hand, "It's been so long since I've beheld your exquisite beauty! Why did you reject all my calls over the holidays?"

"Because I didn't want to see you," Lucy said blandly, "You're annoying."

He recoiled dramatically, his hand over his heart, "Lucy, you mustn't play hard to get! You already have me smitten!"

"I have no interest in you whatsoever, Loke. Go find some other girl to hit on."

"Lucy, your harsh words wound me!"

"Oh, shut up, Loke."

"Hey, Loke!" Gray called out good naturedly, "I see the girls are still rejecting you, huh?"

It was well known that Gray and Loke had a good relationship. In fact, before Lucy had met Natsu, she'd thought they were best friends.

"Only the ones that count." Loke answered, winking at Lucy.

Natsu watched the exchange, and oddly, he was silent. His expression was unreadable.

The rest of lunch followed in a similar pattern. Surprisingly, Lucy found that despite not normally spending her lunches with Erza and Gray, it was fun, and she could already feel the bonds that would connect them grow. Natsu didn't contribute much, though, and Lucy felt herself start to worry once again. Was it the rumors, or his outburst this morning? Or was it Gray asking about her bento?

She decided to ask him about it later.

"Hey, Lu-chan, can I come see your apartment?" Levy inquired, "I've never visited, and we've been friends for ages! Come on, please?"

Lucy hesitated, "Oh, I don't know..."

School was now over, and Lucy was walking to the train station with everyone.

"Lucy, you have an apartment? Then we must make haste!" Erza proclaimed, "A female living on her own in these times is dangerous! Any danger can threaten you! We must set up a lock system, a plan without flaws-"

"Erza, you're getting carried away," Lucy laughed, "It's not like that."

"Eh? Bunny-girls got an apartment? Do you have food?" Gajeel inquired.

"Lucy has an apartment!" Gray grinned, "Alright! Let's go visit."

"U-umm... I don't know, maybe next time?" Lucy offered, "I just don't feel comfortable."

Erza grabbed Lucy's head and shoved it into her shoulder in an attempt for a hug, "Don't worry! I'll make sure nothing indecent happens! As the Student Council President, I assure you!"

"Somehow, that isn't making me feel any better."

"Oi, where's the Salamander?" Gajeel frowned, "Doesn't he go on this train, too?"

Lucy's forehead creased in worry, "He does." She bit her lip, "Normally. I hope he's okay..."

"Pfft, the flame brain is perfectly fine. The idiot knows how to take care of himself," Gray snorted, "He probably went to go buy food. The bastard eats more than a dragon."

Lucy nodded. Normally, she'd have been flustered, because Gray was there, standing next to her and coming to her apartment. But her worry for Natsu just seemed to take priority over everything else.

"You'd better be okay, Natsu," she whispered, too low for anyone else to hear, "He makes me worry too much. Way too much."

"Lu-chan, your apartment is amazing!"

"Very clean. I approve!"

"Tch. Looks like bunny-girl has a lot of money."

"Pretty cool, Lucy."

Thwack

"Gray! Don't strip in other peoples houses!"

Gray rubbed his head, glaring at Erza, but was wise enough not to say anything. Gajeel was roaming through her cupboards, making a mess and eating all of her food. Levy was beside him, scolding him about his manners. Erza, after chastising Gray, had walked straight to Lucy's room and was rummaging through her drawers.

They had followed her into her apartment. She'd tried every argument possible, every logical reason she could call forth, and none of them took no for answer. Lucy didn't know how to get them to leave, but she knew one thing- she wanted them out, and now. No one was allowed in her apartment. Natsu had been an exception.

"Lucy!" Erza exclaimed, holding up a bra, "These are huge! How do you wear them?"

Lucy's face burned as she shoved Erza back into her bedroom and slammed the door shut, "Stop that! It's embarrassing!"

She took a deep breath, and frowned. Something was off. She breathed in again, and realized she could smell smoke. She sprinted back to her kitchen.

"Gajeel! What are you doing?" She demanded.

"Melting iron. It tastes better."

"M-Melting iron?" Lucy repeated, feeling her energy drain.

"Lu-chan, don't worry, I'll stop him!" Levy promised, the petite girl trying to solve the giant Gajeel from Lucy's stove.

Crash!

Lucy whipped around, wondering just what could go wrong now, and was met with the sight of a completely nude Gray.

She screamed.

"Don't worry, I'll find my pants I think they're around here somewhere!"

Everything was a blur after that.

She'd been told later that she'd run into her bedroom, kicked Erza out with a surprising amount of force and locked the door. It was only when her heart had stopped pounding and her breathing was even when she felt more like herself.

And now, she was currently hiding in her bed, the sheets pulled over her body completely. It was stuffy, and hard to breathe, but Lucy didn't mind. It was something of a habit she'd contracted after her mother's death. Whenever her father would yell at her or anyone around her, she'd run into her room, lock the door, and hide in her bed. It was there, in the quiet and the calm that her emotions would settle.

She didn't why she'd overreacted. Maybe it was a mixture of everything- having so many new people in her apartment, their antics, Gajeels weird obsession, Grays stripping habit- that had made her react so strongly.

"Luce?"

She didn't respond. She didn't need to ask who it was. She knew it was Natsu even before he spoke, from the way his footsteps fell on the floor.

"Luce. Come out. They said you've been in there for an hour."

Silence.

"Luce, if you don't open the door in the ten seconds I'm breaking the door down."

She didn't move. It was an empty threat. His dad had him enrolled in anger management classes when he was younger. He wouldn't actually-

BANG.

Shit, Lucy had forgotten that he'd only lasted a week before his teacher had had enough and kicked him out. The legendary dragons temper struck once again.

She heard his footsteps as he walked into the room, felt the bed sag as he sat on it, "Luce?" He asked, his voice gentle, "What's wrong?"

When she didn't reply, he continued, "Everyones worried, you know. They called me about half an hour ago. They were all meant to go home a while ago, but they've all stayed cause they're worried. Can you come out and show them you're not mad at them?"

She felt his hands try and pull the covers off of her, but she stubbornly held on to them and refused to budge. She heard him chuckle, and all of a sudden the covers were flying off. She blinked, her eyes adjusting to the dim light, and as her eyes focused she saw that Natsu was there, smiling gently down at her.

"Hey there."

And then his eyes widened slightly, "Were you crying?"

"...Yeah"

"Luce, what's wrong? This isn't like you. What happened?"

"I don't like people being in my apartment."

He frowned, "Why? It's not like they're ruining anything. And you've known Levy since last year, and you haven't let her in, not once. What's so special about your apartment?"

"I don't like people coming into my apartment."

"Can you tell me why?"

She met his eyes, but didn't say anything. His eyes were begging for her to trust him, to believe in him, to let him in, but she didn't say anything. She'd only known him for three days. How could she entrust him with a secret so deep in her heart?

"Luce." He said simply, "Trust me."

And she stared up at him, and shook her head, "I can't."

Hurt covered his features, but after a second his face masked it. He nodded, "Okay. I'll tell everyone to go home. See you tomorrow at school, Lucy."

He left then, and took them all with him, and Lucy couldn't help but feel she'd messed up. Big time. Not only had he left without trying harder (Natsu giving up on anything was weird enough) but he'd called her Lucy. The absence of his use of the nickname, for some stupid reason, made it all hurt more.

But she couldn't. Because the last time she'd trusted someone with her surname, everything had gone to hell. How could she tell him about the stalkers, the paparazzi, the criminals, the creeps and the gangs? It was a world much different to his own.

'I'm sorry, Natsu. But I can't trust you with this.'

A\NI hope everyone enjoyed! There's not as much fluff compared to the previous chapters, but don't forget, I am including a drama element to this story.