Natsu spent the rest of the morning and the first part of the afternoon showing Lucy around town. He showed her the cherry blossom park that played host to many a festival in its lifetime as well as playing a huge part in parties, hangouts and memories. Natsu filled her in on all the stories and jokes that accompanied said memories with so much vivid detail that aside from missing faces to the people he talked about, she felt like she was there with them. He showed her what he had dubbed "the boring-but-need-to-know places" like the post office and other city buildings. They made a stop at Headmaster Makarov's farm to see the new addition. Natsu explained that a lot of them helped out on the farm in the fall since the old man liked to have Fall festivals for the families. He would have tractor rides and corn mazes, bounce houses and pony rides, pumpkin patches and quick foods for sale. It was a huge hit every year and the gang loved to see the looks on the children's faces as they lit up in wonder. He also had a haunted hayride after dark that was a huge hit with the older crowd. Natsu, Gray and Gajeel loved scaring people.
They continued their adventure onto the rest of the town when Natsu pulled off onto a side street away from the main road through the town.
"Welcome to Magnolia High School, Home of the Fairies! Don't let the name fool you. We're not all glitter and sparkles. Our mascot looks more like an imp than a fairy and it works for the guys' teams." Natsu told her. He pulled off into a small parking lot that bordered a large field complex that supported a multitude of athletic complexes. He cut the ignition and left the Jeep. Lucy followed suit and met him at the back of the car where he had opened the hatch. He reached in and pulled out an oblong shaped nylon bag with a long strap that he slung over his head and rested against his chest. With a quirked brow and a smirk, Lucy asked him a question.
"You always carry around your baseball stuff with you?"
"Yeah, why?" he responded as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. She giggled as she followed him to the baseball fields.
"So, this is where the magic happens, huh?" Lucy asked. Natsu chuckled.
"You could say that." He sat on the bench in the dugout and placed his bat bag on the ground. Unzipping it, he pulled out a pair of well-worn sneakers. Lucy snorted as he carefully pulled off his Jordans. "What? You think I'm letting these things get dirty?" he said with a smirk.
"In that case…" she trailed off as she placed a hand on his broad shoulder, steadying her weight against his strong frame as she bent a leg behind her to remove one of her sandals. She wobbled a moment, tightening her grip on his shoulder, when Natsu reflexively reached out to grab her elbow to stabilize her. The slight pinch of her nails through the fabric of his shirt sent a small shiver of pleasure to his groin. Not enough to embarrass himself but enough to coat his cheeks in a faint blush. She thanked him with a sincere smile and glimmer in her eyes. "I don't mind getting a little dirty." She said with a smirk. His eyes immediately widened and his blush intensified. She looked confused at his expression before her own blush exploded on her face at the implication of her words. "Oh! I-I mean- No! I mean I d-didn't mean… What I meant was-" she sighed. "I meant I don't mind going barefoot." She finished, pointing at her feet, her head turned away in embarrassment. Natsu shook himself out of his stupor.
"O-of course, that's what you meant. I mean, what else would you possibly mean? It's not like I thought you meant anything different. I- aagghh, I'll shut up now." The pitcher hung his head in exasperation with himself. The blonde giggled, knowing she was just as embarrassed a moment ago.
"Well, c'mon! You gonna teach me something Mr. Baseball Player?" he jerked his head up at her challenge as a grin split his face.
"Let's go!" he yelled as he grabbed her wrist and dragged her out of the dugout. They stopped at the pitcher's mound. "This is my throne, my domain! This is where I cast my judgement and execute my orders on those unworthy!" he boasted.
"You mean you pick a pitch and try to strike them out?" she translated with barely restrained amusement.
"You make it sound so boring that way!" he whined as he pulled her to home plate, leaving her there for a moment to go back to the dugout, re-emerging with his bat and a few balls.
"Alright, missy. I got a challenge for ya." He dropped the balls carefully at the plate so they didn't roll too far. "I'm gonna show you how to hold this bat and swing so I can toss you a few of these. Each swing and miss…" His voice drowned out to her ears as her eyes were no longer focused on his voice and face, but his body. As he went through the motions of swinging the bat, she watched as every muscle rippled and contracted, from his knuckles to his shoulder and his neck down to his hips. To put it simply, he was magnificent. His bronze skin highlighted by the sun, his muscles casting shadows unto themselves. Oh, the thought of those arms around her, his body pressed up against hers. Was it getting hot out here? Of course, it is. It's August. Late August to be precise. Her gaze lifted to his face again. His lips were moving. Oh, those lips. They looked so soft. Wait, he's trying to say something.
"Helloooo? Lucy, you still in there? Should I start calling you Loopy?" he chuckled.
"Oh! Sorry, spaced out a little. That sounds great!"
"You have no idea what I just said, do you?" he said with a smirk. She raised a hand behind her head and tucked one ankle behind the other.
"Sorry." She cringed. 'This is something important to him. I should be paying attention.' She scolded herself.
"It's not a big deal. It's not for everybody." He shrugged, but she could see he deflated a bit.
"No! I want to learn. I want to be able to follow along when you play." She blushed. Natsu was touched. She was so genuine in wanting to learn about something that was a big part of him.
"Alright, I'll make this simple then. As punishment for tuning me out," he began. 'Trust me, you had my undivided attention.' Lucy said to herself. "You have to run bases. When I hit this ball, you run. When you hit second, I'm gonna start running after you. If you make it to home plate before I get to you, I'll pay for your next pedicure."
"And if you catch me?"
"You have to kiss me." He spoke with confidence but inside he was trembling. 'Oh my god. Why did I say that? What if I offended her? What if she smacks me?
"Okay."
"Wait, what? Really?"
"Sure. I'm a lot faster than I look." She smiled coyly.
"I'm all fired up. Let's do it!" Lucy got into position, ready to run as soon as she heard the bat crack. He tossed the ball up, quickly took stance, swing and let it fly. Lucy started sprinting and before she knew it, she was rounding first. Natsu noticed she was indeed fast but he was faster. Mentally noting to pace himself, he took off like bullet the second her toes hit second base. He had already rounded first before she hit third. She saw home plate, she was almost there! That was until she heard the pounding footsteps rapidly approaching behind her.
"I'm coming for ya, Lucy!" he teased as he rounded third. 'Almost there!' she screamed to herself as she tried to run faster. She felt his presence right behind her just before she touched home plate. Well, almost touched anyway. Just as she made a leap to land on it, his strong arms snatched her out of the air and spun her around with her back to his chest, using the rest of his momentum to slow them down. She squealed before giggling, both out of breath from their exertion. He set her on the ground but his arms remained around her waist. Chests still heaving from running, their eyes locked and the air around them became charged. She lifted her hand and rested it on his cheek. She lifted her head toward him. Their eyes fluttered closed just as her lips came in contact with… his jaw. He blinked once, twice before she broke their embrace and danced away. She giggled as she looked at his expression.
"Your prize, Mr. Baseball Player."
"Wha-? Lucy! No fair! That's not what I meant and you know it!"
"You didn't say wheeerre." She sang as she gave chase once again. She squealed as he stormed after her around the field. Lucy stopped short on the pitcher's mound, using Natsu's runaway-truck momentum against him, allowing him to barrel past her. She laughed as she watched him pull up, slowing himself so he wouldn't run headlong into the chain link backdrop at full speed.
"Batter up!" she called to him. Natsu chuckled as he picked up his bat and stepped up to the plate. Lucy pretended to be a pitcher, purposefully over-exaggerating the motions one goes through to throw the ball. As funny as it was, it was also a slight turn on, seeing her bent over in certain ways. They both ended up doubled over in laughing fits after having an argument with an imaginary umpire over a bad call. Natsu checked his phone for the time.
"It's almost time for the matinee. I've got one more place to show you but it's like, right next door to the theatre. Is that okay?"
"Sure! Can we stop at a convenience store really quick though? I just want to get something to clean my feet off."
"No problem! There's one right in the same area."
"Awesome! Let's get going." Natsu switched his shoes back and they exited the gates of the field. Natsu closed the gate and turned around to surprise Lucy by picking her up and carrying her princess style back to the Jeep.
"I'll pay for your pedicure anyway." He told her with a grin. Touched, she smiled brightly at his thoughtfulness.
"Thank you." She murmured as she snuggled into his shoulder. She would never get tired of those arms around her body. He placed her in his car and gently brushed off the excess dirt from her feet and toes.
"You have really cute feet." He said as he walked to the back of his car to return his bag to its spot.
"Um, thanks? Never really been told that one before."
"Ehh, I got a thing for feet. You gotta have cute toes." He winked at her.
"Everyone has their odd kink, I guess." She giggled. She closed her door as he got in on the driver's side and closed the door. They resumed their tour of the town and after a quick stop at the store for wipes so Lucy could give her feet a more thorough cleaning, Natsu pulled into an empty parking lot in front of an inconspicuous brick building. There was a navy blue awning in front of the front door, covering the walkway leading up to the doorway. It had tinted windows and professionally done landscaping. The symbol '-20°' displayed prominently on the side of the building, as well as on a tall sign out by the street.
"What's this place, Natsu?" Lucy asked, wondering why they were sitting there as they made no move to exit the vehicle.
"This is Gray's sister's place. She doesn't live here, she owns the building. It's an under 21 club called 20Below. The gang is pretty much here every weekend." Natsu explained. "There's a big party here next Friday. Last one of the summer before school opens back up. We all meet here at seven. Or I can pick you up, we can grab dinner early and get here together?" he asked hopefully.
"Wow! That sounds like so much fun! I've never been to club parties! And yes, I would love to go with you, Natsu." She said with excitement shining in her eyes. She remembered the stuffy country club parties her father used to make her attend before she… no. That's a story for another time.
"What do you mean by that?" he asked with concern, catching the way she emphasized the word 'club', meaning she had been to parties, but not any fun ones. Lucy cringes at her slip up.
"Um, I kinda had a strict upbringing, I guess you could say? I was forced to go to a lot of my dad's business get-togethers but I couldn't go out and have my own fun." She sighed. "I'm sorry. I really don't wanna talk about this right now. I just wanna have fun with you. Maybe another day?" she smiled pleadingly. Natsu could tell this was hard for her. They really had only known each other for 24 hours, although it had felt like so much longer already. He wrapped his hand around the back of her neck and gently pulled her toward him. He kissed her softly on the forehead before resting his own on hers.
"Sure thing, Lucy. Take all the time you need. Today is about fun, and that's what we're gonna do." It was a no-brainer for him. Ass long as Lucy stayed here, they'd have all the time in the world to get into the deep stuff. And he was just fine with that.