Summary: When Lucy is stood up, an unexpected saviour sweeps in.
Fairy Tail Fanfic
Disclaimer: I own this. But not Fairy Tail, sadly.
Chapter one: Stood Up
Lucy folded the napkin nervously on her lap, not looking around her except for the few skittish glances to see if he had arrived.
"Miss, are we expecting your company?" His voice soft and sympathetic. The situation was embarrassing and pathetic.
"Yes," Lucy nodded briskly, "He's just late. A little while longer, please."
Bowing his head, he spun on his heel and entered the kitchen. Lucy could feel the eyes on her, no doubt feeling second-hand embarrassment. This night was a tragedy!
Time flicked by steadily.
"I'm an idiot," mumbling to herself. That stupid guy! Her friends had warned her, he was a playboy, a womaniser. Why would she be any different to the rest of them? Loke … what was she thinking to believe he would show up? And now she would be paying the check after consuming two glasses of Wine to relieve her awkwardness.
This night was a bad idea.
"Miss, we can't hold this table up for too long, you see, we have more quest in line." He was a fine line away from grinding his teeth, the Writer could tell. It had been an hour, one nice, long humiliating hour.
Pondering it, "Yes. Bring me the check." Well, there was a nice Thai takeaway place down the street, she would bring home dinner and finish off the rest of the Cookie and Cream ice cream at home and sulk. And then get the 'I told you so lecture' from her four roommates while she finished off some alcoholic beverage so she would sleep better.
"Wait!" Came a shout from the doors.
Looking up, a man ambled over to the table, oozing confidence in his walk. Many people looked up, the noise attracting attention in the otherwise quite restaurant.
Amber eyes bore into hers, "Sorry, babe! The boss wouldn't let me leave early and the traffic was crazy."
The waiter, whose eyebrow was now twitching, marched back into the kitchen, arms stiffly at his sides.
The unknown rescuer gave a small smile, "Play along …. Honey!" Not once looking above the menu to make eye contact once sitting.
Following his lead, "Of course … honey." Slowly sinking into her seat.
It should have felt weirder and less natural. But playing along was surprisingly fun and exciting.
After a few moments, a new waiter appeared. "What would like to be ordered?"
The new date went first, "I will have the chicken … and this," pointing at the menu, "isn't snails or anything, right?"
Holding back a smile, keeping her face composed, Lucy then listed off what she would have when the waiter turned to her.
When the waiter walked away, "I'm Natsu."
"Lucy," and after a short pause, "Thank you, for eating with me."
Natsu shrugged like it was no big deal. "I'm mainly in this for the food."
A chuckle passed her lips, "That's fine. You saved me the humiliation of walking out of here alone."
Natsu gave a sad smile, "Stood up, eh?"
"Yeah. But it was a playboy, so I should have known better."
"Collage dude?"
"Yep."
"Don't rely on them too much. Sure they can be nice ones out there – Take me for instance." Pressing his fingers to his chest. "But I wouldn't say young guys are the best ones for the picking."
"What comforting words from a stranger."
He gave a toothy grin, "This isn't weird or anything, is it?" waving his hands around the restaurant.
"No. It feels like this should be weirder."
"It does. Maybe it's me, maybe I am super charming!" he boosted with half-heartedly conviction.
"Or, I'm not sexualising this date."
Interest flicked in Natsu's eyes, gasping dramatically, "Are you telling me this isn't going to end in some type of weird Fanfiction thingy where we're gonna spontaneously fall in love and that the very stars aligned just for us? You are a cruel woman!"
Laughing, "That sums it up. And what Fanfiction have you read?"
Ears turning red. "None."
"I read the Lost Boys and Harry Potter." Admitting easily.
Looking at her suspiciously, "Raven Master."
"Is it worth the read?"
Raising one shoulder, "I guess so, it's a lot like this other one I have read called Fairy –"
"Dinner is served!" Said a new, a more enthusiastic Waiter, placing down the plate in front of them.
"Oh man," Natsu mumbled, looking at Lucy's plate. "You got bacon in yours." Looking at his pitiful chicken. "They're stingy with the food serving here, aren't they?"
"Yeah. Aren't all restaurants though?"
"I'm getting food after this," he nodded to himself, "Thai, I feel like Thai."
"That's on my way home! We can get some together!"
Grinning, "Wow, this has never happened to me before, two dates in a row on the same night, AND the same person."
"Maybe the stars did align for us!"
He was easy to talk to. He was a Mechanic that worked up this end of town, and was twenty-two like Lucy. He wanted to do carpentry instead, but due to some mysterious destructive issues in the past, he was warned away from it. And he was genuinely interested in what Lucy had to say.
"Writer. Major in Philosophy. Want to be an Astronomer."
"When you say Writer, do you mean you write Fanfiction or original stories?" Looking at her with amusement.
"Yeah, I do. Or I did. Not so much now. I work on originally novels mainly, I'm just editing at the moment and then I will send it to a publisher and see how it all works out."
"Huh. What did you write for? On Fanfiction."
"That is classified."
When the night came to an end, they split the bill and left, heading to fill their bellies with Thai food.
"It's the first time I have done this. Unplanned date, eat more food with unplanned date, and scored a friend who I will be horribly to try and keep in contact with."
Stopping in her tracks, "How will you keep in contact with me?"
"I was hinting that I could give you my number. Or add you as a friend on Facebook, mind you, I'm not really active on social media."
Swooping numbers and adding each other on Facebook (because that was sooo romantic, not) they ate in silence.
"If you want, you could come over to my place and we could watch some anime. I have four roommates, by the way."
"Are they hot woman – Ouch! I was joking!" rubbing his arm. "I promise. And yes."
No lecture for Lucy!
The walk only took five minutes, and when they arrived, a short petite woman jumped in the way grinning, "How did it go?"
Natsu, who was standing behind her while she unlocked the door, leaned in enough to whisper in her ear, "Do woman really tell each other everything?"
"Oh, yeah!" Answering him first. "Amazingly well." Now answering Levy
"She means me." The pinkette said behind her, taking in the crazy eyed blue haired woman.
Seeing the man behind her, gaped in surprise and stepped asides, holding the door open for the two to walk in.
"So, who is your new date?"
"He's not my date?"
"We're not –"
They started at the same time before pausing. Looking at each other uncertainly.
Suppressing a smirk, "While you figure that out, I'm going to make tea."
Shoving his hands in his pockets, "Well, we are, sort of, I think, on a date."
"We call each other each dates then?"
"Yup."
There it was again. The 'This should feel weird and awkward but it actually doesn't'.
Natsu peered around the room, "if this was Fanfiction, we would already be messing around by now." He said in an absent tone.
"Yeah. Because we both drank too much at the restaurant, got kicked out, and you would be more sober then me, would carry me home, and then … we would make out on my front door, then do it on the couch and then take it too the bedroom."
"Seriously, has that happened before or have you wrote that in Fanfiction before?" Showing all teeth in his contagious grin.
This time, Lucy's ear went red.
"That is classified."
From the corner of his eye he suspiciously peered at her, "It was Fifty Shades Of Gray wasn't it?"
"No!"
"The water is boiled in the kettle if you want some tea or coffee," Levy ambled out of the kitchen, staring at the man standing in their living room appraisingly.
Pouring a generous amount in each glass (because Levy only bought the abnormal sized ones, not regular sized ones, but ones that looked like they belonged to titans).
Levy wondered off, but not before Lucy caught the eyes that seemed to be laughing back at her.
"All the anime is on this shelf, any preference?"
"Do you like Soul Eater? I just begun it, truthfully."
"Soul Eater it is."
After a couple of Episodes and half-done introductions to the other roommates who wondered through the room with curiosity burned in their eyes, Natsu asked, "Do they get together? They work so well together …"
"It's platonic."
"They would work so well together –"
"Nope."
"Really?"
"Really."
And that was the end of that. After a while, and the clock clicked to Eleven, Natsu started it was time for him to leave.
At the door, he paused. "I would like to do this again. How about an intentional date?"
Author's note:
This idea came to me when I saw an Imagine on Pinterest and I just had to write it! You fellow Writers understand the drill.
This was meant to be a One-shot, but now I am thinking something under four chapters. Short and sweet. Nothing too long.
Reviews. It's not a lot to ask, but it was would simply be marvellous if you would leave a review, even a simple: we7tfwebfpiuwegf.
It doesn't have to be a real word, just any type of review is better than silence.