The Love That Blossomed

Chapter 3

Lucy huffed as she stared down at the male in front of her. This was her seat! She had let it slide this morning, but she wasn't gonna be so lenient anymore!

With a burst of newfound power, she snatched the earbuds out of his ears.

Immediately Natsu's eyes shot open.

"Hey!" He shouted as he bought up his hand in defense. Lucy slightly gasped as she feared he would hit her, but to her luck, his hand stopped just as it was about to make contact with her skin.

"L-Lucy?" He muttered as he let out a sigh of relief, "Sheesh, don't scare me like that. I thought you were some stalker tryna' make a move on me."

"Stalker?" The blonde questioned.

Natsu dug a finger in his ear, as he scooped out the earwax. He stared at his finger for a second before blowing it off. "Yeah, people stalk me sometimes, but it's no big deal, really."

Lucy's eyes began to twitch. No big deal? Just how big was this mans ego?

She cleared her throat. "Anyways, Natsu, could you get out of my seat?"

He raised an eyebrow, "Oh, you mean get my stuff out of your seat?" He picked up his phone and his bag and placed them in front of his feet. He smiled widely as he patted the spot beside him, "Here you go!"

Lucy shook her head as she had to struggle not to pull his ear. "This seat," she pointed to him, "The seat in which your butt has snuggly claimed its place."

"My seat?" He questioned, "You wanna sit on my lap?" He smirked as he patted his thighs and made kissy noises. "Come on then, baby cakes."

Lucy stumbled forward as she gripped onto the rail and held her throat, breathing heavily. What the hell?! He nearly made her throw up with that disgusting nickname!

"Natsu, I'll have you know, that I've been sitting in this seat for years. Everyone knows that this is where I sit."

"Lucy, I'll have you know, that I've been sitting in this seat since this morning. I've claimed it, so now it's mines."

This morning...?

"Your name isn't even on it!" Lucy yelled, her patience running thin.

"Oh, yeah? Well, I don't see yours either. Mind showing me?" He smiled coyly.

Lucy began to mumble incoherent curses and Natsu only laughed in response. She knelt down as she scanned the side of the seat, chuckling darkly. Only noobs didn't write their names on what was theirs!

Lucy's eyebrows furrowed in confusion as she ran her hand over the spot where she was sure she had put her name.

She squinted. Natsu...D.?

Her eyes widened as she shot up. "Y-You! You erased my name!"

Natsu smirked as he held up a red Sharpie, "Only losers write their names in pencil," His eyes shot up to Lucy, amused by her heated glare, "Wouldn't you agree?"

One of the blonde's eyes began to twitch uncontrollably.

He was mocking her!

Natsu briefly wondered for a moment if she was possibly having a seizure. Of course she wouldn't write her name with a Sharpie! Cause if you look at the big picture, this is really Tokyo's property and she could easily get rid of pencil if they caught her.

Lucy sighed in defeat as she plopped down beside him. She leaned her head back in exhaustion, and Natsu only smiled as he put back in his earbuds.

An argument...the blonde's heart fluttered as she realized she had an argument with someone! She usually never got to experience this, because she would never be able to bring up an interesting conversation, and people would get bored and dismiss it.

But when she thought about it...that was a conversation, right? And an argument at that!

She realized...that it was actually kinda fun.

Although, losing her precious seat wasn't.

She snapped out one of Natsu's headphones and he gazed over at her irritably. "What?"

"Why are you even here, and what's up with your manners? Wouldn't a man usually give up his seat for a woman?"

"I'm going home, duh. We just so happened to get on at the same time. And I'm no ones slave. If I'm comfortable and I don't feel like moving, then I won't. Sorry if that burst your little bubble, but life isn't always fair."

Lucy huffed. "What's up with that?" she mumbled.

.

.

Lucy grumbled as she stomped though the streets of Tokyo, nearing her apartment complex which was in sight. She glanced back, agitatedly.

"Why are you stalking me, you dodo?"

"Wahaha! Who says dodo anymore? That's sooo lame."

"Natsu, I swear if you don't leave me alone, I'm calling the police."

"I keep telling you that I live this way, dude. What's the problem?" He asked, innocently.

Lucy walked up the steps as she gripped the rail tightly.

"It's the fact that I've never seen you before in my life, before today."

"Truth is, I just moved in."

Lucy made way up to her door, as she stood in front of it, searching for her keys.

"I live here now," He grabbed Lucy's head, squishing her cheeks together, as he turned it to his direction, and pointed to his door.

Her eyes widened in disbelief. "You my neighba?!" Her words came out muffled, from the inability to use her tongue. She pried his fingers off her face as she gazed in shock.

Natsu chuckled. "Looks like I am, your neighba that is."

"Whatever," Lucy mumbled, as she dug in her purse for her keys. It didn't matter if he was her neighbor anyways. He was so cocky...was this really the same man she had been so excited to see, just his morning?

"Oh no..." Lucy mumbled, in horror.

"I can't find my keys!"

Where had she put them? She squeezed her eyes tightly as she thought. Where...work? The train? In the streets somewhere? Argh! She couldn't remember!

"Wanna stay with me, then?" Natsu offered, nonchalantly.

Lucy crooked her neck as one corner of her lip upturned into a twisted smile. "No, you pervert!"

Could she stay with a friend? No...she had no close ones and no relatives in this area.

"The landlady!" Surely she would have a spare key, just as Lucy turned around to make a dash for the stairs, she felt a hand encase her wrist.

She turned around to see Natsu holding her back. "The landlady isn't here today. I even know that, and I just moved in."

Lucy slumped in defeat, realizing he was right. "What am I gonna do? I don't wanna sleep in the streets, cause a car might run me over..."

Natsu had to suppress laughter. Did she seriously not know what 'sleeping in the streets' actually meant?

"Stay over at my place," he offered once again, as he placed a hand on her head.

Lucy eyed him suspiciously. "I barely even know you. How do I know you won't try anything?"

His look became stern. "I promise I won't do anything. I swear it on my life. I'd never stoop as low as that, if I didn't have permission."

"And if you did?" Lucy asked. Natsu eyes slightly widened at the bizarre question.

His lips slowly upturned into a sly smile as he backed her against the door.

"Well, if I did...lets just say that'd be a totally different story..." He placed a hand on her chin as he turned her head up.

In return, Lucy placed her hands on his chest and slowly ran them up to his shoulders, as she gazed up at him with half lidded eyes.

"Would it now?" she questioned, with a smile Natsu couldn't help but find charming.

Shocked by this, Natsu sucked in a sharp breath as he backed away, and covered his face, trying to hide his reddened cheeks.

Lucy stared at him in confusion, and realized her plan had probably failed. She thought that is she tried to tease him, like she had read in a manga once before, that she would be seen as being more interesting than she initially was. (Since so many people had called her boring.)

"Natsu?" She questioned.

His eyes narrowed as he turned to look at her. "Don't. Do. That. Ever. Again!"

He gently moved her out of the way, as he began to unlock his door, his hands fumbling slightly.

Lucy raised an eyebrow. Dang...had she really done that badly?

A/N

Yaay! I finished the third chapter! Natsu is still a boy...let's keep that all in mind. It's still to early on in the story for him to start liking her. Or...not?

I'm actually thinking about changing the title of this to "Spicing Things Up A Bit" so if you see that, please know it's still the same story.

Please R&R *_* I'd really appreciate it!