And yet another part! Thankyou for your continued support and joy!^O^

not a date

For the third time in five minutes, Lucy checked her face in the mirror.

She was pacing up and down her little flat, alternating between slumping down on the couch and jumping up to walk to her kitchen counter and rummage through her handbag - in case she had forgotten to pack something important.

He was late.

It would be the first time they did something together outside of work. But it was not a date. Still, Lucy had to smile when she recalled how he had asked her.

Over time she had managed to convince herself that they were just friends, and really, Natsu seemed not all too interested in romance. So when, one day, he had suddenly started fidgeting nervously only to then proceed to ask her if she wanted to hang out with him one day - his words, not hers - her immediate response had been to trip over a large flower pot.

And today was the day.

Her eyes flickered to the little calendar she had put up beside her beloved equilibrium bookshelf. 16th of May.

When had she met him again? Lucy couldn't recall the exact date. But it had been in the beginning of April, had it not?

Time had flown by since then.

For the millionth time, she pulled down her tight skirt. Was she overdressed?

They were going to a bar she had never heard of, but a little internet research had told her it was somewhere between casual and fancy. She hoped her flowing red top paired with her creamy cardigan would fit that category.

Most of all, she was nervous to meet his friends. Well - he had told her that there were a group of three, and he did not know them too well either. But they had invited him, so he had thought it would be nice to bring someone along too.

She could only remember one of the names, because it had striken her as rather funny. Sting. Then there would be one more guy, and a girl.

It had never occured to Lucy that Natsu might not be from here, so when he had told her he barely knew anyone, she had been thoroughly confused for a second - and then had gladly agreed to accompany him as his 'plus-one'.

Lucy was never opposed to meeting new people.

Especially if it meant going out with Natsu. But she had not told him that, of course.

Levy wouldn't shut up either. She'd been teasing Lucy ever since she had told her about her not-date. She insisted on calling it that, even if her best friend rolled her eyes every time it was brought up.

With a sigh, Lucy grabbed one of her many pillows off her worn red vintage couch, cuddling it to her chest. Maybe he had forgotten her. She plopped down onto the soft fabric, staring at the ceiling.

She wasn't sure how long she had lain like this when, finally, the doorbell rang. She shot up so quickly it made her see stars, but then she was at the counter in the blink of an eye, grabbing her handbag and heading for the door.

She pressed the buzzer without bothering to answer the interphone, and then counted to ten before she opened the door. Her flat was on the first floor, so he only had to take one flight of stairs.

And indeed, there he was, turning on his heels in hopes of spying the right entrance. She grinned at him as she poked her head out.

"Hey! You made it!"

"Lucy!"

Natsu closed the last few steps between himself and the door to her flat, rubbing the back of his head. He always did that when he was nervous, Lucy had noticed.

He was surprisingly casual today, dressed in simple jeans and a ruby button down v neck sweater. Nothing too special, but on him it seemed like it had been made for the gods themselves.

Lucy just couldn't get over how hot he was. She feared she never would.

"Hey." he said as he finally stood in front of her, and then leaned forward to pull her into an affectionate hug.

It was a casual greeting, but Lucy realized this was the first time he hugged her.

She tried her hardest not to blush, but was quite sure she had failed by the time he pulled back. He smelled nice.

Curiously, he peeked over her shoulder, trying to not so unobtrusively get an overview of her living room.

"Nice couch," he grinned. Lucy snorted. At least he seemed to have a good taste in furnishing, if his manners were not the most sophisticated.

"Well thanks."

"You ready to go?"

"Sure am."

His eyes moved to her body, and as they took her in, she squirmed nervously. His lips turned into a lopsided grin as he finally met her eyes, and she turned various shades of red.

Had he noticed how much effort she had put into her appearance? Damn, maybe she should not have put on the lipstick. She had known it was just a tad bit too much. Dammit, Lucy…

"You look nice. Different than usual."

She was this close to outright wheeze when his words registered, but managed to surpress any weird noises in the last moment.

"Uh, thanks! Y-you look nice too. But not so different."

He threw his head back as he laughed, and the sound filled the whole hallway.

"Well," he drawled as he cocked his head. "I always look good."

Lucy gasped, giving him a scandalous look. For a moment, he was absolutely confused, but then the implication of his words dawned on him.

"Ahh! No, shit, I didn't mean it like that! Forgive me!"

And then he actually dropped to his knees, and his hands wound around her calves. Lucy burst into a fit of giggles.

"You always look good too! Better than good! Please don't kill me!"

"Oh, I know I do," she spoke and winked at him when he turned his head upwards. "Just wanted to give you a little scare. Got my revenge!"

"..dammit."

As he came back up, he dusted his knees off and then held out his hand towards her with an inviting smile. Surprised, she blinked at it. When she didn't react, he simply took her wrist.

"Come on!" he called as he pulled her along.

"Eeh, you seem to be in a rush!"

Lucy desperately clutched her handbag with her left as they descended the stairs as if they were in a life and death race. He turned his head to flash her an apologetic grin.

"I'm parking in a no-stopping zone."