The Girl Next Door

notes: still procrastinating...oh yeah, i'm on the fast-track to graduation fosho...anyway enjoy! again, this is not going to be in chronological order! also nalu are gonna be totally OOC!

ii. (fake) dating her

Natsu hummed as he rubbed Happy's stomach soothingly, enjoying the blue cat's gentle purrs.

Suddenly, there were three frantic knocks on his door and Happy jolted upright and scampered away. Sighing, Natsu got up and opened the door.

"Oh, hey, Lucy."

"Hi Natsu!" She sounded out of breath and her cheeks were tinged pink. Her eyes landed on something behind him and she smiled. "Hello to you too, Happy."

Happy meow and strutted to her feet, winding himself between her legs. She giggled and picked him up, cooing at him.

Natsu shook his head in amused disbelief. "I still can't believe how much Happy likes you. He's good with strangers, but he acts like he's known you forever."

Lucy beamed at his words. "Well, I like him a lot too." She nuzzled Happy's head with her cheek. "But anyway! I came over here for a reason."

Natsu gestured for her to come in and shut the door behind her before sitting next to her on his couch. "Somethin' wrong?"

"No—well, kind of?" Lucy bit her lip hesitantly. "The thing is...my father is coming to visit tomorrow. And...remember how I broke up with Dan three months ago?"

Natsu nodded with a grin. That had been a very good day.

"Well...I may have told him that I'm dating someone else."

"Okay..."

Lucy winced. "And I may have told him that I'm dating you."

"Oh—what!?"

"I know, I know, I'm sorry!" Lucy buried her face into Happy's fur to hide her embarrassment. "I just—well, my father wanted to know why I broke up with Dan and he wouldn't accept me saying that I just didn't like him and so I told him I was dating someone else! And, you know, we had lunch together that day so you were the first person I thought of." She turned her face to him, the picture of desolation. "I'm really sorry."

"No, I'm—I'm just surprised." And he was. It had only been four and a half months since he moved in. They were friends and they hung out relatively often, but Natsu hadn't thought he was on her radar as a man.

Maybe this meant he actually had a chance.

He grinned and leaned back into the couch. "So...what? You need me to be your boyfriend tomorrow?"

Lucy turned red and she hid her face back into Happy's fur. "If...if it's not too much trouble...I mean, I know we probably don't really act like we're dating so—so I guess we should get to know each other a little more? Today?"

"Hm...and what do I get outta this?" Natsu playfully wiggled his eyebrows at her.

She elbowed him half-heartedly. "Well, um...I'll buy Happy's food for a month! And—and I can get you VIP tickets to Blue Pegasus' concert! I know you like them and they're gonna be in Magnolia for a couple days next week."

Natsu perked up immediately. "For real? Luce, you're the best! Course, you're comin' with me, right?"

"Me?" she squeaked. "You—you wanna go with me? I can get you more tickets for your friends!"

"Nah, my friends are dumb. I wanna go with you! It'll be fun!" Natsu grinned imploringly at her.

Lucy's eyelashes fluttered. "I—I—are you sure?"

"Duh! Why not?" Natsu rolled his eyes. "You're so weird, Lucy."

"Hey!"

"Alright!" He shot to his feet and Lucy imitated him uncertainly, finally releasing Happy to the ground. Natsu slung his arm over her shoulder, yanking her into his side, and eagerly walked them to the door. "Let's go get to know each other!"

"Wait—but your arm—"

"People who are dating do this, right?" Natsu smirked at Lucy, who opened her mouth to deny his words, but then shut it and pouted when his words sank in. "Or is this better?"

His arm slid down her back and casually curled around her waist, his fingers tucked into the pocket of her jeans. Natsu snickered when she jumped, startled by his touch, and glared at him.

She smacked his chest lightly. "No, this is not—"

"Too late! Let's go!"

© Copyright 2015 by The Siege