The Girl Next Door

notes: i always get inspired right before a deadline and i'm nowhere near meeting it. LOL. alright. once again, thanks for reading, enjoy, feel free to request a scenario!

iii. comforting her

Natsu whistled cheerfully as he skipped to the mailroom. He was expecting a package today so he was in a great mood because he loved getting mail. It was so fun.

He checked his mailbox and grinned when he saw a small cardboard box resting on top of his bills. He grabbed the box and eagerly returned to his room.

He breezed through his bills, not wanting to spend too much time on the because they were depressing, and pounced on the package, tearing it open with immense gusto.

He stopped short at the sight of the little plastic bag that fell from the box, stuffed with some bright red fabric. Frowning in curiosity, he opened the bag and pulled out the fabric.

His eyes widened immediately and he tossed the garment away from him like it was made of ice with a yelp so unmanly he actually looked around to make sure no one had heard him.

Nope, just him. And Happy, of course, staring at him smugly.

"Shaddup," Natsu hissed in embarrassment as he approached the garment and picked it up cautiously between two fingers and dropped it back in the box.

Jesus. How did someone's lingerie get mixed up into his mail?

He turned the box over to see who it belonged too and his eyes nearly bugged out of his head as he read the name "Lucy Heartphilia."

Unbidden, his mind conjured up an image of Lucy lying on a bed with her golden hair splayed about, red satin lace hugging her curves and hiding all the best parts—

He choked and dropped the box back onto his table before walking to the wall and smacking his flaming face into it.

What the hell are ya thinkin', Natsu? his brain raged at him. She just broke up with Dan—

Thank god, another part of his mind snickered.

—she's prob'ly heartbroken—

He thought to the a couple days prior, when he'd seen her hanging out with some of her friends, laughing more happily than he'd ever seen her with Dan.

"Whatever," he muttered to himself, shaking his head. He grabbed the box and went over to Lucy's door, knocking and calling out her name.

She opened the door with a puzzled look on her face and a very familiar action figure i her hand. "Hey Natsu, what's up?"

"You took my package!" he accused pointing at her hand.

She rolled her eyes and leaned against the doorframe. "No, the people in the mailroom messed up. Here, you can—" Her eyes landed on the open box in his hands and paled. "Is...is that...my—"

"Oh yeah. Here, I came to give this to ya," He thrust the box at her, not looking at her for fear that he would start fantasizing again.

Lucy squeaked and snatched the box away, shoving the action figure into his waiting hands. "You opened it!? You—you—it's not—I just—"

"Ya don't have to explain to me, Lucy—"

"No! I just—I just broke up with Dan and I needed to feel good about myself, okay—"

"Whaddaya mean?" Natsu cocked his head to the side. "Why would you be feeling bad about yerself?"

Lucy swallowed and looked down. "'Cause—I mean—n-no reason, really."

"Aw c'mon, Luce, you can tell me!" He smiled at her encouragingly.

She eyed him for a second before sighing and slumping further. "Just—well, my dad really, uh, liked Dan so he was angry I broke up with him. And...he may have said some...things. That were not...nice. About me."

Natsu was beyond shocked. He'd had the best dad in the world so he couldn't even imagine having a father who didn't treat him as amazingly as Igneel had. "Yer own dad? Really? That sucks."

Lucy nodded dejectedly. "Yeah. So I was looking at stuff online and made a stupid impulse buy." She shook the box pointedly.

Natsu couldn't take the sadness on her face. He stepped forward and wrapped his arms around her, tucking her head under his chin and stroked her hair. "Cheer up, Lucy. If it makes ya feel any better, I think yer really pretty." He nodded his head above her. "Yer always pretty. Though I gotta admit, the lingerie would prob'ly make ya look extra pretty."

She squealed into his chest and smacked him on the back, making him chuckle, before she wound her arms around his waist and hugged him back tightly.

"Thanks, Natsu," she said, muffled into his shirt, her voice trembling with emotion.

He hummed and rested his cheek on top of her head, closing his eyes and enjoying this moment of holding her in his arms.

© Copyright 2015 by The Siege