Chapter 6

Lucy rested her sweaty palm against the rough bark of the oak tree towering above her. She bent down, griping her left knee with her other hand and slowly drew in long gulps of air. Her breath came in laboured pants. Cold sweat trickled down her forehead. She wiped it away with the back of her hand and stood upright, hands on hips, gulping in the oxygen around her. The sun was high in the cloudless blue sky. She could feel its permeating rays lick at her sweaty skin.

Magnolia Park was spread like a blanket below the small hill she was standing on. Exhilarated laughter hummed in the air. Children chased after colourful kites that ducked and dived like birds in the air while parents watched and chuckled fondly. Ice-cream was being steadily consumed at every angle, white rivers decorating the hands of many. The soft green grass danced in the gentle breeze, and the park was dotted with an array of colourful tree tops.

Lucy leaned her back against the trunk of the magnificent oak tree, closed her eyes and basked in the glorious shade the canopy provided. Every Saturday morning she would go out for a jog. Magnolia Park was the perfect location for such activities. Lucy had only been jogging for an hour or two and she was already having so much more fun than she did at her old home.

"Lucy!?" Lucy's eyes snapped open to see a shocked and delighted Natsu standing in front of her. He was wearing a jersey and shorts that, like that day in PE, clung to his sweaty skin. The small droplets that coated his muscular arms and legs glistened in the sunlight. His hair was, again, slightly damp. "Natsu?" she exclaimed in surprise. His face lit up with a childlike grin. "What are you doing here?" they asked in unison. "Jogging" they both replied simultaneously.

Lucy pushed herself off the tree and walked to stand in front of him. She smiled brightly. "I usually go for a jog on Saturday mornings" she explained. Natsu grin got bigger. "So do I! We should jog together from now on" Lucy couldn't help the blush that instantly lit her cheeks. "That would be fun" she said. Natsu swung an arm around her shoulders and whooped. "Now we can be jogging buddies!" he cried happily. Lucy could only laugh.

Natsu soon saw the ice-cream van and his eyes immediately brightened. "ICE-CREAM!" he screamed in happiness, almost pulling Lucy's arm out of its socket as he enthusiastically dragged her along. They stopped in front of the little window. Natsu fished around in his pocket and pulled out some jewels. "What do you want Luce?" he asked. "Um…I don't have any money on me" Lucy said. Natsu rolled his eyes. "I'm paying weirdo, so what do you want?"

"Oh I couldn't-" "I'm going to buy you something anyways, so make it something you want. Please Luce, it's my treat" he grinned. "And no you will not pay me back" he added, just as Lucy opened her mouth to say exactly that. "Fine then" she said. Lucy examined the options, deliberated for a second then gave Natsu her order. He got a second one for himself then the pair set off, happily devouring the delicious chilled treat and chatting.

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Lucy brushed out her hair and tied it up in its usual side ponytail. Natsu and her spent another while jogging before they retired back home. Natsu went back to his own house to shower and get changed, promising he'd be back over soon since his parents were away at some business meeting (but Natsu knew he would've came back regardless)

Speaking of which – "Hey Luce!" came a cheery voice from behind her. Lucy whirled to find said person in a red shirt and trousers. A look to the left told her he had again decided to use the window. "Can't you use a door?" she asked. He shrugged and flopped down on the sofa. Lucy puffed out a breath and walked into the kitchen. "So what do you want to do?" she called.

Natsu crossed his arms behind his head and thought. "Isn't there some new spa place in town?" he asked. "The Pink Blossom?" Lucy called back. The girls in her class had been going on about it for weeks. "That's the one" Natsu yelled back. "You probably want to go to it". Lucy snorted. It was incredibly sweet that Natsu was willing to do what she wanted even if he didn't to do it. "I've got a better idea"

Lucy walked back into her room. Under one arm was a big bowl full of crisps and in the other was the video game 'Fireball' (I have no idea if that is a real game or not, I made it up) which she dangled in front of Natsu's face. His jaw dropped. He loved that game! "Is it possible for you to get anymore awesome?" he said. Lucy laughed and popped the game into the PlayStation. She plopped onto the sofa beside Natsu and grabbed a controller. Natsu grabbed the other, secretly thanking God that he met a girl as awesome as Lucy.

•••

An irritated sigh – which must really be the hundredth by this point – slipped from Lucy's lips. She tried her best to focus on Mrs Connell's lesson. Key word here. Tried. It was proving extremely difficult, since a certain pink haired boy sitting next to her was repeatedly poking her side. "What?" she hissed irritably at him. He pouted adorably. "I'm bored" he whined childishly. "You could try learning something" she said, gesturing at their teacher. He huffed and muttered "Killjoy". Then he continued to poke her side.

Lucy gritted her teeth. To tell the truth, despite how annoying he could get, Lucy was overjoyed that she'd been placed beside Natsu (Lissana was most certainly not impressed and threw a hissy fit). Since his parents were away at a business meeting, they had spent practically the entire weekend together and grew even closer. Lucy defiantly considered Natsu now her best friend (and continually had arguments inside her head that she did not want him to be more than that – she was lying of course)

"If you stop that I'll cook you dinner later" she hissed. Natsu smiled cheerily and instantly stopped. He rested his cheek on his palm and puffed out a breath. Lucy turned her attention back to Mrs Connell, ignoring the death glares she'd been getting from several angry fangirls (Lissana included) since the start of the class. She was used to it by now. They'd been regularly doing it every time they saw her ever since she started hanging out with the boys, particularly Natsu. (After Levy and Gajeel started dating Levy, Erza Juvia and her now permanently sat at their lunch table)

"Ok class, you'll be working in pairs for your class project" Mrs Connell said. "Since you're all sitting in pairs, you'll be working with however you're sitting beside". Natsu's face lit up with a joyful grin. "Luce! That means were partners!" he exclaimed happily, swinging a muscular arm around her shoulders. The death glares intensified. Lissana screeched loudly in outrage and slammed her hands on her desk. "WHAT!? You can't let that bit -" "That's enough Miss Strauss" Mrs Connell reprimanded sharply. "I decide and my mind is made up. Sit down" Lissana glared at Mrs Connell and sat down, folding her arms.

Natsu sent a sharp glare in her direction and pulled Lucy closer. "How dare she call you a bitch, that little -" Lucy cut off his furious snarl by grabbing his hand. "Just ignore her" she smiled softly. Natsu sent Lissana a last fiery glare and dropped his arm, growling softly. Lucy poked his side, and his face blossomed into his signature grin. The bell rang faintly in the background.

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