Disclaimer: All rights of Fairy Tail go to Hiro Mashima. I do not own this. Sorry about the long wait everyone. This chapter is a bit longer than the others and took me some extra time to write. I'm hoping to make most of the future chapters a little longer like this one, so there may be a slightly longer waiting time than before. That being said I hope you all like this chapter and can forgive my slower update. Happy reading!
Chapter 6: A New Boss
Natsu cursed as he jerked the wrench against the bolt holding the alternator in place. Damn thing had rusted, again, cause Jet had left his car outside all winter, again, and then busted his fan belt when he'd over heated his engine come summer, again. And now Natsu had to lean over the still hot engine and change the damn thing. Again.
After overheating his engine twelve times, having the battery cables corrode twice, and even losing his damn tailpipe for half of last summer, one would've thought that Jet would've figured out he needed to drive his old taxi cab according to its age. Or retire driving. Wasn't like the small town really needed one taxi cab anyway when walking was just as good. But noooo, instead Jet slammed his foot on the gas every damn time he hopped into the front seat like demons were on his tail. Really, the cab was from X720 forcrying out loud, not some brand new race car!
But that wasn't what pissed Natsu off.
Nope. It was the fact that Jet only took his car into the shop when Natsu was the only one there. Natsu wasn't stupid. He knew it wasn't coincidence that Jet only showed up on days Gajeel wasn't in. Natsu covered for his cousin maybe ten times throughout the whole year, often being too busy himself to work more than a few hours on his slow days, which was too random for it to just be luck. And given the history of his car, Jet clearly wasn't a lucky guy, so the fact that he always came in those few days Natsu worked, and always with a the same damn problem too, really pissed Natsu off after a while.
He'd have to talk to Levy about mentioning to Jet when her husband wasn't in the shop. Soon.
He knew the reason Jet refused to let Gajeel work on his car was largely due to his annoyance that his childhood friend, and once not-so-secret crush, Levy was married to Natsu's pierced and tattooed cousin. He didn't even like Levy like that anymore, for Mavis' sake! It was more out of spite than jealousy that made him and Droy glare at Gajeel all the time. But really, the man needed to learn to let things go. For Mavis' sake, the two even had kid! Natsu wasn't an expert but he was pretty sure that meant things were serious.
At the very least, Jet needed to not make Natsu the sole person responsible for fixing a whole engine. That was more of a two person job anyway. Working in the shop was supposed to be his easy job, for crying out loud! A chance to take a break and work on something simple and for the most part easy. Natsu mostly took naps in the camper out back when he covered Gajeel, only having a few appointments to usually look after. Of course, that was usually thrown out the window when Jet called first thing in the morning.
Natsu smirked. At least he was able to delay fixing Jet's car for a few hours in favor of fixing Lucy's. That would piss Jet right off. Technically speaking, customers with appointments were supposed to take priority over walk-ins, and even though Jet had only made his appointment that morning Natsu should have seen to his car before Lucy's.
Tracking down a catalytic converter for a truck that old last minute was more troublesome than if he'd have just waited a day and ordered it. But he'd rushed across town to his father's good friend, and the town's resident pack rat, hoping to get the part just after Lucy and Haru had left. He wasn't sure why he'd gone to such a length for someone he didn't even know. It wasn't like him to put much effort into helping others he didn't know past what was simply polite kindness. Especially if it would keep him leaning over Jet's engine for a few extra hours because he was late. But, oddly enough, he wasn't upset.
Natsu sighed and rubbed his jaw on his shoulder, his hands too busy with holding the wrench in place to scratch his chin.
Natsu had just wanted to do something for Lucy and her son. Something to make their day a little better. Haru had just looked so disappointed when they couldn't go dragon hunting and Natsu hadn't missed the way Lucy's shoulders had slumped slightly at her son's obvious letdown. After seeing her panic at the thought of not knowing where her son was, Natsu wanted to do something to help make their day end on a higher note. And if that meant fixing their truck so they could go dragon hunting, something he still thought sounded extremely cool, then that's what he'd do.
Plus, Natsu had a feeling based on what Haru had said last time that things weren't all rainbows and dragons at home. Wanting to wish for your family to be together wasn't what most kids wished for if they already had it. He had no clue what the issue was, or if there even was one, but surely helping out a mom and her kid was more important than fixing Jet's cab anyway. Be a good samaritan, and all that.
That was the only reason Natsu told himself he'd wanted to help them out, anyway.
Natsu finally managed to jerk the rusted bolt loose and tossed it over his shoulder, not caring where it ended up. He'd hoped to be out of the shop by four then swing by his work to check a few things before heading home. Looking at the state of Jet's engine he knew he'd be lucky to get out by eight. The belt had knocked a few gears loose when it'd busted and just to be safe, he'd have to check that no small pieces of the rubber had fallen into the pistons. Which they probably had based on how frayed the belt was.
Plus, he still had his second appointment at one with Mrs. Spetto. Granted, the old lady just needed a headlight changed but she would want to talk about her cats, and Natsu was never really good at keeping those conversations brief.
Jet wouldn't be happy to know he'd have to wait around for another two to three hours because Natsu had gone on a wild goose chase for a converter and then talked about Mrs. Spetto's cats. Of course, Natsu could just let Gajeel finish up on the cab tomorrow. Then Jet would really be unhappy.
And speak of the devil, just then Jet came walking into the shop from the front office whistling a fast-paced tune that Natsu didn't recognize. He glanced up from under the hood, careful not to bang his head on the low-hanging metal. Jet crossed the room with his usual slow and lazy pace, his tall and lanky form slightly slouched and making his thin shoulders look even smaller under his over-sized purple shirt and loose suspenders. As usual, his orange hair was pulled back into a high ponytail on top of his head, making him look like a pineapple.
"So Natsu, how're things comin'?"
Natsu shrugged as he jerked off a loose gear and fit it on properly. "Fine. Gajeel should have it fixed tomorrow in no time." He glanced up at that, waiting to see the shocked look on the other man's face. Jet didn't disappoint.
His crooked nose wrinkled and his eyes widened to the size of dinner plates as he spluttered an annoyed, "T-Tomorrow?"
Natsu raised an eyebrow, carefully keeping his expression blank. "Problem?" he asked.
Jet crossed his arms and huffed. "Well, it's never taken you this long before. I know I was a little late comin' in, but two hours is plenty of time to fix a belt."
Natsu glared at him. Sure, he could replace a fan belt in two hours with time to spare, but the damn thing busted through four gears and broke in little frayed shards that'd probably gotten thrown all over the damn engine, so, yeah, it was gonna take way more than two hours. Something Jet knew since Natsu had explained it to him before. Twice.
"Belt knocked off some gears and I still gotta check the pistons don't have pieces lodged in 'em. Plus, I'll have to stop to fix Mrs. Spetto's light when she comes in at one."
Jet actually had to decency to look sheepish. "Ah, right. Well, is there any way you can get it done tonight? I gotta be out bright and early tomorrow for all the birdies gettin' breakfast."
More like you wanna avoid Gajeel, Natsu thought. "If you're talkin' about the usual early risers I don't think you'll get much of a boost in customers."
If Jet got any. Most of the people who woke early to eat breakfast in town were either families or elderly couples. All of whom tended to have cars of their own or settled for walking, like everyone else in the small town.
Jet scratched his nose as he looked Natsu over. "Didn't cha hear? Sting's got some new waitress from the big city startin' tomorrow." He grinned and wagged his eyebrows suggestively, "A lot of the guys want to head over in the mornin' to see how she looks. Gonna be a great day for business." He clapped his hands together and rubbed them like he was expecting a great meal. "So, can ya have it done tonight?"
Natsu shrugged, wondering if he should tell Jet he'd only started on the cab twenty minutes ago when he spotted a familiar head of blond hair from the corner of his eye walk into the shop. Lucy walked around the garage corner hand-in-hand with Haru, her attention completely on her son as he talked about…fencing?
Natsu chuckled as he straightened and made his way over to them, pulling a rag from his pocket to wipe off his hands as he went. Haru's interests seemed to change minute to minute. First it was magic, then dragons, then fishing, and now fencing. Kid sure was fun, and Natsu had only been around him for a few minutes.
"May want to call Droy for a ride, Jet. I'mma take care of Miss Heartfilia and then take a lunch," Natsu called over his shoulder.
Jet spluttered a string of cruses that only Natsu could make out but he quickly left the garage anyway, nodding and giving a polite smile to Lucy and Haru as he passed. Natsu didn't miss the way Jet's gaze lingered curiously over the two before he turned the corner and was out of sight. No doubt he was wondering who the little pair were given they weren't locals but clearly had the last name of one of the more well-known families in the area. Natsu would be lying if he wasn't curious himself, but he figured Lucy probably had enough to deal with without some random guy asking about her personal life.
"And then, Reiki said he was gonna fence in a competition this year!" Haru exclaimed. He paused and frowned slightly. "I can't remember what it's called, though…"
Lucy chuckled, "Well, I'm sure he'll do good. Especially if Erza is his teacher."
Haru nodded and looked up at his mom. "Mom. Do you think I can be in the competition too?"
She tapped her chin, thinking. "Well, I'll bet sign ups have already happened, plus you still haven't even taken your first class. But you might be able to go to the one next year."
"Sign-ups end next month," Natsu said walking up to them. He looked down at Haru and grinned, crossing his arms over his chest. "Hey little man. So your fencin' now, huh?"
Haru nodded, his smile growing into an all-out grin. "Yep!"
"Well, I still have to talk to Erza about it," Lucy added, watching as Haru wandered off to the corner of the shop where Happy was lying in his wicker basket sleeping.
Natsu smiled when Haru simply sat next to the basket and gently stroked the kitten's back instead of picking him up and trying to get him to play again, like most kids would do. After his impromptu play-date, Happy had been ready to crash for the next few hours but would have gladly played again should the opportunity arise. Even if it wasn't the best thing to do.
"Kid'll have a blast. Though, if Erza's teachin' him it might not be the kind of blast you'd want," he said.
Lucy laughed and Natsu couldn't have stopped his grin if he'd tried. He liked her laugh. It was loud and in no way like the usual soft giggles hidden behind delicate hands most of the women in town had. It made it seem real.
"So," she said, looking up at him. "I hear you have my truck fixed."
Natsu grinned. "Yep. Easy fix." Kind of. He walked over to the key rack by the office door and snagged her key. "Nice keychain, by the way," he said, smirking as he tossed them over to her.
Lucy fumbled to catch them before they fell to the floor and Natsu had to hide his laugh behind his hand. Huffing, she glared back at him before she looked down at the little clay lion attached to the key. At least, Natsu thought it was a lion. With its mushed in face, four pointing spikes that he supposed were supposed to be the mane and stick-figure body it could have very well been some weird flower.
Lucy smiled as her thumb traced over the figure's body. "Haru made this for me when he was four. It's good luck you know."
She said it with the absolute certainty and adoration all mother's seemed to share when their child made them something. Like the ugly lion really was lucky and therefor the most precious thing in the world. "Must be why your truck got fixed so early," he said.
She hummed and looked up at him with an odd look in her deep brown eyes. "I suppose…"
Natsu cleared his throat and looked away, rubbing the back of his neck. "Anyways. Truck's parked out front." He pointed in the general direction of the parking lot. "Just got a few papers you need to sign and then you're off."
She nodded and called over Haru before following him into the office. Haru dashed up to the counter and pulled himself up using the ledge to smack the bell sitting on top. "We're here to pay!" he said, barely able to peak over the edge to look at Natsu. Lucy rolled her eyes and sighed in exasperation but the smile pulling at her lips only made Haru grin wider.
"Yeah?" Natsu asked, leaning forward on the counter so he could look at Haru a little better. "You the man of the house?" he asked.
"Yes sir," Haru said, his smile fading into a serious frown.
Natsu nodded and made sure his own amusement was well hidden as he pulled out the paper every customer needed to sign and held the clipboard out to the small boy. "Then I'm gonna need your signature," he said.
Haru nodded and took the pen Lucy handed him before slowly and carefully writing his name where Natsu pointed out. He winked at Lucy before sliding the same papers over to her. She quickly filled them out and handed them back to him the same moment Haru shoved the clipboard onto the counter.
"I'm done. I put my birthday and new address too."
Natsu nodded and looked the forms over. He raised an eyebrow at the address, knowing full well Lucy and Haru weren't locals. Though the name Heartfilia was quite well known in Magnolia, the only person he knew of who had that last name was Sting. Natsu's gaze flicked over to Lucy. Her blonde hair was a little darker, more of a summer gold than the corn yellow Sting had, but he supposed they could've been cousins or something.
He wondered if she was the city girl Jet had mentioned. She didn't have an accent like some of the families who came down for vacation, but she did dress like them. Her flowery shirt was made of the same fancy material and flowy fabric that city slickers often wore. Compared to the rest of the town whose favorite color was plaid, she stuck out like a live pig in the butchers shop.
"Well, Haru Leo Heartfilia, I'm afraid ya forgot one thing." He tapped at the blank line near the bottom of the page where customers usually wrote their phone number. "I'll need a job description," he said.
Haru paused and tapped the pen to his chin thinking before jerking the clipboard off the counter and turning to write on the line. "There." He handed the clipboard back to Natsu, a proud grin stretched across his face.
Natsu looked it over and grinned. Oh yeah. This kid was definitely fun. Written in his surprisingly neat handwriting, Haru had printed "Dragon Hunter" as his job. Natsu gave a low whistle, "Dragon hunter, huh? Sounds like an important job."
"It is. But I don't hurt the dragon's, cause then they wouldn't give me a wish. Plus mom says it's rude to poke a dragon with a sword."
Natsu looked over at Lucy and smirked. "Seems reasonable."
"Very," she said, her own smirk pulling at her full lips.
"But I haven't found the dragon yet," Haru went on while Natsu filed away Lucy's papers. "But since the truck's fixed, me and mom are gonna go look in these special woods that she thinks a dragon would be in. Maybe the one that saved you."
Natsu grinned down at the boy. "And you'll tell him hi for me, right?"
"Yes Mr. Dragneel."
Natsu groaned. He hated when people called him that. It made him feel like an old man. Picking up Haru's paper he ripped off the carbon copy on the back and held it out to Haru. "Pink for you and white and yellow for me."
Haru walked around to Lucy's other side to stuff the paper into her purse, her hand reaching out to run her fingers though his hair as he did. "So, how much do I owe you?" she asked him.
"900 Jewel."
She blinked at him, dumbfounded. "Really? I thought catalytic converters were pretty expensive?"
Natsu shrugged, turning to file away some extra papers so she wouldn't notice the nervous twitch of his mouth. He couldn't stop himself from rubbing the back of his neck though, something he seemed to do only when he was nervous or uncomfortable. Hopefully she would just think he was wiping off the extra sweat there.
She was right of course. Catalytic converters typically cost way more than 900 Jewel. Even though Gildarts had given it to him for free, Natsu knew 900 really only covered the labor part of the fee. But, he'd reasoned, if it didn't cost anything to buy the part then there wasn't much sense charging Lucy for it. It just didn't seem fair.
Of course, he doubted his cousin would see it that way. Especially after he'd ignored Jet's car in favor of fixing a walk-in.
"Consider it a discount," he said, turning back to her. She pursed her lips and looked like she was going to argue so Natsu quickly added, "I got the part for free. Wasn't gonna charge ya for the purchase since there was none."
"O-oh. Well, that's very kind of you." She smiled at him and for a brief moment Natsu couldn't turn away. "Thank you. I forgot how nice the people here are."
Natsu raised an eyebrow at that. So she was from here, but clearly she'd just moved here too. Maybe she used to visit family when she was younger? Natsu was sure he'd have remembered her if she'd lived here. And in a town as small as Magnolia, it was likely they'd have bumped into each other at some point. Although, he did only meet Sting when the guy opened his restaurant, despite him having lived just outside of Magnolia all his life. Something he'd assumed had to do with him being part of the wealthiest family south of Crocus.
Natsu was curious but he didn't want to push his nose into Lucy's past. Not usually an open subject with people you'd just met. Even for a small town like Magnolia where privacy was lucky to stay in your bedroom.
Lucy reached into her purse and counted out the proper bills to give him. "Here. 900 still seems a bit low," he swore the look in her eyes was like she knew why he'd really given her such a good deal, "so keep the change."
She didn't say it in a harsh way but Natsu was left with the feeling that he shouldn't argue with her either. "Sure thing, Luce," he said smiling.
"Mr. Dragneel!" Haru called and Natsu groaned. "I almost forgot. Mom said-"
Natsu held up a finger to stop Haru mid-sentence. "First things first, kiddo. Call me Natsu. Mr. Dragneel is what people call my old man. And I ain't no old man. Okay?"
Haru nodded and Natsu sighed in relief. At least Haru seemed easier to convince than Reiki. Kid still insisted on calling him "Mr. Natsu" at least. Though, with a mom like Erza, Natsu couldn't blame him for being so serious.
"Now, what'd your mom say?"
Haru smiled but his hands started to fidget as he tugged at his shirt. "Mom said you have a surprise for me?"
Natsu grinned. "You bet your bottom Jewel I do!" he said, rounding the counter and motioning for them to follow. "Got it stashed in the truck."
Natsu propped open the door for the small family, Haru running out ahead with barely contained excitement while Lucy trailed behind, her sharp gaze watching her son closely as he raced across the parking lot to the faded blue pickup.
"Is it inside?!" Haru hollered as he threw open the driver's door and climbed inside. Damn thing had been sticking a little when Natsu had first got it. Nothing a little grease and a wrench couldn't fix. If Lucy noticed how easily the door opened she didn't say anything.
"Now who the heck stashes stuff in the front of a truck?" Natsu asked seriously, scratching his head. Haru looked at him over his shoulder as he balanced precariously on the edge of the truck's low step, his large eyes narrowed slightly as he frowned at Natsu in confusion.
Natsu grinned and jerked his thumb to the back of the truck. "Check the bed."
Haru jumped down and raced to the back of the pickup. Scrambling up and over the tailgate he practically fell into the bed, no doubt banging a knee or two on the few boxes left in there. He shuffled around for a bit before whooping and straightening up amid the large boxes holding a bright red fishing rod that was perfectly sized for a young child.
"Mom! Mom, look! It's a fishing rod! A real one!"
Natsu crossed his arms over his chest and raised an eyebrow as Lucy came up beside him pouting. "A real one?" he asked.
She sighed. "He means one that you can cast. His rod, well, I guess it's his old one now, is a piece of bamboo with a bit of string attached to the end." She huffed and crossed her arms. "I don't see what the big deal is. His old rod is fine."
Natsu snickered. "But it ain't real."
"I suppose not…" She was looking at him in that same way again, like she knew something he didn't. He shifted from foot to foot and looked away. "You didn't have to do that, by the way," she said.
"Huh?"
"The rod. You didn't have to get him something. Or give me a 'discount'." She made air-quotes as she said the last word, her eyes fixing him with a serious look that Natsu had no doubt she used on her son when he tried to sneak something under her nose.
He shrugged, not really seeing either situation as a big deal. "I wasn't gonna charge ya for somethin' I got for free. Didn't seem right, ya know? And as for the rod…it was 'posed to be for my niece, but apparently fish are gross and catchin' 'em is cruel."
She laughed. "Well it can be. I remember when I was little and my father taught my brother and I how to unhook a fish but we ended up ripping the poor things guts out after one swallowed the hook." She shivered like she was still haunted by the memory and Natsu couldn't help but burst into laughter.
"Ripping the guts out…" he snickered. "That's a first."
She sniffed and stuck her nose in the air. "It happens a lot more than you think, Mr. Dragneel."
"Natsu." She blinked up at him and he grinned. "Doesn't seem fair for Haru to call me Natsu and you not to."
She quickly looked away, the tips of her ears pinking like she was embarrassed, though Natsu had no clue why she would be.
"I guess that's alright then," she said.
He chuckled. "Weirdo." He looked back at Haru who was climbing out of the back of the truck, this time far more cautious now that he had his new fishing rod. "At least this way someone can use that thing. Woulda been a waist just sittin' in my truck."
Lucy nodded, a soft smile pulling at her lips as Haru came running over to them grinning ear to ear. "Mom, did you see it?! It's so cool. But we need to get a hook." He nearly shoved the thing into her face, though Lucy didn't seem to mind as she bent down to look at the rod more closely.
She hummed and tapped her chin thoughtfully. "I'm sure your uncle will show you how to put one on when you two go fishing."
Haru nodded. "Are we still gonna go dragon hunting?"
"Yep." Lucy leaned closer and held up a hand to whisper in her son's ear. "But don't you need to tell Mr. Dragneel something?"
Natsu rolled his eyes. She just wouldn't let this whole "Mr. Dragneel" thing go would she?
"Oh, right." Haru turned towards him and gave a polite smile as he held out his hand to Natsu. "Thank you for the fishing rod."
Natsu laughed as he took the boy's hand. "No problem, kiddo. Now ya can give that dragon a fish when ya find him."
Haru's eyes widened like he hadn't even thought of that. Before Lucy could say goodbye, Haru was tugging her over to the truck, practically begging she hurry up so they could catch a fish before they looked for the dragon. Lucy glared at him over her shoulder but Natsu only grinned and waved them off as they drove past.
He turned to head back into the shop to work on Jet's cab when an old silver Cadillac pulled up next to him. Rolling down her window, Mrs. Spetto leaned out and smiled up at him, her wrinkles pulling against her pale skin and her bun pulled tight at her temples. He glanced at his watch and bit back a groan. She was early.
"Natsu, dear. It's so good to see you. This is perfect. I've been meaning to ask you about Ribbon. The poor thing hasn't been taking his medicine and I can't seem to get the hair on Bero's tail to grow back even with that special shampoo you gave me."
Natsu sighed and rubbed a hand over his face. Looks like he'd be skipping lunch for the day.
Her brother hated her, Lucy was sure. After waking her up at dawn and demanding she help prep the tables and kitchen, before the rest of the employees were even there, if she might add, Sting had then made her recite each item from the menu until she could say it forwards, backwards and upside down without even thinking about it. Thank the heavens she already knew most of it.
By seven the rest of the employees had come in to finish preparing everything before the restaurant opened at eight. Apparently, breakfast was a big time for the bar and grill. Something Lucy only believed after seeing the rush the past few mornings. Really, Sabretooth was fairly busy all day, but with it being one of the few local eating joints around Lucy could understand why.
Still, that didn't mean Sting needed to wake her up so damn early.
She tried to remind herself that it was his seriousness and natural leadership in the kitchen that had always made her proud, and that she should be glad he was willing to push her as hard as the rest of his employees when he could have simply given her special treatment. But that was a lot easier said than done when he was leaning over her shoulder hassling her about how to wipe down the tables.
"Common, sis. I told you, it's clockwise. With the flow of the grain, remember?"
Lucy turned to glare at him and gave her brother a hard poke in the chest. "You do know that I was a waitress all through college, right? And I did pretty damn good at my job too."
Sting frowned and placed his hands on his hips. "This ain't some prissy café in Crocus. It's Sabretooth. And we got a rep to maintain."
Lucy huffed and copied her brother's posture. "Listen, little brother. As the owner of this fine establishment," Lucy made sure to say that last bit with as much sarcasm as she could, "do you really think you should be bothering the 'new girl'. Don't you have wood to cut?"
"A good businessman makes sure that all of his employees have a proper understanding about how his business should be run." He grinned and waggled his eyebrows at her. "Learned that from dad."
Lucy threw her rag at him so it smacked him in the face. He still hadn't let her dad-like behavior from yesterday go, despite not even knowing exactly what she'd done. He'd teased her all afternoon when she and Haru had come home, only stopping when Lucy smacked him over the head with her shoe. But it seemed her little reprieve was done for the day. Or until she got gum on her shoe again.
Sting laughed his loud, booming laugh that never failed to make Lucy laugh along with him. "Aw, don't be like that sis," he said as he flung an arm around her shoulders. They turned to look at the restaurant already beginning to fill up after just being open a few minutes.
"Look. I just wanna make sure you're gonna do good your first day. And since you won't wear the uniform-"
"You can shove that outfit right up your-"
"As your new boss, I gotta make sure you make up good tips in other ways," he finished, slapping a hand over her mouth before she could properly tell him off. He'd been careful to only tease her when Haru was around, and since Lucy didn't want to teach her son that it was okay to call someone names, or curse, she'd been relatively forced to keep all her snide remarks to herself.
"Besides, I don't like how some of these bastards are looking at you." As if to prove his point, he glared at the nearest table where a group of men sat eating their biscuits and gravy. They all quickly ducked their heads and focused on their food rather than Lucy.
Lucy huffed and flicked Sting's ear. "What happened to your great plan to use me to get more customers?" she asked.
"I wasn't serious. Why the hell would I want some backwater bums ogling my sister?"
Lucy snickered. "Keep insulting the customers, Sting. I'm sure that will go over well with Yukino."
Sting grumbled under his breath about her being a pain in his ass before he shoved her towards the door as a customer walked in. "You can handle waitressing outside right? Seeing as you've been a waitress before."
Before she could say anything, he turned and quickly disappeared back into the kitchen, laughing all the way. She sighed and pulled her pen and note pad from her pocket as she walked over the elderly couple standing by the door.
"Hello. Welcome to Sabretooth. Would you like to be seated inside or outside?" she asked.
Within the first hour, Lucy was starting to see why her brother had put her in charge of the tables outside. Not only was Sabretooth quickly busy, but most customers had opted to eat outside. not that Lucy could blame them. The heat of summer had yet to get too intense for the day and with the constant gentle breeze it was the perfect temperature to sit outside. Though that wasn't likely to last. Lucy could already feel the impending heat every time she went outside and was more than thankful she'd worn shorts and a loose tank top that morning.
Most of the people outside were the elderly or young families and since Lucy was wonderful with children she fared better with most of them than some of the other younger waitresses. Lucy had noticed a lot of men come in for breakfast, more so than the other days she'd been up this early, but her brother always managed to appear by her side when they walked in and convince them to eat inside.
He also made it a point of introducing her as his sister and not so subtly mentioned she had a son to every guy that walked in. At least he wasn't threatening the customers anymore, though his glares were still just as intense.
Lucy sighed as she handed Orga her latest order through the kitchen window. Only Sting would try to use her "city-girl" status to bring in customers and then keep her outside away from the rowdy ones. Now she understood where Yukino was coming from about his overprotectiveness getting annoying.
After taking her order Orga passed Lucy the dishes to another table. The large man was quite imposing, being well over six foot and looking like a regular body builder it was hard not to. Still, despite his rather intimidating appearance, the man seemed to have a soft spot for singing sappy love ballots. Not very well, if Lucy might add. Her brother often complained about the large man's off-key singing and would threaten to shut down the restaurant if Orga became too loud.
Even now, Orga was softly singing a sweet song about young love but Lucy could tell he was about to belt out the chorus the way he kept taking large gulps of air. She quickly made her way out of the kitchen to the main room and immediately bumped into her son. Haru was still dressed in his pajamas and had his beloved green pillow tucked under his arm as he rubbed one sleepy eye and yawned.
Lucy had let him sleep in after their hectic day yesterday, knowing full well how tired he was when they finally got to bed. After picking up their truck, they'd gone to the local fish market to by the biggest fish they could find, at Haru's insistence of course. Then they made the half hour drive to the large forest outside of town. While it was privately owned, the Hakobe forest was always open to the public, and had plenty of hiking trails, parks and even a few camping sites placed around the large acreage.
They'd spent most of the day walking through the trails along the south edge of the mountain in the center of the woods, Lucy taking special care to show Haru some of her most favorite places. He'd been especially fond of the hidden waterfall several miles off the trail, saying it was exactly where a dragon would live. They'd had lunch at a concession stand set up at one of the parks, settling on hot dogs and fries before playing on the jungle gym and swings until the late evening.
They didn't find a dragon and Haru said it was probably because they didn't have a fresh fish to give him. When Lucy had asked him what could be better than something that was caught that morning her son had said it needed to be a fish they caught themselves. So they'd returned to Sabretooth around dinnertime and Haru had pleaded with his uncle to take him fishing in the small pond out back, something Sting had been more than pleased to do rather than continue cooking.
It wasn't until late that night that they all finally went to bed and Haru had been so tired he'd passed out the second his head hit the pillow. Lucy was a little shocked he'd managed to get up so early at all. Normally after a very busy day Haru wanted to sleep until noon at the least, something her husband had always insisted he got from her.
Lucy smiled down at him, balancing her tray on one hand while running her fingers through her son's hair. It was matted up on one side and reminded Lucy of how her husband's hair often looked first thing in the morning, though Haru's was certainly shorter. "Hey, sweetie. Did you sleep well?"
Haru nodded and leaned forward to press his face into her stomach. "I'm hungry," he mumbled around a large yawn.
Lucy chuckled and gently tapped his nose, making him giggle slightly, just as Yukino walked up. "I'm so sorry, Lucy. I offered to make him something upstairs but he insisted on eating with you."
Lucy waved off her concern. "It's no problem. Your idiot husband didn't let me eat breakfast yet so I could go for something to eat anyway." Lucy looked back at Haru who looked about ready to fall asleep leaning against her. "Haru, honey. I just need to give this food to the customer and then we can have breakfast, okay?"
"Can we eat outside?" he asked, peaking up at her through half-lidded eyes still blurry with sleep.
"Sure."
Yukino rubbed his back and gently pulled him from around Lucy's legs. "Why don't we go tell your uncle what you want for breakfast while your mom finishes up?"
Haru nodded and let his aunt steer him back to the kitchen, Sting's loud greeting of 'Mornin' sleeping beauty!' made Lucy smile while Haru's whine could easily be heard past the heavy doors. It was almost comical how easily she and Haru seemed to fit into her brother's house after not seeing them in so long. Like they'd all lived together for years.
But that's what family's for, she thought.
Lucy quickly moved across the room, weaving her way through the crowds to the front door when a customer flagged her down. "Excuse me, miss. Could we get another pitcher of tea?"
Lucy smiled. "Of course."
She turned and barely made it two feet before another table called her over needing some more napkins. Then another table wanted their bill and another wanted to know if they had the morning paper. She was pretty sure she heard someone ask for her phone number too.
By the time she reached the front door, Lucy was so flustered she didn't realize where she was going until she bumped into the person walking in. She felt a hand reach out to steady her and thank Mavis she had both hands on the tray, otherwise both she and the food would have likely been on the floor.
"Oh I'm so sorry. Please excuse me," she said automatically before even looking at the person.
The man chuckled and Lucy blinked when she realized she recognized the sound. She looked up at Natsu who was grinning that same bright smile that seemed to be permanently on his face. He was wearing jeans and a plain white t-shirt, revealing the tight muscles along his sun-kissed arms that she hadn't been able to see clearly yesterday. She'd been right before to think he was rather muscular, but that was to be expected from someone who worked with their hands all day after all. Lucy noticed he had a white scarf that had a pattern loosely resembling scales wrapped around his neck.
Odd, it's too hot for scarfs to be worn…
"Ya know, Luce, if ya keep tryin' to push me down I'm gonna start to think ya don't like me."
She sighed and felt a smile tug at her lips. "I know. It's becoming a bad habit. For me and Haru," she said thinking back to his literal bump-in with Reiki. "You here for breakfast?" she asked.
Natsu went to reply just as his stomach growled. She stifled her laugh behind her hand while he grinned sheepishly and rubbed the back of his neck. "What gave me away?" he asked.
Lucy rolled her eyes and placed one hand on her hip as she cocked it to the side. "So, you want to be inside or outside?"
"Outside."
For some reason that didn't surprise her at all. "Well, I'm taking this out now so just come with me and I'll get you a seat."
"Aye sir."
They turned to head back outside when Haru called out to them. "Natsu!" the small boy called as he made his way across the room. He seemed to be a little more awake now, curtesy of the muffin he was eating that Sting no doubt gave him, but he still dragged his feet and his eyelids drooped from time to time.
Natsu grinned and crouched down until he was level with Haru. "Hey, little man. You look like you just got up."
Haru nodded. "Is Happy with you?"
Natsu chuckled. "'Fraid not, kiddo. He's still sleepin' after that work out you gave him."
Haru giggled and ducked out from Lucy's hand when she tried to wipe away a bit of muffin from his cheek. "Moooom," he whined. "Stop that."
Lucy frowned and licked her thumb again. "Hold still, Haru. You have stuff all over your face."
Natsu snickered as Lucy kept muttering under her breath about Haru being messy while the boy whined. He straightened and looked the two over. If they'd been fun to watch yesterday, seeing them both still a little tired was even better.
They're both weirdos, he thought as Haru began to tiredly pout after Lucy had finally cleaned his face.
Reaching out to place a hand on the boy's head, Natsu grinned down at him. "You had breakfast yet, kiddo?"
Haru shook his head and gave a tired chuckle when Natsu kept his hand in his hair.
"Then how 'bout you come eat with me?" He looked up at Lucy and smiled. "You too, Luce."
She blinked a few times at the unexpected invite, it still shocked her a little when complete strangers offered to do things for her, but just as she went to answer him Haru readily agreed. "Uncle Sting's already making us breakfast," Haru told his mom.
Natsu raised an eyebrow and looked at Lucy. "Uncle Sting?" Was that how they were related? Odd, Natsu didn't remember Sting ever mentioning having a sister before.
She sighed and must not have heard him as she turned and motioned for him and her son to follow her outside. After giving her customers their order, Lucy led Natsu and Haru to a table off to the side and closest to the shade of the trees. "So…you work here?" he asked, settling himself in one of the iron chairs around the small table. Haru used his pillow as a cushion before taking the seat closest to Natsu. He laid his head on the table and Lucy reached out to pat his back. Kid definitely wasn't a morning person.
"I do, but it's only temporary. I don't plan on taking orders from the bumblebee for long."
Haru snickered and Natsu tossed his head back and outright laughed. "Can't say I've heard someone call Sting that before," he hummed, looking her up and down. "I take it you two are related then?"
"Unfortunately," she grumbled. He smirked but Lucy ignored him. "Okay," she said and pulled out her pen and note pad. "What would you like, Mr. Dragneel?"
He rolled his eyes and leaned back in his chair, propping it up on its hind legs. "You just won't let that go will you?"
She smirked and waved her pen, signaling him to hurry and order just as Sting walked up and draped and arm over her shoulder. "Hey Natsu. Long time no see. You getting the usual?"
Natsu nodded and slowly lowered his chair back to the ground. "Hey Sting."
Sting turned his grin to Lucy and sagged a little on her shoulder. "Look sis, I know carrying out food is, like, the hardest job ever, but you could at least remember to give someone their food before taking another order. I had to stop my work to get the Connell's their food. And their little girl really freaks me out."
Lucy frowned and glared up at her apparent brother. "What are you talking about? Asuka is sweet and so smart. You know she's reading the seventh grade reading list even though she's only in sixth grade?"
"She always asks me to kiss Yukino, not that I'm complaining or anything, but it's weird."
Natsu could only watch as the two bickered back and forth. He wasn't sure how he'd missed it earlier. Now that Sting and Lucy stood next to each other, it was very obvious that they were siblings and not cousins like he'd first thought. They both had the same high cheek bones, thin nose that was slightly upturned and full lips. Granted, Lucy's lips were a bit fuller than her brother's and her chin wasn't quite as sharp as Sting's, but the resemblance was still there.
Next to him, Haru reached over and tugged his sleeve. "Hey Natsu. Wanna hear a secret?"
Natsu grinned and leaned closer to the boy. "You bet."
Haru smirked and for a brief moment Natsu was struck with how much he looked like Lucy. Were it not for the hair he'd be the spitting image of his mother. Natsu wondered if he'd grow out of that and look more like his father, whoever the man was…
Haru cupped his hands around his ear and whispered, "Uncle Sting's real name is-"
"Haru!" Sting yelped, and dove across the table to clap a hand over the boy's mouth, nearly shoving Natsu out of his chair in the process. "That's a family secret, understand. Something for Heartfilia's only. Got it?"
Haru nodded and Sting pulled his hand away, his usual grin back in place as he stood next to Lucy. "Good. Breakfast's inside and I'll get right on your order, Natsu."
"Actually," Lucy said, "Haru and I are going to join Mr. Dragneel for breakfast outside." Natsu rolled his eyes when Lucy flashed him a small smirk. Okay, now she was just being petty.
Sting's grin slowly fell and his eyes flicked form Lucy to Natsu and back. "You're eating with Natsu?"
Lucy gave him a funny look while Natsu could only frown at the man's sudden change of behavior. "Yes…" Lucy smirked and reached over to pinch her brother's cheek. "Aww. Did my little brother want to eat breakfast with his big sister?" she teased.
"Ack! No! I just didn't want to hear you whine about how hot it is. And besides, I can't have you inviting yourself to eat with my customers all the time."
"I invited her, Sting," Natsu said. "I don't mind. Lucy's nice and I think Haru had a secret to tell me…" Natsu waggled his eyebrows at the boy, making him snicker and Lucy giggle. From the corner of his eye, Natsu swore he saw Sting's eyebrow twitch and his hands clench, but when he turned back around the man was already looking back at Lucy, a fake pout on his face.
"But sis…"
"If it bothers you so much we'll have lunch together. You can even show me how to bus the tables again."
Sting playfully shoved her and Natsu was struck once again about how obvious their relationship was. "Yeah, yeah. I'll go get your food then."
He turned to go but Lucy stopped him and shoved her note pad in his hands. "Before I forget, here's the orders I took that still need to be placed."
Sting gaped at her. "What the he-"
"And inside table six wants more tea, table twelve wants their check, table nine wants to know if you have today's paper and I'm pretty sure someone at table nineteen asked for my number," she said as she ticked off her fingers.
Sting heaved a dramatic sigh. "Geez, have you done any work today." He dodged as Lucy tried to flick his ear, sticking his tongue out as he hurried back to the front door. "Food'll be out in ten. And Haru!" The boy sat up and blinked at his uncle, looking far too innocent in Natsu's opinion. "Heartfilia's only," Sting said, and quickly went back inside.
Natsu raised an eyebrow. That was weird. Normally when he ate at Sabretooth Sting would sit with him for a while and they'd catch up. Sting liked to talk about Lector and they both enjoyed talking about Sting's Camaro. For him to rush off and get back to work, something the whole town knew he liked to slack off on occasionally, was definitely weird. And Natsu hadn't missed the slight glare Sting had fixed him with when Lucy said she and Haru were eating with him. It reminded Natsu of the look Sting got when an out of town customer hit on Yukino.
"What's up with Sting?" he asked. "Guy seemed a little…off."
Lucy hummed and tapped her fingers against her arm, apparently lost in thought as she suddenly jumped when a woman a few tables over asked her for a refill. "Of course!" she called and turned back to Natsu. Her eyes flicked over to Haru and Natsu could tell by the way she bit her lip she was thinking about how she'd lost track of him yesterday.
"Natsu." He nearly fell out of his chair when she used his first name, though he had a feeling she wasn't aware she had. "I hate to ask this, but…could you-"
"I got him, Luce. Go get Mrs. Mine her drink. She can get pretty crabby if she has to wait long."
She nodded and leaned down like she was going to say something to Haru but Mrs. Mine's loud demand for her to hurry had her rushing to the front door.
Natsu chuckled and looked over at Haru. He was looking a little more awake now, flicking an acorn around on the table when Natsu had a great idea.
"Hey Haru. Wanna make some fairy soldiers?"
Haru's eyes widened and his head snapped up to look at Natsu. "Yeah! How do we do that?"
"Well, first we're gonna need some supplies…" Natsu said, and turned to look at the large oak tree behind them. "And a little magic." He pulled out a tube of crazy glue from his pocket and the two grinned at each other.
Lucy walked into Sabretooth and immediately headed after her brother. Sting was shouting out the orders she'd taken while also piling up several large dishes on a tray as Orga handed them through the window. She got Mrs. Mine her refill but waited next to her brother for a moment.
Natsu had been right when he'd said something about Sting was off. Lucy knew her brother very well and could tell when he wasn't happy with someone, not that Sting had ever been quiet about voicing his annoyance about others. He seemed to get alone with Natsu fine, really, they were so alike at times it was almost scary, but he seemed annoyed when she and Haru were with him, and for the life of her Lucy couldn't understand why.
"What's wrong with you?" she demanded.
"What?"
Lucy frowned and placed a hand on her hip. "You know what. You act like you don't like Natsu, which is odd because you two are basically peas in a pod."
Her brother shrugged and kept his attention focused on the food. "I like Natsu fine. He and I like to go fishing sometimes at his pond."
"Then what's the deal? Is there something I should know?" she asked seriously.
He sighed and looked over at her. "No. I just want to look out for you is all. You are my favorite sister, ya know."
She snorted, "Yeah right. I'm your only sister."
"All the more reason for me to look out for you," he said and smirked.
"And you need to look out for me because I'm eating breakfast with Natsu?"
He shrugged in his typical 'I'm not going to talk about this anymore' way and Lucy knew there was no point pressing the issue. If it was something serious her brother would have definitely told her. In all likelihood, Sting was probably just being his typical overprotective self. Though, this was getting to be a bit much.
"Okay," she sighed. "I'll take Natsu's food out with mine and Haru's."
Her brother smiled, obviously relieved she hadn't pushed him to explain, and rather ungracefully shoved the now overflowing tray into her arms. "Great! Here's all your food with Natsu's order as well. Don't worry about time, I know Haru can be a handful in the mornings."
"T-thanks," she muttered, too shocked at the amount of food in her arms to say much else. All this is for one guy?!
Before taking her break, Lucy took off her apron and name tag, hoping people would think she was just a regular customer, and left the kitchen. Rouge glanced up at her as she passed by the bar.
"Need a hand, Lucy?" he asked, eyeing the tray with a narrowed red eye.
She smiled and would have waved him off if she wasn't so afraid she'd drop the tray. Damn thing was heavy, piled high with a large plate of scrambled eggs, two plates of bacon and sausage and an oversized breakfast burger. Add in her and Haru's appropriately sized plates and the large pot of hot coffee and Lucy was sure she was holding nearly fifty pounds. Well, maybe not that much, but pretty close!
"I've got it Rouge. Thanks though."
The man nodded, a small smile crossing his face before his usual calm expression was back. Careful not to run into anyone this time as she walked outside. Lucy dropped off Mrs. Mine's refill and made her way over to her son and the pink haired man he was with.
Haru and Natsu were both leaning over the table, piles of twigs, leaves, acorns and strips of bark were scattered around the table. Lucy paused a little away and watched them, curious about what they were up to.
"Okay, now he needs a head," Natsu said and Haru shifted around the pile of acorns before pulling out one he deemed acceptable.
"This one," he said.
Natsu grinned and plucked the nut from the boy's hand. "Good one! Now we just gotta glue it on…" Lucy watched as Natsu, with careful precision she wouldn't have thought he was capable of, glued the acorn to what appeared to be the body of a small soldier complete with a leaf vest, twig limbs and a thorn for a sword. It stood on a small bark platform perfectly balanced.
With its head now in place, Natsu carefully sat it aside to dry alongside five others. Most looked the same, acorn head, twig arms and a leaf vest, but some had little pebbles glued to twigs as battle axes instead of thorns for swords.
"While he's drying, we can make the color guard," Natsu said.
"What's a color guard?" Haru asked.
"They're the guys who hold the flags in battle." Natsu frowned and dug into his pocket. "I think I gotta marker in here…" Natsu finally seemed to notice Lucy standing there and he grinned while quickly standing to take the heavy tray from her.
"Lemme get that."
Lucy sighed in relief and let her shoulders slump. "Thanks. I can't believe all that food is for you. And I thought Sting had a huge appetite."
Natsu only grinned. "Ah, well…, large appetites run in the family. You wouldn't think lookin' at her, but my sister can really put away the burgers. Won the pie eating contest at the fair three years in a row!"
"Mom!" Haru called. "Mom, look what Natsu and me made!" Lucy chuckled and turned her attention to her son. Haru was carefully holding up one of the little figures and beaming as though it was the greatest thing in the world. "See? Aren't they cool!"
"Oh yes. Very cool," she said, nodding appreciatively.
Haru nodded and seemed to barely contain himself from bouncing in his seat. "They're fairy soldiers. Natsu showed me how to make them."
"Did he now…" Lucy said with a small smile. From the corner of her eye she caught Natsu's excited grin as well. While he and her brother were peas in a pod, Natsu and Haru weren't that different themselves. Both seemed to get excited about the simplest things.
Straightening, Lucy placed her hands on her hips and looked at the twig and leaf strewn table. "Let's clean this up and have breakfast, then you can show me how to make these little soldiers."
Haru's shoulders slumped slightly and he sighed, "Okay…"
"Hey, cheer up little man!" Natsu said, and pulled a second table over to theirs with his foot to set the tray on. "While we eat, you can tell me about the time you saw a bunch of fairies."
At that Haru perked up and quickly cleared the table. He was especially careful with the fairies and used his pillow on the extra seat as a cushion for them to sit on. Somehow, the table was large enough for them all to fit their plates on. Natsu finished off his eggs, bacon and sausage remarkably fast, though, given the fact he barely paused to use a fork, Lucy wasn't too surprised there.
As they ate, Haru told Natsu about the time he and Lucy saw the fairies at Tenrou Lake. Natsu said they were lucky to see them at all, as he'd often had camping trips to the lake as a kid with his family and none of them had ever seen the famous fairies.
Lucy, for the most part, sat back and quietly watched her son interact with a man who was, for many reasons, still a stranger as though they'd known each other for years. While Haru had little trouble being himself around her or his aunt and uncle, he'd always been a little shy with new people. Something that had only intensified when his father passed.
Seeing him open up so easily with a stranger, even a good one, was more than a little confusing for her. Nice, but dangerous. Sweet, but not something she wanted to necessarily become a habit. At least, not at the age Haru was. Still, there was something about the comfortable way Natsu reacted to Haru, and vice versa, that sat well with her and made her smile.
Natsu was showing Haru how to hold the piece of his burger he'd cut off for the small boy when Lucy finally spoke up.
"I don't buy it," she said, making the man look up at her with a questioning look. "There's no way you eat that much every day."
"Every meal, actually," Natsu corrected, taking a large bite of his burger.
Lucy shook her head and leaned back in her seat, crossing her arms as she did. "No way. No one could afford to eat that much every meal." And still manage to look that fit, though she didn't say the last part out loud.
"Well, me and Sting got an agreement. He gives me a free meal once a day and I check in on Lector for free every month."
Lucy frowned. "Why would a mechanic check in on Lector?"
Natsu looked up at her with his mouth full of food. "Oh. Didn't ya know? I'm not the usual mechanic. I'm the town's ve-"
Lucy's phone abruptly went off, signaling she'd been on break for an hour. While Sting hadn't given her a limit on her break time, she had set an hour limit for herself, not wanting to slack off at her job any more than she likely would considering she still had to worry about Haru. She reached out to tap at the screen just as Natsu's hand shot out to tilt the phone in his direction.
"Wait. That's what time it is?!" He jumped up from his chair and fumbled in his pocket for his keys. "Shi-oot. Shoot," he corrected and cast a nervous glance at Haru. Lucy, for her part, was rather impressed he'd managed to watch his language like that.
"Sorry to take off like this, but I gotta go. I'm already late." Pulling out his keys, Natsu ruffled Haru's hair as he rounded the table. "See ya later, kiddo. Bye Luce!"
And then he was dashing across the parking lot. Lucy and Haru blinked and looked after the man nearly sprinting around the corner of the building. Seconds later an engine was being revved and a large red pickup covered with mud was practically peeling out of the lot. Sting wouldn't be pleased to see the two large tracks where Natsu had kicked up the gravel.
"Mom."
"Yes, sweetie."
"Natsu's weird."
"…Yes, sweetie."