Hello everyone, I hope that you are all well. I am back with another chapter after what feels like forever, but its finally done and dusted to a level that I think is satisfactory for release. So, here you all are.
"And he just turned up out of nowhere after all of this time?" Lucy asked with an incredulous expression. Having heard Erza's tale twice over it still seemed a little hard to believe. The plot seemed to match those cheesy romance novels of which she was so fond, and yet the plotlines had seemingly spilled out into her reality.
"Yes, it was the slimmest of chances but I looked up from the counter and there he was stood there with the same tattoo and that same lost look in his eyes that he had all of those years ago." Era explained, idly serving up a coffee in a takeaway cup for one of the customers stood at the counter.
The blonde went silent for a long moment as she mulled over just what such a meaning could possibly have meant. It certainly seemed as though fate itself was setting up all of the pieces for some kind of bizarre game, wherein they were all the pieces and their very lives could be decided by way of a pair of dice.
"So are you going to see him again?" Lucy asked with a sly look in her eyes, raising one eyebrow suggestively.
The effect was not quite what she had hoped as Erza swiftly shrugged off the suggestion in her employer's voice and continued serving the ever growing line of customers with the same bright smile that she always wore.
"I don't know." She replied eventually, catching her breath as the next batch of coffees brewed. "I haven't really given it all that much thought. We only went out for a couple of drinks to catch up on everything that had happened over the past few years, nothing more and nothing less."
Lucy listened but she didn't quite believe what the redhead was saying. Perhaps it was a woman's intuition but she couldn't escape the feeling that perhaps there was more to it than Erza was willing to let on. The blonde had a gut feeling that this wouldn't be the last that she would hear of this mysterious Jellal, though she decided not to press Erza for any further information.
Working alongside both Juvia and Erza, the day passed in an amicable manner. The usual stream of customers passed through as time wore on. With the exception of a slightly busier lunch rush it was business as usual. Once the shop was closed to customers and the girls had begun their closing chores, Erza finally took the initiative and pressed her colleagues for the particulars of their respective dates.
Lucy told her story with an airy expression as though she was still wandering the halls of fairy tail with Natsu, listening to his stories and delighting in the pleasure of his company. She left out some of the more personal details that he had told her, such as the day he had arrived at the children's home, but otherwise she spared no detail. As she spoke, Erza seemed caught up in the romance of it all, listening intently to every detail and often plying her with questions. When at last she concluded her story it was Juvia's turn.
The rain lady began slowly, seemingly quite shy about recounting the tale; though as she went on that trepidation seemed to melt away. When it came to her kiss with grey, her audience erupted into a combination of shocked silence and excited questioning about every aspect imaginable. Juvia felt herself growing redder and redder in the face as she answered their numerous and prying questions.
The three of them talking delayed their usually quick closing procedure by just over an hour. By the time that they stepped out onto the street and locked the door behind them, they were completely and utterly exhausted. Bidding farewell to the others, she made her way home, dreading the idea of cooking herself dinner and already choosing what takeaway she was going to order in. Her head screamed Chinese but her belly craved pizza above all else. Though as it turned out, neither were to be.
When she arrived home, she slid her key into the door and let herself in. The moment that she stepped through the door she knew something was off. Soft music drifted through the apartment, a mixture of classical tracks that she knew well. The lights were on and she heard movement coming from her combined kitchen diner. Shedding her coat, bag and shoes, she crept silently through her home in the hopes of catching her intruder unawares.
Her bare feet padded softly against the carpeted floors as step by painstaking step she snuck through. Rounding the final bend in the hallway she peeked around the doorframe and into her kitchen. Her jaw dropped in shock at what she saw.
Her kitchen was utterly spotless, the usual pile of dishes having been washed up and packed neatly away with the exception of two pans which sat on the stove bubbling away contentedly. Her dining room had also been tidied and a black tablecloth laid out, trimmed with gold. A bottle of sparkling rosé wine sat in an ice bucket in the centre of the table, flanked by two tall candles that served as the only form of illumination in the room. The air was filled with rich smells of tender meat and spices, a number of which she simply couldn't identify.
But there in the middle was the culprit. In a dark burgundy shirt and slacks was Natsu. He tended to the two pots, frequently tasting their contents and adding ingredients from a wide stock beside him. His usually wild pink hair looked as though he had made efforts against all odds to tame it. Stepping out from her hiding place she entered the room feeling utterly incredulous.
"Hey Luce!" He called to her without turning away from his work, seemingly having heard her footsteps behind him. She stared at him in disbelief, unsure of what to feel and switching rapidly between surprise, anger and gratitude.
"Natsu… What are you doing in my home? How did you even get in here?" She stammered, finally managing to formulate words. Hearing her reply he quickly turned around to face her, though he continued to stir the pots behind him with a spare hand.
"Don't worry! Juvia gave me a spare key. I figured after yesterday and being at work all day today that you might like a bit of a break. It's not much but I got a really great recipe that you're gonna love. Now hurry up and get changed, it'll be ready soon."
She stared in disbelief as he dodged around her questions in such a casual manner. Despite herself, Lucy found herself nodding sheepishly before leaving the room and heading upstairs to her bathroom to get showered and ready. Her mind was all aflutter with a tempest of thoughts and feelings.
She turned on her shower and waited for it to reach temperature before stepping under the deluge. As she washed herself, she allowed her mind to wander over the current situation and try to take stock of just what was going on. Natsu, the guy she was dating, sort of, was in her kitchen and making food which smelled so good she would have expected it to be served to royalty. He had gotten in using the spare key that Lucy had given to Juvia, though how long he had been there she simply couldn't stay. Certainly long enough to tidy her apartment and cook up a full meal. Just how long had he been there? How much of her apartment had he seen? Had he been in her room?
Hundreds of thoughts flashed through her mind of the innumerable things in her room that she most certainly didn't want him to see. The foremost among them being… Snapping back to reality she quickly rinsed off and darted out of the bathroom, wrapping herself hastily in a towel and shooting into her room at incredible speed. Her eyes darted around in slight relief to see that it was just as she had left it; small piles of laundry on her floor and her manuscript out on her writer's des-
Lucy froze, her eyes growing suddenly wide. She stared at the pile of papers on her desk. That hadn't been where she had left them. Out of fear for her friends discovering it during their visits she always kept her manuscript tucked away in her desk drawer, out of sight. So why was it sat out on her desk in full view and opened up to the last page. There could be only one answer; Natsu must have found it when he was tidying her home, found it and read it all. That had to be why the rest of the room was still untidy! He must have read it all and not had time to finish tidying up. Lucy buried her face in her hands and groaned to herself. No-one had ever read her manuscript.
Hurriedly picking an outfit from her wardrobe, she dressed herself. It was a little black dress that hung to just past her knees with a long slash running up the side to allow both an increased degree of movement but also allowed her to show off her legs. Her hair she styled in a high bun, decorated with a large rose, just as her mother had always done. She hastily applied a little makeup and used a dark red lipstick for a final touch before looking herself over in her full length mirror. Satisfied that she looked presentable, she made her way downstairs again and into the kitchen, ready to confront her unexpected houseguest about his discovery.
Natsu was just putting the finishing touches to the meal he had prepared, and was getting ready to serve it up when he heard Lucy enter the room. He turned around to greet her and provide and update on the status of their food when his sage eyes caught sight of her and he stopped dead. His jaw hung open and his breathing hitched in his chest as he looked at her; she looked absolutely beautiful, even with the pout on her face and annoyed look in her eyes… just why was she pouting?
He didn't have to wait long for an answer as she strolled right over to him so that they were practically nose to nose and locked him with her deep brown eyes. He stood in silence, unsure of just what was going on and feeling his heart pound in his chest at what must have been double the healthy rate.
"Listen you, did you read my manuscript? I know I left it in my desk and when I went in there just now I found it lying open for the whole world to see." She demanded in a fierce tone, poking him in the chest to emphasise her words.
He backed away and felt his heart drop down to his shoes. He hadn't meant to find it but as he was tidying her home he stumbled across it. He knew that reading it was probably not the best thing to have done but his curiosity had gotten the better of him and the story was so gripping that before he knew it he had finished the whole thing.
"Yes." He admitted sheepishly, hanging his head in embarrassment and shame "I'm sorry Lucy but I was tidying everything up and trying to make it all nice for when you got home. I found it in the drawer as I was going and well I wasn't sure what it was at first but then I read the first couple of pages, and then that became the first few chapters and next thing I know I had finished the whole thing."
Lucy listened to him with butterflies in her stomach. Criticism was the biggest hurdle that any creative had to contend with and this was the first time anyone had ever read her work, naturally she felt a little apprehensive at what he might say; though as he stammered through his explanation, she found herself pleasantly surprised.
"Y-you read the whole thing?" She asked in disbelief, raising one eyebrow sceptically.
"Yeah…" He answered, rubbing the back of his head. Despite his overall sheepish demeanour, his eyes never once left hers. The longer that she looked into those swirling sage pools, the more convinced she became that he was telling the truth.
"Well… what did you think?"
"I loved it! Everything from the depth of the characters and the detail in your description; in every page it is so easy to see the love that you poured into every aspect of your storytelling. I loved the plot and the drama…" He launched into a full review of her work that sang her praises at every turn. The sheer enthusiasm with which he spoke almost matched that with which she had written it. As he spoke she felt her face going redder and redder until she was convinced that a passer-by might have mistaken her for a tomato with legs. The tight knots in her stomach unwound and her fears melted away at hearing her work so well received. She felt as though she were on cloud nine, lifted ever higher by the wealth of praise that he offered.
This time it was Lucy's turn to be the sheepish one. All anger was gone at his having read her secret project, replaced by satisfaction that it had provided some enjoyment to at least one other person. Turning back to the stove Natsu began to plate up their food, plying her with questions about characters and plot points at every available opportunity. Lucy took a seat at the dining table and answered them all, trying to still the unsteadiness that she felt in her legs. It all seemed so surreal to her that someone had truly enjoyed her work so much, a work that still wasn't finished.
The fact wasn't lost on Natsu who brought their food over and pestered her for details about how it was that she planned to end the story, and where the characters were all going to end up. To those queries, Lucy remained tight lipped. She savoured his expression as he uttered a high pitched whine and practically begged her for the slightest teaser or spoiler.
Fixing him with her best mischievous expression, she took up a fork and tasted the food that he had made for the both. The burst of flavours were magnificent and left her stunned for a long moment. He had served her chicken that had been marinated in a tomato, basil and chili sauce. The bold flavours of garlic and spices had been absorbed by the chicken and augmented its natural flavour delightfully. It was neither too hot nor too mild and was served on a bed of fluffy white rice that she couldn't have imagined cooked any better. Just as it had been the morning after the party, Natsu's kitchen craft was unparalleled by any that Lucy had ever tasted.
The remainder of their evening passed by in what felt like the blink of an eye and before Lucy quite knew it, the bottle of wine had emptied. The two of them finished their meal and collapsed onto Lucy's couch with satisfied sighs and full bellies. Lucy couldn't recall the last time that she had enjoyed such a delightful meal, and in all truth she now felt completely stuffed.
"Natsu, you are going to have to let me have your recipe for that." She said with a smile,shuffling over and laying her head on his shoulder.
Natsu seemed taken aback for a moment, before resting his arm across her shoulders and drawing her in to his chest. She savoured the warmth that seemed to emanate from him, warming her to her very core. Sighing contentedly, she closed her eyes and simply enjoyed his company. She reflected on the events of the past weeks; the people she had met, new friends and her newly blossoming relationship with Natsu… it was a relationship, right?
She decided that it didn't truly matter. The reality was that she simply enjoyed every moment that she could spend with Natsu and that regardless of whatever kind of bond they shared, she didn't care so long as Natsu could remain a part of her life.
The two of them sat together in each other's company and chatted until the early hours of the morning. They discussed everything from their pasts to their hopes and dreams for the future. The blonde was hardly surprised to learn that Natsu dreamed of working in a professional kitchen in future to spread his love of food to the world. Lucy explained that she wanted to become a best-selling novelist and see her work soar to the top of the literary charts.
"You can do it Lucy." He told her with an earnest look in his eyes "If you keep writing like you do, putting your heart and soul into it, then I know you can do it. Just don't go forgetting Gray and me when you do eh?"
She giggled softly and swatted his shoulder, giving him a look of mock offense. "Natsu! I'm shocked at you. How on earth could I possibly forget you? You will come live with me in my huge mansion and work as my own personal chef. You shall feed the whole literary world!"
She waved her arms in grand gestures to try and further illustrate her point, and Natsu only sat in silence. His dark sage eyes watched her and a warm smile remained affixed on his features. He admired the glow that came about her when she spoke of her passions, hopes and dreams. It was enough for him to get caught up and swept along with it all.
Lucy was brought back to consciousness by her phone alarm going off. The device was sat on her table and beeping loudly. Her eyes fluttered open as she tried to understand what was going on from under the thick blanket of sleep that still covered her mind. Bleary-eyed, she looked around and found that she wasn't in her bed as she might have expected. Peering around she came to notice that Natsu was still sat beside her; or rather she was asleep against his chest.
Her heart began to pound as she realised just the scenario that she was in. She was still wrapped in his arms, her body having melted around his into a position of mutual comfort. Natsu was still deep within the realms of sleep, his head leaning back against the couch and snoring lightly. For a long moment, Lucy considered extricating herself from his arms and getting herself ready, yet something stopped her. Some urge deep within her told her not to move a muscle. Listening to it, she gently lay her head back against his chest and closed her eyes. His heartbeat and rush of his breaths reached her ears in a form of rhythm that helped her to drift back towards sleep. Work could wait…
Suddenly her eyes snapped open and she frantically checked her watch. Horror filled her as she read the time to be ten to ten in the morning, nearly an hour after she was meant to be in work. She groaned and tore herself from Natsu's arms. As she did he groaned and returned to consciousness. Looking around with an expression of confusion, his eyes settled on Lucy as she dashed around the room both trying to tidy and compose herself for the day ahead.
Lucy's mind was racing as she dashed upstairs and into her bathroom again. Turning on the shower, she leapt under the water before it had time to properly warm up. Shivering at the sudden cold, the shower helped to bring her into the here and now, dragging her from sleep and throwing her into the day ahead. Now that she could think clearly, Lucy began to fret over the day ahead. She was an hour late, just what would the others think when she finally turned out for work?
Hurriedly washing herself clean, she left the shower and hastily fought to dry and tame her hair. Once her luscious golden locks had been brought under control, she dressed herself for work and made her way downstairs again to usher Natsu out of the door and make what apologies were necessary. Yet she didn't find Natsu where she had left him.
Following the smell of fresh pancakes, she found him in the kitchen doing the dishes. On the table in a Tupperware container was a stack of crepes, lightly dusted with sugar and seemingly drizzled with lemon juice. Lucy looked at them hungrily and had to fight the urge to eat them then and there. Instead, she looked at Natsu quizzically and waited to hear his explanation. He turned and offered her his usual optimistic grin that left her feeling noticeably weak at the knees.
"Sorry that you slept in late for work. You cant go in on an empty stomach though, breakfast is the most important meal of the day. So I made you a little something for your walk in."
Lucy looked at him incredulously, once again stunned into silence by the rose-haired man's natural sense of selflessness. She scooped up the container and cradled it into her chest gratefully. Just what she had done to deserve such a friend, she truly didn't know; but she thanked her lucky stars all the same.
"What about you?" She asked, almost as an afterthought as she turned for the door.
"Don't worry about it!" He answered, dismissing her worries with a wave of his hand. "I'll finish cleaning up here, then I'll lock up and head home."
Lucy looked at him for a moment and briefly debated the idea of leaving him in her home by himself. Admittedly they were friends, and rapidly becoming rather lose ones, and yet at the same time she hadn't known him for all of that long. Despite it all, she looked into his deep green eyes and smiled; for therein was honesty. It was something that Lucy couldn't properly explain, but there was something about the way that Natsu looked at her that told her he could be trusted.
Deciding to trust in her gut instinct, she turned away from him and headed out of the door in a twirl of bright golden hair. She walked as fast as she could down the pavement and towards her little coffee shop, taking bites of the sweet pancakes every few steps. They were delightful and refreshing, just the kind of thing that she really needed, although they were gone before she knew it. With a nervous expression, and wishing that she had more pancakes, she arrived at her business and ventured inside expecting to catch the worst from her colleagues.
Yet the barrage of anger didn't come. Instead, the other girls looked up from their work and smiled at her as though nothing were amiss. They greeted her with the same cordial manner that they would on any other day. Lucy checked her watch in confusion until it all began to dawn on her. Juvia had been the one to give Natsu a key to her apartment, and the rain woman would never have given him that key unless she was entirely convinced of his motives. Following that, she must have realised that the date the night before had gone well and drawn conclusions from that so as to explain Lucy's tardiness.
Lucy's face turned a bright shade of red as she realised just how far Juvia could get carried away when her imagination got into gear. She dreaded to think just what stories Juvia had concocted to tell Erza and explain away her boss' late appearance. Groaning to herself, Lucy headed through to the café's tiny staffroom and donned her apron, knowing that at some point the others would corner her as lion's corner a wounded antelope, and demand an explanation.
As it turned out, her fears were unfounded. The others didn't question her absence despite clearly being aware of the vague context. Aside from the occasional knowing glance and smug grin that they shot her, they left the subject predominantly alone. Lucy was grateful for the fact, losing herself in her work and whittling away the hours until she could close the book on the whole day.
To make matters worse, her mind kept wandering to the events of the previous evening. Despite the fact that nothing had happened, Lucy felt a warm feeling grow within her heart whenever she thought back to their conversations on her couch and how close the two of them had been. Without either of them having realised it, they had inadvertently settled into the dream state that many a couple and lonely single strived towards. Feeling her cheeks heat up again, Lucy hastily turned away from her colleagues and focussed intently on cleaning the steam wand on one of the coffee machines.
When at last the time came to close up shop, she directed her staff towards their tasks and set about wiping down the tables and stacking the chairs. She was glad that the day had gone over without incident either from awkward customers or awkward conversation with her friends. A tired, yet satisfied smile played about her lips as the she hung her apron up and retrieved her coat, bag and empty Tupperware. She smiled at the sight of the empty container and made a mental note to thank Natsu for the pancakes.
As she turned to make her way out of the staffroom and begin the journey home, she found her path blocked by both Erza and Juvia. The two of them had arms crossed and mischievous smiles on their faces. Lucy's heart sank as she realised just what this meant. The two girls hadn't broached the subject all day because they had been conspiring together, biding their time for the perfect moment in which to pounce and hear the full story without threat of interruption.
"Okay… I'll tell you everything. Let's just lock up here and you can both come on over to my place tonight, we can discuss it then." The blonde sighed with a look af resignation. She knew better than to try and worm her way out of such a situation. Juvia was insatiable when she believed there was a tale of romance to be heard, and Lucy had to take but one look at Erza to know that the redhead was undoubtedly the same.
"Very well." Erza said with the hint of a smile. "I'll bring some desserts with me. If we are to discuss such things then it must be done properly."
Lucy nodded her approval and ushered the two of them out of the little café before locking the door behind her. Admittedly things had not gone quite as she might have hoped but she was certainly glad of the opportunity to get home and relax, as well as get her story straight, before the others could arrive and begin their interrogation.
She walked home at a brisk pace and arrived in a relatively short amount of time. Slipping her key into the lock she let herself in and savoured the warmth within as it helped ease off the chill of her walk. Hanging up her belongings on their set pegs beside her door, she made her way upstairs for a quick shower; she knew it wouldn't be long before the others would arrive. Once she had showered she donned some loose fitting lounge pants and an oversized tshirt that rested over one shoulder but left the other exposed. Upon the front was emblazoned a little white dog with cute little eyes and a peculiar snout.
Making a quick sweep of the house she looked for any signs of Natsu that might have been left behind but found none. A pang of disappointment struck her as she realised that he had been true to his word and cleaned up any signs of mess left over from the night before. On her dining room table she found a hastily scribbled note addressed to her that read;
'Hey Luce, thanks again for a great night. It's a shame that we couldn't hang out a bit more today but we can always do it again sometime right? I've got a whole bunch more recipes that I'd love to make for you. Sorry I made you late for work this morning. Natsu.'
She scanned the lines a few times over. His script was rushed but still held an odd kind of elegance that she found herself strangely fond of. Holding the note close to her chest she was surprised to find that it shared the same welcoming scent as Natsu himself. The same smoky and spicy scent that Natsu wore also clung to the paper she held in hand. Taking a deep breath of it she savoured it as thoughts of the rose-haired man came to mind.
Spiriting it away, she dashed up the stair and into her room wherein she opened up the drawer containing her manuscript and delicately placed Natsu's note alongside it. She didn't know why she felt so compelled to keep the note, but for some inexplicable reason it felt special to her. Perhaps she saw it as one of the beginnings of something that she hoped could occur further down the line, but for now she kept it simply as the memento of a wonderful night with a good friend.
Pulled from her thoughts by a knock at the door, Lucy closed the draw and quickly made her way back downstairs to let her friends in. Opening the door she was met with a sight that she hadn't quite anticipated; both Juvia and Erza were stood on her doorstep in their pyjamas holding onto sleeping bags and pillows. Lucy raised an eyebrow and looked at them both with a questioning expression but couldn't help the smile that broke out across her features. Stepping aside she let them both in and closed the door, shutting out the cold behind them. It was going to be an interesting evening.
That seems like a good place to leave it for now, what hijinks will the Fairy Tail girls get up to now, and how will Lucy cope with it all? I hope you will all come by again next time to find out. Unfortunately, there is likely going to be a delay between now and then. I have it mostly written by my issue at the moment is finding the time to finalise it all. Between university, scuba diving and efforts to improve my own quality of living, I regrettably dont have anywhere near as much time as I might otherwise like. As such, progress on my works is becoming fairly slow and arduous.
However, all is well! With the christmas break coming up, I am about to have a great deal more time to spare and I shall be making efforts to work on all of my little projects again. So watch this space over the coming months because I think I might just be able to finalise this story and bring it to its conclusion.
Thank you all ever so much for reading, please do follow, favourite and review if you have the time, and as always; I will see you all in the next chapter!