"Oh my God, oh my god, oh my god," Lucy muttered under her breath as she pressed a palm to her forehead. The teacher had left them to their own devices and Cana whipped around to face Lucy.

"What is it?"

"Oh my God," Lucy murmured again, burying her face fully into her hands before Cana pushed at her shoulder.

"Snap out of it, lady! What the hell is going on?" she hissed under her breath. Lucy slowly pulled her face from her hands to meet the brunette's eyes.

"I… I know where Dragon and Ice go to school now," she admitted feebly. Cana just frowned at her before realisation sparked in her eyes.

"Wait… Wait, wait, wait," she said as she leant back into her seat. Lucy took the time to bury her face in her palms again.

"I knew I'd heard his voice before," she moaned with nearly no volume, but Cana heard. She was still for another moment before slapping Lucy's arm.

"Natsu?!" she asked heatedly. "The new guy?"

"Shh!" Lucy shot forwards to press a hand to Cana's mouth. She looked over her friend's shoulder to see Natsu look up in confusion in their direction. He frowned a moment before his eyes met hers. She watched as his dark green orbs narrowed in amusement before shaking his head and looking back down to his textbook.

"What? What, did he hear me?" Cana managed to ask through Lucy's hand, trying to look over her shoulder at the pink-haired man.

"I think the whole school heard you!" Lucy hissed in a whisper before releasing her and sitting back again.

"This is just so…" Cana trailed off before barking a laugh. "Remember when I said you have a knack for getting into weird situations?"

Lucy just cast her a dry look before staring at her desk and trying to gather her thoughts.

"Okay," she began, her eyes still trained on the scribbled-on desk. "He has the accent, the low voice… He said he recently moved, referred to his dad as 'old man' just like Dragon… He was up late – last night – gaming, oh my God."

Lucy ended with a whine and tapped her feet on the floor like a child.

"Lucy, this isn't a bad thing." Cana finally added after watching her breakdown.

"Are you kidding me?" Lucy asked as her eyes snapped towards the brunette incredulously. "This is a disaster. I've already spoken to him once."

"Yeah, but he doesn't know your voice," Cana reasoned. "Or that you're a girl."

Lucy groaned again and shook her head stubbornly.

"That doesn't matter." She insisted. "I game with them every night. And I kinda-sorta may have made friends with Natsu today and I like him – No, not like that!" she snapped when Cana grinned deviously.

"I mean he seemed like someone I would want to be friends with," she continued. "And if I do it'll just be so weird! Hanging out with him at college and then going home to game with him without him even knowing it's me? And as a boy?!"

Cana nodded slowly and pursed her lips. "Yeah, I see your problem. What is it again? Oh – You're a coward."

"What?" Lucy gasped, affronted. "I am not a coward."

"Then tell the poor guy the truth. Hell, tell them all the truth. Lucy, you just need to be honest. Tell them you always got trouble for being a girl and wanted to game in peace. But then you met them and thought it'd be more fun to go on call."

"And then just casually tag on the end that I go to school with two of them?" Lucy added on sarcastically. "No, thanks."

"Fine. Then stop gaming with them and be friends with Natsu."

"I can't do that! It's the first time in ages that I'm in a team I actually like and who are good at the game."

Cana rolled her eyes. "Alright, then keep your distance from Natsu and keep playing games with him."

"No, he's too cute!" Lucy groaned and folded her arms over the desk in one swift motion and banged her head on them. Cana laughed and sat back with a shrug.

"Then you're just gonna have to keep on living your double life."

Lucy went quiet then. There really was no clear path here. It would be humiliation and looking like a freak either way.

"I know you're making a lot of sense," Lucy told Cana after a moment. "I just don't know what to do. I really like gaming with them, but I also think Natsu and I could be friends. I haven't seen him hanging out with anyone else – it must be hard to make friends in the middle of a semester and at our age. I actually really enjoyed his company."

"Can't you just admit you're insanely attracted to him?"

Lucy's face flared up in embarrassment, but she didn't reply.

"So?"

"Fine," she relented. "I have a tiny crush on him. But that doesn't mean anything; all the girls like him."

"And yet he's only ever spoke to you." Cana added and Lucy felt heat creep into her cheeks once more. She opened her mouth to reply when a shadow fell over them.

"I believe I said discuss, not gossip." The teacher told them sternly with a scowl. Lucy sat up straight and Cana rolled her eyes but quietened down as the teacher walked away.

It was quiet for a few moments before Cana spoke again.

"You don't have to do anything right away," Cana whispered without looking up from her textbook. "Just don't treat him differently – as Natsu or Dragon – and you'll be fine for a little while."

Lucy watched her friend for a moment before nodding.

"Thanks, Cana."

"Don't mention it. Ever."

Lucy laughed lightly before turning her gaze to her own textbook and actually doing some work.

"I'm gonna head to the library," Lucy told Cana when they left their last class.

"I thought you wanted to go home and get some sleep?"

"I know, I do, but I want to grab the material now. Then I don't have to worry about it on my days off," she reasoned, and Cana shrugged.

"Kay. Want me to come?"

"Nah, Levy's waiting for us at the front. Walk to the dorms with her."

"You sure? It's gonna get dark soon."

"I won't stay long."

Well, that was a big lie. It took Lucy nearly an hour just to find the books since the librarian had gone home and even longer to check them out since the temp was a student and knew nothing. Once they had finally finished, Lucy offered a strained smile to the flustered teen before turning to the closest table and shoving the books into her bag.

"Lucy?"

Lucy looked up to see Natsu sat at the desk she just dumped all her books on. Her throat dried up at the sight of him leant back in his chair, dusty pink hair dishevelled from running his fingers through it as he studied the multiple books strewn open in front of him. His head was turned to the side as he watched her with obvious amusement.

"Natsu," she managed as she took a step back. "I'm sorry, I didn't see you there."

"I noticed," he chuckled. Lucy stepped forwards to pull her bag from his desk before dropping it embarrassingly on the floor, unprepared for the new weight.

"Shoot," she muttered as she crouched down to pick her bag up, but a larger hand beat her to it.

She stood to face Natsu's now standing form. He weighed the packed bag in his arm a moment before raising his brows at her.

"You takin' the whole library?" he joked but didn't pass the bag back. Lucy blushed.

"I needed a few new books for an assignment that was set today," she explained as she shuffled on her feet. Natsu nodded promptly before placing her bag back onto the table.

"You walkin' home?" he asked as he buried his hands in his pockets. Lucy nodded and he frowned. "Alone? At this hour?"

Lucy grimaced and looked to a window to find that the sky had darkened considerably. She opened her mouth to reply but hesitated before shrugging.

"I'll be fine," she began to say but Natsu had already started packing up. He placed his books back on the shelves before shrugging his jacket on and grabbing his backpack.

"I'll walk ya," he said. Lucy shook her head furiously. She could not have a typical conversation knowing that this was the guy she stayed up till ungodly hours gaming with.

"No – Really, it's fine," she began but he had already scooped her bag up and started making his way from the library.

She caught up to him with little difficulty and tried to gently pry her bag from his arm. "I can carry my bag…"

"Nu-uh," he readjusted to white shoulder bag on his shoulder. "I got it. You on campus?"

"Oh – Yeah. Yes."

"Alright then."

They walked in a comfortable silence as they exited the building. Lucy looked up at his face shortly before turning and casting her eyes back to the ground.

"So," she began as the cold air nipped at her face. "You on campus too?"

Natsu nodded and turned to smile at her. "Yah. But my old man lives near the city centre, so I stay there sometimes as well"

"I see." Lucy nodded slowly.

"You parent's live close too?"

"Nope – Mine aren't around." She smiled at him kindly and he didn't push the subject. It was quiet for another moment before Lucy's teeth started chattering.

"You cold?" Natsu asked with a frown, lagging a little in his steps.

"I'm fine," she told him, but he stopped all together and started pulling his white, scaly scarf from around his neck.

"Take this," he told her, but Lucy was already shaking her head.

"No, I couldn't," she told him. He had been at school a few months now and, even though she had only officially met him today, she had noticed he never went anywhere without his scarf. Natsu just chuckled lowly and stepped towards her.

"You have a nasty habit of denying favours," he commented lightly as he wrapped the scarf around her. Lucy's breath caught in her throat at his sudden closeness and the heat of the scarf. He didn't step away or remove his grasp as she drew up hand to feel the fabric wrapped snugly around her neck.

"It's warm," she said quietly and Natsu gave her a cheeky, fanged grin that made her heart stutter.

"Good!" He released his grip of the scarf and began walking again. Lucy had to jog a little to catch up.

"Thank you," she said with a little more confidence. "I'll give it back once we get to my dorm."

"Sounds good," Natsu smirked at her. "Which dorm?"

"Uh – Next left."

They walked for a few more minutes when they finally stopped at the door of her dormitory.

"This is me," she said as she turned. It was hard not to stare at his form stood lazily outside her dorm's entrance. His tanned throat was exposed without his scarf and his pink hair hung messily over his eyes before he pushed it away. He was so handsome she wanted to cry. He pushed his hands into his pockets and grinned at her.

"This was cool," he said as he passed her bag to her. Lucy nodded as she took it. "I gotta run though. My buddies are waiting for me."

Curiosity and apprehension coursed through her. She tilted her head. "You room with your friends?"

"Oh, no. I have a single room. I talk with them online. We play games together."

A knot formed in Lucy's stomach as she knew any doubt that she had about him being Dragon was soon to be nil. She kept her smile and nodded gently.

"Sounds nice," she said and took another step back. "Have fun. I'll see you on Monday, I guess."

Natsu smirked again and fell back a step himself. "Yah. See ya 'round Luce."

"It's Lucy."

He laughed loudly; the rumbling sound sent sparks through her.

"I know." He turned on his heels and turned to make his way in the direction they had come. Lucy realised she didn't even know how far he had walked from his own dorms just to see her home safely.

Lucy watched as his form faded out of sight, her heart pounding painfully in her chest before she finally ran up into the dormitories.

"Okay," she said to herself as she let herself into her room and slammed the door shut behind her. "Maybe it isn't him. Dragon cannot be that attractive. There is just no way."

She flicked off her shoes and made her way into her room to strip off her clothes and pull her fluffy pyjamas back on. She stepped into her slippers and didn't bother to put her clothes into the hamper before taking a seat in front of her PC.

"Okay," she said as she booted up the computer. "If he doesn't mention anything about tonight, it isn't him. Maybe he's on already."

It was then that Lucy realised that she was talking to herself like a crazy person. She slapped a hand to her forehead and heaved a sigh of relief when she joined the active call and muted her mic.

"Chill!"

"Sup."

She listened a moment longer before typing.

ThatChillGuy: Hey guys. Dragon not on yet?

"Nah, we've been waiting for you both," Ice told her.

"Yeah, the fuck you been?" Metal added with his usual charm.

ThatChillGuy: Got caught up at college. Got all weekend now though!

"Amen to that!" Ice drawled and Metal laughed gruffly.

"Alright. Ice Princess and I will finish this game then invite, kay?"

ThatChillGuy: Sounds good.

Ice and Metal were in game for another twenty minutes before they invited her. The whole time she was playing all she could think about was Natsu. Could Natsu really be Dragon? Was life that fucking ironic?

Another ten minutes passed before Dragon's voice flooded in their ears.

"Sorry guys!"

"The fuck you been?" Metal asked.

"I just got home," he said, and Lucy felt her stomach flip. "Had to study a little after class."

"Whatever. We're nearly finished here then we'll invite you." Ice said shortly.

"Sound's good – Oh… Oh, shit!" Dragon yelped before cursing again.

"What?" Metal growled, absorbed in the game.

"I leant my scarf to someone and forgot to get it back, ah – It's fine, I'll get it Monday."

Lucy felt like someone had punched her in the throat. The blood rushed so loudly in her ears she could barely hear the responses.

"You shared your sacred scarf?" Ice asked disbelievingly. "The scarf that used to get tangled in your headset because you never took it off. That scarf?"

"Yah. I walked this girl home from class since it was dark," he explained, and Lucy nearly forgot how to breath. He was talking about her. Right now. To Ice and Metal. While she listened. "She got cold."

"You walked a girl home?" Metal asked. Lucy could clearly hear the grin in his voice. "I've never heard you talk about a girl before. Was she – "

Lucy shut her computer down mid game for the second time in the last two days. Bad form.

"Okay. I'm screwed."