Lucy was beyond terrified. She was scared that she was going to die that night and nobody will know where she went because she didn't even tell Levy where this place was or what time she was coming back so yes, she was going to die in the middle of nowhere because some guy had anger issues and practically hated her guts. Now, this is why she hated the wilderness because crazy people lived in the middle of nowhere.
And she willingly signed up to take care of somebody that threw a vase at her that day and goddamn it, she should have listened to Levy.
Because ever since Zeref left for work, she was alone in a house where a man practically hated her and don't want her in the house. And not to mention that she was scared out of her mind because Natsu could come down anytime and just murder her and nobody would know because she was in the middle of nowhere.
"Just cook some food and clean and don't even think about Natsu. Have fun!"
Zeref's voice echoed in her mind and she cursed him for having to leave her with somebody with anger issues. He should have wrote it in the ad that she would be taking care of somebody who got angry easily because she wouldn't have taken the job.
Well, it wasn't that bad since Natsu hadn't come down ever since their first encounter and she did get most of the kitchen clean. And she did bake some cookies so the house smelt more like fresh cookies rather than dirt.
But the sounds of somebody coming down the stairs made her tense as she prepared for the outburst that was going to come out.
Oh, she should have written a will, first. Maybe he would give her a chance?
"Look," a voice from behind her made her slowly turn around. "I don't know what Zeref said to you or is paying you but really, I don't need a babysitter. I'm not a kid. I can do whatever I need to do to survive so could you just—what is that?" He immediately stopped to point at what Lucy was holding.
The blonde looked down to see he was pointing at a tray of cookies and swallowed thickly.
"T—they're cookies," she sounded so nervous. "chocolate chip... cookies." Her voice trailed off as she watched him give them a good long stare. "Would you... like some?"
"Yeah," he said while reaching for the plate. He grabbed one and bit into his, his eyes widening slightly as he tasted the baked good. "wow, this is... this is great."
"Thank you," Lucy flushed slightly. "I can also cook if you'll like." She offered making him finish the cookie as he gave her a long hard stare.
Lucy couldn't help but squirm uncomfortably in her spot as he just stared at her, the blonde feeling nervous all of a sudden as she was terrified of him throwing a fit.
"What can you cook?"
"Well... what would you like?"
"Uh," he hummed slightly. "I like anything, really. Why don't you make me your favorite dish?"
"Okay, I can do that."
"And after that, you can get the hell out of here." He turned around to start walking away making Lucy frown. "I don't need no goddamn babysitter." He muttered before he disappeared once more.
That Lucy to stand in her spot in fear as she didn't know who to listen to—Natsu or Zeref?
But she did find out a way to get on the good side of the pink-haired male and that was with food. If food was going to bring out his better side, she was going to win him over with her most famous dish of stir fried rice.
Rolling up her sleeves, Lucy prepared to get to work as she was determined to get Natsu to start warming up to her.
—X—
When Lucy was done cooking her famous dish, she was practically sweating puddles as she was nervous Natsu wasn't going to enjoy this dish as much as her other friends did. And she was slightly scared that she overdid some of the ingredients as she laid it in front of Natsu and nervously chewed on her nails.
She watched as he picked up his spoon and stab it into his rice before he lifted it up and shoved it into his mouth.
Lucy felt her legs shaking as she watched him chew and swallow as she knew if he didn't enjoy this, she was going to die that moment.
"This," he paused to swallow his food. "is good." He finally said making her let out a sigh of relief. "But I still don't want you here."
"I—I promise once I finish cleaning I will be out of here." Lucy begged as she felt a weight lift off her shoulders. "And maybe when the time comes, I can round up some dinner, too?" She squeaked her words out as she was nervous she said something wrong.
She didn't want to end up upsetting the male but it seemed like she didn't when he suddenly perked up at the sound of dinner.
"Fine," he said. "but after that, you're out of here, alright? Don't even bother coming back tomorrow." He gave her a look making her quickly nod and step back from him.
She allowed him to eat his food as she went back to her house duties, a slight smile appearing on her face as she realized that this may be a bit easier than she expected.
Now, the only hard part was cleaning this pigsty of a house because it took her two hours to clean the kitchen and she still had four more rooms to go.
Not to mention laundry—she was bound to be done by the next week.
—X—
It was only four in the afternoon when Lucy heard a crash from the other room. It made her jump in her spot and clutch the broom close to her chest as she heard a shout of anger coming from Natsu. A part of her screamed at her to run away and never look back but the other part of her told her to go check on him to make sure he was alright.
She was crazy to go check up on him because once she stepped foot into the room, it was a complete mess.
There was glass laying here and there, books were thrown off the shelves, and a couch was flipped over, Natsu standing in the middle of the room where the mess was.
"Where the fuck is it?!" He shouted making her jump in her spot. "Where is it?!" He turned around to glare at her. "Tell me!"
"W—what?" She squealed in fear as he took a step towards her.
"Where is my scarf?" He said slowly and menacingly. "It was right here," he pointed at where the coffee table was standing but now, on its side. "but it's gone and I demand to know where it is!" He threw a book her way making her shield herself and scream as it hit the wall behind her. "Tell me where it is or I'll—!" He walked towards her to have Lucy take a step back and bump into the wall.
Tears welled in her eyes as she looked up at the angered man, her insides turning painfully. "I—I—eeek!" She shut her eyes as he slammed his hands on the wall by her side. "It's in the drawer in the nightstand! I—I folded it and put it in there!" She pointed at the nightstand where Natsu craned his neck to look.
He pulled away from her and stomped over there, yanking the drawer open to grab his precious muffler.
"Don't ever touch this," he spat out. "if you do, I'll break your hands so you can't touch it."
And with that, he turned around and walked away from the room leaving Lucy shaking in her spot. Tears ran down her face as she just witnessed her first outburst besides from the one when she first met him with Zeref.
Slowly, Lucy slid down the wall as her legs started to give out on her, the blonde hugging herself close as a sob erupted out of her mouth.
That was the most terrifying thing she has ever encountered.
And she had a feeling this won't be the last.
—X—
It was seven in the afternoon and Natsu hasn't come done from his room ever since his outburst earlier in the day. Lucy wasn't complaining though, she didn't know what she would do if she had to see him or go through another moment of his anger rushing out because she was scared out of her mind. But she stayed because she promised Zeref and she also had to clean the house or she won't ever be able to live with herself.
She did make dinner, though, but she was too scared to even ask Natsu to come down so she just popped it in the oven to keep it warm for whenever he wanted it.
She was hoping he wouldn't come down before she left because she wouldn't be able to handle that anymore. She didn't have a problem with shouting but when it came to Natsu's level of anger, she was beyond terrified.
This probably was her last day as she didn't know if she would be able to deal with this, anymore.
All she could do was wait for Zeref as she sat at the clean kitchen table, her fingers drumming against the glass top as her leg bounced up and down underneath.
Her heart was racing as she didn't want Natsu to come down and throw a fit but she was also anxious to go home and relax as she spent all day cleaning.
Hearing the sound of the door unlocking, Lucy quickly stood up and went over to the doorway to greet Zeref who had a long day at work.
She popped her head down the hall where she watch Zeref take his shoes off and set his bag down. When he looked up, his jaw dropped as he realized the place was clean and he hasn't seen the place so clean in a very long time. His eyes finally landed on the blonde standing down the hall from him and a wide smile appeared on his face.
"You're amazing," he said as he walked over to her. "thank you so much, you don't realize how much this means to me."
"You're welcome," Lucy offered a slight smile. "I hope you had a good day."
"Long day." He sighed, running a hand through his hair. "How was your day? Did you get the chance to talk to Natsu?"
Once she heard the name come out of his mouth, Lucy grimaced. Zeref noticed the reaction coming from the blonde and frowned.
"I'm guessing that you didn't?"
"No, I did. I baked some cookies and he liked them and I also cooked him lunch which he also liked." She waved her hands in the air making him smile slightly.
"Natsu does love food," he chuckled. "if you want to win him over, cook for him."
"Yes, I have realized that." She smiled softly. "But... I also realized that this job isn't for me."
At this, Zeref went completely silent as his smile dropped, the look of disappointment and worry crossing his features.
"I really did think I could do this. I thought I was capable of just cooking and cleaning but when Natsu came downstairs today and... and he burst, I was terrified. I cried for twenty minutes straight because I couldn't stop the tears from flowing out and I was shaking so much because I was that scared. I... I didn't think a scarf meant that much to him." She rubbed the back of her head making Zeref eyes widen.
"You touched his scarf?"
"Yes, the white one with the scales—"
"Oh, Lucy, I should have mentioned this before I left." He sighed, covering his face with his hand. "Do not touch his muffler. No matter what condition."
"Could I ask why?" She leaned forward slightly making him sigh.
"Our father gave that to Natsu. That's the only thing he has in connection of dad and he loves it. He uses that as a reminder everyday to remember him so that's very precious to him." He ruffled his hair in frustration. "Natsu wasn't always like that. All angry and such. He was actually a very happy kid."
"What... what happened?"
"Our dad disappeared. And as the years went by without him and without unanswered questions, Natsu became angry. Angry at the world, angry at himself, and just angry that he couldn't do anything about it." Zeref looked down at the space between the two making Lucy's heart throb at the sad story. "I'm trying my best and I think he is, too. Forgive me for his actions for I know he doesn't mean to scare or hurt you." He offered a slight smile. "But I understand if this is too much for you, it is my fault for not mentioning this and just dumping it on you. Thank you for all you've done so far and I hope I see you again sometime again." He pulled out his wallet to count out a sum of money before handing it to the blonde.
Lucy could only stare at him in silence as she felt terrible for just leaving after hearing that.
If she's known why Natsu was so angry, she wouldn't have been so harsh with him.
She understood the feeling of not having a father around and she just wanted to fix everything. Have things the way it should be. Make Natsu happy again but, she knew she had no power or whatsoever to make that happen.
But she did have the power to help ease the pain.
"Zeref... I'll be back tomorrow."
At this, the black-haired male blinked in surprise, looking down at the blonde who had a determined look on her face.
"I... understand why Natsu is so angry. I know how it feels like to have unanswered questions and being angry at the world. If I've known earlier why he was being so angry and such, I would have been more understanding." Lucy rubbed the side of her arm as she looked down at the ground. Her cheeks were flushed slightly as she felt so exposed talking to somebody who she had just met tag day.
But she had a feeling she could trust this man as he was so kind-hearted and so warm. It was something she felt when Natsu was near even though he acted so cold towards.
She could feel his warmth.
"So... I'll be back tomorrow, okay? If that is okay with you."
Zeref could only blankly stare at the blonde in front of him, the emotions swirling inside him like never before. He was completely speechless since he's never met somebody like Lucy before.
He just wanted to cry.
A smile spread across his face as he nodded. "Yes. I would love for you to come back, Lucy."
Smiling right back, Lucy nodded as she readjusted her purse on her shoulder. "Well, I better be going. I'll be back tomorrow morning."
"Thank you, once again, Lucy. You really don't understand how much this means to me."
"No problem at all!" She waved him off as Zeref walked her towards door, watching her put her shoes on. "Have a good night. I made dinner for you guys, too. It's in the oven because I didn't want it to grow cold." She pointed to the kitchen where Zeref turned back to look.
When he turned his head back, he had tears in his eyes making Lucy's eyes widen.
"Thank you," he repeated once more. "have a safe drive back."
Lucy could only smile happily as she opened the door and left the house, Zeref watching from inside. He watched her get into her car and leave, the male finally letting out a sigh of some sort.
"Still hate her?" Zeref asked making Natsu shift from foot to foot from the top of the stairs.
He silently stared down at the doorway where his older brother stood, staring outside.
"I didn't hire a 'babysitter' for you." He spoke once more. "I hired somebody to help us get through this. Help us with cooking and cleaning and just somebody to bring some life into this house. It's been dead ever since dad disappeared and you know it, I know it, and I know she knows it, too. She's kind enough to drive all the way here, clean, and cook for us and you're still being a brat about things because you think she's here to babysit you. She's not here just for you, she's here for me, too." He turned around to throw a look at his brother who just stare at him. "And if you can't handle being around somebody who is here to help, then you're out of luck because there is not a lot of people out there who are willing to deal with that."
Natsu could only look down at his feet as he didn't know what to say to that, his hand clutching the railing tightly.
"She also made dinner so if you're done sulking, come down and eat."
And with that, he went down the stairs to eat a nice home-cooked meal with his brother for the first time in many years.
notes: as I promised, the next chapter.
notes2: I kind of feel like this is rushed but idk... what do you guys think? did you like this?
notes3: leave another lovely review!