Lucy felt like she was dreaming.
Actually, not dreaming, but having a nightmare.
There was no way in hell that this asshole she had the displeasure of encountering this morning was standing in front of her as if he lived here. He possibly couldn't… right? He's doing that thing again where he's being a douchebag and making her believe he lived here to make her all squirrely.
Smirking smugly down at the short blonde-haired student, he nodded in her way, hands shoved into his pocket as if he never was going to help her. "That's my name, don't wear it out."
She blinked dumbly in his direction, eyes as round as dinner plates and heart thumping harshly against her ribcage. Her mouth opened to close several times, mimicking a goldfish out of water as she had no idea what to say. Or even do. Could she just implode right then and there so she didn't have to relive this very awkward, painful moment?
"W—what... what are you doing here?!"
"This is my house." He said as if it was the obvious thing in the world while Lucy blinked and stared up at him with wide eyes. She continued to stare as she pinched herself and lightly slapped herself in the face, trying to wake up but no matter what she did, he was still there.
Did she accidentally inhale drugs today at some point during the day? Why was he still here?!
Gulping, she shook her head, going into a fit of denial. "T—there's no way this is your—"
"Natsu! Hurry and come back inside with Lucy, hm? It's dark and cold out there!" Grandine shouted from the house, making the two glance over at the door to see the blue-haired woman waving in their direction. Lucy's eyes could only grow wider as this confirmed for her that Natsu was one of the two sons Grandine was talking about earlier.
Natsu nodded in her direction before turning back at the blonde, raising his brow as he smirked. "Do you believe me, now?"
"H—how..." Her voice was failing her as it trailed off while his smirk only grew.
"Do you need help with your bags?" He asked again while pointing at her luggage making Lucy glance down. She opened her mouth to say something but he quickly interrupted her. "Oops, I forgot. You don't want my help, right?" He tilted his head to the side in an innocent manner making Lucy gawk when he spun around before retreating back inside the house. "Have fun bringing your shit inside, Luigi."
After a second, Lucy realized what had happened and her face grew red in anger and embarrassment. "It's Lucy!"
Standing outside by herself huffing in irritation and annoyance, Lucy could only want to rip her hair out and scream bloody murder. There was absolutely no way that she and Natsu were now living together. They barely spoke a word in school due to their immense status level and this morning proved how much she disliked this prick who thought he was better than everyone else.
How did she end up having to share a home with this asshole? Someone is definitely after her and as Lucy made sure to check both her shoulders, she lifted her luggage up and struggled to come inside the house. Huffing and cursing, she made it to the house within two trips, wheezing slightly after all the heavy lifting she was not used to.
Seeing how she was red to the face and wheezing, Grandine gasped and whirled around to find her oldest son sitting on the couch, flipping through the channels of the television.
"Natsu Dragneel, I thought I told you to go help Lucy!" Grandine scolded as he shrugged nonchalantly.
"She said she'll do it."
"You don't let a lady do these kinds of things!"
"But she insisted—who am I to disobey her wishes?" He asked, giving his mother an innocent glance before flicking his eyes over at the red-faced student. Grandine only scowled at him as Lucy made a face of discomfort, ignoring him.
Making her way over to the couch where her mother and Igneel were, she sat down in the unoccupied one as Grandine sat right next to her. Natsu seemed bored as he moved on from the television to his phone, his head dipped down to focus his attention on his cellphone while Lucy was glaring at him from the corners of her eyes.
"This is my oldest, Natsu," Igneel introduced his son as Layla nodded and smiled at him. Natsu gave a light nod and smile as he went back to surfing his phone while Lucy gave him dirty looks.
Maybe she should have known Natsu was related because Igneel was his twin. Minus the bright pink hair, Natsu definitely had his father's features with the sharp jawline, caramel colored skin, dark eyes, and lean body. But it was hard to think someone as nice as Igneel and Grandine could produce such a devil like this one.
Grandine noticed the looks Lucy was throwing at her son and giggled slightly, placing her hand on her knee. It startled the younger blonde as she whipped her head over to see the blue-haired woman grinning at her. "You and Natsu are a bit familiar with one another, right?"
Lucy flushed slightly and smiled shyly, nodding. "Well... yes, we attend the same school. Though, we don't share any classes together." She glanced over to see if Natsu was paying any attention but he was still focused on his phone.
"That's right…" Grandine also glanced over at her son before looking back at her. "That would be hard since our little Natsu does a lot of sports and is not that good at studying, hm?"
Natsu shot his mother a deadly look telling her to stop talking but she didn't seem to get the hint as she giggled with Lucy.
"Is he even popular with the ladies in school? I mean... look at him! Always wearing that scarf and always on his phone or listening to music... playing useless sports and not to mention his poor grades! Who is willing to date that?"
Lucy glanced over at the pink-haired male who looked like he was ignoring the conversation, finding it funny his mother thought that since he was one of the popular jocks in school.
Girls were head over heels in love with this guy and practically fell to their knees for him. Why? She had no idea, either. He was definitely easy on the eyes but he's a major douchebag that only really cared about himself. He didn't even care to attend class at most times nor care about his grades. Lucy happened to be an excellent student with top of the class grades and smarts. Natsu on the other hand?
"Ah... well..." She mumbled, unsure if she should be truthful or lie about him being some outcast because of his looks and god given gift to be an athlete. But thankfully she was saved from the troubles as someone started to come down the stairs, the small footsteps catching everyone's attention.
Down came a small boy, about the age twelve approaching the large group. He went right towards his mother as Grandine brushed the dark hair out of his eyes, smiling widely.
"Ah, Layla, this is my youngest, Romeo! We adopted him when he was just a young lad and he's growing up to be like his older brother which is not okay." Grandine made sure to glare in the direction of her oldest who was still ignoring everyone.
"Natsu is cool." He simply said, making his mother roll her eyes.
"Yeah, yeah." She brushed it off, waving her hand around. "You should say hi to Lucy. She and her mama are going to be staying with us for a bit. Isn't she very pretty?"
Lucy flushed a little the moment those words came out of her lips and as little Romeo looked at her, the male simply stared at her like she was some painting hung on a wall. It only made her feel nervous and squirm, unsure why she cared so much what a twelve year old child had to say about her but when he nodded in agreement, she didn't know why she let out a breath of relief.
"Yeah, she's pretty."
A silence snuck past them as Lucy couldn't help but keep glancing over at the jock, the male looking like he was talking to someone important. He was unbelievably handsome but why did all the good-looking ones have to be asses?
Pressing her lips into a tight line, she looked over at Grandine who grinned. "How about I show you your room?"
"My.. room?"
"C'mon, I'll show you!" Grandine shouted enthusiastically as she stood and grabbed her by the arm, tugging on her as Lucy stumbled along behind her. Glancing on over behind her, she noticed that Igneel and Layla looked pleased while Natsu stared at her with an unreadable expression.
Unable to fight the heavy blush, she disappeared upstairs where Grandine showed her to her own room.
Coming upon a closed door which had a pretty pink sign with Lucy's Room written on it, Grandine excitedly opened the door and showed her around. Once entering, Lucy was dazzled by the cute and bright items inside the room. There was a queen-sized bed right by the window and a pearl-white wardrobe next to the door, a matching desk pushed into the wall to allow her the space to study if needed. A corner mirror plopped by her dresser made the room look bigger and Lucy was even stunned at how Grandine did the liberty of getting her a whole entire new comforter and sheets, matching white and pink frilly bedding perfectly laid out.
"I really like the room... I arranged it myself!" Grandine looked proud as she gave the gawking blonde a wide grin. "I know that I do... but do you?" The older woman asked, twirling around as she gave Lucy an expectant look.
Lucy could only flush and simply nod her head. "Did you buy all of this just for me?" When Grandine had nodded, she merely gasped. "You shouldn't have... you shouldn't do that for me!"
"Why? I had so much fun shopping for all this and such!"
"But please don't buy new expensive things just for me..." She frowned, making Grandine frown with her.
She let out a deep sigh and sat herself down on the bed, rubbing the fabric of the blanket while looking at the pattern in a wistful way. Seeing how Grandine had grown hush with a frown on her lips, Lucy felt as if she had made her upset. She held her hands out, ready to apologize and go on about how she didn't mean it in any negative way but she began to speak.
"Well... the thing is, I always wanted a daughter, Lucy. I had one but she died after she was born because she got too sick... and then I ended up adopting another boy, Romeo, I was stuck in a house full of boys!" She threw her hands up in the air, a small pout on her lips. "So, when I found out Layla had a daughter, I couldn't help myself and make your room like this." She waved her hands around to showcase the room once more. "So, please, don't be so worried. I had a lot of fun decorating this room."
The sparkly wide eyed look she gave her made Lucy laugh lightly, feeling even a bit more awkward yet grateful to be Grandine's wish come true. "If you say so..." She sighed, having no choice but to accept the room happily. She went on over to where Natsu's mother was sitting on her bed and sat down next to her, offering a sweet smile as Grandine smiled back. "Thank you so much."
"Oh, the manners you have!" She cried out in surprise and joy, clasping her hands together. "Ah, why don't you just become my daughter? Who needs sons?" She scoffed and laughed at the same time, her eyes crinkling in that soft way old women did. Lucy could only giggle and set down her pairs of shoes as a sudden sound made the two stop and look on over at the doorway.
Standing right by the door, Natsu had just put down Lucy's luggage and cleared his throat, throwing the two females a look.
Grandine simply sighed as she looked at the ground in disappointment. "Well, it's been a long day. You should get washed and head to bed early, Lucy."
"Yes ma'am. Thanks again for everything,"
"Hmm, see you tomorrow morning, okay?"
Nodding in approval, Lucy watched as her new house-mate walked over towards the door and left before giving her son a pat on the back and a simple good night. Leaving the two alone, Lucy awkwardly shifted from place to place as Natsu leaned against the doorframe, watching her every movement.
"Y'know... this room was originally Romeo's."
"Ah... I see." She mumbled awkwardly, looking over at the pink-haired jock as he huffed. What did he want her to say to that?
"But now that you're here, his shit has been moved into my room and I never felt so claustrophobic in my life. His bed, desk, and everything are in my room now. And all because of you."
She didn't know if he was trying to make her feel bad about the entire 'move-in' thing or was just telling her, but she was a bit pissed off. It's not like she wanted to move in here, either. She had no choice in all of this! Besides, if there was anyone to get mad at, it should be his parents for allowing them to come in. There was no reason why he should be standing here and going off on her as if she had decided all this for herself.
It felt like he was purposely seeking her out just to say awful things and make her feel uncomfortable. What did she ever do to him? She's only recently been on his radar and it wasn't even a good feeling.
Letting out a huff, Lucy crossed her arms across her chest while rolling her eyes. "Sorry."
"If you're so sorry, won't you stop being such an eyesore?" He said a bit harshly making Lucy make a face, turning to face him.
"Eyesore?" She echoed in disbelief as he scoffed.
"Yes, an eyesore." He leaned into the room further, giving her a displeased look. "You better not say anything to anyone about us living together—I don't want any stupid rumors going around about us."
"Say anything?! Why would I say anything about living with you?! That's just going to make everything worse for me." She growled at him, palms clenching into fists.
He nodded in her direction and pushed himself to his feet, completely ignoring her outburst. "They'll probably think I'm paying you to sleep with me."
Lucy reeled back in surprise, her face growing red as she fought the urge to drop her jaw. "I would never sleep with you! You're an asshole who deserves to die alone." Lucy clicked her tongue in disapproval, looking away in annoyance.
Natsu only snorted as he shook his head in disapproval, eyeing her up and down. "I'm going to use the bathroom first."
"Do whatever, dickface."
"Is that how you talk to your house-mate?"
"I can talk to you in whichever way I want. You don't deserve respect," she spat harshly as Natsu quirked a brow at her. "You need to learn some manners."
"I have plenty of manners, thank you." He said stepping forward and grabbing her wrist a bit roughly making her wince over the sudden contact. She looked up at her new housemate who was smirking down at her, watching her expression. "You're probably like every other girl in our school—writing useless love letters to me, squealing over how great I am in sports or how good-looking I am."
"Not true—!"
"Oh but it is." He cut her off mid-sentence as he pulled her closer and leaned in, looking her directly in the eyes as she cringed and blushed furiously. "When I looked at you this morning, I saw the look every girl gives me. It's annoying. So just stop trying to talk to me or be friends with me because I'm not friends with losers like you, got that?"
Lucy felt like slapping the guy in the face and showing him who's boss but she couldn't. His mother would probably hate her for hitting her son and she shouldn't let his stupid words get to her—she should have expected this from him. Natsu has always been someone who thought he was better than everyone else simply because of everything that was handed to him on a silver platter.
He doesn't know what it was like to just be a regular student whose only goal was to stay on top of her education. He doesn't even know what it's like for her to be living with a single mom and having their house blown down by a terrible storm.
Instead of saying something rude back or hitting him, she scoffed and looked away, a small smirk on her face making him raise a brow at her expression.
"Fine, is that how you want to play it, Dragneel? I'll take you on, then. Just because I'm a girl and isn't a popular jock like you, it doesn't mean I can't take you."
"You honestly think you can beat me, Heartfillia?"
"Watch me." She growled as they were so close their noses touched. In any other situation she would have been flustered at the close proximity but at that moment, she was feeling nothing but pure displeasure and anger.
Giving each other death looks one more time, Natsu pulled away and clicked his tongue in disapproval, walking back towards the door. "Fine, I accept your challenge. But for now, goodnight."
"Bye." She said, crossing her arms and turning away to not even bother giving him a look goodbye.
Natsu left with a scoff before finally leaving Lucy all alone in her new room in her new house. Once she heard the click of the door shut she threw herself against her bed and shoved her face into a pillow, screaming into the soft cushion.
Was this worth all the trouble? Maybe she could convince her mother to move back to the hotel or even find a different friend they could live with. Maybe she could try to convince Levy's parents or even Cana's to let them live with them till they were able to get back on their feet.
Because living with Natsu? She already knew this was going to be a very long and very painful experience.
She just hoped she survived because it was either him or her at this point and she is not going to be going down without a fight.
The next morning, surrounding the six person table, everyone ate their breakfast with light chatter floating around. Layla seemed refreshed and happy as she was beaming with joy, speaking with her two best friends.
It was nice to see her mother in such high spirits and looking so happy after such a disaster made her break down and spiral into a fit of depression. It wasn't easy and Lucy knew how much her mother struggled at times being a single mother and all that. So she was a bit grateful that she had friends like the Dragneel's to keep her uplifted and upfloat because she truly had no idea what they would have done if the Dragneel's didn't offer their support.
Which is why her entire resolve went out the door because how could she take her precious mother away from this? Even if she won't be happy, at least her mother would be and that was enough for her.
She'll just have to avoid that asshole whenever she is home and have minimal contact with him if possible. There was no reason for them to speak. Just because they now shared a home didn't mean anything has changed between them. She'll continue to go about her day and he will as well and they won't exchange any words or glances and keep to their own world.
Not like she wants to be associated with him nor talk to him. Everything they spoke, they always ended up bickering and he would say some hurtful things to her so she would much prefer to keep her sanity and dignity and not talk to him ever again.
She couldn't believe she used to find him attractive. Of course he is but it's a terrible thing to put a face and body like that on someone like him.
Furiously stabbing through her omelet, she was oblivious to the looks she received from the others around the table at her gruesome murder of her breakfast. It didn't seem like they wanted to poke the bear either as they continued to eat their breakfast and try not to stare at the student who was aggressively massacring her meal.
"Mom!" Natsu's voice echoed from the stairway and it made her jolt in her seat. "Mom!"
"What?" Grandine shouted right back, irritated at the way he was screaming for her. "Come down here and stop shouting!"
A low groan was heard before his obnoxious loud stomps came booming down and Lucy had to stop her jaw from dropping at the sight of him.
"Have you seen my school shirt? I can't seem to find it!" Natsu said as he came rushing down the stairs, a white fluffy towel around his odd colored wet hair as he appeared shirtless.
His god-like body was almost blinding and Lucy couldn't force herself to rip her eyes away from the sight. It would be a disgrace to ignore someone as beautiful as Natsu.
But no! He was the enemy! Look away Lucy! Look away!
Her cheeks felt incredibly warm and she dipped her head down to look down at her lap instead, listening to Grandine screech from the table.
She shot up from her seat, pointing her finger right at the stairs. "Natsu Dragneel, don't walk around shirtless! We have guests!"
"It's my house, too, shouldn't I be allowed to do what I want?" He sounded annoyed but Lucy didn't dare look up at him. She felt like his eyes were on her for some reason and it made her feel warmer than usual. "Now, my shirt. Have you seen it?"
"It should be in the dryer, go get it and get dressed. You have to eat breakfast and quickly leave—now! Go!"
Sighing, Grandine returned to the dining table to sit and go back to eating, shaking her head. "I apologize for my son's rude behavior, Layla. That boy has no manners!" She growled angrily as Layla laughed and waved her hand in the air.
"Oh, I don't mind. It should be Lucy whom he should be apologizing to, she is his age." Her mother's eyes flickered over to look at her daughter and Lucy scoffed, returning to her shanking of her omelet.
"Puh-lease. I'd rather die than drool over Mr. hot-shot Dragneel. That cocky bastard is not of my liking." She said in a murderous tone, completely forgetting she was in the presence of his parents.
"Goodness, it seems like you two get along very well." Igneel barked out into laughter making Lucy blush softly and look away nervously.
"I—I mean—" Her eyes flickered over to them in an anxious manner as Igneel continued to laugh out loud.
"Don't worry, Lucy. I know what you mean." Grandine said, smiling at the younger blonde who looked down at her lap in nervousness. Picking at her food, she heard the footsteps of the jock once more and he returned this time fully clothed.
"Natsu, come eat some breakfast."
"I don't have time, I'll have to skip it today." He said as he grabbed a bagel from the bag before stuffing it in his mouth and grabbing his backpack to head towards the door. "Thank you for the meal! I'll be on my way out."
Grandine almost choked on her food, trying to swallow and stand up all at once as her son was shoving his feet into his shoes, nearly out the door. "Natsu! You can't go yet, you have to take Lucy with you!" She cried out but only got ignored as the slam of the door responded back to her. Grandine groaned, whipping her head over to Lucy who stared at her with wide eyes. "Lucy, hurry and chase after him!"
"H—huh?" She stared at him with wide eyes.
"School! You don't know how to get to school from here!" Grandine was flailing her arms around, looking more frantic. "Go after him!"
"O—oh! Okay, uh, thank you for the meal—I'll be leaving!" Lucy quickly got out of her seat as everyone gave her a smile of encouragement. She ran over to grab her backpack that was set by the front door, grabbing for her shoes to shove her feet into them as fast as she could. Swinging the bag over her shoulders and putting the straps on, Lucy held her hand up to offer one last goodbye to the family.
"Bye Lucy, have a lovely day!" Layla smiled as she and everyone else waved goodbye at Lucy who now rushed outside, the door slamming shut behind her.
Stumbling outside, she quickly went out the driveway and looked left and right for the pink-haired male. Noticing his red backpack from afar, she quickly ran after him, huffing and puffing while cursing under her breath.
"W—wait!" She cried out as she ran down the hill, trying to catch up as she couldn't quite stop with the steepness of the road. Her long legs carried her down but she had a hard time slowing down, making her practically run into him as he had come to a stop. Seeing his figure come close but her legs continued to go, she bumped into his back causing him to stumble forward and whip his head around to glare at her.
She immediately went into defense mode, seeing how he was the one giving her dirty looks when he was the one who just stopped in the middle of the road. "How could you just suddenly stop like that?"
"Only today," he spoke, ignoring her question, making her knit her brows together and stare. "Only today, we're walking to school together. I don't want anyone seeing us and start thinking shit."
Throwing the male a dirty look, she let out a huff. "Fine."
"And don't tell people about us living together."
"Alright."
"Don't even acknowledge me in school."
"I said I got it!" She wailed while he gave her a hard look before he turned back around and started to walk. Lucy began to follow him but he turned his head over his shoulder to hiss at her.
"Don't walk too close to me."
Pausing in her step to give him the extra space in between, Lucy only shot daggers at the back of his head. She stuck her tongue out at his backside, thinking of all the ways she could purposely hurt him if she had the chance. She flicked him off casually and put it down when he would glance over, cursing him mentally or throwing her limbs in the air to show that she really was pissed and just wanted to hit him.
Was it going to kill him to be nicer to her? Or at least just show her around the neighborhood? Why did he have to act this way towards her like she stole his dessert right off his tray?
Staring down at her feet, she continued to walk down the long hill until she came face to face with his back once more. Bumping into it, she yelped in surprise and pain as she went beside him and looked up.
"What are you thinking about that you keep walking into me?"
"Nothing," she hissed as he continued to stare down at her, making her glare right back. "What?" She said when she noticed the look he was giving her. The look was different from the ones he was giving her previously which made her eyebrows furrow and her to stare right at him. "Why are you staring at me like that?"
"Walk in front of me." He suddenly said, making her blink stupidly.
"What?" She said once more as if she didn't hear him, furrowing her brows as she leaned in. Natsu scoffed at her behavior and looked away before looking back at her.
"I said to walk in front of me. Is that so hard to understand?"
"Geez, make up your mind!"
"You're short." He suddenly said, making her gasp and step back, looking at him in shock as he just exposed her dirtiest secret out in the open. The blonde racked her eyes up and down the body of the jock to see if there was something she could point out about him as well but he kept talking as if she wasn't offended by his previous comment. "Isn't it hard for you to keep up with me? I don't want you to whine and cry about how you were late to school and make my mom get pissed off at me so you walk in front of me and I'll watch you."
Holding back the mean comment and giving him a dirty look, she huffed in annoyance and turned to walk ahead.
Natsu scoffed at her childish behavior and watched her walk away, pausing to notice the bush move and somebody right behind it watching Lucy walk away. He quirked a brow at his odd self as he wore sunglasses and some kind of coat, wearing odd striped socks and black chucks as if his fashion taste wasn't a disgrace to the entire world. He watched as he fumbled with his things when he noticed Natsu staring, trying to act if nothing ever happened before he was walking away.
Dismissing the odd man, Natsu followed after Lucy, seeing her golden head bobbing back and forth with her steps.
The entire way to school was dead silent. Lucy could feel Natsu's presence and his eyes on her the entire time making her cheeks flush and heart pound but she kept her composure as she tried her best to walk away from him. At a certain point, she recognized the roads so she knew where she was so she picked up her pace to make it to school without having to interact with him anymore.
Having to live with him was bad enough, she didn't want to stick around him more than she had to. Especially since he's already soured her mood and made her morning hell by shouting at her and glaring like some rabid animal.
Seriously, what was his problem? She was nice to him until he started being a dick towards her.
Coming into her class, Lucy threw her backpack down on her desk and plopped herself in her seat. Huffing in annoyance, she kicked the corner of her chair and a large pout decorated her beautiful face, her brown orbs staring down at desk with a blank look. She was so focused on her anger that she completely missed Levy and Cana exchanged looks as they looked at their friend, leaning in towards her.
"Why do you look so upset, Lucy?"
"Did something happen, Lu?"
Completely ignoring her two friends, Lucy merely pulled her book out of her backpack to flip to her bookmarked spot. She definitely wasn't in the mood for anything at the moment and having to reiterate to her friends who should not know about who she was living with that made her life hell made her even more crabby.
Cana and Levy only exchanged another look, worry brushing against their soft features.
At that moment, Dan pushed open the doors to enter the classroom that was slowly filling with more students as the time progressed. His two lackies that loved to follow him around stood at his side, giving sleazy smirks and brushing their hair with their fingers to appear nicer.
His crimson colored eyes dragged across the room to look for his golden goose and once they landed on the backside of Lucy, he came rushing over, a large smile on his face as he sat right in front of her.
"Lun-Lun! Good morning!" He sang, grinning widely as Lucy ignored him, still nose deep into her novel.
Cana scoffed and tapped the desk to try to catch his attention but his eyes were still on Lucy.
"Hey, Dan, let's exchange greetings too."
Dan merely waved at them as he didn't take his eyes off the blonde. "Did you sleep well last night? How is your mother's friend's house, do you like it?"
With this, it caught Lucy's attention as she slowly raised her head and looked up. Staring right at the male, she hesitated for a bit before nodding. "Uh... it's nice. I like it." She said, making Dan gasp in amazement and sigh dreamily.
"That's great! Where is it?" He tried continuing the conversation, making her look back up and awkwardly stare.
"Huh?"
"Is it far?"
"Erm... it's maybe... two subway stops? Uh... maybe three?" She sounded unsure, trying to shake this fanboy off of her hands but he slammed his fist on her desk causing her to jump.
"I got it! I'll follow you home after school today and go visit!"
Lucy sputtered and completely flipped her book over in surprise, her eyes wide as her jaw dropped. "W—what? Why?"
Dan scoffed as he echoed her, trying to look tough when he really wasn't. "Do you really think it's acceptable for the guy to not know where his woman lives?" He asked to make Lucy glare and take her novel to smack him with it. She scowled at his boyish grin as he started to blurt out nonsense again.
Just then, the teacher came in and made all the students rush to their seats, leaving Lucy now stressing about two different men in her life.
And not in the nice way, either.
—X—
Coming upon the vending machines, Lucy let out a sigh of frustration as she inserted her coins into the slot. The sound of the coin rushing through the machine and finally dropping into the machine clicked and she pressed for the strawberry milk before it began to buzz with the movements. Once it came out, she pulled it out from the hole and held the cold drink against her hot slick sweaty body, a sigh flying out of her lips.
She was going crazy with everything going on and she didn't know what to do to stop the madness. She just wanted to leave the household since Natsu was just a major ass who doesn't know what to do but bully innocent girls. But every time she just thought of leaving, she would remember her mother who was oh so happy and his loving parents who were the complete opposite of what Natsu was. She didn't know how those two reproduced somebody like him.
He was the devil himself and she knew he would be the death of her!
Grabbing for the straw, Lucy stabbed it through the hole to bring it to her lips. She chugged down the cold strawberry flavored drink and let out a sigh of relief as the coolness cooled her down.
How could somebody so attractive be so rude?! Where did his rude genes come from?! His mother and father were angels of heaven and there he was a demon descent from hell!
Pursing her lips, she stared at the vending machine as she continued to think about what was going on her life, completely oblivious to the jock that was approaching her from behind.
Natsu slowly and quietly approached the thinking female as he smirked to himself, wondering what she was doing looking like an airhead.
Coming right behind her, he pressed his hands against her side to jab her, making her jerk violently. A squeak came out of her lips and she jumped back, looking at the suspect who jabbed her to notice it was the demon she was just thinking of.
"N—Natsu!" She sputtered as he nodded in her direction.
"What's up, airhead?"
"What do you think you're doing?!"
"Well, I was planning on getting a drink but then someone was blocking it with her body. And the only way to get you to move was probably jab you on the side." He shrugged, making her growl and scoff in annoyance.
Clutching the carton of milk in her dainty hands, she clenched her teeth at the smirking male. "You could have asked politely like a normal person."
"Well, you're still blocking the vending machine so I don't know what to ask."
Moving away from the machines, she shot him a look of displeasure while he came forward to insert his own coins into the machine. With one of his hands shoved into his pants pocket and one hand hovering over the buttons, his eyes scanned for what he wanted before he jammed his finger against the desired item and for it to begin whirling.
"What are you doing here, Luigi? It's like, four. School ended an hour ago."
"Why does that concern you? I thought you told me not to acknowledge you in school." She crossed her arms as she pouted, looking away in a cute manner making him quirk a brow.
His drink deposited down and he bent over to grab for it, bringing the can of cool coffee to his chest. "Yeah, I told you not to acknowledge me but I never said anything about me. If I start the conversation, you're allowed to talk back."
Grumbling in annoyance, she kept her distance from the male who only shrugged and started to walk away.
That is, until Lucy remembered she had no idea how to head back home.
"H—hey! Wait!" She shouted after him, making him stop and turn back around to give her a look. Lucy fumbled with her drink as she flushed in embarrassment. "Do you... want to head home together?"
"I thought you weren't like any other girl and disliked me?"
"This has nothing to do with that! I just don't know how to go back home!" She cried out as he sighed and took another sip of his drink.
Standing there in silence, he opened his mouth to say something when suddenly a loud voice came booming down the stairway.
The couple looked to see Dan with Lucy's backpack strapped to his chest and his backpack against his back, rushing down the stairs with a large grin on his face.
"Lu-Lu! There you are—are we heading home now?!"
Natsu, who heard what he said, turned back around and went back to what he was doing to know that Lucy already had someone to go home with.
And for someone who disliked him, Lucy stood there wishing she could have at least walked back home with Natsu than Dan.
—X—
Forcing to ditch Dan in the subway and heading back to the school in a taxi, Lucy had no idea why she even came back for that idiotic demon. It started with Dan annoying her and trying to visit her new home but she couldn't since Natsu would probably kill her and she wouldn't want him to see him living with Natsu, anyways. So, she lied about how that was supposed to be her stop and quickly slipped off the subway before the door closed.
She apologized though and headed back and now she was wondering why she came back.
She should have just headed back home but why did she come back? Both ways, she had to head home alone and now there she was, finding the jock nowhere in the school to be forced to walk alone.
It was a bit creepy and scary but she didn't let that bother her since she knew this was a nice neighborhood. A lot nicer than the neighborhood they lived in before. But once the sun started to dip into the horizon and the darkness began to swallow the earth, Lucy couldn't help but feel a little nervous at the idea of her walking back home alone.
Natsu assured her and Igneel did too so she had nothing to worry about but why did she have an unpleasant feeling inside her chest as if somebody was following her?
Trying to ignore the feeling, she continued her way back home.
—X—
"Natsu!" Grandine's voice echoed in the home, her brows furrowed and lips pulled down into a frown. "Why didn't you come home with Lucy?"
Natsu let out a yawn as he dragged his feet over to the sofa, just finishing up his shower after he had just come home from school as well. He reached for the remote and clicked on the device, kicking his feet up on the coffee table. "I'm sure she can find her way home."
"That's not what I'm worried about!"
"What are you worried about, then?"
"I heard that some crazy men are out there these days! Flashing young girls and or doing bad things…" His mother wailed, hand pressed to her cheek as she peeked out the window as if she would catch said weirdo outside. "I'm just worried because Lucy is a pretty young girl!"
Natsu stared down at the remote in his hands as he remembered that weird man in the bushes watching Lucy this morning. He did look very suspicious with his weird outfit and oversized trench coat. And what was he doing hiding out in a bush watching a high school student like that? Out in the open? What if he hurts Lucy or does something that might traumatize her? That somehow made him a bit upset, his stomach twisting in an uncomfortable way.
Sitting there in silence, trying to tell his heart to shut up about going out to find her, he couldn't push away this feeling of guilt.
If she got hurt or if something happened, it would be because of him. But he kind of expected her to be home already since she left with that annoying Dan guy friend of hers… so where was she and what was she doing?
Finally after having a raging war with his mind and heart, he cursed and stood up, ruffling his odd colored hair to head towards the door.
"I'll be back," he said with a scowl on his face and unknowing, Grandine's own face had a smile curving on her lips.
—X—
Finding a familiar pathway down a hill, Lucy realized it's the street to where her new house was. Thanking god for not letting her get kidnapped or raped along the way, Lucy picked up the pace as now it was dark outside with the street lamps flickering on and the orange hues of the sunset now disappearing over the horizon.
Keeping a strong grip on her straps, Lucy paused in her step as she heard something from behind her. Her heart stopped along with her movements, her breath picking up speed. She tried to listen to any footsteps but didn't hear anything but the night coming alive.
Maybe she was paranoid because it was dark and she wasn't used to this area just yet. Her mind was probably playing tricks on her.
Trying to ignore the feeling, she went back to walking and went back to having that feeling of somebody following her, again. She tried to walk as fast as she could without looking like a crazy lunatic running down the street with nobody or nothing to chase after her. She didn't want to seem crazy or panic over nothing.
But she also didn't want to be caught lacking either which made her spin around to check and when she saw some middle-aged man standing right behind her, she screamed, making him also scream in surprise.
It was a scene right out of a comedy show as the two stood there blinking and in pure shock. The man didn't look like he was trying to harm her but he was definitely weird with his oversized trench coat and his weird locks and shoes. It almost reminded her of a clown and she was blinking rapidly while having a stare down with this strange man. And Lucy couldn't help but feel nothing but wonder in her body to see the male dressed in a funky outfit following her. This is what she was scared of all this time?
Snickering slightly, Lucy placed her palm against her lips and bit back the smirk. "Uh... hi there?"
"H—hi."
"Erm, why are you following me?"
It seemed like a normal conversation but it turned into a different direction when he suddenly fumbled with his coat, making her smile drop and her eyes widened.
"N—no! Wait, no!" She cried out as he was about to take her coat off. He paused and quirked a brow at her as she sputtered, waving her hands in the air. "Y—you can't do this to me. I'm only seventeen!"
"That's the point." He said as he was just about to open his coat again but Lucy cried out making him stop again.
"Wait, wait, wait! Sir, please! You don't have to do this."
"Just look at it."
"No, I can't!"
"Just look at it!" He said as Lucy threw her hands in the air, closing her eyes.
"No! Don't do this!"
Just as he slipped off his coat and pulled the sides apart, he flashed her making her catch a glimpse of something. Just then, she felt something cover her eyes for her and spin her around, throwing her body into something hard and warm. She made a soft yelp while crashing into it and when she looked up, she could only gasp as it was none other than her nightmarishly house mate.
He had a stern look on his face and when he glanced down at her, he flashed a heart-warming grin making her breath hitch. He turned back to look at the person once again and he gave that same stern look again which could have anyone running for the hills.
And that's exactly what the culprit did as he redid his coat and ran away before Natsu did something neither one of them wanted to participate in.
Natsu only scoffed and muttered a simple derogatory word under his breath before looking down at the blonde who only continued to stare up at him in awe. He offered a smile and pulled away, leaving her cold and alone as he started to walk away.
It left Lucy standing there dumbfounded at the events that just occurred and when she finally snapped out of her daze, she noticed Natsu had already made it halfway up the street and she quickly dashed after him, catching up with the student.
She flushed and fiddled with her bag straps as she glanced over at his direction. "Did you... go looking for me because you were worried?"
"Worried my ass," he scoffed, making her frown at his tone. "I just happened to pass by you while shopping for some drinks." He said as he held the plastic bag up showing that he bought some juice pouches at the local convenience store.
Lucy pouted and scoffed herself, turning her head away from his direction. "That's ironic since your timing was perfect..."
"Let's just call it bad luck."
Giving him that scowl and dirty look once again, she ignored him the rest of the way home. How could she think he would come to her rescue because he was worried? He probably was just out getting drinks and snacks and ran into them on his way home. There was no way he would come back out looking for her nor would he have known she would have been followed home by some wack job trying to flash his junk to underaged girls.
Luckily the walk back home wasn't far and Lucy was able to come inside without having to exchange anymore words with the asshole.
Sitting in her room and tapping away on her computer, she groaned out loud and leaned back against her chair, a pout forming on her lips.
She loved writing and all but this five page essay was complete bullshit. Normally she was great at this and was able to tap away on her computer without a single break but this topic of choice was forcing her brain to go into hibernation. She only had one page and she still had four more pages to go with this being due by the end of the week!
Huffing in frustration and making a face, she decided she was going to have some kind of break. There was no way she could have this done without breaking down. She had way too many thoughts swirling inside of her head right now and none of those pertained to her essay.
Just then, a knock on the door caught her attention and pried her from her computer.
"Coming!" Lucy sang as she went over to open the door, surprised to see Natsu's mother standing there with a tray full of food and sweets.
"Why don't you take a break and eat some of this?" She suggested, thrusting the plate of goodies her way.
Beaming, Lucy took the plate from her with a rosy hue to her cheeks. "Thank you so much!"
Coming inside the room and placing the tray down on her desk, she sat herself down while Grandine came in right behind her, plopping down at the edge of her bed. Lucy plopped a nicely cut piece of melon into her mouth, humming in delight at the sweet juice it provided.
"You're working so hard at this hour, Lucy... and your mother is too at your bakery." Grandine sighed sadly, placing her palm against her cheek as Lucy laughed and shook her head.
"No, no, it's okay!"
"My sons rarely do anything but watch TV, play on their phones, or play sports..." Grandine said in a low voice, almost as if she was whining about it while running her hand through the soft comforter.
"Not to be rude but isn't sports something you're supposed to be proud of, Mrs. Dragneel?"
"Yes, it is, I am proud of my son but how about academics?!" She shouted, making Lucy jump in her spot. "What about going to a good college, finding a job, and setting his goals straight?! He can't be a soccer player or football player forever!"
Laughing to herself, Lucy nodded in Grandine's direction as the woman huffed in frustration.
"That's nice of you and all but you can't always baby Natsu."
"Baby?" Grandine echoed, suddenly becoming still as she stared at the ground. "Baby!"
Lucy blinked in confusion, wondering if she had something wrong but Grandine lunged at her, startling her even further as she pressed herself against her desk chair while the blue-haired Dragneel leaned in so close their noses were touching.
"Do you want to see Natsu's baby pictures?!" Grandine shouted enthusiastically as Lucy watched her rush out of her room before she even got the chance to respond. Sitting in her seat for a moment, trying to process everything, Grandine came back with an album in her hands, shutting her door behind her.
Climbing on her bed, she patted the place right next to her for Lucy to come beside her and Lucy excitedly came right to the bed, wanting to see these baby photos of said brood.
Grandine handed the album towards Lucy and the blonde immediately opened it, scanning each and every picture to gasp and coo at. "He's so cute... what happened to him?"
"He got into sports."
Laughing to herself, she flipped the page and kept looking at the pictures until she came upon a picture where Natsu was dressed in a pink dress holding a wand in the air. A golden crown was laid on his fluffy pink hair and he made some sort of pouty face making him extra cuter.
Lucy just wanted to pick him up, her eyes wide in delight.
"I—is this really Natsu?"
"Yep! This entire album is just Natsu." She said proudly, a smug smile to her lips. "I have one of just Romeo if you want to see those, too?"
"Yes, please!"
As she sat in her bed flipping through album after album, Lucy found herself really enjoying Grandine's presence and bubbly nature. She was becoming a second mom to her already and with her mother so busy at their family bakery, she was grateful to have someone like Natsu's mom to fill in the empty spaces in between.
If she can't win a certain Dragneel over, she might as well start with everyone else and crawl in like the parasite Natsu claimed she was. After all, Natsu only saw her as an eyesore so why not make his entire family love her so they could really fill his head with annoying scenarios with her?
Lucy could already feel herself winning.