4 - he was a punk
"Dude, I need to borrow your truck."
"Abso-fucking-lutely not." The angry blonde stood up and walked to the kitchen counter where his drunken friend sat.
"Please Laxus! It's an emergency. A real one- I've got a date!" Natsu chased after the older man, pleading for the favor.
"Ahh, date with whooo?" Bacchus slurred, offering Laxus a beer.
"You wouldn't know her," Natsu grabbed one of Bacchus's empty shot glasses and poured a bit of tequila in it, making a sour face as he downed the liquid. "She's not from around these parts... got any lime?"
"Holy shit." A loud voice interrupted from across the room. Gajeel's attention had shifted away from the broken thermostat onto Natsu and Laxus's conversation. "Don't tell me you managed to hit it off with the spoiled bitch."
"Mind your business, metalhead!"
"Wait- backtrack. Natsu pulled a west chick?" Cana's head rose from the liquor cabinet.
"Seriously? Guys, Natsu's dating a millionaire!" A voice called from the railing above.
Soon enough the entire house caught word of the fact Natsu was talking to an upperclass girl, and she was interested.
"Wait, Natsu, is this the girl you went bowling with last night?" Erza asked.
"Yeah, and she's the one who asked me out again!" Natsu said proudly, causing another uproar throughout the home.
"C'mon Laxus, you gotta give him your truck! This might be the kid's only chance at love. *Hic*. No joke." Bacchus patted his friend's shoulder encouragingly.
"Fine, I don't even care. But one scratch and you're dead, Dragneel."
"There will be no scratching involved, promise! Thanks, Laxus!" Natsu sprinted upstairs to find a phone charger. Lucy could be texting right now, and he wouldn't have a clue due to the lack of battery power.
Sunday and Monday were the longest days of Natsu's life.
When the final bell rang, Natsu was the first student out the door, practically sprinting to the truck Laxus lent him while preparing the address for Lucy's school in his GPS.
Lucy: I attend Magnolia Prep, 65th and Cedar St.
Lucy: It won't be hard to find. Put it in your GPS and once you get close you'll start seeing a bunch of signs.
Lucy: Follow the ones that lead to the south entrance, that's where I'll be waiting x
Natsu: gotcha !
Natsu drove through the surrounding area of Magnolia Prep carefully. Lucy was right, there were signs everywhere directing visitors and students to different parts of the campus. There was a whole line of shoppes and restaurants bordering the main campus, and students lingered and chatted waiting to retire for the day.
Natsu wasn't oblivious to the odd looks he was receiving. Laxus kept his yellow 2001 Nissan Frontier in stellar condition, it was his pride and joy. But to these kids, the truck he was driving was probably nightmare fuel. He'd done his best to clean up the interior for Lucy. He threw out trash, vacuumed, even bought an air freshener to stick to the vents. Natsu also knew Laxus had a girlfriend. He didn't understand how she tolerated the interior clutter he refused to do anything about.
Finding the South entrance of Magnolia Prep was easy. It seemed quieter compared to the main entrance. He spotted Lucy by the gates with a group of girls. He placed his hand to the centre of the steering wheel and prepared the blow the horn, but then remembered where he was. He snatched up his phone from the cup holder and sent Lucy a text.
Natsu: im outside
Natsu watched as Lucy picked up her phone and read the message on the home screen. The truck was the first thing she saw, and she said her goodbyes to her friends before trotting over and climbing in the passenger side.
"Hey!"
"Hi. How was your day?"
"It was good!" As Natsu listened to the blonde describe the events of her day in detail, he noticed the group she was standing with stare at the truck in disgust.
"You're not embarrassed to be seen in this?"
"Hm? Oh, the truck? Not at all! I think it's nice. And it's clean!" Natsu breathed a sigh of relief. Lucy sniffed the air twice. "Smells good too. Is that… pineapple?"
"Pina colada," Natsu nodded. "So, which way?" Natsu followed Lucy's directions out of the school campus and further into the suburbs.
The building they ended up at left the skater speechless. This was way bigger than the shopping district in his own neighbourhood and looked a hell of a lot pricier too.
"I'm so excited!" Lucy practically dragged Natsu through the high-end stores, thrusting different shirts and ties in front of him. "What do you like?" She asked, holding up two collared shirts. Natsu couldn't tell the difference.
"I guess the first one?" Lucy's eyes narrowed as she checked.
"Let's just get both!" She handed the shirts off to the assistant who had been accompanying the pair since they entered the store.
The amount of things Lucy was picking up was overwhelming. Natsu had no clue what a 'pocket square' was and why he needed six different colours. Why was this little metal thing that you can barely see behind the tie two hundred dollars? And what the fuck is a boutonnière?
After what felt like hours- no, actual hours, Natsu finally had his first ever formal outfit.
"You look like such a gentleman." Lucy teased, appearing next to Natsu in the mirror. "I think I prefer your other look."
"Thank fuck, 'cause I don't think I can ever wear this again." Natsu tugged at the cuffs of his sleeves as Lucy laughed.
"Don't worry, just one dinner and you're free."
"I'm nervous as hell for this thing. Am I meeting your parents?"
"Oh, god no." Lucy shuddered. "This is a cousins and friends only thing."
"That makes things a lot easier."
"Don't stress over it, you'll be fine. You look amazing in this." Lucy placed a quick peck on Natsu's cheek, causing him to blush. "We should get going. I gotta beat my dad home." Natsu nodded, following Lucy out of the shopping centre.
The rest of the week went by in an instant. Before Natsu knew it, Sunday had arrived.
"Who's fucking funeral you going to?" Freed entered the kitchen, where Natsu stood checking his clothes in the mirror behind the door. It was nine in the morning, so lucky for Natsu, most of the house was still out cold. Freed and Erza tended to be the only ones up at this hour, Erza needing to do her daily run and Freed just being well put together.
"My own, if I can't keep my mouth shut for the next few hours."
"Fair." Natsu grabbed his skateboard and left the house, only to run into one Erza Scarlet, returning from her morning run.
"Natsu?" She looked her housemate up and down, raising an eyebrow.
"Don't ask." The pinkette shook his head and hopped on his board, fleeing the scene before the redhead could question him further. The looks he got on the bus were no different from the looks Erza and Freed gave him at the house.
"Who died?" The morning bus driver asked with a smirk as Natsu got off at the only bus stop on the Westside.
"Be original, Zancrow." Natsu rolled his eyes as he exited the vehicle. Dropping his skateboard, he headed towards the Heartfilia Estate.
Seeing the mansion in the daylight was an entirely different experience. The house was bigger than Natsu remembered, and the multiple buildings scattered around the property were grand as well. A car waited outside the main gate. Capricorn stood next to it with Lucy, who's eyes lit up when she saw the skater.
"Perfect timing!" She ran up to hug the pinkette.
"You look beautiful." Natsu breathed, making Lucy blush.
"You don't look half-bad yourself." She winked, Natsu smirked.
"We should get going if we want to arrive at the Lobster's by eleven, my lady. Crocus traffic is always a pain on the weekends." Capricorn opened the door for the heiress, who hopped in quickly, pulling her date in behind. And they set off for brunch.
The drive felt a lot longer than it was. Natsu had never been this way, and the new sights were a lot to take in.
"This view is insane…" Natsu let out a low whistle looking out the window as they crossed the bridge to Crocus.
"Have you never left Magnolia, Natsu?" Lucy asked, leaning to peer out the same window.
"Went to Hargeon one Summer, but that's down the street. Never been to Crocus, it's amazing."
"It is! They say this is the city of dreams." Lucy sat back in her seat.
Soon enough, they arrived at the Lobster estate. It wasn't as grandiose as the Heartfilia's own mansion, but it was still upscale, towering over the neighbouring mansions.
"Lucy!" A girl burst through the front door, nearly tripping down the steps as she barrelled towards the blonde.
"Michelle!" Lucy called back, opening her arms for a hug as the girl practically tackled her. "I missed you!"
"I've missed you too, cousin!" Michelle released Lucy to look up at the pink-haired boy standing beside her chauffeur. "Who's this? New staff?"
"This is Natsu," Lucy pulled the boy to her side, introducing him to the darker blonde. "Natsu, this is my cousin, Michelle Lobster."
"Nice to meet you." Natsu stuck out a hand, awkwardly pulling it back when the girl didn't shake it.
"Okay, well… Everyone's already seated in the banquet hall, let's head inside." Michelle smiled and led Lucy and Natsu through the home. Capricorn heading off in some other direction, presumably staff quarters.
The banquet hall was massive, as were the tables inside. There were two tables filled with people, each seating about twenty. Lucy was placed on the corner next to her cousin, who took the end. Natsu was placed diagonally across, in between a young redhaired girl and a purple haired boy.
Soon after being seated, two claps were heard and a wave of buffet carts rolled out a nearby set of doors, plates being placed in front of each guest.
Natsu was speechless at the selection. He'd never had brunch, but it was ridiculous just how much there was to choose from. There were a zillion forks, knives, and spoons of varying sizes. He thought that was only something they did on TV. Half the things on the plate were unfamiliar, and he had to rely on Coco, the young girl next to him, to explain some.
"This one?"
"Foie gras mousse, on brioche!"
"And what exactly is that?"
"Duck!"
"Oh…" Natsu made a face causing Coco to giggle.
"I promise it's good," Coco noticed Natsu checking a different dish. "The eggs have lobster. It's a staple dish for the chefs here. And the halibut is paired with smoked almond pesto and caviar." She explained, laughing once again at the boy's reaction.
Trying to enjoy the event was difficult. A butler passed by a few times with words for Natsu.
"Please mind your posture, sir." He suggested, drawing a few glances in their direction. Natsu gave Lucy a panicked look as the butler left. She quickly caught on. Lucy slouched momentarily to copy her date's posture. She raised her shoulders up, pushed them back, then brought them down. Natsu copied her movements and found himself suddenly sitting taller and looking more like the others at the table. Lucy smiled as Natsu let out a breath of relief.
"So, Natsu, where are you from?" The conversation was suddenly directed to him at Michelle's question.
"I live on the Eastside of Magnolia." Natsu said nonchalantly taking a bite of the weird greenish-black substance on his plate with the giant fork. He was too invested in the odd-looking dish to hear the sound of someone's fork clattering on their plate.
"The Eastside? Isn't it dangerous over there?"
"Eh, not really. No one will give you a second glance as long as you're not one of those prissy- Uh..."
Suddenly all eyes were on Natsu. Varying expressions on all the guests from pity to disgust made Natsu want to disappear into thin air. Some sent questionable glances to Lucy, who was thinking up damage control.
"Michelle, did you get that yacht you asked for this year?"
"Oh, yes! Ah, it's so wonderful, Lucy, you must come out to the islands with me!" Natsu's heartrate began to slow down as the conversation moved on to island getaways and expensive ships. Lucy sure was a pro at changing the subject around these people.
Soon enough, the brunch came to an end. Michelle stood up and tapped a glass twice, dismissing the group. Everyone began to file into another room behind the banquet hall rather than the big open place where the front door was, making Natsu wonder where they were headed.
"Hey, how was the meal?" Lucy appeared beside Natsu, bringing his thoughts back.
"Good, I think… not so sure 'bout that green stuff." Natsu scrunched his nose.
"Caviar? Haha, I don't like it either. I'm so ready to get out of here. We just have to mingle for a few minutes in the ballroom, then we can make a quiet escape."
"I'll follow your lead. Actually, I'm not sayin' anything this time."
Lucy led Natsu by hand into the ballroom. A few people looked their way, but no one stared. Natsu stood quietly by Lucy as she spoke to different people. Only saying basic greetings and shaking hands that were offered to him first.
Everything was going well, and the two got closer to the exit before being stopped by an older woman. Natsu didn't remember seeing her during the dinner, and he felt Lucy tense beside him as she sashayed over.
"Lucy, darling!" The woman pulled the blonde away from Natsu and into her bust. "It's been ages!"
"Auntie… hi!" Lucy tried to escape her grasp. Natsu could feel the anxiety emitting off her. The overdressed lady radiated 'I'm superior' energy. She stunk of rich perfume, and it really bothered Natsu's sense of smell. "I didn't see you at dinner, I thought you were away?"
"Michelle wanted this to be a 'no parents' thing. She's becoming such a terror, the older she gets. I do wish you were my daughter instead. I figured showing up and saying hello after the brunch wouldn't hurt." Lucy's aunt began to study Lucy, picking at her outfit and fiddling with her hair. Lucy shying away at every touch. It seemed like Natsu had been quiet enough, as the lady hadn't noticed him until he obstructed her path to circle the blonde. "This is your boyfriend, Lucy?".
Lucy hadn't felt more conflicted in a while. Michelle's mother would a hundred percent tattle to her brother. Jude didn't know of Lucy's situationship, and she didn't intend for him to find out just yet. She needed to impress here, but she really liked Natsu. We aren't official yet, right? So, it wouldn't hurt him if I say no? But what if that ruins any chance of a future between us?
"No, auntie. He's just a friend."
Lucy saw the flash of hurt in Natsu's eyes and immediately regretted her choice. In that moment, Lucy was ashamed. She needed to think of an apology.
"I see, how cute." The woman flashed the phoniest smile Natsu had ever seen before making her exit. "It was lovely to see you, Lucy. Come by more often!"
Lucy let out a breath as the woman disappeared into the crowd.
"Are you okay?" Natsu asked, still feeling Lucy's energy was off.
"Never better. Let's get out of here, it smells like a freaking whorehouse." Lucy made a beeline towards the exit.
"God, I thought it was just me." The duo laughed. Seems Natsu and Lucy weren't all that different.