Hello all, chapter 5 is here!
Italics is thoughts and Bold is flashback
Hope you enjoy!
Much to Loke's chagrin, the girls spent the remainder of the day shopping. He lost count of how many stores he drove them to, but he guessed waaay too many considering, by the end of the night, the entire passenger cab and trunk were full of various shopping bags.
Lucy opted for a black floral print long maxi dress which ended just below her knees in the front and ended just above the ground in the back. She paired it with nude heels and a golden necklace. Lucy's hair was slightly curled and pulled over one shoulder to accent the open back.
Levy purchased an orange asymmetrical short sleeve dress which tied around the waist. Juvia wore a black V-neck sleeveless dress that ended at her knees. Yukino opted for a shelltop white shirt which was tucked into a dark blue high waisted skirt. Loke kept it simple with a white button up and black slacks.
Lucy, Levy, Juvia, Loke and Yukino were escorted by security through the underground tunnels into the stadium workings. They made their way into the inner portion of the stadium, until they got into the elevator that took them straight to the owner's box. A giant man with white hair and a scar over one eye stood protectively in front of the door. Upon seeing their passes, he smiled and let them in.
The room was just how she remembered it, except now it was decorated for a small party. The same 2 waiters were there dressed in tuxes, but there were some other people in the room as well. The five executives stood in their usual line in the corner, and Makarov stood talking to Erza and Jason, who was describing something as 'cool.'
She waived at the others in the room before walking forward towards the seating area. Lucy's eyes widened at the sight before her. The view of the stadium from the box amazed her when she first viewed it but seeing it on a game day was completely different.
Most of the stands were already full of people while others were steadily filling in. Music boomed through the speakers, pumping up the crowd and energizing the players. Her eyes scanned the players on the field. She recognized the white uniforms as that of the Dragons. The other team wore lime green jerseys with a mermaid-looking logo on the shirt. According to the scoreboard, they were the Lamia Scale Sirens.
Lucy watched as the various players completed their pre-game routines. Some of the players were stretching, some were throwing balls back and forth off to the side and others were practicing their swings off to the side. Her eyes fell onto a familiar head of pink hair near the Dragon's dugout.
Natsu stood off to the side, away from other people, as he stretched his arms. While Natsu could be described as scatter brained in his personal life, you would never guess it when watching him at a game. He was the most focused and alert one on the field. She always admired his ability to do that, and it even fascinated her that he could. She could only imagine the thoughts going through his mind right now… measuring up the competition, picking out their best players, formulating a strategy.
"Lucy!" She turned to the beautiful white-haired Mira standing beside her. "Taking notes?" She jested.
"Just trying to absorb all the information I can."
"Well, this is the best place to be able to observe everything that happens on the field." Mira gestured to the row of seats below them. "I saved you a seat in the front."
"Thank you, Mira." Lucy smiled before walking to the indicated seat and sitting down. She glanced out over the stadium once more. In the short time she looked away, the stadium had filled up with people. Most wore jerseys of their favorite team or at least the team colors. Some had signs or foam fingers. She even noticed large cutouts and plushies of Happy, the team's mascot.
The closest thing Lucy has ever experienced in her career was a movie premiere she went to. There were hundreds of people outside lined up along the front walkway hoping for a picture or an autograph. She was a minor character, so she didn't get as much attention as the other actors in the film, but it was exciting to be a part of the process, nonetheless.
One of the things she loved about theatre more than movies was the involvement of the audience. She could hear people laugh or cheer or cry during the performance which spurred her on. She imagined it was the same with sports. To hear the chants and cheers of the crowd… must be inspiring. She remembered that Natsu used to tell her the same thing.
"Here." Lucy looked to her side to see Levy standing beside her, holding out a cup to her.
"Thanks, Levy." Lucy took the glass in her own hand and took a sip.
"Anything noteworthy yet?" The blunette asked as she took a seat beside the blonde.
Lucy nodded as she finished swallowing, "The amount of people here is amazing. I always knew people were proud of their sport's teams, but this is crazy. I could only hope to play to an audience of this size, and he does this every night."
"He?" Levy questioned with a raised brow.
A blush formed on her face, "THEY! I meant they!"
Before either could say anything more, a loud voice announced the game would be starting. After Fiore's national anthem and a local celebrity threw out the first pitch, the players gathered on the field to begin the game. As the Ace, Natsu led off the game pitching.
The stadium erupted in cheers when he took his place on the pitcher's mound in the center of the field. Based on their reaction alone, she guessed he was a fan favorite.
He certainly lived up to the position due to the number of strike outs he was getting right off the bat. It seemed like no time at all before the opposing team had 3 outs and the Dragons took the field. Thanks to Natsu's excellent pitching and the team's offense, the Dragons were up 6-2 by the 5th inning.
"How are you liking the game so far, Lucy?" Makarov walked over to the blonde.
"It's so exciting. It's been a while since I have been to a baseball game but even then, it didn't compare to this."
Makarov chuckled. "Yes, there is nothing like seeing a game live and in person." They turned their heads forward to focus back on the game.
Natsu effortlessly caught the ball from Gajeel. He strolled over to the pitcher's mound as the opposing team's player walked off and a new one took his place. He knew he was coming up on the end of his time on the field. Being the beginning of the season, Laxus didn't want him to get too tired out, so he was pulled earlier than normal. With enough of a lead, Laxus could comfortably sub Natsu out with a reserve pitcher without losing the game.
Once Natsu settled on the plate, he looked at Gajeel, but he could feel a looming presence on his left. His eyes glanced over to the side towards the owner's box where he knew she was. Through the bright lights and the crowd of people, he found her. He knew her silhouette like the back of his hand.
He glanced back over at Gajeel, who anxiously threw his hands up waiting for Natsu's pitch. His heartrate kicked up and his breathing became slightly labored as his mind raced. His heart compelled him to act but his brain made him second guess the decision. Would she remember? If she did… what would she think?
The small voice of reason was quickly subdued by impulse. Screw it.
In one fluid motion, Natsu grabbed onto the bill of his cap with his off hand. He raised it up slightly before pulling it back down onto his head. Keeping his grip on the bill, he turned his cap left, then back to the center. Finally, he released the cap and rolled his shoulders forward.
He couldn't help but flick his eyes back up to the box. He knew he wouldn't be able to see her reaction, but his heart still hoped to catch a glimpse.
Lucy's eyes widened when she saw him move. It was like he moved in slow motion. Her heart almost beat out of her chest, she began to sweat, she gripped the arms of her chair, her breathing was heavy.
Her eyes traced his movements… up, down, left center, roll. It was their sign…
"Hey, Natsu." She caught his attention from her spot in the stands. Natsu was off to the side practicing his pitches. After a throw, he took off his mitt and jogged over to the wall to see her.
"What's up, Luce?" He asked once he got close enough.
She pointed over towards some of Natsu's other teammates who were batting/pitching. "What's with all the sign language?"
"Sign language?" Natsu asked, arcing a brow.
"Yeah, this." She waived her hands wildly around her face.
Natsu couldn't help but chuckle at her. "It's not sign language, Luce. That's how we communicate with one another when we are on the field."
"Communicate what?"
Natsu shrugged, "When to steal a base or take a pitch or whatever really."
"Oh okay. So does the whole team know them?"
Natsu nodded his head. "Yeah, different signs mean different things and certain coaches will do them based on what the team needs at the time."
"That's cool that you guys can communicate without talking to one another."
"Yeah, but we do that too."
Lucy furrowed her eyebrows at him, "What do you mean?"
He shrugged, "Like I can tell by how you look at me sometimes that you need coffee."
Lucy chuckled, "Natsu, that's like saying I can tell when you're hungry."
"Exactly!"
She shook her head, "Natsu, that's all the time."
"So?"
"I'm not talking about a look. You guys do special signs to each other that has a special meaning."
"Then we will just make our own." He shrugged.
Her eyes widened slightly in shock. "So, what do you suggest it be?"
He thought for a moment before excitedly declaring, "This!" He grabbed onto his baseball cap then lifted it up and down before turning it to the left then center. Finally, he rolled his shoulders forward.
Lucy paused then chuckled, "Okay, so what is that supposed to mean?"
"Simple. I" He spoke as he lifted his hate up and down, drawing the letter. "Love" He turned his hat to his left, making a L. "You." He smiled as he rolled his shoulders forward to make a U. "Whenever you see me do it in the game, you will know that I'm thinking about you. It will be our secret."
Her smile dropped in amazement. This man never ceased to amaze her with how thoughtful and compassionate he could be. She smiled sweetly, "I love it."
He responded with a big grin of his own before the coach called him back to the field.
How many times had she seen that sign? Not enough, apparently, because it always made her heart leap. When was the last time she had seen it? Too long ago…
She couldn't believe he remembered. Even more so, she couldn't believe he was doing it now, in front of hundreds of people, and on live television. It was like the old days… for a moment, it was just the two of them in the stadium.
Mira leaned over to Erza, "Is that a new sign?"
Erza shrugged her shoulders, "Not that I know of."
"He can't be…" Lucy murmured aloud, catching the attention of Levy.
The blunette looked over at her friend quizzically. "What is it, Lu-chan?"
"I-It's our sign."
A smile grew on her face, "Your what?"
She watched as Natsu threw the pitch, earning a strike from the new player. The crowd roared in applause; the noise bringing her out of her trance.
Lucy glanced over at Levy and saw the sly, curious smile she wore on her face. Lucy tried to distract from the blush off her face by clearing her throat and shifting her whole body.
"It's nothing, just something we used to do in the past."
"Doesn't seem like nothing," The blunette quipped before turning her attention back to the field.
Lucy couldn't focus the rest of the game. Her mind replayed the sign over and over again. Her heart was still elated by the gesture, despite the obvious efforts of her mind to try and drag it down. What did it mean? Should I look into it? Am I looking too much into it? Does it mean something? Duh, it obvious does… but should it mean something to them right now?
Did this mean he still had feelings for her? Still? Was it really still after everything they had been through? Was this just a plot to mess with her? No, Natsu isn't that kind of person. So… why?
Her brain tried to make sense of everything; her thoughts, her emotions, the motives behind the actions, the consequences… Her blood pressure skyrocketed as her overthinking caused her stress levels to increase. It wasn't healthy, in more ways than one, to try to reach an answer in that moment.
She decided to revert to her previous strategy: ignore him and her feelings. Just stick to Loke and you'll be fine.
A small clenching in her heart made her almost regret her decision but she shook her head to get rid of that notion. Self-preservation won over. She locked her emotions away and relied on logic to get her through the night. Just study the game, Lucy.
…
I knew it. I'm an idiot. I shouldn't have done anything.
He was definitely regretting the last game. Ever since he did their sign on the field, Lucy has been avoiding him more than before (if that was possible).
The scenes in which they were together went well, but the moment Jason called 'cut,' she would beeline away from him to her boyfriend or find something else to do besides associate with him. How many times now has it been? How many different days had he been ignored?
There was one time the director had to end filming momentarily due to some technical issues with one of the cameras. Lucy ran off to go talk to the other players on the team, despite standing closer to Natsu.
Or the moment Loke showed up on set, she ran to him and jumped into his arms like she was making a show of it.
Or the time Levy had accidentally ordered her two of the same breakfast sandwiches. She asked the general crew if anyone wanted the extra. He felt lucky because he had missed breakfast for an early workout. But when he raised his hand and spoke up, she acted like she didn't hear him. Instead, she shrugged and left it in the cast frig for later.
Or even when they were filming a scene, just the two of them, and the director called cut. Before Natsu could open his mouth to speak to her, she had retrieved her phone from her pocket and called her boyfriend. If he didn't know any better, he swore she played up the lovey dovey greeting she spoke when he answered the phone.
It always seemed like she did it the moment he tried to talk to her or got too close to her. Eventually he decided to not even bother trying anymore. He kept his distance during their down times, or he would walk away from her first when filming stopped just so he didn't have to face her running from him another time.
Natsu stood in front of the craft services table. If there was anything good about this whole 'movie with Lucy' thing, it was that every day is catered. Fresh food was prepared daily for the entire cast; pretty much anything you could think of was available to you. If, for some reason, there is a specific food that you want that is not on the table, a chef is on standby to make it upon request.
It was practically heaven for Natsu, and Erza who always requested strawberry cake.
He tried to pace himself by not trying every single dish at once… that lasted a couple of hours. Luckily for him, they would rotate the dishes offered daily.
So, here he stood, before the spread so lovingly prepared by the top chefs the movie executives could buy. Yet, he was so frustrated because he couldn't decide what to eat.
Caught up in his own mental turmoil, Natsu didn't notice the blonde girl approaching the table.
Lucy eyed him carefully, checking to see if Natsu was paying attention. He seemed to be too focused on whatever was bothering him, so she took that as her moment to approach. The table was long enough, and he was at the far end, so she felt comfortable standing at the opposite end.
Her eyes jumped around the different options before she settled on grabbing a vitamin water. She reached her hand out and grasped the bottle, but shooting pain seized her hand. "Ah!" She yelled as she dropped the bottle back onto the table. Lucy retracted her hand and held it against her chest, cradled by her other hand.
She looked up and saw Natsu standing there, staring at her. Lucy quickly ducked her head and inspected her hand. Just below her pinkie and ring fingers on the palm of her left hand were 2 sizeable blisters. She could feel each of them throbbing intermittently, the pain pulsating through her entire hand.
"Blisters?" Lucy threw her head up to see Natsu looking at her with concern. His feet were cemented to his spot on the floor, but she could tell he didn't want to stay there from him wringing the life out of the water bottle in his hand.
All Lucy could do was nod and continue to clutch her hand. "Batting practice will do that to you." He added, giving a small smile to lighten the mood. "Are they bad?" Natsu nodded his chin at her hand. She looked from him to her hand then back at him, before deciding to lay her hand out towards him.
Natsu put the bottle down on the table and walked over to her. He took ahold of her wrist in his right hand and held onto her fingers with the other hand. She couldn't help but blush as he brought her hand up to his face.
It was amazing how much of an effect he had on her. She could feel the roughness of his hands, no doubt from years of baseball, but what amazed her was how gentle he was with her.
Her eyes flicked up from their hands to his face. She had studied it so closely before and knew it all so well… the curve of his nose, the crease in between his brows from squinting too much, the dimple on his right cheek that only showed itself when he smiled. The longer she looked at him, the more she could feel herself relaxing and wanting to be near him.
Natsu gently glided his thumb over the blisters, causing her to jump. "Sorry," he smiled up at her. There it was, that dimple. "These aren't too bad. I've gotten worse ones from pitching. My first training camp for the minors, I got…" He looked up at her with a huge smile but paused seeing her blushing face. Suddenly the distance, the slight touches, registered with him. The smile dropped, and as he cleared his throat, Natsu dropped her hand and took a step back.
She couldn't help but be confused by his behavior. To ensure he kept his hands to himself, Natsu stuck them in his back pants pockets. "All you need to do is put some antiseptic cream on those and cover them with a Band-Aid. If you can get away with it, don't drain them. They should heal in a week or two. I'm sure Loke can help you wrap it."
"Loke…" She said it with a tone that could make it either drawn out or a question. It took a moment for her brain to click in, reminding her of the lie she had told him before. "Loke… right. Yeah, I will have to find him."
Natsu nodded and started to turn away. He stopped himself for a moment before turning to face her again. "If you have to bat again, get some breathable gloves and add some padding inside the gloves over the spots where you get blisters. But just make sure you only have those on when you are batting, not the entire time."
"Thanks for the tip, Natsu." She gave a small smile, trying to reassure her genuineness. Natsu pursed his lips and nodded before turning and walking away.
Her smile fell as she watched him walk away. It was hard for her to see him so hurt and knowing she was the cause, but she couldn't bear any kind of relationship with him at the moment. For now, her safest bet was to keep her distance. It was turning out to be more of a challenge than she imagined…
Hope you enjoyed! Let me know what you think!