They've been texting every day for a week now, Lucy was hooked. Natsu seemed to be able to not only start a conversation but carry one too. She learned a lot about him during this time, she even opened up about her mental health. This wasn't hard since they've already had an intimate conversation at Yukino's place, and her therapist suggested she not be so guarded with her friends anymore.

Which is why she was so frustrated right now. It was almost midnight and they've gone the entire day without texting. Well, more like the entire day being left on delivered. She texted him good morning, and she hasn't gotten a response.

"Lucy, stop moping around," Levy said, not bothering to look up from the book she was reading.

Lucy tossed her phone to the other end of the sofa, "I'm not moping."

"Whatever you say."

A ding came from her phone and Lucy quickly retrieved her phone from where it landed. She couldn't help but smile when she saw the notification. It was a text from Natsu.

'Hey sorry for being M.I.A all day. Let me make it up to you tomorrow and take you out on a date tomorrow.'

Lucy let 10 minutes pass by before texting him back, 'Sorry no can do. I'm going to an open mic tomorrow with Levy.'

'No kidding. Where's it at?'

Since Natsu responded fast Lucy didn't see a point in waiting to respond. 'It's at Fairy Tail.'

'Cool. I'll see you then.'

Lucy responded with a question mark, but Natsu left her on read. What exactly did he mean by that? Was he going to the open mic, just to see her? Would that be their date? So many questions and not even one answer.

The sound of Levy's book closing brought her back to reality. "I'm going to bed," Levy informed her, letting out a sigh as she stretched. "Don't forget about tomorrow."

Lucy looked at Levy who was standing her bedroom door, "I won't."

Levy smiled at her, "Good. Night Lucy."

"Night."

Lucy wasn't sleepy, but it was getting late and she had no reason to stay up late so she made her way to her bed.

Levy didn't give her details as they made their way to Fairy Tail. All Lucy knew was that the guy Levy was dating would perform.

"He's a poet?" Lucy asked.

Levy looked around the bus, that was taking them to their destination, "Not really. He plays the guitar."

"Oh," was all Lucy could say to that.

Right on cue, her phone dinged.

It was a Snapchat from Natsu, it was a selfie of him and Mirajane and he captioned it 'where ya at?'

Lucy quickly lifted her phone to take a photo of her view, which included Levy who was looking at her phone, 'on my way.' She slipped her phone back into her bag. She came with Levy and had no intention of ditching her friend. She hoped Natsu would understand.

Lucy decided that this would be a good idea to let Levy know that Natsu would be there. She didn't want her friend to think she went behind her back.

"Natsu will be there," Lucy informed her.

Levy looked up from her phone, "Did you invite him?"

"No," Lucy confessed, "I told him about our plans for today and he said he was going too. I'm assuming he'll explain."

"I hope so," Levy sighed, "Cause if not it appears stalker-ish and not even keeping it low-key."

Lucy laughed at her friend's observation. Their stop was announced, and Levy reached over to pull the string that let the bus driver know they were getting off there.

At Fairy Tail, Natsu walked up to them when he saw them walk in. "Lucy!" He pulled her into a hug. Lucy introduced Natsu and Levy to each other. "Nice to finally meet you," Levy said with a sly smile on her face.

"Same! Lucy has said so much about you," Natsu informed Levy.

They walked towards a table and sat down. "So," Levy stated, "What brings you here tonight?"

"My cousin is performing, he sucks," a smirk crept onto Natsu's face, "So I want to be here for when the crowd boos."

He turned towards Lucy, "He's the guy I was meeting up with when we bumped into each other at your school. Anyway, why are you guys here?"

Lucy nodded, taking in the information, "We're here to see the guy that Levy is dating."

Levy sheepishly smiled at Natsu, "I've never heard him play so I'm excited."

Natsu's eyes widened in surprise before he shook his head and turned to look at the bar, "You guys want anything to drink?"

"Water would be fine," Levy looked at Lucy who nodded, "Make it two."

"Got it." Natsu made his way to the bar. While at the bar, the showcase started.

The open mic was interesting, to say the least. It felt more like a talent show since it wasn't only poetry. This was part of Fairy Tail's charm, making it stand out from the other bars in town.

When a pierced man stepped on stage Lucy heard a "That's him." Coming from both Natsu and Levy.

"You know him?" Levy asked in a hurriedly hushed tone.

"I was going to ask you the same thing," Natsu told her.

"Wait," Lucy interrupted, she turned to Levy first, "That's the guy you're dating?"

Levy nodded. "You're dating Gajeel," Natsu stated more than asked. Levy then nodded again.

The crowd didn't exactly boo as Natsu had hoped, but it wasn't hard to see that the audience was not enjoying his performance.

"Thank you," Gajeel said, signaling that this was the end of his performance. Surprisingly, the crowd cheered. Levy gave him a standing ovation. Although Lucy suspected that it was a cheer of relief.

Mirajane walked up to the stage, "Next performance is a band, so we'll have a mini-break as they set up," she informed the crowd. The DJ immediately started playing music.

"You did great!" Levy pulled Gajeel into a hug as he walked up to their table. "Thanks, Shorty."

"That was terrible," Natsu smirked, leaning back in his chair. Gajeel shifted his attention from Levy to Natsu, "Oh yeah, then why'd the crowd cheer?" he shot back. Natsu crossed his arms, "They were relieved that you were done."

Gajeel slammed his hand down on the table, glaring down at Natsu, "You wanna fucking go?"

Natsu shot up from his seat matching Gajeel's glare, "Let's take this outside then," he turned to look at Levy, "Unless, you don't want Levy here to see you get your ass handed to you."

Lucy had never seen Natsu act like this. Granted, she only formally knew him for a week. Still, the thought of Natsu being so willing to get into a fight annoyed her.

The mention of Levy seemed to bring Gajeel back to earth he immediately relaxed. "Oh yeah! How do you guys know each other?" Gajeel asked both Levy and Natsu.

"They don't," Lucy answered for them, "I'm their mutual friend."

Gajeel nodded, taking in the information. "I see."

"I'm Lucy by the way," she introduced herself, "Levy's roommate and best friend."

"Wait," Gajeel turned to Natsu, "So this is bunny girl?"

"Eh?! Bunny girl?" Lucy said. What kind of nickname was that? Why was that her nickname?

Natsu's eye twitched and he gave Gajeel a forced smile, "Drop it," he said through gritted teeth.

"So, it-" Gajeel could not finish his sentence because Natsu's fist landed one on his face.

Gajeel quickly recovered from the punch, the fighting aura he had before returning, "What the fuck Natsu!?"

Right on cue Mirajane appeared before them, "Boys, you know how the Master feels about fighting in the bar." Although she was smiling, it gave Lucy chills.

Natsu cowered before her, "Right! Sorry, Mira, it won't happen again." Mirajane dropped her smile, menacingly looking at Natsu, "You always say that Natsu." Natsu gulped. "Anyway," Mirajane continued bringing back her soft voice and smile, "I don't want to have to deal with you. Please, no more fighting."

"Aye, sir!" Natsu saluted.

Once Mirajane was gone the guys let out a sigh in relief, "That was scary." Natsu commented.

"You guys know Mirajane?" Lucy asked.

"Yeah. Natsu here is childhood friends with her," Gajeel informed her, "I met her when I moved to Magnolia because of him."

"I think Cana knows her too," Levy spoke up.

Lucy had gotten so wrapped up in the almost fight she forgot Levy was there. "She does?!"

Levy nodded, "Remember Cana knows every bartender in Magnolia." She let a laugh slip out. Acknowledging that their friend, Cana, was a drinker.

The rest of the open mic went well. There was a couple of cringe spoken word, but nothing the crowd couldn't handle. Levy was leaning into Gajeel by the end. Lucy felt like a third wheel. Granted, Natsu was there, but he isn't her boyfriend.

"What do you guys want to do now?" Lucy asked the group. She was fine with hanging out or going home. It didn't matter to her.

"Lucy, let me talk to you," Levy grabbed her arm and pulled her away from the group.

"What's up?" Lucy asked. Wondering why Levy didn't just say it in front of the group.

Levy struggled to meet Lucy's gaze, "Don't be mad at me, but," Lucy already knew it. She would get ditched. "I was wondering if you'd be cool with me and Gajeel doing our own thing?"

"You're ditching me," Lucy stated.

"I-" Levy wanted to protest, but she gave in, "Yeah I guess I am." She leaned into Lucy, resting her head of Lucy's shoulder, "I'm a terrible friend, aren't I?"

"A little," Lucy teased. Putting her arms around Levy.

"Lucy! You aren't helping!" Levy nagged.

Lucy pulled back, gripping Levy by her shoulders, "It's ok Levy. I get it. There better not be a next time though, or you'll for sure be a shitty friend."

Levy lit up at her friend's approval, "There won't," she promised, "Thank you so much Lu." Levy pulled Lucy into a hug before walking back to Gajeel.

She watched Levy happily take Gajeel's hand and nearly drag him out of the bar.

"Ditched?" Lucy jumped a little at the sudden sound of Natsu's voice.

"Look who's talking." She shot back.

Natsu rolled his eyes, "Whatever. Anyway, remember I asked you yesterday to let me make it up to you?"

"Yeah."

"Well," Natsu reached up and messed with the hair on the back of his head, "It won't be anything fancy because I wasn't planning on Levy to ditch you, but I'd like to spend time with you."

Lucy huffed, "Gajeel ditched you too!"

"Nope. I wasn't looking forward to hanging out with him after this." Natsu took Lucy's hand, "Now c'mon. I have something I want to show you."

They ended up at the riverbank. Ice creams in hand. "I don't have a blanket, so I hope you don't mind sitting on the grass," Natsu informed her.

"I'm not a princess Natsu, I can handle some dirt."

They settled down in their spots. Lucy sitting up and Natsu relaxed, leaning back on his elbows.

"So, you and Gajeel are cousins?" Lucy asked.

"Kind of. We were at the same orphanage when we were younger," Lucy leaned in, letting Natsu know that she was paying attention.

He had only opened up about his childhood once, so saying it interested her was an understatement.

"Later on, we got separated, I stayed in Magnolia while he went to Oak Town. Budget cuts or some shit. Luckily Igneel got approved to be my foster parent and he, later on, adopted me. Gajeel on the other hand gave his foster dad a hard time. Even joined the Phantom Lord gang."

Lucy gasped at that information. She's never had a personal encounter with the gang, but their reputation was enough to scare anyone. The gang was well known for its violent way of dealing with things and drug trafficking. What made it stand out from other gangs were how they forced people to join and the rumors that said they were involved in sex trafficking.

"That's when Metalicana decided it was enough and moved to Magnolia. We had a lot of issues when he first moved here but eventually became close again. I think the fact that we were the closest things we had to family, well besides our dads, helped a lot."

Lucy was nearly done with her ice cream by the time Natsu finished explaining his complex relationship with Gajeel. "That's a lot."

Natsu snorted, "Yeah, no kidding. How about you and Levy? How'd you guys meet?"

"It's not that interesting," Lucy tucked her hair behind her ear, "We met during our freshman year in our Literature class. She found out I wrote and volunteered to peer-review it."

Lucy remembered Levy approaching her like it was yesterday. When in reality it was three years ago. Lucy was at the campus library working on her book when Levy walked up to her. Levy had asked what Lucy was working on. Which she sheepishly admitted that she was working on a book. Levy's face lit up, asking Lucy to please let her read it. Although it took a while to let Levy read her writing, little by little did their friendship grow stronger. By their second year, they both moved out of the dorms and got an apartment together. Inseparable since then.

"You're right, it isn't that interesting," Natsu teased when Lucy finished her quick story.

Lucy sat up, "Natsu!" she lightly swatted at him.

Natsu fell into a fit of laughter, "I'm joking!"

Lucy side-eyed him, "Yeah, whatever."

The sun was setting. Casting a golden glow over Lucy and Natsu. "I love the sunsets here. I feel like it's the best view," Natsu spoke up, staring at the horizon.

Lucy turned to see, her breath catching in her throat as she looked at the color of the sky, "It's so pretty."

"Like you," she heard Natsu say.

Lucy turned her attention to Natsu, "That was cheesy!"

"I'm serious!" Natsu protested, "Lucy, I want to get to know you. I thought I made my intentions clear at the Sabertooth frat party."

Suddenly Lucy wished she had never stopped looking at the sunset. Looking at Natsu was more of a challenge than looking directly into the setting sun. She nervously bit her lip before looking away from Natsu. "Okay."

She felt Natsu get closer, "Okay what?"

Lucy took in a deep breath, relaxing as her body breathed out. She turned to find Natsu alarmingly close. Forcing herself to make eye contact with the pink-haired man before her, "Okay, we can get to know each other."

He broke into a smile, "Cool."

Lucy was going to make a smart-ass comment on his response. She decided against it. Instead, she changed the subject, "Never took you for the type to care about sunsets."

Natsu went back to his original position, "Expect the unexpected."

Lucy stole one last good look at Natsu before turning back to the sunset, "Yeah, I guess you're right."

As the night sky rolled around, they quickly gathered themselves, throwing away the napkins the ice cream came with. "You know," Natsu started, "You should take me star gazing some time."

Lucy stopped walking, "You remember that?"

"I remember a lot of things," Natsu said, not bothering to stop.

"Right!" Lucy lightly jogged to catch up to Natsu, "We should call it a night."

Natsu put his hands in his pocket, "We should get back to Fairy Tail, my car is parked there and I can give you a ride."

Lucy was not expecting to find Natsu's car parked behind the bar, "Can't you get a ticket?"

"Nah," Natsu opened the door for her, "I'm cool with Gramps."

"Gramps?" Lucy asked once Natsu was in the car.

"Yeah, Gramps, the guy who owns the bar." Natsu handed her his phone, "Here put your address in the GPS."

Lucy quickly typed in her address before handing the phone back to Natsu. "Oh. I don't think I've ever met him. I only know Mirajane. Is he the Master Mirajane brought up?"

Natsu tensed up at the mention of the incident earlier that day, "Yeah, that's him. Most people call him Master. Why? I don't know, it just stuck. I call him Gramps though."

"Honestly, I thought Mirajane was the owner," Lucy confessed. The whole Strauss family worked there from what Lucy has seen.

Natsu laughed, "She might as well be, but nah. Mira's just the bartender. Which I still find baffling."

"Why?" Lucy asked.

"She was a demon in her teenage years. I thought she'd go for a different career that involved hurting people."

"Natsu!" Lucy chided, "That's mean."

"You're just saying that because you didn't know her back then. If you did," he defended himself, "You'd agree with me."

Before Lucy could disagree with him, the GPS interrupted her. Letting them know that they'd arrive at their destination.

"Well this is me," Lucy said.

Natsu turned on the hazard lights, "I had fun today."

Lucy bit the inside of her cheek to keep herself from breaking into a huge smile, "Me too."

Before she lost the confidence, Lucy leaned into Natsu giving him a quick kiss on the cheek, "Text me when you get home!"

She nearly sprinted to her apartment, not daring to turn around to see Natsu's reaction.

Natsu did as he was told. Several minutes after he had dropped her off, he texted her, 'I made it home.'

Lucy still too giddy herself to respond left him on read and jumped into bed. Not wanting her friends to interrogate her.

A/N: So sorry this dragged to be updated. I had a writer's block that would not go away. I feel like a clown for thinking that I'd write after the semester was over. Things will finally start to develop for Natsu and Lucy which I'm excited to write out. Decided to replay Safaera by Bad Bunny (such a good song, please listen to it!) while editing this which wasn't the smartest move since it only distracted me lol. That being said see you guys in the next chapter.