Stranger Danger

note: this is based off of the "two strangers locked inside a grocery store at three am together au" from one of the many au lists on tumblr xD it got kinda long and Natsu and Lucy are definitely very OOC but what can ya do -_- i tried my best and i think it's at least cute, if not accurate lol. enjoy!

disclaimer: i don't own Fairy Tail, obviously. BUT I DO FUCKING LOVE IT OMG I SHIP NALU SO HARD YOU DON'T EVEN UNDERSTAND well maybe you do but OMG

"Lu-chan!"

Lucy groaned and rolled over lazily on her bed, grudgingly tearing her eyes away from the novel lying open on her pillow. "What is it, Levy?"

A petite girl with bright blue hair pushed back by an orange headband pranced into the room and immediately pulled her puppy eyes. Lucy groaned again, covering her face.

"Levy," Lucy began before her roommate and best friend could start begging, "I'm in the middle of this book and it's really interesting and I don't have any homework tonight and I'd really like to finish it!"

"But Lu-chan, Erza wants cake!" Levy wrenched Lucy's arm from her face and stared at her imploringly. "Would you please go buy some for her, Lu-chan? Please, please, please?"

"Levy..." Lucy sighed, but it was no use. She was a pushover for her friends, after all.

"It's your fault for not hanging out with us! I love books just as much as you, but even I decided not to coop myself in my room on a Friday night!"

"But I haven't had a chance to read in months!" Lucy exclaimed. "I've been too busy with projects and homework and club meetings!"

"I know, I know." Levy patted Lucy's arm maternally. "It's okay, we understand. You're lucky we love you so much or we'd stop being friends with such a boring bookworm." Levy stuck her tongue out teasingly.

Lucy rolled her eyes good-naturedly and got up, stretching. "Alright, alright, consider me guilt-tripped. Let me just change and I'll go. Strawberry, yeah?"

"As always!" Levy giggled. "And maybe get some ice cream for us too, while you're there?"

"You are so taking advantage of me." Lucy shook her head and smiled. "The things I do for you people, seriously."

"Thanks, Lu-chan, love you, be safe!" Levy fluttered her fingers in farewell and flounced away. Erza, Juvia. and Cana soon called out their gratitude.

"Be back in a few!" Lucy yelled as she bundled up her fluffy jacket and pulled on gloves.

"Don't forget your phone!" Levy reminded her. "You always do that!"

With a muttered curse, Lucy sprinted back to her room to grab her phone before hurrying back to the door. After checking her pockets for her wallet and keys, she opened the door and stepped out of the apartment into the chilly winter air.

The sky was already pitch black but Lucy didn't mind. The streetlights glowed brightly through the softly drizzling snow, casting warm light on the road. The occasional car honked by and she smiled blissfully as she chased after the swirling air she blew from her lips, burrowing into her jacket for warmth.

A loud laugh rang out in the silence and she turned her head slightly to see a group of boys, probably around her age, causing a ruckus across the street. One of them, a pink-haired one—there is no way that's natural, Lucy thought, but then again, Levy—sprung out of the group and ran ahead, shouting behind him, "Last one there pays for everything!"

"Hey, no fair!" the other boys shouted indignantly, but they started sprinting after him. "You cheated!"

Before long, they were all out of sight.

Lucy shook her head in amusement and continued walking.

By the time she arrived at the local grocery store, which was relatively close to her apartment, her nose was Rudolph red and she could count snowflakes on her eyelashes. Shivering, she hurried inside and exhaled in relief as warm air surrounded her.

Humming merrily, she greeted the cashier with a smile and a warm "Hi, Mira!" as always and hurried to find the items she was looking for. She tossed some cookies-and-cream ice cream into her basket, thought about it and shrugged before adding a carton of strawberry, then browsed through the snacks and candy, before arriving at the ready-made cakes. She already knew which one to get so she grabbed it and carefully placed it in her basket so it wouldn't be jostled too much as she walked.

She was on her way to check out when the book section caught her eye. Squealing excitedly, she scanned through the shelf and gasped before snatching up a copy of her favorite author's newest fantasy novel.

She pulled out her phone and glanced at the time and then flipped through the book. An hour till closing, 306 pages to read. Could she do it?

Eh, no sweat.

She placed her basket on the ground and immediately began reading. Luckily, since it was late, not many other customers were around so she didn't have to worry about blocking people by standing in the middle of the aisle, reading.

Her eyes flew across the pages, her fingers deftly flipping as soon as she caught the last word. She was about three quarters of the way through the book when a loud yell hit her ears and she jumped, dropping the book.

"C'mon, Natsu, we're leaving!" a boy yelled before she heard the telltale jingle of the door.

"Hey, wait up!" There was a crash and a muttered curse.

Mumbling under her breath about immature boys, Lucy bent down and quickly found her spot. She saw that she still had fifteen minutes left. There was no way she would leave without finishing.

"Five minutes until closing!" Mira called out. "Lucy, are you still in here?"

"Oh! Yeah, sorry, just gimme a sec!" she answered quickly, eyes still moving as she neared the epilogue.

In record time, she read the very last word and slammed the book shut, grinning widely. Returning it to the shelf, she picked up her basket and raced to the check out area. "Sorry, I got caught up reading," she explained sheepishly.

Mira smiled kindly. "I thought so. When I was putting the new books on the shelf, I saw that one by your favorite author and thought, Lucy will read it on the spot the next time she comes!"

Lucy laughed. "You were right. Sorry for taking up your time though."

"Oh, no worries, I have to be here till closing anyway. Alright, that'll be $33.45."

Lucy handed over her credit card.

"Is the cake for Erza?" Mira asked as she swiped the card.

"How did you know?" Lucy deadpanned. "You have to hang out with us again soon! We miss you."

"I want to, but work," Mira pouted.

"Next time you have a day off, let me know."

"Of course. Oh, but guess what? I'm meeting Laxus after work today to study together!" Mira revealed with shining eyes.

"No way!" Lucy gasped. "That's awesome! You two are so perfect together."

"Thanks, Lucy. I hope he asks me out soon."

"What are you waiting for? You should ask him!" Lucy urged.

"I don't know...I'll think about it. Alright, here you are. Thanks and have a good night!" Mira smiled and waved as Lucy exited the store.

She had just taken a few steps when she gasped. Her phone!

"Crap, crap, crap," she mumbled as she ran back to the store. Mira had already left the cash register but she obviously hadn't closed up yet because the lights were on and the door was unlocked.

"Maybe she's in the bathroom." Shrugging, Lucy hurried in to find her phone.

It took her a few minutes because she swore she had placed it somewhere near the books but it wasn't there. Finally she found it stuffed behind some snacks and wondered how it had gotten there.

Suddenly, the lights turned off and the door jingled before it shut firmly and there was a click as the lock slid into place.

Lucy froze.

"Shit!" she swore, running to the door and pounding frantically just in time to see Mira's car turn out of the parking lot and disappear into the distance. Lucy groaned and rubbed her forehead. Now what?

Pulling out her phone, she dialed Levy's number and waited for her to pick up.

"Lu-chan?"

"Hey Levy."

"Hey, where are you? Are you almost back?"

"About that..."

Lucy quickly explained her situation and tried to ignore Levy's grumbling. She heard Levy tell the other girls what had happened and laughter erupted in the background.

"It's not funny!" she whined, stomping her feet like a petulant child. "I'm locked in! What do I do?"

Cana's voice drawled, "Just break the door or something. I'm sure the police will understand."

"Cana..." Lucy groaned.

"Why don't you just call Mira back? She should still be pretty close," Erza suggested reasonably.

Lucy thought about it but then shook her head, even though they couldn't see. "I don't wanna bother her though. I would feel bad making her come back and save me. She's meeting Laxus for a study date tonight."

"Really?" Levy squealed. "Oh, they're so cute together! I can't wait for them to finally start dating, I mean we've been waiting for like a year now and—"

"Levy," Lucy interrupted. "Levy, focus. Focus, Levy. First, help me, then fangirl over Mira and Laxus."

"Well, if you don't want to break a window or call Mira, then I guess the only choice is to stay there overnight."

"What!?" Lucy squawked. "But—but—"

"Well, what else can you do?"

"I—true, but—" Lucy sighed eventually. "Whatever, I guess. I'll just eat all the food I bought for you guys while I sit here alone in the dark and cold, with only a"—she glanced at her phone battery; it read "86%"—"dying phone to keep me company."

"Okay, see you in the morning! Bye, love ya!"

Lucy gaped at her phone for a few seconds before angrily shoving it back into her pocket. "So much for best friends," she mumbled, though she knew there really was no other choice.

Should she just call Mira? Or maybe break a window—not like she'd ever have the excuse to do that again.

As she was contemplating her life decisions, she heard a flush and running water, and then someone groaning as they came out of the bathroom. Her eyes widened in fear.

She wasn't alone.

Scurrying behind the cash register, she quietly put down her things and grabbed the most weapon-like thing she could find near her, which happened to be a stool.

Slowly, she edged towards the bathrooms with the stool out in front of her like a spiky shield. The light of the bathrooms dimmed to darkness as the door closed and she could just see an elongated shadow moving towards her before it disappeared into darkness. Trembling, she crept forward and when she thought she was close enough, she took a deep breath and yelled "Arrrgh!" as she brought the stool down.

"Holy shit!"

The stool slammed down but it didn't feel like it had hit a person. Lucy squinted and could just see the silhouette of a human on the ground, as if scrambling away from her.

Hm. Commendable reflexes.

"What the fuck was that?" he yelled at her.

"I—I—sorrypleasedon'tkillmeaghhhh!" she screamed as she ran away.

"Jesus Christ, I thought I was dead! Can't you just turn on the light!?"

Lucy blinked. Oh yeah, the light. Right. She knew that.

She quickly flipped it on and blinked rapidly in the sudden brightness, adjusting her sight. Her eyes widened when she saw pink hair.

Hey, isn't he that boy I saw earlier? she thought in confusion. "What are you doing here?" she blurted.

"I might ask you the same thing," he growled, glaring at her as he massaged his butt.

He didn't look dangerous, but it couldn't hurt to be too careful, so she set the stool down and sat on it, for easy access. "I asked first."

"Bathroom. Your turn."

"I came back to get my phone."

"Your phone? Oh, is it the girly pink one I hid behind the candy?"

"That was you?" she gaped. "Why did you move it? I wouldn't be here if you hadn't moved it and I wouldn't have had to play hide-and-seek with it!"

"Well, sorry," he spat back, annoyed and completely unapologetic. "I just thought I would be nice and hide it so people wouldn't steal it. Jeez."

"Didn't it occur to you that the owner would also have a hard time finding it?"

"Not really. They'd find it eventually, since they're looking." He shrugged nonchalantly.

Lucy rolled her eyes. "So what are you gonna do now?"

"What do you mean?"

She frowned. "Aren't you gonna find some way to leave?"

"Nope. I'm just gonna crash here tonight. Nothing else I can do anyway." He turned and walked away, probably to hole up in a corner and sleep.

Lucy bit her lip. Should she try to talk to him? He didn't seem very inviting, completely different from the boy she had seen whooping down the street. Shrugging, she quickly turned away and pulled out her phone to distract herself.

She texted Levy and told her about the boy, sighing when her best friend's first response was not "Are you okay?" but "Is he cute?"

I don't know, I was too busy panicking to notice, she sent back sarcastically.

Seriously, Lu-chan, how are you gonna get a boyfriend when you don't even notice guys?

Who said I wanted a boyfriend!? Worry about yourself and Gajeel first.

Lu-chan! You know there's nothing between us!

Lucy giggled. She could practically see Levy's blushing face as she furiously denied her feelings. No, I know that you say his name in your sleep and you stare at him when you think no one's looking.

So you've been watching me!? Creepy Lu is creeeeeepy!

You liiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiike him!

Stop teasing me! Whatever, I'm ignoring you for the rest of the night. Go talk to the pink dude or something. Blehhh!

Wait, Levy, no, come back!

Lucy sighed and stuffed her phone away when Levy didn't reply after ten minutes. Maybe she should go apologize, at the very least, for thinking the guy was an ax murderer and trying to give him a concussion.

She hesitantly tiptoed over to where she had seen him disappear to and was shocked to find him making towers out of boxes of food. There was a childlike grin on his face that made him look so young and boyish that she had to resist the urge to just run up and squish his face into her chest.

She sucked in a breath. "Um..."

His head whipped up and the smile disappeared faster than she could blink. In its place was a dark scowl that made her wince and recoil.

"What do you want." It wasn't really a question.

"Um, I just wanted to apologize for almost killing you," she said timidly, not really meeting his eye. "I'm sorry." There was a brief silence. "Okay, bye!"

She turned and ran back to the front of the store.

"Hey, wait!"

She slowed and turned to face him. Her eyes unconsciously ran over him and she thought, Huh. He is cute.

Then she blushed furiously and tried not to slap herself.

"Uh, well, I'm sorry too." His cheeks were tinged pink like his hair as he looked down at his feet in the most adorable manner and his hand rubbed the back of his neck. "I was pretty rude to you. I was just kinda pissed my friends actually left me here but I shouldn't have taken it out on you. Sorry."

"It's okay. It's understandable, really, since I tried to...you know. I just kind of panicked, I guess."

"Me too."

They stood in an awkward silence for several beats before he chuckled and said, "Man, this is awkward. Why don't we start over? Hi, I'm Natsu Dragneel, nineteen. I like dragons." He stuck out his hand.

She moved forward and shyly grasped it, surprised by how warm it was. "I'm Lucy Heartphilia, nineteen, and I like stars."

"Nice to meet ya, Luigi!" He enthusiastically shook their hands.

"You too—wait, did you just call me Luigi?"

He snickered. "Come keep me company!" He pulled her to where his food tower was and jumped in the middle, spreading his arms wide. "Welcome to my kingdom."

Lucy laughed. "I'm honored."

He didn't reply and she found him staring at her, wide-eyed. Self-consciously, she looked away. "What? Is there something on my face?"

He shook his head quickly. "No, no, it's nothing. I just—sorry, got distracted. Anyway, come join me!"

Carefully, she maneuvered her way to the middle and stepped over the wall of food. She stumbled as she pulled in her other foot, trying not to kick the boxes, but he caught her and steadied her body against his own.

"Okay?" he murmured, staring at her.

"Yup! Perfectly fine!" she squeaked as she pulled away and sat down, trying to ignore the heat from his body that burned into her skin where they touched.

"So." He sat down in front of her. "Let's play a game to get to know each other."

"Okay. Know any good games?"

"How about...two truths and a lie?"

"Okay! You go first."

"Hmm...okay. I have a blue cat named Happy. My best friend is Gray Fullbuster. And...my hair is naturally pink."

"The cat one. Definitely the cat one."

"Nope!" He flashed his teeth in a grin. "Gray Fullbuster is definitely not my best friend."

"What! How can you have a blue cat!" she exclaimed. "And why would you name your cat Happy!"

"I was six!" he said defensively. "And he's blue because Gray tried to play a prank on me a few years back by dying his fur blue, but I decided I liked it." He smirked. "Totally backfired on him."

Lucy laughed. "You guys sound like best friends."

"No way!" he denied immediately with a pout. "Why didn't you choose the hair one? Most people do."

"Well, my best friend has naturally blue hair so..." she shrugged.

"Blue hair? How can she have—wait. She wouldn't happen to know a Gajeel Redfox, would she?"

Lucy gasped. "You know Gajeel? Levy's totally in lo—I mean, yeah, she knows him!"

Natsu laughed. "Don't worry, Gajeel's head over heels for her too. He stares at her a lot."

"She stares at him too. They're so obvious." Lucy rolled her eyes. "They should just get married already. How do you know Gajeel?"

"He's my cousin, actually."

Lucy stared at him, looking him over again. "Where is the family resemblance?"

Natsu shrugged. "Beats me. Our dads are close brothers, so I grew up with Gajeel. I knew him before he had piercings, while he was getting them, and after. It's actually really weird to look at photos of him from our childhood because he looks so weird without metal in his face."

Lucy covered her mouth as an embarrassingly loud laugh escaped. Her face turned red. "I can't even imagine him without piercings."

"Yeah, it ain't pretty," Natsu agreed with a grin. He reached forward and caught her hand, slowly pulling it away from her face. "Don't cover your laugh. It's beautiful."

Her face burned hotter. She whispered, "Oh. Thank you."

He cleared his throat and let go of her hand, but she could still feel his fingers. "Uh, anyway, it's your turn."

"Oh right." She shifted on the ground as her butt grew numb. "Um, so I come from a wealthy family, I'm super popular, and...my mom died when I was young."

As soon as the words left her mouth, she wanted to smack herself. What was she doing, revealing something so personal when they had just met? Stupid, stupid!

He was quiet. Then: "Your mom died when you were young?"

She smiled softly and shook her head. "No. Though I'm kinda happy you thought that was the lie. I'm not super popular. But I am a total bookworm and proud of it."

"I'm sorry."

"Don't be. I shouldn't have brought it up, I don't know what I was thinking—"

"I've never met my mom."

Her eyes flashed to his face but he was looking at the ground. "Natsu, I—"

"It's fine. I have my dad, and he's the best dad I could ever ask for." His smile is bright and sincere.

"Lucky," she sighed. "I wish my dad would pay more attention to me. After Mom died, he buried himself in work and basically forgot about me."

"Wait. Wait, Heartphilia—"

"Yup, that's me," she agreed wearily. "As if we weren't rich enough already, he decided to go and make us richer because he couldn't be happy without Mom. I wish he at least pretended to love me."

Natsu grabbed her hands and looked her in the eyes. "I'm sure he does love you. He just...forgot. You have to remind him, that's all."

"Thanks, Natsu. I hope you're right." She looked down at their hands and felt her cheeks heat up again. "Your hands are really warm."

"Oh!" He let her go, to her mild disappointment. "Yeah, I always run hotter than normal people."

She giggled. "Oh wait, the game!"

They returned to the game, but they ran off on tangents after each round, not that they cared. He told her about his beloved scarf and she told him about her beloved maids. He told her about his friends—"But we're not friends!" he denied—and she told him about hers. He told her about his dreams and she told him about her writing.

They played and talked and laughed until they couldn't help yawning every five seconds and decided they should probably sleep.

Lucy checked her phone. "Wow, it's three in the morning already. I can't believe we've been stuck here so long." She yawned.

"Me neither." He yawned. "Let's go to sleep."

She agreed and made to leave but he caught her hand. "Where are you going?"

"Oh, well, uh, I just, I mean, I figured—"

"Just stay here. It'll be warmer if we're together."

Her cheeks warmed. "Er, okay! I'll just go turn off the lights."

She ran to the front of the store, one hand over her racing heart, the other covering her heated cheek. "Stop it," she whispered to herself. "You barely know him, stop!"

She grabbed her purchases and turned off the lights before making her way back to Natsu. She left her stuff at the end of the aisle and stretched her body out on the ground where he had cleared the space.

"Wait!"

She jumped up. "Sorry!"

"No, no, I just thought it would be cold so..." He took off his jacket and spread it out on the ground. "Well, after least our upper bodies won't be so cold."

She carefully laid down on the edge of his coat, as far from his body as possible. She took off her own jacket and spread it over them, but it was a little short.

He sighed. "Lucy."

Oh Lord have mercy.

The way he said her name...it sounded like a prayer. She tried not to shiver.

"Come closer. I won't bite, I promise." She could hear the charming smirk in his voice and couldn't help her answering smile.

"Are you...sure?"

"If I wasn't, I wouldn't have said anything. Come on."

She rolled over and scooched closer to him, shuddering at the warmth that radiated off of him. She quickly snuggled closer before she could lose her nerve and sighed. "How are you so warm?"

"I told you. I run hotter than normal." His sleepy voice so close to her ear, his breath brushing over her face, made tingles run down her spine. She was glad it was dark so he couldn't see how utterly red her face was.

He worked an arm under her head and slid his other over her waist, ignoring her squeak as he pulled her body even closer. Her head was tucked under his chin and their feet tangled together.

"N-Natsu—"

"Shh. It's warmer this way. Go to sleep."

Her hands rested against his chest and she could feel his heartbeat. She thought it was running as fast as hers but maybe she was hallucinating in her exhaustion.

"Lucy? Are you awake?"

"No, you told me to sleep."

He chuckled into her hair. "Well, wake up. I have a question."

"Mmm, what is it?"

"What was your first impression of me?"

"Aside from you being an ax murderer?"

"Is that what you thought!?"

She laughed tiredly against him. "Actually, I saw you on my way to the store. You were running away from your friends. I think you said something like, 'Last one there pays for everything!' or something like that."

"You saw me?" She heard the surprise in his voice.

"You were really loud. It was hard not to notice you." She smiled. "I thought you were immature, to be honest, but also fun. And also your hair looked good enough to eat."

He groaned. "Stop insulting my hair."

"And also you were kinda cute," she mumbled quickly under her breath, hoping he heard but also hoping he didn't.

He didn't react so she assumed he didn't. "What was your first impression of me, Natsu?"

"Pretty fucking scary, considering you were standing above me with a stool."

"I'm sorry, okay? Are you gonna hold this over me forever?"

"Will I have a forever with you?"

Her eyes snapped open and she froze.

He quickly stammered, "I mean, not like, you know, well, I mean—"

"I think...I'd like that," she said softly.

He fell silent.

Her heart was practically leaping out of her chest. Why didn't he say anything? How was she supposed to sleep now?

"Even though you had just tried to kill me," he said with a smile, "even though the only light was from outside, I thought you were the most beautiful girl I'd ever seen."

"Natsu!" she gasped.

"Your hair looked like it was made of gold. Man. I thought you were some kind of avenging angel."

She was so shocked she couldn't speak. He couldn't just say something like that, dammit!

"Is this what you say to every girl you meet?" she joked weakly.

"No," he replied seriously. "Because it's only true for you."

Her hands tightened on his shirt. "Natsu."

"Lucy."

"I—I—I think I—"

"Shh, it's okay. Go to sleep. We'll talk in the morning."

She wriggled closer to him and his arms tightened around her. Suddenly, sleep fell heavily on her mind, and she barely had enough time to wonder if this was all a dream before she couldn't think any longer.

"Oh my goodness, look at them! They look sooooo cute together!" That sounded suspiciously like Levy.

"That's fucking adorable." A gruffly familiar voice. It couldn't be—Gajeel?

"What the—pink hair? Who does he think he is, Katy Perry?" Cana?

"Juvia thinks they suit each other perfectly!"

"Yeah, they're disgustingly cute." Cana again.

"Lucy found her soul mate! Perfect!" Wait, Mira? And were those camera clicks?

"I think I'm gonna puke." Some guy's voice.

"Wha—?" Lucy blinked and squinted against the morning light. Why were there so many people in her room? Also, why did she feel so hot?

There was something weighing down her waist. As her eyes adjusted, she found herself staring at a smooth column of throat and a broad chest.

Last night came crashing back to her.

Her face flushed and she burrowed back under her coat.

"Good morning, Lu-chan!" Levy sang mischievously.

Lucy groaned. The Inquisition was coming.

"Oh god, they're not naked, are they?"

"Shut up, Ice Princess," Natsu's voice, adorably scratched with sleep, mumbled from above her head.

"You wanna go, Flame Brain!?"

"I may be half-asleep but I can still kick your ass," Natsu retorted groggily.

Lucy couldn't help her giggle.

"Oh Lucy, are you awake?" Natsu asked with a huge yawn as he forced himself up and stretched.

She found she greatly missed his warmth and then berated herself for thinking such a thing. They literally just met and she was halfway in love with the boy. It didn't help that she felt like she'd known him her entire life.

"Lucy, are you alright?"

"I'm fine, Erza. Just gimme a sec." Lucy gathered up her last shreds of courage and dignity and sat up, rubbing her eyes, before blinking up to find her friends and a bunch of guys standing over her. She jumped. "Oh my god, ever hear of personal space?"

Levy snickered. "You're one to talk, huh?" She wiggled her eyebrows and glanced at Natsu.

With a deep blush, Lucy finally turned to face the pink-haired boy and oh, she should not have done that. He was staring at her with startling intensity. Her whole body flushed under his gaze.

"Oi, Salamander, stop staring at her like you're gonna eat her!" Gajeel smirked.

Lucy watched as Natsu's cheeks turned pink and he ripped his eyes away to glare at his friends. "Shut up, Metal Face! What are you even doing here?"

The one with black hair and no shirt raised a mocking eyebrow. From Natsu's descriptions, Lucy guessed he was Gray. "Is that how you talk to your best friends who decided to come pick you up?"

"Go away, Ice Pervert," Natsu grumbled. "And put on a goddamn shirt!"

"Wha—how did that happen!?" He whirled around only for Juvia to shove his shirt into his face.

"Alright, get up so we can go already. I need a drink," Cana drawled.

"It's not even noon. You do not need a drink," Erza replied sternly.

"Erza, your cake's in the bag over there," yawned Lucy as she slowly stood up and stretched.

Erza dashed away with a happy squeal.

Gray whistled. "Wow, Natsu, nice going. She's cute."

Lucy blushed uncomfortably and quickly fixed her clothes.

Natsu snarled, "Shut up and put on your fucking pants!"

Lucy glanced at Gray, grimaced regretfully, and looked away. "He really does have a stripping problem, doesn't he?" she whispered to Natsu, who just scowled.

They put their jackets back on and dusted themselves off.

"Oh, Natsu, your scarf fell off." Lucy picked it up, shook off the dirt, and wound it around Natsu's neck, adjusting it so it wouldn't look so wrinkled.

"Thanks, Lucy," he smiled down at her.

"Look at them, they're practically married already," Gray muttered.

"You wanna go, Droopy Eyes!?" Natsu challenged, lunging at Gray, who was once against shirtless.

Lucy watched him fondly, not noticing the way Levy and Mira were studying her with excitement.

"You're in love already, I can see it," Levy whispered, snapping Lucy out of her daze.

"No, I'm not! Anyway, why are you talking to me when Gajeel is here?" Lucy smirked when Levy blushed and lost her footing.

"I already said hi to him," Levy said, her eyes flitting over to the intimidating boy in question.

"Well, go do it again?" Lucy shoved her away and immediately Mira swooped in.

"Oh, you two are too cute! I got some adorable pictures, by the way. I can't wait to share them online!" Mira was almost jumping for joy.

"Don't you dare, Mira! Or I'll...I'll...I'll tell Laxus you like him!" Lucy threatened lamely.

Mira waved her hand dismissively. "Too late, he already knows. I asked him out last night, like you suggested, and it was the best decision I've ever made. Thanks for that, by the way," she winked.

Lucy groaned. Great. Now pictures of her and Natsu sleeping together on the ground in the grocery store were going to be displayed online for the world to see.

Natsu came bounding back after Erza broke up the fight, already sweaty and mussy-haired. Lucy couldn't hold back her laugh.

He stared at her. "God, every time."

She frowned at him, confused, but he just grabbed her hand and shoved it in his pocket before pulling her along with them outside.

"Wait, my stuff—"

"Got it." Natsu grabbed her food and continued dragging her outside. "Gimme your phone."

She wordlessly handed it to him and he saved his number. With a brilliant smile, he gave it back and said, "Call me as soon as you get home."

She nodded. "Okay, but Natsu, about last night—"

He abruptly stopped and she would've crashed into him if he hadn't caught her by the neck and kissed her.

She froze.

His lips were soft and warm and heavenly, and she almost forgot where they were and who they were with as she shyly kissed him back.

All too soon, he broke away and rested his forehead against hers. "I like you a lot, Lucy. I feel like I've known you forever and I want you in my life from now on."

"Me too," she whispered. "I like you too."

He grinned his breathtaking grin and said, "I wanna take you out sometime."

"Okay."

"I'll text you the details later."

"Okay."

"Bye, Lucy."

"Bye, Natsu," she breathed. Before he could move away, she grabbed his scarf and pulled him down for one more quick kiss, then let go and ran after her friends, who teased her to no end.

When she looked back, she saw him looking at her as well with a pink face and the biggest smile before he was shoved into Gajeel's car. She tuned back in to her friends, who were whining at her to tell them what had happened.

All she said was, "We met in a grocery store. The rest is history."

© Copyright 2015 by The Siege