The Window Washer

notes: i'm on a roll! (really i'm just procrastinating hard TT_TT) so this is for the "window washer au" found on one of the au lists on tumblr! man i really love aus, reading and writing them, as i'm sure you can tell lol. again, OOC (but maybe not as much?) and i'm not nearly satisfied with the ending...and i think the flow's kinda choppy...and...well yeah so i'm not satisfied. but i wanted to post it anyway. might come back to revise, might not. we'll see. enjoy!

disclaimer: i don't own Fairy Tail.

Lucy Heartphilia strides into the building confidently, eager to get up to her office. Her golden hair is swept up into a bun, not a hair out of place, and her blazer accentuates her figure perfectly, her knee-length pencil skirt smooth and unwrinkled. It's a good day.

She steps into the elevator and greets her boss, who also happens to be a very close friend. "Good morning, Erza!"

"Good morning, Lucy," Erza replies with a smile. "You're early today."

Lucy nods excitedly. "I was reading this amazing manuscript last night but I somehow forgot to bring it home with me so I couldn't finish it. I was so excited by it I could hardly sleep last night."

Erza chuckled. "Oh, this one must be a gem then. Every manuscript you suggest ends up as a bestseller."

Lucy blushes at the compliment and shakes her head. "Stop, Erza. I just pick what I like to read."

"Then you clearly have impeccable taste. Oh, that's right!" Erza snaps as she remembers something. "Today is the day the window washers come."

"We have window washers?" Lucy asks, surprised.

Erza looks at her dryly. "We work in a skyscraper. How else do we keep our windows clean?"

"Well, I just—I've never seen them before!"

"Yes, they always come early. They're very efficient if not altogether professional, so they're always gone before you arrive."

Lucy tilts her head. "Professional?"

"You'll understand once you see them," Erza says with a roll of her eyes.

The elevator dings on the twentieth floor and Erza steps out. "Alright, I have a meeting on this floor. I'll see you at lunch?"

"Of course!" Lucy waves goodbye and the doors close.

"Window washers, huh..." She smiles.

The elevator comes to a stop on the twenty-sixth floor and Lucy gets off, making a beeline for her office. She finds the manuscript lying untouched on her desk and breathes a sigh of relief.

"Really, it was right here on my desk, how could I have forgotten it," she mutters to herself, quickly sweeping all the papers into a neat pile.

She sets down her bag and drapes her blazer on the back of her chair before moving towards the windows to open the curtains.

"And...light!" She sweeps the fabric apart with a mighty push.

Then she screams.

"Oh my god!" She scrambles backwards and instinctively grabs a pen off her desk and flings it at the window, hitting the glass right where the window washer's face is.

His eyes widen comically and he yells in indignant shock.

"Why are you yelling!" Lucy shouts at the window as she gets her heart under control. "I don't think you have the right!"

He's young, about her age, with midnight black hair and equally dark eyes. He's very attractive, actually, but he's also very very shirtless.

Lucy's face feels like it's on fire.

"Yo Ice Princess, stop shakin' the platform!" A head of pink pops up in her line of sight and tackles the black-haired one.

"What the fuck are ya two idiots doin'!" roars a third voice. This time, a huge man enters Lucy's line of sight. He has a mane of black hair and numerous piercings in his face. He looks extremely intimidating and she automatically tries to hide under her desk.

"They're crazy," she mutters to herself frantically. "The window washers are crazy, oh my god, Erza, why didn't you warn me? This is way beyond unprofessional!"

"Miss, are you okay?" a muffled voice calls from outside.

Lucy cautiously looks out to find the pink-haired one panting against the glass, his face smushed grotesquely. She wrinkles her nose at the sight.

"Yes, I was just...surprised." Understatement of the century. "How about you three? Are you alright?"

He nods enthusiastically, pulling away from the glass with a large smile that strangely makes her cheeks warm and her heart thump. "We're good! Don't worry, this happens all the time."

She stares. They really are crazy. And possibly suicidal.

"Hey Flame Brain, stop flirting and get back to work!" the half-naked one shouts tauntingly.

"I ain't flirtin', Droopy Eyes!" The pink-haired one turns and pounces again. Lucy cringes openly as the platform sways dangerously against the window.

"Geroff me! You know the boss'll kill you if you kill me!" the pink-haired man threatens.

"What Laxus doesn't know won't hurt him!" the half-naked one laughs evilly as he continues to wrestle.

The platform looks like it's about to fall. Just watching them makes Lucy scared. Hurrying over, she lightly knocks on the glass to get their attention.

No response.

She frowns and knocks a little harder.

Still nothing.

Finally, she pounds on it.

They're too busy brawling to notice.

She grinds her teeth together and finally yells, "Stop!"

They freeze and immediately line up next to each other, hands behind their backs as if at a military camp.

Lucy rolls her eyes but she can't help her smile. They're ridiculous but harmless.

She glances as the rocking platform.

Well, mostly harmless.

"Please just get back to work," she pleads with them and, though they're grumbling, they obey.

She giggles at their behavior. Unprofessional, indeed. Childish might be more accurate.

"I bet I can wash more windows than you, Flame Breath," the dark-haired one smirks.

The pink-haired one bristles and retorts, "You wish, pervert!"

"I can wash more'n both o' ya combined," the big one growls.

"You're on, Metal Face!"

And then with a flurry of movement, they're gone.

Lucy shakes her head and returns to her desk. So that's why they're so efficient.

An hour later, Lucy paperclips the manuscript together with a note to contact the author and negotiate a book deal. She leans back in her seat, satisfied, when her stomach rumbles, and she remembers that in her haste to get to work this morning she forgot to eat breakfast.

Suddenly, there's a knock on her window, and she jumps in her seat, startled. It's the pink-haired washer, but he's only this time.

She walks towards him. "Is there a problem?"

"Nope, just wanted to introduce myself! I'm Natsu Dragneel," he says with a grin.

She smiles back. "I'm Lucy Heartphilia."

"The stripper is Gray Fullbuster and the big one is Gajeel Redfox," he tells her, jerking a thumb over his shoulder. "They're gettin' scolded by our boss right now."

"For your dangerous behavior?" she guesses but he shakes his head, to her astonishment.

"Nah, for gettin' distracted and fightin' again. Oh, and for botherin' you at work. Sorry 'bout that!" He scratches the back of his head bashfully.

"It's okay, I don't really mind. I wasn't that busy at the time anyway," she replies dismissively. "You guys were fun to watch."

"Hey, you're pretty cool! Not uptight at all!" he exclaims gleefully.

She laughs. "What do you mean?"

"I just thought you'd be more like that Scarlet lady." He shivers. "She's scary."

"She can be intimidating," Lucy agrees.

"Hey, we're gonna go get some food now. Wanna come? But only if you're free," he quickly adds.

She blushes slightly. "Actually, I was just about to go eat. I'd love to join you."

"Great! See you down there!" He waves and disappears.

Lucy tries not to feel too excited as she pulls on her blazer and grabs her purse before making her way to the elevator. She doesn't even realize that she's impatiently tapping her foot until someone yells down the hall, "Can you please stop that tapping!"

Embarrassed, she runs into the elevator as soon as it opens and smacks the button for the first floor.

Right when the door opens, someone yells, "Luigi!"

Confused, she looks around. Is there a Luigi here?

Natsu appears before her. "Hey, Luigi!"

"I'm Lucy!"

"Oh, oops. Sorry, sounded like Luigi through the window." He grabs her hand and drags her. "Anyway, let's go!"

She splutters as she stumbles behind him. "Wait, I can walk on my own!"

"Ice Princess, Metal Face, wait for us!" Natsu shouts.

And then he pulls her along as he sprints after his friends, and when they finally decide on a place to eat, they get kicked out for rowdiness. But it's okay, because Lucy doesn't think she's ever laughed so hard in her life.

And that's how it starts.

"Heya Luce! What are you readin' today?" Natsu calls through the window as he slowly rakes soap and water over the glass.

With a laugh, Lucy walks over with her manuscript and begins to read part of it to him.

He listens attentively—at least until Gray and Gajeel come flying into him, yelling at him for flirting on the job.

"How come you get to flirt with Lucy while we're workin' our asses off, huh!?" Gray yells.

"I ain't flirtin'!" Natsu protests. "I'm helpin' her with her job!"

Gajeel snorts. "As if she needs yer help. Yer jus' slackin', Salamander."

"No, I'm not!"

Lucy laughs. "Sorry for distracting you, Natsu. I'll talk to you later!"

She giggles as she returns to her desk, not listening to his cries for help as Gajeel and Gray suffocate him with their bodies.

"You've been coming in early every week, Lucy," Erza comments as she strolls into Lucy's office, dropping a stack of papers onto her desk.

Lucy looks up and smiles, trying not to blush. "I just love my job."

"Hm." Erza's eyes flicker to where the three washers are still brawling. "Are you sure a certain pink-haired man has nothing to do with it?"

Lucy stutters a denial.

Erza just smiles knowingly before striding over to the window and rapping the glass smartly. The three men look up and jump in fear. Within a second, they're back to work, as if they had never strayed from their job in the first place.

"You three have been less efficient lately," Erza announced sternly. "Especially you, Mr. Dragneel. I trust you have not been distracting my employee?"

"No, ma'am! I wouldn't dare, ma'am!" Natsu shouts as he salutes her.

"Get back to work," she commands and they immediately obey.

"You've got them wrapped around your finger, Erza," Lucy chortles.

"Someone has to keep them in line," Erza sighs. "Will I see you at lunch?"

"Yeah, I—oh wait!" Lucy gasps as she remembers. "Oh, I'm sorry, Erza, I told Natsu I'd eat with him today!"

"O-ho! Lunch date with Natsu, huh? Levy and Mira will enjoy this news," Erza smirks with sparkling eyes before elegantly dashing away to her own office.

"No, Erza, don't you dare—!" Lucy groans and covers her eyes. "It's not even like that..."

But you wish it was!

"No, I don't!" she snaps at herself. "He's just a friend. Just a friend!"

Strangely, she's unable to stop her heart from speeding up at the thought of his pink hair and his smile.

"Hey, Lucy."

"Hmm?" She looks up from her desk to smile at Natsu.

He had barged in earlier and announced that he was going to watch her work. She had agreed with the condition that he doesn't make any noise and frankly, she's surprised that he's managed it. He's not the sit-still-and-watch type of guy.

"Do you have a boyfriend?"

Her eyes bug out and she sputters. "Where did that come from!?"

He shrugs nonchalantly. "Jus' curious."

She regains her composure as best she can—he's so random!—and replies firmly, "No, I don't. Why do you ask?"

"No reason really," he mumbles, looking away.

Lucy decides not to question further or they'll land in uncomfortable territory. "Why are you watching me work? Isn't it boring? I'm not reading anything today, just editing."

He grins boyishly and she tries not to be too charmed (mission: fail). "Watchin' you work ain't borin' at all! You're really cute when you're concentratin'."

She doesn't know how to respond and instead murmurs a shy thanks as she forces her eyes back to her work.

After a while, he speaks again. "Hey, Luce."

"Yes, Natsu?" she responds lazily without looking up.

"Can I be your boyfriend?"

Her hand stops moving.

Slowly, she raises her head and her eyes meet his. He looks completely serious.

She inhales shakily. "You—want to be my boyfriend?"

He nods.

Her heart is taking leaps and bounds. This can't be real. "W-why?"

He stares at her. And then he laughs. "Why? 'Cause I like you, weirdo, duh! Gray said that Erza said that Mira said that if you like a girl so much that you always think about her and you always wanna see her and you think she's the prettiest girl in the world, then you wanna be her boyfriend! And that's how I feel about you, Luce!"

Before Lucy can even begin to formulate a response, Gray and Gajeel stomp in and grab his arms, dragging him away.

"What the hell!? Who said you could come here and flirt with Lucy while we're cleanin' the tallest building in the city!?" Gray yells.

"Laxus is gonna beat yer ass so hard you won't be able ta sit tomorrow," Gajeel cackles evilly.

"Wait, no, but Lucy!" Natsu yelps as he struggles to get away from them. "Lucy, at least gimme an answer!"

She giggles at the sight of him squirming on the ground behind Gray and Gajeel while they wait for the elevator.

"Yes!"

His answering yell is so loud that Gray and Gajeel smack him on the head.

"I love you, Lucy! I'll call you!"

"Okay! Oh and Gajeel? Levy says hi!"

Lucy beams and shakes her head as Gajeel trips over Natsu's arm and falls into the elevator before returning to work with a permanent smile on her face.

© Copyright 2015 by The Siege