Spicing Things Up A Bit!

Chapter 4

"Ah...this is pretty spacious, isn't it?" Lucy smiled awkwardly as she glanced around the barren apartment. As soon as you walked in, their was a small hallway that led to the kitchen. On the right of the kitchen was one large, spacious room, with glass double doors that led to the patio.

If you wanted to use the restroom, one of the walls were made from traditional Japanese sliding doors, and if you opened that and walked further down, their was a decent sized bathroom at the end.

Right now, Lucy stood in the living room, as she glanced at the small table in the center, and a dresser placed against one wall, which were the only pieces of furniture decorating the space. A small T.V. was also placed in one corner of the room.

"Sorry if it wasn't what you were expecting," Natsu walked into the room as he slung his red jacket into the corner, revealing his black shirt, that contrasted well with his baggy blue jeans.

"I'm not really all that rich, and the delivery men haven't bought all of my things yet."

"It's alright," Lucy reassured, waving her hands, "My place isn't really anything to brag about either, and I'm just glad to have a place to stay."

Natsu yawned, placing a hand over his mouth. "Well, that's good I guess." He scratched the back of his neck, as he gazed at Lucy.

"Say...I'm hungry."

"Umm...okay?" Lucy responded. Why in the world was he telling her that he was hungry?

Natsu tsked, as he realized he had to pry further. "I'm saying, my stomach is in need of nourishment. What do women do when a man is hungry?"

Lucy crossed her arms as she huffed. "If you're saying that I have to feed you, then you're wrong. There is no such thing as gender roles in my book, because women can be just as strong as a man when they want to."

Natsu glanced to the side as he didn't exactly know how to respond to that. He always thought that feeding people was the girls job of the house.

Lucy walked towards him as she smiled and grabbed his arm. "I'll cook our food, as a show of my gratitude for letting me stay, but you'll be helping me, kay?"

Natsu glanced down at the cheery expression on her face and sighed, giving in, "Sure."

They both walked into the kitchen and Lucy glanced around to see how much real estate she had to her dispense.

"What would you like?" She asked.

Natsu shrugged. "I don't know, what do you feel like making?"

"I don't know, what do you feel like eating?" The blonde responded.

"I don't know, what are you best at cooking?"

"I don't know, what are you best at eating?"

Natsu rubbed his forehead in agitation. "Just cook whatever you wanna cook!" He yelled. "I don't care, as long as it's edible!"

Lucy tapped her chin in thought. "What about tofu steak over rice?"

Natsu placed a hand over his mouth as he had to refrain from not bursting out in laughter. "T-Tofu steak?" he chuckled, "What the hell is that?"

Lucy pouted. "See...this is why I wanted you to tell me what you wanted. Cause all of my ideas are always boring."

Natsu raised his hand as he flicked her forehead.

"Oww! What was that for?" Lucy yelled as she gripped her head in pain.

"Stuuupid. If you keep that negative frame of mind, then you'll stay dull forever."

Lucy didn't know if she should take that as words of advice or as an insult, cause even though he beat around the bush, he had basically called her dull, in a sense.

"Anyways," Natsu began, "How about we have some Sirloin Steak, smothered with rich gravy, over some tender white rice?"

"How about you give me the money to buy that?" Lucy stated flatly as she scanned his refrigerator, which barely had much in it.

"Fried rice?" He suggested.

Lucy's eyes lit up. "We can make that! And it's super easy too!"

Natsu smirked. "Smart, aren't I?"

Lucy smacked her lips, smiling slightly, "Yeah, yeah. You're Mister Big Butt."

"Hey!"

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"So...now that we've got all of our ingredients," Lucy began as Natsu spectated, "All we have to do is chop it up. Do you know how?"

Natsu grabbed the knife as he raised it up into the air, and bought it down heavily, chopping the onion in half with a resounding 'clock'.

Lucy cringed at the sight. "That's far from right," She grabbed the knife from Natsu's hand, "Watch, and learn."

She began to chop up the onion elegantly, and swiftly, moving as if this was a skill she had perfected over the ages.

"Wow! You move so fast!" Natsu complimented.

Lucy slightly blushed, not used to the praise. She placed her hands on her hips as she raised her nose high into the air. "This is baby stuff for me."

"Now, it's your turn to test it out. Position your fingers so that its like your holding an egg."

Natsu followed her instructions as he curved his fingers inwardly. "Like this?" He asked.

"Make more of a round shape," Lucy suggested as she grabbed his hand and curved them in more.

Natsu stared down at her. Why did he feel so comfortable with this woman?

"This will help so that you don't cut your fingers. Now place your hands on the vegetable and begin to cut. There is no need to raise your knife so high into the air. Raise it slightly, just enough so that you can cut the next piece."

Natsu tried it out and slowly, he began to get the hang of it. "Wah! This is pretty neat!"

Lucy giggled at how jubilant he looked and the boyish expression on his face. She patted his back as she smiled encouragingly at him.

"Now that you've got the hang of that, I'll get started with something else."

Natsu just nodded his head in acknowledgement, engrossed in his task that he couldn't help but find exhilarating.

Lucy inwardly smiled, happy that she had gotten a chance to teach him something.

...

Lucy sat on a tatami mat as she stared across the table at Natsu, who stared straight back at her.

She then grabbed her spoon as she stared down at the golden rice on her plate, with vegetables peaking out adding all the necessary colors and assortments.

"Looks...good doesn't it?" Natsu asked as he sifted through it.

"Yeah...it does. Why don't you try it?"

"What if I messed it up? The stuff I chopped up looks a bit too big."

"That won't affect the taste much, don't worry. I want you to taste the fruits of your hard work anyways."

"The fruits?" Natsu asked quirking an eyebrow, "I thought this was like a grain or something?"

Lucy softly giggled as she edged him on, "Just eat it and stop worrying so much!"

With one last hesitant glance, Natsu picked up his spoon and plopped the rice into his mouth.

Instantly, his eyes lit up as bursts of flavor popped fireworks in his mouth. He chewed it sensually, instantly craving more.

"Damn, Lucy, this is great!" He hollered in amazement.

Lucy took this time to eat her share, and nearly had the same reaction as Natsu.

She grabbed her cheeks as she chewed the delicious meal, afraid she would begin to drool all over the place. A hum of pleasure buzzed from her throat as the flavors danced across her tongue in perfect harmony. The vegetables were cooked to perfection, the rice wasn't too mushy, and the soy sauce tasted like heaven over the rice.

"You did an awesome job, Natsu! This turned out better than I imagined."

Natsu shook his head in denial, "All I did was chop up some vegetables. You cooked and flavored everything, making a dish as perfect as this."

Lucy embarrassedly waved her hand, "Ah, please don't give me all the credit." She smiled as she raised her rice filled spoon into the air.

"We both made this wonderful dish, together. So let's just both take the credit and enjoy it to the fullest!"

"Cheers to that!" Natsu exclaimed as he laughed and raised his spoon into the air also, clicking the two together.

They both smiled as they dug into their food, completely filling their empty stomachs.

Once they were done, Natsu ran over to the corner as he grabbed his bag and pulled something out.

"What's that?" Lucy asked, gazing at the object.

Natsu slung the strap around his neck as he held it up. "It's a camera. I wanna take a picture of this."

He walked over to the table as he aimed the lens at the small handful of rice left in the corner of the pot.

"You're taking a picture of the fried rice?" Lucy asked.

"Yep." Natsu answered, as he focused his camera lens and zoomed in a bit.

A click was heard as a bright flash lit up the room, and then instantly disappeared. After that picture, Natsu moved the camera into different angles, snapping various shots.

He moved the camera away from his face as he stared at the pictures, humming in content.

"Photography is mostly just a hobby right now, but I'm working on it becoming my career," Natsu explained.

"Is that so?" Lucy mused aloud, "I think that's pretty cool."

"Right?" He agreed as he carefully put it back into the pouch.

Lucy glanced around awkwardly. "So...how exactly are we gonna sleep?"

Natsu picked up the table as he moved it to the side of the room. He placed his fists on his sides as he looked around.

"This is as much space as I've got. We'll make due with this."

"Do you have any...y'know beds or anything? Or at least a blanket?" Lucy asked him.

Natsu scratched his head as he smiled, "For me? Sure I do! I don't have anything for you, though..."

"So what am I gonna do?" Lucy asked, sweat dropping.

Natsu walked over to her as he grabbed her shoulders and gently laid her onto the ground.

Lucy stared up at him from the floor, puzzled at his actions.

"We're going to play a game, Lucy," Natsu explained, smirking slightly.

"A game?" Lucy questioned, immedietly perking up, "Will it be fun?"

"Oh, it will be very fun," Natsu assured as he stared down at her.

"How do you play it?"

"First, you close your eyes," Natsu instructed.

Lucy complied, although she still wondered what type of game this was.

Natsu watched as her eyes fluttered closed. He leaned in closer to her, before his lips just barely grazed her ear.

"Now..." He whispered, "Go to sleep..." His warm breath fanned over Lucy's ears.

The blonde furrowed her eyes in concentration as she tried to fall alseep. What kind of game was this? Lucy inwardly shrugged as she truly didn't care, she was happy enough that she was actually playing this game.

Natsu stared down at her in disbelief. Wow, was she really so dense that she didn't understand that this wasn't actually a game? Just where had this girl been all her life?

He slightly poked her cheek and he stiffled a laugh as he saw her nose wrinkle in discomfort.

He lightly grazed his fingertips across her arms and he saw her cheeks puff up, in an attempt not to burst.

With his other hand, he took a finger as he lightly poked her side, and in that instant her eyes shot open as she burst into a fit of laughter, rolling onto her side.

"H-How do you expect me to sleep, if you keep bugging me?" Lucy complained in between giggles.

Natsu laughed also as he leaned back and propped himself up on his arms.

"Gosh, you're so hilarious! It wasn't a game, silly. I didn't really think you would actually go through with it."

"Why wouldn't I?" Lucy asked with a huff, "If its a game, that means it's fun, right? I wanna have fun too..."

Natsu smiled softly, as he gazed at her. "Not all games are fun, so don't just do what anyone tells you just because they mention it."

He lightly ruffled her hair, as Lucy looked at him with a pout, "Alright?"

"Fine..." Lucy muttered, "But don't lie to me again or I'll really be angry next time."

Natsu chuckled, "It was fun though, wasn't it?"

Lucy raised an eyebrow.

"Here's some words of advice, from me to you," Natsu stated proudly, "If you laugh, that means you're having a good time. Especially if it's from the heart." He placed a hand over his chest as he smiled, "Always remember that."

"Anything else?" Lucy asked as she glanced down at the notepad and pen that had somehow appeared in her hand, ready to jot down his advice.

Natsu stared at her bewilderdly for a moment, before taking the objects from her hands, causing Lucy to gape at him in surprise.

He began to jot down something, and a few seconds later, he handed it back to Lucy, smiling a grin Lucy had somehow come to like.

Lucy glanced at him, before looking down to read what he had wrote.

•Whenever you're in doubt, laugh it out.

•Don't wear a frown, smile and turn it upside down.

•If you're lost, and need someone to guide you, think of me, and I'll come and find you.

•Don't be sad, don't be afraid. Lucy, I'm here, to brighten your day.

I know these may sound cheesy, but in one day, you're already like a little sister to me. ^_^

That's some Poetic Justice for ya. ;P

A wide smile spread across Lucy's face as she couldn't help but laugh from happiness.

"This is so sweet, Natsu!" She breathed, as she stared down at the paper.

Natsu raised his nose high into the air as he laughed, "Nyahaha!"

"Thank you so much!" Lucy exclaimed as she wrapped him into a hug, practically squeezing the life out of him.

She let go of him, as she lightly pat his cheeks.

"You're a nice guy, after all."

Natsu slightly blushed at her compliment, as he lightly scratched his cheek. "It was nothing, really."

Lucy grabbed her notepad and her eyes glittered, as she reread his writings repeatedly.

No one had ever did anything like this for her before, and she couldn't help but feel somewhat special.

"Really...thank you, Natsu," she whispered softly, as she smiled warmly at him.

Natsu smiled as he silently watched her. "It was really...no problem."

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"So umm...time to sleep?"

"I take this side, and you take that one?"

"...Duh..."

"Well I didn't know! Sheesh...you're not nice afterall...you pink crayon..."

"What?!"

4th Chapter End

A/N

Shishishi. Well, there goes the fourth chappie! And yes, the cheesy (not) (well probably) poemish whatever you wanna call it thingy was indeed created by me! I just kinda thought of it, but maybe one bullet may be from somewhere else...idk. Hmmm, well guys, tell me your thoughts on this chapter, and also what you would like to happen in future chapters? I'm taking requests so throw em at me!

Again, my rate of updating this depends on the amount of feedback I get(since it is a pretty new stroy) Be it a week, a day, or a year! So...please R&R!