Welcome everyone to our newest collab! This is a rather short fic, barely ten chapters - if even that much! We're working on a few fics that aren't as dense as Golem and Parallels. Something a little easier for everyone to digest! This fic is already done, so you can expect regular updates! Same rules apply as usual! So keep that in mind while we have some fun! Welcome to Sandcastles!

THIS FIC UPDATES ONCE EVERY THREE DAYS: Post, Break, Break, Post!

Beach

A pebbly or sandy shore, especially by the ocean between high- and low-water marks.

Lucy had to admit, if nothing else, the scenery where she worked was beautiful. The sight and sound of the crashing waves against the beach, especially at sunrise and sunset, was not only soothing but did a lot to make up for the boredom she experienced most of the time.

But hey, money was money, and she was determined to make her own way through college as much as possible. She'd gotten accepted to her school on a full scholarship, and though it technically paid for everything she needed, it wasn't exactly overflowing with surplus money. Hence the part-time job renting surfboards to tourists with more enthusiasm than sense, and the odd local that wasn't hardcore enough to keep their own surfboard.

Still, it paid really well for what it was, and her boss was nice enough, so she couldn't complain too much.

"Hey Lu!"

Lucy blinked at the voice and looked up, "Levy!" She grinned happily and waved her friend over, "What brings you out here this time of day? I thought you were working."

"The bookstore closed early today." Levy replied, a wicked smirk tugging at her lips, "Jellal needed to get ready for his big date."

Lucy's eyes widened, "What? Seriously? He's actually going to go through with his proposal?"

"Let's hope so!" Levy laughed, "Anyway, I figured since I had the rest of the day off I'd come keep you company!"

And hope to get a glimpse of a certain muscle man Lucy was certain.

Levy didn't fool her one bit. And as much as she loved her friend's company, there was definitely an ulterior motive.

But she held her tongue and leaned forward on the old, polished wood. Her arms braced against the surface, the backs of her arms digging into the screws that secured the hourly rates for surfing.

"You know what would be absolutely amazing?" Lucy wheedled, her eyes squinting against the harsh sun. Levy leaned in closer, smile brightening as she sensed a bribe coming her way.

"Will you please watch the stand while I get a shaved ice?" Lucy all but begged, "I'm roasting alive in here!"

It was an exaggeration, but it was still mostly true. The stand might have had a shade covering, but it wasn't air conditioned save for the tiny fan that blew hot air at Lucy every couple of minutes.

Levy laughed at the slightly desperate plea and nodded, "Of course!"

Not that it was likely anything would happen. This was easily the slowest part of the week at the slowest time for Lucy, and the odds of there being an actual customer were pretty low. And besides, the ice cream and shaved ice vendor was maybe fifty yards away at most. Lucy would almost be able to keep an eye on the place herself while she took her break.

"You're a lifesaver Levy!" Lucy breathed in thanks, and slipped out from behind the counter eager to feel the sea breezes that somehow mostly bypassed her little booth unless there was a storm coming in or something.

"I'll get you a blue one!" She called over her shoulder as she headed off, trusting Levy to take care of everything, and thanking her lucky stars that her boss knew her friend and was laid back enough she didn't mind them doing this every so often.

She sighed happily and stretched as she felt the late afternoon wind off the water. Oh yeah, that was much better.

She closed her eyes for a moment, just savoring the sensation, only to yelp as she suddenly crashed into a warm body. Instantly strong arms snapped around her waist, preventing her from falling, and her eyes flew open in surprise.

"Oh my god! I'm so sor-" She blinked as she realized just who the wide grin and tousled pink hair belonged to, "Natsu!"

"Hey Lucy!" The grinning surfer greeted cheerfully, "I was just on my way to grab a board from you for the rest of the day. I guess you decided to sneak out huh?"

Lucy blushed a little, "Yeah. Levy's watching the shop. I wanted to get a shaved ice before I melted. Sorry about bumping into you though."

"No problem!" Natsu replied, waving her apology off as he steadied her, "That actually sounds good. Mind if I join you?"

Lucy almost bit off her tongue in surprise. As far as regular customers went, Natsu was by far her most frequent shopper. So much so in fact, she wondered why he didn't just buy a board of his own.

Surely for as much as he went out into the surf, he had to own one. But day after day, he would march over to the surf shop with a smile wide over his face and dusting of freckles on his nose.

It was like he lived in the surf, and with hair as strange as his, Lucy could spot him from the top of a swell no matter where he was.

And in truth, she really didn't mind all his visits. He was attractive, his open smile always available to lift her spirits or catch Lucy's eye.

From inside the shelter of her shack, Lucy shamelessly admitted to enjoying the eye candy he brought.

As far as conversations outside the stand though, Lucy couldn't say she had ever sat down with him.

"Sure!" She said enthusiastically, somewhat excited by the thought of having shaved ice with him. Lucy had admired his surfing from afar, which was no doubt a source of her enthusiasm.

His hands dropped down by his sides, his customary smile glowing across his face. Lucy thought she might have needed more than one shaved ice if she was going to sit with him. He was hot.

But really, that wasn't an exaggeration despite being true. She could feel his body heat lingering on her where she had been caught.

She'd never really thought about it before since until now all their interactions had involved a counter between them and it was frequently hot enough to fry eggs, but he was the definition of a natural radiator.

Natsu chuckled a little, "C'mon then!" He exclaimed, suddenly looking as excited about getting shaved ice with her as he usually was about surfing, and gently curled his hand around her wrist to tug her along.

If anything, his hands were even warmer than the rest of him, but it was enough to jolt Lucy out of her mild reverie, and she smiled as they approached the stand together.

"The usual Lucy?" The owner asked with a sympathetic grin. Her stand was cold. It had to be or her product would melt, but she always had a soft spot for those on the small boardwalk who were less fortunate.

"Yes please!" Lucy replied gratefully, "And a blue raspberry for Levy when I'm done?"

"Her payment huh?" The owner chuckled, "You got it. How about you Natsu? It's been a while since I last saw you here."

Natsu flashed her that boyish grin of his, "Yeah. Sorry about that. Surprise me?"

"You don't have a favorite?" Lucy asked him in mild surprise, and he shrugged.

"Nah, not really. There's not much I don't like, and trying new things is fun don't you think?"

Lucy couldn't really fault that logic but was interrupted from replying as she was handed her large, and very cold looking, strawberry ice. She couldn't resist immediately taking a bite out of it and her eyes closed in bliss as the cold numbed her mouth and slid down her throat. Heaven.

Together they took their treats to sit down, Levy's prize waiting in the safety of the vendor's cart. It wouldn't take long at all for her to finish off with how thirsty and hot she was.

Natsu plopped down with her, kicking up sand with his heels every time he walked. He was barefoot which was normal for him, and he donned a pair of flame printed swimming trunks. Aside from that though, he didn't bother with a shirt. It was like the sun didn't even bother him.

Which Lucy couldn't even imagine suffering through with as long as he stayed out for.

But as they got comfortable on some old tree trunks rolled out onto the sand, she noticed he was struggling with the icey treat a little.

It began to dribble down the back of his hand and he swiped a quick tongue over his skin to catch the sweet liquid.

Lucy made a face and shoved a spoon bundled in a napkin at him, "If I didn't know better, I'd say this is your first time having shaved ice."

"Maybe," Natsu grinned at her, flashing that familiar smile that was punctuated with sharp canines, "You could say that ice and I don't get along."

"Snow cones especially," Natsu let out a small, secretive cackle.

Lucy laughed a little, "Well between your body heat and the sun I guess I shouldn't be surprised."

"You noticed my body heat huh?" Natsu asked with a slightly flirtatious waggle of his eyebrows.

Lucy blushed a bit and rolled her eyes, amused despite herself, "It was kind of hard to miss. You're practically a walking heater! I don't know how you aren't melting honestly."

Natsu shrugged, "Just used to it I guess. I've lived here most of my life, and I don't even notice it now."

"Really?" Lucy asked, her ears pricking up at the new information about him, "You must've moved here when you were young then."

Natsu nodded, "Yeah. I moved here with my dad when I was little. I've been here ever since." He grinned, "What about you? Where did you grow up?"

Lucy smiled and launched into what was meant to be a somewhat abbreviated story about how she'd grown up on an estate, but Natsu had a knack for wheedling information out of her and it wasn't long before she was telling him about what it was like to grow up wealthy, and how she was determined to work her way through school instead of relying on the family money.

"I want to be a famous author one day." She admitted quietly, "Books let me escape into whole other worlds when I was little. Worlds filled with dragons and faeries and magic. I want to be able to give someone else that same gift."

Natsu's eyes seemed to glisten at that admittance, an eagerness in them that far outstripped anything she had seen before, "Dragons and faeries, huh?"

He leaned forward onto his knees, his shaved ice long since gone and his cup just a crumpled ball in his fist, "Most people don't seem to be interested in stories just about dragons, but I think they're awesome!"

"I don't think dragons are boring, and I think it's a shame we see them as villains so often," Lucy smiled, "But when I was little my mom would always read me one about a friendly dragon that befriended a princess."

"If you come by the shop, I'll let you read it so long as you're careful with it!" Lucy continued, licking the last bits off her spoon.

Natsu's eyes looked as if they would fall out of his head in shock. But he bobbed his head as he eagerly nodded his consent.

Lucy smiled happily at him and reluctantly got up, "I'm sorry, but I've got to get back." She told him apologetically, "My boss is pretty understanding, but I can't just leave Levy for long."

Natsu beamed at her, "Don't worry!" He replied as he got back up, "I understand." He glanced at the waves, "Do you think it would be okay if we talked a little more between waves?"

Lucy's eyes widened in surprise. He wanted to hang out more? Her heart thumped happily in her chest and she beamed back at him, "Sure!" She coughed a little, "Ah, I mean, as long as you stay out of the way of customers, but that shouldn't be a problem."

Natsu laughed a little at her reaction, but it was so light Lucy didn't really feel embarrassed.

"Just hold on a sec while I get Levy's bribe." She smiled and darted over to the ice cream vendor, who handed her the ice with a grin, and she was pretty sure she felt Natsu's eyes on her the whole time.

A few moments later Lucy handed Levy's prize over to her smirking friend and slid back behind the counter, "So, you said you wanted to rent for the rest of the day?"

"Definitely." Natsu replied, and was it her imagination or was there a lot more purr in his voice than there had been before?

She could feel his dark eyes on her as she headed to the racks and picked out his favorite board. It was a hideous thing, with a giant cartoon cat printed on the bottom in blue of all colors.

No one else wanted the ugly thing but Natsu, the fluffy white wings that were printed on the top of the board were probably the only redeemable thing about the design.

"Happy again?" Lucy asked, tucking it under her arm so she could slide it over the counter to him.

"Absolutely," Natsu responded with a roguish grin that made her insides flutter, "you know he makes me fly!"

Well it wasn't a lie. Even on that ridiculous board, Natsu was easily one of the best surfers on the coast.

Lucy laughed a little as he paid and handed him the board, "Well have fun out there!"

"I will Lucy." Natsu replied, giving her a smile that somehow seemed more sincere than all of his other ones before, "Thanks. You're the best."

He flashed Levy a grin as he trotted off, and Lucy felt her cheeks heat up at the compliment.

"The best huh?"

Lucy's cheeks heated even more at Levy's teasing question, "Oh hush! I'm sure it's nothing like whatever you're implying!"

Levy burst into outright laughter at that, "You wouldn't know anything about what I was implying if you weren't thinking it!" She half sang as she settled down with her drink, "So... what was that little date I watched all about?"

"Nothing!" Lucy huffed, her cheeks puffing out, "I bumped into him, he caught me, and then decided to join me for a shaved ice. I got to talk to him while I ate mine is all."

Levy rolled her eyes, "Lu, I know you better than that. You've been crushing on surfer boy over there almost since you got this job." She grinned, "Not that I blame you. Natsu is fit."

"You mean you stopped looking at Gajeel long enough to notice?" Lucy retorted wryly and was rewarded with her friend's cheeks heating up. Revenge was so sweet.

"Th-that has nothing to do with anything we're talking about!" Levy huffed and Lucy giggled at the look on her friend's face before Levy shook herself, "Anyway, possible love interests aside... I brought you that book you were looking for."

Lucy's eyes widened and she gasped in excitement as she moved closer, "Seriously?"

"Yep!" Levy grinned as she pulled out an old book, "This is an older copy, but that's probably better for you anyway. It's a compilation of all the island's stories and legends dating back to the first settlers."

"Oh thank you Levy!" Lucy breathed as she reverently took the book and began flipping through it, "This is perfect for my project!"

"Not a problem Lu!" Levy smiled, "What are you going to do your project on anyway?"

Lucy shrugged, "I'm not sure. I'm supposed to re-interpret one of the island's legends into a modern setting, but I don't know enough about the place to have an idea of what would be good."

Levy clapped her hands together and smiled, "That sounds like a wonderful idea! The locals are all very interested in the old stories, but unfortunately as new tourists come every year, we lose a little bit to souvenirs and gift shops."

"I know there are a lot of people who are a bit upset by the way some of our sacred lands have been mistreated by some people going on a drunk bender," Levy admitted, her eyes flashing over a little down the beach.

Lucy followed her gaze, noticing what had caught her attention.

There, with his long hair pulled up in a pony tail and his height nearly blocking out the sun itself, stood none other than Levy's source of affection.

"Ah, Mr. Tall, dark and scary," Lucy filled in the blanks.

Levy was right though, Gajeel was born on the island and had been raised by his very devout father. His beliefs sometimes bordered on the supernatural, but no one was daring enough to say that to his face.

As such, he didn't like many of the tourists that only came to show flagrant disrespect to the island's culture.

Although he didn't seem to mind Lucy much, for that she was grateful.

Gajeel could be a next level kind of frightening man when he wanted to be sometimes.

Not that Levy seemed to notice. She was watching Gajeel with the kind of expression that could not possibly be interpreted as fear or nerves. In fact...

"Levy..." Lucy muttered, "You're drooling."

Levy jolted a little, unconsciously wiping her mouth in a way that had Lucy holding onto the counter as she laughed, and shot her friend a pout, "I was not!"

"Maybe not." Lucy agreed with a smirk, "But another five seconds and you would've been." She leaned her elbows on the counter, "Not that I can talk." Her eyes flicked automatically over to where Natsu's pink hair was visible on the waves and she snorted a little as she heard him howling with laughter.

Someone was enjoying themselves at least.

"I don't understand how he does it." She mused as she watched Natsu ride the wave out and head right back in, "He's here almost every single day. What does he do that he has that kind of free time?"

She barely had enough time to work, do her homework, and move on to the next project before she was falling face first into bed. And sometimes the bed was optional. Never mind spending every afternoon surfing. As much as she was sure she would enjoy learning how the closest she'd gotten was handing out and collecting surf boards.

Levy shrugged, "Why don't you ask him? I'm sure there's some kind of reasonable explanation."

Lucy bit her bottom lip, watching the surfer from afar as a wave caught him on the side and sent him clear, flailing into the water. He broke the surface with thrashing movements as his soggy head popped free. His smile was brilliant and large, arms leaning on his wayward board.

"I don't know," Lucy admired, her mouth going a little dry as she watched his muscles flex and ripple as he hoisted himself easily back on top of his board. His knees rested on either side, a bright smile drawing from his face.,

"I think I like the mystery he's given," Lucy's lips quirked at him, her fingernails tapping against the counter.

"Besides, gives me more of a chance to investigate him," She quietly snickered behind her hand. Date or not, Natsu was certainly interesting. That alone made him the target to her journalistic heart, especially when Natsu seemed to disappear a little before sunset every night. It was almost as if he were on a schedule.

And without fail, it always brought Lucy's attention. No one knew where he went - the only hint they ever got, was that he lived alone and he always showed up at the beach bright and early.

Which was a good thing or a bad thing.

Especially since trouble seemed to follow him like a dog after a treat.

"I think I'm going to pass on the cloak and dagger stuff," Levy snorted, waving a hand in front of her face.

Lucy laughed a little, "You sure?" She teased, "It could be fun!"

"No thanks Lu!" Levy laughed, "And you shouldn't either. The poor boy will think you're stalking him or something!"

Lucy laughed with her, "Yeah, yeah... spoil my fun why don't you?"

Still, she couldn't help wondering about Natsu's mystery. He didn't seem that mysterious when you met him. All smiles and bright cheer most of the time. He looked like a completely harmless local.

But then those odd little quirks would show up, like his prominent canines or the way he sometimes growled or got into a fight, and she just had to wonder what was behind the cheerful man that lived over by the volcano.

Maybe one of these days she would find out.

Let us know what you think! This chapter is over, but it's just the start of something new! We're hoping to surprise you guys with this one! Anyway, hope you enjoy it! This fic updates after Golem does!

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