I'm so sad that this is over. But I really enjoyed this little multi-chap! I made it strictly for fun and fluff, and I hope I delivered. But thank you for all the reviews, follows, and favorites! I hope you'll continue to read my fanfics! At the bottom I'll tell you what is coming up :)

Fairy Tail and its characters belong to Hiro Mashima

Lucy stood there, mouth gaping open, her eyes as wide as saucers.

"Natsu?! He's the restaurant owner?!"

"Neighbor?" Erza questioned, she must have forgotten all about him.

"Yow!" Natsu yelped, reaching for his leg underneath the table and glaring at the man sitting next to him, who glared right back.

"Pardon him," he stood and walked, more like glided, across the floor before stopping in front of Lucy, holding out his hand, "my name is Zeref Dragneel. It is an honor to finally meet you," he then gestured to Natsu, "this is both my partner and my little brother, Natsu. But I believe the two of you have already met."

"It's nice to meet you as well," Lucy shook his hand, forcing down her shock, "and um, yes. We are neighbors."

Lucy missed the look of disappointment that crossed Natsu's face.

"Oh!" Erza snapped her fingers, "You're the one who fixed our plumbing a few months ago! You're Wendy's cousin!"

"Uh, yeah…" Natsu's grin was a little strained.

"Natsu does tend to do various jobs when he's not cooking," Zeref chuckled.

"So… he's a chef?" Lucy smiled, Erza was asking Zeref and herself to sit so they could begin when Lucy remembered, "The coffee! They're famous for tit! Is that what Natsu has been bribing me with? Was all for this?!"

"Thank you again for meeting with us, I hope Sting didn't talk your ear off," Zeref said as he spread out several menus.

"Not at all," Lucy kept her eyes on Zeref, trying to ignore the stare from her neighbor. Like hell she would even look at him after what he has done, "But he did tell me how homey and small-town like you are. I really like that. And for a home ware store like ours, it may be prefect."

"Thank you," Zeref handed her an older laminated menu, "this was out very first menu. Natsu and I ran this one ourselves until we decided to expand."

"I see," she ignored a snort coming from the pink-haired chef and smiled at the one paged menu. The edges were wrinkled and yellow in some spots. The time weren't kind, but that just added to its appeal.

"You now run several branched of… Happy Times? Is that the correct name?"

"Yes, about a year after we began we were asked to open a branch in Oak Town. Magnolia is where we started, out head branch is here. But we moved our office to Crocus," Zeref beamed as he explained.

"What duties do you have?" Lucy abruptly asked, "Or rather, when you began, that is…"

Zeref nodded, "I handled our finances and waiting our tables. The one here in Magnolia is our smallest restaurant, so it was easy to do with just one waiter. Whenever I get to visit one I tend to work as a host if needed."

"Your finances are the most organized I've ever seen," Erza mumbled, Lucy had to agree. Which caused Zeref's cheeks to pink a little.

The room remained oddly quiet for several moments. Zeref finally cleared his throat before asking, "Natsu, did Ms. Heartfilia not ask you something?"

"Huh?" Natsu had been glaring at the table since the conversation started.

Zeref glanced at him out of the corner of his eyes, "Tell them what you do, Natsu."

"Oh!" Natsu patted his pockets like he was looking for something.

"Any day now," Zeref whispered, all the while keeping a smile on his face.

"Right," Natsu looked right at Lucy, sending his best and most beautiful smile, "every item on the menu is my creation. I made each one with my own recipes. Everything is original."

"All of them?" Lucy stared, bewildered at the table. There were over 5 different menus! With all kinds of cuisines!

"Growing up, Natsu was always in the kitchen experimenting with spices and anything else he could find. By the time we opened Happy Times, we had more than enough items to choose from," Zeref had pride shining in his eyes, "Now he travels from each location making sure the cooks are preparing all meals as instructed. While also working on new creations every day.

"Wonderful!" Erza clapped, "You wouldn't happen to have a strawberry cake, would you?"

"Sure do!" Natsu grinned, "We only sell them in summer so we can use the freshest fruit. Same for all fruit based meals."

Erza turned to her boss, stars in her eyes, "Strawberry cake make with fresh strawberries!"

"Our father owns quite a bit of land he lets us use for our crop," Zeref handed Lucy a few pictures of the land.

"Wow," they hadn't even started the deal yet and Lucy was sold, "do you have anything for us to try?"

"Um," Natsu started, a blush spreading over his tanned cheeks, "I brought some coffee…"

"Coffee?!" Lucy glared at the chef, his cheeks were now as bright as his hair. He grimaced the longer she stared.

"Oh yes," Zeref reached down to a bag on the floor, "Natsu's coffee has become our most popular item."

"Does it go will with your strawberry cake?" Erza's eyes still sparkled, Lucy sighed. The hardened woman always caved when it came to the sweet.

"It is made special per the meal it was ordered with," Zeref winked at the red-head and Lucy had to check his left hand to make sure it was harmless. A black and silver ring sat on his fourth finger, perfect, "to be honest, I don't even know what makes it taste different. The only ones who know and the ones who prepare it. You have to sign Natsu's special waver about ingredients to know."

"A secret, huh," Lucy gazed fondly at the tub of coffee Zeref placed on the table.

"Top secret," Natsu told her, pouting when she rolled her eyes.

"Will you make me some?" Lucy pointed to the coffee pot in the back of the room.

"Ye-yeah," Natsu took the tub and walked slowly to the maker. Feeling more let down now than anything else he had ever tried in his life.

The conversation finally turned to what Lucy wanted for her business and what she expected to gain with the addition of adding small portions of Happy Times. Followed by what Zeref was expecting with more business they would be getting with their compromise.

Erza put in her thoughts every now and then, but Natsu stayed silent. Lucy assumed it was because Zeref was the actual owner, but she came to find out that Natsu owned it all!

Lucy stared at the paper with the final documents. In the place where the owners name went, Natsu Dragneel was in the line, while Zeref's was in the co-owners spot. But it also looked like Zeref was also the face of the restaurant, but Natsu made all final decisions.

Erza and Zeref were going over final numbers when Lucy reconnected to the conversation.

"I need to use the restroom, if you'll excuse me," Lucy nodded to the three, then left the room.

She walked over to Erza's area in front of her office door, the chairs for waiting were also in this spot. Lucy sat in the cushy red seat to think.

She held a cup of Natsu's coffee in her hands, it was still warm and just as sweet. But she already knew how it tasted, and that's why she was so confused. Why did he try so hard to be friends with her? Why did he ask her out? Was it all just to get a merger with her company?

She honestly didn't know if she more angry or disappointed…

"I made that especially for you, just so you know…"

Lucy jerked her head up, not expecting to be followed. Especially not him, he already consumed her thoughts, couldn't she have some space?

"What are you talking about?" she nearly growled.

He looked nervous, but continued, "I started to watch everything you ate and noticed you like the more bitter flavors, with a dash of sweet. So, I made a new blend of coffee just for you… It's not even on our menu yet," he was shuffling his feet, hand deep in his pockets.

"So you made a special coffee just for me? When were you going to tell me that?" She stood to be directly in front of him, "was that your plan to butter me up for today?"

"What? NO-!"

"Is that what this has all been about?" she gestured to herself, she meant him always hanging out with her, "Was it all just for a business deal?!"

His eyes widened in panic, "NO! Lucy-!"

"And you even had the audacity to ask me out this morning!" she took a moment to remember exactly what he said, "You knew about the meeting and asked me! Made me promise not to change my mind!"

"I can explain!" he scrambled, he held his hands up, like he was going to reach for her, "I didn't-!"

"You know what," she cut him off, "I gave you a chance for Sting, and I like what I see. So I'll make the deal with Happy Times," she then narrowed her eyes, she knew from the start he was going to turn her world upside down, "but you can forget the date. I'm done spending time with a liar."

"I didn't lie- AAHHHH!" he screamed when Lucy threw her remaining coffee on his face.

"What do you mean you didn't lie?!" Lucy screeched, "You said you were between jobs!"

"I was!" he furiously wiped his face, thankful that it had cooled down tremendously.

"Right," she huffed, turning away from him and crossing her arms. She was beyond grateful no one would be able to hear them from up here.

"I…" he sighed in defeat, "I… used to work with Zeref, in an office. Working a desk job for the restaurant."

She glared at the rose-colored carpet, refusing to give him the satisfaction that she was listening.

"I hated every minute of it. I worked like that for five years, I didn't have time for myself anymore," he raised his arm to scratch his neck under scarf, at a scar that he told Lucy still itched from time to time.

Lucy peaked at him from under her bangs, he looked nothing like the confidant man she knew… and liked.

"So a few months ago, I told Zeref the suit and tie thing wasn't for me. I was living with him in Crocus at the time, so I moved in with Wendy until I could find my own place," he finally lifted his eyes to look at her, even if he couldn't see her face, "I started to do little handyman jobs here and there, just so I could work with my hands again. I still own Happy Times, and like Zeref said, I do go from branch to branch checking on my chefs. You never notice cause you're always working…"

"So that's why you choose random times to hang out with me…" Lucy said, finally understanding his erratic schedule.

"Yeah," his arms went down to his sides, he took one step closer to her.

"It still… doesn't make much sense."

"About what I do?" he questioned.

"No, I get that. You travel to your restaurants, you do mechanic work on the side, and somehow find the time to make new dishes for your menu."

"Exactly," he grinned, raising his hands to put behind his head, "so what doesn't make sense?"

"Me. Why did you start wanting to hang out with me?" Lucy fully turned to him, taking a step closer as well.

Natsu just stood there for a few moments, blinking. Until suddenly he showed her his pearly whites and taking the few steps left to reach her and wrapped his arms around her.

"Hey! What are you doing?!" Lucy blushed furiously, he had never outright embraced her like this, especially not chest to chest when he smelt so sweet!

"When I lived with Wendy," he pulled back enough to look into her eyes, but he kept his arms securely around her, "she talked about you all the time. How great you were to take on such a young college kid for your secretary. She never had one bad thing to say about you. Except all her stories were about work, and some great thing you did in the office. I even asked her once what you did when you weren't working."

Lucy had to turn away from his piercing stare, she focused on the top button on his shirt. She knew what Wendy must have told him.

"She said she didn't know, cause all you ever do is work," he scoffed, "Wendy's young, she didn't get what I got so pissed off."

"You were mad?"

"Of course," he lifted her chin so he could rest his forehead against hers, and gaze into beautiful eyes once more, "you sounded just like me. In a job that took over your life and left you o time to even take care of yourself. A job you didn't even want."

"No I didn't want it, I was handed this company when my father died," she smacked away his hand holding her still, "but you chose yours-!"

"No I didn't!" Natsu almost yelled, he gripped her arms tightly, not realizing he was holding her for dear life, "Zeref decided to take the offer to make us a franchise! He didn't even ask me! And it's my damn business! And because of him forging my signature the one time everything changed… I loved being a small restaurant owner. I knew all my customers by name and I got to cook all the time. And then all of a sudden I was filing paperwork and looking at numbers… I wasn't doing what I wanted anymore…"

Lucy fingered Natsu's shirt, not liking the frown on his face. He looked much better with a smile. And she couldn't bear to see him so upset.

"I left Zeref with his numbers and office, exactly where he always wanted to be, and came home to Magnolia. To do something that I wanted," he winked, moving one of hands back to her chin, holding her still, "And when I met you and I found out you were the boss Wendy was always talkin' about, I made it my goal to help you before you became as miserable as I was."

"I wasn't miserable," Lucy argued.

"Not yet, but if I hadn't started making you go out and actually have fun, wouldn't you be?"

Biting her lip, Lucy had to admit that he was right. And it was right when she met him that she was already thinking that exact same thing. She had been in a slump before they met.

He… brought life back to her.

"I guess I should thank you," she immediately blushed as she went over this whole argument, "and apologize."

"Apologize?" he raised one eyebrow, "What for?"

"I just accused you of flirting for the sake of your business," she closed her eyes, squeezing them shut in shame, "that was wrong. I should have known better. I know you…"

"I honestly didn't even know about this meeting until I got home last night, at midnight. Zeref tends to only let me know last second before I have to be somewhere," his gaze softened as he ran his thumb over Lucy's tinted cheeks, "that's why I asked you out this morning. I was afraid if I waited you really would have said no. Also why I kinda made you promise to not change your mind."

Lucy shyly put her hand over his before opening her eyes. Natsu winked at her again, making her cheeks darken even more.

"Sorry," she told him, not understanding when he shook his head and again leaned his head on hers.

"Nah. Just go on that date with me and I'll forgive you."

Lucy smiled, thankful he was so great, "Count on it."

"YOSH!"

"Oh… um," she then realized why he smelled so sweet, "sorry about… well… throwing my coffee on you."

"I've worked in a kitchen my whole life," he laughed, "that was nothing. Wait until you try to lift a pan into a 3-story oven without any oven mitts on!"

"I guess that's true," Lucy stepped away from him to put her empty mug on Erza's desk, "let's go on back, I'm worried Erza may try to get her hands on your cake recipe."

"Considering Zeref can't cook to save his life, I'm not too worried," he rested his arm around her shoulders, "she'll have to go to my Magnolia branch to get some."

Lucy giggled and was about to reply when he said, "You, on the other hand… I think I'd be willing to make you just about anything you asked."

"You'll cook for me?" She didn't know why she asked, he's cooked for her before.

"That's what I planned for our first official date. I kinda fudged up when I cooked for you before, didn't wanna seem to perfect and scare ya off," he tugged her closer to put his nose in her hair, "But this time I'm gonna go all out if I wanna woo you!"

"Woo me? I think you've already done that," she stopped walking and immediately tried to think of a way to backpedal what she just said. Did she really just say that to him?!

But Natsu didn't say anything, he just grabbed her hand and dragged her along back to the conference room.

"Come on, neighbor! Let's go!" he faced away from her, so she couldn't see the full-blown blush on his face.

She smiled, she'd go with him anywhere. He showed her a brand-new way to enjoy life. He took away the miserable path she was headed down and created one just for her, for the both of them.

"All right!"

Thank you so much for reading! I appreciate you even if I don't get to talk to each reader :)

In case I never said it, Lucy is 25 and Natsu is 26 (Zeref 28). Natsu and Zeref started when Natsu was 20, and 21 when he started working in the office. Lucy took over her fathers company when she was 22, so just three years. I think it takes about a full year for you to really hate a job, and three years is the max amount of time you'll stay before finding something else, or it is in my case.

Coming Soon!

Next thing to be updated and completed is going to be Love, Blood, and Fur. After that, my three one shots are going to be completed: You Forgot, Save A Horse, and The List. I don't have an order for those just yet, but they're going to be finished soon. And somewhere I plan on updating Smiling Melodies..

After that, I have a few one shots in the making! They're actually already half typed, so once I get to them it won't take me long to finish them.

THEN! I have a Yu-Gi-Oh! One shot I'm working on. When I went to see Dark Side of Dimensions, I just got this urge to write about friendship. And while I love the friendship of the gang, and Yugi and Atem's friendship, I decided to write about Atem and Mahad. Starting from their lives as children in Egypt, up to the moment where Atem loses the ceremonial duel. It's long, and I can't wait to share it.

NEXT! I have a MULTI-CHAP fic I've been dying to start! It's thought out (something I never do) and it's more action packed than I ever do. Something different to test my skills as a writer because i'm quite terrible at action scenes! Once I have a better summary, I'll let you know more. For now I call it my Element AU.

FINALLY!RainKandySux and I are starting a YGO collab. Staring some OC characters (another thing I have never tried). It's gonna be wild and amazing. Stay tuned for more info on that as well!

Anyway, I love you guys. Thanks for always supporting me. You sure know how to make a girl smile :)