I am so flipping excited for this book! I have so many good ideas for it! If you like it, please don't forget to review, favorite, and follow this book! It really does feel good when that happens!

Without further ado, Breaking The Ice!

New day, same old routine.

Lucy grimaced at the thought as she blankly stared at herself in the full length mirror, eyeing the outfit she was wearing to meet her father in his study. A dark purple pencil skirt was wrapped tightly around her curvy waist, clinging to every movement she made, tucking in her frilly white blouse that only accentuated her already generous chest. She adorned a matching purple jacket and her black high heels tied the professional looking outfit together.

It was beautiful, sure, but it just wasn't her. She loved her skirts, but not this kind. Lucy preferred shorter, more free skirts or even shorts or skinny jeans! But she was just not one for this uncomfortable and stiff outfit. She'd much rather be in her leggings and a tank top, curled on her bed with the new book she had bought recently, not going to her father's office.

"Miss Lucy? You're father would like to see you now." A pink haired maid, who had been the blonde's friend for as long as she could remember, popped her head through the gap in the door, blue eyes looking at her mistress. Lucy's shoulders slumped before she immediately straightened herself up, readjusting the bun perched on her head before turning to greet Virgo.

"Thank you Virgo. I will see myself there." Virgo nodded once in affirmation before she ducked out of the door, disappearing inside the vast halls inside the large Heartfilia manor. Lucy looked herself over once more before following in suit.

Walking down the halls, Lucy's face darkened as the sound of her heels clicking against the hard marble filled the empty corridor. No matter how big this house was, there was nothing that could squander the feeling of loneliness and sadness. Lucy took a deep breath as she approached a large wooden door at the end of the hall, an ominous cloud radiating off of it.

Hesitantly, she knocked and got a quiet response from her father, Jude Heartfilia. "Come in."

Doing as she was commanded, Lucy pushed against the heavy wooden doors as she made her way in. Her father was sat behind a large desk in a fairly empty room, clad in a dark brown tweed suit, his dark blond hair gelled back as he regarded Lucy with empty seemingly black eyes.

"You asked for me, father?" Lucy's voice was tight, almost sounding strained as she felt his cold gaze fall upon her. After years of practice, she's perfected this routine.

"Ah, yes. I have received news from Gerard Beradik that he has accepted the invitation to have dinner with you tonight. He will pick you up from here promptly at six tonight. I expect you to be properly dressed and on time, seeing as he has shown interest in having your hand in marriage. Is that understood?"

Piercing coals burned their way onto Lucy's delicate skin as Jude's dominating aura dared her to challenge him. She swallowed thickly before nodding, accepting defeat.

"What have I told you? Speak when spoken too."

"Yes, father." Lucy corrected her mistake as she focused her brown orbs on the sparkling white marble she was standing on in these god awful heels.

"Yes, what?"

Grinding her teeth, Lucy bit back the sarcastic response she had conjured, opting to go for what she knew her father would want to hear. "Yes, I will meet Mr. Beradik for dinner tonight."

"Good. You are dismissed."

Finally… Lucy thought as she hightailed it out of the office, darting as quickly as she could in her uncomfortable shoes to her room. She snatched her pink phone off of her desk, where an untouched stack of letters sat, before she dialed the number that she knew like the back of her hand.

The dial tone sounded in her ear. Lucy didn't have to wait long as the person on the other side of the line picked up after the second ring.

"Hello?"

"Hey Levy. Can we meet at Mermaid Heel in a half an hour?"

After Levy agreed to meet Lucy at the popular cafe, the blond immediately took out the firm bun on her head in exchange for pulling all of her long hair to the right side of her head, tying it with a simple white ribbon. Once that action was done, she set out to walk to Mermaid Heel instead of asking Capricorn to drive her.

Plus, it would give her time to finally read that new book she bought a few days ago with Levy.

Too bad she didn't realize just how icy it was outside. The preposterous heels had no friction or support as every step she took made her slide. It wasn't very pleasant, to say the least as she felt the chilling wind bite at the parts of her skin that weren't covered. She mentally cursed herself, wishing that she wouldn't have stormed out of the manor fast enough to forget her winter coat and was now stuck in this paper thin outfit.

Lucy sighed, a white cloud puffing from her parted lips as she walked as fast as she could in the current condition of the sidewalks. She was halfway to Mermaid Heel, and Levy was expecting her in ten minutes. At this rate, she was going to be late. And she was the one who initiated the meet!

Not paying close enough attention to her surroundings, Lucy was caught off guard when she felt her footing slip. The sudden momentum of her leg sliding against the ice threw her weight back onto her other leg, causing her to fall back.

Lucy prepared herself for the harsh impact of the cement, but instead of the feeling of her body slamming against the sidewalk, Lucy collided with something warm and fleshy.

With her body slanted in an awkward position, a tan arm was wrapped around her curvy waist, and it could almost be passed off to onlookers that she was doing the dip.

The man who's limb she was currently being held up with gazed down at her with curious yet cocky olive green eyes. A white, scaly scarf was wrapped around his neck and the tips of the worn down scarf dangled in front of her face, emitting an aroma that Lucy had never smelled before. The first thing she thought of when she saw him face to face was pink. He had pink hair. That had to be the strangest thing Lucy had ever seen on a man, probably ever. Yet for some odd reason, it worked for him with his tan skin and sparkling white teeth and with the pair of green eyes thrown into the mix only added to the man's unique look. He was pretty hot, if Lucy did say so herself.

The man flashed his canines down at Lucy, a wide grin making its way onto his face where she noticed a pink scar on the right side of his jaw that followed every movement his lips made. He opened his mouth to speak and Lucy had been expecting something charming to fall from the handsome man's lips.

"How ya doin' down there?"

And instead she got that. Her heart dropped and the small glimmer of hope that she had maybe found a prince charming went along with it, leaving behind a speck of disappointment. Remembering that the man had asked her a question, Lucy blinked as she responded.

Okay Lucy. This is your time to say something cute, so don't screw it up.

"Oh, me? I'm fine. Thanks for asking."

And you screwed it up.

The man laughed before he righted her, keeping his hand on her waist until she was firmly planted onto the ground. "Ah, man! Ya didn't twist yer ankle, didja?" His green eyes that were once filled with curiosity were now filled with concern as he stared down at her heels. Cocking a brow, he continued. "I mean, with those shoes, I wouldn't be surprised."

"No, I'm fine. Thank you…?" She trailed off as she glanced up at the pink haired stranger, fully expecting him to continue on with her sentence.

"Natsu. Natsu Dragneel."

"Thanks Natsu. I'm Lucy He- Lucy."

"Well, talk about breaking the ice, huh?" Natsu laughed at his own joke, either completely oblivious or just ignorant of her eye roll. Suddenly, he quieted down as a frown replaced his smile. Pointing at the street he cleared his throat. "I hope that wasn't yers."

Following to where Natsu was pointing, a gasp escaped from her as she stupidly ran towards her book that she had been so excited to read. It was lying open, face down on a sloshy snow-water mixture in the middle of a street. She ignored Natsu's yell as she dashed onto the road, bending to reach for the book when she heard the loud honk of a car coming her way. Caught like a deer in the headlights, literally, Lucy froze in terror as the vehicle neared her at a high speed.

"Woah! Wait!" Natsu's arms encircled Lucy's waist once more as he pulled her away from the street, yanking her from danger as a speeding car raced past them, running over her precious book. Natsu and Lucy watched as the car that had nearly ran her over turned around the corner with no intention on seeing if the blonde woman was alright or not. "Are you crazy or something? Is a book more important than your life, Lucy? Ya can't just go runnin' into a busy street like this without lookin' first!"

She didn't respond as she stared in horror at her destroyed book, barely acknowledging the fact that Natsu was shaking her shoulders like a madman. Not only was her book destroyed, but she had just very nearly lost her life to a man who didn't give a damn on whether she was hit or not. A part of her was glad that the whole cliché where your life flashes before your eyes when your close to dying didn't happen to her. It wouldn't have been a very happy flashback, not for her.

"Lucy, answer me. Ya can't just stand there in shock all day. Ya'd freeze ta death."

"..."

"Is it about that book?"

"..."

"I mean, if it's about that book, I can take you to the bookstore across the street. Ya know, just to make sure ya don't slip again, or get ran over. That, and the book ya had is destroyed." His offer seemed to have knocked her out of her thought, as she looked up at him with watery brown eyes that stung from the unshed tears.

"L-Lucy? Th-there's no need to cry now! Yer safe and- and we're gonna go ta that bookstore and I'm gonna buy ya a new book! So it's all good so just stop cryin'!" Saying Natsu didn't like to see people cry was an understatement. Understatement of the year in fact. He absolutely hated it, especially when the person crying was a woman.

Not because he was sexist or anything!

Natsu shrugged his black jacket off before hanging it on her shoulders, figuring that she was probably freezing in the outfit she was wearing. The same smell from his scarf surrounded her, enveloping her in a woodsy, fiery scent that for some reason was the best thing she had ever smelled before.

What does fire even smell like? I feel like this is what it would smell like.

At first, Natsu was confused as to why he had even offered her his coat in the first place, even though his odd body temperature would have kept him warm. It was just not something that he did! After a moment, he shrugged it off, seeing as Lucy seemed to be warmer.

Planting a wavering grin on his face, he turned her around so they were both facing the store on the opposite side of the street. Keeping one secure arm around Lucy's waist, he looked both ways before the two crossed the street. His grin grew more confident as he saw her watery eyes begin to dry as a smile smile began to appear on her face, growing with every step they took towards the bookstore.

"Thank you for saving me again." Natsu turned towards her as she shook her head, blinking away her tears. "God, that was terrifying."

"Yeah, well, next time ya should be more careful kay? I don't wanna see ya get crushed." Lucy laughed, causing him to chuckle along with her.

"Oh wow Natsu. Such a way with words." She threaded her arms through the black jacket that Natsu had placed on her shoulders, thanking him for the jacket as she wallowed in the extra warmth it gave her. Her legs still felt shaky from the near death experience, but she did feel a lot better as she walked with Natsu towards the bookstore across from them.

"Y'know, ya say thank ya too much, Luce. Just go along with it, because it's all a part of the adventure." Natsu adjusted the scale-like scarf wrapped around his neck, tugging it down a bit. He held the door open for Lucy as they came in front of the bookstore called Amorem Libros. Lucy sighed as the warm air covered her face, her eyes lighting up as she saw the shelves of books. Not waiting for him, Lucy dashed in toward her favorite section, only turning back for a second to see if Natsu would follow her.

He did catch up, after she had gone down her third aisle though. In her arms she held a replacement for her ruined book along with a few others.

"Why do ya love books so much anyways? They're just a bunch of words. Now, comics. That's where it's at." Lucy stopped her browsing to glare up at the perpetrator, looking more offended with each word that the rose-haired man spoke.

"I can't believe you just said that. I will tell you exactly what there is to love about books. And comics? Those were so 20 years ago."

"Little Miss Feisty, aren't we Lucy?" Natsu snickered as the blonde grabbed his hand, her smaller one wrapping tightly around his larger and more calloused one as she tugged him along, dragging him to god knows where. "I'm sorry Luce, but comics are way better. Not only do ya have cool pictures, but ya also get awesome fightin' scenes!"

"You can get that in books too, Natsu." Lucy ignored the fluttering in her chest as she was dubbed the nickname 'Luce' and continued to pull Natsu along to a certain aisle that she had in mind. "And you can get so much more from them too! You can get romance, and adventure, and mystery, and humor! Oh, and don't forget about fantasy!"

Lucy's chocolate orbs shined in a certain light that was hard or just any person to describe as she talked about her love for books. "Oh yeah? And what's your favorite genre to read?"

"... I can't decide between adventure and romance! Though books that have both of them are definitely the best!" Finally the duo came to a stop as Lucy began to search through the stacks, looking for a specific title. Finally spotting it on the top shelf, much to her dismay, she saw the label Pride & Prejudice. Cursing her short stature, she placed a hand on Natsu's shoulder, before jumping wildly for the thick book, using Natsu's height to her advantage.

A swing and a miss later, Natsu found himself chuckling as he reached for the book he suspected she was trying to snatch and easily plucked it from its perch before offering it down to the petite Lucy. When she didn't take it but instead pushed it back to him, he looked at her in confusion.

"Pride & Prejudice. One of the greatest books that I have ever read. I want you to read that, and if you can tell me that comics are still better than books, then…" Her tone faltered as she realized that she didn't really have anything to offer to this man, if he actually won, that is.

"Then, ya have to go on a date with me."

"What?"

"Well, if I win, I want ya to go on a date with me. But in return, I want ya to read my favorite comic." Lucy's face turned a unique shade of red as Natsu told her his end of the bargain. She began to sputter out nonsense words as she stared up at the guy in embarrassment.

"W-Why do you w-want to g-go on a date with me?" Lucy wasn't flustered at this, no. She was beyond flustered. Never had any man been so bold with her, yet here was this pink haired man, barely past the stranger phase, asking her out on a date. She had never felt so flattered yet so embarrassed before!

"My cousin's been buggin' me 'bout never gettin' a date lately, so I'm gonna prove him wrong." Natsu declared with a proud punch to his chest as he smiled down cheekily at her. Though his boyish grin quickly morphed into a cocky smirk as he tilted his head to the side, leaning in closer to her face. "And, are ya that scared of losin' yer bet? Not confident enough in yer book, huh?"

He was challenging her. Lucy knew that. But that little stubborn part of her personality, okay big stubborn part, did not take challenges lightly. She was competitive, a trait she had unfortunately earned from her father. She never backed down from a challenge, so who was she to back down from this one?

"You know what? You have a deal, Natsu Dragneel. And if I end up winning, I get to choose 10 books that you have to buy me."

"You're on, Luce. Now come on, I have to go buy you that book that got ruined and a comic book for you to read."

If she took a long time looking for her books, well then Natsu spent an eternity browsing for a single comic book, that Lucy was certain of. Because next thing she knew, the two were bustling to the cashier as they told them that they were going to close in ten minutes. Natsu, being somewhat of a gentleman, and also noticing that she didn't have her purse on her, paid for all three items.

"He's a keeper, sweetie. It's good to know that chivalry isn't dead in all men." The elderly lady said behind the cash register as she rang their books.

"I-It's not- we're not- I just met him! We aren't dating!" Lucy spluttered as her cheeks turned a pink that could rival Natsu's hair. Speaking of, he was no help at all. All he did was laugh obnoxiously.

"Ah, well you should snatch him up quick before someone else does hon, you're gonna regret it otherwise." Lucy's blush darkened by several shades as Natsu's laugh grew even more obnoxious.

"I uh, sure." Lucy waited as patiently as she could. The lady couldn't have bagged slower before she handed the plastic sack to Natsu. Not helping in any way possible, Natsu threw an arm over her shoulders, pulling her taut against him.

"Ah, Luce is cute, isn't she ma'am? It would be an honor, to date someone as pretty and nice as her." Kissing Lucy's cheek, the elderly woman behind the cash register giggled as she nodded in agreement with him, oblivious to the slap at the back of his head that he had received from Lucy.

After the slap, the two dashed out of the store in a hurry.

"Well, that was nice huh?"

"Nice? That was embarrassing Natsu!" He laughed once more as she told him to shut up. Lucy stared at the night sky and puffed out a breath of semi-annoyance. "Why would you do that?"

Natsu shrugged as he walked forward, wrapping an arm around her shoulders. "Why not? It was fun?"

Lucy scoffed but didn't push his arm off of her.

"Yeah, so you should let me walk ya home. It's late, and yer clumsy self is gonna slip again." It was more of a demand rather than an offer, but Lucy was happy that he at least seemed to care about her safety, even if he had to throw in an insult. She just figured that that was how Natsu was, going by the past couple of hours she has known him.

"You can walk me to the bus?" Even though Natsu was nice, it didn't mean she was comfortable enough to let him know where she lived, seeing as Heartfilia was plastered on a giant golden plate in front of the gates in her house. She just didn't like having people know her as a Heartfilia. It was unpleasant, as she was usually being used as a gateway for cash.

That had been a particularly bad time in her life, and when she thought she had finally made a friend around her age, everything had backfired on her, and in the end she was the one left. She was used and abused and then abandoned. And not even Levy, who had somehow helped break down some of her barricades, could pick up all the shattered pieces from her past.

Natsu's face visibly paled before turning a sickly shade of green. "Uh, Natsu?" The man tried his best to straighten up, reminding himself that he wasn't even on the transportation device.

"Ugh… Motion… Sickness…" He gurgled out as the thought of riding on one of those metal death machines overpowered him.

"Seriously? You aren't even on a vehicle!" Though his sickness did help her stop thinking about past experiences, as she laughed at the poor man who was starting to tilt over in nausea before she decided it was time that she helped him upright.

After Natsu had gotten over his moment of weakness, or as Lucy called it his 'Overdramatic Act', they had began their trek to the nearest bus stop, being wary of the now unseeable ice. Every minute or so, one of the two were slipping and had to rely on the latter to help keep them steady. The walk there was silent, but not an awkward silence. Much to Lucy's relief seeing as this was the first time she's talked to a male that her father hadn't introduced her to.

Once they finally reached the dreaded death machine's stop, Natsu took out Pride & Prejudice, and handed Lucy the light brown sack that had held the comic book and the new book he had bought her. He almost made his curses known as the bus pulled up the exact moment she took the bag from his hands.

"I guess I'll see you around Natsu."

"Yeah, and don't go slippin' in places where I can't be there to catch ya Luce."

"Shut up!" Natsu only laughed at her non-aggressive retort before he waved goodbye as the bus doors closed on Lucy. It was only when she had sat down and the bus began to move did she realize that she still had Natsu's coat wrapped around her shoulders.

Even as she asked the bus driver to stop and ran off the bus to give the rose-haired man his coat, Natsu had disappeared, almost as if he hadn't existed in the first place. And the only proof she had that he did, was tucked away in her arms as if it were the most fragile thing in the world.

Updates will be slower than once a week, which sucks, but I promise to make the chapters long and written to the best of my ability!

Until next time, peace!