TRIGGER WARNING! Confrontation, panic attack, sexual innuendo

Hiya! Here comes chapter 7

I know it's a bit late, and to the risk of repeating myself, I forgot it was Monday until I was busy painting my nails and then I had to finish and here I am.
I want to thank the un-named guest for the first review on this fic! It means a lot and it made me so very happy. Don't get me wrong, I write for me first, but knowing other people enjoy what I write is very gratifying! Anyway, thank you Guest, I know it's a sensitive topic, and it is not one I have ever written about so I've been treading carefully. I hope nothing in there goes too wrong here.

Anyway, happy reading!

It was dark out when Lucy woke up. She had only planned to sleep for a couple of hours but had slept most of the day away instead. She could hear Natsu's voice in the living room.

"I can't," he was saying, sounding annoyed. "I got school the next day." There was a pause. "That's different. I can sleep between school and work on Friday." Another pause. Lucy figured he was on the phone. She sat up. "Hell, I can work Saturday night if you really need me to, but Sunday won't work." She paused, confused. Why would they ask him to work Sunday? "Yeah, I know I said I needed more hours, but the exams are starting soon." He needed the hours? Lucy pressed her ear against the door.

"I've got evening classes on Mondays and Thursdays," he was saying. "But I can work Tuesday and Wednesday… Yeah, both days, and pick up another weekend shift. Overnight Friday and Saturday works… Yeah, sure, I can do with that… Yeah, thanks. I'll see you Tuesday." Lucy heard him heave a sigh and heard the couch groan as he dropped on it. Lucy look down on her clothes. Because she hadn't plan to sleep through the day, she had gone to bed in leggings and a loose top. She was decent enough.

She left the room, and though she wasn't trying to sneak, Natsu still jumped when he saw her move out of the corner of his eyes. He slammed the lid of his laptop shut. "Hey," he said nervously. "Sorry, I thought you were sleeping." If she hadn't just heard him on the phone, she would have thought he was watching porn by how he reacted.

"I was," she admitted. "But you… didn't wake me up," she added. His shoulders slumped a bit with relief. "Everything okay?"

"Yeah. Just had a call from work asking to work tomorrow night cause someone quit," he groaned, annoyed, leaning back in the couch.

"Don't they know you're still in school?"

"Yeah, but they figured they'd try anyway cause…" he trailed off for a moment. "Well, I did ask for more hours," he finally admitted.

"I could start working now," Lucy offered.

"No. School's almost over, it'll be fine."

"But-"

"I'm not going to pursue higher education," Natsu argued. "So long I don't fluke, I'll be fine. But if you ever want to go to university, you'll need the best grades you can get." Lucy stared at him. "Seriously. It's fine."

"What if I want to?" she asked, moving to sit next to him. "One evening and one day in the weekend won't hurt my grades. I don't need to study all that much. And," she added before he could argue anymore, "if I want to go to university, I'll need the money."

She knew he wanted to argue, but she knew she was right. "Are you sure you're ready?"

"No," she admitted. "But I'll never be if I keep waiting."

"Then give it a week. Think about it. And if you still want to go ahead with it, I'll get you in."

"Okay," she agreed, but her mind was made.

...

Her resolve only grew stronger through the week and the next Saturday, Natsu agreed to help her fill out the online application, himself as a reference, before he left for his late shift.

"I'll let them know to schedule us together, so you don't have to walk alone," he added.

"Thanks." Lucy was called in for an interview the next day, and had her first orientation on Wednesday, with Natsu himself.

...

The following morning, she walked in the school with him and saw a group huddled by the community board in the entrance.

"What's going on there?" she asked.

"Beats me. Want me to check out?"

"Don't worry. We can check it between class when there isn't bunch of people." Being in crowds made her queasy in a way that had never been an issue before. Natsu stood on his toes for a moment, but couldn't see over people's head, and the overlapping conversation were too much to listen to, so they carried on to where the girls would meet them.

"Did you guys see that?" Juvia asked, sliding in the seat next to them.

"See what?" Lucy asked.

"Prom," Cana said, slumping in front of them, Levy sitting next to her.

"Is it prom already?" Lucy asked.

"Well, it's in a month," Levy replied.

"I didn't realize it was so soon," she admitted.

"Do you wanna go?" Natsu asked Lucy, and she blushed while her friends gasped. "What?"

"So forward," Juvia mumbled.

"Forward?"

"It's usually a pretty big deal when a boy asks a girl to prom," Levy explained.

"Why?"

"Cause the birds and the bees and…" Cana ignored the warning glare from Lucy

"Birds and bees?" Natsu repeated. "What does that even mean?"

"It's a metaphor for… you know…" Juvia tried to explain with a blush.

"Sex," Cana dropped bluntly. "It's a metaphor for sex."

Natsu blushed. "Woah! W-wait! I thought prom was a dance! I don't… I'm not saying…"

"It is a dance," Lucy stepped in to spare him the embarrassment. "What they're trying to say is that people usually go as… couples…"

"Oh…" Natsu hummed, meaning slowly reaching him. "So me asking you to prom is the same as asking you out?" Lucy blushed some more but nodded. "So we can't go to prom as friends?"

"We could, but… I don't have a dress."

"I thought you picked it out last year," Levy questioned.

"But it's still at her dad's," Cana guessed. Natsu spun on his seat to look at Lucy with an intensity that made her blush again.

"If you wanna go, then we're gonna go get that dress for ya," he told her. Lucy felt her eyes sting and Natsu sat back quickly. "Oh… Uh… What's wrong? I didn't mean to upset you."

"She's not upset, you goof-ball," Cana grinned. "Those are happy tears." Natsu's shoulders slumped a little with relief and he grinned at Lucy.

"Alright, that settles it! We're gonna get that dress and go to prom!"

...

None of them were as enthusiastic as they stood at the gate of Jude's mansion. Neither Cana or Natsu stayed behind this time, because Lucy was there, and neither were letting her out of their sights, Erza or no Erza. Though Lucy was worried that Cana might overreact, she felt a bit more at ease with her friend by her side.

Natsu gaped at the huge mansion sitting in the middle of manicured lawn. A large stone fence circled the property except for the forged iron gate where they stood.

"You grew up here?" he asked, shocked. Lucy nodded and he had to bite back a comment. He had never known Lucy came from such a rich family. Yet she hadn't complained a single time about his small apartment, the lack of luxuries or even the food he cooked. Lucy took a deep breath and typed in a code on the pad next to the gate. The light flashed red.

"That's odd," she mumbled, typing it more carefully. Red again. "He must have changed the codes."

"Alright," Natsu sighed, rattling the gate a few times. He hauled himself up and Lucy pulled him down so abruptly he fell down, almost taking her with him. "Ow," he groaned, rolling onto his side to crouch. "What was that for?"

"There are sensors on top of the wall," Lucy explained. "And," she gestured at a nearby tree, "cameras. So unless you want to be charged with breaking and entering…"

"So what do we do?" Juvia asked.

Lucy pushed a different button on the door pad. "Hello?" the scratchy voice came through the intercom. She almost toppled over with relief.

"Madam Spetto?" Lucy asked. There was a silence.

"Miss Lucy?"

"It's me," Lucy replied. "Is my father home?"

"Not yet. Let me… Ah!" And the gate slid open.

"Thank you." They weren't even halfway up the path when the door swung open and Madam Spetto came rushing out. She slowed down as she beheld Natsu and Cana.

"You can't be here, Cana," she told her.

"There's no way in hell I'm leaving Lucy here alone," Cana scoffed, crossing her arms. Madam Spetto's eyes moved to rest on Natsu, her expression growing sad.

"And you… Why did you have to take her away?" she asked sadly. Natsu blinked.

"I what?" he asked, surprised.

"I knew she had left because of a boy," the maid explained. "You kids are still so young, you don't have to run away." Lucy was as confused as her friends.

"I didn't take her away," Natsu argued, glancing toward Lucy.

"But…" Madam Spetto looked confused. "Miss Lucy, your room. Your…"

"I'm just here to get my dress," Lucy cut her off. She knew why Madam Spetto thought Natsu was the reason she'd left. Realized she had cleaned her room and found the blood on her sheets. Had assumed a lover that her father didn't approve of and that she'd run away with him. "I'm not coming back."

"But… Miss Lucy, please reconsider! Master Jude hasn't been the same since you left."

"I'm never coming back. He'd better get used to it. Now we're going to get that dress."

Madam Spetto didn't argue anymore as Lucy pushed her way in, her friends in tow. Natsu followed closely, having a hard time not getting distracted by how huge this place was, and all of the portraits. The ones with Lucy's mother made him pause a few times. Lucy looked so much like her. Her mother's hair seemed to curl a little bit, whereas Lucy's was straight, but as he walked past, it was the only difference he could note. They even had the same figure. On one of them, probably taken a few years ago, Lucy and her mother stood together. Lucy had grown to be taller, but they could have been sisters.

He entered Lucy's room last and blinked. The walls were painted pink. The duvet was pink. The furniture was white with pink accents. Everything in this room was pink. Anything but pink will do, she had told him. Lucy was standing a few steps ahead, trembling slightly. Cana had a hand on her back and was whispering to her. Lucy moved in slowly, Cana remaining close by her side, to the closet.

The room was huge, probably three times bigger than her new one. The closet alone was bigger than his bathroom. Barely smaller than his room. And it was so full. Despite all the clothes her friends had brought over, there was so much more here. With her friends by her side, Lucy mustered the strength to seek the dress she wanted. It was in a tailor bag and Natsu couldn't see any of it. Lucy also grabbed a few other clothes and some more shoes, throwing it in a bag. Then she moved over to her desk.

Her eyes were hollow. She was on auto-pilot, trying to do what she had to without letting the reality of it reach her. She packed her makeup – some of it – in a pouch and went through another door that opened on a bathroom. Lucy had an in-suite bathroom that was at least as big as his room. While she shuffled around for things she needed to bring, Natsu heard steps down the hall.

"… about a dress," Madam Spetto's voice reached him. "Her friends are here – Cana too. And a boy."

"A boy?" Natsu's blood rushed. He knew that voice. He closed the door and leaned against it.

"Levy," he called her over. "Tell Lucy he's coming." Levy understood and rushed to the bathroom. A moment later, a loud knock echoed on the door.

"Lucy?" Jude called. Natsu leaned all of his weight against the door and Juvia hurried to help him. Lucy was pale as she walked out, holding all of her stuff, shoving it into the bag with shaking hands. There was another knock and Natsu braced as the handle turned. "Wh- Lucy!" She flinched. Natsu felt rage surge through his body when he saw her terrified expression. He glanced at Cana. She was livid too, trembling with fury.

"Juvia, get Cana to calm down," Natsu told her. He was furious too, but he wouldn't give him anything to use to get to Lucy. Juvia hurried toward Cana, but she stepped toward Natsu.

"Open the door," she told him.

"Not until you calm down," Natsu said.

"You can't ask me to calm down!" she snapped at him.

"You have to. Not for me. Not for him. Do it for Lucy." Cana looked at her friend and moved closer to Natsu. Despite the fury still burning in her eyes, he knew she was willing to cool it down for Lucy's sake.

"Open it," she repeated. Natsu stumbled against the weight that crashed on the door.

"Wait," he called out. He shared a look with Cana and moved, opening the door. Jude made to step in and froze at the sight of the two teenagers blocking the way.

"Who are you?" he snarled at Natsu.

"Lucy's friend," he replied flatly. "Now get out of the way, we're leaving."

"This is my house, you better show some respect."

"There are five of us," Cana reminded him coldly. "Any act of aggression toward any of us and you'll have five eyewitnesses account against your word. You know those odds won't hold in court."

"I just want to talk to my daughter," he pleaded slowly.

"You've lost the right to call her that," Cana growled. Jude's eyes flickered to Lucy, then back to Cana. He was certain she knew the truth. "Now get out of the way."

"Lucy…" he tried again. Natsu didn't dare to look her way. If she looked as scared as he imagined she would, he'd lose it.

"Move," he repeated, stepping forward. Jude took in his expression, the way he held himself. This boy had a dangerous aura to him. "I'm not planning to become a cop," he added in a low, dangerous voice. Jude took the hint. He had had leverage with Cana because a record would ruin her future. This boy didn't care for it. He would go to jail for her. Jude stepped out of the way. Cana and Natsu left first, blocking the way between Jude and the door to allow Lucy safe passage. With one last glare filled with promises of violence, Natsu turned around and followed his friends. Lucy was in tears before they made it through the front door.

...

Jude made his way to the security room and went through the camera footage, managing to find a good take on the boy's face. He clipped the file and sent it out in an email, then dialed a number.

"Find everything you can on this boy," he said.

"D'you know anything about him?" a gruff voice asked.

"I think he goes to school with my daughter."

"I can roll with that," the voice replied before the line died. Jude observed the picture on the screen for a moment longer before leaving the room.

...

Natsu and Lucy parted way with their friends soon after they'd left the mansion. Natsu walked casually, for someone who was carrying such a heavy bag. Lucy was still holding the dress, willing herself to breathe as they made their way through town. No one paid them any mind. Natsu kept glancing at her. He knew she was barely holding it together and didn't dare to speak. He opened the door for her and followed her up to his floor. He saw her shoulders tremble as they neared the door and heard her ragged breath.

As soon as they walked in, she slumped down on the nearest stool and broke down in tears, burying her face in her arms. Natsu set the bag down and moved closer, gently rubbing her back. Happy came closer, rubbing against Lucy's legs.

"Can I do anything?" Natsu asked. She shook her head. "Do you want me to stay, or do you want some space?" She didn't react. He stood up to grab her a glass of water and sat back next to her. "Do you want to talk about it?" he asked softly. He still didn't know exactly what had gone down between Lucy and her father and didn't have any similar experience to relate to. Yet he couldn't shake the feeling that her reaction was excessive, considering how long the abuse had been happening for. He was pretty sure there had been something different about the last time, but he didn't know what.

"No," Lucy said, slowly sitting up. She wiped her tears and saw the glass of water. She slowly reached for it.

"Are you sure? I'm sure you'd feel better if you talked about it."

"Cana knows." Natsu couldn't help a bit of hurt, but Lucy had been friend with Cana for longer than he'd known her. "I didn't… tell her anything," Lucy added, probably reading his expression. "She figured it out. I just… I'm not ready to talk about it."

"It's okay," he reassured her, squeezing her hand gently. "Just… know I'm here for you." She nodded.

"Thanks…" She took a few sips and startled when her phone rang. "We should probably eat," she added, turning off the alarm.

"Are you hungry?" Natsu asked.

"Not really, but I should eat something."

"Soup?"

"Sure." He stood to grab a can of soup from the cupboard and started cooking.

"Do you… Do you have reminders to eat on your phone?" he asked hesitantly. Lucy looked away, even though Natsu had his back to her.

"Yeah… Dr. Ver… Mavis recommended it so I wouldn't forget to eat anymore." Natsu set the spatula down and slowly turned to face her.

"Luce…" She avoided his gaze, but she could feel the intensity of it on her. "I need to ask you something." Lucy's heart started pounding. He hadn't figured it out too, had he? Her eyes landed on him, but she could only see concern in his gaze. "Talk to me, please," he implored. She blinked. "You didn't tell me about your night terrors before… and you never told me you forgot to eat… I want to help you, and I can't if you don't tell me what's wrong." Lucy thought she might tear up again.

"I'm sorry," she whispered, looking down on her hands.

"Crap, I didn't… Don't feel bad about it, Luce." She heard him move closer and he took her hand in his. "I just want to help you. Is there anything else you struggle with?" So much more than she could voice. She wanted to say that nothing came to mind, but she couldn't bring herself to, not when he looked at her this way. Not when he was so desperate to help her. Her eyes landed on the glass of water next to her.

"I don't… I think I don't drink enough water either," she mumbled. It sounded stupid, but Natsu nodded, his expression serious.

"Do you like flavoured water? Maybe that'd help. That's how I started drinking enough."

"Flavoured?" she repeated. "Aren't those pretty expensive?"

"Not talking about the store kind. Anna… erm… my godmother, I told you I lived with her for a while… She'd make pitchers of water with like… cucumbers or citrus or fruits in them, to give it some flavour." He turned around to open the fridge. "I've got some cucumber in here, and strawberries and lem… ew." And proceeded to chuck a moldy lemon in the bin.

"Maybe strawberry?" Natsu pulled them out and grabbed a cutting board. A moment later, there was a sizzling sound and he whirled around, pulling the pot off the stove with a swear and groaned, starting to clean the mess of soup.

"Sorry," he mumbled for Lucy. "I'm not great at multitasking."

"It's okay," she replied with a small smile. "Do you need help?"

"If you… uh… Not to sound cliché, but if you want to put some sandwiches together to go with that?" Lucy laughed – actually laughed and Natsu almost forgot about the soup and the mess.

"Yeah," she agreed. "I can put some sandwiches together."

I just wanna say, I love their dynamic so much. I know they're a bit ooc, but I still love them, love the care and the relation they build. Just in case any are confused about the time line, the end of this chapter is the last day on May.
Anyone wants to have a go at who Jude is getting to find info on Natsu?
Until next week!