Attractive Forces

Disclaimer: I don't own Fairy Tail or any of its characters. I'm just using them for my amusement.

"Excuse me, miss? I ordered a coffee a few minutes ago but I can't seem to find my waitress."

Lucy turned toward the voice, her face set into a friendly smile. "Of course, sir. I'll take care of that right away." Reaching forward with one hand, she grabbed his empty coffee mug and with one last apologetic smile, she placed it on the tray in her other arm with the other dirty dishes and turned toward the kitchen. Before she could take a step, two children darted around her legs with loud squeals. The hum and bustle of the busy restaurant disguised the soft curse that spilled from her lips as she righted her tray and quickly made her way out of the crowded dining area and into the back kitchen. Setting the tray down with a sigh, she blew her bangs out of her eyes.

"Where the hell is Sherry?" Lucy asked the kitchen at large as she dumped the dishes into the dish pit, her mouth twisted into a scowl. "She left for a break twenty minutes ago! Her tables are getting pissed and I already have four of my own."

Behind her, one of the cooks scoffed. "She's probably still on her phone. She looked kind of upset when she left. Something about her boyfriend. In any case, I've got your steak and sea bass for table six."

Nodding, Lucy pushed the matter from her mind in favor of gathering her orders, grabbing a fresh mug and coffee pot on her way out. Once she saw the food to her table and made sure her customers were satisfied, she went back to the man's table, setting the clean mug down and filling it with coffee. "I'm sorry about the wait, sir. We're a little short staffed tonight." The man waved her apology away with a smile.

"It's fine, I understand. Thank you."

Lucy nodded and left with one last smile, her eyes turning to scan her four tables, checking to make sure all of them were taken care of. Seeing that everything was fine, she made her to the server's station. Leaning back against the counter, she closed her eyes and sighed gustily. Beside her, her coworker Levy smiled.

"Rough tables?" she asked, turning to the computer mounted on the counter to plug in her table's orders so she could print out their receipt.

Lucy opened her eyes and made a face. "No, my tables are fine. But Sherry is apparently having a relationship crisis and now I have to deal with her tables as well as mine." Looking down at her phone, she cursed. "And I was supposed to get off half an hour ago."

Levy pulled her receipt from the printer and sent her friend a smile as she made her way back to the dining area. "Just go find Sherry. I'm sure she just lost track of time."

Not likely, Lucy mused with a frown just as she was flagged down by another customer. Due to the sudden influx of customers, her boss managed to convince her to work for the rest of the next shift, telling her she would get the next day off to give her a break.

Lucy didn't get another chance to breathe until the last customer walked out and she was able to finally untie her apron from around her waist. Waving to her coworkers, she grabbed her things and left the restaurant, breathing in deeply the crisp fall air as she made her way down the sidewalk.

Sometimes, she often questioned her decision to move to Magnolia as young as she did. She had left at the age of eighteen, bright eyed and bushy tailed determined to see as much of the world as she could. She had met many interesting people on the way before she stumbled upon the town and fallen in love. It was such a quiet town, safe community where everyone knew everyone else but managed to keep most of their business to themselves. It was simply a charming town with warm, inviting people.

But right now, still wired from working a twelve hour shift on little to no sleep, the last thing Lucy needed was quiet. And that was how she found herself slumping into a bar stool in one of the less reputable bars Magnolia had to offer. While the cracked, war weathered furniture and staff might be off putting for some, for Lucy it was like being on the road again. And it allowed her to breathe for the first time that night and begin to unwind.

"Well, if it isn't beautiful Lucy! What can I get for you today, princess?"

Lucy rolled her eyes with a smile at the bartender. "Dial it back a bit, Loke. I just got off a double."

He winced in sympathy, his dark eyes glinting at her with mischief. "Scotch on the rocks?" he asked, already reaching down for a glass. She nodded with a grateful smile, giving a heartfelt sigh when the first taste of the bitter drink touched her lips.

"You're a life saver. How's business tonight?" she asked, leaning an elbow on the bar top and resting her cheek in cup of her hand.

Loke shrugged, brushing a lock of his light brown hair from his eyes. "So far, uneventful. No fights or anything. But the night is still young and the men still stupid. I doubt it will stay this peaceful."

She chuckled, turning her eyes down into her drink. Loke, seeing she was occupied with her own thoughts, moved to see to his other customers and leaving her in peace. If there was one thing he understood, it was wanting to unwind after a long day and simply be left alone.

Lucy rolled her cool glass between her palms, her mind sluggishly drifting from thought to thought before she was brought back to the present by another body sliding into the stood next to her. The first thing she was struck by was the scent that followed him. He smelled faintly of burning wood and heat and something entirely male. The second thing she noticed was his shocking stock of salmon hair.

She must have been a little too obvious with her staring because his eyes slide toward her and one single matching eyebrow rose at her. Choking slightly on her sip of scotch, she gently set her glass down.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to stare," she rasped once she caught her breath. "It's just…"

His lips, very smooth lips she distantly noticed, quirked up at the corners. "It's the hair, right?"

She bit her lip to stave off a laugh and silently nodded. He rolled his eyes, a grin on his face. "I get that a lot. I'll go ahead and tell you it's unfortunately natural."

She eyed his face for a moment, taking in the sharp angles of his face, the slight slant of his dark eyes and slightly crooked slope of his nose. Overall, he was a very attractive man. But you could tell from the set of his shoulders and the faint lines around his mouth that he had lived a full life even though he looked only a few years older than Lucy herself. "You're not from around here, are you?" The accent alone was enough to tip her off. Most of the locals that she had come across had a Midwestern accent and carefully enunciated each word. His voice, however, had to subtle intones of Scotland.

"Fireball whiskey," Natsu said to Loke once the bartender came up. She signaled for a refill once Loke had slid the stranger his drink. "What gave me away?" he asked raising his glass to his lips with a smirk.

She smiled back at him, nodding her thanks to Loke. "The hair for one. It's hard to miss and I doubt I would have missed it. And also the accent. Scotland?"

His eyebrow rose a little higher and his grin was wide. "Most people don't pick up on that."

She shrugged her shoulder carelessly, her eyes glinting in challenge. "I traveled a lot before I settled here," she said by way of explanation.

He eyed her for a moment over the rim of his glass before setting it down with a decisive clang. He stuck his hand out toward her. "Name's Natsu Dragneel."

Her smiled turned genuine as she gently clasped his rough fingers in her smaller, smoother hand. "Lucy Heartfilia. Welcome to Magnolia."

"Lucy, I've got your table thirteen and twenty! Keep the line moving!"

On the fly, Lucy smoothly slid her armful of dirty plates into the dish pit, turning on her heel and bent to firmly hoist the tray with her orders. Dodging other servers and wayward children, she managed to place the plates on the proper tables without spilling or tripping before turning to another table and quickly clearing the dirty dishes onto the empty tray and heading back to the kitchen.

"Lucy, you got a walk in, table twenty two," Levy called on her way to the kitchen. Lucy gave an absent nod as she handed her tray off to a coworker with a grateful smile.

Taking a deep breath, she strode to her table, digging into her apron for the notepad and pen and flashing a bright smile. "Welcome to El Royal! My name is Lucy and I'll be your server tod—oh, it's you." The last part of her speech was decidedly less bright and cheery and more surprised. In front of her, Natsu grinned cheekily and set the menu that had been obscuring his face on the table top. "What are you doing here, Natsu?"

Ever since the night they had met a week ago, Lucy had been seeing Natsu around town relatively frequently. It seemed that he was either in for a long stay or a permanent one. They hadn't talked much since that night, just waved and exchanged hellos. But that didn't mean that Lucy didn't still appreciate just how finely shaped his face was or just how well his t-shirts framed his muscular build. In fact, she had often found herself imagining just what was underneath his shirts more than a few times to her embarrassment.

"Well, I heard from a friend that I could get a mean sea bass and I thought I would check it out." He replied, his eyes glinting like warm emeralds.

Setting her hand on her hip, she smirked at him. "What friends? You've been here a week."

His smirk only grew. "That's my secret to tell."

She rolled her eyes at him, her lips quirking in amusement. "Yeah, yeah. What will you have?"

"I'll have the sea bass, a cheeseburger, the roast beef, an extra order or fries and a chocolate milkshake."

She raised an eyebrow. "Are you meeting someone?"

His grin was all teeth. "Nope. Just me."

"Where do you put it all?" she asked incredulously, eyeing his trim stomach.

He shrugged at her, not in least bit embarrassed. "I have a high metabolism."

She shook her head and left to go place his order. If there was one thing she had picked up in high school from dating the star quarterback it was to never judge a man by his size. Even the leanest man could pack away enough food for three normal men if he was motivated enough.

Unfortunately, a party of ten was seated in Lucy's section and she was far too busy to stay and chat with Natsu about his stay in Magnolia so far. By the time she could breathe again, he was already gone, a generous tip and a stack of dirty dishes in his wake. Scolding herself for being disappointed, she set about cleaning his table. It was when she was reaching for his receipt and tip that she noticed something written on the back. Turning it over, she bit her lip when she saw what he had written.

Sea bass was awful, but at least you guys can cook a good hamburger. Meet me at the bar tonight so I can kick your ass at darts.

Natsu

When Lucy pushed open the door to the bar, she was greeted by the sound of raised voices and crashing furniture. All the sounds of a classic bar fight. Rolling her eyes, she carefully avoided any flying furniture and sat at her usual spot at the bar top in front of an amused Loke.

"Who is it this time?" she asked, turning in her seat to watch the fight.

"The new guy actually. And Gray."

Lucy's eyebrows almost reached her hairline. "Natsu and Gray? What caused that fight?" The idea of Gray starting a fight with a complete stranger was a bit of a shock to her. He was so cool and collected most of the time that she was amazed Natsu had managed to piss him off enough in a week to get them to fight. It usually took Lucy half a bottle of scotch and a few loose buttons to get more than a grunt from the man.

"Not sure," Loke said, leaning on his elbows, his eyes still carefully on the fight. If it got too rough, he would have to go break it up. But it looked to be winding down. "Natsu came in like a tornado, yelling something about darts when Gray said something to him about keeping his voice down. The next thing I know, they're throwing chairs."

Lucy opened her mouth to comment when she caught sight of Natsu's pink head as he landed one last solid punch to Gray's stomach and he turned to the sound of her voice. His face broke out into a bright smile as he made his way over casually, leaving Gray gasping for breath behind him.

"Lucy! I thought you would be intimidated by my awesome skills at darts and wouldn't bother showing up."

She smiled at him and rolled her eyes. "As if. I'll have you know that I took archery in high school and I have wicked aim. Bring it, pink puff."

His eyes were bright with challenge when they met hers and he tapped his glass gently against hers with a sharp grin. "You asked for it, Luce. Don't say I didn't warn you."

She ignored the thrill hearing her name roll off his tongue gave her and drained the last of her drink in one go, slamming the glass down on the bar top. "Let's do this."

Two hours and most of a bottle of scotch later, Lucy leaned her cheek against her palm and looked at Natsu, her vision a tad bit blurry on the edges and her head pleasantly light.

"So what did you and Gray fight about? That guy is as cool as a cucumber most of the time. How did you piss him off so quickly?"

Natsu snorted into his glass, not showing even the slightest hint of the bottle of fireball whisky he had polished off, the bastard. "That ice princess? We served together in the army a few years ago. He was the friend that told me about your restaurant."

Lucy's eyes widened. "You were in the army?"

His eyes got a little bit darker and his smile dimmed a bit. "Yeah. I joined when I turned eighteen. Thought I was helping our country and all that bullshit. No one bothered telling me what exactly 'serving our country' would involve though. I didn't last very long. I have a thing with authority. I usually tend to ignore when I'm told not to do something."

Lucy scoffed. "Somehow, I'm not at all surprised by that." He simply grinned at her. "So what brings you to Magnolia?"

"I heard Gray talking about it a few times when we served together and a few of our friends live nearby so I figured I would give it a try for a while, see what happens." He shrugged, shooting back the last of his whiskey in one go.

"What are you doing in the meantime?" she asked, carefully setting her own bottle away from herself. She was already pleasantly buzzed and she didn't want to get much more than that. She had to work tomorrow and dealing with customers while supporting a hangover was a bitch.

"I thought I would join the firehouse for a little bit. I don't mind the hard labor or the fire."

She nodded, musing the thought of Natsu in the firefighter's uniform, covered in soot and smelling heavily of smoke and ash. It somehow fit him. They spent most of the night that way, idle conversation and slow smiles until Lucy's eyes were struggling to stay open and she yawned every few minutes.

"Looks like it's time to head home," Natsu said after Lucy was cut off in the middle of a sentence with a jaw cracking yawn.

Lucy smiled sheepishly and got up with him as he went to pay his tab. "Sorry. I've been up close to eighteen hours." When she reached for her own receipt, her hand was intercepted by Natsu's who placed it on top of his own and handing Loke his card. "You don't have to do that," she protested in surprise but he only wove her objections away.

"I'm the one that wanted you to come. It's my treat."

Her smile turned soft around the edges. "Thanks."

As they stepped out of the bar, Lucy stuffed her hands into her coat pockets, taking a deep breath of the chilly air and letting it go with a soft sigh. She felt him approach more than heard him, heat radiating from him like a furnace. She tilted her head to the side to look up into his face, her smile still firmly in place but a light dusting of pink around her cheeks.

"Thanks for tonight. I had fun," she said, trying not to fidget.

He looked down at her, his eyes dark even in the glow of the street light and the smile on his face was enigmatic. "We should do this again sometime."

She nodded, her blush darkening a little bit as she avoided his steady gaze, causing a lock of blond hair to fall into her eyes. Before she could reach up to fix it, a large, warm hand beat her too it, brushing it off and tucking it behind her ear. His finger gently traced the curve of her cheek, leaving a trail of warmth behind it and Lucy looked up at him, her lips parting the slightest bit as her heart hammered hard in her chest. His eyes never left hers as he lowered his head toward her. She could see how carefully he watched her features, looking for the slightest bit of hesitance and he would pull away. But she didn't give him a reason to. Her eyes grew heavy lidded as she tilted her chin, her lips meeting his half way in a soft caress.

She sighed at the warmth that his lips gave off, her hand coming up to cup the back of his neck and press him just a little bit closer. Her eyes slid closed as she focused all her attention on the slide of his lips on hers and the wet warmth of his tongue as it traced the seam of her lips, asking for permission to press further. With a slight shudder, Lucy took half a step closer, pressing her body against his tightly and opened her mouth to him.

The kiss turned intense and passionate as his hands fell to her hips and pressed her against him even tighter and her arms wound their way around his neck. His breaths were coming in fast and ragged as he tilted his head to get a better angle and deepen the kiss further. The taste of him was all spice and heat and Lucy couldn't seem to get enough.

After a few more heady moments, Natsu pulled away enough to press his forehead against hers. His hot breath fanned over her wet lips and Lucy licked them on reflex, reveling in the lingering taste of him.

"I will definitely do that again," he whispered. "But not right now." He pulled away slowly, his hands lingering on her hips a moment before sliding away. She shuddered the slightest bit at the loss of his warmth but her lips tipped up into a bright smile, her eyes sparkling with lust and the thrill of a new chase.

"I'll look forward to it, Dragneel."

(AN: I'm not entirely sure where this came from except that my dad recently told me how he met my mom and it was a little bit like this. Plus, I was feel some intense Nalu AU in me but I'm a little stuck on my other two stories at the moment. And it's a convenient excuse to avoid studying. I'm also not sure why I made Natsu Scottish, so don't think too much about it. I hope I didn't make them too OOC, I tried to keep as close to their characters as an AU can get. I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I did writing it! I adore you all!)

Jane