Where There's Smoke

Chapter 8

Breath of Fresh Air

Lucy's sleep clung to her, her exhaustion from the past day and a half weighing heavily on her. It felt nearly impossible to open her eyes and if she could, she would sleep for days with no remorse. No schedule to follow, no prior engagements. In this moment the time was hers and she could do what she wanted with it, to some extent at least. And because of that and her uncertainty on how long this would last, she didn't want to waste it by sleeping despite of her fatigue.

Finally she managed to will her eyelids open, sitting up and rubbing the sleep from them with the heel of her hand. She let out a big yawn, graceless and loud, before finally being able to make clear focus of her surroundings.

"Good morning." She heard from the corner of the room.

It startled her, causing her to yelp before her eyes settled on Natsu. She blushed and grimaced, aggravated by the intrusion. "What are you doing in my room?" She shouted at him, grabbing at the bedding to cover herself.

"Well I was assigned to watch over you."

"Why couldn't you just wait outside?"

"I wouldn't be able to keep a close enough eye on you that way."

She continued to glare at him and his flippant response, unsatisfied with and unwilling to accept his answer. She kicked her legs over the bed, standing up and straightened her posture, looking down her nose at him. "We are going to need to set some boundaries."

"Oh?" He smirked, almost condescending – with a tone to match. "And what would you suggest?"

She bristled at his mocking attitude. But she was not about to back down from that arrogance. She was Lucy Heartfilia, a pampered socialite who rejected the hand she was dealt. Where she was worth more in being seen than having her voice. "For one, I don't want you breaking into my room in the middle of the night. Or at all, for that matter."

He nodded though she was certain he was not actually listening. What happened to the charming, awkward Natsu she met the other night? The one she comfortably bantered with on equal terms, almost like friends – not this blasé attitude he was directing toward her. She guessed it had something to do with the fact that he had to watch her. But she was not going to let his little temper tantrum get the better of her.

"And two, I think you should be a little more polite since you were the one who dragged me along here."

This seemed to catch his attention. He stood up, closing the short distance between them. He was nearly a full head taller than her. "You wanted to come with me! How is that me dragging you along?"

"You said my life was in danger!"
"Well it was. Most likely still is."

They glared at each other, either unwilling to back down.

They likely would have stayed that way for hours had a knock at the door not distracted them. "What?" They both shouted.

"O-oh, sorry to disturb you." Mira's voice came from the other side, apparently startled from their aggressive greeting. "I wanted to let you know that breakfast is being served. I also have a few changes of clothes for you, Lucy. And I'm to let Natsu know that he is to take you into town to get you some more necessities."

Natsu's glare faltered, a brief look of surprise on his face. He did not say anything, just walked to the door, opening it. Mira smiled, her carefree attitude back. "I'm glad to see you two getting along so well. Should I have waited a little longer to knock?"

He took the bag from her and closed the door.

Lucy walked up to him, snatching the bag from his grasp and heading into the bathroom, "I'm going to take a shower." And she slammed the door behind her.

He had some nerve, she thought to herself. She did not know what he was trying to do but she was irritated enough that she did not even want to look at him. Unfortunately, that did not prevent her from thinking about him. But at the very least, at least she was going to be able to go back into the town and grab a few things. Even if she had to go with him.

She quickly showered and exited the bathroom, dressed in the casual garb Mira gave her. She was towel drying her hair when she noticed him back in the chair in the corner of the room, typing away. She was a little nosy in the moment, walking over and craning her neck to see what he was writing. "What you doing?" She asked.

"Report."

"About what?"

"About what happened at your estate and why I brought you here." He sighed loudly, clearing exaggerating. "I've been trying to get this done all morning but I really cannot focus when it comes to these things."

She laughed. He sounded like a kid who did not want to do his homework. "Well, I may not be an expert in what exactly you are supposed to do but I have some technical skill when it comes to writing."
"You do?" He seemed genuinely surprised.

She grinned, boastful. "Mhm. I want to one day write a bestselling novel."

"Well this report won't get you any awards." He chuckled.

"That's okay, I could at least help you out a bit with it. If that were okay?"

He shrugged. She didn't know if that meant it was okay or that it wasn't and he just didn't care. Judging from what little she knew of him, she assumed the latter. But most, if not all, the information presented here would be things she was already aware of so she figured it was okay.

She moved next to the chair so she could read the screen, skimming over the report. Well it was certainly informative. Not like what she was interested in. But that also made it easy to work with. Report only what happened, no fluff or fancy words. She could work with that. But something missing caught her attention.

"What about our dance?"

"Huh?"

"You didn't include our dance."
"Oh…" He seemed awkward, shifting slightly. "I didn't think that it was necessary to include."

"Oh." She felt a little sad hearing that. She had thought they had fun. Did he want to forget about it? Did he not want people know about it? How he had to reduce himself to dance with a snobby heiress from high society.

She pushed past it, pointing out things he could do to help with the report. It did not take much longer, he had already gotten through most of it in the earlier hours it seemed. She wondered how early he had gotten here, how early he had to wake up just to come watch her. While she slept.

In about an hour, they were able to finish up and he submitted it happily, closing his laptop and placing it in his bag. "I'm so glad that's done."

She chuckled lightly. "Come on, it wasn't that bad."

He feigned exhaustion, rolling his head back on the chair, eyes close. "It was, it really was. I think right now I need to eat."

Natsu saying that made her remember her own hunger. "Yeah, I could use a bite after all that strenuous work. Mira did say it was breakfast time."

"Come on, let's go eat." He stood up, shouldering his backpack, tugging at the white scarf around his neck.

He wears that often. She thought to herself offhandedly. She at the edge of the bed, putting on her socks and tennis shoes and they headed down to the diner below them, taking a seat in an empty booth. There were other people present and she was curious if they were all members of Fairy Tail or if they were actual customers.

Mira came up to them. "There you two are! I was wondering what was taking you."

"Two specials and two coffees, Mira." Natsu said, dismissing her playful tone. With a smile she nodded and was off. "Sorry, sometimes she can be a little…"

Lucy just laughed. "It's okay." She looked around and leaned in closer to Natsu. "Are they all Fairy Tail?"

It was Natsu's turn to laugh. "It's just a restaurant we operate. Anyone can come if they want."

"Right." She sat back, looking out the window at the rundown buildings and street. It sure was a different world out here she thought to herself.

She did not notice him watching her carefully, taking note of her saddened expression.

Mira dropping their coffees off brought her attention back to the restaurant. They both thanked her.

Natsu took a sip of his black coffee before speaking. "So we can go to the other side of town and get you some things that you'll need. Clothes, shoes, some non-perishable foods."

She perked up, getting excited to go back to where the people were. "It sounds like fun."

"It's just shopping."

"Exactly! I've really never shopped before." She put her hands to her cheeks, giggling to herself as she thought about the prospect.

He seemed perplexed. "I would have thought you had done plenty of it."

A sad smile was on her face as she explained to him. "Well, stuff would be brought directly to me and I'd just pick out from there. I really have never gone anywhere on my own. I've never really had a friend. And I haven't had anyone to really talk to in a long time."

"Since your mom."

She nodded, pouring cream and sugar into her coffee. "Yeah. Mom was probably the closest I ever came to having a friend. If I went anywhere, it was only under my father's orders for some business event or another and I would be under constant supervision." She stirred her drink, recalling how lonely she always felt. "No one would even be allowed to get close to me. And anyone who managed to didn't actually have an interest in me, just getting close to my father and his business." She brought the mug to her lips to take sip of the hot beverage.

"I know you're still being watched by me but I hope you can at least feel a little normal going out today."

She froze, looking at him in surprise.

He shifted, grimacing. "What?" She swore she could see a blush tinge his cheeks.

She just smiled softly at his show of kindness, feeling a weight lift off her chest and her heart to flutter. "Nothing."

Mira brought out their orders, "enjoy you two!" She winked at her before heading off to another booth.

They both enjoyed their food, Lucy eating quicker than she ordinarily would due to her excitement. She would get to go out into a town and the anticipation made her giddy. Once they finished, they waved to Mira before heading out. "We don't pay?" She asked.

"It just gets taken out of my pay so it's fine." He said, looking up and down the street, motioning for her to follow. Looks like they were walking to a car parked not too far up the block. "Before I take you shopping, I need to stop by my place real quick. Is that okay?"

"Of course."

They walked up to a sedan and he reached behind the rear passenger tire, pulling out the car keys. She looked at him, confused. "A lot of these cars are for our use. When someone is done, they just leave the keys hidden so the next agent can take it."

"Can the cars be stolen by someone who isn't with you?"

"I won't say it's never happened, but it is incredibly uncommon. The very few times it has, we found the cars somewhere close by anyway. So it's fine."

The more she learned, the more she realized that the people of Fairy Tail were important to the townsfolk. They must respect them an incredible amount for all that they do for them so they do not take advantage of them. Something she was never taught about. If there's a weak point, her father would say, exploit it. They climbed in and they drove a few blocks over, coming to a simple small house at the edge of town.

He parked the car, motioning for her to follow. She climbed out, heading up the walkway to the front door. He unlocked it and walked in.

"Make yourself comfortable." He said.

"This is your home?" She looked around. It was small, not much in the way of personalization. A little messy but not unbearably. It still felt like a home to her. She liked it.

She was smiling as she sat down on the couch.

"What's with you?" He asked.

She shrugged. "Nothing, I just think your place is cute."

"Cute?"

"Yes."

"Weirdo."

"Hey!"

They laughed at the joke that had quickly become theirs. The sort of silly banter they shared during their first meeting still very much an integral part of their rapport. She did not mind it, it was fun. Like she was talking to an old friend.

"I'll just be a minute." He said as he went down the hallway, to his bedroom she assumed.

She looked around the space a bit and then realized the side table had a picture frame sitting on it. It was turned away from the couch. She went to look at it, turning it slightly towards her.

Suddenly there was a light pressure on her leg. She looked down, startled, forgetting about the picture. A gray cat was inspecting her, front paws on her thigh and neck stretching its face towards her, sniffing at the new visitor. "Oh! You have a cat?"

"Happy." He said, reemerging from the hall.

"Happy?"

"His name."

She giggled at that, reaching up to scratch his head. "Nice to meet you, Happy. That's a very cute name." The cat purred, leaning into her hand. "He's very friendly."

"Yeah, he can be. Sometimes he is a bit of a troublemaker though." Natsu seemed to glare at the furry feline which Lucy found amusing.

"Like someone else I know."

He turned his glare towards her instead and she just laughed. Natsu did not seem like the kind person to have a pet and if he did, a cat was not the first thing that would come to mind. But it was nice to see. Like he was more human than she was giving him credit for being, what with how they met, his job and where they were now. It was just something that brought her peace of mind, knowing that he could go home to something after a day of doing whatever it is he does exactly. That he had a friend who was there for him.

She recognized a lot of the looks he made. Like he lost something or someone important and it left him unable to fully be himself. He was lonely. And she knew he was because she experienced the same thing. But, looking at the friendly feline the cozied up in her lap, she was happy to know that he at least had someone who was there for him.

Ah, she thought, that must be why he's named Happy. He brings happiness wherever he goes.

She stroked the purring cat, enjoying the peacefulness as Natsu shuffled around in his bedroom.

"Time to go."

"Oh, already? But Happy looks so comfortable!"

"Do you want to go shopping or not?"

She sighed, she did need more clothes and toiletries. And this was going to be her first real shopping experience. "Sorry Happy, I have to go." She carefully lifted him and set him on the cushion beside her, cute noises of protest and confusion escaping him. "Next time I will stay longer!" The cat meowed in response. She waved back at him as they headed to the door. "He looked so sad."

"He looked like he always looks." He brushed her off and she pouted.

"You're just mean." She stuck her tongue out at him.

"Yeah, yeah." They climbed into the car and Natsu started it with a smile. "So, where to first?"

Note: Alright, I will let you guys know now, the next chapter is where we're going to start picking up steam. You got a little bit of a taste of it last one but soon we'll be really taking off. Finally! Thanks for sticking with me through this guys! The next chapter is also already in the works so it shouldn't be too long a wait for you.

Don't forget to review!