Hello, reader!

This is my new on-going chapter fic! It's my first Fairy Tail one (and the first thing I've written that'll have more than one chapter that's not a Pokemon fic, lol). It's also the first chapter fic I've started since September. Man, I've improved since then.

Anyway, this story will be GrayxErza and NatsuxLucy! Yay! Right now it's just NaLu. GrayZa won't come in for another chapter or two. But I mostly wrote this as I saw there aren't a whole ton of GrayZa chapter fics, and to satisfy my desire to write an AU story that takes place in the real world. I've always wanted to do an AU! ^^
And just because I'm doing this story doesn't mean I'll drop my other ones. The next chapters of them are in the works. Oh, and if you like Pokemon, you should check out my stuff. x3

And here's a promise: I will do a GrayZa rant in an author's at some point in the story. xD

I previewed this story in my one-shot Butterflies and Mutual Density. Now, the scene there doesn't happen in this chapter, but it'll come around later in the fic.

Disclaimer: Now, I don't really get the point of these. If I owned Fairy Tail, why would I be writing on Fanfiction? It just doesn't make sense.
Haha, that was just for fun. x3 (This is why I should not post at 12:30 in the morning)

Anyway, reader, get on with your reading!

Enjoy~!
-xxGlassRose :)

~13th Street, Chapter One: Brand New Deck~

13.

A number that has been synonymous with misfortune for decades. But then again: Who said 13 wasn't a lucky number?

…

Lucy unfolded the map as the cab whizzed through the streets. She'd want to see the campus as soon as she could, so presently, her plans consisted of scoping out her new apartment, putting down all her bags, and heading over to the college she would now be attending. True, it was rare for people to transfer after the school year had started, but Lucy's grades were more than good enough to do so.

And so she did-arriving in a new place would be good for her. No one knew her here; no one knew her past. It was like starting over, a clean slate. And Lucy couldn't be happier about it.

Rain falling on the asphalt created and monotonic drone and pedestrians sought cover along the sides of the street to escape the sudden downpour. Looking on, Lucy made some mental notes about the street. Having no car, it would be a good idea for her to know where to go for shopping, groceries, and such.

The taxi made a sharp turn onto the road where the apartment complex was located. Lucy barely caught sight of the signpost, but she knew what it read: 13th Street.

Lucy opened her violet umbrella before stepping out of the car and proceeded to carry her luggage one by one to the covered area in front of the double doors. After she had paid the driver, Lucy found assistance in a man who came from inside the building. Stepping back, she took a good look at the building.

"Richardson Plaza," she said to herself, reading the sizable letters mounted on the edifice. "Looks like this is my new home." And with that, Lucy went inside.

"Apartment 413," the man at the front desk said as he handed Lucy her key.

"Thank you!"

Lucy pushed the luggage cart along the hall, looking for the right residence. The wheels made a ka-chink, ka-chink sound as they rolled over the cherry floor boards. The Richardson Plaza was certainly a nice place.

"413, 413... Ah, here!" She stuck her key in the door and turned, then tried to open it. But for some reason, the door refused to give way. The blonde was getting mad. She grabbed the knob angrily and fidgeted with it to no avail.

"Why… won't… you… just… open?" she asked between knocks on the stubborn piece of wood. The door creaked, then opened. And a girl with bright red hair who looked about Lucy's age stood in it.

"Are you trying to break into my apartment?" she asked seriously. Lucy tilted her head to the side.

"This is my apartment. 413." The other girl narrowed her eyes.

"That's next door." Lucy stepped back and looked at the plate next to the door she was pounding on. Apparently, the plates that told the numbers were on the left side of the doors, not the right.

"Ohhhh. Sorry about that!" She sheepishly rubbed the back of her head and smiled as the redhead slowly nodded and closed the door. "Man, that was an embarrassing way to meet your neighbor…" mumbled Lucy, now pushing the cart through the correct doorway.

Hailing a taxi seemed to be a pointless effort; Magnolia University was a mere three blocks away, shedding light on Lucy's motives behind picking her apartment. College was within easy walking distance, along with a bevy of stores in which Lucy could probably shop to her heart's content, if her budget allowed.

So now, Lucy Heartfilia, along with her purple umbrella, strolled along the lengthy strip of road known as 13th Street. It was a quiet walk, which consisted of Lucy taking in the area and peeking at her map simply to make sure she wasn't going the wrong way. The town was nice and urban, consisting of many people Lucy's age, most likely due to the nearby college. That was a good thing-because of that, she would probably not have a hard time finding friends.

Magnolia University was a large, stately, brick building with smaller ones on either side. The main building had a clock tower standing over the college. It looked liked a classic school, not one of those more modern ones with locations scattered all about a city. That was good; it meant that the likelihood was that Lucy would have all her classes in one building, and if not, she wouldn't need to walk far.

After receiving directions from a few students, Lucy made her way to the dean's office. She pushed open the door slightly. Someone was in there talking to the dean, and it sounded as if they were in trouble.

"Natsu, I'm sorry, but setting one of the chemistry lab's shelves on fire is simply not acceptable," was heard as the girl was trying to decide whether she should obtrude.

"But Dean Johnson, it was so cool!" a salmon-haired boy who looked about Lucy's age cheered, standing from his chair and pumping a fist. "You should've seen it! I was holding the tube and sparks flew out and-"

"Listen, I don't care if you were working on the assignment. You can't just-" The dean looked up and saw Lucy peeking in the doorway. "Hello, there."

"H-hello," she nervously stuttered, opening the door fully. "I'm Lucy Heartfilia, the transfer student."

"Ah, yes!" The man stood from his chair and walked over to Lucy. "I'm Dean Johnson. Nice to meet you. I assume you would like to see the campus?" Lucy nodded.

"Yes please!"

"Well, I've got work to attend to here so… Mr. Dragneel! Would you do me the favor of showing this girl around our school?"

"But it's going to be lunch soon!"

"You can take her with you." Natsu stood from his chair and walked to the others.

"Hey, I'm Natsu Dragneel," he introduced, holding out his hand for the girl to shake. She did so then said,

"Nice to meet you! I'm Lucy."

"Well, you wanna get on with this?" She nodded and then headed out the door and down the hallway.

"And this right here is the chemistry lab. And the reason I got in trouble…" Natsu said, stopping in front of what seemed like the millionth classroom on this tour of the school and shoving his hands in his pockets.

"What did you do?"

"Set a bookshelf on fire. Look." Natsu pointed to a shelf in the classroom with char marks and a good portion of the top missing. "I don't think it was a big deal, but the dean's going to add the cost of it to my tuition. Which means I'll have less free cash," he sighed.

"Maybe you could find work somewhere to get a little extra," suggested Lucy.

"I already work. And two jobs would be just about impossible. My grades would tank." The boy crossed his arms behind his head. "You wanna go get lunch or something?"

"That came out of the left field… I just met this guy and he's asking me to lunch," she thought. "Um, don't you have a class or something?"

"Lunch hour's gonna start soon. Besides, it doesn't really matter if I miss a day of class. I was in the dean's office anyway. So are you in or what?" he asked, sudden intensity in his voice.

"Uh, yeah! Why not?"

"Do you know where you want to go?" Lucy asked as she pushed open the front door of her new school and walked down the gray steps.

"There are some good places along this street." The two turned the nearest corner. "13th Street is the main street that runs through this city. You can find just about anything on it. Come on!" Natsu grabbed Lucy by the wrist and began running while the girl frantically pressed the hat she was wearing onto her head.

"Wh-why are you pulling m-me so fast!" she shrieked, hoping passersby wouldn't notice the duo or at least wouldn't care. Natsu turned around and flashed a smile; a smile that was so incredibly warm, the blonde thought she just might melt; a smile so contagious, she couldn't help but find one on her own face.

"Because it's fun!"

Lucy stopped questioning him.

The two went to a local Chick-fil-A. Nothing fancy; neither of them wanted something like that. Just a place to get something good and satisfying before heading back to school. If they would go back. Natsu was seriously contemplating going home to take a nice, long nap or something of the sort.

Lucy tilted the straw towards her mouth and slurped with all her might; it probably would have been a better idea to get a spoon. Her milkshake was too thick for the meager tube of plastic she had placed in it. But at the same time, it was too good not to attempt to drink the milkshake.

So Lucy was fairly absorbed in her treat, and Natsu was thoroughly absorbed in the three chicken sandwiches he had bought for himself.

"No wonder this guy needs extra cash," Lucy told herself as she watched Natsu scarf down food. "It's almost like he's never eaten food before." The girl let out a small giggle and grinned.

"What are you looking at me for?"

"Eh?" The blonde stiffened, a look of confusion and slight disbelief on her face. He stared at her for a few more seconds, then turned back to his food.

"Weird," Natsu muttered under his breath. Lucy now stared at him in full disbelief.

"He thinks I'm weird? He's the weird one! I mean really, who eats that much food so quickly?" Her face was now turning red from embarrassment, yet the cause of it was unknown. "What's with me?" she inwardly screamed. The best thing would be to shake it off and start a conversation.

"So, you're a freshman this year, right?" He simply nodded. Lucy had been expecting more of a response, more than the small nod he had given her. But that confirmed her question either way. So far she knew that Natsu was a college freshman at Magnolia University, had a job somewhere, and liked food. Not much. "I need a job myself…" Lucy thought out loud. Natsu perked up.

"You said that you need a job?" he questioned, standing up and pressing his hands down on the table.

"Uh, yeah!" Lucy said, a nervous smile on her face. "Do you know a good place to work?"

"Do I?" He chuckled, a wide smirk on his face. "I happen to work at the best place ever!"

"And where might that be?"

"Come on!"

Within the next few minutes, Natsu and Lucy had left the restaurant and were rushing through the crowds again, Lucy holding onto her hat again and Natsu leading the way.

He skidded to a halt right in front of a building with brightly colored flags mounted on the front. From what Lucy could tell, it was coffee shop.

"Here we are!" he announced. Lucy's face widened into a smile. "Fairy Tail!"

CFA ftw. xD Love that place! And yes, Fairy Tail is a coffee shop in this story.
Anway, the next chapter will be up at some point, I'm just not sure when. But it will be! And there will be GrayZa in the future!