~Past-Time Consequences~

Chapter 8

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Three pairs of eyes sat, staring intently at the sidewalk that led to an entrance of the school. They all stood, one shocked, one smiling, and one scared.

Grey was with Juvia. Which, wasn't all that surprising, but it seemed different this time. She wasn't trailing behind him, unsure of what to say and admiring him in quiet content, but she was next to him. And smiling.

And so was Grey.

He was sweaty and shirtless from gym he had last period, but the three could tell that Juvia was just happy that he wasn't completely ignoring her.

She held his shirt for him as he tried balancing his book bag and gym bag and look at his phone at once. She held it to her chest with blushing cheeks which only got darker as Grey tried to show her something on his screen, allowing her to step closer to him with hesitation.

He glanced back up to the three staring at him and said his goodbyes to Juvia, before coming up casually.

"You know there are less subtle ways to stare at people in the middle of the street," He passed right by them, but slowed down his walk.

Cana grinned and swung her arm around his shoulders, "Not where we're from."

Lucy suddenly whirled around to the empty lot around her and snatched Cana's free arm, "Cana! Don't do that, she still might be here!"

Cana only shrugged her off and rolled her eyes, "Turn it down a notch Braveheart, she went inside. It's fine."

The four strolled down the sidewalks away from the school grounds towards where most kids parked their cars. Erza came up casually beside Grey, but she held a smile that spoke anything but 'casual'.

"So, you're not freaked out by Juvia anymore huh?" She asked innocently, holding her hands behind her back.

Grey only sighed at where he knew this was going and nodded meekly, "She's alright. I mean, she's still a little...woah, but we've actually been able to hold a conversation without her overreacting to everything that happens."

He hoped that would be enough to satisfy Erza and let the topic drop, but he should've known it wasn't.

"Hm, that's good. She's a very sweet girl you know, she comes to my meetings sometimes to represent the swim teams and she is very smart and considerate. I think you two would go along together nicely." She said, as if giving him her blessing.

Grey rose an eyebrow at that in distaste that she was trying to push them together. He heard the Lucy and Cana snickering beside him and stifled a groan.

"Anyways," He said, moving the conversation along hurriedly, "Where's Natsu?"

Cana suddenly jumped in his view with a wide grin and said, "Oh I don't think he'll be coming today~"

"Why?" Erza asked.

"Because," Cana kept her grin on, "I heard he was with Val now, or something like that."

Grey looked confused down to his phone, "Who the hell's Val?"

Cana twisted on her heel and settled back between him and Lucy on the sidewalk, "Valerie Banks. She's in my art class, she's pretty cool."

Lucy was quiet a moment, thinking hard, before she popped up, "Ohh, is she that short girl? With really long hair?"

"Mmhm," Cana nodded.

"Yeah, I've noticed he's not around as much," Erza said a moment later, "I suppose that's why."

They all walked in a similar quietness, until they started along the metal fences surrounding the school. Half in deep thought of Natsu actually trying to be with a girl, and the other half silently impressed at his actions. No one said anything for a longer while, until Grey spoke up.

"Hey, isn't that him?" He suddenly said, and everyone followed his eyes across the street.

No one stopped walking, but they sure did slow down. They spotted him behind the fence, his eyes closed and hair ruffled from the small pair of hands clenching them. Valerie was pressed up against the brick wall of the A building, her lips attached to Natsu's as she arched her hips into his hands where they stayed. He kissed her dynamically, half of it sweet and gentle, and the other half of it he had her trapped against the wall with no room for her to breathe. She accepted it either way, just trying to keep on her toes so not to break them apart.

"I guess they're pretty serious now." Grey said, with a nonchalant sigh.

It was probably true. Natsu was asked out by her over two weeks ago, so it would come to no surprise to see them acting like that after the success of the first date. Lucy hadn't seen much of how they've progressed. In her study hall class with them both, she's only noticed them sitting next to each other now. They've never kissed or done anything remotely romantic in pure public. Valerie was a private girl, Lucy suspected.

Obviously Natsu changed her mind on that now, considering there were a few people in the surrounding area and she didn't seem to have the slightest care. Not that anyone would given that position.

"Mmhm." Lucy hummed, blandly.

Everyone continued on their way to Macao's cafe, some eyes still lingering on the pair that slowly came to pass behind them. Lucy stared. She knew she was, but she couldn't help the overwhelming feeling that this was going to end up causing her a bunch of stress and confusion.

Stress and confusion about what?

She couldn't answer herself. So she looked away, along with everyone else and decided she would figure it out later. In a last minute panic? Probably.

Doing that has never exactly worked out before, but hey, twelve time's the charm.

~Past-Time Consequences~

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Well it didn't take long for Lucy to be faced with that question again. Or, at least a similar question. She was back at Cana's with everyone else, Natsu now deciding to show up with the most easygoing expression anyone could have predicted.

Everything was as usual, sitting, watching TV, and having the strangest conversation about bedbug reproduction Lucy could've walked in on. She came from upstairs with a lollipop, hearing only the part of, "Drill their dick into the girl-" before she blocked everything else out in attempt to save some form of her sanity from these creatures.

"Ugh, why am I friends with you people?" She asked after they were done laughing.

"Hey, it was a biological question. Try and educate yourself for once." Cana joked, her feet kicked up on the tiny table between them all.

Lucy merely rolled her eyes and stuck her lollipop between her teeth, kicking Natsu's shoe.

"Scoot over," she said, and he mindlessly moved an inch.

She took out her candy and shoved his arm till she could fit on the couch with him and Erza. He glanced over and noticed the lollipop in her hand, and his eyes suddenly lit up in greed.

"Ooo," He said, reaching out for it.

Lucy gave him a sharp look and moved it out of his grasp, "No way, get your own."

"Come on, they're all the way upstairs," He whined, turning towards her.

"No," She said simply, then put it in her mouth to prove her point.

He frowned at her, "Just some."

Lucy gave him the stupidest look and the most sarcastic tone she could manage, "Just some? What, you want me to break it in half?" She noticed the annoyance growing in his eyes, "It's already in my mouth, so unless you want my saliva in your mouth along with it, get your own."

He stared at her blankly, before shrugging, "It wouldn't be the first time," and snatched the stick from between her lips.

Lucy gawked at him as Grey burst out laughing next to her, and her face fell into disgust as he actually put it in his mouth. She had absolutely no words to comprehend such stupidity, so she only made a noise she couldn't explain and sunk into her seat.

"You're so gross," She seethed, crossing her arms to scoot away from him.

He only grinned smugly.

After a few tense moments in Lucy's eyes, she noticed then how quiet the room had come since she even sat down in the first place. Everyone seemed to of course listen in on her and Natsu instead of the tv, so then a blush stealthy rose to her cheeks in thought of the entire situation that just happened.

Happy, who had been sitting on Erza's lap finally spoke up for all the thoughts in the room, "So, what's happening between you two now?"

They were acting as usual, arguing over candy like children, it was nothing surprising, but now that Natsu was with Valerie, everyone was actually curious about the two and their...'predicament'.

Lucy crossed her arms as Natsu glanced over to her, a look of reassurance offered to her.

She cleared her throat and sat up straight, "Yeah, actually, we've already talked over this, so everything's sorted out."

"Really?" Grey asked, a bit skeptically.

"Yeah," Lucy nodded, "Well since the whole Valerie thing..." she paused, discomfort crossing her features at Natsu's side glance.

"We've agreed to quit. I mean we said at the beginning if either of us wanted to be with someone else that we would." Lucy finished.

"So...everything's back to normal?" Erza asked, her eyes lighting up.

Natsu rolled his eyes at her reaction, "Yes. Nothing ever changed."

Everyone seemed neutral to this. Lucy couldn't really tell but she had a feeling most were happy that it was over, instead of the fact that Natsu found a girl.

Everyone, except Cana of course. She on the other hand let out a really long, sad, groan.

"Damn it Lucy!" She whined, smacking her shoulder.

"What?" Lucy exclaimed.

"You were the closest one in our group to have a boyfriend and now you completely blew it!"

Lucy had to sit and think about this for a while before she decided how to blow up at the girl. How was it her fault that she had no boyfriend? If anyone, Erza would be the closest one with her poetic little love story with Jellal. She and Natsu might have kissed a few times before, but they were nowhere near the boyfriend/girlfriend category.

"Oh shut up Cana, what does it even matter to you?" She snapped stubbornly.

"It matters, Big Tits," Cana cupped her chin and made her look up to her from the armrest, "Because we are losing."

Lucy shook her hand off her face and said, "Losing what?"

Cana lowered her head down and quieted her voice, "Natsu has a girlfriend, Grey, let's face it, is probably going to end up with Juvia, and I don't see Jellal anywhere around for Erza to be counted. We can't let the boys be the only couples. They're winning, we're losing."

"What was that Cana?" Grey shot up from his seat, next to a heavily blushing Erza.

She ignored him and Lucy just groaned out loud. "Well I'm sorry Cana, what do you want me to do? Just go up to some random guy and declare that he's my boyfriend?"

Cana pouted, her lips scrunched up and gave her a childish stare. "It would probably work, you know-"

Lucy immediately shoved her off the armrest with a growl and blushed at the laughter in the room. She crossed her arms with an arrogant huff and a glare.

"You people suck." She scoffed, turning to Natsu, "Especially you."

Natsu looked offended, "What did I do!"

"You," She jammed a sharp nail into his chest, "Had to go run off with that new girl and now I'm all the way back to square one!"

He only rolled his eyes.

"What do you think I'm supposed to do now? Without you I have no excuse to sit in with my dad on those God awful meetings, and I can't lie through my teeth like you do!" Lucy said.

"Oh bullshit, of course you can," Natsu said wistfully, "You do it all the time to the guys at school, you're decent enough."

Lucy heard laughter from everywhere but next to her and she smacked his head.

"Ow! What did I say?!" Natsu yelled, desperately confused.

Lucy only fell back into her seat with a huff and ignored the rising volume around her. She could feel the burning itch of pounding every single one of their faces in her fingers.

Why was she friends with them again?

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So sorry for such the late update guys, I was struggling on this other chapter for another one of my stories and refused to work on anything else until I finished it so...it took a while...

Also sorry its a bit short and a little boring, I just wanted to set up the whole Natsu/Lucy thing this chapter and I didn't know what else to do in it.

Thanks for reading guys, I appreciate it all and next chapter will definitely be longer and by the time you're done reading you will probably know my favorite BroOtp. XD

See ya!