A/N: Before I say anything else, I want to thank KaUiA for the following portion of this chapter (and the next– whenever I get the time to write it). You're an plot descended angel!

Also, I want to give a great big THANK YOU to everyone who followed, faved, and reviewed. My gmail is acting a little strange, so if you reviewed and didn't get a personal PM from me, I am very sorry. I do appreciate the support and I want to thank you now. To my Guest(s) who reviewed, your reply will be at the bottom. I'm sorry that this took a lot longer than I originally expected, but then my author's mind got greedy and I spent up most of my time writing another fic. I'm back now and ready to roll!

No significant Natsu/Lucy development in this chapter but I thought you guys waited long enough. So here's an update!

Enjoy and as always, see you in the next one! -808Lionfire

Disclaimer: Fairy Tail (c) Hiro Mashima

Recap:

One, he never once considered to ask the golden-haired weirdo her name; two, she left her sweater under the pile of snacks from the vending machine; three, with the weirdo gone, he didn't need to hold the ice-cream to his cheek, but did it anyway; and four, she was still wearing his favorite jacket.

And he didn't know if he'd ever get it back.

Vending Machine Love

"Mistakes Happen"

It wouldn't be until sometime next week when he can see the weirdo again.

Not like he was going to actively look for her or anything. Sure, he wanted his jacket back– it was his favorite after all, but he wouldn't go out of his way to search for her. However, since it was Friday and no one on campus believed in Saturday school, he'd just have to catch her next week.

Then his brain was kind enough to remind him that she just left a second ago and he scrambled to his feet to see if he could catch her at the mouth of Vending Alley. Unfortunately, by the time he reached the entrance of the tunnel-way, the blonde-haired weirdo was nowhere to be seen and his salmon-colored eyebrows furrowed. She didn't look like someone who could move very fast (don't tell her he said that! His minimal experience with anything female told him she wouldn't take to kindly to hearing that).

He briefly wondered if the past thirty-minutes was just his mind playing tricks on him again, but then an exceptionally cold breeze wrapped around his jacket-less arms and the thought immediately flew from his mind. Besides, when he turned around to head back into the vending-machine lined tunnel-way, he was once again reminded that– no, it wasn't his imagination because her sweater was still there, and no, he had no idea what he was going to do with all those snacks.

His Pyrotechnics Lab wasn't until three and the hourly bell indicated that it was currently two. So maybe he could drop some of the stuff in the room if his professor wasn't busy. He could be the bigger man and give the frozen freak the Ice Shell ice-cream the weirdo bought him to stop the bruise on his cheek from swelling. Of course, he wasn't planning on telling the stripper that he used anything—albeit reluctantly—for the cheap-shot he got him with.

Besides, it was still cold enough. Even with his abnormal body heat, the low forty-degree weather definitely kept the ice-cream from melting. He could 'accidentally' forget that he used it as a cold-press and that ice-prick would be none-the-wiser.

Natsu reluctantly knew that Gray's next lesson—which was apparently a Sculpting Lab—started at three. So he could give that dark-haired bastard his ice-cream when he met up with him at the sitting area between their buildings. Natsu also knew that metal-face, a.k.a. his dumb-ass of a cousin, Gajeel Redfox, would also be around because his Wielding (or something of the other) Lab started at two-forty-five and it was in the same building as the stripper's.

Which actually worked out well, because the weirdo also bought two things of the Iron Dragon's caramel-brittle. Which, by the way, tasted damn awful. Honestly, Natsu legitimately thought it tasted like dirt and metal, but his cousin seemed likes it enough. Or was obsessed with it.

Same thing.

The salmon-haired student didn't want to seem like he was going soft by giving the snacks to those asses. If anything, those ungrateful jerks would use this begrudging act of kindness as more fuel to burn him with. But it wasn't like he was going to eat them himself and he wasn't just going to just toss the crap snacks because of that. Especially since he wasn't the one to wasted her whole wallet on it (he owed the weirdo at least that much). So with that thought in mind, he strode back towards the pile of snacks and secured them snugly into the pink sweater.

Natsu felt his face scrunch at the bold color but cradled the impromptu knapsack into the crook of his arm anyway.

"Yo, Macao!"

The salmon-haired student strolled into the lab-room, abruptly causing the professor to halt half-way into his explanation of proper mineral mixtures. The dark-blue-haired professor, Macao Conbolt, raised an eyebrow at the young man walking towards the backroom with an air of nonchalance that only Natsu could exude. Having known the young man as a student for nearly two years, he wasn't too surprised at his abrupt presence in the class.

That didn't mean he couldn't be upset.

"Dragneel," the older man called out, making the namesake pause halfway through the door to the backroom. "How very nice of you to join us. Do you have a particular reason why you're currently interrupting my lab?"

The salmon-haired student turned his head to grin widely, "Aye, sir."

That's all he decided to give the older man before disappearing fully into the back. Natsu faintly heard a sigh come from the main room before he could make the dark-haired professor clearing his throat and droning on about what he had interrupted. The salmon-haired student snickered as he moved towards the lockers off to the side.

His nose scrunched at the near overwhelming scent of the minerals next to him, but paid it no mind as he slipped his fingers into the front of his scarf and fished out a small key from one of the many folds. The polished silver metal glinted in the faded fluorescent light, temporarily distracting the student as he drift his thumb over a particularly large scratch on its head. There was a small, nostalgic grin on his face as he shoved the tool in its respective lock, whistling while he deftly twisted the key and swung the locker door open.

Natsu dumped the snacks into his locker and threw the pink sweater over his shoulder so he had his hands free to sort through the snacks. Before he could reach back into the locker, his nose twitched curiously as the pink fabric accidentally brushed under it. Unable to help himself, he turned his head slightly and tentatively sniffed again.

Even through the heavy smells of the minerals like barium and sulfur, the heady scent wafting from the sweater hit him harder than one of Gajeel's punches. A curse slipped through his lips in an awed whisper, his hand physically moving to lift the limp sleeve to his nose.

Cinnamon.

That was the first smell that reached him. It threw him for a loop because he immediately pegged the weirdo as a vanilla type of girl, maybe even a pinch of strawberries thrown into the mix. Cinnamon was a palette he was definitely new to, but it fit her strangely enough. The spice mixed in well with a bit of honey and– wait... was that coconut?

Slipping the pink fabric off of his shoulder, he shamelessly brought the sweater to his nose and breathed in. There wasn't a moment of pause or even a second of wonder if smelling the stranger's clothes was creepy. He just nodded his head when he pulled the pink fabric away from his face.

Yep, definitely coconut.

The tropical fruit was more prominent near the collar of the sweater and If Natsu had to bet on it, he'd probably say it was must've been kind of shampoo she used. The scents mingled strongly on the sweater and he couldn't help but raise an amused brow at the thought. If this was her favorite sweater, she must be freaking out pretty badly right about now.

Serves her right though. She took his favorite sweater and now he had hers. They'd just have to do an exchange or something the next time they meet and then part ways as if the incident never happened in the first place. Maybe repay her if he could– discreetly, of course. The weirdo looked like a goody-two-shoes and there was no doubt in his mind that she had a clean reputation. There was no way he was going to repay her kindness by dirtying her slate with his.

Now, Natsu wasn't an idiot– just that he would do some idiotic stuff at times. He knew that people pointed fingers and gossiped about him even if they thought he never noticed. It wasn't bullying—per say—because most of what they would say was technically true. He couldn't help it; he enjoyed a good braw with his frenemies every now and again. His hair drew the most attention, but the color was completely natural and it's not like he would go out of his way to dye his hair just because they didn't like it.

Everyone would just have to deal.

The salmon-haired student yawned, dropping the sweater back onto his shoulder in favor of covering his mouth. Tears pricked at the edge of his eye as he rummaged through the pile of packaged goodies in the locker, plucking out the snacks he would give to the bastards out of the kindness of his own heart. Snorting at the thought, he quickly tied the sweater back into a makeshift knapsack and cradled it back into the crook of his arm.

The door swing closed and he swiftly locked it, slipping the small key back into his scarf for safe keeping. His olive-eyes scanned the backroom for a second before he shrugged the bundle of his arms over his shoulder. He whistled slightly, pausing to push a jar of powdered charcoal further into the shelf before striding out of the back room.

He uninterestedly noted that Macao moved his class onto the actual lab portion of the classroom. The professor turned when he heard whistling, sending the salmon-haired student an unimpressed look. Natsu just grinned and readjusted his hoard over his shoulder, giving the man a two-finger salute in farewell. The dark-haired professor rose an eyebrow before lifting his own hand and beckoned the younger man with a curl of his finger.

With a pause of hesitance, Natsu placed the bundle onto a desk near the exit and walked over with a slight frown.

"Class," Macao announced when the salmon-haired student stopped at his side. The thirty-sum students stopped what they were doing and turned to look. "This is Natsu Dragneel," he introduced, ignoring the sharp look he got in return, "and he's going to help me do a little demonstration."

The namesake looked at the professor flatly. "No, I'm not."

"Of course you are," Macao grinned, dropping a heavy hand on the student's shoulder. "It's the least you can do for disrupting my lecture."

"I've got things I gotta do," Natsu still refused, warily eyeing the eager gazes on him.

"I've known you since you were in diapers, Natsu," the professor rose an unimpressed eyebrow, "no matter how important something is, you'd never pass up the chance to light something on fire." The salmon-haired student remained silent, unable to argue against the truth. Macao grinned and patted the young man's shoulder before slipping his hand off. "Good. Now go grab some glasses and a coat."

Natsu begrudgingly forced himself towards the lab coats, scrunching his nose in distaste. "I'll wear the googles, but I ain't gonna put on that damn coat."

"It's protocol, Dragneel," Macao stated flatly. "If you're going to help with the demonstration, you need to wear a coat. Lab rules."

"Not gonna do it," the student refused, pushing the safety goggles over his eyes and striding back over to him. "I'm not gonna take off my scarf for a demo that I didn't even want to do in the first place."

"Do what you want," the professor sighed in defeat, "but if anything happens because you refuse to wear a coat, I'm not liable."

Natsu grinned toothily, his sharp canines making their presence. "Yeah, yeah. Now what are we doin'?"

"Fireworks." The dark-haired professor smirked at the instant reaction he pulled from the salmon-haired student. The male's olive-eyes brightened almost immediately. "I just finished explaining the fuel and oxidation process. We're moving onto demonstrating color compound."

Natsu smirked, folding his arms. "Strontium."

"No," Macao immediately denied, ignoring the younger man's indignant pout. "We're trying to demonstrate colors, Natsu," he continued, reaching under the desk to pull out a couple of jars. "What's the point of the demonstration if we keep the flame color the same?"

"Strontium is a brighter red than a normal flame," he pointed out, trying to defend his favorite color.

When the professor continued to level him with a flat stare, the student sighed and decided to go with his go-to color when all else failed. He crouched to look under into the cabinets, his hand clutching at the edge of the counter for balance. His olive-eyes sharpened as he purposefully searched the expanse of compound powders for the–

"Ah!" Natsu cried in triumph, his hands wrapping around the cover of a glass jar and pulling it free. "Got it!"

"Sodium," Macao uttered with a purse of his lips as he took the compound from the student's hands. "I should've known. You probably would've chosen the lampblack or iron-carbon compound if we were making a completed explosive."

"Yeah, keep talking Macao," Natsu snickered, "you're confusing your first-years."

True enough, when the pair turned to look, there were blank stares from every corner of the lab staring right back at them. The students had turned when they heard the salmon-haired man speak but it was clear that some had stopped paying attention. There were one or two students that looked as if they followed and the rest tried their best to hang on.

Macao sighed, turning to the pinkette with a disapproving look in his face. "Just get the torch or I'll tell Erza you were disrupting a lecture."

"Wow. That's a low blow, old man."

Natsu rolled his eyes at the bored shrug he got in return and shuffled to the back room while the dark-haired professor motioned for the students to follow him towards the other end of the class. When he returned with the propane blow-torch in hand, the entire classroom was surrounding what he called the 'Boom Box'. He never knew the technical name for it but it was just a hollow box lined with metal plates to keep fire from spreading whenever they demonstrated combustion reactions.

And things exploded sometimes.

Hence the name Boom Box.

"...and sodium nitrate produces a yellow," the dark-haired professor droned on. He then lifted his hand to the back right corner of the box where a rectangular metal grate occupied. "This is a vent," Macao pointed out and ignored the sarcastic snort Natsu released as he pushed through the crowd. "There are some compounds that are extremely dangerous when oxidized. The effects are significantly reduced in open air but in a closed classroom like this, there's no telling what might happen."

Macao took the blow-torch from the salmon-haired student's hands. "With Dragneel's help, I will be using the torch method to demonstrate how each compound affects what color is going to be produced in a completed firework. You all will be doing a similar experiment in the later half of today's lesson." The dark-haired professor let the class cheer for a second before holding up his hand. "However, you will test color effects using the raw components in the compound, mixed into an alcohol solution."

The class groaned.

As an after-thought, Macao added: "And no blow-torches."

Natsu smirked when the class protested immediately. Arguments rung around the classroom and the salmon-haired student only smirked wider when he saw the dark-haired professor rub his temple with his free hand.

"Who are you and what did ya do with the old man?" He asked the professor with a smirk. There was a questioning look in the older man's eyes and Natsu was all too eager to answer it. "A couple of years ago, you'd shove torches their way even if they didn't want 'em," he snickered, "don't tell me you're actually tryna be responsible for once?"

Macao glared. "I am responsible."

"Yeah, sure," Natsu snorted. "This comin' from the guy that gave an eight-year-old a fireworks kit for his birthday."

"I didn't hear any complaining."

"From me?" The salmon-haired student rose an eyebrow, "o'course not, I loved it. Can't say the same for Pops and Gramps though."

"Okay, so maybe one time I was irresponsible–"

"You got drunk on your kid's fifth birthday."

"–I did not–"

"And nearly every birthday after."

"–that's not–"

"Y'know," Natsu pondered with a misleadingly innocent twist to his lips, "Rome's still mad about you slugging his favorite superhero in the face on his tenth birthday. Which actually hurt a little, by the way."

The younger man touched his cheek, which was sporting a new bruise in courtesy of a certain icy-bastard. And even though there was a new wound, Natsu could still remember that day as if it happened just the day before. Macao's kid, Romeo Conbolt, had been obsessed with an anime-bred hero named Salamander who had an uncanny resemblance to Natsu's fifteen-year-old self.

The salmon-haired student was just messing around with the Romeo and his friends when, out of nowhere, the man stumbled in and clocked him right in the face. As expected, Natsu did what every highly-esteemed hero does when attacked:

Beat the crap out of him.

Macao opened his lips to argue but then pursed them closed almost immediately, knowing that he couldn't protest because it was all true. His dark eyes peered around the little group they were surrounded by, relieved that they were still arguing amongst themselves. The dark-haired professor turned to the smug, salmon-haired student and scowled.

They both knew that he was just messing with him; the professor was a good dad despite how careless he was for the first half of his son's life. Natsu saw how broken Macao was when his wife left him and their four-year-old all those years ago. It was around the time he blindly attacked Natsu in his drunken haze when the dark-haired professor really cleaned up his act, got a job as the Pyrotechnics Professor at Mag. State, and became a better dad– a better person overall.

But he's still an idiot, Natsu reflected silently.

"Okay class! Settle down!" Macao shouted over the obnoxious protesting. The dark-haired professor shot a dirty look at the salmon-haired student's smirk before turning around to address the class. "We're going to start the demonstration and I don't care if your lab won't be 'fun'," he shot a pointed look at one of the students who flushed shamefully, "the compounds that we are working with have traces of the same minerals that we used in the firework's fuel, so things. Will. Combust." He stressed the last few words before continuing, "and will do so randomly."

Natsu rolled his eyes when Macao lit the torch with a mischievous grin. "Let's get started, shall we?"

A/N: Since there is only one guest to reply to, I want to use this bit of section to talk about a few things. Firstly, Happy belated Holidays to you all! I was supposed to post this yesterday as a Christmas gift (even if you don't celebrate it, it's a time of giving back and this was my 'giving back').

Secondly, this is a disclaimer to every nerdy thing used above. I never took a pyrotechnics class (thank goodness. I'd probably burn the whole campus down. On accident of course). I found all the information regarding fireworks via Google. And Google isn't a 'reliable source' according to every intensive English writing professor ever.

Thirdly, I know this was a kind of boring chapter but fillers are inevitable. My take on this Natsu's personality will take a bit of development but I promise to return to the plot soon. I just wanted to give a little bit of more characteristic and background to his past and who he surrounded himself with (although that is frankly obvious).

Now onto my guest reply!

To (my kind Guest) Guest: Here's the next chapter! I'm sorry for the long wait~ Thank you for reviewing, the support really means a lot!