The Hogshead Incident
A couple hours after the match, Natsu was wondering around the common room looking for Lucy. He didn’t have anything specific to say to her, but he didn’t need a reason.
Cana, who had sugar crashed from the sheer amount of candy she’d eaten at the game, tugged on his sleeve.
“If you’re looking for Lulu, she’s in our room” The brunette giggled to herself, slurring her words slightly.
Natsu gave her a wide smile and quickly headed up the stone spiral staircase to the girls rooms. He knocked on the door loudly yelling; “It’s Natsu! Lemme in!”
Lucy, on the other side of the door was changing, she quickly did up her zipper as much as she could to make herself decent before calling back. “It’s unlocked!”
He opened the door and froze. She looked beautiful. Lucy was dressed in a sleek little black dress, her hair gently curled fell naturally on her shoulders and she was decked in silvery jewellery.
“Hey” She smiled softly.
Natsu cleared his throat and looked away. He couldn’t focus on anything whilst looking at her. “Sooo..good thing we won. Gotta show those snakes who’s better.”
She chuckled. “Yeah, guess so.”
“Uh,” he cleared his throat once again “Is there a reason you’re wearing that?”
She looked down and back up at him maintaining her sweet smile. “Im going out, Leo invited me to the Hogshead to celebrate the match and all.”
“Oh, cool.” His heart sank, he clenched his jaw to mask his frustration. He was annoyed at himself for not doing something like this himself.
Lucy read the annoyance on his face. Natsu wasn’t the best at hiding his emotions. She’d only accepted the invitation because Leo had offered to pay. She’d go on a date with a troll if it meant she’d get a free meal.
They stood in awkward silence for a moment before Lucy spoke up again.
“Sorry but could you do my zipper? I cant reach.” She turned around and lifted her hair around her shoulder.
Natsu swallowed the lump in his throat and stepped forward. He slowly pulled the zipper, gently brushing her skin with his hand.
Both of their hearts were beating out of their chests. It was unbearable.
“Lucy-“
“Gotta go now bye!” She cut across him snatching up her purse and rushing past him out of the door.
He sighed and slumped onto her bed, falling back with his hands over his face. He felt like an idiot.
✨✨✨
Lucy met Leo at the entrance to Hogsmeade and they walked link armed in the gentle breeze of evening.
“You look great by the way, my lady.”
She cringed at this but forced herself to be polite. “Thank you, you too.” She wasn’t lying to be fair. Leo wasn’t a bad looking guy by any means, in fact many girls she knew had a crush on him. The only reason she didn’t feel the same was because she just couldn’t get past his personality.
Once they had arrived at the Hogshead, the two sat at the bar. Being underage, the only thing the two could order was non alcoholic butter beer.
“Two please.” The ginger boy told the bartender. The lady in question was a tall very pretty woman with long silvery white hair. Her voice when she replied was high pitched and kind. “Of course sir!”
The two sat in silence together, though luckily the busy sounds of clinking glass and joyful chatter filled this silence.
“Hey, I’m gonna go relieve myself, be right back beautiful.” He winked and walked briskly toward the bathroom to which Lucy breathed a heavy sigh of relief.
The pretty bartender came back with the two large drinks. “Here you go sweetie!”
Lucy smiled and replied “Thank you uh..” she read the name label on the woman’s chest. “Mirajane, thanks Mirajane.” Mirajane nodded and left to attend to other customers.
The blonde took a couple small sips of her drink before hearing a deep raspy voice from behind. “Well well, it’s the lion girl from charms!”
She whipped her head round to see the tall muscular boy from before. “What’re you doing here blondie?” He smirked.
“It’s none of your business Gajeel.” She glared. The other two slytherin boys were stood nearby watching the scene.
“Watch your mouth princess.” He stepped closer with a mocking tone, Gajeel was now standing over Lucy with a much more angered expression on his face.
At that moment the girls mind went blank. She was in a loud crowded area, if something were to happen nobody would even notice let alone care enough to intervene.
She would never usually be so intimidated by a group of boys however this certain group was now known across the school for “accidents” with other students.
Her whole body trembled in fear of what was about to happen. Gajeel raised his hand and grabbed her collar tightly, pulling him closer to her with a maniacal grin on his face.
Lucy squeezed her eyes shut and her breathing became uneven and panicked.
Then suddenly the feeling of Gajeel’s boarish hands on her was replaced with a gentle yet firm hold on her own hand.
She cautiously opened her eyes to the comforting sight of that salmon coloured hair. Natsu’s hand was wrapped around hers and it was oddly soft and warm.
“What the hell do you think you’re doing.”
The dangerous tone of Natsu’s voice almost made Lucy flinch. She’d never once heard him sound so genuinely..scary. Scary was the only word that came to mind, though she wasn’t scared. She felt probably more safe than ever in that moment.
“Oh? Fire boy wants to get involved now?” The black haired boy looked as if he was about to punch Natsu when..
“Boys.” The group turned to see the bartender Mirajane, only the sweet, high pitched voice from earlier was basically unrecognised in that menacing sound. The difference was more uncanny and terrifying than Natsu’s and Lucy just sat wide eyed at her.
“Don’t you dare start a fight in my bar. I want all of you out, sorry miss but that includes you and your friend.”
None of them objected. The gaggle of slytherins scurried out with mumbled annoyance whilst Lucy and Natsu left quietly in the other direction.
The pair walked in silence for about fifteen minutes before Lucy finally spoke up.
“Thank you. You.. you really saved me then.” She smiled though it was more directed to the ground as she felt far too awkward to look up.
“It was no big deal, besides nothing happened.” He shrugged, the usual raspy yet cheerful voice was slowly coming back to him.
Lucy paused. Something had been weighing on her mind ever since she had laid eyes on him back in the Hogshead that night.
“Something wrong Lu?” Natsu turned to her.
“Can I ask.. uh..”
Natsu prompted her to continue with a small gesture.
“Why were you at the Hogshead tonight? I thought you were staying back with the others..not that I’m ungrateful for you saving me I just-“
He cut her off before she could finish rambling on. “It was just a feeling I guess. As soon as you left the room I felt a weird sensation in my stomach. Like a gut feeling this whole thing wasn’t right.”
Lucy’s heart raced at hearing that. She may have misinterpreted what he said because of her feelings, but in her mind that was solidified jealousy. He was jealous of Leo.
Leo?
“Oh my god Leo!!” With all the commotion and chaos of the events unfolding Lucy had left her date all alone in the bar. She felt bad because she was after all a kind person at heart. As much as she was repulsed by the way he treated women, she couldn’t leave him stranded.
Meanwhile, Natsu’s heart sank. She was thinking about Leo. Again. Even after what had just happened, he wasn’t her first thought. Leo was and that really pissed him off.
“Just go.” Natsu grumbled.
She nodded with an appreciative smile for his understanding and rushed away.
He clenched his fists. He couldn’t for the life of him understand why he felt this pain in his chest. Why didn’t she want to accept his protection of her or his devoted friendship?
✨✨✨
Natsu lay beside the fire on his favourite armchair. He was staring at the ceiling. It was quiet, everyone else had gone to bed and so the only remaining sounds were his own gentle breathing and the odd crackle of the fire.
Why had he bothered staying up he had no idea and yet he had.
Waited
Waited
Waited
And waited.
Finally there was a creek of the large wooden door.
Natsu turned his excitement to that area only to see Leo. His smile had never faded so fast.
“Hey man.”
Natsu hummed just as to acknowledge the boys presence.
“Uh, I’m gonna go to sleep. Don’t wake me up early. I’ve just been rejected for the first time ever and let me tell you it doesn’t feel good.” The boy tried to hide his upset with a strained smile.
Well that was certainly one way to grab Natsu’s attention. Lucy rejected Leo. He should have felt bad, guilty even for crashing their date and yet he couldn’t help but let his heart leap for joy at the words.
The pinkette watched as Leo left the room in a subtle slump, then whipped his head back around at the repeating sound of the creeky door.
“Natsu, hey.” Lucy beamed at him. She looked tired and Natsu could tell as much.
“Hey Lu.” He smiled back. His cheeks flushed slightly and his hands trembled though he once again was clueless as to why.
Lucy collapsed into the space beside Natsu and almost subconsciously wrapped her arms around his neck. She was already drifting off to sleep but he didn’t mind. He wrapped his own arms around her waist to support her position and rested his head atop of hers.
Hearing the gentle snore from her, he looked down at the silky blonde hair he had become accustomed to and slightly attached to. Feeling the heavy fatigue wash over him, he gently kissed the top of her head and closed his eyes.
That night the two fell asleep in one another’s arms, knowing full well both of them would likely forget it all by morning.