Chapter 6

Lucy sighed as she was spending the night with the girls again in her apartment.

It was girls night again as they always planned one at the end of the month to chat and share about each other's life's.

Fortunately it was only Levy, Juvia and Erza tonight since Cana refused to see Lucy and Natsu getting it on this time. Lucy blushed as she had told Cana that hadn't happened but was reminded of her 'steamy' morning a few weeks back.

"Lu-Chan? Are you alright? I never heard you keep sighing so much, is there something that is bothering you?"

*levy asked as she painted Juvia's nails blue.*

"*sigh* it's nothing … it's just something me and natsu suddenly experienced … "

*lucy said mindlessly as she had forgotten that the girls didn't know about her and natsus relationship.*

"Hmm? You and natsu? What did he do now? Did he eat your food again?"

*erza asked as she was banned from drinking in their girls nights. Actually everyone was banned and put on a strict diet of only juice or water while they threw their girls night.*

"Did he steal your panties again?"

*juvia asked next as she dried off her nails*

"Did you two finally sleep together?"

*levy teased as she waited for lucys flustered reaction.*

".. no .. *sigh* and that's it! He wont sleep with me anymore or lay down with me after our little incident one morning .."

*lucy said as she finished painting her toenails unaware of the gaga looks she was getting from the three girls.*

"You both do what?!?"

*erza said as she stood up and looked at Lucy.*

"Lucy!!"

*levy yelled next as she had stars in her eyes wanting more information about this sudden development.*

"Yay! Does that mean Lucy is no longer Juvias love rival!?"

*juvia asked as she was exploding in happiness to finally having grey all to herself.*

"Um?! I didn't tell you guys??? … uh… the thing is … we sorta got together after we found out about our feelings for each other…"*lucy felt the pressure now as all three women got comfortable around lucy to hear her story.*

Lucy continued with her story of how she and natsu got together, then she explained to them how he would come every night to sleep with her in her bed. Nothing naughty of course! But, the girls weren't buying it..

She finally got around the topic of her problem with them finally becoming intimate with each other which, in her perspective was really hot and good steamy scene. But from then on, natsu was avoiding the topic with taking her out to eat, suddenly remembering he had a appointment with happy, or even going far with how he remembered that they had a specific sell on the canned beans he didn't even like whenever lucy tried talking about that morning.

It became farther and farther away as natsu would sleep on the floor when Lucy slept but only briefly sneak into bed when she was about to wake up giving her the idea he wasn't avoiding her. Lucy wasn't stupid, she had stayed awake all night to see what he would do and she had seen him do this. She felt hurt in someway, but also depressed about why did natsu suddenly want to take a few steps back in their relationship? Was she going to fast?

"Hmm.. it seems to me like he's probably equally as desperate as you lu-Chan.."

*levy said as she placed thumb on her chin to think.*

"Yeah, he's probably scared to hurt you or anything… heck I bet he doesn't even know how sex is done.."

*erza replied logically as she took a sip of her tea.*

"You think so? What if he didn't like what we did that morning… he didn't even get to finish himself.."

*lucy said as she looked down at her toes.*

The three girls never seen lucy depressed like this before, but weren't gonna let her bring her self esteem down for a stupid reason natsu was acting weird with her.

"Don't worry lu-chan! Let's help you look better now and make him jealous! Jealousy is always the answer when men act stupid so make him jealous lu-chan!"

*levy said with determination as did erza and juvia give Lucy a trusting look.*

"Thanks girls.. your right! Let's make him jealous!"

*lucy said as she stood up with a power pose.*

"Oop! Be careful lucy with your toes!"

*Juvia said as lucy panicked and tried seeing if she messed them up. But as the night grew, the four girls planned the perfect outfit with the perfect plan to make the dragon slayer pay for making there celestial mage sad.*

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A week later, lucy and the girls were set.

Lucy had begun to ignore natsu and avoid him. Natsu didn't seem to think anything about it but that she wanted her space. So he gave her space as he would quietly read a book in her room while she wrote her stories. He found himself not speaking much now as their only times she would say anything to him was to bid him 'goodbye or goodnight'.

He waited a week for her to say anything but saw she just got less affectionate with him and more distant. Was he losing her love? He was becoming anxious about what he had done wrong to have her go a week without showing a sign she was okay.

He was going to come over early in the morning today to check up on her. And hopefully get some words out of her.

But as natsu arrived at her apartment, her windows were locked. He now knew something wasn't right, he quickly ran inside the buildings as he got the secret extra key erza, grey, and him had for Lucy's apartment. He opened to door as he quickly walked inside to sniff the air if she was here.

She was gone already so early that the sun had barely rose. He went to check the bed as he put his hand underneath the folded blankets, they were cold…

He realized now how she didn't even sleep here last night. Did she leave the minute he left home after having enough of her silence? Did he hurt her feelings with just leaving without saying anything?? Did he do something she didn't like???

He was quickly spiraling into a anxious state as he tried finding which way her scent went but it was to faint to track anymore and the people of magnolia were already out and about erasing her scent.

He took a breath in as he just calmed down.

'Relax natsu, maybe she went to the guild last night with levy, Erza and the others.. they did have a girls night not long ago..'

Natsu came to the conclusion that if he didn't see her at the guild, he would really panic and begin asking the girls if they seen her. The thought of her being in trouble sent him mad as he couldn't bare to think someone kidnapping her and torturing her.

As natsu arrived at the guild, he said his hellos and greets to the guild mates as he scanned the area. His eyes stopped on a spot now as he finally saw Lucy, she was okay and wasn't hurt. He breathed a sigh of relief, he looked back to begin walking twords her. He noticed now how he had been careless about avoiding her on the subject of their past morning, he knew he had to apologize now as he heard her loud and clear about how hurt she probably was.

'Oh I'm so sorry luce, sorry for avoiding you, sorry for being distant with you, sorry for everything.. I'll apologize to you a millions of times over if I have too… but please speak to me-'

His train of thought stopped as he froze a few feet away from her as he saw her talking with another man. He didn't know who he was but he seemed to be making Lucy laugh and genuinely making her happy. He felt a throb in his chest as he kept watching but something ignited in him when he saw what the man did next..

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Lucy and the girls had a plan that was for sure..

But they lacked the perfect guy to get natsu jealous. All the guy members they had gone to ask to flirt with Lucy to execute their plan knew better then to mess with a dragons treasure. They were hopeless for a week, until lucy got hit by a stranger on her way home. The guy seemed like the type that were cheap and only ever hit on the pretty girls to score a night with them. But he was good looking.

Lucy talked with the others which they agreed, this douche bag was the perfect dummy to use to get natsu jealous.

So, they had told Lucy to stop talking to natsu. Give him a taste of his own medicine but 2x of what he was doing to her. Then they told her to slowly act like she was falling out of love with him.. Lucy was hurt in doing this but for the sake of not having natsu repeat this same treatment, she had to teach him a lesson of what he would lose if he hurt her and was careless about her.

And finally on the night of when it seemed that he had got comfortable with her silence. Vanish from her apartment to spend the night with levy where 'operation payback' was activated. She had been talking to the douche bag so she set up the 'meeting' at the guild where the members would tell natsu what they had seen.

She was also counting on him looking for her their and catching her with the man. If he did she would go into plan B, laugh and show natsu how happy she is without him. Of course this was all a act, but she didn't know what the man would do if she acknowledged his advances he did on her.

As predicted, she laughed when she got the signal from levy, who sat in front of her behind the man. She told her when she saw natsu spot them by taking a sip of her milk glass.

That was her que.

Lucy began actually acknowledging the man's 'jokes' and pick up lines he was telling her as she showed natsu,

'Look at me! I can be perfectly happy without you!'

But things took a turn as the man grabbed her hand and pulled lucy close to him. He wrapped a arm around her waist as he whispered into her ear.

"Say babe… why don't we go somewhere else more private..?"

*lucy felt a urge to slap him, but she thought.*

'Hey I can still control this situation and use it to my advantage.'

*she nodded as she let herself get dragged out of the guild by the man. She didn't dare to look back as she already knew.. natsu was following close behind them.*