Lucy sighed, waking up under the thick blankets and minty-smelling sheets that she recognized to be Natsu's scent. She felt warm, which wasn't common for Lucy to wake up to, and it felt wonderful. Usually, she would wake up freezing because a housemaid would have peeled the blankets off to wash them, leaving Lucy unprepared for the cold draft that always came in when they opened her bedroom door. She never got mad at the maids, really, but it still felt wonderful to wake up for the first time in a very, very warm bed.

It may just be her, but Lucy also thought Natsu's pillow was firm and comfortable. Something she could snuggle against and listen to the heartbeat and -

Wait.

Opening her brown eyes, Lucy came face-to-face with Natsu's snoring and dead-asleep head. His mouth was open, and a tiny bit of drool was trickling out of the corner (not on her, thank God) of his lips. His brow twitching when she sat up in the bed like a bullet, grabbing her shoe that was on the floor of the bed. She didn't hesitate to smack Natsu awake with asnork! with her shoe to his cheek, an old-fashioned glove slap with a shoe.

"Whadd'ya doin' in bed with me, you idiot!" Lucy shrieked as Natsu squirmed and fell off the other side of the bed. His head collided with the nightstand and the lamp wobbled, but Lucy didn't stop as she chucked her shoe at him and pulled the thick blanket around her. She wasn't sleeping with pants underneath Natsu's shirt, since it went down to her knees.

"What are you talking about?" Natsu whined and groggily sat up, rubbing his skull with his eyes closed. "This is the couch..."

"No it's not!" Lucy screamed at him, making him stiffen and open his eyes. Frowning, Natsu looked around and recognized his bedroom. "I thought you said you were taking the couch!"

"Oh, whoops," Natsu blinked and twitched under his eye. Looking up to the frantic woman, Natsu could see her trying to find something to whack him with again. "Ne, Luce, it's not what it looks like, 'kay? I must've slept walk last night - it usually happens after I get done with a race."

"What kind of excuse is that?" Lucy growled and scooched away when he climbed back up. "What does that have to do with anything?"

"I usually get motion sickness while I sleep after a race," Natsu sighed with an embarrassed blush on his face. "It's weird, I know, but I used to get sick really easily in the car as a kid. When I was little, the only way I could calm down and not puke was by snuggling someone; it basically turned into a habit when I sleep now, but I usually break into Gray's room or try to snuggle Gramps or Laxus. You're actually a lot more nicer when waking up compared to them."

"That's the most stupidest thing I've ever heard!" Lucy hissed when he grinned at her. "I could've sworn I locked the door, just incase!"

"So does Gray and everyone else, but I guess that doesn't stop me," Natsu shrugged with a chuckle. "Sorry about that, Lucy. I didn't mean to scare you, honestly."

Lucy sniffed and looked away, her cheeks bright red as she looked for her backpack to get pants. Natsu pulled it up for her and handed it to the blonde, who muttered a thanks and took it from him. He hopped off the bed and made his way out the bedroom, and Lucy nearly died when she finally realized that he was shirtless and walking around in his boxers; heat rushing to her face as she mentally cursed her friend and yanked sweatpants out. She dressed in a tank top and pulled Natsu's bed back in order, not sure if he would whine if she was discovered actually making his bed. Fixing her hair into a lazy bun, Lucy stepped out of the bedroom and found that the living room changed.

Changed, as in it was sort've clean.

"W-what..?" Lucy stammered looked up to see Natsu rolling the blanket on the couch and dropping the pillow atop of it. The pink haired man straightened and looked back, now wearing a white shirt and jeans.

"Is it okay right now?" Natsu asked with his brows raised. He looked around to the cleared floor, and magazines were stacked neatly on the coffee table; the engine parts and tire were put into cardboard boxes and placed in the coat closet, all of the discarded clothes were missing, too. "I can finish it later, but it looks a lot better than last night, right?"

"Y-yeah," nodded. "You didn't...have to, Natsu."

He snorted in response. "Luce, if we're gonna be roommates, I can't live like a pig around a lady. It's rude, you know." The woman twitched to hide her laughter as she shook her head at him, and he smiled politely to her. "You ready to head to the garage? You haven't met Erza and Gray yet, and I bet they wanna meet ya. Knowing Gramps, he probably told them about you already when they came home last night."

Lucy nodded, looking over herself carefully. "Do I look okay..? I'm not sure if I look decent."

"Pfft," Natsu gurgled a laugh and tried to keep it down from pissing her off. "Don't worry 'bout it, Luce. After races, we all don't give a crap what we look like. Can't you tell?"

"But you're a boy," Lucy said flatly, ignoring how Natsu gaped at her and began walking towards the door. She pulled her sneakers on and began to open the door to go out with her sweatshirt in her arms. "Girls are different, and appearance kinda means a lot to them."

Natsu cocked his head before scrambling after her. "Well, I think you look good! If that helps, you look very nice, Luce."

"Not really."

"Aww, Lucy!"

But Natsu was right, much to her surprise. Even though Lucy still felt underdressed compared to the other women in the garage (minus Levy and Lisanna in their mechanic garbs), everyone was either in leisure clothes or still in their pajamas. Lucy could recognize a few faces from last night, huddling around Mirajane's bar or strolling around the garage and still waking up. She discovered that it was only ten o'clock, and she had gone to bed around three or four, if she remembered right.

Natsu most likely went to bed later than her, though, she thought. Since he cleaned the living room while she was asleep, Lucy figured he passed out sometime around six...and snuck into bed, or slept walk. Whatever. However, he was hyperactive and happy to be awake, running in circled to say good morning to everyone present in the space, all while tugging on Lucy's sleeve to have her follow him and properly introduce to them better than last night.

"Morning, Lulu-chan!" Levy smiled and waved with her screwdriver to the blonde, making her blink at the nickname. "Oh, don't worry about it, I give everyone personal pet names if I like them."

"How come I don't get one?" Natsu asked with a whine.

Levy crossed her arms at him and tapped her boot on the tiled floor. "You have Salamander. That's close enough until you pay me back for doing your doors, you little snot."

Lucy giggled and complimented Levy's work inside and out of Natsu's car, which made the young mechanic squeal and glitter up with joy. Lisanna, who Lucy discovered to be Natsu's friend every since they were little, little kids, is just as excited to have Lucy here (since there aren't enough girls in Fairy Tail).

"Sorry about last night," Cana said straight away when she bumped into Lucy and Natsu on their way out of the mechanic office. "I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable like that. It's not everyday I meet someone related to...you know."

Lucy smiled in response. "It's okay. Cana, right? Can you teach me how to dress like that?" Lucy pointed to Cana's outfit, even though it's probably her pjs, she was wearing a sexy crop top with the word Hot Rodwritten across her breasts and sweat shorts. "I don't know how to dress for races. "If I'm going to be Natsu's partner, I think it's only fair to dress like everyone else. Pretty sure people don't wear sweats and tennis shoes to races."

Cana was more than happy to oblige and told Lucy that she'll whip something up the next time she goes to a race or job with Natsu. Natsu then introduced her to Cana's dad and Macaro and Wakaba, who were next to a red headed woman and a bored-looking man around Natsu's age being served by Mirajane at the bar.

Natsu grinned brightly and wrapped an arm around Lucy to keep her from pulling away (which she had been trying to do the last few times meeting someone). It seemed to be a habit of his, holding people, but Lucy secretly welcomed the warmth he gave her in the not-actually-a-hug. "Guys, guys! This is Lucy! Has Gramps told you yet? She's my partner and we're bunking together now! I have a roommate!"

The redhead woman blinked and looked to Lucy, who flushed and refused to make eye contact. "So, this is the girl who was in the car last night?" she asked calmly, giving Lucy a gentle smile. "It's nice to finally meet you, Lucy. Master Makarov has told me you are joining us. My name is Erza, by the way."

Seeing the woman's hand sticking out, Lucy swallowed and shook her hand with a firm grip. This seemed to please Erza, because she smiled even brighter. "Jellal was right when he said you were tough - I can tell by your grip. It will be a pleasure working with you, Lucy."

"Thank you, Miss Erza."

"Erza is fine, now that you're part of the family," the woman winked to her, before snapping her gaze to Natsu. The once sweet, motherly look Erza was giving to Lucy, it was somewhat demonic and deadly. "Butyou, Natsu, what gave you the right to turn off the radio while I was trying to talk to you -?"

"And that's Gray over here," Natsu spoke loudly, drowning out Erza's voice as he gestured to the man sitting next to her. The man has messy black hair and droopy eyes, and looked completely disinterested in the whole situation, despite Erza practically radiating dark auras at being silenced. "He's my best bud, Luce. He helped me get into S-Class and everything!"

"I didn't hear the end of Erza's rant last night because of you, hothead," Gray growled lowly before grabbing the cup of boiling tea and chugging it down. He ignored the burning in his throat and swallowed it. "You're gonna have to make that up, you know."

"Bah, don't be such a prick," Natsu rolled his eyes and waved his hand at him, making Lucy's brown eyes look his way with a raised brow. "He's just crabby because his girlfriend stabbed his car last night, right, assbutt?"

"Not my girlfriend," Gray pointed out darkly. He took one look at Lucy before rolling his eyes. "Feel sorry for ya, blondie. Living with Natsu is going to be nothing but a living hell. It's best for you to bunk with someone else before he sleep walks and tries to cuddle you like a teddy bear."

Lucy's face went bright red and Gray noticed with a teasing smirk. "So, that already happened, huh? You work fast, Natsu."

"Lucy's a friend, jackass!" Natsu defended. "It was an accident! Don't make me beat you senseless that you'd have to stay in bed for the rest of the week!"

"Now, now, save the playtime for later, you two," Makarov's voice caught Lucy's attention as she turned around to see the elderly man dressed in a leathered jacket and jeans. He had a hat on top of his head with sunglasses resting on them. "We got work to take care today."

"Can Luce come with us, Gramps?" Natsu asked right away, bouncing in his spot. "She's sorta part of the S-Class with me, yeah? She's my partner!"

Makarov's whiskers twitched as he looked up to Lucy, who shrugged in response. "It's just going to Phantom's for a visit. It's nothing really special, Natsu."

"But I want Luce to meet Juvia-chan and try the burgers there! It's not as good as Mira's masterpieces, but it's still worth to try."

"Is everything you want to show me has to do with food?" Lucy asked with a twitch in her brow in irritation. Gray rolled his eyes and got up with his white coat in his hands, and Erza giggled at Lucy's accusation to the young man before standing up herself.

"You can come if you want, Lucy," Makarov said to her. "We have enough room in my car for one more. Erza always gets shotgun and Natsu and Gray argue in the back...it may be good to have someone in the middle to keep those two out of each other's reach."

Lucy's cheeks bubbled with the bright smile at seeing both of the young men glare at each other while Erza crossed her arms with an approving nod. "I don't mind. I'm new to Fairy Tail, so I might as well check everything out, right?"

"If you insist, dear," the old man nodded before waddling off to a compact car parked outside the opened garage door. Natsu grinned to Lucy with a sparkle in his eye, still bouncing like a kid going to an amusement park.

"It's gonna be cool, Luce. It's like those parts in the movies that have a bar scene. Where the good guy gets some info that will lead him to save the day," Natsu explained with a thumbs up, making Lucy flinch. "But don't worry, nothing ever happens when we go to Phantom's place. No one ever does anything while we're there, so you don't have to worry about anything."

Lucy blinked in disbelief at him, but he didn't stop smiling as he gently grasped her wrist and led her to where Makarov was starting his vehicle. It was rundown, but the engine sounded fresh and healthy to Lucy's ears. "It's not going to take long anyway - what we go there to do, that is - and, when we get back, Luce, I can clean some more in my apartment. I'll get the thingy that cleans the floors really good."

"The mop, Natsu. It's called a mop."

Erza watched the two go to the car, Gray at her side and slipping on his coat. Her arms still crossed, a knowing smirk spread on her lips as she shook her head slowly. Gray noticed this and raised a brow at her once he finished putting on the jacket.

"What's that look for?" he asked her.

Erza shook her head at him and grinned. "Nothing you understand, kid," she responded, looking to her other side, where her '94 Toyota Supra stood without any decorations on the hood or sides. Jellal was laying up on the hood and window with his hands behind his head, looking as if he was taking a nap ontop of her car. Seeing his eyes crack open, as if sensing someone was looking at him, she smiled brighter when his lips curled up and exhaled deeply. Taking a brief glance to Natsu opening the door for Lucy and still chattering away, Jellal raised his eyebrows before looking back to his wife.

He winked at her in response to her little observation before resuming his nap. Gray's head tilt at the couple's silent conversation and it only made him for confused. "What are you thinking, Erza?"

"You won't get it until you figure it out yourself, Gray," Erza explained before looking at him. "You excited to see Juvia? I'm sure she's gonna start apologizing for damaging your ride, hm?"

Gray flushed in the cheeks and snapped his head away from her, marching his way over to the other side the black compact car and yells at Natsu for taking up too much space in the back seat. Erza shook her head affectionately at the younger men and woman before going to take the front passenger seat to do their job for the day.

'They'll learn sooner or later,' she thought softly before Makarov began driving off into the pathway of the city.