As the boy left the building, his ochre eyes flickered through Izumi's consciousness. Their alluring sharpness kept her wondering; who the hell was this guy, and why had one flirty comment gotten her so flustered?

     Oh, wait, she reminded herself. You're a socially awkward little bean.

     "Sir," she stammered, extended out her free hand. "You can, er, stay in if you want? The forecast said something about rain this morning."

     Natsu's eyes went back to her right then, just as she offered it. Oh, how he loved people liking his company. He'd felt lonely since Happy had gone off on his most recent quest with Wendy and Carla. Even if he was getting his attention from a stranger, it was far better than none at all.

     Although he knew it wasn't true, Natsu took the bait and looked back at the woman. "Are you usually this friendly to strangers?"

     "No," the Izumi girl admitted sheepishly. 

     "Then," he leaned his elbows up against the counter. "Why so friendly?"

     For a moment, the florist pondered it, slipped some hydrangeas into a glass vase. "It's just that I don't meet guys with pink hair very often, that's all."

     Natsu's face flushed and he averted his eyes. "It's natural," he muttered.

     Izumi dropped a daisy. "No way, sir."

     "Don't call me sir, and yes way."

     A beat had passed before she rolled her eyes. "Sure, it is."

     "It is!"

     Izumi chuckled and tucked some chrysanthemums neatly into her bunch of flowers before she scrawled out a quick, calligraphically perfect note regarding some wretched man's ex-girlfriend. "Who'd you get it from, then? Mom or dad?"

     Natsu shrugged. "I don't know."

     Awkwardness settled on the girl's shoulders. "Oh, um, sorry."

     "Don't be!" Natsu ran a swift hand through his hair, which was apparently fascinating. "I get it all the time. It's not a big deal."

     Izumi picked up a second vase identical to the first and ran the inside under cold water to clean it out. "I'm just awkward, I'm sorry."

     "It's fine!" He insisted, almost on the verge of irritation. 

     Silence befell the two for some time, and Natsu pondered his options. He was bored and could buy a bunch of flowers for no reason. He could also just leave, or he could ask this woman for a hookup.

     "Or, you can make up for your little comment, because my feelings are incredibly hurt, by letting me take you out this afternoon?"

     Dammit, Natsu, he thought to himself. Close enough.

     The florist flushed and nodded, astounded by the question. "Yes, sir," she bit her lip. "What's your name?"

     "Not sir."

     "Seriously!"

     Natsu chuckled and held up his hands in defeat. "Calm down. My name's Natsu Dragneel. You?"

     "Izumi Akihiko," she responded, tried to avoid eye contact. 

     "Nice name."

     "Yeah, yeah. Date it is then, Natsu?"

     The mage smiled as if he'd won the lottery; he finally had something to do that didn't include wandering aimlessly as he had done for months on end. 

     "Yep! I'll meet you here at eight," he said and scribbled down his number, slipped it across the counter. "Call me?"

     Izumi's face only turned redder. "Yeah, okay. See you then, sir."

     "Natsu!" He called while he slipped out. 

     Sure, she thought to herself when the door shut. Natsu.