Natsu P.O.V

One year ago

I remember running through town, looking at my watch. "Damn it, I'm late!" I yelled furiously.

While running, I saw a girl through the corner of my eye. A girl with blond pigtails.

I slowly began to stop running, and I looked over at her in awe. "Is...she crying...?" I whispered to myself. "Maybe I should help her..."

I quickly shook my head and pulled on my hair to stop myself from acting carelessly.

'Ugh, what am I thinking?! I need to keep running or that old guy is gonna have my head!'

I then glanced over at her one last time before making my decision to run away, but something inside me wouldn't let me leave.

'No...I should help her.'

I walked up to her and asked, "Hey, are you alright?"

Her face turned red with embarrassment as she shook her head no.

"Are you lost?"

She slowly nodded.

I started to get impatient, "You do know this would be so much faster if you just told me."

She slowly looked up at me with innocent eyes. "I need to get to school...but I'm lost..." As she looked at me with her big teary eyes, my heart stopped. I couldn't breathe and I felt like a 16-year-old boy again.

'Get it together Natsu...she's just a kid...'

I then breathed in deeply and exhaled.

"Uh...which school?"

"Yosei Teru High..."

"Really?" I asked while starting to laugh. "I'm heading there too!" I said with a wide smile.

I showed her my hand happily with a smile, "We can go together."

Her small hand took ahold of mine, and my heart did something it hadn't done in years: It skipped a beat.

Ever since that day, I couldn't stop thinking about the girl that made me feel again.

Dra-el...Dra-neel...DRAGNEEL!

I shook in shock. "Y-yes?"

"Mr. Dragneel, do you understand?"

"Excuse me, what?" I asked while resting my hand on the arm of the chair.

"As suspected...Ms. Strauss, would you mind repeating?"

"Certainly... Mr. Dragneel, we were discussing your position as a teacher. "

"Uh...huh..."

She placed her finger on the center of her glasses as she began to talk again, "While you were off daydreaming, we were discussing the thought of moving you to our other school branches."

"Wha-"

Principle Makarov raised his hand. I then closed my mouth and began to listen again.

"You are a good teacher, but we think you would do better in the Martial arts branch of this school...not this academic branch."

"But-!"

"We are sorry Mr. Dragneel. However, we might reconsider if you start to attend all our faculty staff meetings for this whole year."

"A year?! Of meetings?!"

"Hakuna your tatas Dragneel! Don't have a rack attack," Principal Makarov yelled.

Mirajane gasped and she hit Principal Makarov over the head with her clipboard. "Sir, you can't say that here!"

She then looked back at me with a sigh. "The point is, you have to get your act together!"

I rolled my eyes.

"Dragneel!" They both shouted.

"Sorry...I'll do my best to improve," I said sarcastically as I stood up and walked out the door.

While walking back to my classroom, my phone vibrated. I noticed I got a text:

Lisanna

Wanna meet at the diner at 7? ;)

I sighed as I read her text. She's so annoying...

I texted back:

Natsu

I guess

I then placed my phone back in my pocket and opened the door to my classroom to start today's lecture.

***

I was walking downtown to go to the diner when I saw the girl I couldn't stop thinking about. I quickly turned around, trying to avoid her, but it was futile.

"Sensei!" I heard her yell.

I looked back and smiled, "Lucy-san!"

She then began to run up to me. "Sensei, what are you doing here?" she asked innocently.

"I'm looking for a diner..."

She then pointed at the dinner I was walking to. "You mean the one down there?"

"Yeah! Thanks. Nice seeing you, Lucy-san."

I quickly walked around her nervously. After taking a few steps, I slowly looked back to see her walking away.

Lucy...

I shook my head furiously and started to yell, "Damn it!"

What the fuck is wrong with me?!

I felt my phone vibrate again, and I quickly took it out of my pocket. I saw another one of her messages and sighed.

Why am I still with her...?

I watched the light of my phone screen disappear and fade to black. I looked at the dark phone screen to see my reflection.

I'm fucking old...and I'm too fucking old to have a crush on a 16-year-old girl...Come on Natsu, don't be stupid...don't be stupid...

***

The next day

I was walking into school when I saw Mirajane.

"What do you want now?" I asked annoyed.

"Just checking on my brother."

I then stopped walking and turned around to face her, "Mira-"

"You do know it might happen one day, right?"

"Shut up..."

I continued to walk towards the classroom with her at my side. "Mira, we went over this like 10 times. I'm not ready to get married."

Liar...I just don't want to marry her...

"But she is."

"Well Mira, I'm not her."

I then opened my classroom door and walked over to my desk. I placed my bag down and sat down on my chair, ready to review my lessons for the day.

"Why don't you turn on the lights," she asked while coming into my classroom.

"I don't wanna."

"You're so depressing..."

Mirajane then sat on one of the student's desk. "You're going to fall," I said as I turned the page to my lesson plan.

"No, I won't."

"Mira-"

"Since when did you care?"

"Huh?" I asked while looking up at her.

She then placed one leg over the other as she bit her dark red colored lips seductively. "Is Dragneel crushing on me~?"

"What? No!"

She then began to walk over to me. She placed her elbow on my desk and leaned in towards me, pushing her cleavage forward so I could see what she hid underneath her shirt.

"Mira-"

"Come on Dragneel, why haven't you dumped that sister of mine?"

"Mira, what are you doing?"

She then backed away and walked around the desk to be closer to me.

"I mean, you haven't made any progress with my sister, why not do it with me~?"

I pretended to ignore her as I took out my papers to grade.

She then flung my seat around so I could face her. "Natsu, look at me."

I rolled my eyes and quickly looked at her. "Wha-" Before I could speak, my mouth was covered with her lips.

As she kissed me, she began to try and find a way to enter my mouth, but I didn't let her. I quickly pushed her off, causing her to fall.

"Mira, what the fuck is wrong with you?!"

She slowly got up from the floor and wiped her skirt. She stared at me angrily, "Nothing's wrong with me. It's that there's something wrong with you."

She then walked out of the classroom angrily, slamming the door as she left.

I slouched into my seat, infuriated by her actions.

What the hell has gotten into her?! Does she think she can control me again?

I looked at my phone angrily as I saw another text notification from Lisanna.

What am I doing to do with these sisters?! I need to leave them...

***

I was leaving the classroom when I bumped into something.

I looked down to see what I hit, and when I looked, I saw Lucy. "Woah, Lucy-san. Are you okay?"

"I-I'm okay. Sorry..."

"It's cool." I then showed her my hand and she took it without a second thought.

"Thank you...sensei," she said as I pulled her up from the floor.

It was getting awkward so I decided to bring something up. "So, not getting lost again, are we?"

Her face flushed pink. "N-n-no! W-w-what do you take me for sensei?! Geez~"

"Ha ha ha." I then patted her on the head. "You're really something..." I whispered while I took her blond pigtail in my hand.

Lucy...I wish...

As I stood next to her closely, my heart began to pound quickly. It was as if the world had just stopped.

...I wish...I-

"Dragneel!"

I was quickly snapped back into reality by that yell.

"Dragneel! We have a faculty meeting today!" yelled Reedus, the art teacher.

"I know!"

I sighed loudly as I looked at the floor in annoyance.

Ugh, I actually need to go to meetings now or I'll get removed from this branch...

My eyes slowly looked up at Lucy, remembering why I even stayed at this job.

I can't leave...I don't want to be away from her.

"Sensei...are you okay...?"

Her genuine stare and concern were enough to make me smile.

She cares so much for me...If only you were older, I-

"Yeah, I'm okay. Seeing you is enough to make me okay," I said wholeheartedly.

...I would have loved you with all I had.

I waved at her and gave a playful wink before walking away. "Nice seeing you, Lucy-san."

I quickly ran off to the faculty meeting, slightly embarrassed with my flirty expression. Ugh, I wasn't thinking! I hope no one saw that!

As I continued to run down the hallway, my expression suddenly dropped to a sorrowful one.

If only we had met in a different situation...