Forever by his side (nalu)

Infiltration

Sorry for the longer-than-usual wait. Finally, here is the next chapter. Enjoy!!

Natsu pov

"No fucking way," I growl at Lucy before shoving another bite of food in my mouth. "It's a dumb plan. It won't work. Forget it."

We are sitting in a small restaurant, eating our food before heading to that Everlue guy's place. It's a cozy place, and the food is good. Unsurprisingly, the place emptied right as we took a seat. I know it was my fault, but I couldn't give a shit. The waitress who came to take our order was a small, brown-haired thing no older than we are, and she was shaking more than a leaf on a windy day. I don't know how she did it, but she managed to write our order correctly and came back with it in record time. Probably so we would eat fast and leave even faster. Our simple presence here was making them lose clients.

As if to prove me right, a couple entered the restaurant, freezing solid when they recognize me only a few seconds after catching sight of us. When the waitress approaches them with an obviously forced smile, it appears to shake them out of their daze, and they turn heels and exit the place faster than the waitress can finish her welcome. The little waitress seems one second away from crying, once again stuck alone with us. It's not the first time this scene happened in the last fifteen minutes we have been here, either.

I bring my attention back to Lucy when she speaks again. "It's not that bad of a plan." She waves her fork in my direction to emphasize her words. "On the request poster, it was mentioned that he was looking for a blond maid. It would be the perfect opportunity to infiltrate his house." She takes another bite of her food, humming her contentment at the delicious food. As for me, I grit my teeth together in irritation.

"I am not going to let you infiltrate an unknown house alone. More than that, I will not let you dress as a maid to do it. He will probably recognize you anyway. Don't forget your face was on a wanted poster for many years too," I try to reason her.

"Between the two of us," she argues, "you are the most easily recognizable, especially with your pink hair and mean eyes. For me, as long as they don't catch sight of my eye, they are none the wiser of who I am. As for dressing up as a maid, I don't understand why it bothers you so much."

I stab my fork in my food with a little more strength than necessary, needing an outlet for my frustration. 'Why?' she asks? Because she shouldn't have to put herself in a position to cater to anyone. Not anymore. Not even for a job. From the little details she shared with me from her childhood, I knew she had been treated worse than a servant. A fate she did nothing to deserve. And yet, she did not seem to hold any grudge of resentment about it. If she were not going to be angry about it, then I would in her stead. And I will do anything in my power to not make her feel like that ever again. Even for just a second. Even for pretend.

"Come on, Natsu," she pleads again. "You have to admit, it's not a bad plan. It could totally work. I get in as a maid, sneak around a little bit under the guise of cleaning up, find the book and throw it to you outside or something. All that would be left is for me to leave the house."

"That's if he hires you as a maid," I counter. "It's not a given. That your plan relies on a hypothesis is a pretty big flaw if you ask me."

She flips her hair behind her shoulder, replying, "It's almost a given. Who wouldn't want a beautiful girl like me as a maid?"

I make a noncommittal noise, bringing back my attention to my food. "I still don't like your plan. There are surer ways to get inside."

"You mean sneaking around?" she asks with skepticism. "You do know you are not the stealthy type, right? More like the raging bull storming the place." I snort. That's because most things can get resolved quickly when I hit people a few times. Or if I kill them. "We need a little bit more finesse for this mission, and that is my expertise."