Job Gone Wrong (Nalu)

Chapter 2

After a short wait, Natsu and I boarded our train to Crocus and found our seats. We sat in the fifth car from the front of the train. Natsu took the aisle seat and I took the window seat. I figured Natsu would probably feel less sick if he didn't see as much of the landscape as we passed it.

This is going to be a long ride, I realized as Natsu tensed up, curling into a nauseous heap of limbs.

I watched as the train lurched forward, starting en route to Crocus. It chugged out of the train station and accelerated as it left Magnolia behind. As time passed, the sun had set and Natsu was still a nauseous, tangled heap.

Eventually, I had fallen asleep against the window by my seat. I woke up hours later as the train pulled into the Crocus Train Station.  I shook Natsu, hoping to wake him, but he was already awake.  As I looked at his face I noticed dark circles under his eyes. 

"Natsu did you even sleep?!?" I interrogated worriedly as I gathered my things.

"No," he replied weakly.

"Maybe this was a bad idea," I pointed out, rubbing the back of my neck with one hand.

Natsu simply replied with a pitiful wail.

When the train finally came to a stop, Natsu and I exited with our bags and left the train station.  Natsu hobbled around dizzily for a bit after the train stopped, but soon enough, Natsu was back to his fiery self.   We ordered breakfast to go and ate as we walked to meet with the man who sent the job request. 

When we finally reached his gigantic house, Natsu knocked on the elegantly designed door.  A tall, sturdily built, and tanned man answered the door with a wide grin.  He had deep set cerulean blue eyes with a few wrinkles around them.  His hair was sandy brown, and kept neatly but he had a few darker hairs.  He seemed to be in his thirties. 

"Hello, Sir. We are the Fairy Tail mages who accepted your job request to retrieve a book," I greeted warmly, showing him the guild mark on my hand.

He smiled and shook my hand and Natsu's.

"It's a pleasure to meet you!" He replied opening his door fully.  "Please, come inside."

Natsu and I followed the man into his beautifully decorated home.  His wife was seated on the luxurious couch in the living room and he took a seat next to her.  Natsu and I sat on a couch across from them.  The man's wife had short, brown hair and emerald green eyes.  Her face was somewhat youthful and she wore minimal makeup.  She was wearing a loose, flowing sundress.   The woman had a shapely figure except for her swollen midsection.  She was obviously pregnant.

"I believe it's time for proper introductions.  My name is Zachary Wells.  My wife here is Isabella Wells," he introduced, smiling at his pregnant wife.

"I'm Natsu Dragneel," Natsu responded, pointing his thumb at his chest.  "And her name is Lucy."  He gestured to me with one hand.

"It's a pleasure meeting you, Mr. and Mrs. Dragneel," Isabella Wells greeted with a sweet smile.

My eyes widened and Natsu and I exchanged glances.  He grinned at me mischievously and I averted my eyes before the other couple noticed Natsu's expression.

"It's a pleasure meeting you too," I answered shyly.  "But Natsu and I aren't married.  We're teammates.  My name is Lucy Heartfilia."

"Oh I'm sorry," Mrs. Wells apologized giggling while her husband let out a slight chuckle.

"They would make a great couple," Mr. Wells muttered to his wife.

"Zachary!" She scolded, causing Natsu to chuckle as a blush spread across my face.

"Anyway," he continued sheepishly, explaining about the job and the book they needed.  "My wife and I own a museum and the book we would like you to collect is an ancient artifact of a civilization that existed long ago.  You can find the book in some ruins south of the city.  The book should be in a labyrinth in the center of he ruins.  Here's the catch: The door to the labyrinth only opens at night, when monsters come out to hunt in and around the ruins.  I know this may be hard to do, but if it's possible, try not to destroy anything in the ruins. They are very unstable."

"It's a dangerous job, so please be careful and take as much time as you need," Mrs. Wells told us.  "The only way to get to the ruins is by foot because their location is difficult to reach.  It's about a two hour walk from here.  We have climbing gear if you need it."

"We should be able to manage," I reassured the couple, causing them to smile at my confidence.

After while of conversation with Mr. and Mrs. Wells, we ate lunch with them and left to explore the city.  After wandering around Crocus, we ate dinner and started the long walk to the ruins.  Natsu and I chatted about various things as we walked and I enjoyed his company.

"It was funny that Mr. and Mrs. Wells thought we were married," Natsu pointed out, grinning at me.

"Yeah," I replied quietly, looking at the trail ahead. 

"I wonder what it would be like if we actually were married," Natsu muttered, assuming I didn't hear him.

"I'd be cleaning your messes all day," I joked, earning a chuckle from my teammate.

"Aw come on, Luce. I'm not that bad. Am I?"

"Yup," I teased, snickering at him. 

There was a brief pause before Natsu spoke again, changing the subject.  However, as my mind lingered, a small part of me was glad he didn't mention Lisanna. 

We continued chatting for a long time as we walked.  By the time we reached the ruins, the sun was beginning to set and Natsu looked exhausted. 

Woop! Woop! Two chapters down!  Thank you for reading! I will try to update often btw

Baiiii

-StarGazer