#I wonder if I can get a custom skin for a Keurig machine and plaster Kuroos face all over it

[bakugosgothhoe]

I was typing a list in my phone notes and tried to write Keurig machine and my phone autocorrected it to Kuroo machine and I was like… you know what, that’s better.

[caffeine-catastrophe]

Go the Distance CH.3!

I'm updating ayy. This chapter actually ended up being over 3k, but I decided to cut it in half because it would kill the flow of the story if every other chapter ended up being much shorter. I hope you guys like it!

Go the Distance

Three days, four million dollars, and a cross-country road trip that will change their lives for good. OR: The Dreyar Grant for Brighter Futures is a prestigious scholarship granted to only the most deserving of candidates, but even miracles don't come without a price.

chapter one

chapter two

---

"Just a small-town girl, livin' in a lonely world…"

Lucy hums idly, watching raindrops stream down the passenger side window of Natsu's green Honda. The radio plays softly in time with her swinging feet as she bounces up and down a little in excitement. Three days. Three days until she never has to worry about paying for an editor or publisher or distribution or anything else like that. Three days until all she needs to do to be published is write a really good freakin' book. She's jolted out of her train of thought when the driver's side door clicks and Natsu slides in, depositing a slightly damp paper bag into the space between them.

"How much do I owe you?" she asks, reaching for her wallet. Natsu just shakes his head.

"Don't worry about it, my dude," he chuckles, handing over her smoothie from the cardboard tray he has balanced on his other arm.

"But you're already driving me home," she protests, "at least let me buy you a burger."

"I would've done the same for the other two," he reminds her, gently pushing her hand away from her purse. "You just happened to be the only one lucky enough to forget the weather around here is like a seventh-grader's growth spurt – unexpected and unpredictable."

"Yeah," Lucy sighs back. "Kind of unfortunate that the one day I forget an umbrella the sky decides to put an end to the drought."

"But you get to ride with me," he grins at her, "So it's like the universe was trying to tell you that we should be spending time together."

"Yeah, I guess so," she giggles back. She's never been one to put too much faith in fate, but something about the way he's smiling at her makes her want to believe in the possibility. Lucy's never noticed it before, but his smile is slightly crooked; the right side of his mouth is lifted just a little bit higher than his left. Somehow, this just makes him all the more endearing, and she can feel her cheeks flushing embarrassingly at the thought.

Suddenly realizing that she's been staring at him for probably much longer than is typically appropriate, Lucy coughs and quickly changes the subject. "Was the line in there long?" she asks, finally reaching for the bag of food that's been taunting her from the gearshift.

"It wasn't crazy busy, but I felt so bad for the people in there," Natsu moans back, completely unaware of her momentary lapse in sanity. "I feel like customers just assume that since it's a McDonald's it's okay to treat people like crap."

"What happened?" Lucy asks, digging through the bag. She's unsurprised but curious, pulling the piping hot fries – extra large – out of the bag and settling back into her seat with a satisfied sigh.

"Some lady was screaming at this poor girl behind the cash register about how her burger was cold. She was at the counter demanding free meals for her entire family as compensation," Natsu scoffs in disbelief, biting into his Big Mac. He continues, mouth full, recounting the long conversation slash scream fest between the manager of the establishment and the crazy lady, complete with mocking voices and exaggerated facial expressions. Lucy doesn't know if she's laughing in sympathy or disgust, but by the end of the story there are tears streaming down her cheeks and her fries have gone soggy.

She can't say she minds one bit.

They spend the rest of the car ride home regaling each other with customer horror stories. Lucy counters Natsu's two years at A&W and summers spent as a soccer camp counselor with her own year and a half as a server at Cactus Club and retirement home volunteering, not to mention her theatre club fundraisers back in high school. She's quickly finding that nothing brings two people together like shit talking crappy customers.

They're still chuckling when Natsu pulls up in front of Lucy's complex a half hour later.

"Thanks for the ride," she says, grabbing her bag and checking the contents to make sure she has everything.

"No worries," he grins back easily. "I'll pick you up tomorrow, then?"

"Sure! Thanks," she finds herself almost disappointed that she doesn't have an excuse to hang around longer and is busy reprimanding herself for the thought when Natsu clears his throat. He doesn't say anything for a moment, so she just raises an eyebrow and waits as he fidgets in his seat. The casual tone of his voice is betrayed by the nervous drumming of his fingertips against the steering wheel when he finally asks, "So… uh, you don't have to if you don't want, of course, I totally respect your need for privacy if you prefer to keep it that way. Or I guess, if you would just rather not because I'm coming off as a total creep and we don't really know each other that well –"

"Natsu," she cuts off his nervous rambling with a hand on his rapidly bouncing knee, "I appreciate your consideration for my privacy or whatever," she rolls her eyes playfully, and he stills, letting his knee relax under her touch, "But what the hell are you talking about?" He's blushing now, a subtle flush up his neck and ears, and her fingertips tingle when she wonders what it might feel like pressed against her skin. Great, now she can feel herself blushing too, only she is infinitely paler than Natsu and probably looks like a giant tomato, Lucy, you loser, and she suddenly comes back to earth when she realizes Natsu is speaking and her hand is still somehow taking up residence on his knee.

"— phone number? Just so I can text you when I pick you up tomorrow and stuff," Natsu finishes, looking at her expectantly.

"Uh…" Lucy flounders for a moment until she realizes, you dork, he just asked you for your number, "Y-yeah! Here, give me your phone," and she sighs in relief when he beams and hands it to her without missing a beat. She inputs the information into his contact list with shaking fingers, texting herself with his name so she can save his number in her own device.

"Thanks," he beams at her with all the light of a summer beach day, and despite her burning face Lucy finds herself relaxing in his warm gaze.

"You should consider yourself lucky. I don't give my number out to just anyone, you know," she teases, gathering her purse and cardigan into her lap and reaching for the door handle.

"Oh, I do," his tone is just as playful, but something in his eyes holds a seriousness that has Lucy scrambling out of the car with a rushed, "See you tomorrow!"

The rain is warm despite the intensity of its downpour, and she is assaulted by heavy pellets that plaster her fair hair to her now crimson cheeks. She is drenched before she can make it to the awning by the building's entrance, digging her key out of her purse and nearly dropping her cardigan in the process. She doesn't look back as she hears the loud rumble of a car pulling slowly away, yanking her building door open and sprinting up the three flights of stairs to her rickety apartment. Once again, she fumbles with the key, this time nearly dropping her phone back down the now puddle-ridden steps by the broken elevator. Only when she makes it safely inside does she finally allow herself to relax, collapsing onto her lumpy sofa with a sloppy squelch. She runs over the bizarre events of the day in her mind, examining her interactions with every new friend like a child probing a loose tooth. Eventually, she will pick herself back up to pack and take a hot shower, but for now, she merely sits, hardly daring to believe that this is the direction her life has turned.

This may just be the lucky break she has been waiting for all her life.

You were right, Momma. Life really is full of surprises.

---

Lucy's phone buzzes against her thigh as she zips her duffel bag shut. She's checked over the contents once, twice, three times now, until she's almost completely certain there is nothing else she could've possibly forgotten. "You could've written a disclaimer about us having to travel across the country, Mr. Dreyar," she mutters apprehensively to herself, shuffling over to the kitchen. The walls of her apartment are a soft pastel pink, and the warm wood of her living room gives way to the crisp black and white linoleum that lines the kitchen floor. It's always made Lucy feel like she's living in a 50's style diner, and she takes pride in it, lining the counter top with second-hand pastel appliances and ensuring her white-painted cabinet doors are free of any smudges. Today, however, she's too distracted to appreciate the aesthetic. Lucy's never been a morning person, and she's never been amicable before her first – or second cup of coffee. She pops another capsule into her Keurig machine (and gives quick thanks to the coffee gods for the ease and efficiency of technology) and hits the Brew button, breathing a sigh of contentment as the steam wafts towards her. The kitchen fills with the steady drip of the Keurig as it refills her favourite constellation-patterned mug; the one she bought as a souvenir from her trip to the National Planetarium three years ago. Collapsing into a seat at her kitchen table, she finally pulls out her phone, absentmindedly scrolling through the 50 or so unread messages from the group chat she and her new friends created last night. The messages are mostly from Natsu and Gray, whom she's come to find can argue over just about anything. They're both hot-headed and impulsive, and they've spammed the chat with so many pointless disagreements in the last 8 hours she's had to mute the notifications. Of course, this doesn't really help when the boys have started tagging her in their messages, trying to get her and Erza to pick a side.

She's laughing over a particularly aggressive challenge for a Nintendo Smash-down from Natsu to Gray when her phone buzzes with a text from a familiar number.

From: Natsu Dragneel!:)

Hey! I'm running late, packing took a little longer than I expected. Just going to jump in the shower and I'll be good to go. – 9:08 AM

From: Lucy's iPhone

Did you start packing THIS MORNING? Yeah lmao that's fine, I'm ready whenever. – 9:09 AM

From: Natsu Dragneel!:)

Maybe! Don't judge me :P – 9:10 AM

From Lucy's iPhone

I'm not, dw. – 9:10 AM

Okay, maybe I am. Just a little :P – 9:11 AM

From Natsu Dragneel!:)

:O – 9:12 AM

:(((((( – 9:12 AM

LEAVE ME ALONE. I was gonna do it last night, but my cat jumped onto my bed and screamed at me to go to go to bed. He likes to sleep next to my head. – 9:13 AM

Lucy is grinning so hard her cheeks hurt, her coffee lukewarm and forgotten as she hunches over her phone giggling.

From: Lucy's iPhone

Your cat SCREAMED at you?! – 9:13 AM

From: Natsu Dragneel!:)

Yes! They do that, you know. They just meow really loudly until you give them what they want. Cats are spoiled little fuckers. – 9:15 AM

This one is, anyway :) – 9:15 AM

From: Lucy's iPhone

Your cat sounds adorable. I've always wanted a pet to spoil, but I wasn't allowed animals as a kid and I can barely take care of myself as an adult :/ – 9:16 AM

From: Natsu Dragneel!:)

You should meet him! – 9:16 AM

Like today. – 9:17 AM

You should meet him today. – 9:17 AM

She stops breathing. What?

From: Lucy's iPhone

Ummmm? – 9:18 AM

From: Natsu Dragneel!:)

Like, you should come over. Right now. You can meet him while I finish getting ready! :D – 9:19 AM

Lucy's phone tumbles onto the linoleum tile with a loud clatter. She scrambles to pick it back up, brain going a mile a minute at the thought of showing up at Natsu's place – in front of Natsu's family – unannounced. They've barely just met, for god's sake!

From: Lucy's iPhone

Isn't your family home? – 9:21 AM

From: Natsu Dragneel!:)

It's just my dad and my little sister. It's fine, they're cool. – 9:22 AM

From: Lucy's iPhone

They don't mind having people show up unannounced? I don't want to bother them. – 9:24 AM

From: Natsu Dragneel!:)

Nah lol. They're chill, they won't mind. – 9:25 AM

I promise. – 9:26 AM

From: Lucy's iPhone

… Okay. – 9:28 AM

I'll be over in a few minutes. – 9:28 AM

From: Natsu Dragneel!:)

:D – 9:29 AM

---

Well, well, well... looks like the ol' Nalu train is starting to pick up speed ;D

Questions? Comments? Let me know! See y'all next time!