Everyone's a Winner
The winter holidays had brought that most joyous time of year back to Magnolia Town: Festivus. The many hallowed traditions of this festival of festivals were much in evidence around the town that hosted the storied guild of Fairy Tail. Taverns were filled with friends airing their grievances with one another as a yearly slate-cleaning, every home and business had a decorative aluminum pole, but the main attraction that really cultivated a festival atmosphere was the Feats of Strength.
The Feats of Strength were a series of events seemingly tailor-made for Fairy Tail; and so many of the stalls set up by vendors now hosted members of that guild. Natsu and Gray played Tug-of-War, pulling fiercely on a length of magically indestructible rope. They had quickly cleared the area of bystanders when they began launching fire and ice attacks at each other in an attempt to get the other to relinquish his end of the rope.
Erza and Mirajane, meanwhile, flew through the wintry sky like a shooting star, both having taken winged forms. Their contest made no attempt to disguise itself as anything other than a brawl, where the combatants would be bound at their ankles by a meter-long length of chain and beat each other until one fell senseless. The rival S-rank Mages had cheated the attempt to limit their mobility and flown off into the sky as the two women continued to thrash each other. The vendor of that event ran through the streets after them, protesting helplessly for them to return her chain or abide by her rules.
For their own safety, Lucy Heartfilia and Levy McGarden strode through the streets. The two had spent a lot of time together since Tenroujima, and both were spending Festivus together as well. They were out enjoying the festive air together, and also to find a more fitting way to spend their time than getting drunk and yelling at each other or wreaking havoc.
"Hurry hurry hurry, come and play Triumph of the Will! Step right up and show your friends that you've got the strongest mind!" It was a small stall, ignored by the passersby and having no customers at the moment. This did not seem to discourage the vendor, who merely stepped up his efforts.
"C'mon, Lu-chan," Levy said, taking her friend's hand. "This is the perfect contest for us!"
"It's certainly the safest-looking one," Lucy replied, cringing as she saw Erza and Mirajane go speeding overhead.
"You two lovely young ladies!" the man called, pointing them out among the passersby. "Come on, test your mind!"
"Oh, alright," Lucy said as she and Levy stepped over to the man's booth. They each tossed the man a few coins. "What do we have to do?"
"Why it couldn't be simpler. All you have to do is stare right at this hypno-disk, and see how long you can hold out before falling in a trance. Strong will is just as important for us Mages as physical strength, so show us what you've got!"
"Sounds fun," Lucy said.
"How about we make it interesting?" Levy said; a sly grin on her face. "The loser has to… hmm… the loser has to tell the winner a personal secret!"
"You're on," Lucy said without hesitation, shaking Levy's hand.
"Oh-ho, we've got a challenge! Now, who wants to go first?"
"I will," Levy said confidently.
"Okay, miss." The man pulled out a disk with a black-and-white swirled pattern as well as a stopwatch. "Just look right here as long as you can."
The disk spun, powered by the man's magic, giving it a potency that tugged at Levy's perception. Levy stared hard, focusing her will, but eventually she felt a strong sluggishness in her thoughts, as if she were imminently falling asleep.
"Okay, I give, I give," she said, turning her head away and laughing. "I don't think I could have lasted any longer."
"The time to beat is 2 minutes 13 seconds!"
"I can beat that!" Lucy boasted, stepping in front of the disk. She too tried her best, staring hard, determined to beat Levy. She too felt a lethargy entering her mind, but she resisted it.
"2:14, you win!" the man congratulated her, but the disk kept spinning.
"Yay!" Lucy began, "I wo…" then her resistance failed. Her eyes filled with spirals, and her posture went slack.
"Well well, the winner ended up being the one hypnotized! Who'da thunk it?"
Levy was laughing heartily. "I guess you beat me, Lu-chan. The others have got to see this," she added, still laughing. "Come with me," she giggled, knowing Lucy had no choice. The entranced girl followed her friend, but instead of leading to her fellow guild-members, Levy led Lucy into the concealment of an alley.
"I have to make good on my promise, Lu-chan," Levy said, standing in front of Lucy and clasping their hands together. "So I'll tell you something I've never told anyone. For a long time now, I've… loved you."
"Isn't that silly?" she giggled. Levy looked at Lucy for a moment, completely entranced and totally off her guard. It couldn't hurt, right? She had met her end of the bargain, after all.
"So, Lucy… how do you feel about me?"
"Love… Levy…" Lucy said slowly. "Levy… I love…"
"Oh!" Levy pulled Lucy closer to her and kissed her. She shut her eyes when they kissed, and when she opened them, she saw Lucy staring back at her, pure joy in her eyes.
"Yes, Levy," Lucy said. "I love you."
They kissed again, and remained lost in each other's mouths for a time, until Lucy felt a finger on her shoulder.
"What the?!"
"I'm terribly sorry, hime-sama." Somehow, Virgo had materialized, the celestial spirit blushing as she observed the girls' embrace.
"Maybe you and your friend will have to… punish me?"
All three girls blushed.