It's time, it's time! The Crack Fiction Liberation Army collaboration is here to brighten your day! We have some new additions this time around, be sure to check the note at the end to see all of the wonderful work we're presenting to you.
This month's prompt:
-Perks of the Job: We Love You, Jason!-
As always, the goal of CFLA with these collaborations is to bring you, the reader, something new and exciting as well as to challenge ourselves to think outside the confines of the Canon norms. We're dedicated to finding the under-loved characters of Fairy Tail and bringing them out into the spotlight as well as shower them with affection.
I now present for your entertainment "How far will you go?" Please enjoy!
(Psstt…. I don't own Fairy Tail.)
A broad smile spread across Cana's face as she placed her barely touched bottle of whiskey on the bar top. Mira was an evil genius, no matter what that sweet smile on her face told the rest of the world. Her plan was diabolical, and Cana couldn't be more pleased that her dear friend wanted to include her in all the fun.
"I'm in." Mira clapped her hands with an excited giggle; her plan would go off without a hitch so long as she had Cana to smooth out the wrinkles.
"Now all we need to do is convince her!" Cana let out a low laugh as Mira tried to keep her voice down, unsuccessfully of course.
"Just leave that to me." Mira gave the brunette a thumbs up and went about her business (calling back to Macao who had been waiting fifteen minutes for a round of beers).
Not even ten feet from where the dynamic duo had been plotting, Lucy felt an unnatural chill run up her spine. "Uh, would you like to see my apartment, or take a tour of the town?" The blonde turned to her light haired visitor with a shaking laugh, rubbing her hands up her arms to ward off the sudden feeling of unease.
"What's the matter Lucy-sama?" Yukino tilted her head as she watched her friend's peculiar behavior. "You look pale all of a sudden."
"I'm sure it's nothing, I… just think we should steer clear of the guild fo-"
"Lucy old buddy, old pal!" Cana slapped the blonde on the back, causing Lucy to lurch forward.
"C-Cana what do you want?" If the tone of the brunette's voice wasn't suspicious enough, then the lack of booze on her breath was ten times more dangerous for the Celestial Mage. Lucy rubbed a sore spot on her forehead, trying not to make eye contact with the brunette; Cana would be able to spot the fear that was, without a doubt, written all over Lucy's face.
"Really Lucy, am I not allowed to come say 'hi' just for the hell of it?" The brunette sank into the seat next to her friend with a dramatic pout on her full lips. "I'm hurt, truly and deeply."
"Cana, I…" Lucy stopped midsentence as Cana's pout turned into a wide grin. The blonde got to her feet, her mouth pulled into a thin line. "You know what, never mind. Let's get out of here Yukino."
"Alright, alright, you've caught me. Just hear me out before you rush off." Cana put her hands up to try and convince Lucy that she was giving up the pretense of innocence. "Mira and I made a bet, and we were hoping you could help us settle it."
"That I can believe." Lucy sank back into her seat, ignoring the questioning stare from the visiting mage on the other side of the table. "What exactly do you want me to do?"
Lucy wondered why she ever let Cana or Mira talk her into situations like this. What was even worse was that somewhere in the tussle of words, poor innocent Yukino had been dragged into their plot. The situation reeked of Mira's match making schemes, and still the two younger women had agreed to assist Mira and Cana settle their bet. Lucy couldn't for the life of her remember exactly why though.
"Now remember, the objective is to get him blushing. We're talking full blown awkward embarrassment here ladies!" Mira whisper-shouted into the two Celestial Mages' ears. The barmaid's excitement was palpable, and the sparkles dancing around her were enough to make anyone nervous (terrified for their safety if Mira was refused something she had her heart set on).
"I don't know about this Mira-sama. Isn't this a little, unethical?" Yukino adjusted the line of her bikini bottom, making sure the fabric wasn't riding too far to the center of her hind cheeks. She was more than a little self-conscious about being in front of the cameras in such a state of undress.
"It'll be fine, just a little flirting, the whole thing is harmless." Mira reached over and adjusted the flower in the younger woman's hair before appraising both of her friends (victims) one last time. Both Celestial Mages looked stunning in their tiny bikinis, ones that Mira hand-picked for them, of course. Most men would be salivating at the sight of two beautiful women like that, however their target was a much tougher nut to crack. A skimpy bikini wasn't going to give Mira the desired outcome, and that was the point.
"You know this is a fool's errand, right? You've been working with him for years and he's never shown any interest in you other than fawning over how cool you are. Yukino and I are cute, but we don't stand a snowballs chance in hell if he can ignore you." Lucy secured her thick leather belt over the scant material that covered her lower region without bothering to look at the barmaid.
The blonde woman was far more comfortable in the current setting than Sabertooth's resident Celestial Mage, since she had posed for Sorcerer before.
"That is exactly why we made this bet in the first place." Cana rolled her eyes at Lucy. "I don't think you can work up enough sex appeal to get Jason to bat an eyelash in your direction, little miss never had a boyfriend." The Card Mage let out a sharp bark of laughter as Lucy gave her a death glare. "Mira here thinks you have some trick hidden under that scrap of fabric she calls a bathing suit, though."
"Watch it, you drunk." The blonde hissed in warning. Cana waved her off with a broad smile; the card mage was eager to get this all done with so she could return to drinking the bottle of whiskey secured in her purse.
"I have faith in you, Lucy!" Mira's eyes shone with determination, and unwavering trust in Lucy's ability to use her feminine wiles to accomplish her goal. Her excitement seemed to make the sparkles glow more intensely, even if Lucy knew that their existence was simply her mind playing tricks on her. Alas, Mira was the only one who was sure that the blonde woman could accomplish a task that no one else had been able with a talent that only the barmaid herself believed to exist.
"Right, let's get this show on the road, before one of us loses our nerve." Yukino gasped in surprise when Lucy dragged her out of the dressing area, without further warning. "I made a deal, and I'm going to fulfill my end of it."
The two made their way onto the set, where the overzealous reporter was already waiting for them. He had all the necessary equipment set up with a simple blue back drop set up for them.
"I can't believe you're both here, this is so cool!" Lucy heard a distinct sigh from Mira just behind the bright lights. "How awesome would it be if this gets the cover?" Jason was exactly the same as he had been the first time Lucy had met him, overflowing with enthusiasm. He seemed to have dialed it back just a bit with his years of experience, but that ever present super charged aura of excitement was as much a part of the reporter as Gray's stripping habit.
It could be a rather endearing quality when you got past the seemingly random exclamations of 'Cool!' Surely it was more manageable than Natsu's uncanny ability to choose the day Lucy had just stocked her food supply, to pay her a visit (and eat her out of house and home), or his exceedingly annoying habit of kicking Lucy out of her own bed in the middle of the night.
The blonde woman was pretty sure that there was a reason for Jason's seemingly oblivious nature; personally she had never seen him show a personal interest in anyone at all. Maybe he was wired like Natsu, where things like women and relationships didn't compute. That wasn't really any of her business to begin with, and she wasn't looking to strike up a casual conversation about his preferences.
"Lucy-sama, I've never done a photo spread before." Yukino whispered. She was still relatively new to guild life, and had only been captured in candid photos around the guild when Sorcerer came calling. Sting acting as the stand in Master brought a fair amount of attention, and Sabertooth was reaping the benefits of the sudden popularity boom, and of course Sorcerer was there to take advantage of the situation.
"Just follow my lead, and everything will work out fine." Lucy wrapped an arm around the other woman's waist, settling her open hand on Yukino's bare hip. The Sabertooth mage sucked in a sharp breath before she mimicked the action.
"That's perfect, hold it there." The shutter on the camera was clicking away as Jason rushed around the two women getting shots from every angle imaginable.
Lucy pulled Virgo's key from her hip pouch and brought the tip to her lips. "Yes, your keys… why didn't I think of that!? Yukino it would be so cool if you have you're on you as well!" Yukino pulled Libra's key from the inside of her bikini top, trying to be discreet.
A series of racy poses did absolutely nothing to get an unprofessional reaction from their target, and Lucy was starting to lose absolute faith in herself as a woman. She cursed quietly under her breath; Lucy could already hear the echo of Cana's never ending teasing. Little miss goody-goody can't even get a man to look her way in a tiny bikini! She had to fix this, or the harpy would never leave Lucy in peace ever again.
"I think we can call it a day." The lights shut off, Jason's camera placed delicately on the small table while he stretched ad worked out the kinks in his neck. "Great work ladies! You were both amazing; it was a blast working together."
"Didn't you want an interview too?" Lucy disentangled herself from Yukino and slinked forward. Mira and Cana watched with wide eyes as Lucy seemed to turn off her modesty switch completely and reached over to place her palm on Jason's chest. Her lips were curled into a slinky smile, her eyes darkening as she fluttered her lashes suggestively.
It had started as a simple bet, one that lit a fire in the Celestial Mage's soul, and she would not be satisfied until her promise was fulfilled. Damn everything else in the world, she was going to make this man hot under the collar even if it was the last thing she ever did!
"Sure?" Jason had one eyebrow raised in confusion. "It would be interesting for the readers, two of the last Celestial Mages give a two on one heart to heart. Let me just get-" Yukino joined the two, her hand was shaking as she placed in on the man's shoulder, cutting off his words. She was completely on board with whatever plan her senior Celsestial Mage had planned, but that didn't make the knots in her stomach any less uncomfortable.
"C-could we take this somewhere… more private, Jason-sama?" Her cheeks were dusted with pink by this point, as she looked up through her thick lashes quickly averting her gaze. Lucy gave her friend a side long glance, gauging the full meaning behind Yukino's words. Yukino flashed a tentative smile and gave her blonde friend a quick nod of the head.
"H-huh?" Mira slapped her hands over her mouth as she witnessed Jason stumble over his words for the very first time. "I, I h-have an office now, we c-could go there."
"Perfect." Lucy let her hand fall to the side, her smile softening to give the man a small sense of false reprieve. Once Yukino removed her hand as well, Jason led the two pretty Celestial Mages off the set, leaving behind his precious camera in his haste.
Mira and Cana exchanged identical stares of bewilderment before rushing to follow the three, trying to catch the whispered conversation between the two women; this was not a part of the plan, and neither Mira nor Cana could have guessed that things would take such a dramatic turn. A look of absolute disbelief was shared between the two spectators when the door to the office close and the lock clicked into place, leaving them with nothing more than shadows beyond the frosted glass. "Just how far are they going to take this?" Mira hissed to Cana; she hadn't intended anything more than some playful teasing, just to test how strong willed the journalist really was. Her mind was going a mile a minute, with images of what they might be doing, and the beautiful babies that would be hers to spoil as a result.
"This is Lucy we're talking about, she doesn't back down from a challenge." Cana hissed back. "That's why she and Natsu work so well together."
Just behind the door Lucy and Yukino gave each other a meaningful glance before linking one arm through each of Jason's. The two women steered him to a couch on the other side of the room, both their pulses racing with anticipation.
"Jason-sama…" Yukino was taking the lead as she let her hand trail down from his shoulder over the center of his Fairy Tail tee-shirt. She batted her big brown eyes, causing Jason to suck in an unsteady breath.
"Can we ask for a small favor?" Lucy lowered her voice, dipping her head to speak directly into his ear. Jason's eyes grew two sizes as her plush lips grazed his skin; he was frozen in place unable to comprehend what the hell had gotten into the two women. Somewhere deep in the back of his mind he knew that this was heading down a road he rarely ventured, but he couldn't bring himself to really care.
"W-what kind of f-favor?" Lucy's eyes flashed with excitement at his slight hesitation. She could see the beads of sweat gathering on his brow as he fought to stay calm, and she gave a silent cheer that they were making progress. It wasn't enough to satisfy the bet yet though, so she brazenly let her hand trail up Jason's bare forearm.
"Nothing difficult; I promise." Yukino grazed his right ear with her lips, sending a shiver from his toes all the way to the spike on the top of his head. Shock had him staring at his lap with wide unfocused eyes.
"Wh-" Lucy took his distraction as an opportunity to get the upper hand, with a forceful tug she turned his face to hers and leaned in to cover his mouth with her own. At first the kiss was awkward, similar to kissing a pillow or the back of your hand, but slowly thought began to register in the reporter's mind. The blonde's tongue was already invading his mouth, her large bosom pressed fully to his left side. Not only was he alone with two beautiful women, but they were both fawning over him.
His mind was blown, and silently he thanked every deity his memory could recall for the opportunity that was thrust upon him so unexpectedly.
Jason wasn't allowed time to relax into the feel of Lucy's soft warm lips though. Two delicate hands on his shoulders pulled him backward, pulling a disapproving groan from the blonde who was more than pleased with the response she had finally gotten.
Yukino covered his mouth with her own, barely allowing him to take in a ragged breath to ease the burn of his oxygen starved lungs. Her kiss was far gentler than her blonde counterpart, and what little breath Jason had been able to regain was instantly stolen away.
A sense of self-satisfaction swelled in the voluptuous blonde's chest as she slid off the couch, pushing down a want to interrupt. It seemed that Yukino no longer felt insecure as she allowed Jason's hands to wander over her exceedingly bare skin, since she was allowing her hands to wander just as fervently. When the sting of Yukino's bathing suit was pulled, Lucy decided that it was time for her to give the two some privacy.
It was a job well done, and she felt like preening just a little. Quietly she summoned Plue, and instructed him to lock the door when she was on the other side so that her friends wouldn't be disturbed, once his task was complete the little dog was to head straight back to the spirit world.
Mira and Cana weren't sure what was going on, it had become eerily quiet and they couldn't even make out shadows any longer. The barmaid had her ear pressed to the door in hopes of gathering the desired information, so when it was pulled open without warning Mira fell to the floor.
"Mission accomplished!" Lucy gave a mock salute with her quiet report, before helping Mira to her feet. "It's time to go now."
"Bb-bbb-but-" Lucy shook her head as she quietly closed the door behind herself.
"Well then, I guess you owe me a drink." Cana folded her arms over her chest.
"It's the other way around, idiot drunk." Lucy punched the brunette in the arm playfully. "You're buying tonight."
I truly hope you enjoyed this little bit of minor character love. The full list of participants for CFLA's March Prompt –Perks of the Job: We love you Jason!- are listed below to make it easy for you all to enjoy to work of the lovely ladies of CFLA!
Chrys Stone: CFLA- How Far Will You Go? (Lucy, Jason, Yukino); Rated M
GemNika: CFLA- Catalyst (Jason, Mira); Rated T
Kairrie: CFLA- Behind the Scenes (Gajeel, Laxus, Jason); Rated M
LittlePrincessNana: CFLA- You're the Coolest (Jason, Levy); Rated T
Leoslady4ever: CFLA- Hold Your Tongue (Jason, Lucy); Rated M
Eien No Touko: CFLA- Participant Observation (Jason, Lucy); Rated T
NIchiki: CFLA- Code Name Shutterbug (Jason, Lucy); Rated T
NIchiki: CFLA- A Fluffy Sandwich (Jason, Aries); Rated T
Dragon'Host: CFLA- Commemoration (Jason-centric, JasonxMira friendship); Rated T
If you'd like to find these or any of the other monthly collaborations that have been written by members of The Crack Fiction Liberation Army, then please visit:
(fanfiction) community/CFLA-Archives/118692/3/0/1/
The next prompt, for the month of April, will be: Girl Power: Underloved Female Characters. My wonderful readers, if any of you would like to participate please don't hesitate to message me or just jump on the CFLA forum, we welcome ships of all kinds!
~Side Note~
I've been working out the chapter for Fallen, it was supposed to be the ending, but the out pour of support from you guys makes me feel like I should expand a few things into their own chapters. I can't promise that it will be ready by Wednesday but I am taking the little bit of time that I can between hosting out of state family as I can.
XoXoXo
You are the best readers an Author could ever ask for!
Thank you all again for your gracious support.
~Chrys Stone, Supreme Leader of the Crack Fiction Liberation Army