Author's Note: Hey babes! This was my submission for the Fairy Tail Halloween Fic Exchange held way back when for rivendell101 on Tumblr, and I finally got around to uploading it. So, please leave a review, and enjoy!
The air is warm, borderline humid inside the party, sweat and hot, heavy breaths attributing to the temperature. Bodies move around him, twisting and grinding and swaying to the near deafening beat that pounds from the large speakers. He can practically feel each pulse under his feet, the music thrumming through his body and vibrating in his chest. It's an exhilarating feeling, having music echo in one's bones, and Romeo thinks it is a feeling he never wants to stop.
It's his first real party, in his opinion- the kids in his high school never throw parties as wild as the college one he is at currently. He isn't exaggerating; as rowdy as the parties thrown within his own grade, nothing he's ever seen can compare to the insanity of this one. Over two hundred people pack the rented club, all stressed college students desperately looking for a chance to forget about whatever impending test they will be hit with tomorrow - that means a two hundred tipsy young adults who are trying their hardest to party their hardest. If he stops to think about it, Romeo might even consider this party dangerous - all the more reason for him to love it.
Wendy's hand tightens around his, and Romeo glances back at her, flashing her a reassuring smile. As much as he loves the exciting thrill of parties, his girlfriend was never one for the uncontrolled atmosphere of them, finding it a bit too overwhelming for her taste, preferring to stay at home and curl up with a good book while others had their fun. If Romeo didn't know that his earlier pleading, paired with those dimples of his that he knows she can't resist, convinced her to come, he would question why she would even be at such a place. But his girl was made of tough stuff - something he always admired in her - so she had mustered up her courage and came with him to the party, pursing her lips at his victorious smile and telling him that the only reason she was going was because Mira was always saying she needed to go out more.
Wendy gives him an uncertain smile in return, a hint of nervousness flickering in her big brown eyes. People jostle her from all sides, and Wendy keeps her head ducked as if trying to hide from the raging crowd, biting her lip in nervous habit. Romeo pulls her closer, trying to keep her out of harm's way - or really, out of harm's sea; it was so bloody crowded you couldn't move without bumping into at least three different people. Wendy slips in closer to him, her fingers untangling from his to grasp his forearm, her nails biting into his skin just the slightest bit. He doesn't mind, more concerned with getting her away from the untamed throng of partiers. He weaves between people, slipping through the miniscule gaps between the bodies, ducking under thrown up arms and getting smacked by careless hands, and all around just being bumped, jostled, shoved, and blocked by the seemingly endless mass of people.
After several unsuccessful attempts to get around a pair dancing in one of the most provocative ways he's ever had the misfortune of seeing, he decides to just fuck it and force his way through, figuring that they're all so cramped anyways that a little extra shoving won't make a difference. Wendy keeps a firm hold of his arm as he shoulders his way through, her smaller body having an easier time slipping through the spaces he creates for her. She's got about two seconds to get through the gaps before they're closed by the mass converging around them like some sort of monstrous cell that swallows them whole.
Bodies press against them, practically drowning them; personal space is nonexistent in the club, everyone packed in with barely any wiggle room, but somehow everyone is dancing at once, swaying to the beat, and Romeo supposes that it's the students' sheer willpower that grants them the ability to do so. Some are pressed up against each other, grinding in desperate attempts to lose themselves, others are jumping to the beat, their arms thrown up in excitement, while others merely nod their heads to the music and talk amongst themselves. The air smells of sweat and an odd mixture of cologne and perfume, as well as the undertone of the alcohol that flowed freely from the bar. Dim lights are the only illumination, save for the various screen lighting from people's phones, so the atmosphere shivers with a sense of hidden thrill.
Romeo absolutely loves it.
After what seems like an eternity of pushing their way out of the crowd, Romeo and Wendy finally break free, stumbling out of the mass and nearly straight into a wall. The people fill up the club so wholey that the only empty space is right up against the walls, and even then people clog it up, pressing lovers against the hard cement or fallen in a heap on the ground, sobbing their eyes out for reasons Romeo really would rather not know.
The pair start walking, keeping close to the wall lest they get sucked back into the throng. They avert their eyes from couples making out rather intensely, wincing at the blatant sounds of arousal, and skirt around drunken, crying girls on the floor. One girl was bawling so hard she was barely breathing; Romeo gave her a pitiful glance, and Wendy looked at her so sadly that he considered getting the girl out of the party and driving her home. But, he knew from experience, it was better to just ignore her, or who knows what mess they'd get tangled in. With a sigh, he gives Wendy's hand a slight tug, silently pleading with her not to get involved, and they continue on in their quest.
Their goal is to find Romeo's cousin, Natsu, and his girlfriend, Lucy. The two of them are a few years older, and they were the ones who got them into this party in the first place. Apparently Natsu was friends with the hired bouncer, a guy named Elfman, so it had only taken one of his infamous crooked grins and a few joking explanations to get them in.
Mere minutes after entering, Natsu and Lucy had disappeared into the crowd with a few shouted words of encouragement and a small wave, leaving Romeo and Wendy just standing there, unsure of what to do. With a deep breath, the two plunged in, only to be instantly lost in the sea of people.
It had been a good four hours since they had last seen his cousin and his girlfriend, and Wendy is firm in her argument that they had spent plenty enough time partying. Romeo concedes; while the rest of the partiers are college kids with flexible class schedules, they are high schoolers with classes starting bright and early in the morning. His smile starts to drop at the thought, but Wendy squeezes his hand, and he looks back at her. She looks absolutely adorable in her costume, a simple white sweatshirt with a cat hood and a fluffy tail, and a tiny bit of makeup streaked across her cheeks and nose to give her whiskers and a pink kitty nose. A thin line of eyeliner accentuates her bright eyes, and the light pink of her lipstick reminds him of just how soft and kissable her lips are.
"You know," Wendy hums, her voice speculative, "As much as I dislike parties, I'll admit that I had fun tonight." She smiles at him, a calm, relaxed aura about her now that they've left the crowd.
Romeo grins, his teeth seeming all the whiter in the dim light. He squeezes her slim hand in his own in return, a happy sparkle in his dark eyes. "Well, that's good to hear," he replies, and leans down to press a kiss to her cheek. She giggles, a light, happy sound that Romeo loves like no other. His grin widens, the dimples forming in his cheeks, and Romeo decides that he would be willing to miss as much sleep as he needs to in order to make her happy.
"But," Wendy says, in that there's-a-catch kind of way, "We really should be getting home. We've been here for a solid four hours- I don't know about you, but I'm tired." As if to prove her point, a yawn pulls from her throat, and her hand flies up to cover her mouth.
Romeo hums in agreement. "Yeah," he admits. "I suppose that four hours is okay," he sighs, accentuating the last word. Wendy tries to give him an annoyed look, but her lips twitch up in a smile, and the affection in her eyes gives her away. She was never was good at being annoyed - something he takes great joy in - and he shoots her a cheeky smile.
"Whatever," she replies, rolling her eyes playfully. "Let's just find Natsu and Lucy, Mr. Energetic."
Romeo grins at the nickname, but concedes defeat. He always was a bit hyper, with more energy than the average person; the only one who could rival his liveliness is his cousin - Natsu's tirelessness amazes even him sometimes. "Alright, alright," he agrees. "Let's go find that cousin of mine and get out of here. No doubt Lucy's dead tired, knowing how hyped Natsu gets at parties, and she's probably wanting to leave by now."
Wendy winces as she imagines all the dancing Natsu must have put Lucy through, and nods. "Yeah, that's probably for the best. Poor Lu's got to be half asleep at this point- she had late classes tonight." She pulls her phone from her pocket and glances at the screen, grimacing at the time. "Yesterday, rather." She pockets it, and they continue on their way, more hurried than before to save Lucy from her fate.
When they do find Lucy, she isn't half asleep, or tired at all. On the contrary, she seems wide awake, and fully aware of all that's going on around her- or more specifically, Natsu, and what he's doing to her.
His cousin's got her pinned to the wall, caging her in with his muscled arms as he works his teeth along her throat. His knee is pushed between her legs, riding the short dress of her cop outfit even higher, and exposing her long leg to the world- not that much had been hidden before, but still. The thick fabric of Natsu's firefighter costume rests low around his hips, slid off of him by no other than Lucy. The hard muscle of his torso is bared, and his tan skin gleams with sweat in the low light. The crimson suspenders are the only things holding up the heavy weight of his costume, and Romeo prays that they stay fastened. By the way Natsu and Lucy are going, there's a high chance that they won't.
Lucy's hands clutch Natsu's biceps, her nails biting into his muscle as she tilts her neck, allowing him better access to her throat. Her eyes are slitted, her long eyelashes casting shadows on her cheeks, and low sighs of pleasure exit her parted lips.
Romeo and Wendy stop dead at the sight, frozen in horror, their mouths hanging open. It's not like they haven't walked in on the two getting down to business before, but it's definitely not something Romeo wants to experience again. Seeing his cousin butt-naked was enough to scar him for a lifetime.
Wendy squeaks in surprise, and partly horror as well. Natsu and Lucy are practically her siblings, they're so close, so the sight must be as traumatizing for her as it is for him. Romeo doesn't need to look at her to know that she's blushing like crazy, his girl always one to get flustered easily. Even Romeo can feel his cheeks getting red.
Wendy's gasp must have alerted the busy pair to their onlookers, because Lucy slides her eyes over to them, her golden gaze dark and hooded. It takes her a moment to recognize them, but when she does, her eyes go wide. She makes her own noise for surprise, and straightens, pushing herself up on Natsu's arms. Natsu himself doesn't seem to notice, merely tilting his head to work with Lucy's new position.
Lucy's cheeks start to grow pinker than before, the alcohol in her system not enough to drown her mortification. She turns back to Natsu, and takes one hand off of him to poke him in the shoulder. "Ah, Natsu," she starts, her voice pitched high with embarrassment, "We've got visitors," she tells him, ducking down to whisper in his ear, red faced. He merely hums, uncaring, and continues to lavish her skin with kisses. Lucy squirms as he places slow, heated kisses on the underside of her jaw, but she tries desperately to keep her face neutral. "Natsu . . ." She repeats, her voice trailing off in warning.
With a sigh, the man pulls back enough to look at them. He dark eyes flick over them uncaringly, not at all fazed by the idea of his cousin and his girlfriend watching him work. "So what?" He says, his voice raspy and holding a tinge of annoyance at being interrupted. "It's just Romeo and Wendy. It's not like they don't do the same stuff with each other all the time."
Wendy's hand clenches around his, and she squeaks again, her cheeks fiery. Romeo's eyes widen at Natsu's blunt wording, and he coughs into his free hand awkwardly, averting his eyes from his cousin's flat stare. Even Lucy seems shocked; she smacks her boyfriend on the shoulder, not enough to hurt but to get his attention. He gives her an offended look, as if he can't figure out what he said wrong, and Lucy returns it with a disapproving look of her own. "Natsu!" She chastises, her cheeks pink. "Don't say those kinds of things out loud!"
Natsu frowns. "But it's true," he argues. "I can hear them sometimes."
Wendy burrows her flaming face in Romeo's shoulder, and Romeo feels the sudden urge to hide his as well.
"But don't say it, especially when they're right there!" Lucy huffs, her lips curving in a pout.
Natsu squints at her in a mixture of confusion and disbelief, and drops his head on her collarbone with a resigned sigh. "Whatever you say, Luce," he concedes, straightening. His arms drop away from their spots by her head, and he stands upright, stepping enough away from Lucy that he's no longer towering over her, his back cracking from staying in one position for so long. Lucy tugs the hem of her dress down to a reasonable length, her gold hair falling around her in sheets to obscure her red cheeks. Natsu stretches out his arms in front of him, listening to them pop in satisfaction, but it only works to help accentuate his lack of clothes. And, Romeo is acutely aware, it makes the suspender clips slip.
Romeo coughs again, and points vaughly at the layers of cloth at Natsu's hips when he looks at him questioningly. "Ah . . . You might want to put your jacket back on," he advises.
Natsu looks down, but seems far too unconcerned about his impending lack of coverage for Romeo's liking. "Yeah, I probably should," he agrees, and lifts the heavy fabric just as the clips get dangerously close to slipping off. When he's gots his arms through the holes where the sleeves are supposed to be, leaving the zipper wide open, he surveys them all with a calm look, a relaxed aura hanging about him. "So," he begins, sounding a little less drunk-on-Lucy and a little more normal, "Should be be heading home? I mean, you guys have class in the morning, but we could stay longer . . ." He trails off, his eyebrows raised in question.
"Let's just go home," Wendy says faintly, turning her face to them again, seeming a bit dazed, like she's trying to forget what's just happened.
Romeo clears his throat. "Uh, yeah," he agrees lamely, trying to delete the last three minutes from his memory. He had thought he and Wendy had been pretty good about being quiet- apparently not.
"So!" Lucy's far too cheerful voice cuts through the awkward silence. "Home it is. We'll drop you two off at your houses, and then head home ourselves," she tells them.
"To finish what we started," Natsu mutters under his breath, but Romeo hears nonetheless. He grimaces at the thought. Apparently Lucy hears him as well, for the colour rushes back to her cheeks.
"Let's just . . . leave already," Romeo says helplessly. With that, the four of them make their way home, leaving a night Romeo know he most certainly won't be forgetting any time soon.