"What a loser."
Lucy looked up from the book she was reading and raised an eyebrow at her teammate. "Who?" she asked, trying to feign interest long enough for him to stop talking so she could read in peace.
Natsu snorted. "That guy in your book. What kind of loser actually talks like that? 'I see heaven every time I look into your blue eyes.' Really?"
Flushing red, Lucy snapped her book shut and clutched it protectively to her chest. "Well, I think it's sweet! And who asked you to read my book over my shoulder, anyway?"
Unperturbed, he shrugged. "I was bored. Anyway, what kind of pick up line is that, seriously? Could he be any more sappy?"
"And what exactly do you want him to say? He's trying to convey his feelings to his love interest."
Scratching his head, Natsu replied, "I dunno, but aren't pick up lines supposed to be funny? That one's pretty lame."
Glaring at him, Lucy shot back, "Oh, and I suppose you think you could do better?"
He looked at her blankly for a moment, and Lucy could have sworn she could hear the gears in his head turning. Then a big smirk plastered itself on his face, and he asked mischievously, "What about you? You're a writer, don't you think you could come up with a better pick up line?"
Lucy spluttered, "What? Why would I want to do that?"
The grin widened. "Oh, are you saying you couldn't?"
The pit of Lucy's stomach sparked to life with indignant anger, and she snapped back, "I didn't say that! Of course I could write a good pick up line!"
Natsu's eyes sparkled with something like triumph, and he leaned forward, propping his chin up on one hand. "And I'm pretty sure I can, too. At least a pick up line better than that book. So how about it? Should we have a contest?"
Too late, Lucy realized she had been pulled into a trap. But the simmering outrage inside her pushed her forward. "What kind of contest?" she asked warily.
"We'll set some kind of time limit. A week, let's say. You can say as many pick up lines as you want to the other person. And whoever comes up with the best one is the winner."
Despite herself, Lucy asked, "What does the winner get?"
"Hmm." Natsu looked thoughtful for a moment. "How about the winner gets to make the loser do one thing, whatever they want?"
Warily, she regarded her partner. "Anything?"
The corner of Natsu's mouth turned up. "Yeah, anything. You could make me use the door to your house forever if you wanted. Or, you know, whatever."
The possibilities began turning over in Lucy's head. He was right. She could even permanently reclaim the use of her bed from her two friends. She smiled a little. This was starting to sound like a good idea. "Oh, wait," she said. "How are we going to decide who has the better pick up line?"
Natsu stared at her blankly. "Whaddya mean? Can't we just decide at the end of the week?"
She sighed. This man was so simple-minded sometimes. "We can't do that, what if we disagree about which one is the best?"
He folded his arms behind his head. "Well, if that happens, then we can ask someone else's opinion. Come on, Luce, you're just dragging your feet now. What, are you scared you won't be able to beat me?"
She puffed her cheeks up at him. "No way! I'll beat you for sure!"
He laughed. "That sounds to me like we have a deal!"
Sticking out her hand resolutely, Lucy nodded. "We sure do!"
Grinning, Natsu clasped her hand, and Lucy couldn't help but notice how warm it felt. "Deal!" he echoed.
