A/N: Thanks to those who chose to favorite this story and follow. I apologize that this is getting out late, but I've had complications due to every day life. I wish I could be writing fan fics all the time and just get paid to do it, unfortunately, that's not how life works. So without further ado, I present the next chapter to this fun game. It kinda takes you back to what happened before everything went down.

Earlier that day...

Lucy woke with a start from her dream world. She had been at the beach, in her favorite white bikini with pale pink hibiscus flowers, laying down on an unfolded beach chair the color of crimson blood. The sun was shining and giving off radiant heat waves that tanned her gorgeous curves. She had been the only one on the beach for stretches of miles. Not a person in sight. At the time, she did not think anything of it. So Lucy shrugged it off laid down on her stomach to tan her back. Until she remembered that her back did not have any lotion on it to protect her from the harsh rays of the sun.

As Lucy went to go into a black and white striped beach bag, a shadow fell overhead. "Allow me to help you with that."

Lucy turned around, only to find her best friend and partner holding out his hand for the lotion, with his signature cheeky grin. "Ok Natsu, thanks!" Natsu stood there without his favorite vest, in all his half naked glory, wearing only a swim suit that was white with red flames and his signature scarf. "No problem Lucy, it'll be my pleasure." So Lucy laid back on her stomach and waited.

Wasting no time, Natsu opened the small bottle of lotion and squirted a small amount in his hands. Those beautifully scarred and calloused hands that have fought alongside her in the past. The moment the liquid hit her bare skin, it felt cold but wonderful. It wasn't cold for too long though. The hands that belonged to the muscled God was helping warm it up along with the rays of the sun.

It started off innocently enough. Natsu made sure to start from the back of her neck to her shoulders and then started on her upper back. That's when he stopped. He leaned down right next to her ear and whispered, "If you want, I can un-tie the back so you won't get a tan line." Why not? "S-sure. I mean, I don't want a tan line back there." Why am I stuttering?

Something so innocent should not take so long. Lucy held her breath while she felt the tips of his fingers grab the lace to un-tie the knot. Slowly and ever so surely (she did NOT want the feeling to end), he pulled the tiny strings and then put one on each side. The sound of Natsu swallowing hard made Lucy realize that she was showing a bit of her chest from that angle, and she immediately went to cover up the sides. However, just as she was about to close her arms close to her body, they were pulled hard back up towards her head and a certain well muscled dragon slayer was pushing onto her back on top of her.

"N-Natsu? What are you doing?" Lucy felt like her world was about to spin out of control. "Do you realize that the lotion I put on your back smells real good? Don't worry about covering up your sides. You're beautiful. You don't need any reminders of that, but I thought I should at least tell you that. Why don't I finish what I started?" Without waiting for a reply, he got back up into a kneeling position and started to rub her back again.

After a few minutes of the top back, Natsu started getting a bit daring. He started to venture down the side of Lucy's body, massaging the lotion as he went. He never strayed too long, to much of Lucy's relief and disappointment. Then he started venturing further down her back, just to above the bikini line. Natsu stopped, as if to ask if he should wait or continue.

Lucy pulled off the bikini in one swipe. She just shrugged her shoulders and stated, "I don't want a tan line. No more questions asked, he continued his ministrations with the lotion. Up and down the curves of her backside, grabbing and massaging with a heavy hand the round firmness of her perfect ass.

Small moans began to make their way out of Lucy's plump lips. It felt so good and yet very intimate. Something she had always wanted with her best friend and partner. "Thinking of me beautiful?" As Natsu was saying that, his hand that was massaging her ass, started going more towards her core, and Lucy felt as she could melt. Just before getting to where she needed his touch more than ever, she heard a very loud, very annoying sound.

Lucy groaned awake as her alarm clock blasted on the night stand next to her. As she went to go and chuck the damn thing against the wall for the fourth time that week (and by some miracle didn't break), she felt a heaviness next to her. And that heaviness was named Natsu.

"When will he learn to sleep in his own bed." Lucy then remembered the dream she had before waking up. It's not as if wet dreams were uncommon, however, waking up next to the person you were having said dreams about is a bit...well, embarrassing. Lucy's face could not be any redder, no matter how hard she tried. So, instead of waking him up to scold him out of bed, she ducked away to the kitchen in her small apartment to get coffee and maybe make breakfast.

As she got to the kitchen, she took out the coffee from the cabinet, and set in on the counter while she put water into her coffee pot. After starting the pot, she went to the other cabinet to get sugar and then to the fridge to get creamer. As she had opened the fridge, she took the creamer off the side door and closed the door. Before she took another step, she reopened the fridge and did a double take on the contents.

Not one single thing that she had bought just the other day was in there. No milk, no eggs, no butter, no nothing. The top cabinet above the fridge was empty as well even though she had just bought two loaves of bread. Lucy stalked over to her pantry to pull back the door and discover all the cereal, the mixes, the pastas, everything was gone!

"Yo Luce. Do you think there's anything hiding around here to eat? When Happy and I arrived last night after you fell asleep, I think we took the last of your cereal." Perfect timing.

"Natsu, if you ate the last of the cereal last night, where is all the pasta and fish, and milk, butter, eggs, and bread as well?"

"Well duh, we ate that too. We were starving after our mission through the forest last night and we didn't want to wake you up to ask, so we helped ourselves. I'll pay you back for it Luce. I promise. Listen, I'll meet you at the guild. I'm hungry and I owe a punch in the face to that Ice Prick." Before Lucy could even work up a mad, he had jumped out the window and Happy caught him mid flight to fly to the guild.

I need to stop him from doing this. I just seriously need to do something. But what can I do? I can't just make him pay financially. I need him to understand that I mean business. However, I don't want to be too mean...

Just as she was thinking about how to get Natsu back for eating her food, Lucy went through her mail. Bills, junk mail, a catalouge of THE summer's hottest trends (saving for later), and ... what was this? A coupon section with a full ad of Lucy (and Natsu's) favorite laser tag place. They hadn't been there in awhile. Maybe...it was time to go back...

The bells started ringing in Lucy's head warning signs for trouble, but she wasn't listening. She quickly got dressed and ready to go meet Natsu at the guild, and challenge him to a few rounds of laser tag.

When Lucy finally made it to the guild hall, it was like any other normal day. The music was low for background, voices raised every which way but loose to chaos from friendly spats, to pissed off teams that couldn't complete their missions. Then there was the rise of voices of two very familiar team members that could never quite control themselves whenever they were around each other.

"Listen Ice Princess, it's time to get you back for having a frozen heart!"

"I'd rather have a frozen heart than have to clean your holy underwear whenever you burn them, Fire Breath!"

Gray and Natsu. Best frenemies for life. They have a special love-hate relationship. They just LOVE to HATE each other. Today was no exception. However, Lucy didn't have time to play games.

"Natsu!" Every head turned, every conversation ceased, and for some reason, the music that could usually be heard in the background, came to a complete stop as if to listen to what Lucy had to say. If fact, Lucy started to feel a bit silly with what she was about to say. Still, she took a deep breath, and started towards her victim.

"Natsu. I'm tired of you and Happy always eating my food and never helping to pay for it or even with the shopping. Therefore, I am challenging you to THREE (3) games of laser tag. Free for all. Three games is if in case we tie in two games and need the third. However, if one of us wins two games, the third game will then be a winner takes all match. Do you agree?"

Natsu, who had been watching Lucy the entire time without saying a word, was speechless. Of course if Lucy had just asked, he would help out at any time. But maybe he could have some fun first.

"Ok. Sure. So I'm guessing the deal is, you win, I pay for groceries, and even go grocery shopping for a month? As well as, if I win, things continue as they are?"

Lucy thought about it for a moment and stuck her hand out. "Agreed."

Natsu shook Lucy's hand. What will be the outcome within the next few hours?

And there you have it. The next chapter will show what's going to happen next with the first game of laser tag. Please, as always leave a review and lot's love, peace, and chicken grease. 3