Hey,gang! It's been a while, but this fic is finally back! Hopefully, it meets your expectations. It's kind of filler, but hey, hopefully you enjoy!
-StormDragonSlayer
Erza woke up that Sunday feeling surprisingly rested. Her usual nightmares stayed locked away, and she had a long, restful sleep. Stretching, she looked blearily at the alarm clock next to her, vaguely registering the snoring coming from the bunk above her. Seeing that it was eight o' clock, she got out of bed, tossing on a pair of Gym shorts and a tank top. Grabbing her keys, she went to go take a drive, but changed her mind when she heard the smack of a ball against brick from across the street. Smiling to herself, she walked towards the back area of the guys' apartment. What she found was Natsu and Erin standing about twenty five yards from the back wall of their flat, a ball sitting a few yards in front of them, and a small target pinned to the wall.
"Dude," Natsu said, a grin on his face. "Fifty bucks says I can beat you in a shootout." Erin smirked. "From here?" He asked confidently. "Yeah." Natsu replied, equally confident. "You're on." Erin said, shaking Natsu's hand. Taking a few steps back, Natsu took a small run up and hit the ball, which curled through the air and smacked the wall about a foot wide of the bright-colored, albeit tiny target. Natsu groaned, then stepped to the side as Erin lined up his shot. Erin walked towards the ball, then, on his last step, planted his foot and struck, the ball bending effortlessly through the air and smacking the target dead center. Natsu stood there, dumbfounded, as Erza broke into a round of applause and Erin celebrated, his arms spread wide as if there were an audience of 200,000, not two. Walking over to Erza, he high-fived her and wrapped her in a tight hug. "Hey Red." He said, pulling back from the embrace. Smiling, Erza looked up at him. "That was incredible." She said, referencing his shot. Erin scoffed and waved it away. "Chalk it up to years of practice. I've been taking free kicks since I started playing competitive soccer. That was nothing." "Are you kidding me?!" She asked incredulously. "There are pros who can't do that, and that was 'nothing'?" "Yep." He said, walking back to Natsu, who begrudgingly pulled a small stack of bills out of his wallet and passed them to Erin, who pocketed them with a smirk. "Pleasure doing business with you, sir," he joked, earning a punch in the gut from Natsu. "Now, c'mon." Natsu said, ignoring Erin's grunt of pain. "We've got practice today." Grumbling, Erin followed Natsu inside to get ready.
"I still can't believe you hit that first try." Natsu grumbled as he ate his protein bar, leaning over the counter to talk to Erin as he sat in the armchair. "What can I say?" Erin said, smirking. "Practice makes perfect." Natsu continued to grumble as he finished his protein bar, walking towards their room to take a shower. Erin smiled, his mind lost in thought. Where do you take the girl you told about your family problems out on a first date? His head immediately shot to Gino's, but shot it down, since that seemed more like the group's hang out spot. Sighing, he lifted his head. "Oi, Natsu." He said. Natsu's eyes flicked to him. "You're from Magnolia, right?" Natsu rolled his eyes. "Yeah, but you knew that. What is it?" "Do you have any suggestions for a first date?" Natsu's eyebrows shot up into his hairline, before a smirk graced his face. "Oho, so the great Erin Noctem is coming to me for dating advice?" He leaned over the counter, deep in thought. "Well, there's always Gino's. There's also that little gelato store on Fifteenth Avenue, that's a good idea. Maybe take her for gelato and a walk downtown." Natsu shrugged. "That's my advice. Take it or leave it." Erin nodded. "But!" Natsu continued. "You get to think about that after practice. C'mon, lover boy." With that, they grabbed their bags and ran out of the apartment.
"Soooo?" Lucy said as Erza walked in the front door, a cup holder in one hand and a box of donuts in the other. "So what?" Erza replied, setting the drinks down on the counter and placing the donuts on the table. "So what happened last night?" Lucy asked, curiosity and excitement in her voice. Erza sighed. "I found him, we talked, and we came back. Pretty simple, really." Lucy frowned, crossing her arms over her chest. "It must have been more than that. You two couldn't take your eyes off of each other all night last night." She quirked an eyebrow at Erza, who grumbled as she walked into the living room with a donut and her cup of coffee. "It was nothing, okay?" Lucy raised the eyebrow even higher, but let the topic go. "So what's the plan for today?" "Well, the guys have practice, so I figured that we could swing by and watch for a little," Erza said, taking a sip of the caffeinated beverage and sighing. "Then, I don't know, we'll probably hang out like usual." Lucy nodded, waving to Levy as she shambled into the kitchen, short hair sticking up in all different directions. "Morning." She yawned, reaching for the cup that Erza handed her and taking a long drink. "What's going on for today?" "Well," Erza said, "We're going to swing by and watch a little bit of the guys' practice, and then probably hang out once they shower." Levy nodded, stifling another huge yawn and taking another sip of coffee. Grabbing another donut, Levy went into her room to take a shower. "Alright." Erza said, standing up. "The guys should be about halfway through practice, so we need to hurry if we're going to see them." Lucy nodded.
"Away!" Erin yelled as he streaked down the right wing, overlapping with Gray, who played him in with a smooth back heel. Cutting back towards the center of the box, he curled an effort towards the far post, but Laxus denied him with a diving save that turned the ball off of the post and towards the waiting boots of Gajeel, who promptly lobbed the ball downfield towards the halfway line. Cursing his luck, he took off back towards his defensive third, shooting a nod at Gray in appreciation of the ball. "Alright, next goal wins!" He heard Coach Mustang yell. Grunting, he sprinted back down the field, trying to take the ball off of Natsu, who utilized a Cruyff turn to redirect the ball towards the center and away from Erin. Playing a through ball, he found Alphonse, who slipped it past the back-up keeper, a sophomore named Elfman Strauss. Erin put his hands on his head as Alphonse celebrated and Coach Mustang blew his whistle. "Alright!" Coach yelled, grabbing everyone's attention. "Bring it in!" Once everyone was gathered, Coach began addressing them. "Listen up! First game is in one week, against Oak Town College. I'm happy with what I've seen so far, but there is room for improvement. Starting lineup is as follows. In goal, Laxus Dreyar!" The big blonde nodded, pounding his fist into his other glove. "In defense, from left to right, Andrew Ban, Gajeel Redfox, Soul Evans, and Ichigo Kurosaki!" The four guys all smiled and slapped high fives. "At holding midfielder, Alphonse Elric!" The young man nodded, excitement on his face, as his brother clapped him on the back. "The two attacking midfielders, Naruto Uzumaki, who will be the captain, and Erin Noctem!" The two bumped fists, both smirking. "The three up front, from left to right, Edward Elric, Natsu Dragneel, and Gray Fullbuster!" The three grinned, looking at each other. "Keep up the good work in practice, and I'll see you guys on Tuesday!" With that, Coach Mustang dismissed them. Erin walked up towards him. "Hey coach?" He said, catching Coach Mustang's attention. "Yeah, Erin?" He said, turning to face the younger man. Erin looked down. "I noticed that we have a game on the twenty-first of September." Roy nodded. "Yeah. What about it?" Erin let out a heavy sigh. "I wanted to ask what time that game is, because that day is kind of important to me." Roy looked at him. "It's at six. Why, big date planned?" He joked, but refocused as he saw the look on Erin's face. "No. That's my birthday." Erin said pensively. "What's the problem then? Why the long face?" Roy said. "Nothing. I just wanted to make sure I could be back in time for the game. I always go and do something with family on my birthday." Coach Mustang nodded. "Alright. Have fun." Erin nodded, then walked away. Roy watched him go, then shook his head and laughed quietly. "That is one tough kid."
THere ya go! Hope you guys enjoy! I will try to upload on this story more frequently, and if you guys want to, follow, favorite, and review!
Storm Out!
