. Loss of Control .

Prompts, Quotes, etc.: "Nothing instills more panic than losing control of a bouncy ball inside your house."

Pairing: -

Possibly A…: -

It all started with a simple toy that Asuka brought to the guildhall.

She'd been playing with it for quite some time, bouncing it with care, and then giggling and chasing after it before trying again, giggling hysterically when it bounced off of Laxus' head before mumbling an apology when he gave the kid a good-natured glare and handed it back. She smiled at him and he ruffled her hair much to Mira's pleasure before she'd moved on.

One hard throw.

And that was all it took for all hell to break loose.

It zipped around, flinging itself from walls and creating mass chaos.

Natsu yelped as it shattered Lucy's cup of tea, spilling hot tea all over her and making her tip both of their barstools over when she jumped up. Both went tumbling to the ground in a mess of tangled limbs, Happy perching with a giggle on top of them. Wendy went to assist them, but it bounced off of her head, and she yelped, dropping to clutch it.

Laxus fell victim again, and Freed gave a shout of surprise when it knocked his book from his hands. Evergreen gave an outraged cry when it sloshed her drink onto her dress and Elfman jumped up to help her, shouting something about being "manly". Lisanna huffed and told him to stop before tripping over Natsu when the fire mage smirked and grabbed her ankle as she passed him, determined to start a guild-wide brawl.

Next was Juvia. Juvia blinked, having been in the midst of showing a curious Jet and Droy her new technique, as it went straight through her and bopped Gajeel in the back of the head, resulting in Levy and Lily's uncontrollable laughter when he gave a bark of pain. Charle sniffed at the commotion and then squealed uncharacteristically when she had to dive out of the way to avoid it.

Gray ended up choking on his beer when the card mage he'd been having a contest with shoved his head down to avoid a blow, and then cackled as she tried to catch it in her beer, only succeeding in dumping what was left on Gray's head.

It continued shooting this way and that, and Asuka stood in the midst of the chaos, giggling with her hands over her mouth. "Whoops."

"Asuka!" Bisca wailed as she tried to capture it again. Everyone went to work, trying to get it. Each person snatched at the air, but still, it escaped, bouncing endlessly.

All of the guild was struggling in the face of this new enemy.

All but one.

Erza was in the middle of biting into a piece of cake that was perched gently on a fork - a freshly baked piece, with strawberries and whip cream, too - when the small object suddenly slammed into the cake still on her plate and ended up throwing it everywhere, spattering the table and the floor.

There was a brief moment as the guild's members went still, everyone holding their breath.

It took under three seconds for Erza to catch it in her hands and smash it to pieces.

It was safe to say that bouncy balls were no longer allowed in the guildhall after that.

I have no regrets about this one.

Thanks to reviewers!: PinkFireandGoldenStars, SafirRansomePoseidonsDaughter, Vaneles, and Gothazon