Alright, so while we hit 200 followers, and way more than 150 reviews, you guys stalled out at three away from 200! SO CLOSE! So, in celebration of that, and in anticipation of the fact that we will most certainly hit 200 reviews when this DOUBLE LENGTH chapter, I began the drinking process and Thursday's post, Moon Drip Part 2 will be all kinds of crazy drunken for everyone! Maybe even Erza...hehehe. Send me some love, because I worked my little fingers off this weekend through a nasty bout of fibromyalgia to give you these glorious 12,000 beauteous words for you fabulous people! Totally worth it in my opinion!
A special thanks to Lkityan02 guest reviewer for correcting me on the correct use of Mandarin. I appreciate it and took it off the crazy Levy language list in the chapter entitled My Cat. For those equally ignorant on this juicy little factoid, Mandarin is apparently the spoken language, not the written. The more you know right? I really appreciate your guys' dedication to helping me make this as factual and realistic feeling as possible. After all, 400 eyes are better than two...unless they're all on one person...then that's just creepy...yeah I'm looking at you Argus!
So, Enjoy! Oh, and a side note, I had to pull in a lot of characters that aren't part of Fairy Tail Guild in Canon...because without girls, it gets a bit sparse...it will come out later, but the Quatro Cerberus guys joined after their own fraternity was shut down due to abysmal grades (average 0.62 grade point average...Bacchus was keeping them afloat and had a bad semester) and the tower of heaven crew joined up because Erza recommended it to them. There, logically explained, so get to know these random side characters just a little bit better! Because honestly, doesn't everyone everywhere just want to be a member of Fairy Tail anyway? Alright, shutting up now.
Natsu, Gray and pretty much every member of Fairy Tail fraternity living in the house were woken abruptly by the squealing sound of feedback. Which could mean only one thing.
Someone was using their shitty amp and mic to make an announcement to the house.
At 6am.
On a Saturday.
Oh, and that person was going to die. Very Soon.
"Attention, brothers of Fairy Tail!" Warren's voice could be heard in every corner of the house, accompanied by another squeal of feedback that woke even Bacchus from his still drunken slumber.
And now they knew who their target was. House rules were very clear about breaking the sanctity of a Saturday morning, ever since the well-remembered beastly rampage of Elfman Strauss in '13. Visions of maiming and dismemberment danced in their minds like sugarplums at Christmastime. Pillows were dragged over heads by some, random possible-blunt-force-trauma-weapons reached for by others.
"Apologies for the early hour, but time is of the essence! Gildarts is coming!"
And like magic, the men of Fairy Tail were instantly awake, plans for Warren's punishment all but forgotten.
"He will be arriving at the airport at 1900 hours, so we've got limited time to prepare. Adjourn to the dining hall in ten minutes for preparation assignments. Warren out."
Natsu and Gray rolled out of bed and barely bothered to land before scrambling for semi-clean pants in the laundry detritus scattering the floor. 1900 hours was 7pm, which gave them only 13 hours with which to prepare. They had managed, barely, with 12 hours notice last time, but not by much. And the ice luges had been terrifyingly unstable, resulting in more than one nasty concussion. A visit from their most prestigious alum only happened once every few years, the interval this time longer than the last, at almost three years.
He had last come shortly into Natsu and Gray's freshman year, freshly initiated members, but already building a reputation for themselves. However, he had been in no way prepared for what a visit from Gildarts actually entailed. No one could comprehend the mayhem and destruction that was a Gildart's Welcome Home Bash who had not laid their own eyes upon it. And from the moment the last drunken sorority sister was shooed from the premises...three days later...Natsu and Gray had started planning for his next arrival.
Now, their time had finally come. Natsu grabbed the small, red leather-bound notebook he kept under his mattress, while Gray pulled a sketchbook stuffed with far too many extra pages and held together by an enormous rubber band from his desk drawer. This time, they would be ready.
They never knew when word would come that the jet-setting alum would have a layover, or miracle-of-miracles, a free weekend, to spend at his old stomping grounds, but at a moment's notice, every brother of Fairy Tail knew what was expected of him. It was part of the initiation pledge, after all.
Classes would be skipped. Meals would be eaten on the job. Concern for the law and personal safety would be suspended. And most importantly, campus police would be kept in the dark for as long as possible.
Uncharacteristically focused, the upperclassmen of Fairy Tail rounded up the wide-eyed freshmen members and pledges that had been pulled from their various beds around campus, distributing donuts in an organized fashion. Romeo personally delivered Natsu's box of dozen jalopeno-honey-glazed crullers. They were on a clock here, but Natsu was an essential cog in the machine. Plus no one else in their right mind would eat them.
At the exact stroke of ten minutes past six, the eldest currently enrolled member of Fairy Tail, rarely seen lately as he finished his master's dissertation, Mystogan Fernandes, cleared his throat and the room fell silent. As the most senior member, he held the needed experience to guide them through the trial ahead. The men of Fairy Tail placed their absolute trust in him. He had witnessed not one, but three Gildarts Welcome Home Bashes, and survived unscathed; an unprecedented feat.
"Alright brothers, and the uninitiated," Mystogan paused as he gave a blue-headed nod to acknowledge the bewildered group of pledges shoving their faces with cream-filled long johns. "We've got less than thirteen hours to make this happen, so shut up, pay attention, and report to your designated squad commander following the meeting, and we may just pull this off. Here are your assignments: Gray, ice luges. Grab a team and get to work. Fairy Tail never makes the same mistake twice, so there will be a lot of pressure on those frozen shot slides. Crisp, cold and fucking incredible. We're counting on you. I heard a rumor that the chemistry lab just obtained a large quantity of dry ice recently, so you should touch base with Leon about getting your hands on as much as possible. During the party itself, you will be official designated driver, per recent house ruling, but you will also be tasked with picking up Gildarts from the airport. Jet has graciously volunteered Little Red for the honors, so treat her like the fucking lady she is." Gray traded a serious look with Jet, silently assuring him that his vintage Ferrari would be in excellent hands.
"Loke, you're on invitation and circulation. We need to fill this house from top to bottom. A Gildarts Welcome Home Moon Drip Bash has never hosted less than 200 people. Let's double that. But remember to keep it below the radar until the last moment. Keep in mind we're talking about Gildarts here, so think female to male ratio 3 to 1 or higher, and make sure we keep the freshmen to a minimum and away from the guest of honor. We do NOT want a repeat of '08. Networking with the other houses will be essential. I would start with Blue Pegasus. If we've got them, we've got the sororities. And we need the sororities on board. You have the full bargaining power of Fairy Tail behind you, but don't promise anything we can't deliver. In addition, in an unprecedented turn of events, Gildarts will be bringing his daughter with him. She just turned 21 and she will be your number two priority during the party. Keep her drunk and happy, but conscious. Number one will be keeping her away from Gildarts. You all know the legends of the Clive, and no doubt that would be a shock for a young-un like her...no daughter should see her father that way. So, Loke, we're counting on you. That being said, reign in your sluttier tendencies. Remember who her father is and act accordingly." Loke nodded with a gulp. He did not want to be on the wrong end of protective-father-Gildarts-Clive. He wasn't known as the Crash Wizard of international boxing for nothing.
"Bacchus, booze, obviously. And I'm talking more than just the Dueling Bar setup with Elfman. We need the Moon Drip. It is imperative that this detail is not overlooked. There has never been a Gildarts party without it. Call Galuna's immediately and see how much they can get us in 13 hours. Mira might have some stashed somewhere over at Satan's Soul too, so coordinate with Elfman on that. Get at least one back-up bartender for when you pass out, or for when we need you placing bets. Natsu informs me it is going to be a busy night for betting. And we can't having a Dueling Bar with just Elfman manning his end. Gray and Bacchus, keep in contact with the setup crew as you go, so we don't have a repeat of 2012. No one wants to see that again." The eldest members of the house cringed. Ice luges set up on the bar had seemed like a no-brainer...until they started melting...and sliding everywhere. However, the impromptu game of ice luge floor hockey had been pretty legendary...if dangerous. "Though hopefully the dry ice will solve any similar problems."
"Natsu, as you know, are on entertainment. You'll get the house credit card for only the previously agreed upon budget, so borrow where you can. Pick your team first before anyone else gets dibs. And remember, we want interest and excitement, not just destruction and arson. You were entrusted with this duty by Gildarts himself three years ago, so the pressure is on. Expectations will be high." Natsu smirked and patted his notebook. He wasn't worried. What he had planned would go down in Fairy Tail history.
"Max, you were unanimously elected head host this time around. Work carefully with Loke to anticipate crowd control needs, and don't forget to do sound checks! Feedback has become a problem in the past, which is an unacceptable mood killer, so don't forget your basics. Natsu will be keep you updated on events and times as soon as they are set."
"Which leads me to Vijeeter, you're on music prep. Coordinate with Max, so we keep the party on schedule and rolling. We need at least three days' worth of music from trance to top 40. Four different genre playlists to mix with should have us covered. Alum Bickslow is lending us his equipment and his DJ expertise for the night, but won't have time to prep before he gets here, so I need you in constant communication with him, making sure he can step right in when he arrives. His equipment will be here in an hour and sound checks start in two."
"Jet and Droy, you're running setup, and consequently, pledge supervision duty. Lead them through KP and get this house looking and smelling spotless. Remember guys, it is safe to assume there will be girls in every room of this house, at some point, so hide your porn and delete your browser histories." The men nodded solemnly. It was standard pre-Fairy Tail party practice. Along with updating their wills and writing a letter to their guardians. They lived on the edge, but that was no reason to be inconsiderate to their loved ones. "Furthermore, find the time to declutter your rooms in between your other duties so that the pledges can come through to disinfect and vacuum. Pay particular attention to the pool. It's swimming season and drunk sorority sisters somehow always end up naked in the pool so let's make sure it's up to code and algae free."
Natsu piped up while Mystogan was taking a breath, "With what I've got planned, it will definitely be in use tonight." Several curious looks were shot his way, but he just smiled smugly to himself and stayed focused on the blue-haired super-senior as he continued.
"We have no word yet on the length of this particular visit, so prepare yourselves for every eventuality. I want everyone loading up on water and carbs now, because it's a liquid diet for Fairy Tail members from the minute Gildarts hits the porch. House rules. Nab, you're on munchies. Cheap, greasy, and non-perishable for the most part. Check with Natsu for any supplies he might need. Fruit wedges and garnishes will be taken care of by the bar, but try to synchronize your grocery runs to maximize time. Body shots are a time honored tradition and must be carried out properly, using lime and orange wedge chasers. Which reminds me, Loke, we need at least a dozen volunteers for the body shots. Toned, tanned, friendly, and over the age of consent. Bacchus, don't forget to leave room in the bar setup for them. A cramped body shot, is a less than perfect body shot. We're leaving nothing to chance. Ok, that should be just about everything. Any questions?"
"One," Loke spoke up. "Who's on Titania duty? And the sooner the better, if I'm going to hit up Fairy Hills for the requisite non-Greek eye-candy with Hibiki."
Mystogan smirked, "My poker chip was drawn from the Fish Bowl of Destiny this time around, so I will be off premises in a little under an hour and will be handing off the reins to Freed, as second in seniority. I will be available by cell, but calls should be kept to a minimum and conducted in code. In fact, let's just let Freed handle any calls to me. Go to him first with issues and he will determine if a ruling decision is required. We all know the problems an angry Titania can cause if incited, so for a party this important, I'm not taking any chances. I have a few ideas to keep her from alerting campus security, and more importantly the chief of police, but this is my first personal encounter with the red-haired menace, so I am welcoming advice from those who know her best. Natsu, Gray, I've got some ideas to run past you, see me just following the meeting."
The initiated brothers in the room respectfully saluted Mystogan and said as one, "Your sacrifice will not be in vain," as had become tradition over the three years Erza had been a Magnolia University student.
"And that's it. Get to work, and I'll see you on the flip side." Mystogan finished, handing the mic back to Warren.
Gray and Natsu approached Mystogan and waited while he had a last word with Freed about house fire code regulations and how to set the fire alarms to 'test mode'. Gray took the moment to make a necessary call.
"Hey, Leon, it's Gray. We've got a situation. Gildarts is coming. How much dry ice can you get your hands on in the next hour?" Gray greeted his cousin, who also happened to handle stocking the chemistry department supply room as part of his campus work study.
Mystogan finished with Freed and turned to Natsu.
"So, I think I've got a way to keep her off our backs for at least the next 13 hours. There was a pervert seen on campus trying to lure girls onto his yacht yesterday, and he managed to escape the authorities. I'm thinking it's the perfect situation to keep her busy tracking him down, with me to assist of course. A little philanthropy for Fairy Tail in the mix couldn't hurt. What I need from you guys is details: weaknesses, likes, dislikes, etc. Anything that will give me an edge with her," he said, giving Natsu his full attention as Gray continued his phone call.
"No Leon, don't you dare send Tobe! We'll spend half our work time in the hospital! The guy is a walking disaster! He can come to the party later, but that's it!"
"Well," Natsu replied, thinking over his answer. "I think the perv is a great distraction; nothing catches Erza's attention like public safety. I mean, as far as weaknesses, she has pretty bad stage fright...which doesn't really help much. Oh! She will drop anything to go clothes shopping, so if you need a quick distraction, that's always a good go-to. There's one company in particular...Heart something?"
"Heart Kreuz," Gray said putting his hand over the microphone on his phone.
"Yeah, them. She owns ridiculous amounts of their stuff. She can't resist giving you advice, so again, that's a good one to keep her distracted and happy. She hates rule-breaking, as you already know, and cussing, so keep your behavior and language clean and you shouldn't have any problems staying on her good side...let's see...what else.." Natsu trailed off as he wracked his brain.
"Cake," Gray said suddenly, covering the microphone on his phone again to add in his mono-syllabic suggestion, before returning to Leon. "Fuck no dude, I don't care how good she is. Have you seen the shit she's into now? The last thing we need is a coven of fucking witches coming to get us when she forgets to tell them where she is! Ultear is out, no matter how talented she is with ice. We are not that desperate. Not yet. Chelia's in, and what's his face with the eyebrows, but that's it!"
"Oh yeah! Cake! She fucking loves the stuff. Like in insane amounts. And that's coming from me. She beat me in a cake-eating contest once. She especially likes anything strawberry flavored. All the bakeries in the area know her by name. She even has commandments that she recites about cake. 'Thou shalt not disrespect any desserts in my presence. Thou shalt not waste the heavenly gift that is cake. Thou shalt not steal or destroy my cake under any circumstances,' she's got tons of them. And that last one is very important. You know how in Gremlins, if you feed the little furry dudes after midnight they go totally fucking crazy and evil and try to kill you? That is pretty much what happens to Erza if you fuck with her cake. It's a tried and true distraction, but there are a ton of ways to fuck it up, so if you're in a tricky situation with her, adding cake to the mix might not help so much as get you impaled. I would definitely use it as a last resort." Natsu gave him a grave look, Gray taking a moment to copy the look. Mystogan needed to know what he was getting into. Messing with Erza Scarlet was a serious business. "Oh, yeah, and totally forgot to tell you, she carries like a million concealed weapons. Mostly sharp and pointy stuff. And before you ask, it's all legal. Somehow. We really have no idea how she worked that out. We suspect she has some sort of weird connection with one of the city council members...or is blackmailing them...could be either…" Natsu trailed off, still contemplating how Erza had managed to convince the city of Magnolia that she should legally carry multiple switchblades...let alone where she had found a weapons manufacturer to custom make them for her.
Natsu was surprised to see a smirk of amusement on Mystogan's face. Maybe he should explain again...if he wasn't trying to run away in terror, then he definitely hadn't been thorough enough...but Mystogan was already talking again.
"Fair enough. Those are really helpful insights. It should be a cinch to keep her away from the house."
"Well, actually," Natsu began again with a cocky smirk. "You should probably plan on keeping her away from campus entirely. My entertainment plans are going to cover quite a bit of ground." He finished with maniacal laughter. Mystogan raised an eyebrow and Gray rolled his eyes with a knowing grin, finishing his call and hanging up the phone.
"Whatever flame-brain. Just keep the campus police in the dark. I'm off to the culinary building to meet Leon. They've apparently got a blast chiller that might be big enough for the luges. Should cut our molding time in half." He saluted Mystogan lazily again and swiftly gathered his chosen team to leave the house.
Natsu did the same as Mystogan left to hunt down the Titania. "Romeo, Reedus, Rocker, Nobarly, Mickey, Sho, aaaand...Simon, get your asses over here! You're with me." The guys he named, swiftly surrounded him. "Alright, this is going to be an event the likes of which Magnolia has never seen, and you're going to be part of the team that made it all happen: Team Natsu. But in order to make it happen, we're going to need some supplies. First off, Rocker, you've got access to the locker rooms right? We need every pair of the hockey team's ice skates you can get your hands on. Drop them off in my room when you've got em. We're shooting for at least six pairs in various sizes. The more the better. Leave now and report to me when you're done for another duty. Here, take a walkie talkie and set it to channel seven. Romeo, we need fireworks. I'll be making some for the show at the end of the event, but for the purposes pf my plan, we also need about 50 bottle rockets, 20 Roman Candles, and at least one Screaming Lady Chaser. Here's cash, and you can take Gray's car to get them. I swiped his keys earlier without his knowledge, so if you can find someway to leave the bottle of cinnamon scented shaving cream I've got in my freezer in his trunk when you're done with is, it would be appreciated." Natsu wasn't going to pass up a golden opportunity just because Gildarts was coming.
"Reedus, I know you've got a GoPro camera, and I'm sure we can borrow Jet's, but I'm looking for at least four more, and the more you can get the better. Use my authority to assemble a team if necessary. We don't have the budget to buy new ones, so beg borrow and steal. We'll return them when we're done. Once we've got em, we're going to need to attach them to helmets and link them wirelessly to several TVs. Sho and Simon, that's where you come in. I want you to scour the house and get every TV we have available set up around the Beast in the basement. We'll need one for each video camera we can get. Sho, I know you've got the tech skills to make it happen. Let Reedus know if you need anything else to make it all link and he'll find it for you. Simon, you're the muscle, and setup. I want the wall around the beast to look like the biggest game of Mario Kart the world has ever seen on at least half a dozen screens. Use whatever furniture you can find, or wall mounts, but the overall look is essential. It needs to be larger than life. Nobarly, I need you to buy as many cans of shaving cream as you can get your hands on and the largest tarp you can find, length over general area if it comes down to it. Mickey, you're heading to Metalicana's to borrow their sumo suits. Tell Lily I sent you and he should give them to you no problem. He should have three sets and we need all of 'em. Don't forget to invite the guys there to the party. Gildarts got his start there, so he's got friends who will want to know he's in town. But, if Erza is there, do it quietly. That goes for everyone. Erza Scarlet CANNOT see you doing any of this or it is game over. And I'm dead. I've got to talk to Nab about getting the groceries I need, so get on it. I'll be around. Oh, shit! Before you go, take a walkie talkie!" Each of the guys eagerly grabbed one pf the little black devices Natsu pulled from a bag at his feet. There would always be something about walkie-talkies that spoke to the kid in every man, no matter how old. "Alright, synchronize to channel 7. Let me know when each task is complete and I will give you another. One last thing, so that you understand the unprecedented feat we will achieve today. Here's the plan." Moving over to a framed map of Magnolia on the wall of the dining hall (conveniently marked with every good fast food place in the area), he opened his little red notebook and pulled out a folded piece of paper. Unfolding it a ridiculous number of times, it was revealed to be piece of tracing paper, which he spread over the map. As one the group gasped and grinned like 8-year-olds. They were going to go down in history.
Excitement stoked, each frat boy set off to complete his task. Natsu carefully refolded the master plan, tucked it in his book and had a chat with Nab before setting off for the chemistry lab. He had kickass fucking awesome explosion science to do.
Levy followed the directions written on her phone screen to the letter. She was nervous and excited to see Gajeel's business. Though it had been a week since they met face to face, neither had had enough free time between work and school schedules to spend anymore time together in person. And after a week of filling up their mutual limbs with text, then their test message inboxes, and several missed opportunities to see each other, Levy had finally expressed an interest to see her soulmate in his element. She knew he owned his own business-impressive for someone in their twenties-but he had refused to tell her what it was, claiming it was a surprise. He hadn't even told her what to look for. He had texted her written directions from campus, with the address conspicuously excluded and told her she'd know it when she saw it. Which seemed like a pretty stupid thing to say when she had no idea what she was looking for. So, with a curious mind churning through possibility after possibility, she triple checked the instructions and continued carefully towards her destination.
She was really wishing she had never agreed to his request that they do no research of each other online. It had seemed fair at the time, getting to know one another the old fashioned way-through sensory-linked skin, texting, and past life flashbacks...right...old-fashioned-but now it felt like Levy was walking into a final exam in mathematics without studying. She hadn't even been able to research any of the flashbacks she had had, because she wasn't sure if that counted! It was killing her!
The Majestic Bookworm had compensated by, instead, finishing all of her research papers for her classes for the semester, re-reading some of her favorite childhood novels, the "So You Want To Be A Wizard" series, and translating the week's newest chapters of her five favorite manga from Japanese into twelve different languages for 12 different illegal websites. The Majestic Bookworm was all about bringing excellent literature to the international masses, and if they couldn't do it legally in a decent time interval, then she would do it for them.
Levy took a right at the next intersection, seeing the cute little houses she strolled past falling away for the blockier, more industrial buildings of commerce. She fancied herself an explorer, venturing out into the wilds of Magnolia with nothing but her phone and wits about her. There were only two directions left, so she had to be getting close.
With every shop she passed, she tried to picture Gajeel owning it.
A shoe store? Nope, definitely not the type, and there was no way he owned a Reebok chain.
Law offices? She snorted when she thought of the hard-core pierced and tattooed Gajeel standing head and shoulders above the opposition in, for some reason, an entirely white suit. It was simultaneously ridiculous and weirdly sexy. But he clearly wasn't one of Crawford & Seam Associates, so her eyes wandered on.
Bakery, chiropractor, barber...nope, nope, and definitely nope. That wild hair hadn't seen a pair of scissors in years...for a moment she mused about what he would look like with short hair as her eyes drifted across the street. And then she saw it. The smile instantly fell from her face. Her knees weakened and she fell on her butt, right there on the sidewalk between the Heart Kreuz boutique and a Baby Gap. Was this some kind of cosmic joke? Did he know more than he let on?
There in front of her, white words on a stark black sign, were the words Black Steel. It was a piercing and tattoo parlour, a glistening glass store front showing a classic black and white checked floor and brushed steel front desk, backed by a full-sized wall mural of a black and gray dragon with vivid red eyes, breathing silver flames. It was a beautiful and eye catching shop design, but none of that reached Levy as she sat on the warm concrete trying desperately to take it all in stride...and failing. Miserably.
Over the week they had spent getting to know each other, there had been one unspoken, taboo topic: the flashbacks. Gajeel had brought it up at during their time in Lily's office at the gym, but had quickly back-pedaled seeing the color drain from Levy's face. He hadn't mentioned it again, wanting to earn a little more of Levy's trust before bringing up what was clearly a touchy subject again. Levy had done her best to forget what she had learned in her flashback; keeping herself so busy that her mind only had time to send her flashes of moments. By sheer force of will, she kept herself from experiencing any more visions of that particular past life. She was determined to give the scary-looking, but secretly amazing, man she had met a chance. She had all but blocked out the images of blood and gore from her association with him, until it all seemed like a bad dream. Because what else was it really, except an exceptionally real feeling bad dream? Right?!
But as Levy sat, bruised bum stinging, and saw the nickname of the criminal, she still vividly remembered interrogating, blazoned across a sign in graphic black and white letters, she felt hounded, and betrayed. She had given him the benefit of the doubt; assumed that Gajeel didn't know, or couldn't remember what his past incarnation had done, but here was evidence to the contrary! How could it not be related? Had he named his studio after the mutilating murderer of Chicago out of some sick joke?! A way to remember, or even fantasize his past kills?!
As Levy fell to the concrete, paralyzed by terror and cataclysmic pain at his perceived betrayal, Gajeel paced in the back room of his studio, fretting about what Levy would think of his profession. He had been crazy busy all week, and most of the morning, just finishing sterilizing his equipment from his last scheduled client before getting her text saying she was heading over. He glanced around the back room, not really seeing any of it, and headed back across the narrow room again, tugging at his lip rings.
There were still some days, usually days when business was slow, when he wondered if he had done the right thing-selling his dad's gym to Lily, a completely paid off, successful business, and using the money to buy and remodel a building in order to follow his crazy dream. It sounded so cliche and stupid when he thought about it that way. But most days, he looked around and saw what he had built, all on his own, and the pride out-weighed the doubt. Especially since he didn't really give a fuck what anyone else thought of his decisions anyway.
This time was different though. Her opinion had come to matter, more than anyone's ever had, except maybe Lily's, and the possibility of the pert and perfect little shrimp of a scholar wrinkling her tiny nose at his dream had been plaguing him all week. It was why he wouldn't tell her ahead of time what he did for a living. He was particularly proud of the impression his eye-catching shop made when viewed from the street and he was hoping that it would help ease her into the idea of dating a tattoo artist. Not that they were dating yet...fuck, he hadn't even had a minute, with the sudden influx of work coming his way, to ask her out. But if everything went well today, that was the plan.
She had sprung this visit on him, sending him a text when he was barely awake, and he had missed her so much during the week-like where the fuck had that come from anyway!?-that he had immediately sent her directions, jumping at the chance to talk in person again before fully realizing that it meant she would find out what he did for a living.
But it was too late now. She would be here any minute, and she would either love it or hate it. Or hate it and pretend to like it, which would almost be just as bad, but would at least show she cared...or she could...fuck! This was so stupid! And not like him at all! Worrying was for pussies. Wouldn't fucking help anything. So, gathering his resolve around him, he stepped through the metal chain curtain of tiny steel balls that separated the front desk and design consultation area from the sterile work area, preparing to face the little blue-haired spitfire who had invaded his life. But when he looked out the front plate glass windows and saw her, sitting on the sidewalk across the street, white-faced and staring wide-eyed in horror at the sign for his store, he forgot everything he had been worried about and bolted out the door. He was across the street and kneeling next to her before the guitar riff that played automatically whenever his door opened could finish wailing out its final notes. He just sunk down next to her and stared at her, hands hovering around her as if he wanted to grab her and shake her. He doubted that would really help the situation.
Slowly realizing there was a tall, toned hair factory (her soulmate really did have an incredible amount of hair) kneeling beside her, Levy steeled herself and turned to look him in the face, eyes focusing on his own deep crimson ones, flinching as she remembered the fierce, haughty gaze of Black Steel, cold and deadly gang leader. But focusing on the eyes actually in front of her, she saw nothing like what her mind summoned for her. Instead, she saw concern, and doubt, and...warmth. Slowly, as she kept her eyes locked onto his, tears began to well up and spill over, swiftly wiped away by giant, rough fingers even as mirrored tears spilled from his own eyes. That seemed to be over the realm of what she could handle right then, as she really broke down, grabbing his tight black Metallica t-shirt in her tiny fists and burying her face in his shoulder. He carefully gathered her up, like she was unbelievable fragile, and carried her across the street into his studio, ignoring the curious eyes of passers-by lingering on them. He flipped the sign to closed behind him and headed for the back room. He tried to set her down on the red leather, antique-looking chair it had cost him a ton to have custom-made, but her sobbing got louder and she clung to his shirt even tighter, so he turned and sat down himself, wrapping his arms around her tiny frame snugly, and waiting out her tears. Sure, this really could have gone better, but he had a beautiful woman sitting in his lap and clinging to him, so, it definitely could have gone worse...probably. He relaxed back into the chair and stroked her hair. He could already tell it was going to be another confusing afternoon.
Lucy was having a pretty rotten day so far. She had been awoken an hour early by a mysterious squealing noise that she had now convinced herself was all in her head, she had discovered that she was entirely out of milk when she went to make her morning cereal, and before she had been able to run out and get any, or come up with an alternate breakfast plan (since she had eaten the last of her strawberry pop tarts too!), she had been called in to sub for not one, but four different work study students, all of whom had called in sick first thing in the morning with the same explanation: food poisoning. It sounded like bullshit to her, but she promptly threw all of her take-out menus away, just in case, and changed into work clothes, rushing to make it to landscaping duty before the sun fully came out and made the itchy work even more miserable. She had finished trimming the bushes in the rose garden like a pro (her mother had been particularly fond of roses), cleaned up after the previous night's evening baking class in the culinary building and was about to head out to the campus bookstore to help them shelf the back-ordered textbook shipment that had finally arrived, but had stopped several times on her way out of the building to peek through doors into the culinary arts studios to see if anyone had left something scrumptious to help tide over her ravenous stomach. What she saw instead was a couple of really attractive guys,-one tall, dark and brooding hottie and one prematurely silver fox-a short guy with eyebrows that were in serious need of a plucking and a cute hot-pink-haired girl in a mini skirt, frantically filling pans with boiling water and stacking them in a huge steel contraption that looked like an industrial freezer. After a moment of observing the two hot ones expertly moving several massive cake pans into the freezer and pouring water from kettles into the pans, as they argued constantly, she shook her head and hurried away to her next job. Magnolia University was one weird place.
Making it to the campus bookstore in record time, Lucy was shown to a cart stacked high with shiny new textbooks, presumably the back-ordered ones they hadn't been able to get in before the semester started. Going through the pre-order list, she counted out the ones to be set aside for pick-up and shelved the rest, later returning to the reserved copies and sorting them out by order and name. She had only three or four left to do when she was thrown onto a register for the first time, during the lunch rush while everyone else was on break, checking out a skinny dark-haired dude with what looked like a spiked dog collar around his neck, for literally every can of shaving cream the store's tiny emergency toiletries section had. She had also told him, with bewilderment, that they did not carry tarps, large or otherwise, when he had asked.
What the hell was with people today? Did she miss that it was some weird stoner holiday or something?! She went for her phone, to look it up, only to discover that she had left it at home. Because this day just couldn't have gotten any worse if it tried.
Finishing her book sorting when she was finally replaced on the registers by another student coming on shift, Lucy bought a package of pop-tarts and a strawberry soda from the vending machines in the entry of the bookstore, scarfing down the sugary foods, and raced across campus to the AV Rental Room, already late for what she was hoping would be a boring afternoon of signing out school-issued tablets and video cameras for class projects.
Except, as she huffed and puffed her way up the three flights of stairs at the library to reach the site of her next substitute work study shift, she was met by chaos and the campus police. Tracking down the supervisor of the room, a harried looking grad student who seemed like he hadn't slept in days-pretty much the norm for every graduate student on campus-she found out that a group of ninjas,-seriously, she couldn't make this up if she tried-dressed in black from head to toe, had infiltrated the AV room, tied up and blind-folded the student employee holding down the fort over the lunch hour, and made off with the four GoPro sport capturing video cameras, and the flat screen TV from the breakroom. The mysterious thieves had neglected to take thousands of dollars worth of laptops, tablets, and high-quality film cameras, leaving behind a note saying that all stolen property would eventually be returned, probably within a week.
A special branch campus police, the Garou Knights (because campus police weren't drunk enough on power without giving them special units, insert eyeroll here), represented by Officer Cosmos, a busty woman with light pink hair, had been sent to investigate and was viciously accusing the pale, terrified freshman (who had been overtaken and tied up by the alleged ninjas) of planning an inside job from the very beginning. Watching the scary woman interrogate her prey, all Lucy could think about was how she had hardly ever seen a pink-haired person before she had bumped into ND that day at the train station, or really since, and today she had come across two, unfortunately neither of which were male. It's not like she expected that she would be lucky enough to be on the same college campus with Mr. Matches himself, but it did make her wonder if maybe they were related to him somehow...pink hair was just so rare…though she was willing to bet the mini-skirted chick in the culinary building dyed hers...that kind of vivd tone just didn't occur naturally.
Finding a quiet corner to sit and avoid the wrath of Officer Cosmos, Lucy pulled her trusty pink highlighter from her bag and jotted off a question on their de facto communication board (AKA her left forearm).
Do you have any pink-haired relatives?
Natsu was just securing the wick on the last massive firework shell in front of him when he felt the juicy tingle of a liquid highlighter writing on his skin. Over the last few weeks, he had become an expert at identifying the Weirdo's favorite writing tool by touch alone. He carefully finished securing the base of the final wick with paper tape, sealing off the shell, ready for ignition, before trying to see what she had written. Most of the chemicals contained in the compact bundle in front of him were highly flammable and slightly unstable, and he didn't have time for a hospital visit today. Just as he cut the tape and went to look, static and Romeo's voice came over the walkie-talkie sitting on the heavy lab table in front of him.
"Sand area for fireworks setup and bonfire logs stacked and ready. Reedus and team have arrived with the GoPros and another flat screen. Sho is linking them into the system now. That makes ten on the last TV count. Requesting next mission assignment for I and Reedus. Romeo over."
Natsu grabbed the walkie and held down the talk button.
"Good work guys. Romeo, and Reedus' team, hit your rooms quickly to make sure you've done what you need to so the pledges can finish up cleaning the house. If someone could stop by my room and feed Happy that would be great. Once you are finished there, Romeo, I need you to hide Roman Candles," Natsu paused as he consulted the unfolded map in front of him, "at the west entrance to the library, the south entrance of the English building, the main entrance to the culinary school, and by the track next to the Precht Center. Four rockets at each location, well hidden, and four stashed near the pool back at Fairy Tail, when you've done that, come find me and mark the hiding places clearly on the master plan. Reedus, I want you to focus on the aesthetics and lighting in the basement setup with Sho and Simon. We've got some black-light bulbs and colored party-bulbs left from last year's Halloween bash. You know what I'm looking for, so I'm trusting you to make it look amazing. Natsu over."
"Oui, Natsu, it will be superb, Reedus over," the French exchange art student assured him over his own walkie.
"Awesome. As for the rest of Reedus' team, if Rocker and Mickey have hauling and bungee-cording the mattresses together for the Sumo wrestling ring under control, head to the athletic building and do your ninja magic to get us a parachute to cover the monstrosity. And, hey, while you're there, see if you can borrow of some of those floating pool basketball hoops and their stash of balls. I'm thinking a game of human water-polo is in order. Natsu out."
"AYE SIR! NIN-NIN! Fairy Tail Ninja Assault team out!" Natsu heard a group of guys yell into a single walkie.
"Alright! Good luck guys! I'm heading back to the house with the finale show shells now. I'll check on your progress and lend a hand where needed." Natsu checked his watch. "We're doing decent on time so far, but keep up the pace, there's still a lot to get set. Someone get eyes on Max so I can find and update him when I get back to the house. And double check with Bacchus that enough Moon Drip has been set aside for the relay shots. Natsu, over and out."
"AYE SIR! TEAM NATSU OVER AND OUT!"
With that Natsu grabbed a large plastic foldable crate from a closet and started carefully packing up his newly made firework shells. When they were ready for transport, he sat back and put his hands behind his head, grinning with excitement. They were running right on time. This was definitely gonna make Fairy Tail history.
Then, remembering what he was doing when the walkie went off, he brought his arm down to read the Weirdo's message.
Weird. As usual. He grabbed the red Sharpie he had been using to label the fireworks and jotted off a reply.
nope. I'm the sole surviving pinkette of the fam. my dad supposedly had pink hair though. Seeing an opportunity to find out more about his mysterious bonded blonde, and eager to keep her from questioning him further, he followed up with a question of his own.
what about you? you have any blonde relatives? or just weird ones? particularly any crazy sisters? Gray could use a blind date.
She must have been waiting for his response because she wrote back right away.
HA! Everyone in my whole family is blonde! As in for generations. But no sisters, crazy or otherwise. Just me. I have a cousin I haven't spoken to in ages, but she's more of a dirty blonde. Why? Is Gray partial to blondes? Remember, I'm still totally single if he's looking for volunteers.
Natsu immediately regretted mentioning Gray.
naw, he actually hates them. thinks they're all bimbos. plus, he only dates crazy chicks, so you're out of the running, unless you've got another personality hidden away in that weirdo mind of yours.
What my weirdness doesn't qualify me?! What a shame. Guess I'll just have to keep waiting for someone to man-up and ask me out. Was she hinting at something? She was the one who refused to give him her name!
nope, you definitely aren't weird enough to date Gray. Natsu paused, debating whether to write what he really wanted to.
He never got the chance.
Shit gtg, it's my turn to be interrogated!
What the fuck? Where was she?! The police station? This was a seriously weird conversation to have from lock-up...he started to ask her, but stopped himself. If she was being interrogated by someone, it would not help to have more words appearing on her arm while they watched. That would definitely be bad for both of them. So, he recapped his marker and turned back to his tote of fireworks, biting his lip in thought. He wondered if she would be able to see them tonight from her prison cell...SHIT! He hadn't told her what would be happening tonight! If he didn't warn her what was coming, she could be in serious trouble, especially if she had been arrested! Damnit, he had been so focused on the Gildarts Bash plans, he had totally forgotten about her involuntary involvement by association in the whole thing, until she had written to him. And now he couldn't tell her, without possibly getting her into worse trouble! What could he do?
Having a moment of brilliance (it was just his golden hour, what could he say?), Natsu took off his right Converse high-top and his sock. Uncapping his Sharpie again, he left her a message she could check later:
write me when you can, need to fill you in on something going down tonight. It's really important! Then he added, hope everythings ok!
There. As soon as she was free to talk, he could tell her what to expect about tonight, and chances were good she was wearing shoes, so except for some possible squirming if she was particularly ticklish, whoever was interrogating her couldn't possibly see that he had sent her a message. Feeling pretty proud of himself for a job well-done, Natsu gathered up his box of shells and headed to his frat house, his head already back in the game.
It was the moment that the guitar riff signaled the door being opened that Gajeel realized he had never locked it. Glancing at the sleeping girl in his lap he leaned over as far as he could without disturbing her, and saw Lily standing in the doorway, looking at the wall mural. Waving his hand around to get his attention, Gajeel gestured that he could come on back. Pushing the heavy chains to the side, Lily stepped through, raising his eyebrows when he saw Levy. In one hand he carried a bottle of very expensive rum, in the other a pair of low-ball glasses. Setting them down on the stainless steel counter running down the length of one wall, he pulled up Gajeel's usual chair, a padded adjustable rolling stool and explained in a low voice, "Gildarts is in town for the night so the gym cleared out. Thought I'd come over and give you a belated opening present. No business is complete without a bottle of rum and a pair of quality glasses in a bottom drawer somewhere. What happened to the little pixie?"
Trying to keep his voice equally hushed, Gajeel shook his head in bewilderment and said, "I have no fucking clue. She was coming over to hang out for a bit and see the place, and when I came out of the back she was sitting on the sidewalk across the street staring at the sign like it had killed her mother. Scared the shit out of me. She went so pale I thought she was gonna faint. So I went to see what was up, and next thing I know she's sobbing her eyes out on my shirt and won't let go. That was," he checked the exposed gear wristwatch he had gotten from his dad as a graduation gift, and continued, "two hours ago. She conked out pretty quick. All the cryin' must've gotten to her or something."
"Huh, wonder what happened."
As soon as Gajeel had started speaking, the vibrations rumbling through his chest under her cheek had woken Levy from her surprisingly deep sleep, but had also almost lulled her back to sleep again, until she heard another voice talking with him. Realizing that she was not only curled up on Gajeel's lap, but also so precariously positioned in front of a witness, her eyes fluttered open, looking up by reflex, which put her inches away from her soulmates own face, looking down at her sudden movement. She jerked back in surprise, falling out of his lap and the chair before he could get his arm back around her.
Once again landing on her recently abused ass, she winced. All that extra padding didn't seem to be doing her any good. What was the point of having all that junk in your trunk if it didn't keep your tailbone from getting bruised? That was just a bastardization of evolutionary development if you asked her. Picking herself up, she lifted her head and realized the two extremely tall men she had heard talking were now also standing and looking down at her measly five-foot-and-three-quarter-inches frame like some sort of giants discovering a hobbit for the first time. She blushed involuntarily. She was even wearing heels and she still felt like a midget next to the Brobdingnagians in front of her. Then Levy remembered why she had been asleep in Gajeel's lap to begin with. And her blush got deeper. How the hell was she going to explain her bizarre behavior without telling him about the flashback?
"So, I'm gonna head out then. It looks like you two still have a lot to sort out. It was good to see you again Levy. Hope to see you around the gym again soon. Every woman should know how to protect herself. And self-defense classes are on the house for any friend of this guy," Lily said, grasping Gajeel shoulder in farewell and stalking, strikingly like a jungle cat, out of the room. The two bonded soulmates kept their heads turned toward the swinging chain curtain until they heard the familiar guitar riff signal he had in fact left the building. Then, as though previously planned out, they slowly turned to look at each other. Taking a deep breath, Levy made a start.
"I guess you'd like to know what all that was about, huh?"
"Yeah, that'd be nice, shrimp. Can't say that was the nicest feeling thing to witness."
Levy wandered over to the counter and used her arms to lever herself up. It helped a little, making her feel like she wasn't quite so small in the world, even though her legs swung hitting the cabinet doors, nowhere near the ground. Grabbing his usual chair of choice, Gajeel sat on his stool and rolled himself slowly over until he was seated right in front of her. With the stool height adjusted to a middle setting, Gajeel's head came up to her nose. Carefully removing her sharply heeled shoes, Gajeel set them on the floor and pulled her feet to rest on his knees. Then he let go and leaned back a bit. Waiting.
It was a little weird seeing him from that angle, and to calm her trembling fingers, she reached out and ran her finger through a few loose strands that had fallen out of his headband.
"Levy...what's going on?"
She sighed, he had a right to know.
Noticing the bottle of booze sitting so invitingly beside her on the counter, she cracked the seal and poured herself a glass. Downing it in one go, she refilled it, set her shoulders as the warmth from the alcohol spread through her belly. Thankfully it was excellent rum and went down pretty smooth. With a final sigh, Levy poured him a glass and, handing it to him, began to tell him about her first full flashback.
It was 6:45pm by the time Lucy shuffled out of the library, worn out from the unnecessary interrogation Officer Cosmos had put her through. She hadn't even cared when Lucy had pointed out that she had arrived after the events of the robbery and clearly had no involvement whatsoever. Some people were just too zealous at their jobs. And wore way too much perfume. All she could think the entire time was how much ND must be sneezing from the heavy floral scent.
In the end, the only thing that could stop the crazy tirade and set Lucy free was a call from campus police headquarters, that she overheard coming from the massive radio all campus police carried, alerting Officer Loves-The-Smell-Of-Lilies-Way-Too-Much to another sighting of the band of thieving ninjas, fleeing the Precht Center for Physical Arts with a parachute and various sports equipment. Honestly, it all sounded like a massive prank to Lucy. The campus police were just wasting their time, and getting jerked around to boot. After the last hour she had spent, she thought they fucking deserved it.
But either way, it wasn't her problem. She planned on taking a long, hot bath and then having a massive grilled cheese sandwich for dinner, going to bed early and, hopefully, waking up the next day refreshed. She kicked off her mud flecked tennis shoes just inside the door, heading to the bathroom in her socks, starting to run the water for her bath. She stripped off her shirt and gym shorts, throwing them neatly into her hamper and grabbing the pen that now inhabited a place of honor in the cup with her toothbrush. Over the past week, since their first shower...encounter...she and ND had fallen into a fairly steady routine.
They had found that if one of them tried to shower, while the other didn't, the odd feeling of being rubbed down, not to mention the weird appearance and disappearance of soap and shampoo, made it a very awkward experience. So instead, they had agreed that they would try to shower together, usually in the evening, as that allowed Lucy to dry her hair in the evening and wake up later in the morning. But before getting in the shower or bath, they let the other know and gave them 15 minutes, to request a different showering time, or to get ready to hop-in too. So, having a pen in the bathroom had become essential. And the plan had been working well. Really well actually.
Lucy wouldn't have admitted it to another living soul, and especially not to him, but it was the best part of her day, their showers together. They hadn't ever talked about it-what had happened in that first shower together-but, it had become a bit of an addicting habit that had repeated itself...pretty much every day since. They never mentioned it in their various random communications, and Lucy certainly hadn't even hinted at it to Levy-it was just TOO embarrassing-but after the mind-blowing experience of that first time together, it had just been something that seemed to happen every subsequent time they showered.
The feeling of his hands, coated in soapy water and sliding over her skin always made her lose her mind and search for release. It was getting to the point where it took her 30 minutes to bathe, and a quickly scrawled, shower? was all it took to turn her on. It wasn't ladylike in the slightest, and she honestly didn't give a fuck that it wasn't. It was invigorating. While always she had the option to postpone their shower until more convenient, often she tended to welcome the excuse to hurry, racing home whenever he let her know he was up for it, flinging clothes everywhere as she ran through her apartment to get the water running, or dancing around waiting for the tell tale feeling of his hand testing the water to know she could get started. He was having a terrible effect on her ability to keep her apartment tidy...and on her will power. But he hadn't postponed a single shower yet either, so maybe he felt the same way… There had even been a couple days that week where they had both been home for the afternoon and she may have suggested an extra...shower...or two. From his response, both physical and written, she assumed he enjoyed their shower time as much as she did. At least she hoped he did.
So, she reached for the pen with a thrill in her belly, and quickly wrote,
Up for a bath?
as she pulled off her socks. When her right sock came off, she saw a message in red marker and suddenly remembered the tickle she had felt, earlier, of him writing on her foot while she was being questioned by Officer Cosmos. Reading the message, her brow furrowed and she grabbed her pen again to ask about it.
But before she could put pen to skin again, she felt an odd burning sensation running down her throat. It felt a little like when she used to have champagne at her father's business gatherings-trying anything to combat the boredom-but about ten times hotter. About a minute later, a wave of fuzzy giddiness followed. Lucy sat, almost falling, down on the edge of the tub and closed her eyes, trying to figure out what was going on. She renewed her grip on her pen and began to write.
I just saw your message. What's going on? Are you drinking right now?
A few minutes later, she got a response.
FINALLY! I was worried you wouldn't get back to me in time! yeah, there is this huge party going on tonight, that I'm sort of in charge of a big part of, and I have to drink. house rules. normally I've got a really high tolerance, but we're drinking something special with a crazy high alcohol content and there will be a ton of crazy shit going down tonight. sorry I forgot to warn you sooner, I hope you don't have anything important to do tonight...or possibly for the next few days. Its probably going to be a pretty long party with some kind of crazy party games. I'm not sure how drinking will work with the bond how it is now either but I guess we'll find out? also, I can't really shower at the moment...can you give me like 20 minutes? I've got a few things to do and then there will be a lull before the crazy shit starts going down.
Are you going to be able to tell me what you're doing before you do it?
I promise I'll do my best. I might not always have a chance to. are you home for the night? I really don't want you wandering around alone if you get really drunk from the moonshine… Moonshine?! Where the hell did he live? Kentucky? Alvarez?!
Yeah, I'm home. It's been a long day, so I was just going to shower and then go to bed early. I can wait 20 minutes though.
awesome. I don't know how much sleep you'll get, which I'm sorry for in advance, but I'll hurry through my final prep stuff so I don't hold up your shower. and, um, fair warning, drunk me is an evil horny bastard. I'll try really hard not to go there, but if you feel anything, uh...happening, I'm really really REALLY sorry. I honestly don't seem to have any control of it. I try not to get drunk anymore because of it, but this is a bit of a special case. three years coming, actually.
Lucy didn't know what to say.
How did one ever respond to something like that? She could read between the lines. He was basically saying, 'Oh, yeah, I might be having drunken sex with a random stranger tonight, which you would probably feel happening, my bad, hope you don't mind.'
What the fuck? What could she even say to that?! And he didn't seem to even think he had any control over it!
It's not like the issue hadn't been sitting in the back of her mind. One of them was bound to go on a date and get frisky with someone eventually, so they would have to deal with it at some point...but for some reason, just thinking about it happening now, like more than possibly tonight sometime, gave her a twisty feeling in her gut. He was her soulmate damn it, even if she wasn't ready to spend the rest of her life with him yet!
The twisty feeling got worse. Although, that may have been result of the repeated burning sensation running down her throat. This time it made her cough a bit. What the fuck kind of moonshine was he drinking?! He was only two shots in and she was already feeling warm and a little fuzzy...er.
Getting back to the topmost issue at the exacty-kind-of-moment...wait, was that even a word? Did it even matter? Right! The issue right now! Sex! Wait, why was that an issue again?
Lucy seemed to be getting sidetracked...it was hard to think straightly...or even diagonally. Hehehehe. That was funny. Her thoughts kept skilling around, jumping from one thing to another. Wait! The thing...the problem!...what was the problem?...right! He was horny! That was the problem! He slept with people when he got drunk! But didn't want to?...or something?...but she could help with that! Clicking her clicky pen a few times, because it made such a fun clicky sound, Lucy giggled again and offered to help. She really loved helping people solve problems. It was so niiiice!
I can help! when you get horny and stuff let me know and we can shower or seomthing and I'll help and then you dont have to sleep with some random hussyslut! perfect right? problem solved!
Natsu rubbed his eyes and stared at his arm again. Had she really just written that? Little Miss upright-and-proper-Weirdo was offering to masturbate for him-with him?-if he got drunk and horny?! He had to be hallucinating...that Moon Drip was really potent stuff. The ceremonial house chalice was being passed for the third and final time, per tradition, before Max officially opened the doors to the crowd gathering outside. Gray would be driving up with Gildarts any minute and then he would have an hour or so to himself while everyone got good and hammered before the big event he had been organizing all day kicked off.
Max handed him the chalice and he took another healthy swallow of the potent moonshine that was only made by Galuna's bar in Magnolia, a secret recipe protected by generations of the bar's owners. You could always tell it was the real stuff under a blacklight, where only genuine Galuna Moon Drip glowed a bright purple. Gildarts himself had discovered the drink, back when he lived in Fairy Tail, before becoming the epicly awesome famous boxer he was-gods Natsu wanted to fight him so bad! But he definitely couldn't do that now cause of the Weirdo...bummer-and it was served, without fail, whenever he came to visit. The best way to drink it was ice cold, chilled perfectly as it was poured down an ice luge, but it was tradition to pass the chalice to ensure every Fairy Tail member was properly soused by the time Gildarts joined the party.
Natsu let the new gulp of Moon Drip run down his throat, relishing the rough burn it left behind. It had been so long since he'd had the stuff, and he didn't remember most of his time while drinking it, but he knew it had been legendary. There were still some people coming up to him and telling him stories about that fucking amazing night.
And, that time, he had been but an untried minor! Now he could hold his liquor!...he was the Demon King Dragneel of Magnolia! No drink could defeat him!...at least normal drinks…
Hopefully he wouldn't do anything too crazy to the Weirdo…
Wait! the Weirdo!
She had written something awesome! what was it? Natsu blinked down at his arm and read her uncharacteristically grammar-poor message again.
Holy shit that was real.
What should he do?! The hottest girl he had ever not-really-met-before was offering up her body to him for the night...damn, if only he knew her in person...or..and!?...had nothing else to do for the night!
But, he had THINGS to do...important things...that he had been planning…for YEARS...
SHIT! He still hadn't responded.
holy shit that is super nice of you to offer to dothat but what if i can't write at that point anymore or whatever Its a bit difficult now even and its probly just goin to get worse as we go…
Hmmmmmmm...mmmm...ms arereally fun to write rite?! rite right?...right write? Write right?! That's IT! Anywayzzzz...mmm..zzzs are fun TOO! RIGHT! Horny problems for ND, why don't we just do it now, like usual, inthe shower and maybe that will keep you from getting horneeeeey? or we could come up with a sign! Like you just grab my boob when its gettingbad, or i could just SHOWER ) every couple hours and then you'll be covered! or i mean if you really want todo that with some other girl, just you know tell me and I'll idk like go find someone to fuck at the same timeorsomething? idk, whateveryouwantodo…ive never done anything like this before cuz im still a virginandeverything so...just whatever you think would work I guess...
Natsu blinked and walked, reasonably straightly, to his room, just as Bickslow cranked the music up and Max opened the front door, letting in the first wave of screaming girls. He had to get this figured out soon...that was a lot of bare leg and cleavage coming through the door…
FOCUS NATSU! Focus! The chick he'd been obsessing about for weeks was talking about fucking someone else! And she was still a virgin, so that was totally NOT a good solution... for her to do to that just to make him feel better about ending up in a one night stand! NOT OK!
That was a sobering thought. Because fuck it, no one else was gonna touch her. Period. Hell, he technically didn't even get to touch her. She was too perfect, and perky and cute...and hot with the boobs and the legs and…she shared his skin! And that would be weird! It would be like doing another dude. Natsu's skin shivered in horror at the thought. He wondered if that's what it would be like for her if her made it with some random girl...wait, so that would be like her doing it with some random girl...huh...well that didn't seem so...SNAP OUT OF IT YOU EVIL BASTARD! NOT OK!
areyoustill there ND? NDNDNDNDNDNDND? we cant write for toooomuch longer, so hurry up and decide what to do Pinkie? ND the Pinkie! HEHEHE your name rhymes! Wellnot your REAL name but like the name that I have tocallyou becuase I dont know ur real name u know?
OK, so don't sleep with someone else! I dont care what else we have to do just DON'T go lose your virginity to some random stranger! that would totally be awful and shit!...but I cant write too much longer so what if I give you my phone number and we can talk that way? Andthen you just call me and we can dowhatever if I start doing something bad...tho I think I might be crazy to turn down hourly handjobs, so yeah...but um thatisnt necessary and itmight make doin anything or uuuh thinkin really hard... heres my number 2-777-277-2222. we can talk then instead of write! and I can shower now!
Lucy ran out of the bathroom, tripping on the rug, barely catching herself then frantically pulling stuff from drawers in her kitchen before remembering she did not, in fact, have any paper in that room to write on. So she ran to her desk instead, where her writing notebook was sitting open, and carefully copied the phone number he had written into its pages, double-checking twice to make sure it matched what was written on her arm. And then she felt the tell-tale water hitting her hand and raced back to the bathroom, tripping out of her underwear and flinging her bra over the toilet, totally forgetting she had intended to take a bath, splashing into the half-filled tub and flipping the water to shower instead.
Apparently getting drunk also made Lucy pretty horny. This was going to be one hell of a night…
Ok guys, I made it through. That drunk typing almost drove me off a cliff with its terrible grammar, but I made it! Here are some things that you might not have gotten...anything else mysterious that has not yet been explained will most likely be revealed in Thursday's update, cleverly named: Moon Drip Part 2!
Argus- character in Greek mythology that is covered in hundreds of eyes, used a a watchdog of the gods usually, due to his eyes rarely sleeping all at once. His weakness was music, which put all of them to sleep. And yes, I totally just catalogged a reference from my author's note. BOOM, that's how it's done!
Ice luge-an ice sculpture that has a windy channel running over it that allows a shot of liquor to be cooled by the use of gravity when poured into it, while the recipient of said shot waits at the bottom of the sculpture, mouth open to receive the perfectly chilled shot. Oh, and it's super fun. And totally something Gray should have summoned up for the real Fairy Tail a LONG time ago.
Dueling Bars-a figment of my imagination, wherein there are two bars set up on opposite sides of a room, with really kick-ass bartenders who try to outdo each other's tricks and toss stuff back and forth. This will be in full swing next chapter...hopefully.
KP-term used in the military as an abbreviation for what was originally called the "kitchen police" or "kitchen patrol", used as punishment duty, those on KP duty are in charge of cleaning, which is how I use it here.
Gremlins-A movie that still creeps me out too much to watch, but my husband (the King of the Movie Buffs-we have about 1200 movies right now I think) assures me that if one feeds one of the furry creatures in this movie after midnight, they turn evil and try to kill you. So, basically perfect Erza without cake analogy
Blast chiller-a crazy cool thing that professional bakers might have in their kitchens that basically works like a super cold freezer and chills things twice as quickly
Mario Kart-if you don't know what this is, good for you. You have managed to find a rock where no one will ever find you to hide under.
So You Want To Be A Wizard- a book series that I still absolutely love by Diane Duane about the existence of magic in a real world setting. SUPER great though. Magic in that world is 100% based on words and language, so when you say something in the magic language, you can effect the world and change it. Just go read them. While you wait for my next chapter!
Crawford & Seam-just in case no one gets this, I had a clever moment. Crawford Seam was one of the heads of the Magic Council before it got blown to hell.
Hobbit-yep, you all know this already. Enough with the LOTR reference descriptions!
Brobdingnagians-one of the lesser known parts of Gulliver's Travels, in which he travels from the land of the Lilliputians (the tiny little people) to the land of the Brobdingnagians (giant people). All of these are allegories for all kinds of stuff, but for the purposes of this story, Levy=tiny, and Gajeel and Lily=HUGE in comparison