A/N: WHO IS A CRUSHING DISAPPOINTMENT!? I AM A CRUSHING DISAPPOINTMENT!

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Previously, on "How to Seduce a Lady": I was in my own little haven, entangled in the arms of the girl of my dreams, and basked in the pleasure of having tasted her lips. I snuggled as close to her as humanly possible, and let out a sigh of content.
"Lucy," I said, her name leaving a sweet scent in my mouth, something I'd always wanted to say, "One of these days, I will track down that ex of yours and kill him if I have to."
Her giggles were light and honest, "Oh yes, Natsu Dragneel, talk dirty to me."

Chapter dedicated to I want fangs

If not for the buzzing in my pocket, I would've probably continued sleeping. My eyes forced themselves to open and chase away the amazing dream I was having of being in Lucy's arms after kissing her.

I scanned my surroundings, almost falling off the bed when I noticed that it hadn't been a dream after all! I was on the sofa, entangled in the embrace of the girl I'd been unconsciously chasing for the past month. Her quiet breathing filled the atmosphere with a sense of security I'd never felt before. She looked as peaceful as I'd ever seen her, and I moved my hand to gently caress her cheek with my thumb.

She didn't stir.

Even though I knew it was a hell of a risky move, I slowly kissed her lips to prove to myself that she was real and I wasn't dreaming. The sudden touch on her mouth resulted in her mumbling something I couldn't really understand. She shifted her position a bit, and waved her hands around until she finally grasped my arm and pulled me closer.

She was lucky she was sleeping, or I would've attacked her.

I felt bad for having her sleep on the sofa, so I managed to untangle myself from her grasp and scoop her up into my arms. She was a light weight and I couldn't feel my muscles hurt at all. I tried to be as quiet as possible, and yet still managed to step on various objects while walking and produce multiple sounds. But she was still sound asleep.

I almost screamed out of happiness when I set her down on my bed, because this was something I'd only dreamed of doing. Something that I never thought would actually happen. And even though we weren't doing any of the things I wanted to do to her in this very room, I was still tremendously happy. I closed the door even though we had all the privacy we needed-this being my house and all that-and lied down next to her.

I watched her chest rise and fall with every intake and release of air, and her eyelids flutter lightly depending on the course of her dream. I'd been doing that for quite a while before I remembered that I'd been woken up by my phone.

I pulled the device out of my pocket and adjusted the brightness so I wouldn't go blind. I had received a text message from none other than Gray. Only then did I notice the time and the date.

It was 2:47AM, meaning that it was already Saturday, meaning that while I was with Lucy, I was supposed to have been at Fairy Tail.

It may have been my only chance to reconcile with my friends and see what went wrong. We could've become pals again. I could've mended the broken ties and strengthened our bonds. And instead I'd been with Lucy.

We'd been making out on the couch and she'd told me her entire life story. But even though I lost the only chance I had at getting my friends back, I didn't want to trade it for what I'd gotten instead.

I opened the text.

Dude, we're leaving soon. Are you coming or what?

So they were still there even at that time of night. I mean, I would've stayed as well.

Nope. I'm home.

I sent the text and set my phone back in my pocket, but it vibrated almost instantly.

We're planning on going at Gajeel's. Come over.

Another message followed just a second after that.

Party till the daylight!

I stared at the screen in silence, the whiteness that flashed from it being the only source of light save for the streetlights outside. Lucy started stirring as she stretched, turning over to lie on her stomach. She inched closer to me, and opened her eyes. Phone still in hand, I didn't even have time to react when she started talking.

"Is something the matter?" her voice was dripping residue sleep as she stared at me with her eyes half closed.

I focused my attention back towards the phone. I typed a quick reply and sent it to Gray. My phone found itself back in my pocket, and it didn't vibrate again.

No thanks. Have fun.

"No," I said, looking back in her direction, "Everything's fine." And before she could protest, or even notice that she was in my bedroom, I pulled her into my arms, laying her head onto my chest. I kissed the top of her head, a gesture I'd never done before. Her hand gripped the material of my shirt as an insurance policy that I would stay there.

I held her and she melted into my arms. I would miss any night out drinking if it meant I'd get to spend it like this.

It was the first morning I ever woke up well rested. I marveled at the fact that I didn't feel like I'd been ran over by a bus, and got off the bed easily. Memories of last night flooded into my head, making the corners of my mouth stretch out into a smile.

I hummed some tune of a song I probably heard on the radio, when I noticed the smell of steak filling the house. Dashing for the kitchen, I felt blessed to see her standing over the stove and cooking food.

"Steak for breakfast?" I asked, and she turned around on a whim, surprised by my sudden appearance.

"We had cereal for breakfast," she smiled, shaking her head slightly, "or at least I did. You were sleeping so soundly I felt bad to wake you up."

I glanced at the clock above the door, surprised to see it was already 2:26PM. I'd slept for quite a while.

I walked on over to her, watching as she turned the stove off and settled the stake onto a plate. Even though I was hungry, I didn't even spare a single glance toward the food.

I set both my hands on the counter, trapping her in between.

"Why do I have the feeling that this has happened before?" she joked, turning around to face me.

I grinned lightly, inching closer as my forehead touched hers. Her breath mixed with mine and I could smell lime-flavored toothpaste. I grabbed her by the waist, lifting her up and setting her on the counter. She could only smile as I pulled her closer and tasted her lips. I was trying hard not to go overboard, but having her in my arms was just asking me to go wild.

Lucy didn't protest at all and kissed me back.

It felt a bit awkward at first, being able to stroll in so casually and kiss her like that. But I wouldn't trade it for the world. I was so happy to finally have her in my arms that I would do anything to keep it that way. She broke off the kiss and offered me a plate, before sitting down to eat a bit herself.

I didn't even get to try the damn thing before I heard the ringing of my phone back in the bedroom. I cast her an apologetic glance and went to get my cell. It was Gray. My eyes automatically rolled over in my head, since he'd been the only one calling me these past few days, or at least that's what it felt like.

As I sat down on the table and ogled the juicy steak in front of me, I answered the call.

"Hey," my voice dripped annoyance, but I doubt he'd catch that.

"Yo Natsu, what's up?" Gray's voice was as chipper as ever.

"I'm eating." I said, hoping he'd get the picture and leave me alone with my food.

"Oh cool, anyways, we had such an amazing time last night so we decided to do it again tonight. You in?"

I looked towards Lucy, and she cast me a questioning look. I was really hoping I would be able to spend the night with her watching movies or something, but I also got a second chance at going out with the people who were once my friends. I decided not to waste this opportunity, but I still wanted to bring her along.

"Can I bring a friend?" I asked, a small smile stretching up my lips. Lucy looked up from her food at stared at me in confusion once again, but I just waved it off with my hand.

"Yeah dude, no problem." Came his reply. "Bring over whoever you want. No… wait. I lied. Bring anyone that's not Sting. I can't stand the guy."

"Nah," my eyes travelled back to Lucy, "Didn't even cross my mind."

We said our goodbyes after he told me the time and the place, and I hung up. It was Saturday, so I didn't really have anything to do except enjoy my day with my… hold the fuck up.

We hugged. We talked. We kissed. But what hell did all of that mean? What the fuck even were we? Friends with benefits? Lovers? Occasionally-kiss amigos? FUCK BUDDIES?

My jaw dropped at the realization that I had absolutely no idea about the entire situation, and how I'd somehow managed to let it slide up until now. Thinking back, I never asked her to be my girlfriend or anything. I just did my thing and she did hers and we ended up with our tongues in each other's mouths. Sure, it was hot and all, but that wasn't what I was looking for.

My mind stopped.

What was I looking for?

"Important phone call?" She asked out of the blue, and I had to pinch myself to remind me I'm in the physical world, and not in some crazy labyrinth of my inner thoughts.

"Um, no it was just Gray." I started, cutting a piece of the food, "I totally forgot the get-together with my friends yesterday." I had to pause for a bit to enjoy the richness of the flavor as I chewed the piece of meat. "So he was calling about that."

"Oh my god," Her voice had a pinch of panic mixed into it, "I forgot about that as well! And I even kept you home with my boring life story and all that. I'm really sorry!"

"It's not boring and you didn't keep me here against my will," I smiled to try and calm her, "It just slipped my mind is all." She seemed a bit more at ease now, "And besides, he just said they were going out tonight as well. So we're going too."

She leaned her head to the side in a questioning manner, a gesture I'd grown to adore, "We?"

"Yes. We. Because we are both going." I said, my voice sounding as though it was an order. And it sort of was. Because I really wanted her there. I needed someone to be my moral support as I strive to make normal conversation with people I haven't talked to in half a year or so. And there was no way I would be able to achieve that without her being next to me. "There's no way you're getting out of this."

She rolled her eyes, "if you say so."

I tried concentrating on playing my game but she was just so fucking distracting. She wore a really, really long and baggy black t-shirt on her. And that was literally the only article of clothing visible on her. I mean, she probably has underwear on and a bra or whatever, but she had no pants. Or even shorts for that matter. And as though it was the most normal thing in the world, she read her book in silence, sitting quietly in my armchair.

I had to beg my eyes to look away for the hundredth time that afternoon, and faced the tv screen. I was playing some random play station game but everything she did, every small movement she made didn't go unnoticed and it made me look away from that game in mere seconds. It felt like she was doing this on purpose. Just sitting there and waiting for me to pounce and rip her apart. Like she was provoking me.

Her bare legs stretched over one of the armrests spoke volumes, and her reading face was just adorable. She was concentrating on the book like it was the last one on earth. Some book that contained the secret to eternal life or something. If only she'd look at me that way. Then I'd know. I'd know the relationship we're supposedly sharing and what it means. I'll know if it's okay to just get up and walk over to her and kiss her. I'll know if I can call her mine or not. I'll know if I can run my hands down her thighs or curl my fingers in her hair. If I can breathe her air or taste her skin. If I can pull that shirt of and just—

"You suck at that game, don't you?"

I looked back at the screen just in time to see my virtual car crash into a tree and burn into tiny pixelated flames. The screen flashed red, and "GAME OVER" blinked rapidly until I pressed 'exit'. She went back to her book and I stared at the tv for a while, watching a blank screen like a complete idiot, before I decided that my best game plan was to put on some music.

She didn't react when the song filled the room.

Her nose scrunched up a little, but that was probably because I was ruining her concentration with the tunes. Little did she know that it was my master plan all along. I wanted to make her put the damn thing down and give me an opening. An opening to attack.

But she did no such thing. Instead, she continued reading with an even bigger intensity than before, or at least that's what it seemed like to me. I sighed in defeat, knowing that there was no way to make her pay attention to me if I don't go about it directly. So I did.

"Lucy," I said, and she looked up from her book a few seconds later. She waited for me to go on, but I had nothing I wanted to say. I didn't think I'd get as far as to actually have her attention on me for a second, so I didn't think of anything good to go with. The taste of her name still lingered in my mouth like some sort of evaporating potion, and I had to smile a bit even though she seemed even more confused than when I first called out to her.

I got up and walked over to her, her eyes following me the whole time. I even took the liberty of snatching the book from her hands and setting it on the coffee table. She stared at me in waiting. Waiting for something to happen or for me to explain what the hell I was doing. But how could I explain something I didn't even know myself? "Get up," I said, and she eyed me with curiosity. "Please," I added.

That seemed to work because she was up on her feet in an instant. But not for long. I instinctively crouched down and threw her over my shoulder, not even flinching when she shrieked in surprise. A wild grin appeared on my face as I carried her to my bedroom, not stopping even as she pounded her fists on my back. But she was laughing. The house filled with her adorable laughter and I felt like this was the one sound my ears would never get tired of hearing.

The music in the living room was set to a pretty loud volume, so we could hear it perfectly clear in my bedroom. She was still laughing when I laid her down on my bed. I felt like I'd wasted my life time's worth of luck just by meeting this person, but it was worth it. Everything was worth it.

Her giggles toned down when I lied down next to her and pulled her into my arms. The mood was perfect. I had romantic music playing in the background, we were lying on a comfy bed in my own room, I had nowhere to be and nothing to do for the next couple of hours, I had an unfinished packet of condoms in the drawer on my right, and she was in my arms. Everything was in place and the movie was set in motion.

She didn't move. She was probably waiting for me do make the first move, and I did. I pulled her even closer until she was on top of me, and buried my head into the crevice of her neck. Her breathing was fast and ragged. But after a few minutes of no movement from my side, it calmed down.

Even though I wanted to kiss the hell out of her more than anything, and I was ready to go all the way if she'd let me; and even though I desired her like I'd never desired anything in my entire lifetime, she finally understood why I brought her here. Why I held onto her for dear life and I felt like I had to hold her close so as to not have her stolen away from me. Why I didn't make a single move to do anything with her, or why I didn't even kiss her at all.

I just wanted to hug.

I just wanted to have her with me and feel that she was there. Feel that she was mine. Because I honestly hoped she was.

That hug-fest was short-lived though, since we needed to get ready for the whole 'meeting up with Natsu's former pals' thing. I told her that it's okay to wear whatever she wants, but I had trouble with it myself. In the end, I decided to go with my signature black jeans and red shirt. I couldn't go wrong with an outfit like that.

I filled up my wallet with cash and left the bedroom, stopping in my tracks when I noticed her. She was in a fucking miniskirt and it made me boil with rage. Her legs were visible, but the good side was probably the fact that she had a coat over the top she was wearing so you couldn't see her cleavage. I felt a bit stupid to just ask her to show me what she was wearing underneath her coat so I can tell if it's appropriate or not, but I didn't. I was interested in why she suddenly wanted to wear short skirts and stuff like that when she used to be covered head-to-toe before. It made no sense whatsoever.

Discarding my rage aside, I just nodded in her direction and we headed for the door.

The entire ride had been silent, and she could probably cut the tension with a knife. I was so fucking scared of meeting them, and that fear combined with my annoyance at her choice of wardrobe gave me a throbbing headache. I tried not thinking about all of that and just focusing on my driving, but the sight of her bare legs made me even more troubled. She seemed to notice my bad temper, and I hoped that she wouldn't do anything about it. The last thing I needed at the moment was to be provoked even more.

"Are you ready?" She asked after a few minutes of silence. I gripped the steering wheel eve tighter, digging my nails into the leather.

Instead of a verbal answer, I just shrugged because honestly, I had no idea myself.

"I understand the pressure you must be feeling now but just remember that you come first. Be nice to them, but question their approach towards you." She kept on talking, and I kept on getting angrier by the second. "We have to figure out why you guys drifted apart in the first place. I know you feel guilty but it can't be your fault entirely. You need to be calm but be prepared to raise your voice if you have to."

I glanced at her and she held my gaze. I flinched when I saw something flash in her eyes. Pity.

"We're almost there," I said, in an attempt to shut her up.

"Oh?" Her voice irked me, "And how does that make you feel?"

The car suddenly screeched to an abrupt stop as I didn't even care that I stopped in the middle of the road. Luckily there weren't any cars behind us because it was a rarely visited street. Her body flung forward, only to be thrown against the seat by the sheer force of the seatbelt. She rubbed her head even though she wasn't hit or anything, and turned to look my way.

"Just shut up for once, okay?!" I asked, my voice booming in the cramped space. "Stop pressuring me and stop fucking talking about it! I don't care what you have to say and I don't care what you feel right now!" The words escaped my mouth faster than I could check what I was saying. "Fuck off, Lucy."

I was panting with the afterglow of screaming out insults at her.

She was scared.

I could've handled it if she were mad or angry at me, or furious even. I could handle if she chose to send me to hell and left the car in an instant; but not this.

Even though I'd promised myself I'd protect her and never let anything scare her again, I failed to protect her from myself. I thought she would have nothing to be afraid of as long as she was with me, and I would help her be happy, but apparently I was doing the opposite of that. She was dead scared of me.

Even though I wanted the best for her.

Even though she was my everything.

Feeling all my rage and hatred deplete, I turned forward in my seat, and started the engine again before some other car showed up and honked at me. We didn't say anything for the rest of the way, and I was glad we only had a two-minute drive until we got there.

I exited the car after parking right in front of the bar, but before I could circle the car and open the door for her, she'd already gotten out by herself and was headed for the bar. I didn't dare call out her name after my outburst, so I jogged to keep up with her so we could enter the building together. I was lucky she was still here, and not in a taxi on her way back home.

I searched for an opening to apologize, but we were inside the place in a second, and no such option presented itself to me.

Upon entrance I was immediately struck by that feeling of nostalgia that hit me whenever I was reminded of my friends. The place was packed with people, and the dim lights made it hard to see where our company was. There was some sort of jazz playing in the background, and everyone seemed to be in a good mood. It was roughly eleven pm, and yet a lot of the people were already drunk. That's fairy Tail for ya.

I smoothed out my shirt to look more presentable, and we started walking around the bar to find where they've seated. I would've kept looking around like an idiot if Lucy didn't point out Gray, and we headed in his direction. They'd chosen the booth by the window, and most of them were already there. Gray and Juvia, Erza and Jellal, and even Gajeel. I picked up the pace and got there before Lucy did.

The mood surrounding the table immediately shifted, and the eye-roll from Erza didn't go unnoticed. Gajeel didn't say a word to me, and just continued talking to Jellal about gas prices or whatever. Gray stared at Erza with a disapproving glare before turning towards me to force out a smile. Juvia was the first to speak.

"Natsu, you made it." She said, and I nodded a hello her way. At least someone had manners.

"Yeah," I replied, and every conversation on the table was cut short, to give way for the staring. I tried not thinking of the analyzing looks they were all giving me, and instead smiled as best as I could. "I see you're having a good time." I choked out, the weight of their stares beginning too hard for me to handle.

"Yep," Gray spoke when it became obvious that nobody else would. And that was it. I was succumbed to even more awkward glances and dirty looks so much that I wanted to just storm out and never walk into this bar again. I wondered if anyone else would be joining as well, since there seemed to be three extra chairs. Then I remembered that I hadn't seen Mira anywhere and shrugged. The air became a little heavy since nobody had said a single word the entire time I stood there like a complete idiot. I felt so uncomfortable I wanted to crawl into a hole and die. It was painfully clear that they didn't want me there. That I was intruding.

"Sorry to just show up unannounced," We all turned to look at Lucy, who'd just popped out from behind me. I completely forgot she was there. I was too absorbed in my own misery that I didn't even introduce her or anything. She stepped out in front of me, shaking everybody's hand one by one. "I'm Lucy, nice to meet you." She said, and I used the time while their attention was on her, to pull out two chairs and sit on one. I got the seat next to Juvia, and Lucy sat down next to me, after exchanging names with everyone at the table.

It was pretty warm inside, so she unbuttoned her jacket. I wasn't paying that much attention but I noticed that everyone around me was. Gajeel and Jellal gave her a once over, and even Gray allowed himself a look in her direction, before rapidly glancing the other way. I turned to see what was so interesting, and almost choked on pure air when I noticed the fact that she was wearing a light pink t-shirt reaching up to her neck, but there was a small heart-shaped cut out in the material, so you could see a hint of her cleavage.

Erza and Juvia were dressed in revealing tops and shorts, but even though Lucy was subtle, we could all silently agree she had the best figure. I felt a bit proud, even though that had nothing to do with anything for that matter.

The chatter they'd been engaged in earlier was now stopped, and nobody had anything to say. Lucy and I were the outsiders and we could all tell that. It was stupidly annoying. I could feel the pressure piling up on me even more than it had before I walked inside the bar, so I excused myself with a stupid reason of fetching us some drinks.

But as I neared the bar I noticed my obvious mistake.

Mira was chatting with some random dude and wiping a beer mug with a piece of cloth. The reason she was so carefree was probably because she hadn't noticed me yet. I scanned the bar for another waitress, but it seemed like Mira was the only one there at the moment. I sighed and mentally screamed at my stroke of bad luck as I waited for the random guy to finish his chit chat and let me order my drinks.

And as though I'd said it out loud, the dude suddenly turned around and walked toward some other table. I could feel my nervousness rising as I took over his spot, leaning my sweaty palms on the counter as I waited for her to notice me. She took her sweet time in polishing the hell out of that mug, before finally setting it down and turning towards me with a big commercial smile on her face. It faded the moment she realized who I was. Mira didn't roll her eyes like everybody else, but I knew she desperately wanted to. Trying with all her might to re-summon a smile—and failing—she leaned her head to the side.

"What can I get ya?" She asked, and I noticed heads tuning in her direction to stare at her beauty.

A chance, I almost said, but knew better. "Get me a beer and… uh…" My mind went blank when I thought of Lucy since I didn't really know what she liked, "I don't know? Something girls like?"

She raised her brow, taking the mug she'd been previously wiping to pour me some beer, "Something that girls like? You're really inconsiderate, aren't you? You shouldn't just label girls like that. Not every girl has the same taste, you know." Of course she'd use every single opening to lash out at me. I was in the lion's den after all. Everyone I would talk to tonight will probably act the same. I was reminded of the reason I never stopped by here after we stopped talking to each other. I would always run into one of them here. One of my ex-friends.

I almost scoffed, but kept my mouth shut. She was right, even though she was probably just saying this because she was annoyed with me. I didn't fight back even though I desperately wanted to, and just nodded my head like a good little boy. "Alright, some wine then."

"What kind?" She asked as she sat the beer mug down in front of me.

I was once more caught unguarded. What kind of wine does she even like? Did she even drink alcohol? I don't think so? And speaking of which, wasn't she feeling a bit uncomfortable all alone with them? I'd escaped their clutches for the same reason. And I left her there with people she barely knew.

Feeling that I'd misjudged things on my part, and left everything according to my own convenience kind of made me feel like a douche all over again. I was putting myself first. Just as I always did. My defense mechanism was acting up again. I rubbed the back of my head under Mira's constant surveillance, staring at the various labels on all the different bottles of wine stacked behind her.

"Any sort of virgin cocktail would be fine." We both turned towards Lucy who'd just popped out of thin air.

Mira glanced back and forth, her gaze travelling from me to Lucy. She stared at me as though she wasn't sure that we were here together. When I didn't manage to make any sort of move to indicate that yes, Lucy was here with all of us, she took the matter in her own hands.

Lucy placed an arm around my shoulder, without breaking eye-contact with Mira at least once. She was good at that sort of thing. "Is there something wrong with my order?"

Mira raised her eyebrow as if asking herself if this was really happening. I didn't blame her. I was asking the same thing myself. After none of us said anything for the next half minute, she turned to get us our drinks. Lucy's hand dropped down from my shoulder, and the place where she'd been touching suddenly felt cold. I wanted to turn around and hug her and just apologize for anything and everything, but I knew that it would affect the outcome of this entire night, so I just tried acting calm. I needed to talk to her about everything that happened since the very time we left the house, but I didn't know how to go about it.

And I could see how desperately she was trying to act tough in front of them. In front of me. In front of all of us. She wasn't the sort of person to just show dominance like this, so I had no idea why she was doing it. Especially after I told her to fuck off.

While my mind was trying to make sense out of all this information, Mira almost made me jump by slamming a beer mug on the counter. Next to it was a slender glass with some sort of weird liquid, red at the bottom, and slowly melting into a soft orange at the top. There was a swirly straw in it, and some sort of orange slice or whatever on the side of the glass. "Virgin sex on the beach," Mira said, and I tried not to say anything about the way it sounded. Lucy thanked her and I didn't let her pay for it. The least I could do was pay for her drink.

Mira seemed even more agitated to have to take my money after she was forced to spend the last three minutes in my presence. She eyed Lucy while counting the money that was supposed to be my change. I offered her to take it, but she wouldn't take any money from me except the necessary.

She handed the change to Lucy and not me. I watched her lean on top of the counter as Lucy turned to give me the change. As I was putting it inside my wallet, Mira couldn't stop staring.

"Listen babygirl," She said, and Lucy and I both looked at her in surprise, "I understand you're interested in him. He's buying your drink and god knows what he said to you, but watch yourself." My mouth dropped down in surprise, this being the last thing on my mind. Mira was warning Lucy about me. I knew that every single person inside this bar knew about my illicit activities in the past few months, but nobody had ever told a girl something like this.

"Excuse me?" Lucy mumbled, as I reached to grab her drink as well, so we could get out of here fast.

"I'm just giving you a heads up," Mira said, resting her head on her palm, "You look like a nice girl. And nice girls always get ruined by him." I watched Lucy's lips press into a firm line, some sort of cloud washing over her eyes. She knew that Mirajane was telling the truth. I really was that sort of guy. The sort of person your mother warns you to stay away from. And I'd proved that even more by lashing out at her in my car when she was only trying to help. "So watch yourself sweetheart." Mira's voice was getting even louder, turning a few heads, "He won't call you tomorrow morning."

"Yes, because I'll be under him."

Approximately three people choked on their drinks. Mira's mouth dropped open and her eyes turned wide. I felt my palms sweat out waterfalls over the glasses, and my stomach knitted a sweater with my intestines. My mind flashed all sorts of images that I wouldn't be getting rid of any time soon, and I tried to look unfazed as Lucy turned around and grabbed her drink from out of my hand.

She used her free arm to link it under my own, pressing her body as close to mine as she could. "Let's go babe, before someone else tries to talk trash about you."

My feet turned around and we walked automatically, while I was still trying to grasp the situation. Lucy had just humiliated herself in front of Mira and the random dudes sitting around the bar. My head was going haywire trying to understand why she'd done that and if there was a way for me to fix the damage, when she placed her drink back into my hand. "Take this to the table, I'm going to go to the bathroom for a bit." I didn't get to even ask her if she was alright before she dashed for the bathroom. I thought of what to say to her. What to ask her. How to approach her after such an outburst.

And I realized that thinking wasn't going to get me anywhere. I needed to act.

I practically ran over to our table, ignored the stares I got from my 'friends', and slammed the drinks down. "I forgot my wallet in the car," I said, and Gray offered to lend me money so I could go back and pay. "Nah, I'll go get it real quick." They shrugged it off since it wasn't their problem, and I turned around and mingled with the crowd. The bar was pretty big, but I knew where I was going. I was glad that the bathroom was further away from our table, so they couldn't see me bracing myself, closing my eyes and entering the female bathroom like a soldier going into war. I did my best to ignore the shrieks from the girls powdering their noses, and opened my eyes when I heard them all run outside.

I could hear heavy breathing from the only occupied stall. I knocked softly, praying that this wasn't some sort of misunderstanding and Lucy actually left me alone while she went back home to pack and move to Alaska.

"Lucy?" My voice was barely audible, but the door creaked open nonetheless. And instead of seeing her crying her eyes out or slashing her wrists open, she was just standing there with her cheeks as red as her cocktail. She told me to enter and closed the door behind me, the stall feeling cramped with both of us there.

I'd acted out. I ran in here with no game plan whatsoever. My back leaned against the stall. There was no room to maneuver. I looked towards Lucy again. She was trying to calm herself and it was somewhat working. She gasped for air and released it slowly, but the redness on her cheeks stayed. She looked at me for the first time this night, and despite everything, she smiled. She smiled the goofiest smile I'd ever seen, and her blush was just adding to the cuteness. "I can't believe I said that!" She mumbled, waving her hands in front of her face to try and cool it down. "Oh my god, that took like half of my lifetime supply of courage but I actually said it!" A small laugh erupted from her, and she pressed her hands to her cheeks. "I'm so embarrassed but it was totally worth it!" I felt something stuck in my throat and something drop on my chest, "Did you see her face?! I had no idea I was capable of such a thing!" Another small giggle echoed, "This is so exciting!"

One of the wires holding my brain in place snapped, and I cupped her head. Her cheeks flamed against my sweaty hands and I kissed her. I kissed her with a newfound passion. I kissed her with the lust of a man in love. I could hear girls entering the bathroom but I didn't care. It wasn't the first time a couple was making out in a bathroom stall. She didn't seem to mind either. She opened her mouth and allowed me deeper access as one of my hands left the side of her face to encircle her waist and pull her even closer.

I had my entire world in my hands and there was no way I would ever let it slip between my fingers again. I kissed her as an apology for everything I said, I kissed her as an apology for everything I did, as a form of gratitude for going that far for me, and as a way of conveying just how much I loved her. How much I loved this small piece of bubbly emotions in my hands right now.

I broke the kiss and bit down on her lip, lightly chewing on the softness before using my teeth to pull her lower lip and tug on it like it was a toy. Her hands found themselves into my hair, as she pulled me in even closer. My fingers trailed across the material of her shirt, pulling it across her neck and down the start of her arm, so that I had her shoulder completely uncovered. She didn't have any time to react before my teeth sunk in the soft spot above her collar bone. I'd chosen that place because the shirt would be able to cover the mark. I didn't want her to feel uncomfortable. But I needed this. I desperately needed some sort of way to prove to her how grateful I was.

She moaned in surprise, and I concentrated my mind on her smile to stop myself from doing something I might regret. Instead I marveled at the taste of her skin as I nibbled down, allowing my tongue a quick trip across the spot. No matter how much I tugged on her with my teeth, she didn't say a word. I pulled back after her breathing in my ear threatened to shatter my last ounce of self-control. I inspected the damage, feeling somewhat proud of myself for leaving the red mark on her. I kissed it softly as if atoning for my sin, and pulled her shirt back up so it was covered again.

My eyes found her own and I stared at how beautiful she was. Her ruffled hair, her blushing expression, her eyes half-shrouded in exhaustion and her lips plump from my handiwork. She was here, tired and out of breath, with half-open eyes and a stare that could melt down the Antarctic. Her breathing was slow and ragged, and I had to force myself to look away so I don't attack her even more than I already had.

I slammed her against my chest in an all-out bear hug. Only when I was sure she wouldn't pull away did I allow myself a sigh of relief. "I thought you were mad at me."

Her words came like murmurs against my shirt, "I am, but that can wait. You're not going to get your dignity back if I stomp all over you like they're doing."

We stood there for a few more seconds before we decided that it would be suspicious if we stay any longer. I left first, but not after we both made sure there was no one else inside the bathroom, and I went back to the table. Our drinks were still untouched, and I made myself comfortable on my chair, ready to tune into the conversation they were having. Lucy arrived a minute later, sitting down right next to me.

"So… Lucy, was it?" Erza started, and I felt my defense mechanisms turn back into place, "Why are you here?" It took her a few seconds to realize how rude she sounded, so she reformulated her question, "I mean, what brings you here?"

Lucy's smile never wavered, "Well Natsu's car, of course."

I had to make myself take a sip of that beer to stop myself from laughing.

"Uh huh," Erza raised her brow, turning to Jellal for support. She almost snapped when she noticed that he was too busy talking to Gajeel to interrogate Lucy with her.

I watched Erza plaster a fake smile again, and lean back in her seat, "That's quite the outfit you've got there."

Lucy's grin widened, "I could say the same thing, but yours is practically invisible."

Lucy's comment was spot on since Erza's tanktop revealed like 80% of her body. I tried to tune into the guys' conversation but I found the other one much more amusing.

"I see you're the person Natsu decided to bring for moral support."

"I just couldn't pass up the chance to see the sort of people he ditched."

Their conversation was passive aggressive, and both of them had the biggest smiles I'd ever seen. It was obvious that this was the way girls fight, so I stayed out of it because I knew they'd grill me like a fish. Men were no match for girls and their drama.

"So Juvia told me that you've been to his house." Erza had no intention of letting this conversation go.

"Any time he needs me, I'm there."

"Yeah, well, I'm sure that's not often."

"You'd be surprised then."

I was still wondering how none of the guys cared to listen to this gold. They were too busy talking about a new set of weights at their local gym.

"You're probably sharing him with ten other girls."

"Hey as long as I'm getting the biggest piece of the pie, who am I to complain?"

I could almost see the sparks of electricity flying between them as they kept their nice-face on. Erza's mouth twitched when she realized she finally had a match in her bitchiness. "You look like you're pretty useful to him."

Lucy took a sip from her drink, "Who do you think ironed his shirt?'

"Ah, so you degrade yourself to that level as well."

"Only the best for my man." I felt some sort of warmth spread in my chest after she said that and my hand found its place on her leg. Lucy didn't react, so I left it there. We both needed support.

"That's an interesting choice of 'man'." Erza showed no signs of backing down.

"Too bad you can't say the same. He's off the market."

"It would make no difference if he were."

"Yeah, because you probably can't afford him."

I was about to put an end to their bickering even though I took pride in having Lucy defend me, when Gray's voice brought me back to their own world.

"What about you Natsu? Where do you work out?"

"If you work out." Came Gajeel's harsh attachment.

"I have some equipment in my basement so I don't go to any gyms." I said, feeling nervous already.

"Oh? I'd like to see that sometime." Jellal said, and I thanked the heavens that he wasn't here to feed on my misery. He seemed like a really nice guy. We hadn't talked a lot, but he didn't have anything against me from what I could tell.

"Sure, come over any time you want." I replied.

"Nice girl you got there," Gajeel started, "You hit that?"

I opened my mouth and closed it when no words came out. The truthful answer is no, or at least not yet; but the cool answer is yes. However, Lucy's dignity had been degraded enough for one night. No way in hell would I lie about sleeping with her when that had only happened inside my head.

"How rude of you to ask that in the presence of the lady in question," Said Juvia, saving the day. I silently thanked her for jumping to both mine and Lucy's rescue. Guess we weren't alone in this one. Gray was also on my side from what I'd gathered so far. So we only had a few others left to convert.

"She looks like your type of girl, I guess," Gajeel was set on not giving up.

"Yeah? And what type is that?" I asked, annoyed by the fact that they were still on my case.

"A whore."

I was confused. I was confused why Lucy was tugging on my shirtsleeve and yelling some incomprehensible words in my ear. I didn't understand why Juvia was screaming, or why Erza slapped me across the face. I didn't get why Gray and Jellal were bent under the table.

Not until they pulled Gajeel up and I noticed the stinging sensation on my right hand.

I'd punched him.

My hearing slowly came back from the shock and my body started to move again. I released my other arm from Lucy's grasp and circled the table to where Gajeel was sitting. Jellal had left to get whatever it was, and Gray and Juvia were trying to see how much damage I'd caused to the idiot.

To be honest, I'd probably do it again.

Gajeel spat out a few drops of blood on top of the table, then looked back up at me. I'd hit him square on the jaw. It wasn't broken, and there wasn't any sort of massive bone sticking out from the side or something. His wound was pretty small and I felt no such thing as guilt. I only wished I'd hurt him more. I expected him to jump up from the chair and slam me against the table or pull out a gun or something, but he didn't. He winced when Jellal came back and pressed a wet napkin on his face. Gray insisted I sit back on my chair across from Gajeel, where he'd probably not be able to do anything to me. But if I could reach across, grab him by the collar and punch him so hard he fell off his chair, surely he could do the same. Or worse.

I braced myself, oblivious to Lucy's screaming to leave the place. The other customers didn't bat an eye. It was just another bar fight like the countless others they have every day.

I sat waiting for my nemesis to chew me out, watching Erza spew insults at me and scream that I was no longer welcome here. Gajeel didn't say a thing at first, he just stared at me as though analyzing which angle to hit me at. My fists clenched again, and I cringed when the pain from hitting his jaw finally caught up with me. I needed a wet napkin as well, but nobody brought one for me. I really wasn't welcome here. Had I ever been?

And then Gajeel did the last thing I expected him to. He smiled. That wicked smile he does whenever he sees something he likes. He shook his head, probably still having a hard time believing I'd actually done that. Hell, I didn't even believe it myself.

"Alright," his voice was raspy, "Now we're even."

The others stood silent for a while before realizing that the show was over, and sat back down on the chairs. I let out a breath of relief that everything was finally over and Gajeel wasn't going to kick me into next week.

Or at least that's what I thought.

I almost slammed my head on the table when I felt his foot jam into my left leg, causing unbearable pain to shoot along my entire body in a second. Were those shoes made of metal? I slammed my hands on the table to keep myself from screaming like a little bitch, and bit my lip to get my sensors of pain to concentrate on it, instead of the lightning pulsating through my leg. Lucy screamed out again, but the others did nothing. I managed to open my eyes and look towards Gajeel. He had the biggest grin plastered on his face as he watched me with amusement.

"Now we're even." He said, and reached out a hand from across the table.

He was a simple man. He solved all conflict with a fistfight, or in this case, a kick to the leg. If having that sort of pain inflicted on me meant that I would get to talk to my friend again, I was ready to let the rest of them punch and kick me too. I accepted his hand and we both smiled. I was glad to have it over. One down, Erza and Mira to go.

"But if you say that again I'm going to fucking murder you." I said, gaining the attention of everyone at the table.

Lucy cocked her head to the side, a look of worry in her eyes, "What are you talking about?"

"Nothing important." I mumbled, and she made a face that said she didn't believe me. But that was fine. I could live with her not believing me. I just couldn't live with her being called a whore.

I knew Gajeel only said that to hurt me. He didn't really mean it. But it still got on my nerves.

"Seems like you're having fun," We all turned heads when Mira's voice appeared behind me. "My coworker is taking over." She said, and sat on the empty chair between Gajeel and Erza. She had this huge smile on her face, but I knew better than to trust it. Mira was probably the one who hated me the most. She was a person who could not handle disgrace towards women. But she had a kind heart. I knew she would forgive me if I tried.

"Oh, Natsu's still here," she said, "I thought I smelled a huge breathtaking disappointment on my way here."

At least I think she would.

I ignored the fact that she was hating on me and let my arm fall protectively on Lucy's shoulders. What I needed now was support. And she was the only person who would give it to me. Right on cue, her hand reached up and cupped my own, a look of determination crossing her face.

Mira's singsong voice chirped again, "Now that we're all here, why not play a good ol' game of truth or dare?"

This was going to be a long, long night.

A/N: Why am I such an irresponsible human being? Why can't time stop when I need it to? Why can't life stop throwing shit at me? Why couldn't I finish this chapter in like three weeks? Why did I have to gain weight? Why did Saeran have to burn alive in V's route?

ANYWAYS

YOUR CRUSHING DISAPPOINTMENT OF AN AUTHOR IS MAKING A COMEBACK WITH THIS 9500 WORD CHAPTER I ALMOST DIED WRITING

I sincerely thank all of your for you amazing reviews and kind words! I hope this chapter is good enough to act as an apology for my absence T_T pls don't hate me more than you already do T_T

I need to go and take a five-year nap now. Once again, i'm super sorry!

I LOVE YOU ALLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL

with keys, through flames! aye!

through blades and prayers; to hell and back. (for Jerza Addict)