(A/N): Is someone still reading this?
20
Get me good
Previously, on "How to Seduce a Lady": 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.
I didn't care what she'd planned to ask me. The only thing on my mind was what she wanted to ask Lucy. I'd already put her through enough this evening, and Mira's corrupt games aren't what you'd call "fun to play". I knew I had Gajeel on my side, but when it came to Erza and Mira, an entire army of men wouldn't be enough to tame them.
I looked around us, frantically searching for some escape route so I can talk to Lucy in private and warn her that this wasn't anything but trouble. I knew that Mira wanted to humiliate me in front of everyone at this table, but she didn't have to go through Lucy to do that. But Mira's a sly person, so I could expect anything from her and still be surprised.
"We don't have a bottle," Juvia's French accent slid between the drinks on the table, "How do we play?"
"I forgot you're new here," Erza shook her head, a look of worry crossing her eyes, "Mirajane doesn't need a bottle to make you regret being born."
"Whaaat?" A lock of white hair twirled around her finger as the she-demon tried looking absolutely innocent. But no matter her sweetness input, the rest of the table went really tense. I looked towards Lucy and was surprised to see that she had determination in her eyes. Did she actually think she could break through this?
"Alright, I'll go first then," Jellal spoke for the first time in a while, and we all looked at him like he was an angel. We'd just have to outsmart Mira and not let her play. If we picked anyone else but her, we would successfully avoid her deathtraps. "Okay, I pick Gajeel."
You could almost feel the surprise in his features when he heard his name. Gajeel looked at Jellal is if he were nuts, but spoke nonetheless, "Truth I guess,".
"Alright, where's your date?" The table went loud with a few "oooh"s and a few "aaah"s. He rolled his eyes but I could see a tiny blush on his cheeks.
"I'm not into anyone right now," He said, but the embarrassment was evident.
"Oh Juvia can arrange that!" She shouted, slamming her hand on the table as though this was the life mission she had been waiting all along, "Juvia met a friend in the library when Juvia was getting books to perfect the English language!"
"I see you still haven't perfected it since you use your name in every sentence," Gajeel shot back.
"And that's just part of her charm," Gray said, raising his glass as a silent salute. "Leave it to my girl and you'll have a lady in no time."
"She's perfect!" Juvia continued, the conversation taking an entirely different direction which made us all a little glad, "She's smart, nice and reads a lot of books!"
"That's the complete opposite of Gajeel," I said, and they all looked at me as though I were a baby gagging out my first words. I'd intruded on the conversation like I was part of the group which I clearly wasn't.
Gray's smile turned into a smirk, "Totally, bro." He said, and the others nodded, "Smart, nice and reads books? More like: stupid, rude and probably uses books to wipe his—"
"I think that's enough!" Erza waved off the discussion, and I laughed along with the others. I hadn't felt this way in ages, just being able to sit down with a bunch of friends and talk about meaningless stuff and laugh like there's no tomorrow and the world doesn't have hungry kids and the ozone layer isn't being destroyed and whatnot.
"Anyways, back to the game!" Mira shouted, and we all fell silent. This was going to be harder than I thought. It wouldn't take just one silly conversation to change the topic entirely. No, she needed to see someone bleed. And in this case, that someone was me.
"So it's my turn, huh?" Gajeel commented, looking towards me with a grin. Oh no. I braced myself, ready for the things to come and gripping the sides of my chair like they were my lifeline.
"Lucy, was it?" We all stopped to look at Mira who was staring at my girl as though she had something wrong with her.
"Um, yes." Lucy replied, crumbling under the look of pure curiosity coming from Mira.
"Have we met before?" Mirajane asked, and we all turned our direction towards Lucy who eyed her in confusion.
"Not that I know of."
Mirajane is a bit older then us so she was still in high school when we started attending, but Lucy said she only transferred this year, so that means that they couldn't have met either way. But nobody said they'd have to meet at school. Maybe they met at a different place. But… where?
Mira squinted her eyes at Lucy for a few more seconds before brushing the matter aside, "I probably mistook you for someone else." A glint in her eyes told me she wasn't going to let this go. "After all, I don't mingle with your kind of crowd."
"My kind of crowd?" Lucy echoed, leaning back against the chair, "And what sort of crowd do you think I belong in?"
A smile tugged on the she-demon's lips as she looked back at her drink, "Oh sweetie," she traced the rim on her wine glass with her forefinger, "It's impolite to say dirty things when we're all having such a great time."
I could tell that Lucy was already at her limit and the game hadn't even started yet. If Mira was going to attack us at any given moment, this night would be a long one.
"As much as I understood, you're not the one who's supposed to be asking the questions," Gajeel butted in, and I almost kissed him for it. "Now, little miss sunshine, tell me…" He rubbed his chin, prolonging this as much as he possibly could so my heart would suffer more than it already had. "What's your relationship with ol' buddy ol' pal Natsu over here, huh? You guys dating or what?"
Instead of coming to her rescue and thinking of some sort of answer, I looked at Lucy with the same amount of curiosity everyone else at the table had. What were we? I didn't know that myself. I wanted to help her out but I was asking myself the same thing.
She took a sip from her cocktail, a small gesture but enough to inform me that she didn't know what to say. Her cheeks reddened a bit, probably because she was not used to all the attention being on her. "Well, I guess you could say we… live together?"
Erza gasped and Mira's eyes widened as though this was the last thing she was expecting. Jellal and Gajeel couldn't care less about our private life, and Gray had that knowing smirk on his face while Juvia giggled like she was part of some inside joke. She probably was though, because it seemed just like a joke to me, if I was being honest. Yes, we lived together. Yes, that could make everyone at the table imagine all sorts of things. But what about me? What was I supposed to think? She didn't lie about our relationship at all, but the others would surely imagine it as a lot more serious than it was. Was it serious at all though?
My gaze landed on her small hand, fanning her blushing face, her eyes staring down at something on the table. What are we? I wanted to ask. I wanted to grab her by the shoulders and shake her until she told me. What is our relationship?
And more importantly: what did I want it to be?
Sure, I loved things the way they were now, living together, talking all the time, me stealing a kiss every now and then, but what did all of that mean? Heck, she could get a boyfriend right this very second and I couldn't protest since we never established the sort of relationship we had. She could get any guy she wanted and I wouldn't be able to complain. She could walk out of my life no questions asked.
"Erza," said Lucy, her voice nudging me back inside the real world, and it took a few seconds before I remembered where I was and what I was doing.
"Me?" The redhead in question smirked, cracking her knuckles as though blondie asked for a fistfight. "Alright. Truth."
"Why do you hate Natsu?" She asked, and everyone went quiet. I almost kicked her under the table for brining that up again, but it was probably better this way. We had to resolve it sometime. Sooner, rather than later.
"I figured you'd go with something like that." Erza chuckled, "Dare."
I flinched. Smart.
"Alright then," Lucy's voice didn't waver. "I dare you to tell me why you hate Natsu."
Smarter.
The rest of the group laughed and teased Erza for falling into a trap like that. The redhead had no back up plan, so she just shrugged. "Since he's a douchebag. A fucking bastard that can't keep his dick in his pants. I don't know what you saw in him but it definitely isn't the tremendously high level of intelligence or the grand romantic gestures. Which brings me back to my turn, you blonde bimbo. Truth or dare?"
Lucy was taken aback, since she definitely didn't plan on being attacked twice in a row. "M-me? Truth again, I guess."
I closed my eyes in dreaded anticipation for that was to come next. I knew for a fact that Erza would attack until she destroys. My hand searched for Lucy's under the table, but found nothing.
"Well, since you probably sold yourself for all the cash in his bank, riddle me this: how far do you go when pleasuring him since he seems to be sticking to you. What do you do to him that other girls don't? What sort of dirty games do you play to make yourself stick out like a—"
"What do you want to hear, huh?" Lucy's voice flared up with anger, and I opened my eyes to be greeted by her trembling figure. "That I let him fuck me five times a day? That I dress up during sex or that I lick his feet? That I bring friends over and pleasure him in a group? That I let him tie me up and have his way with me? What is it you want to hear, huh? Because let me assure you, you can think whatever you want about me as long as it makes you satisfied. I'll even drop down on my knees, undo his zipper right now and demonstrate it to you, you horny bitch." And as though she suddenly realized that she wasn't alone in the room, she looked down at her hands and took another sip of her drink. A quick blush overtook her face and she was quick to react, "I'm sorry about what I said but not everyone on this table wants to hear about what I do behind closed doors."
To say that the rest of us were confused would be an understatement. Never in a million years would I expect such a reaction from her. Jellal didn't look like he liked the way Lucy was talking to his girlfriend, but he didn't have the right to defend her since she was the first one to start this, so he kept quiet.
"Juvia," Lucy mumbled, going for her safest bet. The blue haired mademoiselle's eyes glinted at the mention of her name, enjoying the fact that the spotlight was finally on her. "Truth or dare?"
"Well, since everyone is going for truth, Juvia will have to say dare!" She exclaimed, Gray looking towards her with all the affection his cold eyes could muster.
"Dare?" Lucy mumbled, clearly unprepared for something of the sort. "Take three tequila shots with me."
Gray and I exchange a worried glance even before Juvia could scream "Ha! That is no match for the almighty Juvia!"
And of course, we were stuck with getting the drinks. I shoved away Lucy's outstretched hand holding cash, and ignored her protests. The least I could do was pay for her drinks, even though I highly didn't approve of them.
"Dude. I highly don't approve od this.", Gray whispered.
I gave him a knowing look as we pushed past drunk men and slutty babes to make our way to the bar. Was Fairy Tail always this overcrowded or did my memory fail me? I just felt like the sooner I got out the better it would be for both Lucy and I.
"Six tequila shots," I said, Gray grumbling behind me.
"Can you water them down?" He asked, but the barmaid replacing Mirajane was a lot quicker than her, and the little glasses found themselves before us in a matter of seconds. I looked at Gray with the "nice try" look and paid for half the drinks.
Balancing two of them in one hand, and another in the other one, I almost collided with the lady in question when I turned around. Gray saw the determination in her eyes, and hurried over to the table. "Lucy," I breathed, surprised to see her, "I was just on my way over."
"Why won't you take the money?" She asked, a hurt expression plastered on her face. "I hate it when my friends pay for my drinks like that." The sentence hurt so bad it almost pierced my heart. Friends. So that's what we were in her mind. But could I really blame her since I never properly asked her out?
"Listen, about this tequila thing, you don't have to—"
"I used to have some fun too you know, one upon a time."
"Yeah, but once upon a time you weren't my responsibility." I said, pointing my head towards our table so she'd finally start walking.
"And now I am?" She challenged, taking all three of the shots from my hands. "Excuse me Mr Experience but I'm nobody's responsibility. If you see me as one, I will gladly pack up and go. Seems like I've overstayed my welcome anyway."
"Lucy—" I shouted, grasping for her hand, but she slipped away like I was nothing to her. Which I probably was. I cursed my bad choice of words and made my way back to the table before anyone noticed I was lagging behind.
Lucy and Juvia were getting ready to take their first shot, and I sat down on my chair with an expression that must've been grave since Gajeel freely laughed in my face.
"On three! One, two—" and the liquid vanished leaving the rest of us questioning if there was anything in there in the first place. Juvia giggled, glad to make the rest of us stare at them in awe. Gray shook his head and glared daggers at me as though I was responsible for everything Lucy said or did.
The rest of the small glasses were empty in the next minute and even Erza had to applaud. She ordered another round for all of us including me. Maybe the harsh treatment of my partner made her soften. Or maybe she put something in my beer.
But even the fact that Erza finally seemed to calm down couldn't put my brain at rest. Lucy's speech about packing up and leaving really hit hard.
"Oookay!" Juvia hollered, taking a sip from her wine to 'wash down' the tequila. "Juvia picks… The white-haired lady!" Everyone groaned and I glared those daggers right back at Gray.
"Truth!" Mira proclaimed, since Gray once dared her to stop playing the game, and it was our biggest accomplishment yet. Needless to say she never chose dare after that.
"Okay!" small giggled erupted from Juvia's mouth, and Gray slapped his forehead in helplessness. "Have you ever had a crush on Gray!?"
A collective sigh echoed across the table, the question now being very obvious since it came from her. We all should've seen it coming and I almost punched myself that I didn't.
"No. And I think I just remembered where I know Natsu's sweetheart from." A glint of mischief flashed in her eyes, while Lucy mumbled something about needing another drink. "So, without further ado, I shall be asking you, pretty lady. Truth or dare?"
I looked towards my companion and almost reached out to hug her. This night was supposed to be tough on me but she seemed to be the only one taking the hits. Everyone turned against her since they thought it was the easiest way to get to me. And they were right. She stared at Mira, carefully weighing her options at hand. I knew that she wanted to go with truth, but after all the horrible questions she experienced, she settled with "Dare."
"Alright then sweetie, this will be a breeze for you." She said, a wicked smile crossing her pale lips, as all of us closed in on the table in further anticipation. Mirajane reached inside her cleavage, making Juvia scoff since Gray also looked at her hand fumbling between her breasts. Just as I was about to ask what kind of freak show we were in, she pulled out a piece of paper. Her manicured nails scraped the wood of the table as she slid it across the surface until it reached Lucy's hands. "I dare you…"
Lucy opened up the folded piece of paper, and the rest of us were itching to see what it was. Mira's eyes filled with a sort of determination I never thought she could muster. I tried peeking from behind Lucy's shoulder, but I was stopped by the small muffled cry she let out. Everyone turned their attention to her, curious as to why her face was freaking out and the only thing she could verbalize was the small cry of surprise and fear. I brushed the hair off of her shoulder so I could look at what she was seeing.
It wasn't a piece of paper. It was that cursed photo she'd shown me earlier. The one of her and her ex boyfriend lying on a bed, with her breasts in full view. My vision started clouding in a deep shade of red, and I gripped my knees hard before I hit someone.
"I dare you to recreate that picture."
And I snapped.
I snapped and lunged forward, knocking half the drinks off the table but I didn't care. Oh I didn't give a damn. My hand cupped that devil's chin and I pulled her to her feet. I didn't care that she was a girl. I didn't care that the others bored their fingernails into my hand, urging me to stop and let go. I'd come here with good intentions. Lucy came here with good intentions. She did everything with good intentions. And this was her reward?
My grip tightened so hard I could feel the bone beneath her skin, and I flung her chin to the side, making her head turn ninety degrees until she wasn't facing me anymore. The others grabbed me by the legs or by the hands, and someone even pulled at my hair, but I felt nothing. Nothing except rage.
If it wasn't for Juvia, who shouted out "Lucy wait!" so help me God.
I shifted my attention towards the door, catching a blonde head running through the entrance doorway in a frenzy. I motioned Juvia to wait there and stay calm, and turned back towards Mira who had her smile back on by now.
"Oh come on Natsu, you couldn't possibly believe she wasn't a whore, right?"
"You little bitch!"
But Gray and Gajeel acted faster this time around, and I had my hands behind my back in a matter of seconds. Jellal stood protectively in front of Mirajane, as though that would stop me from ripping that smile off of her face.
"Listen here you fucking piece of shit!" I shouted, earning a few concerned looks from the other guests. "If I catch you flaunting that thing around one more time I swear there will be no one to pry you out of my hands alive, you understand? She was almost raped by the guy who took that picture in her sleep, and I swear in front of all of you that you'll die by my hands if I see your skimpy ass near it again, are we clear?"
Regret started pooling in her eyes but I wasn't going to let go just because she felt a little bad. I shoved gray and Gajeel away even though it was completely unnecessary now since their grip loosened after I lashed out.
"Alright maybe I didn't think this through," Mira offered, a look of discomfort plastered on her powdered face.
"Yeah you didn't think. You can't. That's why you're working as a fucking barmaid and not a CEO, for crying out loud. Now go back behind that counter like the little idiot that you are and don't come out until I see those beer mugs crystal clear, alright?" I spat on the ground, grabbing Lucy's jacket since she ran off in a hurry. "That seems to be the only thing you're capable of."
"Alright that's enough." Said Erza, placing both her hands on the table like she fucking owned the place.
"Listen Erza, if you're trying to pin this on me I swear—"
"I'm not. I just think you have another thing you should be taking care of right now and she's been gone for a while." Her argument was solid and I slammed my mouth shut. "Go get your girlfriend and we'll handle things here," she said, a small look of worry crossing her eyes for less than a second. I didn't even bother to correct the fact that she wasn't my girlfriend, partly because I was mad out of my mind, and partly because even in this sort of state, hearing someone define us as a couple was pleasing to me.
Jellal lightly pushed Mirajane back into her chair and placed both of his hands on her shoulders in case she tried to escape. I looked back at Gray and Gajeel who both motioned for me to go after Lucy.
"It's okay, Natsu," Juvia mumbled, picking up the picture from the table and ripping it to pieces so that it was almost impossible for me to tell who the girl on it was. "This never happened."
I somehow mustered up a smile for her and ran out of the bar as though it was on fire.
I looked around for Lucy, but she was nowhere to be seen, of course, and I knew even before I tried calling her that she wouldn't answer.
The first thing I thought about was going home since I gave her a spare key and she could easily shelter herself there, but I was stopped by the thought that she'd probably go somewhere else since she knows that'd be the first place I'd look for her. I cast a helpless look around myself, running a hand through my hair in an attempt to calm myself, even though my nerves felt like they'd never be calm again. I looked at my car and decided to check out my house after all, since I had no better idea, and at least I wouldn't be standing here feeling like a useless prick. Not that I wasn't one.
My thoughts had been so preoccupied with Lucy that I almost didn't hear her small whimpers. My body froze as I reached for my car door, and I could place the barely audible cries coming from the side of the bar, in an alleyway. I turned around and dashed toward the sound, letting out a sigh of relief when I saw her standing there with her back turned toward me. "Hey," I mumbled, knowing very well that nothing I could say would bring comfort to her at this moment.
Her shoulders stiffened, and I could see her hands frantically wiping away the remains of her tears before she turned around with a smile on her face. I'd rather see her cry than see her smile like that. "What is it?"
"What is it? What is it? My ex friend just showed that picture and you're seriously acting like nothing's wrong? Why are you still here? Why didn't you leave?" I shouted, my feet inching closer to her, when I noticed that she started backing off.
"Leave? And what? Do exactly what she wants me to? Go home and cry? No. I'm done with crying and running away like I did that time in the cafeteria."
I winced at the mention of that time, and my head flew to scratch the back of my neck at a lack of things to do. What was I supposed to say?
"You know what?" She challenged, running her fingers though her hair to improvise a comb, "I'm going back inside and finishing that damn game before everyone starts assuming I'm the biggest coward alive!"
"Listen blondie," I blurted, mentally slapping myself, "Lucy. I'm sorry this turned out the way it did but they just wanted to hurt me is all. You were never their target. I was! But they thought that the easiest way to get to me would be through you and they…"
And they were right.
"And they did all of those horrible things." I finished, gasping for air as though I'd coughed out an entire play on stage. My mind was racing and my heart followed suit. I had to turn away from her because if I saw that hurt expression one more time I was going to make someone pay with their head.
"Then are they really worth all of this?" She asked, her tone of voice barely audible that I had to turn around to make sure she actually said it. Her hands clawed at the shirt she was wearing, and her eyes stared down at her feet, "Your friends, I mean. Are they really worth all this trouble?" Her eyes found mine again, and a bitter half-smile appeared on her lips. "I'm not talking about the fact that they hurt me, but the fact that they wanted to hurt you. If they see how much effort you were putting up for this, shouldn't they just accept you back? And not do all of…" she waved her hands around, "this."
She was right. She was right about everything she said, and even though I'd really wanted to be on their good side again, I wasn't going to risk everything I'd built with this girl to be their friend again. I did everything right this evening, and it still wasn't enough. At least I'd know I gave it my all.
"Let's go." I said, turning to look at her with the best smile I could afford at a time like that. "I'll get you some hot chocolate and we can watch a movie or something."
She seemed disappointed that I didn't mend my ties with them, but walked towards me nonetheless. When I noticed that she was shivering I remembered the jacket in my hand, and helped her put it on. She thanked me, something I'd never grow tired of hearing, and we headed for the car. I kept my hand on her shoulders the entire time, looking around for someone else that may jump out and pounce at her. This entire night I'd done nothing for this girl and she'd just risked everything for me. And yet I was the one who claimed I had feelings for her.
"Natsu wait!"
We stopped dead in our tracks and turned around to see Gray and Erza. I stepped towards them, Lucy lagging behind near the car. They could probably see the anger bubbling up in my eyes since Gray raised his hands defensively and tried explaining himself right away, "Listen dude, I—"
"Apologize." Said Erza, cutting away anything Gray was trying to say. I looked at her with a smirk on my face, genuinely amused. She wanted me to apologize? I raised a brow in her direction. "We want to apologize."
My jaw almost hit the floor.
"We do?" Gray asked, a confused expression dancing on his face. My eyes widened in a surprise that I most definitely couldn't hide.
"Yes, we do." She continued, sighing uncomfortably. "Not so much to you as we do to your girlfriend." Again, I had to check my pulse to make sure I was alive and she was actually saying this. "We're going to Jellal's place to continue the party that Mira—that all of us—ruined. So if you want to come with, we'll talk properly about everything that happened and—"
"Talk? You want us to talk?" I asked, crossing my eyes and stepping right in front of her. "I came here with that sort of intention and it took you half a night of teasing and making a girl cry so that you'd conclude you should so the same?" She tried to open her mouth to protest but I had no intention in hearing her out. "No Erza. I've had enough of your bullshit. So you can go back to your best fucking friends and you can tell them that they can all go and f—"
"Natsu?"
We turned toward Lucy, standing alone in the cold and shivering even though she had her jacket on. She smiled at me and pleaded with her eyes. "You should hear them out." I raised my eyebrows as though asking her if she was out of her mind. I started walking towards her but she just broadened her smile and pointed her head in their direction. "Please."
I stopped dead in my tracks. "How did Mira get that picture?"
"I'll ask her about it tomorrow," Gray offered.
"We'll be there." I said to the people I used to hang out with, not even bothering to turn around and look at them, before I opened the car door for this unbelievable girl and walked in myself.
"Just drop me off at home," Lucy argued for the fifth time that night, and screeched when I passed by our house for the fifth time that night. My head was spinning in circles and I couldn't grasp one rational thought and her constant blabbering was only making it worse. "Why are you just going around in circles? Just stop so I can go home and you can go talk to your friends!"
"I said we'll be there. In case you suddenly forgot about what a plural pronoun is, it means that I was referring to the both of us!"
"No! They said they'll apologize so just go back there and talk to them. I don't need to do anything anymore."
"I'm not bringing you there so you can do anything. I just want you to come and that's final. In case you plan on going all hulk on me and ripping that car door off, then I suggest you stay still."
She grunted and crossed her arms but didn't protest any longer. I exhaled the breath I didn't know I was holding in and the car sped towards the road I knew lead to Jellal's house. She didn't say a thing as we pulled up in the driveway, and I got out of the car.
We rang the doorbell and Jellal greeted us like we hadn't been together half an hour ago. I walked inside the living room where I could see everyone except for Mira. Guess they really planned to apologize.
My blondie hesitated a bit at the door, but walked in as soon as she saw that the white-haired she-devil wasn't around. We gave Jellal our jackets and I sat down on the sofa. My eyes almost popped out of their sockets when I noticed that Lucy sat down on the armchair far way from me. I chose this spot specifically so that she could be right next to me and yet she chose to sit there. I guessed I deserved that one.
Gray handed me a beer and Juvia gave Lucy a glass of red wine. I was about to tell her not to drink anymore but she took a sip the very second the wine glass was placed in her hand, so I decided against lecturing her and just relax for a bit.
The room was small and cramped with a three-person sofa, another loveseat sofa that I was currently occupying alone, and two armchairs all neatly placed around the coffee table swarmed with anything but coffee. They had beer, wine and vodka, and I could see some sort of chips and a yellow dip. Since Gray, Juvia and Erza were sitting on the other sofa, and Lucy and Gajeel were on the armchairs, I had to endure the fact that Jellal sat next to me like we were a couple.
"You may begin," I said, turning towards Erza since she was the one that stopped me in front of the bar.
"Listen Natsu, I didn't invite you here so that you could get some sort of group apology from us and a gift card to make you feel better. I'll speak for myself and I guess that I really should say sorry for treating Lucy," she said, turning to look at said girl, "Like it was her fault any of this happened. I was just so irritated by the fact that someone," she looked at Gray who raised his hands in protest, "Decided that it would be a good idea to invite you with us." She took another sip from her wine before turning her attention to me again, "And I'm sorry for openly showing my hate towards you but you turned into the sort of pig I want no connections with."
"Mira probably wants to apologize too," Jellal spoke up, "But she doesn't know how and she's just too hurt to even try."
"Let's not forget Dragneel fucked her sister like no tomorrow, then never called again."
I tuned to Gajeel and almost face-palmed myself. He was absolutely right. Mira was probably angry that I had my way with Lisanna and then never spoke to her.
"Hey, in my defense I made it painfully clear to her that there was nothing between us except sex." I said, tugging on the collar of my shirt to loosen the guilty feeling of having someone's hands around my throat. "And besides, it was a one time thing. I didn't even enjoy it."
"We're not here to talk about Lisanna's capabilities in bed," Erza cut off. "But I think that we're not the only people owing an apology."
I stared at each of them individually, a bit sad when I noticed that my girl was looking at her wine instead of me, but carried on nonetheless. "Yeah I guess you're right. I'm sorry too. For being a jerk that ditched you for girls, I mean."
"Bros before hoes man," Gajeel sounded, raising his glass in approval.
"I'll toast to that!" Jellal laughed and the atmosphere calmed down a bit.
Two hours later and my stomach hurt from laughing. The mood was back, the friends were back, and I was having the time of my life and I hadn't even fucked a single girl. My smile stretched out for the fifteenth time the past few minutes and I laughed to another one of the anecdotes Gray was retelling from his trip to France.
But I couldn't keep glancing at the hallway again. Lucy had gone to the bathroom ten minutes ago and she was still not back yet. I knew that she was having a good time since she was laughing and adding comments the entire time, but I got a bit worried since she hadn't appeared yet.
I ignored the catcalls and whistles I got when I said I'd go check on her, and closed the door to the living room when I walked out, blocking all the loud sounds and turning the volume down to a minimum. I paced around the hallway trying to locate the bathroom, and decided to check every possible door.
The first one I opened lead to a freaking closet filled with who knows what. The second one lead to a blue bedroom which I supposed was Jellal's. And just as the saying goes, I found her in the third door. Third time's a charm.
She was staring at the mirror, watching herself through half-lidded eyes. Her hair was a bit disheveled, messy strands sticking out here and there, but she didn't seem bothered by it. Instead she looked down to her hands and back up again. I had no idea what was going on. Her eyes looked a bit tired, dreamy even, and her lips were half-open.
"Is everything alright?" I asked, and she looked at me as though she'd noticed my presence right that very second. And she probably had.
"Oh, I, yes." Soft murmurs escaped her delicate lips as she walked up to me, urging me inside. I pushed the door so that I could enter the bathroom and stand right in front of her. A small smile graced her mouth as she leaned in closer. I had to take a step back so she wouldn't crash into me. I mean, I noticed that she'd been drinking but I never thought she was that out of it.
"Um, I think you should rest." I muttered, carefully backing off.
"And I think," she took a step closer, her body almost pressing up to mine, as her hand reached for something behind me. I felt a lump in my throat, blinking in confusion when her hand slammed the door shut, and I was backed onto it. My back curled as it touched the wooden door, my eyes found hers. "I think you should shut the fuck up." She finished, her delicate forefinger pressing onto my lips to silence me. Not that I had anything to say, I mean.
My hands had trouble figuring out what do to and where to grab. I decided on playing the safe bet and put them inside my pockets so I don't do something I might regret later.
She removed her finger before putting it atop her own mouth, "shh." But the command was lost on her, and a small giggle erupted from behind the finger right away. She turned away from me and started walking towards the mirror again. "I can't take it anymoreee…" she wailed, running her hands through her hair as I concentrated on counting the tiles on the wall so that I don't push her inside the bathtub and—
Forty-seven tiles, forty-eight, forty-nine…
"I caaan't take it anymore!" She chuckled, turning to look at me with her mouth pouted in fake worry.
Oh God.
Fifty-two, fifty-three, fifty-four, fifty-five…
"It's too hot in this house. Anywhere I go it's just too hot!"
Sixty! Sixty-one, sixty-two…
"And I'm just so hot…"
Sixty-five, sixty-seven, sixty… fuck that.
I practically ran up to her, my hands gripping the sides of her hips and pushed her against the wall. The look inside her eyes was challenging, as though she was daring me to do this. Daring me to do her.
"Hot huh?" I whispered, driving my hips forward to clash into hers, "It's hot, hm?" My right hand detached itself with great sorrow, but soon found itself latched onto the back of her head, as I pulled her close to me. I grabbed her chin, but not with the hatred I'd had with Mirajane. No. This was something else. I raised her head so that she would look me straight in the eyes. "Look at me and tell me how hot you are, Lucy." I whispered, "I promise I can handle it."
"My shirt," she mumbled, not taking her eyes off of mine for one second, "is suffocating me."
I needed no further push but she still raised her hands as though inviting me. I pulled the shirt over her head so fast I almost ripped the material. She pushed her chest onto mine and just one look south told me that I'd never seen anything like that before. I parted my hips from hers to try and hide my growing excitement.
I stepped away and stared. Just stared at that body and wondered how I would ever be able to look at it in a shirt again. She needed to stop wearing clothes. And that bra…
Tugging on one of the straps lying peacefully on her shoulder, I blew a breath of hot air on her neck, feeling her loosen up. "You'd be a lot less hot and suffocated if we got this off." I mumbled, my other hand hanging dangerously low on her back, just centimeters away from her ass. I tried calming down but she was just so inviting.
"Listen Lucy," I started, feeling the need to say something, "I've always wanted to do something to you. To do all sorts of things to you but… are you sure you want something like this?"
Her confused eyes watched me with such curiosity that it took me a while to comprehend that she understood nothing I said. It took a tremendous amount of self-control to pry my hands away from her body. Even when I pocketed them they still burned from the touch.
She looked around as if this was her first time seeing just where she was, and another smile found itself on her lips. She cocked her head to the side in surprise before she crouched down and sat on the floor. The cold tiles must've cooled her down a bit because she pointed towards her shirt, and to my great dismay, I had to put it back on her. The sight of her bra still excited me, and even though I was trying to stay calm and collected, one part of me couldn't.
I exhaled loudly before scooping up the tired girl in my arms, and getting back on my feet.
I walked inside my bedroom with a cup of water in my hand to try and bring my roommate back to normal, but she was already fast asleep by the time I reached the bed. Her body lay beneath the covers, still in her party clothes since I couldn't trust myself to undress her without doing something else.
The cup of water found itself on my bedside table, untouched, as I climbed into bed with her. I tried calming my racing heart and took a few deep breaths before I laid on my back and pulled her small frame on top of me. Her mascara was smudged, her hair was a mess, and her hands tugged on my shirt pulling me closer, but she was beautiful. She was the reason I lost interest in anyone else, and the reason the only kiss I wanted was from her, the only touch I wanted was from her, and the only body I desired was hers. My breathing calmed a bit, and I hugged her even closer to my chest.
"You got me good," I whispered, twirling a lock of her hair around my finger, my breaths slowly matching hers, as she mumbled something in her sleep. I knew she had no feelings for me at the moment, but two single people living together was bound to change her mind. Or if that didn't change her mind, I would.
"Yes, Lucy Heartfilia, you got me good." I smiled, relaxing against the pillows and closing my eyes soundly.
"But I'll get you better."
(A/N): You may think I have given up! But here I am!
Life fucked me over so I kinda decided to stop doing anything in case that will explode in flames as well. But I have revived!
Being in uni is making this a lot harder than it should be but I want to continue this story since I get a lot of reviews and messages asking for more. In case you guys are still somehow interested in this story, let me know so I will keep posting more chapters.
I had to re-read the entire thing again, since I forgot half the things that happened, but I got my motivation back, and all the reviews I saw are making me fired up again! Let's goo!
Think I should give this story another shot? Tell me! I will await my reviewers (if there still are any)
with keys, through flames! aye!