Natsu Dragneel was not afraid of anything. He can recall countless incidents that had him knocking on deaths door, and he didn't even flinch. But right now, surrounded by some of his closest friends, he was about ready to shit his pants.
Everyone from Fairy Tail agreed that they were long overdue for a vacation. Mirajane decided where they were going before anybody had any say, and afraid of her retribution, nobody objected. She had chosen some fancy hotel. Her, Lisanna and Lucy were entranced by the idea of it having a spa and hot spring. Natsu was just happy she picked somewhere that also had a pool and sports ground for the guys to enjoy. So when the girls kicked the guys to the curb, giggling about the bathhouse, the guys took the opportunity to visit the playing fields.
They ran down the hallways of the hotel, screaming and shoving one-another, completely unaware of the annoyed glares they were receiving by just about everyone who was unfortunate enough to be in their path. Unintentionally hurling the people in the lobby out of their way, the unruly boys from Fairy Tail fought their way down to the fields.
There were basketball and tennis courts, football and baseball fields, you name it, and it was probably here. Unable to decide on just one game, they decided to play all of them. The Fairy Tail boys were all over the place, switching between the fields and courts as if playing all the games as one, occasionally stopping for one of their senseless brawls. Onlookers and passerbys stopped to watch what was probably the most intense game they had ever seen. Freed put magic barriers around the goals, preventing the other team from scoring. Romeo tried to score, but was blocked by Elfman, who launched both the ball and Romeo all the way across the field, into the goal. (THAT'S HOW A REAL MAN SCORES!) Gray and Natsu beat the crap out of each other, arguing about wether or not Happy should be allowed to fly the ball into the goals, before Natsu accidentally burned the ball to a crisp. Twice.
After the second ball was destroyed, they decided it was time to wash off and find the girls. The boys went up to the entrance of the bathhouse, and after looking around, they were almost afraid to enter. The walls seemed to be made of paper, so thin that you could see the silhouettes of the people on the other side. They already had a bad reputation for destroying entire cities, made of brick and stone. This flimsy building was way too fragile for anybody to feel safe walking anywhere near the vicinity with Natsu.
"Natsu, don't touch anything." Gray gave him the side eye, smirking.
"Don't tell me what to do, iceprick!" Natsu shot back immediately.
Gray suppressed a laugh, knowing exactly how to push the fire eaters buttons. "What are you gonna do about it, flame brain?" His tone was condescending, practically dripping with the intent of starting an altercation. The duo turned to face each other threateningly.
"YOU WANNA FI-"Natsu started, but was cut off midsentence due to Gajeel grabbing hold of him by the collar and dangling him in the air.
"Cool it Hot Head, dont you think you've gotten us in trouble with the magic council. I don't feel like dealing with that shit on vacation too."
A smug look crossed Gray's face as Gajeel dropped Natsu unceremoniously. "Stupid question Gajeel. You know he doesn't think." Gray watched as Natsu wheeled around and pointed an angry finger in his face, sneering.
"Watch it Ice Cube, I'll get you back. Just you watch." Natsu threatened, following as the guys carefully entered the building.
"Looking forward to it." Gray responded sardonically.
The boys managed to safely maneuver throughout the bathhouse without knocking it down. They entered a room that was humid, full of steam. Upon entry, there were a few bathroom stalls lining the right side wall. On the left there was a room divider, blocking the rest of the area from view. Glass sinks lined the back wall, and on the other side of the divider was wooden cubbies for shoes and clothes. There was a shelf filled with clean white fluffy towels and a basket to dispose of the dirty ones. A shower stall was placed in the corner next to the cubbies. And smack in the middle of the room was a giant tub.
Originally they only intended to shower and find the girls. But when they got there, the group decided it would be a waste to not use the tub. Kicking off their shoes and clothes, they sank into the steaming water. Apparently the guys were unaware that it was supposed to be a place for relaxation. Either that, or they just didn't care. Almost immediately, the boys began splashing and dunking one another. As usual, the roughhousing started getting out of hand, but when they heard laughing and giggling coming from the people entering the next room, everyone went dead silent.
They knew those voices. It was their voices. Not wanting to face the wrath of Erza, the boys decided it was time to pack it up, and pretend they were never there. That is until they heard their conversation.
"Okay, but Gajeel is actually a big softie. He just likes to act tough." That was Levy's voice. The boys all looked over at Gajeel, sniggering quietly. "What about you Erza, how are things going with you and Jellal?" The boys heard another giggle, and while they never heard it before, they knew who it came from. And for some reason it was unsettling knowing that Erza, who could probably beat up half the guild herself, could be girly.
"It's alright. We've been talking but nothing official. You know how he can be sometimes." Everybody looked shocked, unable to believe that hard-ass Erza cared about things like romance. "Juvia, you and Gray seem to have gotten a lot closer recently." There was a suggestive tone in her voice, and Gray became visibly embarrassed.
"Gray-sama is shy about his love for Juvia. But he is very sweet to Juvia when they are alone." She gave a dreamy sigh. Much to Natsu's enjoyment, the girls spent triple the amount of time talking about Gray and Juvia than they had for anyone else. The girls eventually came to an agreement, that Gray Fullbuster is in love with Juvia. Gray grimaced, red in the face as Natsu pointed at him, laughing silently. "Gray-sama has never been as kind to Juvia's love rival as he is with Juvia." She had a slight edge to her voice. Gray's face somehow managed to turn a darker shade of red, realizing that the other guys were laughing at hime too.
"We're not love rivals!" Lucy groaned. "You can have him, honestly."
"Yeah, there's no way Lucy is interested in Gray-" Levy started.
"THANK YOU!" Lucy interrupted, clearly missing the mischievous tone in her voice.
"Obviously she only has eyes for Natsu."
Natsu felt his stomach drop as all of their eyes focused in on him. The girls immediately started interrogating Lucy all at once, making it impossible to decipher anything they were saying. Natsu was terrified, sinking under the water as the guys all eyed him with shit eating grins. He could feel his cheeks reddening, and he made sure to avoid looking at Gray, who was ecstatic now that the tables had turned. He knew that Gray was savoring the idea of embarrassing Natsu just as much as Natsu embarrassed him, and Natsu knew that Gray would tease him relentlessly about whatever Lucy said to the other girls.
"OKAY, Okay!" Lucy screamed over everyone else, silencing them immediately. Natsu didn't know why he was so nervous, but he could feel his heart picking up speed in his chest. "I'm sorry to disappoint you ladies, but its not like that between us."
"Thats bullshit and you know it." Cana replied, accusingly.
"No, really! We're best friends." It remained silent, nobody talking in either room. "I'm being serious guys." She continued denying. "Don't get me wrong I love him to death, and I wouldn't change anything about him, but we're not … romantically involved …or anything like that."
Happy flew over to the man in question and perched himself on Natsu's shoulder whispering "She liiikes you." Natsu, who's cheeks continued to glow bright red, could feel everybody looking at him, and he briefly considered drowning himself. His thoughts were all over the place, emotions balancing between embarrassment, fear, excitement, and… something else? But one question stood out in his mind.
How do I feel about Lucy?
Hi there! This is my first attempt at writing fanfiction, so don't be too surprised if you notice any errors or inconsistencies. Constructive Criticism is always welcome, so let me know what you thought. Thank you, I hope you enjoy.