Hello Everyone!

I hope you are all staying safe and healthy! Here's this weeks chapter.

I want to say thank you for all the comments and reviews, they make me so happy to read. I really hope I don't disappoint! I didn't think many would view this fic, so it's a bit nerve-racking haha!

CHAPTER 4

Lucy's heart was beating out of her chest. She could feel how hot and flush her face had become as she tried to frantically search for her friends. Nudging her way through the crowd of bodies, she thought back to what had just happened. Everything was fine and normal with Gray, the usual guy meets a girl at a club, and though Lucy wasn't planning on leaving with him, she would have never guessed for it to end up the way it did. A flash of pink hair and a wide toothy grin flickered in her mind and she unconsciously brought her fingers up to her lips.

'Sill hurts.'

This caused the heat in her cheeks to deepen as she stopped and looked back towards the booth. She knew leaving was for the better, but she couldn't help but feel that she was going to miss the strange group. They all seemed so lively and close, like a family. Something Lucy wasn't very familiar with.

Shaking the unpleasant feeling starting to form in her stomach, Lucy focused back on her search. Going to where she had last seen Erza she was happy to find that her two friends hadn't wandered far.

"Erza! Levy!" She yelled out. Waving her hand high, hoping that either of them would see. Lucy was happy the music was still at a low steady beat, quieter than what it would have been if the DJ had already started.

"Lucy!" They called back. Motioning for the blonde to hurry up and join them. Lucy shoved her way through the rest of the crowd. Reaching out and grabbing onto Erza's outstretched hand, she let her pull guide her to them.

"Where did you go!? I thought you were just getting a drink!" Her friend Levy yelled over the music. Lucy took note of her friend's flushed face and empty hands, figuring the small woman had already hit her ceiling on alcoholic beverages for the night.

"I know, I'm sorry." Lucy apologized. "I got... sidetracked" Lucy began to summarize the weird events that took place and watched both their faces scrunch up and turn to confusion.

"Wait... so you got hit in the face... and their apology was a small bottle of water?" Levy grumbled.

"No no! His friend tackled him and made us bunk heads." Lucy sighed as she tried her best to defend the men. She wasn't sure why she cared so much about how her friends perceived them, but she knew they meant no harm. They were just having fun, and Lucy couldn't deny she had a curiosity for the two which caused her to stay longer then she probably should have.

"I don't know Lu…" Levy trailed off and looked up to Erza for help.

The scarlet was angrily biting down on the plastic straws from her drink. "I would have killed both of them. Right then and there." She spat. "They sound like a couple of idiots."

Lucy wasn't too surprised by her friend's responses. The two of them had always been pretty protective of her. Ever since high school had Levy been Lucy's voice of reason, while Erza filled the role of the "Mom" friend. These two were her only friends and she loved them dearly.

Smiling back at the two girls, Lucy shook her head and reassured them that, though strange, she still had fun. Ending the conversation Lucy asked for a sip of Erza's drink and turned her gaze back towards the stage. The Last DJ was going to start any minute and Lucy just wanted to enjoy the rest of the night with her friends before going back to reality. She needed this. The escape.

As if on cue, Lucy took a deep breath in, briefly closing her eyes as the lights turned off and a loud bass rumbled through the club. Levy grabbed onto her arm and jumped with excitement, while Erza lifted her drink and screamed with other hollering heads. The bass continued to build and the last DJ of the night walked on stage. All three girls were smiling from ear to ear in response to the DJ's opening statement.

"LET'S GO CRAZY!"

…

Sitting in the booth with his friends, Natsu sipped on what had to be his sixth beer. Gray was practically checked out for the night while he sat beside him on his phone, scrolling through texts. Cana had run back off to the bar and Loke was grabbing numbers from the few waitresses that gave him the time of day.

Tilting his head back for another sip, Natsu eyed the dance floor as lights turned off and the closing DJ stepped on stage. The musician yelled out to the crowd, hyping them up before starting his set with one of his more well known songs.

"Why aren't you out there dancing Salamander?"

A rough voice drew Natsu's gaze back across the table. His friend, who usually never comes to these outings, lounged in the booth snacking on some fries. "Don't you love this type of crap?" He asked, shoving another fist full of food in his mouth.

"Shut it Gajeel." Natsu snapped, setting his beer back down.

Gajeel had taken off before Gray and Natsu left with the group of girls, saying the club was dumb and a waste of time. Natsu thought for sure he had left, but it seemed his friend decided to stay.

"You don't even enjoy this shit. Why'd you come back?" Reaching over, Natsu helped himself to his friend's snack. As expected, the club added some weird garlic and seasoning to the fries making Natsu disappointed in his bite. 'Was it that hard to just season them with salt?'

"I wanted to see what all the hype was about." Gajeel huffed. Pushing the bowl of fries to the middle of the table to share.

Natsu smirked. "A.K.A you didn't want to be left out?"

"Fuck off." Gajeel bit. "You aren't the only one needing a break from work." Glancing around the building, he continued. "...But I seriously don't see the appeal in this shit hole."

Without looking up from his phone, Gray decided to join in on their little conversation. "That's because you're not at one of your weird jazz bars singing out of tune." He laughed.

Annoyed, Gajeel grabbed some fries and chucked them at Gray's head. "You wouldn't know talent if it hit you in the damn face!"

Natu sighed and took another grab of the not-so-appetizing food. He wasn't really sure why he hadn't gone back into the pit once the last set started. Usually by now he would have a good buzz going and some chick to take home, but after that Lucy girl left he had become bored.

"Oi! Why are you sulking Flame Brain?" Gray asked, munching on the few treats that were thrown his way. "Are you already crashing?"

Natsu shook his head. "I wish I had a buzz to crash from," He admitted, mad at himself for letting the night end in such a dull way. Why weren't his beers hitting him? Was he really that exhausted from work? Maybe he should just leave.

Natsu's thoughts were then interrupted by a woman's voice. "Uh oh, did someone take a liking to Gray's find?" She spoke as he looked up to see Cana was now back with a new bottle of liquor. Squeezing her way into the booth, she forced Natsu and Gray to move down.

"Why'd you order from the bar when we have table service you drunk?" Natsu growled, choosing to ignore her comment.

Cana shrugged. "Loke makes it so difficult to get the girls over here! It was taking too long." She pouted before taking a swig of her drink.

"Hey it's not my fault they can't get past my charming good looks." The flirt boasted from the otherside of the booth. Making everyone at the table roll their eyes.

"More like they don't want to get near the predator that keeps hitting on them." Gajeel sneered back.

The two began to fight and Natsu quickly lost interest. Still bothered by what Cana said, he slowly glanced at Gray besides him, only to find Gray already looking back. He knew his friend well enough to know he wasn't happy.

With his lips pressed, Gray pointed his chin slightly up. Hinting at Natsu to speak up and say something, but Natsu refused to cave. When it came to girls he knew it could get messy between the two, and Natsu knew he was in the wrong in this situation. Though, his pride would never allow himself to admit that outloud.

"Geez…" Gray groaned, letting his head fall while Natsu continued his stubborn silence. "Did you really take a liking to her that much?" Tilting his head, he nudged Natsu with his crossed elbow.

Natsu held his tongue, determining if this was a trap set up by his friend or not. Neither would ever let a girl come between them, but that isn't to say they haven't fought over the matter before. Concluding that his friend wasn't that maniacal, he folded.

"You saw her dude!" Natsu beamed. Cupping his two hands in front of his chest, he grabbed at empty air. "She's fucking hot!"

Gray laughed in response, a bit of blush forming in his cheeks that Natsu assumed was from pictureing the woman's chest. "Yeah, okay so she was hot…" Gray cleared his throat, "But that's nothing new!"

"I know…" Natsu trailed off. He thought back to her smile, her smart remarks, her laugh. He could feel his cheeks begin to warm the more he replayed their interactions. He was so enchanted by her already. "I don't know man...She was just fun to hang out with." Natsu smiled.

Gray chuckled, the corners of his lips turning up before letting out a long breath. "Well don't let me stop you." he sighed, pausing for a moment to let the sentence sink in, "but keep in mind you were already ditched by her once." Gray spoke as he pulled out a stack of smokes from his back pocket and looked back at the patio. "So don't be surprised if she doesn't want your dumb ass again."

Natsu watched as his friend lifted himself up and out of the booth. "I wasn't asking for your damn permission." Natsu defended, finishing off the last of his beer he glared up to his friend. "...And she ditched your pervy ass too!"

Gray looked down at him and smiled, "Sure. Whatever helps you sleep at night." He replied. Clearing his throat, he motioned his head to the back door. "I'm going out to the patio for a smoke. See ya." Then left.

Natsu had to admit he felt a bit more relieved knowing that Gray wasn't as into her as he thought. He knew that didn't mean he could get the girl, but now he could try relatively guilt free.

Moving the bottom of his empty beer in circles on the table, he stared over at the dance floor. It was dark, loud, and packed. Like finding a needle in a haystack. If Natsu could find her in this mess of people, he'd call it fate.

Glancing back to his friends he asked. "Who wants to dance?"