Tales of Fairies Chapter 225: The Trust Building Exercise Cliche, a fairy tail fanfic

Summary: The guild tries a trust building exercise to improve team work.

Pairings: Laxus/Thunder God tribe friendship, one-sided Jet/Levy/Droy, Gajeel/Levy, Gray/Juvia, Natsu/Gray/Erza friendship, one-sided Wakaba/Lucy, and Natsu/Lucy.

YouTube Prompt: Natsu/Lucy video to 'Hey Leonardo (She likes me for me)' by Blessed Union for Souls.

"I can't believe you're actually making us do this," Laxus glared up at his grandfather, "this is the cheesiest bullshit you ever pulled on us."

"Now, now, Laxus," Makarov chided him, "Trust exercises are very important in team building, and we are nothing but one big team and family. Now then, I want you all to get into pairs, and take into turns to fall while the other catches you, and then we'll swap it around."

Instantly, chaos wrecked the guild hall.

"Don't worry Laxus-sama!" Freed grabbed hold of Laxus. "I have caught you."

"Move over, you freak," Bickslow elbowed Freed. "I've caught Laxus-sama!"

"No!"" Evergreen swatted them both. "I have! I'm more sensible than the pair of you!"

Laxus, mushed between all three of his friends, dropped his head and sighed. "I haven't even fallen yet," he pointed out, "morons."

"We're here anyway!"

Laxus felt a brain aneurism coming on out of the sheer stupidity his friends were displaying and then he sighed heavily and slumped into his friends' hold while he watched half the guild crash onto the floor as something distracted their partner, or others being caught with ease, and as usual, poor Levy stood between a bickering Jet and Droy.

"I'm going to catch Levy-Chan!"

"No! I am going to catch Levy-Chan!"

"No, I am!"

Levy, probably as fed up as Laxus was with their bickering, rolled her eyes and defiantly crossed her arms before she tipped back on the balls of her feet and fell backwards.

Without hesitation, Gajeel caught her. "Gihihi," he snickered, "I got your back, Shrimp."

Levy beamed radiantly back up at him. "Gajeel!" she said blissfully. "I knew I could trust you."

Laxus grimaced as it felt like flowers and sparkles and all that crap were floating round Levy and Gajeel in a super romantic moment from one of Mira's books. "LEVY'CHAN!" Jet and Droy clung to one another as they wept…..and the sparkly moment was gone – thank God!

Laxus tried to break free from his priso- err, he means his friends' loving embrace only to be pulled back in even tighter as Freed snuggled into his shoulder, Bickslow stuck his tongue out childishly, and Evergreen avoided all eye-contact.

With another, heavy, sigh of defeat, Laxus decided to continue watching the drama in the guild unfold.

Most were doing okay now…..Juvia, however, wasn't getting the concept of letting other people catch her, and merely flung herself at Gray.

"Gray-sama!" she squealed delightedly. "Catch me!"

"GUH!"

Gray barely caught Juvia in time for the billionth time and it was as he was steading her back on her feet that Makarov approached them. "Juvia-Chan," he said gently, "I can see that you and Gray have a very strong bond of trust."

"Yes!" Juvia sparkled with delight. "Juvia and Gray-sama are one half of a whole. Our trust is stronger than any other partnership in this guild!"

Several people, like Alzack and Bisca, or the Thunder God Tribe, glared at Juvia for that. Their trust was just strong and their relationships were definitely better since none of them tried to avoid the other like Gray does with Juvia.

No one said this though because everyone knew Juvia would never listen.

"Yes," Makarov said flatly, "and that is a beautiful and precious thing but I think it's time you worked on your trust with other people in the guild. Let someone else catch Gray and you work on being caught by someone else."

"JUVIAWILL NOT LET A LOVE RIVAL CATCH HER GRAY-SAMA!"

"Well," Makarov sweat-dropped as everyone else took a big step away from Juvia. "How about Gray catches someone else. Like Natsu, yeah! Natsu let Gray catch you while Juvia allows Cana to catch her. That should sort everything out without people going crazy!"

"What?!" Natsu snarled. "Let that snow cone catch me? He'll probably let me drop onto the floor on purpose."

"Just because that's something you would do ash brain," Gray spat out, "doesn't mean I would! I'm not a moron unlike you."

"What was that?!"

"You heard me!"

"Gray, Natsu," Erza said coolly as she flipped back on her feet, startling poor Reedus who had her in his arms mere seconds ago. "You will not argue on this beautiful, momentous, day where we build our trust in one another, and make it stronger than ever before. Now Gray," Gray stiffened as Erza shot him a dark look, "You will catch Natsu, and Natsu," it was Natsu's turn to look nervous, "You will catch Gray, and then the pair of you will catch me, and I shall then catch you two. Got it?"

"Yes, Ma'am!" Gray and Natsu saluted her.

"Good," Erza smiled, "you may begin."

Gray catching Natsu was no problem and, much to everyone's relief, did not cause a world war…..it was when it was Natsu's turn to catch Gray the problems started.

"I'll catch you this time, Lucy," Wakaba smirked lecherously at the blonde celestial mage, "I'd never let you fall."

Lucy grimaced. "No thanks," she mumbled, "Macao had already caught me and he grabbed my breasts while doing so. I wouldn't put it past you doing the same."

"Heh," Wakaba and Macao snickered sheepishly.

"Dad!"

"How about me?" Max offered. "I'll catch you Lucy and then you can catch me."

"Okay."

"One…..two….three!"

A couple things happened the same time, both Gray and Lucy fell backwards, Gray instantly crashed on the floor and bashed his head hard against the wooden floorboards – "NATSU!" – while Max also fell onto the floor, only this time on his side, as Natsu had shoved him aside, and that was when Lucy was suddenly caught into Natsu's arms as he swung her into one arm in a romantic pose from the cover of one of Mira's romantic novels.

"Natsu!" Lucy gasped, her cheeks bright pink.

"No one," Natsu growled, "is allowed to catch you but me."

And before it got too mushy, and they might have to pull the love sick morons apart, Gray charged in and punched Natsu for letting him fall on the floor.

And, for the thirty ninth time this week, another brawl ensued.

So much for building trust.