Lucy was bent over a sheet of paper, intent on her work, when she was snapped out of her concentration by a voice calling her name. "Hey, Lucy!"
She looked up and saw Natsu leaning on the table next to her, looming over her a bit. She jumped, and scolded him, "Natsu, you scared me! What do you want?"
His face nearly split in half with his grin as he said, "Hey, Luce, are you a celestial mage?"
She looked at him skeptically. Was he ok? "Uh, yeah, you know I am."
Somehow, his grin managed to get even bigger. "I thought so! Because you have the key to my heart."
Dumbstruck, she stared up at him.
"Well? How was that one?" he asked.
Oh. Right. The game. Even though it was what she had been working on when he came over, the shock of hearing her best friend say something like that had made her forget about it entirely. Rallying herself, she decided that she couldn't let him get a head start. Glancing quickly at her list, she looked back up at him, squared her shoulders, and said, "Well, you must be a fire wizard because you're so hot."
His eyes widened a little, and Lucy started to wonder if she had won already. Then his eyes crinkled up, and he laughed heartily. "Hahaha, Luce, that's great! 'You're so hot,' what kind of line is that? Haha, yours is definitely funnier than mine!"
She glared at him. "You don't have to laugh so much! It's not supposed to be that funny!"
He tipped his head at her. "Huh? But I thought the point of pick-up lines was supposed to be saying something funny."
Lucy sighed. "No, that's not the point. You're supposed to try to, you know, pick up the other person. Like get them to go on a date with you. The main point isn't to be funny. Yeah, they can be funny, if they get the job done, but you're kinda missing the point here."
For a long moment, he stared at her, confusion evident on his face. "Then am I not supposed to be making you laugh?"
Exasperated, Lucy replied, "No, you can, but that's not the main purpose. You're supposed to be getting me to go on a date with you. You know, in theory," she added hastily.
Natsu seemed to process this for a moment. Then his face lit up, and he leaned forward over her and said, "How about this, then. Can I follow you home?"
Despite herself, Lucy snorted. "Why would you bother asking that, you always do anyway."
Her partner grinned. "Oh, good. Because people always say to follow your dreams."
She blinked at him, and he chuckled. "How was that, Luce?" he asked.
A giggle escaped Lucy's lips before she could stop it. "I guess that one was pretty good," she admitted.
Natsu's eyes crinkled up as he smiled more widely. "I'm definitely gonna win this!"
Lucy's fighting spirit crackled, and she allowed a smile of her own as she shot back, "Oh, we'll just see about that! I'm not done yet!" With renewed vigor, she turned back to her list, furiously scribbling anything she could think of that might make a good pick-up line. Unnoticed, her dragon slayer settled onto the bench next to her, and quietly watched her work.