Soon is now, Ebony! Chapter 5 is done, so here you are. This chapter is dedicated to Dark Shining Light. Special thanks go to WhiteWinterStar, FanfictionLeon, and Ebony. And hell, I'm gonna mention it, because it's awesome and I want all you review-holdouts to see this and feel guilty and review my stories – WhiteWinterStar has commented, not once, not twice, but four times, on EVERY SINGLE CHAPTER I HAVE POSTED. I love you, WhiteWinterStar. And for all the people who aren't commenting or at least favorite-ing/following: BOOOOOOOOOOO! Shame on you. Please, please, please, please. Type something in that stupid box – I honestly don't give a damn if it's something stupid like, I'm eating Cheerios right now. Type something and click that button. You know clicking things is fun, so it's a win-win situation. I get happiness sparkles and you get to click a button. And tell the Internet about how you're eating Cheerios. Actually, if you review this story, I will write a one-shot for you. (Any pairing, even if it's something stupid like Grayza –apologies, Grayza shippers. They give me the creeps.) Seriously! Review, and then send me a PM detailing your pairing and any other stuff you want in the oneshot. NOW, WITHOUT FURTHER ADO–
"Natsu-nii!" Romeo shouted as we entered the guild. (A/N: For those of you who are going "The hell does THAT mean?", it translates to something like big bro Natsu. I wanted to make this as American as possible, but I really could not get behind big bro Natsu, and Romeo just calling him Natsu weirds me out. Similarly, he calls Lucy "Lucy-nee" – big sis Lucy.) Natsu looked down at him with a grin and ruffled his hair.
"What's up, squirt?" Romeo beamed, but then something caught his eye.
"Natsu-nii... Why are you holding hands with Lucy-nee?" I blinked and looked down at Natsu's right hand. It was loosely grasping my left wrist, and I mistily remembered Natsu grabbing me and dragging me along (thankfully slower than before) to the guild. I flushed and stepped away, bringing my wrist with me. Natsu's hand hung in the air, looking lonely and sad. Slowly, he lowered it to his side. For once, he wasn't laughing like a madman or picking fights or burning things – he just stood there.
The uncommon reaction brought me back to my moment of clarity, where loving Natsu wasn't something that held me back or forced lies out of my mouth, it was something that made me laugh harder and colors seem brighter.
"What are you talking about, Romeo?" Natsu said loudly with a cheerful smile, patting his head and walking past him towards the table where a cluster of our friends sat talking animatedly. "Lucy and I are friends!" I flinched and gripped my elbow tightly.
Reality sucked.
Romeo watched Natsu with a funny expression on his young face. "Huh," he mumbled. He looked up at me with a bright smile, reminding me forcefully of Natsu. He was so like him, in more ways than one. "I always thought he kind of liked you, Lucy-nee."
"That's ridiculous," I said flatly, too tired to even blush. I needed something to distract me from Natsu, I decided. And spotting just the girl for the job, I marched across the room. "Cana!" I tapped her on the shoulder, diverting her attention from the adult-sized barrel in front of her.
"What is it, Lucy?" she slurred. "'M busy. Come back later."
"I want to drink with you!" I declared, hands on my hips defiantly. She stared at me.
"What are you talking about, Lucy? You're just a little kid. Go have a milkshake or something." I glared at her.
"No thanks. Hook me up."
She scrutinized me for a long moment, and then laughed. I relaxed and tucked a lock of hair behind my hair, sitting across from Cana at the table. "Oh well! Drinking ought to be an all-ages sport, anyway. And you look upset about something – nothing like drowning your troubles in alcohol!" I smiled. That's what I'm here for. "Mira!" she shouted to the pretty white-haired bartender. "I need another barrel!" Mira only smiled and rolled another one out from behind the bar toward us.
"Enjoy!"
I tried lifting the barrel and tipping it to my lips like I'd seen Cana do a million times, but the thing was enormous and filled to the brim with an alcoholic beverage of some sort – wine? Anyway, it was heavy, and I staggered under its weight. Cana paused her gulping to laugh at me.
"For a newbie like you, just use this." She tossed me a wooden mug, which landed in the barrel with a splash. More giggles erupted. "Dip it in and drink from there," she explained after her laughter subsided. I nodded and fished out the mug. It was half-full, so I put it to my lips and swallowed. It was slightly bitter and burned going down. But there was something else that felt like it was rubberizing my intestines. I coughed and almost dropped the mug.
"What is this stuff?" I gasped.
"Authentic Fairy Tail wine," Cana said, smacking her lips and putting her now-empty barrel on the floor. She produced another mug and scooped up some of my wine. "The master makes it himself." I shuddered and pulled a face.
Did I really want to get drunk? But I was already there, and Cana seemed happy to have a drinking partner. Besides, this was going to take my mind off Natsu for a while. At least twelve hours. I hoped.
Screw it. Lucy Heartfilia was not one for backing out of something she had decided on. Determined, I filled up my mug and gulped down another mouthful. It wasn't as bad as the first time, so I drank some more. Each time it got a little easier. Soon I didn't even notice the rubbery feeling in the pit of my stomach.
"Cana – hic – this stuff is pretty – hic – tasty, after – hic – all," I hiccuped. Then I giggled. I was feeling pretty good, warm and soft and rubbery. My thoughts were a vague haze, and I was glad I couldn't remember that thing I had wanted to forget so badly. Cana watched me. Her face was a little distorted, like I was looking through a funhouse-mirror lens.
"Lucy, I think you've had enough," she said, reaching for my cup. I jumped up, wobbling, and held my mug close to my chest, sloshing wine on my shirt in the process.
"No!" I shouted. "I'm fiiiiine." My head tilted, and my stomach did too. I clamped my lips shut stubbornly, refusing to let the alcohol come back up.
"Lucy, your shirt's all wet. Come on, I'll take you home so you can change and go to bed, okay?" I rolled my eyes sloppily.
"Since when are you so responsible, Canaaaa?" I mocked, feeling off-balance. "You've drunk more than I have, anyway." I glanced down at my mug. How much had I drunk, anyway? I laughed. Who cared? Cana frowned and sighed, crossing her arms. "You'll get wrinkles like that," I told her. She raised an eyebrow, but ignored that comment.
"Anyway, someone definitely needs to take you home and get you to bed so you don't start puking," she said. I grabbed her shoulder and gave her a shake.
"Relax, relaaaaax," I cooed. "Have a drink – it feels great!" She shoved me off and sat me down. My stomach churned again. I stared at Cana's back, fascinated by the smooth plane of skin, as she turned around and started asking people to take me home.
"Please, Gray," she begged. "I don't know where she lives, and she's too drunk to help me out any." He shrugged, and my eyes followed the smooth movement of his bare shoulder curiously.
"Sorry, Cana. I've got a job. And besides..." he glanced at me, and I waved, beaming. He shuddered and looked away. "Drunk Lucy is scary." Cana started to say something, but he walked away quickly, almost running for the doors. I laughed hysterically.
"Youuuu got rejected," I sang happily. Cana surveyed the guild desperately.
"Is everyone pretending they're chronically busy?" she demanded to the air.
"Hee hee, Cana's got an invisible friend." I really almost lost the contents of my stomach when the hard bench fell out from under me and something solid warmed my side.
"I'll take her home."
Cana sighed with relief. "Oh thank God."
I may or may not have come off horrifically desperate up top. But I want reviews, and I actually do want to write some oneshots. So I'm killing two birds with one stone. In case you skipped the top bit: basically, I said people who don't review or favorite or follow suck, so do at least one of those things! And if you write me a good review (sorry, you have to say something worth reading. Saying things like, I just farted so hard my butt lifted off my chair DOES NOT QUALIFY YOU) I'll write you a oneshot with the pairing of your choice. If your review's good, I'll PM you and ask for your preferences, as well as any particular things you want in the oneshot. I'd prefer something lengthier/more detailed than Good story! although I appreciate those reviews as well. Who am I kidding, I'm pretty desperate. REVIEW!