Sorry about how late this is! It took more work than usual, but I hope it was worth the wait. Uploading this at 4 in the morning, because I don't want anyone to wait longer than necessary. Happy readings! Feel free to review and tell me what you think the new tie breaker should be, I love your suggestions!

~NLNLNL~

Lucy found him kneeling by the river where he fishes, one hand wrapped around his knees and the other using a stick to poke at a nearby ant hill. She approached him from behind, wondering if he honestly didn't hear her or was just choosing not to; his shoulders were slumped and she could tell he was upset. She had been expecting anger, or fear maybe- but this attitude was more sincere, making the blonde think that maybe there was more to this than what she had seen.

When Lucy's shadow fell over his ant hill Natsu finally glanced up at her with a glum expression. She planted her hands on her hips and announced

"Erza sent me to find you and drag you back to her so she can finish you off."

She was expecting him to protest but he just looked away with a 'humph' and moved on to ripping grass from the ground.

"Natsu! Don't you have anything to say for yourself?"

She crouched down and tried to meet his eye, but the pouting dragon slayer worked hard not to let her.

"There's nothing to say. I was a jerk."

Lucy sighed, concerned with how gloomy Natsu was being- he seemed more upset than Erza!

"Well obviously if you're this upset about it then you feel sorry, Natsu… You should just apologize to Erza!"

Natsu shook his head.

"It's not that easy- I don't think she'll forgive me…"

Lucy took a seat beside her friend, able to tell that he needed to get some things off his chest. The dragon slayer had been acting kind of strange all week and Lucy decided it was time to get to the bottom of things; it wasn't like Natsu to do something that upset Erza this much, and it certainly wasn't like him to get this upset about it! It wasn't often that Natsu got like this and if she could do anything to help, she certainly was going to try her best.

"Well, what happened? Maybe I can provide a new perspective on it."

Natsu peeked over at her, unsure of himself. Already he felt better just talking to the blonde: in these past few days of raging emotions and fierce competition with Gray, just having a normal conversation with a normal person was incredibly relaxing to the fire mage's troubled mind. Natsu wasn't used to talking these kinds of things out, but Lucy had a point in saying she could provide some insight and out of everyone, he did feel most confident confiding in her.

Still though, it was kind of tricky to be sharing this with her; after all, she might end up getting upset the way Erza had if she found out about the dating game. It frustrated him that she was involved in this stupid game at all- somehow she felt off-limits, like Gray shouldn't have been allowed to ask her out. Lucy was his best friend, and Natsu was beginning to see now that a game like this was just toying with the girl's hearts- especially since they didn't know about it, the way he and Gray did. He hated the idea of Lucy being hurt the same way Erza was- he hated the stupid game for causing all this trouble in the first place!

But in the end, he hated himself the most. On his date with Juvia, Natsu hadn't kissed her goodnight because it felt too special to give away on a first date. A kiss is something you share with someone you love, and he felt a lot closer with Juvia now but he certainly didn't love her. Yet, the next day, he abandoned that moral and tried to kiss Erza- just to win a stupid game! Natsu felt ashamed. Was this supposed to make him a man? Because it seemed to have only made him a jerk.

Lucy was looking at him expectantly and finally Natsu decided he would confide in her- but only partially. Her perspective would be helpful, but he wasn't about to hurt another girl's feelings.

"It started when someone in the guild bet Gray and me that we couldn't get Erza to kiss us."

He was looking down at the ground as he spoke, flicking pebbles into the water to try and distract himself. Lucy lifted a brow, asking

"Was this part of your little dating game?"

Natsu whipped his head up, eyes wide in shock as he looked at her.

"What? You know about it?"

Lucy was surprised by his reaction.

"Yeah, I think most of the guild does!"

The dragon slayer's mouth hung open.

"And you aren't mad?"

That's an interesting question. Lucy thought to herself- but she knew he wasn't asking what she was thinking. Finally, she shook her head.

"Do I have a reason to be? Sure, it's a stupid game, but it just gave you and Gray the guts to ask girls out, that's all. I mean, your date with Juvia was sincere, wasn't it? Gray's and mine certainly was, so I don't think it matters that it happened because of a game."

Natsu felt a weight lift off his shoulders at the explanation- suddenly he didn't feel like such a monster. His date with Juvia was sincere, and he was honestly happy it had happened- so what if it was because of a dumb game?

Lucy laughed at her friend's expression, offering him a smile.

"I just blew your mind, didn't I? I hope you weren't working too hard trying to keep that game from me."

Natsu was able to offer a half smile back, before Lucy went on to scold

"But you and Gray should have known better than to go along with round 2! Playing with Erza like that is just mean."

Natsu sighed, weighed down by the situation again.

"I know, and I was thinking it when we started but I didn't want to lose to a jerk like Gray…!"

"Well, I hope you see now that winning wasn't worth hurting your friend. That lesson makes you more 'manly' than any meaningless kiss would have."

Natsu considered her words a moment. They were funny coming from her- since she had kissed Gray and all… It was almost like she was saying he was more manly than Gray! The words 'meaningless kiss' kept echoing in his head but Natsu quickly shook it off, knowing Lucy had a bigger point she was trying to make.

"Of course I see that now… I was an idiot to let the game go that far."

Lucy nodded and stood, offering a hand to her friend with a smile.

"Come on!"

Natsu took her hand somewhat hesitantly, letting her pull him up.

"Where're we going?"

"You're going to apologize to Erza."

She nodded definitively, crossing her arms. Natsu shook his head, protesting

"She's not gonna listen! She'll probably just try to kill me…"

Lucy wagged a finger.

"Not if I talk to her first! Just tell her what you told me, Natsu- she'll be able to see that you're really sorry."

Natsu sighed, giving in.

"I guess it's worth a shot…"

Lucy grinned, dragging him off towards the guild by the hand. Natsu could feel himself getting nervous the closer they got, but he knew there was no backing out- he would have to face Erza eventually, and having Lucy here as a buffer was only going to help the situation…

When the pair got to the guild Lucy instructed Natsu to wait outside, before heading through the heavy wooden doors. She returned moments later with Erza in tow, pulling the armor clad girl through the doors with an encouraging smile. When Erza saw Natsu her face hardened and she drew her sword, but Lucy held the girl back, pleading

"Erza, before you kill Natsu, can't you at least hear him out? Just let him explain himself and then afterwards if you still want to kill him, you can."

Lucy nodded encouragingly, but Natsu felt sold out.

"Gee thanks Lucy!"

But Erza seemed to be considering the offer.

"I suppose I can spare him a minute or two more…"

"Awesome! You two work it out, okay? Good luck, Natsu!"

Lucy flashed an encouraging smile to her friend, giving a thumbs-up before heading back inside. Natsu watched her go with dread.

"Please don't go, Lucy…"

Erza crossed her arms, looking at the boy before her with stone eyes.

"Well?"

Natsu peeked at the red head, seeing her icy glare before sighing. He looked down at his feet as he spoke, feeling ashamed.

"Look, Erza… You have a right to be mad. I shouldn't have tried to use you like that, for something as stupid as a game. But I just want you to know…"

The dragon slayer lifted his head to look at her again, sincerity in his dark eyes.

"I'm really sorry. I feel like an idiot for hurting our friendship over something so stupid, and I wish I had never taken that bet- it was way too far, and I see that now."

She only looked at him, silent as she considered his words. Finally Natsu continued

"It's okay if you're still mad, but I hope someday you can forgive me because you're one of my best friends and things won't be the same if we don't talk and hang out and go on missions together anymore."

He hung his head again, wishing Erza could be as understanding as Lucy had been earlier- of course it wasn't her fault though, Lucy wasn't the one who had actually been hurt…

"Natsu."

The fire mage looked up to see Erza had crossed her arms.

"That was very well spoken- I can tell you put a lot of thought into this."

Natsu gulped. Was that a good thing?

"Do you promise not to try and play with a girl's heart like that again?"

He nodded hastily.

"Yeah, of course!"

"Then I forgive you."

She offered him a small smile, and Natsu offered a relieved smile back, a weight lifted from his chest.

"But just so you know," she added with a grin "I am rooting for Gray to win this stupid game now."

Natsu's eyebrows shot up.

"You know about the game?"

"Now I do, idiot!"

Erza shook her head but was smiling, and together they headed back inside the guild. Natsu felt almost like he was floating, he was so relieved. Somehow, all in one day he had the worst fight of his life but also the best forgiveness; he couldn't say it was a change for the better, but at least that dating game hadn't ruined his life after all. In a way, he actually was more of a man because of it: he had learned that girl's aren't toys, and that sometimes just speaking sincerely can fix a situation. Vaguely, the dragon slayer wondered if Gray was having similar experiences; he had seen his explosion with Juvia, but had things gone as smoothly for the ice mage as they had for him?

Natsu's thoughts were interrupted by Lucy as she approached him, a big smile on her face.

"Well, you're still alive! How'd it go?"

Natsu hugged Lucy without thinking, suddenly so happy that she had helped him.

"Thanks a lot, Lucy- without you, I would've been toast."

She seemed surprised by the sudden affection, but not unpleased.

"Well… yeah, you're probably right! So I'm guessing Erza accepted your apology?"

Natsu released the blonde and nodded, grinning.

"Yup, I just told her what I told you, like you said to, and she said it was okay!"

Lucy was relieved to see her friend back to his bright, smiling self: she felt good for having been able to help him when he needed her. He helped her all the time, it was awesome she had finally returned the favor!

"Well, just make sure to consult with me next time before entering into any tie-breakers, okay~?"

She winked at the dragon slayer before heading off again, having been mid-conversation with Levy before he had entered. Natsu watched her go, his stomach suddenly in knots. He knew what she was saying of course- a little foresight before another round of the dating game could prevent today's situation and Lucy was willing to help, but somehow, her words seem to hold more than that…

The words were replaying in his mind over and over, making his cheeks grow hot as he thought about Lucy… It was almost like she was saying he should go for her next time, instead of Juvia or Erza like before!

Natsu shook his head, quickly shooing the thought away. What was this suddenly? There was no double meaning to Lucy's words, he was just imagining things. And why? Suddenly it was like Lucy was all he could think about and it was making him dizzy as the thumping in his chest seemed to be getting faster and faster…

Natsu ran a hand through his hair, trying to clear his thoughts. This Lucy thing was a whole new matter he wasn't ready to get into- somehow even after all the battles he'd been in today was still one of the tiring days of his life. This dating game was becoming more and more emotionally draining and Natsu felt exhausted as he left the guild and headed home: it was time to clear his head and get some sleep. Still though, even as he worked to shut down his mind and go to sleep the dragon slayer could not escape the lingering thought of Lucy's smile- he absolutely loved when she smiled but as he drifted off to sleep Natsu began to think that he loved it even more when she smiled for him.

~NLNLNL~

Hm, is Natsu on to something, here? It seems both Gray and Natsu are starting to get confused about some of their relationships, but what will this mean for the dating game? AND WHERE'S IGNEEL IN ALL THIS? Haha, just kidding. Still though, with the tie breaker cancelled, there must be a new way of declaring a winner in the future… Or will our maturing, manly players just quit altogether?