Update: My goodness, I just realized I've posted a lot of things with my little "thoughts/ideas/notes" to myself still attached to them at the bottom! I'm soooo sorry about that! I'm still getting used to this platform! Going through and fixing them now, but some of you MAY have gotten a sneak peak into what MAY be coming...haha. I'm so sorry!

A/N: To anyone following this, the latest update (10/4/17) is just some formatting - I noticed none of my ***** separations carried over and wanted to put them back. Hopefully a new chapter is coming soon - I AM working on it!

"You mean," Wendy asked, unable to finish her sentence as she looked at Natsu and Lucy, then Gajeel and Levy.

"Yes," Erza answered calmly.

Wendy's brow furrowed as she tried to process everything she had just heard. "Why? I thought stuff like that didn't happen until people were married…"

Erza swallowed. "True," she admitted. "But it doesn't always work out that way." She hesitated, thinking of Jellal. "Especially if they feel as strongly about each other as they do."

"But they'd never even kissed each other before!" Wendy exclaimed innocently.

Smiling, Erza placed a comforting hand on Wendy's shoulder. "Sometimes love makes people do strange things, especially when you have been fighting it for as long as they have."

"So, that happens when you love someone?"

Erza grew serious. "You should never do that unless you love the person," she chastised. Jellal, who had taken up a seat next to Laxus, perked his ears up at that. They hadn't said the words to each other, even though they both felt it.

Wendy's face scrunched up. "They did that?" she asked again in disbelief. Erza nodded. "Have you ever done that?" she asked suddenly, innocently enough.

Suddenly in the spotlight, Erza's face paled. "Well, um," she stuttered, fully intending to lie. Then she decided she couldn't lie to the little dragon slayer. "Yes," she admitted.

"What?!" Wendy shouted. Behind the bar, Mira simply smiled. "With who?!"

"Now Wendy, that's not polite to ask someone," Mira chastised, seeing Erza's ears burning at Wendy's reaction.

Wendy thought a moment, recalling things she had read and seen in her journey through healing. "So Erza," she began, hesitating, "is that where babies come from?"

Erza's heart stopped in her chest but she forced herself to calm down. If Wendy was old enough to hear about sex, then she was old enough for that truth as well. "Yes."

"So are you all going to have babies?"

Laxus laughed despite himself from his end of the bar. Jellal punched him off of his stool even as his mind followed the same track as Erza's.

"No!" Erza exclaimed, her eyes wide. We didn't, she panicked internally, forcing herself not to look at Jellal, even though she could sense the tension now coming from him as well.

"So you do that when you love each other, but not always to have babies?" Wendy was still painfully trying to wrap her head around it.

"Some day, you will understand," Erza said, pressing a hand in Wendy's hair. "But yes."

Her brow furrowing once more, Wendy looked at the couples in question one more time. "They're going to need their own room on jobs now, huh?"

Chuckling despite herself, Erza squeezed Wendy's head before releasing her. "Yes, they probably are."


Once Makarov was done with his discussion with Jason, everything started to move quickly. The guild was arranged for a group shot – it took quite a bit of maneuvering to get everyone to fit into one view with no one being covered up. In the end, the three in chains lifted their girls on their shoulders and Elfman lifted Evergreen but it still wasn't enough.

"There's just too many of you!" the photographer complained.

Before Makarov could even say anything, Laxus scooped Mira up and put her on his shoulders and Bickslow lifted Lisanna onto his. Macao lifted Romeo onto his shoulders and Elfman lifted Wendy onto his other shoulder. Alzack lifted his daughter while Bisca stood close beside him. The others filled in the vacated spots, Cana sitting with one knee bent up and the other out in front of her. When she turned to look at the camera over her shoulder, Jason jumped with happiness.

"Cana! You're a natural!" The photographer immediately took a few snaps of her.

A moment later everyone was as squeezed in as tight as they could be and several shots were taken. Only a few of them were serious, the rest of them reflected Fairy Tail's true nature, many of the men striking fighting poses with each other while the girls struck more seductive poses. The Exceeds flew above them, pleased smiles on their faces as they looked down on their guild mates. The whole ordeal got everyone laughing and carrying on like they always did. Natsu and Gray squared off towards each other like they always did, Lucy and Juvia atop their shoulders likewise squaring off towards each other. Once Gajeel joined the fray, Jellal immediately pulled Erza onto his shoulders to join them.

"You want to know about the chains?" Makarov asked as the four men took fighting stances with their women on their shoulders.

"So cool!" Jason shouted, his spike bouncing more than ever. Once magic started to spring from the eight wizards, his photographer snapped and snapped away. He was too absorbed in the fray to heed Makarov's words.

Soon enough, Elfman threw Wendy into the water, the photographer catching a shot of her turning in mid-air to hit him with a sky dragon roar. The giant man was thrown back several feet, but he managed to keep his feet under him and plowed into the water after her. Evergreen laughed from the beach until Freed threw her in. Laxus looked up at Mira, still on his shoulders, and contemplated throwing her in until he saw her Satan Soul. She smiled down at him, a gleam in her demon eyes as her now clawed fingers dared him to do anything. Lightning sparked from his hands but she was faster, jumping to her feet on his shoulders, before flipping herself off backwards. She landed on one knee and looked up at him with a crooked smile before launching herself forward. He caught her with a lightning dragon roar to the chest.

"Laxus!" Freed exclaimed, actually fearing for his leader when he faced off against the She-Devil.

Mira took the hit well, her tail keeping her balance as a dark orb formed in front of her. A second later and it had hit Laxus square in the chest.

"Is it always like this?" Jason asked, even as he wiggled with excitement, the photographer snapping away.

Cana sidled up to him then, a barrel of wine in her arms. "Usually," she answered with a smug smile. Makarov shoved her away.

As all mayhem ensued, all thoughts of embarrassment left the newly formed couples. They easily blended in with their comrades, despite their chains. It wasn't until all eight of them found themselves in the water that a gleam appeared in Jason's eye and the six chained together grew pale.

"Team shots!" he exclaimed.

The confusion that ensued was both expected and unexpected. Juvia wasn't normally a part of Gray's team, but she was going to have to be due to the chain. Likewise Gajeel and Levy weren't exactly an official team, Gajeel not technically a member of Team Shadow Gear even if they had gone on several jobs together. In the end, they went with it, Juvia joining Gray and Gajeel joining Levy – it was going to happen anyway. Jet and Droy were less than pleased to have their competition now directly competing for Levy, even if the only affection he showed toward her was draping his arm across the top of her head, leaning on her like she was meant for that. Jet and Droy stood on the other side of her, attempting to look happy. Natsu and Lucy were the two that looked the most natural, Lucy immediately taking a spot in front of him while he wrapped an arm around her waist, flaunting the chain that connected them, with his winning grin across his face. Gray wrapped an arm around Juvia's waist from where she stood beside him and Erza took Wendy's shoulder. They smiled at each other as though thinking the same thing – Since when did we become the odd two out? Happy and Carla floated over them with wide smiles on their faces.

When it came time to split into the two teams that had taken part in the Grand Magic Games, even more confusion ensued. Gray and Juvia were on different teams and Levy wasn't even on a team. Reluctantly, Makarov disconnected the chains, still leaving the cuffs on them as a reminder. As team B got into position, Makarov noticed for the first time that Laxus was standing a lot closer to Mira than he normally would. He only smiled.

Once Team A and B were complete, Jason split them even further into the final five that had competed when Fairy Tail had been forced to combine teams. Although relieved they didn't have to separate, darkness entered Natsu's eyes as he stepped to the side with Lucy, remembering the reason why he wasn't a part of the final team. Lucy was more important to him than anything…

Satisfied with the combined Fairy Tail team, Jason shouted, "Now for the girls only!"

Lucy and Levy exchanged nervous glances. They had a feeling where this was going. Just like they thought, he had them all strike different poses – most of them seductive. Mira, Evergreen, Erza, and Cana took to the poses immediately, completely at ease with twisting their hips and playing with their hair. Even Bisca was remarkably at ease with the process, her eyes on her husband the whole time. It was the rest of them that were a little hesitant, their nervousness coming pleasantly across in the photos. The guys snickered until it was their turn. Then their faces paled and they reluctantly moved forward to trade places. Laxus and Gajeel acted as though they couldn't care less, their eyes turned upward out of boredom with their hands in their pockets. Natsu took it as a personal challenge, the determined look in his eye only making him more appealing as he leaned forward with a smirk on his face and his thumbs hooked into the top of his swim trunks. Gray stood smug, emanating sexiness with ease with his arms folded across his chest. The others took to it as best they could.

Once the guys were done, Fairy Tail tried to disperse, but Jason stopped them. Hearts gleamed in his eyes as he blushed, his hands clapped together in front of him. Makarov stood beside him, his feet braced wide and his arms folded across his chest with a smug smile on his face. "Oh no," Levy breathed just as Lucy whimpered, "I don't think our punishment is over just yet." As if to solidify their words, their chains reappeared, this time half as long.

"Master!" Lucy and Levy shouted. Juvia only beamed, hearts in her eyes.

"Couples!" Jason shouted, wiggling as his hair danced more than ever before.

Gajeel glared at Makarov. "Seriously?"

"You didn't think you would get off that easy, did you?"

"I was kind of hoping so," Gray admitted, rubbing the back of his neck.

"Come on, Gramps," Natsu whined.

"Can it!" Makarov's voice carried across the beach. "You six must participate. Anyone else who may want to is more than welcome to, but they won't be required."

"Uh, Wendy?" Romeo asked quietly as the six on the beach paled.

"Yes?" she asked, turning her brown eyes to the young boy beside her.

"You want to take a picture with me?"

"Why?" Carla immediately asked.

"Well, we are the youngest wizards here."

"Asuka is younger than we are," Wendy reminded him.

Romeo's cheeks immediately burned red and he looked at his feet. "Forget it," he mumbled before Wendy reached out to stop him.

"No," she said softly, her cheeks turning pink. "I'll take a picture with you."

Romeo's face lit up in a smile. Wendy decided that she rather liked seeing him smile like that.


A beach chair had been brought to the edge of the surf. The whole guild watched with barely hidden fascination as Jason made Natsu recline in the chair with one leg up. Lucy was standing next to him awaiting instructions. "Lucy, you get on your knees over him and lean over him like you're about to kiss him."

"What?" she shouted, her face turning red. Below her Natsu likewise turned pink, but he didn't look displeased.

"Do as the man says!" Erza commanded, and Lucy jumped to do as bidden.

On her knees in between Natsu's legs, Lucy's heart started pounding. She tried not to think about the rest of the guild watching them, of the way Natsu's free hand was gently wrapped around the back of her thigh. As she moved closer, bracing one hand on the back of the chair and one hand on his chest, Natsu smiled softly. "This is a little like last night, isn't it?" he whispered, his chained hand coming up to rest at her waist.

A shiver worked down her spine as she leaned closer. Natsu automatically sat up some, his breath tickling the side of her neck and making Lucy close her eyes. "Perfect!" Jason shouted and the photographer started snapping.

They held that position for what felt like forever before being forced into something different. "Now stand in the surf like you can't keep your hands off each other!"

Lucy paled and looked at Jason with wide eyes as though to ask if he were serious.

"This isn't much of a stretch, is it, Kid?" Laxus taunted, earning him a glare from Natsu.

His ears burning, Natsu took Lucy's hand and all but pulled her into the water. She squeaked softly in surprise when he suddenly pulled his scarf from his head and wrapped it around her, pulling her roughly against him. "Forget about them," he growled, his heart pounding in his chest.

Her cheeks darkening, Lucy felt a thrill run through her heart, making her shiver as Natsu smiled, his eyes alight. She rested her hands on his chest and tilted her head to the side as he lowered his lips to her shoulder. He didn't kiss her skin like she suddenly craved, just tickled her skin with his lips and pulled her hips into his.

From the beach, nearly everyone's mouth fell open, Jason somehow even forgetting to yell how cool this scene was. His photographer saw the opportunity and never missed a beat.

"Good Mavis!" Macao cried from the beach, pulling Romeo's suddenly gawking face away from the scene before them.

Macao's words broke the spell everyone had found themselves in, and Lucy took a step back, her butt pressing against Natsu's scarf as he resisted her. More than one in the crowd had a nosebleed, Jason included.

"So coooooool!" he cried as he jammed a tissue up his nose. "Moving on," he said as he cleared his throat, and instructed them in a few more, much less seductive poses. Natsu had to hold her in his arms like a princess and had to carry her on his back, they had to stand hand-in-hand in the surf and look out at the water, they had to just casually walk down the beach, their eyes only on each other. It was the last one that made Lucy pale and even Erza look at Jason with narrowed eyes. "Lucy, on your back with your legs in the water. Natsu, you lean over her, just like in the perfume posters."

Lucy's heart jumped in her throat and even Natsu swallowed. "We're not shooting the cover of some romance novel," Lucy argued.

Natsu was looking down at her seriously. "It's not like it's going to kill us or anything," he murmured.

Her cheeks burning, Lucy looked at the ground. "Natsu," she whispered, hoping he would understand.

He did. "Isn't that a little much?" he asked Jason, raising an eyebrow at the journalist as though challenging him to make them do it. Smoke started seeping from between the fingers of his clenched fist.

With a hmph, Jason crossed his arms. "Fine! Gajeel and Levy next!" Lucy and Natsu sighed with relief and retreated to the bar where Mira gave both of them a well-earned drink.

Now that Gajeel was in the spotlight, he grew quiet and aloof, the Gajeel everyone knew best. Levy likewise stayed quiet, not sure if they would be put in the same kind of positions as Natsu and Lucy or not. What the hell is going on? Why is everyone so interested in us as couples all of a sudden? She scarcely had time to think about it before she was put in a very similar position as Lucy and Natsu; only Gajeel was in the sand, his legs in the water, leaning back onto one hand with one leg up. She had to kneel between his legs and lean close to him, almost as though she were about to kiss him, just as Lucy had. Instead of placing his hand on her side, however, Gajeel kept both hands pressed into the sand behind him, his fingers digging in as though to restrain himself. Rather than look at each other with adoration, they found themselves looking at each other with frustration.

"So cool!" Jason exclaimed as the photographer shot away.

The next pose they simply switched positions and this time Levy made sure her knee was nearly against Gajeel's chest, as though daring him to get any closer. She smiled inwardly when his look of frustration only grew. "What are you doing, Shrimp?" he whispered.

"Giving you a taste of your own medicine," she grumbled just as they were told to switch again.

This time, Levy had to form a script of iron that Gajeel held proudly above his head. Makarov had to lengthen their chain in order to keep Levy from being jerked into the air as well. She made the O of iron into the shape of a heart. Gajeel was finally smiling.

"Can't you both smile?" Jason asked, pressing his forefinger to his chin with narrowed eyes. Then an idea came to him and he broke out into a grin. "Gajeel, put Levy on one shoulder and strike a pose. Both of you need to smile like you're actually having fun."

"Gihi," Gajeel chuckled as he threw her over his shoulder, not exactly the way Jason had intended. Levy's butt was next to his ear as he turned, the view of her butt belonging only to him, and gave a thumb's up.

"Gajeel!" Levy shouted, before she followed suit and smiled at the camera with a thumb's up as well.

"So cool!" Jason shouted, finally satisfied.

The second Gajeel released her, Levy slugged him. He simply gihi'd and quickly joined Natsu and Lucy at the bar.

Now that it was Gray and Juvia's turn, Juvia's eyes shone with hearts as she all but pulled Gray to the shore. She hoped the two of them would be put into similar positions as the others, wanting only to have Gray's affection publicly. Her heart fell when instead Jason asked for their unison raid. "Seriously," she grumbled.

"Come on, it is pretty cool," Gray elbowed her. His smile was all she needed to face him. He wrapped one arm around her and held her other hand straight out to the side with his. At first they aimed directly at Jason, who paled in fear, before Juvia pulled their arms up towards the sky. "Ice Make, lance!" "Water slicer!" they cried together and the sky was filled with Juvia's water being frozen into spikes as it flew through the sky in numbers neither of them were capable of producing alone.

"So cool!" Jason called, falling onto his back with his excitement. Their magic show over, Jason instructed them in their next position, something very similar to Juvia's punishment the night before. Gray had to sit in the sand, his knees slightly drawn up and open to the sides, while Juvia sat in his lap, her legs wrapped around him. It was as intimate a pose as he had asked for so far, and Juvia found her cheeks burning as she lowered her eyes.

"Juvia?" Gray finally asked, tugging on her chain to bring her attention back to him.

"Sorry, Gray-sama, Juvia is nervous."

Tugging more forcefully on her chain, Gray pulled her into his arms. "This is nothing compared to last night. Just go with it."

"But everyone is watching."

"Everyone was watching last night, too," he replied with a soft smile as he sunk to the sand. The waves came up to cover his feet with the cool water.

Her entire body trembling, Juvia straddled his legs and lowered herself down. His arms immediately wrapped around her waist, pulling her close and supporting her. Her toes dug into the sand at his back while her arms wrapped around his neck. When she felt him tickling her ever so softly, she giggled, pulling him closer, forgetting about everyone else watching. The photographer snapped away.

Satisfied with their playful nervousness, Jason held a hand up to stop the photographer and finally asked for something he had been holding out on. "Kiss?"

Juvia partially expected Gray to say no, so when he uttered, "Sure," her senses nearly gave out. If Gray's strong arms hadn't been wrapped around her she would have fallen to the sand. He simply smiled into her shining eyes and leaned down to press his lips to hers. The entire guild yelled in happiness and Jason fell over again.

"All right! Who's next?" Jason called, hearts still in his eyes as Juvia and Gray made their way to the bar.

"These don't all have to be romantic couples, do they?" Romeo asked.

"No," Jason reluctantly admitted.

With that, Wendy and Carla came forward with the young blue haired wizard. They stood with their backs to each other; Romeo's blue flames emanating from his fist while a light blue magic circle formed under Wendy, ruffling both of their hair with an unseen wind. Carla hovered above them. Everyone present smiled.

"You two next!" Lisanna shouted, shoving Elfman and Evergreen forward.

"Lisanna!" Elfman shouted, scarcely catching Evergreen from falling. Lisanna simply smiled at him.

"Be a man, Elfman!" Alzack called from where he stood holding Bisca's hand.

Grumbling, Elfman stepped forward with Evergreen. "You want to do this?" he asked the woman beside him, who was trying desperately to hide her nervousness.

"Let's give them a show," she answered with a soft smile and a wink.

When they turned around, Elfman turned into his full-body beast takeover and Evergreen took to the air at his shoulder. Spears of light appeared around her as Elfman let out a roar that shook the very ground. For once Jason was stunned into silence as the photographer snapped away.

Bisca, Alzack, and Asuka followed suit, the toddler laughing happily as her parents threw her into the air. Everyone present sighed happily.

Laxus was still in his usual spot at the bar, eying Mira closely. She could feel his eyes on her but was studiously avoiding his gaze. It wasn't until Erza caught the sight of the two that she intervened. "You two want to go out there?"

Mira paled and Laxus jumped. "What are you talking about?" Laxus grumbled, grateful Jason was too busy getting pictures of Macao and Romeo to pay attention.

"Come on, it's not like you two are a couple. Just get out there and show how bad ass you are," Lucy encouraged them, having no idea of what had transpired between them the night before.

To everyone's surprise, Laxus didn't argue. He slid off his stool and headed to the beach without a second look at Mira. Mira suddenly felt like she had been transported back into the old days, when she would try so desperately to get a reaction out of Laxus only to get nothing. She quickly moved around the bar to catch up to him. "You serious?" she asked as she caught up to him.

Laxus looked at her with a mischievous twinkle in his eye. "We can't let these young ones get all the attention, can we?"

Mira looked up at him with wide, confused eyes. "What?"

"Come on, She-Devil," he taunted, taking his shirt off and tossing it to the side. "Come at me like you used to."

Her heart picked up without her permission. Has he been paying attention after all? She didn't give herself time to think as she ran towards him, not using any transformation magic. She jumped at the last moment and kicked forward, aiming for his head.

Laxus blocked the kick, just as the photographer snapped a photo. He was shoved back in the sand several feet but managed to keep his feet. He looked at Mira as she hit the ground with a satisfied smile. She was smiling ruefully as she dropped into a spin with her leg out, attempting to trip him, but he jumped and hit her with lightning at the last moment. "Laxus!" she shouted, his lightning only strong enough to tingle her. He was holding back. She ran at him again, this time not stopping until their heads were pressed together out of anger. "Don't insult me by holding back!" she shouted before slapping him across the face with an open palm. The photographer snapped away and the rest of the guild watched with surprise.

A red handprint immediately forming on his cheek, Laxus nevertheless cracked a crooked smile and did as asked. Without holding back, he shot lightning through himself into Mira from where their heads met. She returned the favor by turning into her Satan Soul and landing a powerful punch into his gut.

"All those times I tried to get you to fight me and you ignored me," she asked quietly. She no longer noticed the rest of the guild watching.

"Have we missed something?" Levy asked from the bar.

"I had my reasons," he answered, swinging at her. She dodged the attack easily by flipping backwards.

"I'd like to hear them."

Laxus hesitated, and it cost him. She landed a kick in his chest that sent him sprawling onto his back. "No, you don't," he coughed.

Mira changed out of her Satan Soul form and went to his side. She crouched beside him, unaware they were still being photographed. His eyes looked up at her and said something she wasn't sure she was ready to hear, even if it was something she wanted. "Then you'll have to tell me later," she demanded, standing to her feet in a blur and placing one foot on his chest, as though claiming him as a trophy. She looked back at the lacrima with her usual sweet smile and Jason nearly exploded.

"Sooooo cool!"

Grunting, Laxus jumped to his feet. Their moment over, the lacrima once more present in their minds, the two of them turned and placed their backs to each other, much like Romeo and Wendy had. Laxus let lightning crackle through him as Mira smiled sweetly for several shots, before turning into her Demon Soul for several shots.

Scarcely able to control himself, Jason looked around at the semi-stunned wizards. "Please tell me there's more!"

Erza looked at Jellal, AKA Mystogan, out of the corner of her eye but tried to remain neutral. Mystogan was nearly always strong and silent, never getting close to anyone. Jellal had already drawn enough attention to himself during the games; he really couldn't afford any more scrutiny. Plus, some people knew about her history with Jellal. If she showed up in a picture with Mystogan, it might not be too difficult to put two and two together. "How about just the dragon slayers to finish things up?" she asked.

"Great idea!"

The chains disappeared once more from Gajeel and Natsu and they made their way to the beach along with Laxus and Wendy. Wendy and Natsu were the two who were actually smiling before Jason had to tell them to. Laxus and Gajeel struck very similar poses, their arms crossed in front of their chests as though they couldn't be bothered, their resting scowls present on their faces. Natsu and Wendy smiled, Natsu's winning smile outshining the rest as Wendy jumped to hit his palm in a high-five. Lucy smiled.

"So cool!"

The dragon slayers dispersed as quickly as they could, Laxus returning to his spot at the bar, Gajeel and Natsu returning to their partners' sides in time for their chains to reappear.

"Get what you needed?" Makarov asked Jason.

Jason was swiping through the images on the lacrima. His eyes grew wide with excitement at several of the shots. "It will do," he hesitated, his eyes trailing over each and every female member of Fairy Tail. "Unless anyone would like to do individual shots?"

Many of the girls present swallowed nervously. Natsu instinctively gripped Lucy tighter. Gajeel did the same to Levy. Something in their eyes made Jason wisely leave them alone. It was when his eyes fell on the rarely seen masked wizard, that he knew what he needed. "Mystogan?" Jason called, his spikey hair daring to bounce. This was the first time nervousness could actually be heard in his voice.

"Yes?" Jellal asked, keeping his voice neutral and low.

"No one ever sees you. Would you mind?"

Jellal hesitated, his shoulders tensing, as he forcibly refrained from looking at Erza. Shoving himself to his feet, he shrugged. "I guess not."

Jason decided to press his luck. "Without the mask?"

"Not a chance," Jellal grumbled, folding his arms across his chest formidably.

Clearly torn between his excitement as a journalist, and his desire to pursue any and all stories, Jason shrugged. "Fine by me," he only partially lied.

Jellal wasn't sure what to do so he decided to emulate the nonchalant, I can't be bothered with this, attitude of Gajeel and Laxus. He stepped into the surf, the waves darkening his shorts just above his knees. Bracing his feet wide, he turned piercing eyes on the lacrima the photographer held, and could only pray this wouldn't take him much longer.

Disclaimer: The usual... I do not own Fairy Tail or any of the characters (unfortunately). They all belong to the genius that is Hiro Mashima. I just like to write about them. :) Hope you enjoy! I certainly enjoyed writing about the shenanigans Fairy Tail is known for!