Normal POV

Erza grinned as she approached the Master. She was hoping beyond hope that they could get Master in on this brilliant plan of hers. When the guild heard her plan they enthusiastically agreed, but that might be because they didn't want to upset Erza. They all chose to be gone on missions or at home resting that day, and the only people at the guild were Erza, Levy, Mirajane, Lisana, and Wendy, to help carry out Erza's little plan. Even Happy and Carla would be gone visiting the Exceeds that day. Nobody dared to ruin this operation.

"Master, may we speak?" Erza asked the little man.

"I already know about your little plan, Erza," Master said, shaking his head. He slammed his drink on the table and wiped the beer out of his beard.

Erza straightened her armor absent-mindedly. "Do you approve?"

"Yes, a little entertainment should be nice, but only on one condition." He gave her a stern look.

"And what's that?"

The old master smiled and waved his hand. "Don't get too carried away. Just make sure everyone is safe. No accidents, no injuries. And another thing. Don't force them together too fiercely. It could backfire if you do, and I don't want you to mess up my OTP.

"That was two things master. What is an OTP?" Erza cocked her head in confusion.

"One True Pairing." He enunciated each word clearly.

Erza laughed. "I never thought that you would want them together that badly."

"Oh please, everybody does." Master hiccupped. "Well except some of the other girls that want Natsu."

"True." Erza agreed. She was very amused at the thought that the Master paired people together behind their backs. But then again, he was drunk. "Who do you pair me with?" She asked curiously.

"Go and finish planning your little scheme Erza."

She walked away disappointed, still curious about who Master paired her with. How bad could it be for him not to tell her? Hopefully it's wasn't…. She shuddered at the thought that suddenly danced through her mind. It better not be Jellal.

"It's Jellal, Erza." Master called smugly after her.

Shit.

...Three Days Later

The day had finally come, and everyone was making themselves scarce. Erza and the rest of the girls were ready. All they had to do was wait for the two to arrive at the guild, but since Lucy hadn't been to the guild since the hill incident there still was a chance that she might not show up. Natsu would defiantly come in hopes of finding Lucy. Or to eat.

"Are you sure that Lucy's coming in today?" Wendy questioned Erza nervously as she nibbled on a cookie. Erza looked up from the book she was reading and smiled over at the little girl.

"She'll be here." Erza answered confidently. Wendy put down her cookie.

Mirajane, cleaning out a beer mug, heard the exchange. "We didn't plan this for nothing, Wendy. She'll be here."

Levy laughed. "Yesterday I went over to Lucy's house and told her to come to the guild to see something. I made it seem important, so knowing her, she'll show up."

"Not true Levy, she probably realized she's being tricked." Erza shook her head disapprovingly.

"Who's being tricked?" The girls all snapped around to see Natsu standing in the doorway. He glanced around the guild in confusion. "Hey, where is everybody?"

"A lot of people went on missions today." Erza stood, taking charge of the situation. Natsu raised an eyebrow, but shrugged off his suspicion and continued walking into the almost empty guild hall.

"You guys need to apologize to Lucy," Natsu plopped down next to Lisanna at the bar. The group got very quiet. Lisanna, who was trying to talk to Natsu, stopped mid-sentence and blushed. "What you guys did was wrong. Embarrassing her like that wasn't very nice."

All the girls looked at each other and blushed. After what they were about to do, they would have to apologize to Lucy a lot. Natsu's words made them all feel a bit guilty, except for Levy. She was going into this with a clear conscience, knowing that someday, her best friend would thank her. The room became saturated with the worst kind awkward. The kind where you just sit there and don't say anything to anyone, but you know deep down inside that you're screwed.

"Is anybody here?" Lucy cracked open the door and called into the guild. Everyone turned towards Celestial Mage.

"Lucy!" Natsu called out, running to her with a face splitting grin. "You're finally back!" He cheered.

"Hey Natsu." Lucy smiled shyly at him, a faint blush dusting the tips of her ears.

"The girls have something to say to you." He grasped Lucy's shoulders and spun her to face the group of girls sitting at the bar.

All of them had guilty faces. "No, it's fine. They were just teasing me." Lucy waved it off with a shrug of her shoulders. She could honestly say she was used to the teasing by now. She looked around. "Where is everyone?"

"Missions," Levy replied.

"Awesome." Lucy turned to Natsu. "Do you want a drink?" She smiled at him.

"Yeah, that sounds great!" Natsu answered. He slung his arm over her shoulders and they went over to Mirajane, who served them fire whiskey and a strawberry shake. They settled down with their favorite drinks to discuss their last job.

While Lucy and Natsu were talking about work, Lissana turned to Erza, her face filled with guilt. Silently, she questioned the redhead whether they were still going through with the plan. Erza shrugged her armored shoulders. She really had no clue what to do now. They all looked to Levy. Her face was fierce and she was nodding emphatically. They glanced at each other and nodded in agreement. They were going through with it.

Erza looked over at her two good friends. Now that she really thought about it, she didn't want to risk messing up their friendship, but it was far too late to change Levy's mind. Wendy sighed, and wondered why some things just couldn't happen by themselves without other people sticking their noses into places they didn't belong. Lucy and Natsu would end up together someday, and without outside intervention.

"Hey Lucy, there's something I still need to show you." Levy called. Lucy turned. The girls hid their faces. Too late to turn back now.

"What is it?" Lucy glanced at Natsu before giving Levy her attention.

"It's in the storage closet, in a big blue box. You can't miss it," Levy evaded her friend's questions.

Lucy sighed, and walked over to the open closet. Sure enough, right in the center there sat a big blue box. She tried to pick it up, but it was much too heavy for her to lift. "Natsu, will you please come help me move this?" She called to the Dragon Slayer over her shoulder.

"Oh, sorry Lucy. I forgot how heavy it was." Levy's chagrined expression was worthy of many, many acting awards. Jumping up, Natsu set down his drink and joined his friend in the closet.

"Here I got it. Nothing to it Luce!" Natsu chirped, picking up the box. Taking her cue, Lisanna jumped up and slammed the door shut, leaving Natsu and Lucy stuck in the closet. Both mages cried out in surprise.

"Erza, the door won't open. Can you get from that side?" Lucy's muffled voice called through the door.

"I'm so sorry Lucy, only Master has the key to it now, I lost my copy." Erza's voice was heavy with regret as she pulled the key out of the door. All the guilt vanished from the girls as they tried to stifle their laughter.

"You never lose stuff!" Natsu shouted accusingly through the door. "When will Gramps be back?"

"Not for several days." Erza lied, trying to sound sorry. It wasn't working very well.

A chill ran through Lucy's body as she realized exactly what was going on. After all, she and Levy read the same books. Her so-called friends were trying to force Natsu and her together. "You guys planned this, didn't you?!" Lucy yelled at them, beating on the door. She was pissed off now. Natsu eyed her with apprehension. Being locked in a closet with a pissed off Lucy Heartfilia was not at the top of his to-do list.

Erza poked her fork at her strawberry cheese cake. "We'll try to find the key, but it might take a while."

"God damn it!" Lucy shouted, kicking the blue box. "Ow!" Yelping in pain, she grabbed her toe as she muttered not so nice things about her friends. Natsu looked at her warily.

"You alright, Luce?"

Lucy looked down at the floor. She was sick and tired of them doing this. She knew that they were just teasing, but really? Locking her in a closet with Natsu, that was low. Folding her arms, she sighed and sat down. "I'm fine. I'm just really fed up."

"I know what you mean," he slid down the wall until he was seated next to her. "The guys do this type of stuff all the time. They always ask me stupid questions, like who I like, and it's none of their damn business."

Lucy smiled. "One of these days I want to get back at them. Find out who they like and force them together in a closet."

"That would be fun." Natsu's voice was stiff as he looked away.

Oops. Lucy looked away awkwardly. She probably should have left the last part out.

...

Erza sipped her raspberry tea. She hadn't heard a peep out of the closet in what seemed like forever. Nothing had happened since Lucy had her little outburst. She checked her watch out of habit and looked at the other girls. Lisanna and Wendy were reading the latest copy of Sorcerer Weekly together, Mirajane was doing the dishes, and Levy was abnormally happy, humming and scrawling notes as she translated a magic tome.

"How long are we going to keep them in there?" Mirajane asked in a hushed tone. All of the girls looked to Erza. Their guilt at forcing their friends into an uncomfortable situation was beginning to return. Well, except for Levy. She hadn't felt any guilt through this entire ordeal.

"Well, if nothing happens, we'll let them out at the end of the day." Erza replied nonchalantly as she took another sip of her tea.

Levy got up and started pack her research materials. "I hope it works."

"We all do. I mean if it doesn't, Lucy and Natsu are just going to be mad, not lovey-dovey," Wendy's voice was soft as she looked down at the magazine.

Erza laughed. "They're going to be mad anyways in this situation." The girls nodded. Erza was right. Besides, they all knew Lucy would deny everything.

...

"Natsu, why don't you just break down the door?" Lucy tilted her head back until she was staring at the ceiling. Natsu shrugged.

"After I joined the guild, Master puts magic-proofing spells on everything. Even if I tried, the door wouldn't break. Plus, you might get burnt." Natsu huffed. "I'm so bored."

Lucy groaned and pushed her feet against the blue box. I have to think of a way out of this godforsaken closet, she thought as she shivered. Why did they have to keep this closet so cold? Small rooms usually got stuffy and warm quickly. Looking around, she noted that most of the magical potions the guild stored in here would go bad if they were heated.

"Are you cold?" Natsu tilted his head towards her as another shiver ran through her.

Lucy looked down ruefully at her mini skirt and tank top. "Yes."

"Then c'mere." He patted the floor next to him. Lucy shifted over until she was only a few inches away from him. Natsu scooted closer and wrapped his arm around her. Lucy stiffened at first, then relaxed into his touch. He was like a furnace. She snuggled closer, enjoying his warmth.

"Is that better?" He smirked.

"Yeah." Her cheeks were flushed from more than the heat.

...

Mirajane frowned. Natsu and Lucy been in there for ages, and they were whispering quietly if they were talking at all. "I wonder what's going on in there."

Levy groaned. "It sounds like nothing." The group knew that she was disappointed with the lack of action. She got this way sometimes when the - ahem - rather adult themed books she read weren't progressing the way she wanted them to. When that happened, she would be in a grouchy funk for days.

"I have to admit, it's been pretty boring." Lissana leaned against the bar. Wendy nodded in agreement, and the girls looked to Erza again.

"You girls aren't very patient, are you? It's only been three hours." Erza eyed her accomplices disapprovingly.

Lisanna looked at the closet door. She hoped everything was okay inside. She pushed herself up and picked at a splinter that was sticking up from the polished wood. "Well, you would think something would have happened by now."

"Patience girls." Erza counseled as she stood up and began to pace across the room. Why hadn't they heard anything yet? Since the closet was a cold storage room, it would be logical to think that Lucy would have begun to complain. Unless…. Erza stopped pacing. Unless Natsu had done something to ease the cold. She grinned, her plan worked after all. Well… it worked a little bit. She sat down on a bar stool. This was perfect.

Levy watched Erza seat herself at the bar. She must have realized something or she wouldn't have a smug little grin on her face. "There's something you're not telling us."

Erza looked up, her pleased expression drawing the girls' attention. "Natsu and Lucy are cuddling."

"What? How would you know?" Wendy brow wrinkled in confusion.

"I'm not completely certain." The others gathered around her, clamoring for an explanation. Holding up a hand for silence, she told them of her suspicions.

"Well, that's a long shot, and you're just making assumptions." Levy said crossed her arms in disappointment. She had been hoping for something more solid.

"Isn't that what I just said?" Erza shot back, eyes glowing slightly. The girls drew back.

Lisanna crossed her arms and huffed. They were all tired and bored. "At least Erza's idea is something."

...

Natsu studied the blonde girl he was holding. At least she was warm now, and not freezing her butt off. She really shouldn't wear miniskirts so often, but then again, it was the middle of summer, and he highly doubted that she knew she was going to be forced into a cold storage closet.

"Natsu, I think I have an idea to get out of here." Her hesitant voice snapped him out of his reverie.

"Well? What is it?" He nudged her with his hip when she bit her lip and turned her face away.

"Well…the girls want...a reaction...from us, and I was thinking that maybe…um, if we...pretended to have sex they would let us out in a panic." Lucy rushed through the end of the sentence, tripping over her words. She peeked at Natsu. He was gaping at her in shock. After several minutes of awkward silence she hastily blurted out, "It was just an idea."

"No, actually, it's a good idea. We would be getting back at them for being so pushy and at the same time we would be getting out of this stupid closet." Natsu said blushing slightly.

Lucy was surprised. Was he really agreeing with a crazy plan that might not even work? "It could backfire."

He stood up. "Not really, think about it, it's a lot better than just sitting here doing nothing." He held out a hand, waiting for her to stand. After a minute, Lucy was still on the floor, staring up at him with wide eyes. Natsu cleared his throat. "Well…are we gonna do this or not?"

She blushed and stood up reluctantly. "Sorry..."

...

"Ooohhhh, NnnnaaatttttssSSSSUUUUU!"

All the girls' heads whipped towards the closet, a thick silence settling upon them. A silence which quickly became punctuated with odd grunts and moans issuing from the closet. Five sets of eyes locked together in surprise.

"Is Lucy-san okay?" Wendy asked innocently. The older girls blushed violently.

"Lisanna, get Wendy out of here," Erza's chair scraped across the floor as she abruptly stood.

"Gone." Lissana grabbed Wendy's hand and dragged the confused girl out of the guild hall.

The remaining conspirators ran to the closet and pressed their ears to the wood, only to hear the noises escalate. In fact, it sounded like they were having a great time. But that wasn't necessarily a good thing.

The blood drained from Mirajane's face. "What are we going to do?" She whispered, her blue eyes wide.

"I vote we just let them finish, then tease them about it later." Levy made no attempt to hide the wide grin on her face.

"DO IT THIS WAY SALAMANDER!" The girls jumped as Lucy shouted and a crash sounded from the closet.

"I think they're doing it." Erza brought up her fist and clenched it, making her armor clink. "I think they're going hardcore." They all suppressed nervous giggles. "No need to bother the happy couple." She pulled her friends away from the closet door.

"What's going on now?" Lissana ran back into the guild.

"Where's Wendy?" Erza demanded. The innocence of the young girl should be their first priority. No need to have Carla chew them out later.

"RRRRRRRRRRRRRAAAAUUUUGGGHHHHHHHHH!"

Lissana giggled. "She went home very confused."

"Good." Erza nodded in satisfaction. She sat down on a bar stool. All they had to do now was wait it out. Hopefully nothing too interesting would happen in the meantime. "We are going to wait until they are finished."

Levy yawned. "How long are they gonna be? They're both virgins, right?" She looked around and smiled. "Right….?"

Erza sighed. "Do you really think either one would tell us if they weren't?"

They heard a another crash, making them all jump and look at the closet. "Didn't Master say 'no damage'?" Lisanna asked in a hushed tone.

"Yes, but we can't open the door right at this moment." Mirajane seemed slightly horrified by the idea.

Erza eyed the closet. "But we can't cause damage to the guild hall. What would you rather deal with, your friends naked or Master and his punishment games?" The girls fiercely shook their heads, shivering in dread. "We'll just cover our eyes and warn them to cover up."

"Wait, we're actually going to open the door?" Mirajane asked in alarm. Another loud crash came from the closet and they all flinched. Erza jumped out of her seat and pulled the key from her belt.

"I don't think we can afford not to." Erza walked up to the closet and slowly started to unlock it, silently praying that nothing to lewd was going on. She turned back to Levy and the Strauss sisters. "Cover your eyes," she warned them. Shaking her head to clear it from dirty thoughts, Erza shut her eyes, turned the knob, and opened the door.

Nothing happened at first. No screaming, no gasps of horror. Erza decided to risk a peek, only to find a fully clothed and very angry Natsu.

Lucy, also fully clothed, stepped up from behind him. "You guys are so mean." She crossed her arms and shook her head, a stern look upon her face. Then Lucy and Natsu busted up laughing.

"The looks on your faces were priceless!" Natsu wheezed through his laughter. The girls looked at each other in confusion. What exactly was going on here.

"What just happened?" Lissana asked after a minute. She was beginning to get the feeling that the prank had been turned on them.

Lucy looked around at her clueless friends. "Isn't obvious? We tricked you into opening the door." She turned to Natsu and gave him a fist bump.

"Luce's plan worked like a charm, even if it was really weird." Natsu punched the air with a flaming fist of triumph. Lucy turned to him, a frown on her face.

"I thought you said-"

"No, I said it was a good idea."

Erza laughed. "So you did trick us." Natsu and Lucy stopped in the middle of their conversation.

"Well, yes….." Lucy blushed and crossed her arms.

Levy pouted. "That wasn't real?" The overly disappointed Levy demanded an explanation, which Lucy and Natsu delivered. The girls became very frustrated.

"Whatever, I'm going home. I'm tired of stuff like this always happening." Lucy turned to leave.

"Wait, Luce, I can walk you home?" Natsu called after her, running to catch up.

The matchmakers shared a secret smile. Even though Erza's plan hadn't worked the way they thought it would, it still ended up bringing the couple closer. At least, Natsu was chasing after her. Privately, Erza was happier with this outcome. Some very awkward sounds had come out of that closet, even if they were fake. Oh, well. This was enough for her.

For now.

...

"Luce, are you mad at me?" Natsu asked after they were away from the guild and in a small alley way. This was where the window to Lucy's house was, the same window Natsu always entered through.

Lucy turned and looked at her pink haired friend. "No, I'm just a little confused."

Natsu walked up to her with a devilish grin. "Well then, let me help you get over your confusion." Lucy looked over his shoulder, down at the black street. She wanted to be left alone at this point. She was tired of her friends being so pushy and she didn't want Natsu to think badly of her.

"I don't know…." She trailed off. With two hot fingers Natsu pushed her chin up, making her look up at him. Her face was sad, and her eyes were full of disappointment, with a tinge of surprise creeping in as he moved closer to her. "Natsu…" He leaned in and pressed his hot lips softly against hers.

Lucy, initially stiff with shock, quickly relaxed into her first kiss. For one perfect moment, nothing else mattered. A dragon could have gone on a rampage and wiped out the planet. They wouldn't have cared one bit. Being wrapped up in each other was the only thing that mattered. She slid her hands up his muscular chest, and buried her fingers in his soft pink hair.

Just when things were getting heated, they heard footsteps echoing down the street, and they jumped apart, faces burning. Natsu locked Lucy with his hot gaze as they waited for the intruder to walk by. As the person was gone, Lucy ran back to Natsu and kissed him again. The impact of her enthusiasm nearly toppled him off his feet, and she gave a breathless giggle. "Sorry", she said in a giddy way, then continued kissing him. Little did they know that Lissana was watching them from the other end of the street with a magical camera grasped firmly in her hand.

Yay second chapter is up. Please review XD I love reviews.