A/N
Hope I didn't take too long with this. I always forget how long it takes to write things.
All your reviews made me so happy! Enjoy this chapter!
Still don't own Fairy Tail.
Lucy watched the last rays of sunlight slip below the horizon. She shifted closer to the fire. The cool night air was delicious on her back in combination with the heat of the fire washing over her. It was getting late. The girls were seated around the lovely outdoor fire pit. The boys had gone home for the night. Lisanna said they were all having a sleepover at the apartment that Natsu and Gray shared. Lucy wondered how those two managed to share a space without killing each other or destroying the building.
Pushing thoughts of the destructive boy out of her head, she sighed happily. Today had been wonderful, like a dream. They had played in the pool for hours, taking breaks when they were tired to eat Mira's delicious home cooked food and drink something cold.
"Today was the best!" Levy announced, stretching up like a cat from where she sat tucked away in her chair. Lucy smiled, great minds think alike. Lisanna stood up, "I just want to thank you guys so much for coming. I had such a great time." Levy and Lucy both jumped out of their chair to give the girl a hug.
Lucy opened her mouth to speak but was interrupted. The wooden gate slammed open, twice as loud as when Elfman had come bursting in earlier. With a creak, the hinges gave way and the entire structure crashed to the ground. Lucy jumped back in horror. Who was strong enough to destroy a gate just by pushing it open?
Mira had just come out of the house and was standing by the circle of chairs with a tray of smores makings. She sighed gently. "Again?" she murmured "ah, well." She set the tray down and moved to poke the fire with a stick so that it kept burning evenly. Lucy thought she was taking the whole thing incredibly lightly. Lisanna also looked unperturbed. She waved Levy and Lucy back to their seats, which they took nervously.
Lucy could finally hear the person that had come in, though she couldn't seem them yet since they hadn't stepped into the small pool of light the fire gave off. Determined, heavy footfalls echoed around the corner. Finally, they turned the corner and waved. Lucy was taken aback. She had been expecting some huge man to have broken in. Instead, it was a woman, only slightly taller than her.
Lucy turned to Lisanna. "I was expecting a monster," she whispered. "Oh, that's a monster alight," Lisanna whispered back with a playful smile.
The woman walked right up the edge of their circle and Lucy was able to get a proper look at her. Her long hair was strikingly red and hung in a straight curtain down her back. Her eyes were fierce and Lucy wondered if Lisanna might be right about the monster thing.
"Mira, sorry I'm late," She announced curtly. Mira faced her, "I had thought you weren't coming. The party started 5 hours ago, you know." The woman grabbed the poker from beside the fire. She knelt in front of Mira and pushed the sharp piece of metal into her hands. "It is unacceptable. Please, you may take my life in penance," she said seriously, bowing her head.
Lucy was horrified! "Is she serious?!" She whispered frantically to Lisanna. Her friend just shrugged nonchalantly. "Probably," Lisanna reasoned.
Lucy looked back to the spectacle before her. Mira had talked her friend off her knees and now faced her towards the girls. "Ladies," Mira introduced, "this is my friend, Erza." Erza dropped a low bow. "It is my honor to meet each and every one of you." She said seriously. The girls each greeted her back, equally terrified.
"So why were you so late, Erza?" Lisanna asked casually. Repeated exposure had made her pretty much immune to the intimidating girl. Erza straightened up. "I had to make a few arrests on the way here. And then I had to take them to the station and fill out all the requisite paperwork." "Oh Erza-san are you a police officer?" Levy asked politely.
Lisanna and Mira both groaned, knowing what was coming. Lucy just looked back and forth between the sisters. She didn't know why they were reacting like that. She had been thinking the same thing and if Levy hadn't asked, she would have.
Erza stepped up onto one of the chairs. "I am not a police officer, only a concerned citizen. It is every denizen's sacred duty to protect their city from those who seek to crumble our fine society. And as a proud occupant of our town, I attempt to fulfill that responsibility at every opportunity. A citizen's arrest is the weapon of the people against the corrupt. Where we call out criminals and tell them that we will not accept their miscreant behavior in our place of residence, our beautiful hometown!" As she finished the obviously very well rehearsed speech, Lucy thought she could see the strength of Erza's conviction manifest into glowing rays behind her.
Lisanna and Mira clapped sarcastically, obviously having heard this manifesto in the past. Lucy leaned over to whisper to Lisanna again, "A citizen's arrest? People actually do that?" Lisanna chuckled, "People don't. Erza does."
"What crime did you stop today, Erza?" Mira asked sweetly, indulging her oldest friend. "Jaywalking," Erza announced, head held high, "two cases. Repeat offenders. I had warned them previously and they didn't listen." Wow, Lucy thought. She really was a hard-ass. Quickly she tried to remember what little laws she usually broke, like jaywalking. She'd never met anybody before who actually counted stuff like that. It was kind of ridiculous.
An awkward silence descended on the circle as everyone thought of how to respond to Erza. Finally Mira took pity on everyone and changed the subject. "So did everyone have a good time today?" she asked, addressing the group. "Oh!" Erza perked up and looked at everyone in turn, "Tell me how the day went! And I haven't gotten your names yet."
Mira clapped her hands and took a seat next to Erza. "OK everyone. We'll go around the circle. Say your name, your favorite thing that happened today, and," she thought for a moment, "your favorite thing to do in your free time. That way we can get to know you."
Lucy felt slightly ridiculous, like she dropped through a portal back to elementary school. But Mira looked so excited, she didn't have the heart to tell her that she didn't want to. Levy was throwing her a look that said that she felt the same way. The best friends shared a silent conversation. After many head tilts, small gestures, and pointed looks, they decided there was no way out of it and they might as well indulge the older girl.
Juvia looked very nervous, but that was probably just her natural shyness. Lisanna was rolling her eyes good-naturedly, used to her sister's antics. Erza and Mira both seemed very excited. "You can start and we'll go around to the left." Mira said, pointing to her sister and then gesturing left to Lucy. Lisanna, smiling to her sister, cleared her throat and began. "Hello there, I'm Lisanna. My favorite thing that happened today was when Lucy and I beat Natsu and Gray in that chicken fight after they issued a challenge. May their faces be rubbed in it for eternity."
Lucy smiled, that had been fun. Though also kind of painful, she added, as she rubbed her shoulder where Natsu had shoved her. Natsu and Gray had been convinced they were going to win against the two girls. Because of the boys' arrogance and poor teamwork, Lisanna and Lucy had won not once, but three times. Natsu and Gray had just kept getting back up only to be shoved back down. By the end of it, Lucy had decided that chicken fights weren't so bad. Even if that first time with Natsu had been startling. She blushed as she remembered his strong arms wrapped around her legs. Ack, what was she thinking. Attempting to bleach her brain of the memory and her uncalled for thoughts that went with it, she listened intently to Lisanna.
"And in my free time I like to play video games." Lisanna finished. Lucy was a little surprised. She hadn't known that her friend was a gamer. Lucy had never really gotten into them. She wondered vaguely if Lisanna was any good. Then she realized everyone was staring at her. Oh shoot, go around to the left from Lisanna. She was on Lisanna's left. Crap.
"Um hi. I'm Lucy," she stammered awkwardly, normally she prepped in her head before addressing a group, "and my favorite thing today was, um." She stopped. She hadn't prepared anything. Her mind was blanking. What had happened today? Images rushed through her head. Natsu throwing her into a pool, Natsu demanding that she strip and then throwing her into a pool again, Natsu hugging her after they won their chicken fight, Natsu splashing her many many times, Natsu trying to force feed her after she had insisted that she wasn't that hungry. This was so not helpful. Those weren't even good memories. Besides, she couldn't say anything like that, what would the others think? Disposing of those inconvenient memories, (and her inconvenient blush), she focused on a detail that was leading to a more practical answer. The food Natsu shoved at her. The food. Dinner.
"My favorite part was your amazing dinner, Mira. Everything was so tasty and I loved laughing with everyone." She sighed with relief. A non-embarrassing answer. And as a bonus, Mira looked thrilled. Oh wait, one more part. "And in my free time I like to work on my novel." Perfect, done. On to the next person. But everyone was still looking her. Oh crap. She had just admitted to writing a novel. That was supposed to be a secret from everyone but Levy. She could feel everyone's questions rising to the surface but Levy took pity and stepped in.
"So Juvia, you're next." said Levy, directing everyone's attention to the poor bluenette next to her. Juvia sat up nervously. "Hello. I am Juvia. Juvia is a competitive swimmer and practices whenever there is time. Juvia's favorite part of today was Gray-sama. He's amazing." The last line was said with a dreamy sigh as her eyes turned into hearts.
Lucy watched Levy and Lisanna pass a look between them. She tried to give them a harsh stare but they were avoiding her gaze, laughing silently. Erza had opened her mouth to ask her about her swimming, (Erza loved anything competitive), but had been struck dumb by her next line. Mira hid her smile behind her hand demurely. She knew that Erza didn't know how to deal with stuff like this. Erza's mouth hung open for a minute before she realized she was gaping and composed her expression.
"You know," said Levy through her mirth, "just Gray himself is not an event from the day. You have to pick a specific moment." Juvia seemed incredibly concerned. She spluttered anxiously. "Juvia could not possibly pick only one moment with Gray-sama!" "You must." Lisanna insisted. "Okay then," Juvia's eyes turned back into hearts and she clutched her hands together over her chest, as if concerned her heart would break through her ribs. "Juvia liked it when she was feeling faint and Gray-sama rushed to her rescue, holding her in his strong arms and gazing into her eyes!" She fanned herself as the memory heated her face.
Erza went from mildly uncomfortable to scaldingly embarrassed instantly. Her red face matched her red hair. She leaned over to Mira and whispered. "This is the same Gray that I've met, right? Is this true? It seems so out of character." Mira was chuckling, while Lisanna cracked up on the other side. "The general concept is true. The details may have been slightly embellished." Mira whispered back. Lisanna leaned in too. "Very, very embellished," she added, "Juvia has a very active imagination." This seems to calm Erza down enough that her face lost some of it's color.
"Alright, I'm next." Levy said, sobering up from her latest laughing fit. "Hey, I'm Levy. In my free time, I read every book I can get my hands on. And my favorite part of today…" she grinned at Lucy across the circle. Lucy felt a small feeling of dread settle into her stomach. "My favorite part of the day is when Natsu threw Lucy into the pool! Your face when he told you to strip, priceless." Lisanna laughed along with Levy as Lucy felt her face heat up, again. Everyone thought Levy was so sweet. And she was, until you got to know her really well. And then she was the devil, thought Lucy bitterly. Alright, not the devil, just a bit mischievous.
"You should have seen the first time! She totally didn't see it coming!" Lisanna piped up. She leaned forward towards Levy who was almost directly across the fire. Levy leaned forwards too. They traded stories back and forth like jabs, Lucy occasionally trying to interrupt.
"How about when she was on his shoulders for the fight and she was so red!"
"If a guy I barely knew was feeling up my leg, I'd be red too."
"He was not feeling me up!"
"So how far up did he get anyway Luce?"
"I liked how she kept staring at him all day. I've only ever looked at food with that much drooling."
"I was not drooling! I was glaring! Because he's so annoying."
Lucy dropped her head into her hands, sincerely embarrassed. Levy and Lisanna finally relented. Lisanna stood up. "So the boys are having their own sleepover at Natsu and Gray's place. I said I would bring some food over because otherwise I'm concerned they would burn down the place trying to cook. Also, Elfman asked nicely. Does anyone want come with me? I think I'll need help lugging all this stuff."
Lucy was about to volunteer, she liked to be helpful. But then she hesitated. While she was curious about Natsu's apartment, she had had quite enough of that boy for today. Lisanna turned to her. "How about you Lucy? Maybe the boys are having a naked pillow fight. I'm sure Natsu would let you join in." Lisanna said with an innocent smile. Lucy scowled at her. Lisanna could carry all the stuff herself and break her arms for all she cared.
Levy decided that her poor friend had suffered enough. She stood up, "I'll help you Lisanna." Lisanna sent one last glance at Lucy before smiling at Levy. "Alright cool, the stuff is in the kitchen. Let's go." Lisanna and Levy waved goodbye and promised to be back later. Then they headed off.
Lucy noticed that Juvia had been conspicuously silent. Why hadn't she volunteered? She looked over to see Juvia slumped unconscious in her chair, a touch of blood just under her nose. Apparently, the words "naked pillow fight" combined with the image of her precious Gray had been too much for her heart. Poor girl, thought Lucy.
Erza leaned over to Mira. "You're behind this, aren't you?" She narrowed her eyes at her oldest friend. Mira tried to look innocent. "What do you mean, 'this'?" "You know what I mean. This." Erza gestured vaguely around them at the spots where the four girls had sat, especially at the two that remained.
Mira copied her motion, gesturing delicately. "This, as you put it, is entirely Lisanna's doing. I have nothing to do with it." Erza looked at her skeptically, so she continued. "Not that I would be against being part of it if I was asked. It also doesn't mean that I can't enjoy it." "Poor kids," Erza said seriously, "two Strauss sisters after them. They don't stand a chance." "Well let's hope so," Mira said cheerily, "besides, Erza, you can't lie to me. I know you love this stuff."
Erza rolled her eyes but inclined her head, conceding the point. The two girls shared a conspiratorial smile. Mira raised her glass and Erza lightly tapped hers against it. "To summer romance." announced Mira. "To incorrigible matchmakers." Erza countered. Mira laughed and they both drank.
Levy and Lisanna had split the many grocery bags between them as they headed to the apartment where the boys were. "So how many boys are there at this sleepover?" asked Levy. She had thought it was just the few from today but there was a total of eight grocery bags being lugged to the group, all of them exploding with food. She knew teenage boys ate a lot but this had to be too much. It was only for one night after all.
Lisanna laughed, noticing her eyeing the copious amounts of food. "You have no idea how much boys can eat." she warned, "my brother alone could probably eat almost all of this." Levy's eyes widened. Then again, Elfman was a mountain. She shouldn't be surprised that he needed that much food.
"And to answer your previous question," Lisanna continued, "I think it's just the boys from today. So don't worry, no unexpected surprises." Levy relaxed. She didn't much feel like walking into some massive testosterone fueled brawl.
The walk took about 15 minutes. Lisanna explained that there was a faster way if you took a shortcut through the woods behind her house, which is why Natsu and Gray had vaulted the fence when they arrived this morning, (Levy wished she could've been there to see that, the fence was taller than she way). They had to go the long way because they were laden with bags and the forest path was very uneven.
When they arrived, Levy was surprised. It was a nice little building. Rather small with only about 6 different apartments. The only off-putting thing was the boxy structure and solid gray walls. It gave Levy a slight uneasy feeling but she couldn't say why.
"So this is it," Lisanna introduced with a small wave of her arm, somehow managed beneath all the bags, "it's such a perfect place for the boys. Entirely concrete, so they can't destroy it like the last one and perfectly soundproofed, so they can't get evicted like the time before last." Levy gaped. There was the reason for her light anxiety, the place looked too solid. Like a cage for a wild animal.
When she told Lisanna the metaphor in her head, Lisanna nodded seriously. "That's a very accurate comparison," she said before heading inside. Levy stared, she had been mostly joking. Oh well, no going back now. She followed Lisanna through the front door.
There was no elevator but there were only three floors so it wasn't a problem. The boys lived on the second. Though the trip would have been a lot more pleasant without groceries weighing them down. When they reached the right floor, Lisanna turned to the apartment on the right. The door was simple and plain, the hallway silent.
Lisanna knocked briskly and the door was instantly thrown open. As soon as the door opened, a cacophony of sounds exploded into the hallway. Levy was shocked. Soundproofing, her ass. There had to be some kind of magic going on to have hidden that level of noise. This place really was perfect for the boys.
Once she got over her surprise, she looked into the room. Elfman had been the one to open the door but after briefly hugging his sister, he had leapt back into the living room. She followed the Lisanna inside.
And immediately walked into a massive testosterone fueled brawl. Natsu, Gray, and Elfman were rolling around the floor, wrestling and punching. They moved so fast that she could only catch glimpses of their features. Here a bit of Natsu's pink hair as he leapt through the air, there a tan fist filling the space where someone's face had been just moments ago.
Levy followed Lisanna to the kitchen. Luckily they didn't have to go close to the brawl to get there. Levy was sure she would be killed in moments if she went anywhere close to those flailing limbs. They deposited their bags onto the simple yet functional counter. Levy stretched out her arms, trying to return some of the blood flow. As she watched the boys fight, she wondered how Lisanna had survived being friends with all these guys for so long.
"FOOD'S HERE!" Lisanna bellowed, causing Levy to jump. The boys leapt apart and raced to the kitchen, ready to descend on the food. Lisanna enforced order manually, elbowing the boys back if they got too close. She forced a plate and a napkin into each of their hands, demanding that they behave civilly or else. Her exact words were "You will manage to behave like proper human beings until we leave or so help me I will take you back with us and strap you to Erza for the rest of the night." The boys must have been quite familiar with Erza because they immediately straightened up and stopped pushing each other. That didn't stop Natsu and Gray from glaring when they both reached for the same bag of chips. Lisanna confiscated the disputed bag before a full blown war could resume and diplomatically handed them each a bag of something else.
Well that answered that question. Apparently living with a brother a foot taller than you taught you how to handle these kind of things. Levy was beyond impressed. She swore to herself that she would have Lisanna teach her how to sound intimidating. It was one thing she'd never mastered, and her minuscule height didn't help.
The boys took their loaded plates and retired to the living room to eat. There didn't seem to be a proper dining room. In the living room, a couch and two armchairs formed a half circle around a large tv. Gray and Natsu sat on opposite ends of the couch while Elfman draped himself on one of the armchairs. It barely contained him. The girls followed, Lisanna perching on the arm of the sofa next to Natsu and Levy settling into the other armchair, tucking her feet underneath her.
"So…" Lisanna sang out, stretching the vowel, "Natsu, how do you feel about Lucy?" Levy leaned forward. She would never have been able to come out and ask like Lisanna did but she was also desperately curious how the energetic pinkette felt about her best friend. She was truly unprepared for Natsu's response though.
"I really like her!" he said emphatically, "She's fun." Levy stared. She had had her suspicions but she had never expected him to give it up this easily. This was too good to be true. As it turns out, that sentiment was perfectly accurate.
Gray snorted. "You idiot. They meant do you want to go out with her?" "Go where?" asked Natsu curiously. Gray rolled his eyes and tried to find the most literal phrasing possible. "Whether you are interested in her romantically and if you would like to date her." He clarified. Natsu stared blankly. "I just want her to be my partner for chicken fights again. She's much better than you are." He said to Gray. The latter fumed, and it looked like another fight was sparking.
Levy felt her smile dip into a frown. So he hadn't meant that he actually liked Lu-chan. That was a shame. Lisanna, however, looked undeterred. In fact, she had a scheming glint in her eyes that Levy was both very curious about and a little scared by.
Natsu and Gray had begun wrestling on the couch. Lisanna had somehow gotten her hands on both their plates in the split second before they spilled. She held them over her head so the boys couldn't make a mess. She walked over to deposit the plates in the kitchen, but she wasn't through with the interrogations yet.
"And Gray, what do you think of our Juvia?" she asked innocently. Gray froze where he was, and Levy could swear she saw a light hint of red on his neck. Perhaps she was just projecting though, it had happened in the past. Before she could decide whether it was really there or not, Gray went flying across the room. Caught unprepared by one of Natsu's punches and was sent flying across the room. She wondered at the fact that both boys weren't dead yet with fights like theirs.
Natsu began a victory dance and Gray complained bitterly that it wasn't a fair fight because Lisanna had distracted him. It seemed like he was mostly arguing with Natsu so that Lisanna wouldn't push her question. Luckily for him, Lisanna seemed content to let it go for the time being. She and Levy both laughed as Elfman announced that "real men fight fair" before barreling into the fight himself.
A half hour later the girls still hadn't left. The boys fight had somehow turned into an arm wrestling tournament. Both Lisanna and Levy had good naturally joined in at first but were out in seconds. It was a miracle their arms were still attached. Now they just watched, passing bags of chips back and forth between the couch and the armchair. Natsu and Gray had been in a stalemate for at least five solid minutes and the girls were trying to keep it exciting by changing who they rooted for every 30 seconds.
Levy had just passed the bag back to Lisanna when a shadow fell over her. "You're in my chair," said a voice over her shoulder. Levy winced. She'd only heard the voice once before but there was no way she was forgetting it any time soon. She knew exactly who was standing behind her, arms probably crossed over his massive chest.
She had a furtive silent conversation with Lisanna which went something like this.
I didn't know he was going to be here.
I said everybody from earlier.
I thought you meant everybody we like.
He's looking at you, say something. Be nice.
I hate you.
The voice behind her cleared his throat, rich in self importance. "My chair?" he repeated as if he expected her to leap up and apologize. That was enough of that. She whipped around, preparing to tell him exactly where he could shove it, and froze.
She had miscalculated exactly how close behind her he was standing, and in her hurry to flip him off, she had turned so that her face was only inches away from his torso. Which wouldn't have been such a big problem if there had been something, anything, covering that torso. Instead, she was now nose to nose, (or nose to stomach) with his bare midsection. And what a very fine section it was.
As she had predicted, his arms were clenched in frustration over his defined pectorals. And she was finding it hard to focus on his anger when his muscles were so very enticing. His abdominals tightened and she watched the skin ripple in fascination. And then he cleared his throat again. Blood rushed to her face as she craned her neck to meet his gaze, which was quite high above her. And just like that, the blood fled and she paled. He looked terrifying.
Somehow in her haze of remembering what an ass he was and then being dumbfounded by his lack of proper clothes, she had forgotten that here was a man who could rip her in half if he ever so chose. And he looked like he was thinking about it. The piercings, which had been intriguing in the sunlight, looked heartless in the cold light of the apartment. His mouth was half lifted in the same sneer she had gotten last time they had locked eyes but this time she was close enough to get a good look at those eyes.
They were red. Blood red. She felt her own blood freeze in her veins. The reader part of her brain that she could never quite shut off wondered if he was a vampire and his eyes were red from all the blood he drank.
Snapping herself out, she realized she was staring. Again. This was becoming a very bad and possibly life threatening habit. He had raised one eyebrow, as she had held his gaze and said nothing. God, he probably thought she was so stupid.
She huffed and turned away from him, finally reacting to his initial comment. "Your chair? I didn't see your name on it. Sit somewhere else." Wow, Levy. Didn't see your name on it? Nice. Are we 10 again?
Lisanna had covered her mouth in an attempt to stifle her laugh. When Levy looked at her incredulously, Lisanna gestured behind the armchair. Levy turned to see the face of the taller man and almost burst into laughter herself. He was just staring at her, eyes almost bugging out of his head. Obviously, no one had ever talked back to him like that before. Well he was going to have to get used to it.
Her mirth finally escaped and a small corner of her mouth quirked up. Instantly, a glare settled into his face again. His scowl was really quite impressive. She was sure he had made grown men run for cover with that thing before. Even she was starting to get the itch to hide behind something solid.
Lisanna, however, was immune to dark looks. "Good to see you again, Gajeel. How've you been?" she said cheerily, if not sincerely. Gajeel never stopped glaring. "You doing good? You look good," Lisanna baited, "by the way, why aren't you dressed?"
"We ain't friends, Mini Blondie" he growled. Without another word, he turned and stalked back the way he'd come. Levy could hear him muttering under his breath, though. She thought she heard the words "showering" and "girls at the god damn guys night".
She turned back to Lisanna, breathing a sigh of relief that the malignant aura behind her had finally dissipated. She sunk into the cushy chair, working hard on taking deep, cleansing breaths.
"He'll be back once he gets a shirt on," Lisanna interrupted her tranquil thoughts. Okay, not tranquil. Still thinking about Gajeel. But trying really hard to be tranquil. That had to count for something. Going to respond to her friend she found her mouth awkwardly caught between 'why does he have to come back' and 'why does he have to put a shirt on'. Levy wondered if it was really possible to be attracted to someone you disliked this much.
Deciding that neither of her answers were appropriate, especially because they were the ones intruding on guys night. She settled for, "we should probably be gone by the time he gets back."
She got up, expecting Lisanna to follow but Lisanna didn't budge. "Aw Mom," she whined, "I'm having fun!" Levy rolled her eyes and Lisanna chose her moment of distraction to strike. Lisanna took the pillow she had been leaning on and threw it at Levy, hitting the short girl straight in the face.
Once over her initial surprise, Levy grabbed the pillow and drew it back, prepared to hurl it in retaliation. It was at this very moment that Natsu finally turned around. The three boys had missed the entire exchange with Gajeel, but now they all looked up. Natsu's eyes fell on Levy's weapon and he instantly grasped the situation.
"Pillow Fight!" he yelled, like a war cry. The boys each dived for a different pillow. Lisanna rolled over the back of the couch in her haste to get away. She had obviously seen similar things go down before. One second later, Levy understood why. The point of a pillow fight was that no one could really get hurt because you can't hurt someone with a pillow. Once again the boys seem to be exceptions to the laws of nature. Levy swore she heard the pillows whistling as they sailed through the air at astronomical speeds. Quickly, she flattened herself against the back of the armchair.
There was no way to leave now, the entire apartment was a war zone. And Gajeel was bound to be back any second. Damn. Ugh, she hated this guy. How dare he be so rude to her when she had never been anything but nice to him. Why had he even been invited to this thing?
Speak of the devil, Gajeel, now wearing a shirt, entered from the hallway that must lead to the bedrooms. He was stomping angrily, having heard the latest ruckus from the living room. "What the fuck are you guys…" he was cut off as three pillows nailed him in the face one after the other. Levy threw hers too, just for good measure. It bounced harmlessly off his chest but she hoped the intent had been clear.
Gajeel ripped the pillows of his face, eyes sparking like the devil. And then a massive grin spread across his face. It was ten times scarier than his scowl had been. He looked like a creature from nightmares. He prowled into the room, armed with four different pillows and Levy started to think that throwing extra ammunition at him maybe wasn't her smartest move.
A high noise rang out, (it sounded like gihihi but that had to be wrong), as he launched himself at Natsu. Soon the brawl was in full force once again. Levy breathed out, they seemed to be ignoring Lisanna and her. Gajeel was just as crazy strong as the rest of them. Shaking off blows that should have killed a normal person. Apparently this was why he was invited here. He fit in perfectly.
Lisanna had poked her head out and gestured to Levy to head with her to the door. The two girls stayed low so as not to be a target, moving silently. Even Lisanna knew when to get out. The boys would never hurt them on purpose but they didn't always know their own strength. Finally the made it out.
"Have fun boys!" Lisanna hollered through the crack of the door before slamming it behind them. Instantly four loud thuds of pillows hitting wood echoed against the door.
The two girls took off, laughing so hard they had to hold their sides. They were excited to get back to their own party, one that took a little less brute force to survive. They talked animatedly and tried to brainstorm good excuses for why their faces were red and their clothes were disheveled. Neither thought that the other girls would buy, we were trapped in a pillow fight war zone and we're lucky to have escaped with their lives.
The trip back had taken less time than the trip there, since they weren't weighted down with heavy bags. The still couldn't take the short cut, this time because the sun had finished setting and it was fully dark outside.
When they got back, the fire pit was cold and the chairs around it were empty. Lisanna reasoned that everybody must have gone inside to get ready for bed. She felt a little bad, she hadn't meant to stay away that long. She hoped Lucy and Juvia had survived their time with Erza and Mira-nee. She knew from experience that the older girls could be a lot to handle if you weren't used to them.
She led Levy inside and up the spiral staircase towards the bedrooms. Looking back at the tiny bluenette, Lisanna suppressed a smile. Levy was dragging her feet and leaning heavily against the railing. She looked exhausted. Lisanna wondered how much of that was from their busy day and how much was from her encounter with the monstrous Gajeel.
She was intrigued. Most girls, if they had come face to face with Gajeel unexpectedly, especially an angry Gajeel, would have run for the hills. Or at least looked terrified. Lisanna had held her cool only because of her years of experience dealing with massive boys. And it helped that the heat of his glare had never been on her directly. Levy was in the spotlight of it. The tiny girl had been inches away from his fury and had merely pouted and told him to shove off.
Lisanna was very impressed. Levy had more metal than people assumed.
The girls finally reached Lisanna's bedroom. Lucy and Juvia had spread out their sleeping bags and were sitting on them. They had also been kind enough to lay out Levy and Lisanna's for them. Mira and Erza sat on a bench to the side, still sipping their drinks. When the younger girls went to sleep (or kicked them out), they would retire to Mira's room where they were sleeping.
Lisanna breathed a sigh of relief to see everyone still alive and in one piece, both physically and mentally. The group was chatting amicably, Lucy and Erza swapping stories. When they walked in, the conversation paused. Lucy turned to them with a delicate pout.
"You guys were supposed to be back like an hour ago," she accused. Lisanna saw Levy cringe and she felt a small twinge of guilt. She hadn't meant to leave her friends for so long, they had just lost track of time. She launched into her excuses.
"Well the walk there took longer than we thought, since we were carrying so much. And then the boys invited us to stay and eat a little. And then there was this arm wrestling competition and we had to stay to see who would win. And then there was this huge pillow fight and we got roped into it and we couldn't get away. And we got back here as fast as we could!" Lisanna said as fast as she could. She stopped at the end to take a deep breath and noticed the silence that had descended on the room.
Juvia had fallen back onto her pillow, her eyes rolling back in her head as she stared at the ceiling. Steam rose off her cheeks in a cloud. Lucy's hand was clamped over her mouth and Lisanna could see her fighting the blush that was slowly taking over her cheeks. Erza had already lost that fight and her whole face was red, her eyes staring in disbelief at the two girls. Mira remained her usual color (Lisanna knew from experience it was nearly impossible to make the beautiful blond blush) but her eyebrows had disappeared into her hairline.
Lisanna was bewildered. Nothing she had said should have provoked this response. She turned to Levy who had her head buried in her hands. Obviously, she knew what was up. Before Lisanna could ask, Lucy spoke up.
"S-so," she stuttered out, "there really was a naked pillow fight?" Oh. Lisanna understood their reactions. Uh oh. She had totally forgotten about the joke she made before she and Levy had left. Judging by Levy's embarrassment, she had not forgotten. Crap. Before she could figure out how to clear up the situation, Levy jumped in.
"No!" she practically screamed. "No! There was no naked pillow fight. Absolutely not. There was a small pillow fight but everyone was wearing clothes. Lots and lots of clothes."
"Well," said Lisanna, unable to resist, "almost everyone." She thought back to Gajeel without his shirt. He wasn't bad looking for such an asshole. She had said it offhandedly but was greatly rewarded.
Levy froze where she was standing with her hands raised to ward off her friends incorrect images. At Lisanna's words, she had turned as red as Juvia. Lisanna's eyebrows shot up. That was intriguing. Lisanna hadn't been able to see Levy's face when she had been looking at Gajeel but now she thought it had probably looked something like this. Interesting.
Levy desperately tried to tell the others that Lisanna was just joking, firmly responding to Lucy's question that she was most certainly not blushing. Lisanna took pity, and stayed quiet, not pushing the subject. There would be time for that later.
"Enough of that," said Erza brusquely, swiping lightly at her cheek like she could brush off the last hint of blush that lingered there. "We have something more important to talk about." The girls stopped their bickering and looked over to Erza. Levy and Lisanna took their seats on their sleeping bags.
"Lucy was just telling me that she used to play soccer." Erza stated. Lisanna was surprised. She had forgotten that Lucy used to play soccer. Levy had told her that their blond friend used to be very good but stopped playing when other interests took up more of her time.
"I'm getting some friends together in a few days to play a pickup game and I think you should all come. It'll be fun. Just a small sided game between friends." She continued.
Lisanna had known about the game but hadn't thought she was invited. She was thrilled, it sounded fun. She'd never played sports in school but she'd played enough pick up games that she was decent. The other girls were a little more skeptical but because Erza's offer had sounded less like an invitation and more like a summons, they all agreed to go.
Erza smiled happily. On that note, the girls decided it was time to get some sleep. They had all had a long day and were exhausted. Mira and Erza excused themselves from the room, wishing the girls a good night. They turned out the light on their way out.
"Good night everyone," Lisanna whispered. "Good night," three quiet voices whispered back together. Lisanna closed her eyes, snuggling deeper into her blanket.
The boys had finally tired themselves out. Natsu and Gray were back on the couch. Gray was dozing against the arm and Natsu had tipped his head over the back, breathing deeply. Elfman lay sideways over his chair, his head tipped back over one side and his legs dangling over the other. Gajeel was spread out in his own chair, legs spread to take up the most room possible.
He was glad that tiny girl and her annoying friend had left. Why had they been here anyway? This was supposed to be a guys night. Gajeel himself had only come with the promise of a good fight and he had not been disappointed. He grudgingly admitted that all these guys were tough enough to be decent adversaries. Especially that pink haired bastard. He was annoying as hell but man could he punch.
As if he could hear his thoughts, one of Natsu's eyes flickered open. He smiled, showing his canines. "That was fun!" he exclaimed. Gajeel just grunted. Natsu reached forward and grabbed one of the bags of snacks off the coffee table.
"Sure was nice of those two to bring us stuff," he said through a mouth full of food. Gajeel grunted again monotonously. He wasn't even really listening, his eyes having finally closed like the others. "Levy was really cool. Starting the pillow fight like that." Natsu continued. Gajeel's eyes opened again at the name. Levy, that was the little shrimp's name, right? She had started the pillow fight? Could she even lift a pillow, scoffed Gajeel in his head. She was practically miniature.
Whatever. He didn't care. Not like he'd ever see her again. He might hang out with these guys again sometime, he loved a good fight, but he had no interest in ever seeing any of those girls again. Mildly he noticed that Natsu was asking him a question.
"So you want to go? It's just a pick up game with a few people but it should be wild!" Natsu invited. Gajeel smiled. Anything this guy defined as wild, he definitely wanted to be there for. And if he was lucky, the whole game would just devolve into another fight. Knowing the way Natsu and that dark haired guy looked at each other, it seemed a very likely possibility.
"I'm there." Gajeel agreed. "Great!" Natsu said. The boys shared a brief smile before remembering how much they annoyed each other and turning away. Exhausted, they both closed their eyes to get some rest.