What Fairy Girls Want
by Ulquiorra9000
Chapter 12: the final showdown (don't screw it up!)
Natsu never got tired of stepping onto the soccer field with his teammates and friends as the crowd cheered them on. Or rather, in this case, the Magnolia half of of the crowd cheered while the Crocus half was a little less enthusiastic to meet the MCC Eagles. Oh, and all the stadium lights shining made Natsu feel like a movie star, too! Such energy!
Meanwhile, the CU Sabertooths marched across the field from the opposite side, and the two teams met in the middle with the referee inside the circle. Natsu folded his arms and made a cocky smile at Sting and Rogue, who returned it in full.
"Good to see you folks again. Welcome the the Thunderdome," Sting declared. "Let's make this the best match of the year."
"Ha. The Eagles came a long way just to lose," another Sabertooth player, some jerkwad named Orga, commented.
"You'll eat those words, motherfucker," Max challenged him, fists at his side.
"Everyone chill," Sting said, motioning with his hands. "We're all here for the love of the game."
"You sure mellowed out since last time," Droy noted. "What's up with that?"
"We got a new coach with a new philosophy," Rogue explained. "Minerva's dad was the old coach, but he got his ass fired. Now Yukino's uncle is in charge, and, well..."
"Now, good sportsmanship is our core strategy for every game," Sting finished.
"That's..." Loke started in a defiant tone. Then he relaxed. "... not half-bad, actually."
"If we're done hugging each other," another CU player named Rufus piped up, "it's time for the coin toss."
"Players, we are ready to begin," the referee announced. "Here comes the coin toss." He flipped the oversized coin, and the Eagles got the first kick. Fuck yeah!
Natsu gave Sting and Rogue a casual salute as everyone got into position. "Match of the year."
"Match of the year," Rogue said, returning the salute.
The whistle blew.
And boy did the Sabertooths move!
"Gray! Pass!" Natsu cried out, unable to get through Rufus and Rogue's defenses, so he gave the ball a kick angled to the right, and Gray got it at once. Gray pushed the ball further down the field toward the Sabertooth goal, only for Sting to intercept him and take over the ball. Damn!
"Loke! Quick!" Natsu hollered, and just in time, Loke was there to shut down Sting's rapid advance. So, Sting passed the ball to Orga, and the ball nearly ended up in the Eagles goal until Droy and two other players worked their magic. From there, a bitter back-and-forth ensued, with Sting and Rogue being the Sabertooths' central players, while Natsu and Gray fought hard to counter them.
Whew, this was tough! The Eagles were better than they'd ever been, but the Sabertooths were that much better, dominating the field with their tight coordination and precise kicks. About 15 minutes in, Rogue took his shot, got past two Eagles players, and scored the game's first goal.
"YEAH, BABY!" Rogue cheered, throwing up his arms and high-fiving every teammate he passed along the way.
"Lucky shot," Natsu taunted him with a grin. Wow, this rivalry was more energizing than ever! Sure, the Sabertooths got the first point. But that would be the last point the Eagles let those cats get!
Then it was time for round 2.
"Go, Sting!" Rufus cried as he passed the ball to his teammate, and Droy was too slow to stop him. Sting got the ball and sliced his way through the Eagles' defenses and toward the goal, but then he slipped up. Gray got the ball, and halfway across the field, he passed it to Natsu, who got it close to the Sabertooth goal and made his kick.
The goalie caught it. Nooooooooo!
"Almost! Great kick!" Sting called out as the Sabertooths got the ball once again. Natsu, meanwhile, was too focused to respond, and he realized that at least half his pre-planned trash talk would make him the jerk here. Better save his breath for the game! After all, Cana, Lisanna, and Lucy were up in those stadium seats, along with all his other friends like Gajeel, Jellal, Erza, and the rest. Natsu didn't want to let them down.
The Sabertooths scored another point, and the match reached 2-0. Aw, man!
"Whew, you Eagles are tough tonight," Rogue commented right before gameplay resumed. "I guess we got spoiled thrashing the last few teams in the division tournament."
"We ain't going down easy," Natsu challenged him. "You wanna win the division, you'll have to get through us first. EAGLES REPRESENT!"
He hollered that last bit, and his teammates all raised their hands to point to the sky, echoing his words. Now that's a shot in the arm!
But first...
"Check out the jumbotron," Loke said, pointing.
"Oh yeah," Natsu said. MCC couldn't possibly afford a fancy gadget like that, but of course, Crocus University could, and it looked terrific up there. Natsu saw himself, and he beamed and waved. Hello, world!
Back to it.
Once again, Sting and Rogue were the spearheads of the Sabertooth's team's best plays, and most Eagles players couldn't even keep up with them. Rogue almost scored another goal, only for the Eagles goalie to block it (whew!), and then Droy got the ball and kicked it halfway across the field until Rufus took command of it with elegant precision. Rufus passed it to Orga, who passed it to Sting, who got into position to take his shot before Natsu intercepted that ball.
This was Natsu's best chance yet! Smiling widely, with the wind to his back, Natsu kicked the ball closer and closer to the Sabertooth goal, only for Rogue to block him, so Natsu passed it to Gray. Then, Gray passed it to Droy, who passed it to Max, and then, when Natsu was in position, Max passed it back to him. Natsu only had a two-second window before his chance was lost!
He kicked it.
Into the goal it went!
"First point for the Eagles!" Natsu cheered, raising both fists, hopping up and down. He also saw the jumbotron zoom in on him, and he threw up a peace sign, grinning his fool head off.
Time for the next round!
Natsu fought with renewed vigor all up and down the soccer pitch, baring his teeth in concentration, all fired up as he pushed his team to close the gap with the Sabertooth team. But after another 10 minutes, the Sabertooths put another point on the board as Rufus took a one-in-a-million shot and got one past the Eagles goalie. 3-1, Sabertooths!
Natsu also noticed that anytime the players weren't scoring goals or making electrifying plays, the jumbotron lingered on the audience, mostly people with cool signs or face paint to support their teams. It was kinda fun to glance at during the game, and he even saw Gajeel with his face painted MCC's colors while Levy sat next to him, holding up a foam finger to support her college's team. Thanks, guys!
It was early into the second half (still 3-1) when it happened.
"Well damn, look at the happy couple," Max said snidely as the jumbotron fixated on a familiar power couple. Laxus Dreyar and Mirajane Strauss happily sat side by side in the crowd, each of them with an empty beer cup in hand. On the screen, Mirajane checked the time on Laxus' watch, then nodded to her boyfriend. She said something to him, and they stood up.
"Now that's hot! Yowza!" Natsu whooped during a lull in the game as Mirajane and Laxus threw themselves onto each other, making out with wild abandon. They even ran their hands all over each other, like they were seriously about to get down and dirty.
"Who are they?" Sting wondered, wandering over to the Eagles players. "You guys seem pretty excited about it."
"Only MCC's best couple," Loke said proudly, arms folded. "They're Laxus and Mirajane. They set an example for the rest of us chumps."
"Damn right," Droy agreed.
Gray, meanwhile, watched the jumbotron make-out session with amusement, and then his eyes widened and he went white. "Oh, snap. They're going all the way, people! Watch out!"
"What the fuck?" Loke blurted out, staring in disbelief.
Natsu watched on the jumbotron as a hot and heavy (and obviously tipsy) Mirajane reached up and yanked off Laxus' polo shirt, allowing Mr. Stud to show off his finely honed body. Once again, Natsu wondered what the hell would convince Laxus to join the MCC soccer team with that strong body so the team could actually be halfway decent. Laxus would slaughter any team on the field! But he always acted so superior to everyone, as though sports teams and clubs were beneath him. That punk, wasting his talents!
Then it really got crazy!
Natsu and the other Eagles whooped, cried out in alarm, and generally freaked the eff out as Mirajane took her turn next! She took a step back from her man, then tore off her top and laughed as she showed off her killer rack, wearing what was probably her fanciest bra. Mirajane wasn't quite as busty as her little sister, but she carried herself with such pride and dignity, it was worth another two cup sizes.
A grinning Laxus started making out with his girlfriend all over again, reaching behind her back to undo her bra straps. Whoa there! This was wilder than anything Natsu saw in his current favorite porno, Magnolia Skanks Like it Freaky. Natsu couldn't tear his eyes off the jumbotron as Laxus got Mirajane's bra off, and he let the lacy pink garment drop while Mirajane's jugs popped into view. Man, she was such a beauty!
"OOOOOOOHHHH!" Absolutely everyone cried out as, on the jumbotron, a pair of campus security guards tackled the horny couple to the ground, and everyone vanished from view on the screen.
"What the hell! Get those tits back!" Max howled, motioning.
"The show can't be over already!" Droy added, clutching his face in despair.
"Just when the good part was starting," Loke whined.
"I bet Juvia would do that with me if I asked," Gray noted.
Natsu snorted. "She'd drag you naked onto the jumbotron whether you liked it or not."
Gray looked confused. "Who would be naked in that scenario, her or me?"
"Either or," Natsu said with a casual shrug.
Sting slowly turned away from the jumbotron and toward his Eagles rivals. "Is this... some psychological trick?" he croaked, his eyes wide after seeing things no sports stadium had ever seen before.
Natsu burst out laughing. "No way, my man. We're just as surprised as you! Maybe I'll ask Laxus about it later."
Sting blinked. "Sure... right."
Once the jumbotron finally fixated on the players again, it was time to play. Like shit.
"Gray! Over here!" Natsu yelped as Rufus and Orga blocked Gray, but Gray's pass was sloppy, and Rogue swooped in to intercept the ball. The other Eagles' defenses crumbled, and Rogue easily scored to strengthen the Sabertooths' lead at 4-1.
Shoot, this was getting kinda hard! Natsu shook his head to clear it, but he couldn't get Laxus' heroic frame or Mirajane's boobs out of his mind, and what the fuck, they were supposed to be like everyone's role models and stuff! Since when did they go nuts like that for all to see? Did Laxus lose a bet? Was Mirajane even drunker than she looked? Natsu's mind whirled with questions, leaving no room for the strategies he'd cooked up for the game.
By the time the final whistle blew, the game was 6-1, and Sting and Rogue led their fellow Sabertooths in celebration, with the jumbotron capturing it all on the big screen.
"Damn, we tried," Max cursed, kicking a random patch of grass. "One of these days, we'll kick some Sabertooth ass! Am I right, people?!" He raised his fist.
Natsu and the rest made a half-hearted "Yeah!" and raised their own fists as the Sabertooth team kept celebrating. One of these days, Natsu would get some answers about how his fated soccer game turned into... well, this!
Maybe Crocus was too romantic a city after all?
o*o*o*o*
Elfman and Lisanna sprang to their feet in the Sleepy Inn's quiet lobby the moment their big sister and her boyfriend meekly stepped in through the front doors. It was almost 11:30 PM, but Elfman and his little sister weren't the least bit tired. They needed answers. And most of all, they needed to make Mirajane feel better!
"I'll go on ahead to the room, babe," Laxus told Mirajane with a quick kiss on the cheek. He gave Elfman and Lisanna a quick nod, then headed for the elevator.
Elfman and Lisanna threw their arms around their big sister. "We're so glad to see you," Elfman told Mirajane gently. "We'd stay up all night if we had to."
"Elfy. Lisanna," Mirajane said in a choked voice, hugging them back with her strong arms. "Oh my gosh... it's so good to see you, too. Can we sit down?"
"Right here." Lisanna motioned, and the three Strausses sat on a lobby couch together.
"We were so worried," Lisanna confessed, putting her hands to her heart.
"It's all my fault," Mirajane groaned. She slapped her hands over her face. "I bribed the jumbotron staff to focus on Laxus and I at 7:00 sharp. I thought it would be a fun little stunt for all to see. And look where it got me! Dragged to the Crocus University security office with Laxus! You must be so ashamed of me."
Elfman held his big sister's shoulders to comfort her. "We won't judge you, Mira. Lisanna and I would never be ashamed of you! It's okay; we're here for you."
"Thank you, Elfy, Lisanna," Mirajane said, lowering her hands and sniffing. "I'm sure you're going to ask me why I did that. You want to know, don't you?"
"Mira, you don't have to tell us if you don't want to," Lisanna said quickly. "We respect your privacy."
"No, it's all right," Mirajane told her. She looked back and forth between her brother and sister, then made an awkward smile. "Now that I'm saying it out loud, it feels so silly! Here goes: Laxus and I decided to have some fun and show everyone we can be spontaneous. We wanted to enjoy ourselves on this vacation and do something memorable! Too bad I had a few cocktails beforehand."
Elfman shook his head. "You didn't have to pull a stunt, Mira. We all love you and Laxus the way you are! You're MCC's #1 couple. What more could you want?"
"You're like everyone's big sister," Lisanna told her. Then she cracked a sly grin. "It's everyone else's job to get drunk and act crazy. You should've seen Cana's house party a few weeks back!"
Elfman threw back his head and boomed with laughter. "What a fantastic time we all had! That wasn't your kind of party, Mira. Your kind of party has a string quartet and caviar."
Mirajane made a face. "Caviar? What do you take me for?"
"A classy role model we all adore?" Lisanna reminded her kindly.
Mira smiled. "Thank you so much for the kind words. But I suppose Laxus and I aren't so perfect after all. We were humbled tonight, Elfy, Lisanna. We felt a little too bored with our perfect relationship, and we ended up getting in huge trouble."
"How much trouble, anyway?" Elfman asked.
"A lot." Mirajane sighed. "The Crocus University staff phoned MCC and told them all about it. The MCC dean said Laxus and I will get formal reprimands, and if we get into any more trouble, we might get kicked out of college."
"What! No one kicks out my big sis!" Lisanna cried in outrage, clenching a fist. She had fire behind her and everything!
"I won't cause any more trouble," Mirajane assured her brother and sister. "And I think Laxus and I learned a lesson about getting a big head. Being MCC's power couple made us think we could get away with anything, and wow, were we wrong! I've got some growing up to do, too."
"I guess we all could stand to grow up a little more," Elfman commented. He let go of Mirajane's shoulders and rested his fists on his lap. "This could be the wake-up call we all needed, Mira! Partying is everyone's minor at MCC, but maybe it's time we changed minors. How about we all clean up our act together?" He offered his hand, and Mirajane and Lisanna rested their hands on it, too. It was a vow they solemnly made together.
For like two seconds.
"You just know we're all gonna go nuts with a few more parties before the semester is over," Lisanna added with a playful giggle. "Come on, Elfy, we can't get partying out of our system that easily. Old habits die hard!"
"That they do!" Elfman roared with laughter again until a passing bellhop made him shut the hell up. "But seriously," Elfman added, "Mira is setting a good example once again. If she can get a wake-up call about drunken craziness, we should all follow her lead. Starting now, we and all our friends should start taking life more seriously! Studies, health, friendship, romance... all of it. Let's have a great year together."
Mirajane beamed. "We absolutely will, Elfy! I'm so touched that everyone looks up to Laxus and I as the perfect couple, but we make mistakes and have insecurities like anyone else. I should grow up a little."
"I don't care how many mistakes you make, Mira. We love you all the same!" Lisanna cried, throwing herself onto her big sister with a tight hug.
Mirajane patted Lisanna's head. "There, there. As Elfy said, we'll have a great year together. I can't wait."
"I'll grow up, too!" Lisanna cried. "Natsu told me to make this my year and bloom into the real me. I promise I will!"
"That's wonderful, Lisanna." Mirajane hugged her back, and she even nuzzled her. "I'm so lucky to have you in my life. I have the cutest little sister in the whole wide world!"
"Mira! Ribs...cracking...!" Lisanna wheezed.
Then Elfman piled on, and the hug-a-thon lasted a little longer until Lisanna squeezed her way out, her silvery hair all tousled. "Okay, so... who's ready for bed?" she asked. She yawned behind her hand.
"Me! Oh my gosh, I'm wiped," Mirajane admitted, getting to her feet. She tossed her hair. "Good night, Elfy, Lisanna. I'll see you tomorrow, and guess what? Our friends are planning a pool party! Doesn't that sound fantastic?"
"Yes! Let's get wet before we go home," Lisanna cheered, then went red and clapped her hands over her mouth. "Y-you know what I meant!"
Mirajane giggled. "I sure do. Sleep tight." She waved, then headed for the elevator.
Elfman and Lisanna gave each other a quick look. "So... time to turn in, huh?" Elfman asked.
"Mmm-hmmm."
"You look like you have something on your mind."
"Oh! It's just..." Lisanna shook her head. "I was just thinking about that pool party, since Mira mentioned it."
Elfman smiled. "Are you planning a pool date with Natsu?"
Lisanna jumped and went red again. "W-well, um... yes?"
Elfman gave her another look.
"Yes." Lisanna cleared her throat and stiffened her back. She saluted. "Yes, I will enjoy my pool date with all my heart!"
"Great!"
"And as for you..." Lisanna pointed at her brother, her sapphire eyes flashing. "I hear you're trying to woo the lovely Evergreen. How's that going?"
Elfman winced. "Not terrifically."
Lisanna made a sympathetic noise. "Oh. Well, I believe in you, Elfy! Try your best!"
"That I shall! With Natsu's help, that is."
"For real?"
"Natsu is quite the expert on romance. He's helping me. Such a good wingman." Elfman saluted.
"Mr. Romance, huh? I see..." Lisanna turned and headed for the elevators, and Elfman decided to respect his little sister's privacy and rode a different one to his floor. He knew that tone in Lisanna's voice. She was about to try something serious, and needed maximum concentration!
Now that Elfman thought about it, both of his sisters were role models for him, in life and in romance. Time to catch up!
o*o*o*o*
Damn, what a night. Gajeel Redfox's mind was still whirling as he finally trudged back to his room on the Sleepy Inn's 15th floor and got ready for some sleep at 11:57 PM. Seriously, what the hell was that? The MCC Eagles were putting up a decent fight in the game, and then suddenly Bam! Mirajane and Laxus got it on for all to see, and the Eagles fucked up the game. Did everyone want MCC to look bad?!
Ugh, whatever. It was almost a new day, and Gajeel wanted to make the most of it before everyone returned home to Magnolia tomorrow afternoon.
Gajeel shut off the lights and drew up the covers to his chest, wondering what kind of games everyone would play at the pool party Erza and Jellal had organized. It was gonna kick ass! And Levy promised to be there too... ah, Levy...
The red letters on the beside clock alarm hit 12:00 AM when Gajeel had a change of heart. Who was he to make fun of Laxus for having some guts at the soccer game? Laxus was a man's man! He just went for it, even if that got him and Mirajane into trouble. What had Gajeel done to impress his lady so far? Not much!
That does it, Gajeel decided, clenching his fists. He was going to get the Ironwings together to play that one gig, and he would sweep Levy off her feet and show her what a romantic stud he really was! This was going to be his year!
Gajeel rolled over and muttered happily to himself. Soon... soon...!
o*o*o*o*
That jumbotron stunt didn't feel like something Mirajane would do, Lisanna Strauss thought as she got ready for sleep that night. Then again, she thought with a grin, that's what alcohol can do to you! Or maybe Mirajane had had too much wild energy pent up and needed to vent it before she exploded. She might as well do it in style!
And, Lisanna added to herself as she crawled into the comfy bed, Mirajane had so much confidence and bravado, drunk or not! Minus the jumbotron, I should do something like that, too. Natsu is waiting for me.
Lisanna watched the clock hit 12:00 AM before she rolled over and tried to relax. But it wasn't easy to drift off to dreamland when she felt this nervous! She was this close to winning over Natsu... but Lucy and Cana were in the way. What to do?
o*o*o*o*
Lucy Heartfilia didn't care if the MCC Eagles lost by five points earlier this evening. Natsu and his friends played their hearts out, and on the jumbotron, Lucy had seen two things of note: what a topless Mirajane Strauss looked like, and a look of sheer joy on Natsu's face as he lost himself in the sport he loved.
That was real freedom, Lucy thought as she sat on the edge of her bed, watching the clock hit 12:00 AM. She still remembered her conversation with the charming Natsu Dragneel in that coffee shop as the soothing rain fell. Natsu was often teased for his bad grades and worse hygiene, but above all, he was happy with who he was and the life he had built. Natsu loved his days and feared nothing. That's what it meant for someone to be at peace with life, free of all woes!
Lucy toyed with her blonde locks and saw the clock reach 12:01. What did freedom mean for her? Running further away from her dad? Graduating and getting a good job? Or having the inner peace to not worry about things like this so much?
Would true love bring her peace? Or would she not find happiness in her heart until she found peace first?
Lucy yawned. Enough mental musings for tonight! She wanted to be fresh and ready for the water park adventure with her friends!
She snuggled up under the blankets and made a mental note to do a certain something tomorrow morning before the water park party. If Cana could do it, so could Lucy!
o*o*o*o*
Be cool. Just be cool! Come on, why can't you be cool about it?! Elfman kept pressuring himself about this as he got ready for bed, then realized it ruined the point. But think about what's on the line! Lisanna was pursuing her heart's desire with everything she had, and Mirajane, intoxicated or not, knew how to have a good time. Was it Elfman's turn?
Of course it was! He watched the bedside clock hit 12:00 AM and puffed out his chest, promising himself to make this right. Surely, this would be his day!