Date Published: 23rd March
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Lucy sat on a wooden stool and banged her forehead on the counter, groaning in distress. Mira giggled while putting down the plate.
"Is it about Natsu, Lucy?" She asked, glancing at the usual messy brawl in the middle of their guild. Chairs, shoes, and people flying everywhere. Even Gray's clothes could be seen in the air.
And to make everything worse, the great Titania was joining the fight.
"He and that blue cat keeps on emptying my fridge, bathing in my bathroom without permission, and wearing my freaking clothes. Seriously, what's with their brains?!"
She stood up and went to another bar stool when she felt someone going to her previous spot in a fast speed. And it was Natsu, hitting his back on the counter with a groan.
He quickly stood up, eyes were sharp and a little amount of fire coming out of his mouth.
"That hurts, Erza!" Then he glanced at her, his eyes softened a bit. "Hi, Luce!"
Lucy sighed as she watched him joining the fight again.
"They just love messing with you," Mira said, causing the blonde to blush a little and looked at her in confusion. "But admit it, you also love having them around."
"Y-Yeah..." she pouted.
Suddenly, Lucy imagined her life without Happy and...Natsu. She would be alone and sad for sure. She had already suffered a lot when the guild disbanded and the two left her behind for a one year training. What more if they leave her for good? She would be devastated.
Waa! Natsu would never do that to me!! She blushed a bit. And also Happy, of course!
"Anyway, since it's Sunday and almost everyone's here, do you think it would be great if we play a little game?" Mira asked, a smirk plastered on her lips as Lucy sweatdropped. "It can also brighten up your mood."
"W-What game?"
"It's called Pass the Message."
· · • • • ✤ • • • · ·
Everything happened in a flash. Lucy blinked as she found herself standing in the middle of the guild, in line of her game team, and staring right in front of her where their opponents were standing.
"YAHAHAHA! I'll fried you all!" Natsu exclaimed, standing next to her.
Right. Unlike the usual girls vs boys, the two teams were made by a draw. Lucy's team was composed of Natsu, Gray, Evergreen, Levy, Jet, Max, and Cana.
While the opposing group had Juvia, Elfman, Gajeel, Lisanna, Laki, Erza, Warren, and Droy. Their other guildmates were surrounding them and cheering for their supported team.
She turned to her left and right just to find her teammates giving smirks and like those movies where sparks of lightning was coming out of their eyes. She sweatdropped. So competitive!
"It's obvious who will be the winner," Cana smirked before swallowing her last drop of booze and threw the barrel at the corner.
Gajeel clicked his tongue. "Do you want me to replace your face with iron?"
"Try replacing your iron-brows with hair instead."
And their guildmates busted out in laughter. Gray and Natsu's laugh standing out the most of course.
"Shut up, bastards!"
Lucy let out a sigh, her gaze moving to the couple next to her.
"Sorry, Gray-sama! But Juvia won't hold back!"
"Me neither! I won't lose to you!"
Juvia tilted her head, staring at him innocently. "Heh... would you like Juvia to punish you if you lose?"
And Gray's face burned just like that. Lucy's jaw dropped. Juvia's getting bolder as the days passed by...
"Gajeel, I'll buy you a lot of iron later!"
"Gihee! That won't work on me, Shrimp!" Gajeel smirked, but Levy only smiled sweetly before beckoning him to lean closer.
"How about a kiss?" she whispered, which didn't slip to Lucy's ear.
And Gajeel corrupted Levy-chan's mind...
She glanced at the tables nearby when she heard a loud gasp. It came from Wendy who's blushing madly while staring at her plate of food.
And they would soon corrupt Wendy's innocence, too!!
"Kick Erza's ass, Lucy! Fufufu~" Happy's evil voice made her flinch, and Erza's glare froze her on her feet. A tick mark appeared on Titania's head but thankfully, she didn't say anything.
"W-Why meee?!"
"I'll do it for you, Luce!" Natsu appeared in front of her, face was too close and with that dumb smirk of his. Lucy sighed in exasperation and pushed his face away with a little blush on her cheeks. The game wasn't starting yet, but she already felt so tired.
"Please don't..." You'll just get yourself injured.
"Alright! Listen!" Mirajane stood in front of the stage, smiling sweetly at them. "I'll tell you the mechanics so listen carefully. It's quite obvious from the name of the game, Pass the Message. To make it easier, instead of tongue twisters, a riddle will be shown to the last person of your line. If they already knew the answer, then they can pass the exact answer to their teammate by whispering, until the message reached the person here in front."
Mira scanned the players' determined faces.
"The front players of the two teams need to compete on who will press the buzzer first and get the point. After the round, the players in front will go to the back and be the next riddle receiver. Questions?"
Warren raised his hand. "What if the person in the back didn't know the answer?"
"Then they have to pass the exact riddle and let his teammate answer it. Simple."
Laki butted in. "But what if even his teammates didn't know?"
Mira giggled. "Don't worry. I've prepared basic riddles. I'm sure you can answer it."
"I doubt Flame Brain can answer it," Gray murmured.
"What did you say, Icepop?!"
"Huuuh?! Are you--"
"Fighting, eh?" Those two words from Titania were enough to shut them up.
Mira clapped her hands once. "So, I'll give you two minutes to make some strategies and a Team name!"
The two groups huddled and started talking about strategies, except that in Lucy's group, Natsu was whining.
"Why do we have to make strategies?! We just have to pass the message, right?!"
"Tch. Just shut up," Evergreen said before rolling her eyes.
"This game is about critical thinking and speed," Cana said.
"Right..." Max murmured while rubbing his chin.
Levy pointed Gray. "Let's have Gray to receive the riddle first."
"Why me?" But he only received a stern look from the Script Mage so he shut his mouth.
"Then next to him in line is Natsu, then followed by Lu-chan."
"Heh?! Why me?!" Lucy exclaimed.
"Because if ever he messed up, there's someone who will fix his mess," Jet stated while smirking. Natsu glared at him before glancing at his friend.
"You don't want me behind you, Luce?" And that sentence was enough to heat up her face.
"Please shut up."
"I'll be the one in front of Lu-chan. And for the rest, it's up to you who you'd want to follow."
"I'll be the first front player," Evergreen stated before winking at them. "I'll secure the first point."
"By the way, what's our team name?" Lucy asked.
"Team Fireball!" Natsu exclaimed.
"No."
"Team Snowman!" Gray suggested.
"No."
"Team Boozy-booze?" Cana said.
"No!"
"Team--"
"Time's up!" Mira yelled.
"Let's go with Team Nuggets!" Their always hungry Fire Dragon, once again, exclaimed. His teammates couldn't do anything but to face-palm.
"Fine!"
The two teams formed the line according to their plan.
"Do your best, minna! Because the reward is an eat-all-you-can for an hour!" Mira announced cheerfully.
Lisanna sweatdropped. Did Master know that...?
Meanwhile, in the Master's office, Makarov sneezed in the middle of signing the pile of papers stating about paying for the properties that his children had destroyed.
"Hah, I'm broke..." Then his eyebrows furrowed when he heard cheers from the outside. "They must have partying again."
Back to our super wonderful mages...
Mira grinned widely, "And to make it more thrilling, our friends will do their best to distract you! Let's make some noooooise!!!"
"Wooooo!!!" The audience yelled as if they're in a concert.
"I'm getting fired up!!" Natsu chirped. "Go Team Nuggets!"
"You will win if you use Team Fish instead, Natsu!!" Happy yelled.
"Team Doughnut is manly!" Elfman shouted proudly.
Mira went to the back and beckoned the two back players to come closer. Gray and Juvia walked towards the silver-haired mage, both were radiating off competitive aura.
"You two are so hot," Mira giggled as she pulled out a rolled piece of paper and showed it to them. "So here's the first riddle."
A man was trapped in the room with no windows or door. How did he get out?
Gray narrowed his eyes for seconds before nodding. A smirk plastered on his lips. When he glanced at Juvia, he noticed her calm facade.
"Ready...Go!"
The two quickly ran to their teammate waiting for them. Gray held onto Natsu's shoulder and whispered the answer. Natsu nodded once before leaning on to Lucy to whisper.
"By the use--"
Lucy blushed before pulling herself away from him a little. "Eek! Natsu, it tickles!"
"What?! Bear with it or we'll lose!"
He leaned again, but this time, he's holding her face in place before whispering. But she couldn't hear him that much because of the noise and loud cheers of their guildmates, so Natsu had to repeat it again.
Lucy slammed her eyes shut when she felt his hot breath on her ear. Plus the fact that his right hand was holding her left face, and his other arm was encircled to her back as he held onto her left shoulder to keep her from moving.
Once he's done, she quickly moved away from him before whispering the answer to Levy.
Lucy sighed heavily. The ticklish sensation and his warmth were still on her skin. Her heart was beating wildly, and it's making her go crazy.
She opened her eyes when the buzzer rang and the cheers around her became louder. She looked in front, Evergreen's victorious smile greeted her.
"By the use of the doorway!" she yelled. Mira smiled and gave her a thumbs up. Team Nuggets shouted in delight, while the other team still held a determined look for taking back a point.
Kinana used a magic pen to write the score in the air.
2 - 0
Evergreen went to the back together with Lisanna of Doughnut, and approached the grinning She-devil for the next riddle.
I am the beginning of everything and eternity, but the end of space and time. What am I?
The Nugget Fairy smiled after reading it. Such a piece of cake!
After giving the cue, the two girls quickly approached their waiting teammate. After whispering the answer to Gray, the latter immediately passed the message to Natsu.
"Alright!" Then the excited fire mage held onto Lucy who's blushing because of their closeness, specifically of his chest being pressed against her right arm.
Despite her hot face, she still managed to focus on the game and passed the correct message.
Cana was about to reach for the buzzer when a long club iron smashed on it, but to their relief, it didn't break.
"Oi, why are you using magic?!!" Jet yelled.
"Gihee! Prohibition of using magic isn't stated on the rules!" Gajeel smirked before looking at Mira's direction. "The answer is Letter E!"
And Team Doughnut grabbed that two points. The game continued and the two teams were exchanging in getting points.
While Lucy's situation with Natsu was getting extremely alarming...well, for her. This wasn't her first time having physical contact with him, but her body's reactions were strangely different.
She was shivering at the pleasure of his soft touch, in every accidental graze of his lips to her ear, and to the hoarseness of his low voice. Maybe I'm possessed?! AHHH!!!
In fact, Natsu had even noticed it but he's too dense to pinpoint the real reason. He just thought that she was feeling cold, or maybe she had a fever because of her hot reddening face...
Wait, didn't it sound quite contradicting?!
JET FURROWED HIS eyebrows as he stared at the riddle in front of him. He scratched his temple with his finger while memorizing the question. And Droy from other team seemed having difficulty for this one as well.
What is the only english word that has six letters and arranged alphabetically?
After hearing Mira's cue, Jet ran to where Max was and whispered the exact riddles.
"Wooooo!!! Go Team Nuggets!!!"
"Team Doughnut won't lose!!!"
"Natsuu! Lucy!! I'll give you fish if you win!!!"
"What?!" Max exclaimed, his face cringing because of the noise of their guildmates.
"NUGGETS! NUGGETS!"
"DOUGHNUT IS THE BEST!"
When the riddle reached Gray, he had pondered for the possible answer but still couldn't get it. Ugh, I'll just let Lucy or Levy answer it...
"What?" Natsu asked, furrowing his eyebrows after hearing the question. "A six word english? Huh?"
"The fuck, man. Concentrate!" Gray glanced at the other team and panicked a bit when he found out that they're already ahead of them. "Listen! It's six letters english word arranged alphabetically!"
He pushed Natsu to Lucy even if his frienemy was still processing everything in his mind. Actually, all he had heard from him was, "Six english...word...alphabetical..." And that's because of the louder noise around them.
He hesitantly walked up to Lucy and leaned forward. "Six english word alphabetical."
"Huh?" Lucy asked and glanced at him. She mentally face-palmed when she saw the troubled expression of her friend. He didn't get it...
She fully turned around to face him and put her hands on his shoulder. Natsu instinctively held onto her arms.
"Say it clearly, Natsu."
"I didn't hear it that much, Luce. It sounds like, Six english word alphabetical. Wait, I'll ask Olaf again--"
"No! We'll be disqualified!" The Celestial Mage tightened her grip on him as she stared on the floor, not minding their very close gap for the first time since the game started. "Hmm..."
Six english word alphabetical... Natsu only stared at her. Riddles about english words? I've read a lot of that... Six... alphabetical... but he said word, so it's singular? It's only one word... we need one word...
"Ah!" She suddenly exclaimed before meeting his confused eyes. "Is it six letters english word arranged alphabetically?"
Natsu furrowed his eyebrows because he couldn't hear her clearly. Lucy suddenly pulled him closer by pushing his nape and the back of his head towards her and spoke near his ear, repeating the question. He blinked before nodding, feeling his cheeks burning up.
"R-Right! It sounds like that!"
Lucy backed away, giving him a smile before tapping his face lightly. "Thanks!" Then she turned to Levy to pass the answer.
Natsu stood there, staring blankly at her back. His lips were parted a bit, letting out a sigh of strange feeling he had never felt... well, maybe he had already felt it but too oblivious to give it attention.
He gulped, feeling the painful loud beating of his heart and the flipping of his stomach. The tingling sensation of Lucy's fingertips stayed on his skin.
He was lost in his thoughts that he didn't even notice the points going to Team Doughnut because Erza had stopped Levy from moving in just a single glare.
"The answer's ALMOST!"
And Team Doughnut took the lead with the score of 6 - 4. Would Team Nuggets be able to snatch the victory from them? What would Natsu do, now that he's also getting affected of his dangerous yet felt so good proximity to Lucy? Find it out on our next episode...
Just kidding.
"One round remaining! And it's equivalent to five points!" Mira announced, hyping up the atmosphere more.
"We need to get this one!" Team Nuggets exclaimed.
"The victory's almost at our hands! Don't let them steal it away from us!" Erza said with stern voice. She honestly sounded like a knight's team commander. "I can't let go the free unlimited strawberry cake!"
Levy went to the back of their line, making Lucy the last round's front player for their team.
The blunette's eyes squinted in confusion as she stared down at the letters forming weird words.
S I S K E M
What's this...? Then she gasped when a realization dawned on her. She smirked secretly when she saw the confusion still visible in Erza's face, seemed having difficulty in finding out the answer.
LUCY WAS HUMMING a tune while staring at her feet and waiting for the message when she suddenly felt Natsu tapping her shoulder. She turned around, and abruptly stiffened when Natsu leaned to whisper to her.
She readied herself for an answer or a riddle but his words were faaaaaar different from what she'd expected.
"Kiss me."
Her face burned. She felt like all the blood in her body gathered in her cheeks. Her wide eyes stared at his slightly blushing face.
"W-W-What?!!"
"Kiss me, Luce."
She gasped, an imaginary steam was coming out of her ears and head because of so much hotness she's feeling.
"Kiss me, Luce!" And now, Natsu was shaking her shoulder a bit to get back her evaporating attention.
H-He's getting impatient?! She bit the insides of her cheeks. We should be doing it in private, right? Then she mentally slapped her forehead. What am I thinking?!!
"Sheesh! Luce!"
"B-But--"
"Faster! Or else, we'll lose the game!" He exclaimed, glancing at the other group. Lucy's eyebrows furrowed. H-How kissing him can prevent us from losing?!
She looked at her teammates over Natsu's shoulder. They're staring at her expectantly. Shit. Do I really have to do this... in front of them?!!
"Luce, what are you--"
And he was being cut off when she suddenly pulled his scarf down and connected her lips to his.
Suddenly, the whole guild went in an absolute silence. Everyone's eyes were bulging in shock while their jaw was dropped, and had been stopped from their tracks.
Wendy was blushing at the corner but still watching the sudden kissing scene, mentally bidding her goodbyes to her innocence.
"Please don't wake me up..." Mira mumbled while staring at them currently on her major blush.
NATSU'S EYES WERE so wide. He hadn't still recovered yet from earlier interaction and now, this. His hands were gripping tightly on her waist to balance himself because he felt like he's getting dizzy from different emotions spiraling in his chest.
He's shocked, embarrassed, happy, excited, and so many more.
He ran his right hand from her waist to her lower back and was about to deepen the kiss when Lucy suddenly pulled away. So he just bit his lower lip, trying so hard to stop himself from kissing her again...for now.
Because he's not sure if he can control himself later.
LUCY BLINKED AS her blush intensified when she noticed the silence and stares of her guildmates on her. She looked up at Natsu who's still holding her close, just to find out that his attention wasn't on her anymore but on her lips. Crap...
"N-Natsu... did we win?"
After blurting out that question, it's like everything went back to normal. Her guildmates yelling their cheers again and her teammates shouting the words...
"GO FOR THE BUZZER, LUCY!!!"
Even with her wobbly knees and rampaging heart, Lucy still managed to escape from Natsu's grip and quickly went to the buzzer in sync with Elfman from Team Doughnut.
Luckily, she reached it first, earning a groan of defeat from the opposing team and cries of victory from Team Nuggets.
Lucy stared at her teammates in confusion. I thought I just needed to k-kiss...
Then she glanced at Natsu who's still busy staring at nowhere with flushed face. Happy was flying around him while saying the words, "He loves the kiss~!"
Lucy bit her lip. I'll really kill that cat!
"What's the answer, Lucy?" Mira asked with a smirk on her lips.
"Huh?" The blonde pursed her lips. Answer? Natsu hasn't whispered the...
And realization finally hit her. She closed her eyes tightly, cursing herself for being so stupid as she felt her cheeks burning up again but this time, it's from an absolute embarrassment. She just wanted the ceiling to swallow her whole.
With her trembling lips, she told everyone the right answer that justified Team Nuggets' victory.
"K-K-Kiss m-me."