The Fairy Tail guild hall was louder than usual, filled with the sound of clinking mugs, raucous laughter, and the occasional crash of furniture. After completing an especially taxing job, the guild decided to celebrate with drinks. Of course, things quickly went from cheerful to chaotic as the alcohol kicked in—and when it came to the women of Fairy Tail, things escalated fast.

Natsu, Gray, Jet, and Droy were doing their best to manage the drunken antics of their female guildmates. But after an hour, they were all on the floor, passed out cold, victims of the girls' overwhelming energy. That left only two capable, sober individuals standing: Diluc Ragnvindr and Kaeya Alberich.

The moment the two stepped into the guild hall, they realized they had made a terrible mistake.

Diluc stood with his arms folded, surveying the room, his crimson eyes narrowing as he took in the scene. The entire guild hall was a whirlwind of chaos, and the worst part was that he knew this was just the beginning.

Kaeya, ever the relaxed one, was leaning casually against a wall, sipping from a glass of wine with an amused expression. His eyes flicked over to his brother, a grin curling at the corners of his lips. "Well, looks like we missed the fun. Hope you're ready for the aftermath, Diluc."

Diluc glared at him, but his gaze softened as he took in the sight of the girls. "This isn't 'fun,' Kaeya. This is a disaster waiting to happen."

"Well, as you can see," Kaeya replied with a smirk, "Natsu, Gray, Jet, and Droy are out for the count, which means we're up."

Diluc clenched his jaw. "Great."

The first of the troublemakers Diluc and Kaeya tried to handle was Erza Scarlet, who was stomping around in a drunken rage, sword in hand.

"I swear, I'm going to find out who ate my steak!" Erza bellowed, her face red with frustration, her armor clanking with each step. "And when I do, they will regret it!"

Gray, who had been doing his best to calm her down, was now in the corner, trying to nurse a head injury. He had been the closest target to Erza's fury when she started accusing him of the steak theft—again.

"Erza, stop!" Gray pleaded, holding up his hands defensively. "I didn't take it! I never take your food!"

"Liar!" Erza's voice was louder than ever, and she swung her sword in his direction, narrowly missing his face. "You're all in on this! Every last one of you will pay for this transgression!"

Diluc walked over to Erza, his expression impassive, but his voice was firm. "Erza. Enough."

She blinked, swaying on her feet for a moment as if trying to focus on him. "Diluc? Is that you?"

"It is," Diluc said, his voice calm but stern. "Put the sword down. You're going to hurt someone."

Erza's furious expression melted into one of confusion. "You... want me to put it down? But they took my steak..."

"I'll find your steak later," Diluc said, gently lowering her sword before she could swing it again. "For now, you need to calm down."

Erza pouted and crossed her arms, but at least she stopped yelling. "I'll let you off the hook this time, Diluc, but only because you're being so patient."

"Good," Diluc said, trying not to let the exhaustion creep into his voice.

Next, Kaeya noticed Lucy Heartfilia, who had somehow ended up on all fours on the floor, crawling around with a giggle that sounded more like a purr than anything else.

"Kaeya... Kaeya, look at me! I'm a kitty!" Lucy squealed, her cheeks flushed from the alcohol. Her voice was high-pitched, and her body was swaying slightly as she continued to crawl in circles on the floor. "Meow! Meow!" She looked up at him with wide, intoxicated eyes. "Kaeya, look! I'm so cute, right? I'm like a cat!"

Kaeya's lips twitched into a grin, though his eyes were full of concern. "Uh... Lucy, I don't think this is the time to pretend you're a cat."

But Lucy ignored him completely. She crawled her way over to Diluc, who was standing near the bar, and looked up at him with wide, innocent eyes. "Diluc~" she called, her voice slurring, "Will you pet me? Please?"

Diluc, who had been in the middle of trying to calm Erza down, blinked in complete disbelief. "Pet you?" he asked, his voice strained.

Lucy, in her drunken stupor, sat back on her heels, her hands held up in an exaggerated, almost childish way. "Yeah! Like a good kitty!" She giggled, her cheeks puffing out as she tried to maintain her balance. "Come on, Diluc~ I'm a very good kitty!"

Kaeya, unable to resist, raised an eyebrow. "Diluc, you're the one who always talks about responsibility. I think this is yours."

Diluc looked down at the woman before him, who was acting completely uninhibited and carefree and sighed deeply, rubbing his temple. "I... can't believe this."

Reluctantly, and with great care, Diluc knelt down to pet Lucy's head, his fingers gently brushing through her hair. "There. Happy now?"

Lucy purred with delight, leaning into his touch like a satisfied cat. "Mmm~ you have such strong hands, Diluc~"

Kaeya laughed from the sidelines. "Well, at least it's not Natsu getting involved in this mess."

While Diluc was dealing with Lucy's cat phase, Kaeya found himself facing Juvia, who was now sobbing uncontrollably in Gray's direction. She clung to him like a lifeline, crying over her unrequited love.

"Gray-sama!" Juvia wailed, her tears flowing like rivers. "Why won't you love me? I love you so much! You're the one I want, the one I've always wanted!"

Gray, already exasperated by the situation, looked like he might collapse from the emotional barrage. "Juvia, I do like you! It's just—" But his words were cut off by her drowning him in even more tears.

Kaeya, ever the smooth talker, stepped in. "Juvia, why don't we sit down for a bit, okay? I'm sure Gray needs some space, and you need to relax."

She blinked up at him through her tears. "Kaeya... you're so nice to me," she sniffled, wiping her face. "I feel like... you could love me too...?"

Kaeya chuckled softly, holding his hands up in mock surrender. "I think you've had enough for tonight, Juvia. Let's get you some water."

Meanwhile, Wendy Marvell had collapsed into a nearby chair, her eyes barely open, her head lolling to the side. Carla, too, was swaying beside her, trying to keep her balance.

"Wendy, please don't fall asleep again!" Carla pleaded, fluttering around her like a concerned mother hen. "You'll hurt yourself!"

Wendy smiled dreamily, her voice soft. "Carla... you're so cute. Why are you always worried about me? I'm just fine..."

Diluc, walking past with a sigh, couldn't help but chuckle at the sight of the little dragon slayer acting so carefree. He gave Wendy a gentle pat on the head to help her stay awake. "Try not to overdo it, Wendy. You don't want to wake up with a headache tomorrow."

Wendy giggled, but her eyes were already starting to close. "Don't worry, Mr. Diluc... I feel fine..." She leaned against Carla, slowly dozing off.

The guild hall had finally quieted down as the effects of the alcohol took full effect. The girls were either passed out or mumbling incoherently, while the remaining men—Diluc and Kaeya—stood amidst the aftermath, surveying the destruction.

Kaeya, with his usual grin, raised his glass of wine. "Well, that was certainly an interesting experience. Not quite what I had in mind for an evening with Fairy Tail, but... memorable, to say the least."

Diluc gave him a tired, exasperated look. "If we ever do this again, you're handling all the drunk ones. I'll just be the responsible one."

Kaeya laughed. "Of course. You've got the patience for it."

Diluc sighed deeply, feeling the weight of the night on his shoulders. "Next time, let's just... stick to the job, okay?"

Kaeya smirked, raising his glass again. "You know, Diluc, you're just too serious. Enjoy the chaos once in a while."

And for a moment, as the last of the guild members drifted into slumber, the two brothers stood together, surveying the wreckage of what had once been a fun night. They may not have enjoyed every moment, but they had survived.

For now, that was all they could ask for.