[ a/n ]:

heads up

my exams start on Monday which is why my updates are completely out of the place. but do enjoy the extra long chapter I prepared for y'all :D

Lots of love from me!

~ Acnologia_Slayer

x x

"What the hell are you doing here?" Sting growled, his cheerfulness from earlier vanishing into thin air.

The familiar mop of cherry-red hair, a pair of mischievous green eyes, and an egotistical snarl — Havoc.

The room silenced, recognizing the hostility the two males were shamelessly displaying. Your eyes traveled between the two males worriedly, praying that they weren't going to turn this into something physical.

Lucy, who stood a few feet away from Sting, resumed cooking omelettes for breakfast, the hot oil sizzling loudly as the scent of cooked food wafted through the air.

"The guys invited me," he said smoothly, "got a problem with that, Eucliffe?"

Lucy abandoned her post in front of the pan and muttered a soft 'Excuse me' as she made herself as small as possible, slipping through the gap between the two.

She picked a clean plate and made her way back to the pan, yelping when the oil popped. Lucy set down the plate on the kitchen counter, ready to transfer the cooked eggs to the plate.

"Might wanna keep them cooking for a bit longer, Luce," Havoc suggested, offering a smile.

Natsu glared at Havoc from behind. Lucy nodded obediently, lowering the temperature to 'Simmer'.

"What do you know about making omelettes?" Sting questioned.

Havoc turned back to him, and he smirked pointedly. "I'd like to ask you the same thing. Inexperienced pricks like you have no patience, and you take things too fast. You take when it's still new."

Sting scoffed. "And what about you? You just wait too long, not actually doing anything — leaving 'inexperienced pricks' like me to take from right under your nose."

Everyone in the room wondered if they were still talking about omelettes at that point.

"Boys?"

Lucy yelped, the plate of newly-cooked omelettes nearly falling off her palms when Sting and Havoc turned to her with such synchronization, it was unnerving.

"What?" they said, again, in perfect sync.

"Breakfast's ready," she said with a shaky tone, as if they were going to eat her, and not the meal she spent almost an hour to prepare.

With the way Sting and Havoc looked down at her, you couldn't really blame Lucy for being so scared.

Natsu cheered and hopped onto the nearest chair, making it creak under the sudden weight, as the rest followed after him. Sting and Havoc shot each other one last look before Sting slipped into the chair next to you.

Thankfully, the almost-fight was never brought up after the meal, and the casual atmosphere from before was welcomed into the room once again.

» time skip

"Impossible. . .how could this have happened?!" "Just when we thought we could have a break, another problem comes!"

Natsu was on all fours, pounding at the floor desperately. He looked as if his soul had left his body. The other boys, with the exception of Havoc ( who sipped an icy glass of juice while looking at the members of his own gender in amusement ), were sprawled out on the floor, listless and groaning.

"What's gotten into them?" Mirajane whispered.

"OUR MAGAZINES!!" they wailed in unison, "THEY'RE GONE!!"

Erza bonked Natsu on the head, and he let out a cry, whimpering afterwards. Guilt-free, she crossed her arms, wearing a frown of disapproval.

"Oh, cheer up, boys," Erza said, "the weather's great, the water's nice and sparkly. It's the perfect time to go boating!"

"We heard from the locals that a lot of exotic fish can be found at this time of year," Mirajane added, beaming, "we're super lucky!"

Suddenly, the boys all raised their heads to look at Mirajane, looking very much like a mob of meerkats. Together, they raised their eyebrows, followed by cheeky grins; they had gotten their spirit back.

"Fish?" they chanted.

"Fish equals meat," Natsu recited, getting up. The boys followed — truly like a mob of meerkats.

"And meat is just as great as boobs!"

» time skip

The boat slowed to a stop, sliding across the smooth water, and the roar of the engine quieted down to a low rumbling. The boys, already in nothing more than their swimming trunks eyed the water hungrily, looking for anything that moved.

You slid off your sundress, just as eager to hop in the water and be able to forget about everything for a short while.

About to leap off the edge of the boat, you peered into the water. Crystal-blue, and reflecting the glare of the sun masterfully. The waves were smooth, the tide was high, and the water was completely see-through.

At the ocean floor, there were clumps of dark green seaweed, and lone fish occupied some of the clumps, scouring the plant for any stray crustaceans. Occasionally, white sand peeked out from between the seaweed, specks of gray stones half-buried in the sand.

Wandering around the endless space that was the ocean were schools of beautiful fish. Green, blue, purple, red, yellow — there was an array of colors, and the shafts of light that penetrated the water's surface shimmered on the scales, making the colors more vibrant.

Erza was right — it was a perfect day to go boating-

There was a yell, an equally loud splash, and a disturbance in the water. The nearby schools of fish dashed away instinctively, and you immediately recognized the tan skin and the mop of salmon hair that swayed to the mercy of the current. Natsu, looking much like a lousy squid, swam after the nearest school of fish.

There was a pair of hands on the exposed skin of your back, and you were pushed off the edge. You screamed, shutting your eyes, hearing a splash; then, the cold water encased you like a cocoon.

You strained your legs, kicking, to try and surface. When your head finally broke through the surface, you gasped, and used one arm to wipe the seawater from your eyes, and the other one swinging at the water to stay afloat.

You opened your eyes, ignoring the slight sting, looking for the one who pushed you over. Then, you saw it, against the sunlight, crouching, a toned midsection, a toothy grin, a lone earring and a scar.

Sting Eucliffe, in all his goddamn glory.

Sting laughed, wildly. He laughed so hard he fell on his bum, and his body trembled slightly as he took deep breaths.

Pissed off, you threw one leg onto the edge and hoisted yourself up. You latched onto Sting's forearms, and he stopped laughing. His eyes widened, realizing his fate. You grinned evilly, dragging Sting down to the depths with you.

» time skip

With a damp towel draped over your shoulders, you were lightly shielded from the drizzle. You sat on the edge of the boat, dipping your feet into the colder, darker blue water. The boat rocked up and down in a soothing way.

The raindrops fell at lightning speed, bouncing on the water's surface, creating thousands of ripples at the same time. It was beautiful.

"(Y/N)?" Sting's voice called out.

You turned around to see him still wearing his trunks, his golden hair still dripping wet, slicked back with a few bangs sticking out. The rain cascaded down his bare body slowly — he looked like a god.

"You'll catch a cold," he pointed out.

You wrapped the towel a bit more tightly around your shoulders, looking up at him, irritated at the drops of water that fell on your eyelashes. "I could say the same thing about you."

Sting snorted, almost laughing. He sat down next to you, sliding his arm around your shoulder, pulling you to his chest.

"I'll take my chances."