C H A P T E R • O N E

"Welcome to the Game"

▸▸IT HAD BEEN a week since classes had started on campus here at Fiore University. Things had begun to settle down as people figured out their schedules and fell into new routines. I looked up from my phone where I had been engaged in a conversation with some of my friends about meeting up to get something to eat. The sound that made me raise my head was approaching footsteps, and they were coming from whom I had hoped would be walking towards me.

"Natsu, you finally decided to join the world of the living!" I tease him as he approaches.

He runs his hand over his hair in attempt to subdue the bedhead look and he sighs, "having all morning classes sucks, especially when you're more of a night owl."

We start walking together towards the door to leave and meet up with our friends for food. As we make our way out of the building and then down the sidewalk towards the student union a guy runs up to us. Natsu and I look at him kind of confused, but before we could get any sort of question out the guy blurts out, "I watch furry porn to fall asleep at night." Before he takes off again.

Natsu and I stare at each other in bewilderment before a passing girl says, "He's playing the game."

"The game? What's the game?" I wonder aloud and she turns over her shoulder.

"Truth or dare," she says with a smile. "Everyone here plays it, didn't you know?" She questions before continuing on her way.

"What the hell?" Natsu furrows his brows as he looks from her to me. I shrug, being confused as well.

We reach the student union and find our friends already sitting at a table. We set our stuff down next to them and sit down for a moment, still processing the event we had just witnessed.

"What's up with you two?" Gajeel is the first to recognize our existence.

"On our way here we ran into a guy who blurted out that he enjoyed furry porn before running off. Then some girl told us it was part of a game everyone plays here on campus?" I tell the group.

Levy looks up from her laptop, chiming in that she had heard about it. "It's pretty simple. Most people play for the prize they hand out to whoever completes the most dares, which they track on this site some of the computer science majors put together a few years back."

We all stare at her for a moment, and then we look at each other.

"So, what's the rules to this game?" Gray asks the question on all of our minds.

"It's just truth or dare. Completing dares gets you points, which is how you win. Our friend group can play together," she tells us and we all nod. "We should all wait until after we eat."

"Yeah, good idea..."

• • •

▸▸ ONCE  we made it back to Levy and I's dorm we all sit around in a circle and kinda look at each other, before I clear my throat.

"Alright, who wants to go first?"

"I will," Gray volunteers.

"Okay, truth or dare?" Natsu looks at him with a gleam in his eye.

"Dare, what's up your sleeve flame brain?"

"I dare you to lick Gajeel's shoe," Natsu grins and Gray rolls his eyes.

"You're disgusting, Natsu." He pauses and then reaches his arm over to Gajeel while keeping intense eye contact with Natsu. Gajeel hands him over his boot and all of us watch as Gray slowly licks up the side of Gajeel's boot while staring at Natsu unwaveringly.

"Dude, that's too much," Natsu cringes.

"Things just got really sexual and I'm uncomfortable," Levy laughs and I snort.

"Alright, I'm next," Levy says, watching Gajeel put his shoe away again.

"You expectin' somethin' short stuff?" Gajeel raises an eyebrow.

"Actually yeah, for you to continue the game."

"Oh," he stops, "Okay, truth or dare Levy?"

"Hm, truth."

"Awww man that's so boring!" Natsu complains.

"Sh, we aren't all into weird stuff like you," I tease and he rolls his eyes.

"Have you ever not passed a class with an A?" Gajeel questions and all of us wait expectantly. Levy always plays exactly by the rules so we know she wouldn't lie about this, even if her dignity depended on it.

After a short sigh she relents, "yes."

"Whoa what? Our smarty pants wasn't a 4.0 student after all?"

"She still passed everything with A's for the most part," Juvia defends and I nod.

"Still better than the rest of us," Gajeel notes and Levy's face gains a slight tingle of red.

We continue the game for another hour or so before everyone heads off to their own dorms. Levy had already crashed on her bunk and I was getting ready to change when Natsu finally decided to leave.

"Gray's probably heading to bed now so I don't have to worry about him buggin' me while I play my games," he tells me as he stands.

"Make sure you actually sleep at some point," I remind him as I grab a shirt from my wardrobe.

"I'll try, but it's so stressful sleeping in the same room as Gray, he throws his pillow in his sleep," Natsu complains.

"You're the one that chose to be his roommate."

"He was the best out of all my options, so can you really blame me?" I look over at Natsu.

"I guess not. You need to leave though, or at least turn away cause I need to change."

Natsu chuckles, "What, too shy to change in front of a guy?"

"Yes, you idiot. Not just any guy gets to see my underwear," I turn back towards my wardrobe and I hear him stand.

"It's fine, I get it. I was only teasing ya, Luce," his voice is still full of teasing.

"Yeah, okay, whatever," I smile. "I'll see you tomorrow."

"See ya, Lucy." He opens the door and it closes behind him. I pause for a moment before taking off my shirt, but hardly a second passes when I rush to finish changing and turn off the dorm lights before diving into my bed. I thought about the game as I closed my eyes, trying to fall asleep.

"It'll be fun, and something that will keep all of us together through college..." I think to myself, as I begin to drift off to sleep.

  • • • 

hello! i hope you enjoyed the first full chapter! this chapter was relatively shorter than the rest of the chapters will be, but i really wanted to get another chapter put out for you all!

this is lining up to be a really interesting project and i am super excited about it, and i really hope you are all too! it feels good to update within a short span of time again, and i hope i can keep this trend going.

thank you so very much for reading, it means the absolute most to me.

warmest regards, kels [1/30/19, 1:29 am]