Pocky Game Series: Part 1 of 6 (probably)

POCKY GAME?

Natsu stared quizzically at Mira, who was standing on the bar handing out little sticks coated with chocolate to several guild members.

"Yo, Mira, what're those?" He pointed at the sticks.

"It's pocky! Here, Natsu, try one!" She smiled and handed over a 'pocky' to him.

"What's a pocky?" He asked, as he stuffed the whole thing into his mouth.

"Mira!" Lucy's voice filled the guild hall. Natsu perked up and spun around to greet her.

"Yo! Lucy!" He waved.

"Uh, yeah hi Natsu. Mira!" Her attention turned back to Mira, who was still standing on the bar. "I heard you got pocky sticks from the town!"

Even she knows what pocky is? Natsu felt annoyed that he was always the one who was left clueless.

"Yeah, Lucy! I got lots! I wanted to show everyone how to play the pocky game"

Lucy's eyes sparkled with intensity and passion. "YES! The pocky game!" Suddenly her mind blanked out. "Wait, what's the pocky game?"

Mira giggled and jumped down from the bar. Natsu was fuming from his ears. Mira stopped in her tracks, puzzled.

"Natsu, what's wrong?" Concern oozed from her musical voice.

"WHY'S NO ONE TELLING ME WHAT A DAMN POCKY IS!?" He yelled. The guild members nearby laughed at his comical rage. Even Lucy giggled.

"Ha ha ha, Natsu. It's just a chocolate stick"

"Then what's a pocky game?" Natsu was immediately back to his old curious self.

"Yeah, even I want to know! I've never heard of a pocky 'game' before..." Lucy put her hands on her hips, waiting for an answer from Mira.

"Well, I'll need someone to demonstrate it with me... hmmm" Her eyes scanned the guild.

Just then, lightning sparked and storm clouds seemed to gather instantly just outside the guild. Laxus entered the guild, his broad, towering figure dwarfing all those around him. The sinister background of a stormy sky made him look like a fairy tale villain. But to the veteran guild members, like Natsu, Mira, and Lucy, it was humorous - especially when they saw the new guild members' reaction to seeing Laxus for the first time.

"Yo! Laxus" Natsu waved enthusiastically, nearly falling off the table he was sitting on.

Laxus smiled back and raised a hand in greeting, approaching them. Lucy waved and Mira's eyes brightened. Suddenly, something clicked in Mira's brain.

"Laxus, don't you know the pocky game?" She asked, just as he reached where they were all gathered.

She held up a pocky to clarify, in case he didn't remember. Lucy and Natsu both gave Laxus a look, curious to know his answer. He shrugged and nodded.

"Yeah, but I've never played it" He casually reached out a hand and broke off a part of the pocky Mira was holding, downing the piece in one bite.

"That's fine! Would you be willing to help me demonstrate how it's played" She gave him her classic sugary smile.

"Ah, wouldn't it be simpler to just tell them how to play?" Laxus ran a hand through his hair, not particularly bothered by the idea of playing pocky with Mira, but rather trying to avoid being in the spotlight for whatever reason.

"Laxus, heh-" Mira nervously laughed, pulling Laxus away from Natsu and Lucy's earshot for a second. "Do you really think Natsu will understand unless we show him?"

Laxus actually laughed out loud. "No, I guess not. That brat wouldn't know left from right unless we showed him" He shook his head, clearly amused.

"Fine then, Mira. I'll play" He said aloud. Natsu and Lucy perked up and looked at each other excitedly.

"Great!" Mira hopped back onto the bar. Cupping her hands around her mouth, she yelled. "Everyone! Gather around! We're playing pocky!"

Laxus suddenly panicked at the number of people who were turning their eyes to him and Mira.

Am I going to regret this? Probably.

"So, is everyone paying attention?!" Mira scanned the crowd of guild members who had gathered around the bar. "Okay, good! Natsu wants to know how to play pocky, so Laxus and I are going to show him!"

She motioned for Laxus to join her on the bar, much to everyone's amusement. He hopped on, making the whole bar quiver under his weight - as opposed to Mira's weightless body. Mira pulled out a chocolate flavoured pocky - there really isn't a better flavour than chocolate pocky, according to most. She passed the box down to Levy, who was jumpy and excited. She absolutely adored pocky, and even had a collection of pocky boxes at her house. She enjoyed collecting and trying out all sorts of flavours.

Mira held up the pocky for everyone to see.

"So basically, you hold the pocky in your mouths from the two ends - as we'll show you - and then you nibble towards the centre!"

Natsu raised his hand and spoke simultaneously - pretty much destroying the concept of raising one's hand.

"Okay but how do you win?" He asked doubtfully.

"There are two ways to win. Either get the largest piece, or the last piece."

Natsu's mouth opened and closed, comprehending Mira's words. "I don't think I get it..." He finally said, the confused look remaining on his face..

She laughed. "Relax, Natsu. We'll show you. Okay, Laxus?" Mira turned to the lightning mage with a raised eyebrow. "Shall we go on Lucy's mark?"

"Yeah"

Lucy snapped to attention and waited for the two to prepare.

Laxus bent down to his knees so that his head was at a lower level than Mira's. If they'd played it with him standing up, it'd be pretty tough for Mira to reach, and he'd have a tough time bending over too. Mira gave him a grateful look before securing one end of the pocky in her mouth.

She bent over slightly so that the other end could be easily held between Laxus' lips.

"GO!" Lucy's signal rang out through the anticipating guild hall.

The game began.

It was all over in a flash.

Mira's eyes snapped shut before she bit through the pocky with alarming speed, nibbling eagerly like a little rabbit. In fact, before Laxus made even two advances on the stick, she'd already devoured half of it. His grip on the pocky had faltered slightly from sheer surprise at her speed.

The guild cheered wildly the close and closer they got to one another, but Laxus registered the noise as a drone, focussed only on Mira's face as it got closer to his.

Laxus was just about to bite off the second-to-last section of pocky, and almost immediately Mira's lips touched his. His grip on the pocky immediately went limp. He became acutely aware of her. Silver bangs that brushed his face; sweet lilac scent; soft full lips against his thin rough ones.

Mira suddenly pressed forward against Laxus' mouth, and pulled the last piece of pocky still being held between his lips into her own mouth.

She stood up straight and faced the cheering crowd. She took a deep breath and winked, raising her arm in the air as a sign of victory.

Laxus, on the other hand, was still dazed. He climbed off the bar and upwardly glanced at Mira who was still standing on the bar. She looked down at him and shrugged, smiling. He shook his head, smirking slightly.

"HAH! Laxus, Mira just schooled your ass!" Natsu was pointing and laughing hysterically and Laxus. The vein in his forehead popped and his face became covered with a sinister shadow.

"Oh? Natsu why don't you come over here and I'll show you what schooling asses looks like!"

Natsu immediately shrunk to a quivering mess, and had to hide behind Lucy. Lucy laughed along with the rest of the guild.

Laxus waved his hand to signal his departure, earning an enthusiastic wave from Mira. He subtly bit his lip, remembering her scent and softness. Inwardly he smacked himself for getting so wistful. However, he was wrong - earlier - to think he'd regret it.

As he trotted up the stairs to the S-Class floor, he heard Natsu yelling zealously.

"Yo, Lisanna! Let's play the pocky game!"

Then he heard Lucy hollering. "NATSU!"

He smiled and shook his head, amused by the guild's continuous abundance of banter and zeal. If ever there was a guild that could party for days on end, it was none other than Fairy Tail...

Mira climbed off the bar and proceeded to hand out pocky to all the new enthusiastic guild members who wanted to try out the game.

"Mira!" Lucy called out to her.

"Mm? Lucy. What's up?" Mira held out a pocky for her, but she pushed it away.

"No, no. How was the game for you?" Lucy shook her arm excitedly. Mira tilted her head, a puzzled expression crossing her face.

"I- What do you mean?"

"Laxus! How was it kissing him!"

Mira made an 'oh' with her mouth and shrugged. "To be honest I wasn't paying much attention. I was too busy focussing on winning the game..."

She laughed nervously and scratched her neck. Lucy smacked her own forehead at Mira's obliviousness.

"I guess it was... nice? I'm not sure what the right answer is!" Mira pouted and nibbled on another pocky.

Lucy shook her head and smiled. "Oh Mira, never mind"

OMG this was so fun to write tbh. originally mira was supposed to break off the stick before she and laxus kiss, but i re-read the rules of pocky and saw that what i originally thought was wrong, so i had to alter my stories a bit. only miraxus and nalu had to be edited a bit. i need to come up with a completely NEW plot for nalu now. it's a pain, but meh, i can do it