AUTHOR'S NOTE: Ohmigosh! I'm so so so so so so sorry for not updating in, what, like two weeks?! BUT I promise you I'll make the next chappies of Crush extra fluffy and heart-warming! GET READY FOR SOME JERZA! ~Ari <3
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~NORMAL POV ; AFTER ONE HOUR OF PLAYING IN THE ARCADE~
Erza was furiously trying to control the crane so she could get the stuffed toy that she wanted so much. It was a big white teddy bear and it was holding a giant strawberry. She had already spent twelve tokens for the game, and was now inserting the thirteenth and last coin into the slit.
Her hand trembled as she ever so gently moved the joystick a bit to the right, so it moved closer to the toy. Taking a deep breath, Erza slowly pressed the "Catch" button, and...she gives a completely sad sigh as the bear slips from the claw's grasp once again. "Looks like it's not my lucky day today."
Nearby, Jellal has his hands on a fake steering wheel as his virtual car swerves around the incoming trucks and vehicles. Once his race was done, he came out first place and received two tokens. He fist-pumped. "Yes, looks like it's my lucky day!" He catched a glimpse of Erza's sad expression and walks over to her. "Hey, Princess, what's up?"
"I can't get the white teddy bear over there, and I don't have any tokens anymore."
"Here, I'll get the bear for you. I still have two tokens left."
"No, don't. You'll just waste the token, let's go use it in another game." Erza attempted to pull Jellal away from the machine but he barely moved an inch.
"Erza, it's okay. I was getting kind of bored with the driving game anyway, the insane level was way too easy for me." He said with a smirk, to which Erza smiled lovingly.
He slowly inserted the coin and carefully maneuvered the joystick. Erza nervously kept her eyes on the bear as she bit her nails. Once Jellal was satisfied with the position of the claw, he pushed the catch button.
Erza covered her eyes, and immediately frowned when she heard the computerized voice. "Sorry, try again!" She sighed. "See? I told you it wouldn't work! Come on, let's use the last coin on that game over there!" She pointed, and Jellal followed it with his eyes.
His face turned beet red. "T-The photo booth?!"
"Yep. Anything wrong?"
"I-I...just....Are you sure?"
"Yeah, of course. I mean, we're friends, aren't we?" Erza said sweetly as she flashed Jellal a cheerful and bright smile. He couldn't resist.
"Uhm...Y-Yeah, I g-guess..."
"Cool! Let's go, then." Erza gently grabbed Jelall's hand and the two entered the small booth, closing the red curtain behind them. She nodded at him, a signal for Jellal to insert the token. He did so and the screen lit up. It showed five options: Two Snapshots, Five, or Ten. "How many should we take, Jellal?"
"Mm...I think we should take five."
"Got it." Erza pressed the said option and a countdown immediately began from five seconds. "Alright, get ready!" She said, pressing down on her clothes and straightening them. She put on a toothy smile and the camera flashed for the first photo. Two seconds passed, and then the machine flashed once more.
Three more flashes, and the screen displayed the text 'Photos Successfully Printed! Please Step Out and Collect Photo Strip. Thank you for using Love You Pic!'. The two did so and picked up the photos.
"Which one do you want to take?" Erza asked, browsing through them.
"Mm, I think I want this one." He pointed at the picture where Erza was slightly leaning on him and their heads were touching. Jellal even had his arm over her shoulder.
