#>> I Need A Fics Cuz I'm Goin' Down << | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

jazzthatonewriterchick · 2 years ago

Text

HERE, KITTY, KITTY (18+ Fic)

Pairing: Aizawa x Black!Catgirl!Reader

Synopsis: In which you find yourself in the weirdest predicament after you’re scooped up and taken to a cat cafe after you decide to take the streets to fight some crime, and you’re adopted by your very anti-social and hot coworker Aizawa aka Eraserhead.

Story Warnings: Smutty Smut, 18+ (MINORS GET AWAY), Swearing, Adult!Reader, Ear and Tail Stroking, Light Degradation, Spanking, Exhibitionism, Multiple Positions, Creampie, Unprotected PIV Sex, Facial, Scent Play, Collaring, Deepthroat, Cunnilingus, Begging, Edgeplay, Power Play, Rope Play/Shibari, Master Kink, Some Angst, Hurt/Comfort, Some Action

Disclaimer: I own none of the characters mentioned in this fic. However, as this is my writing, I do not give permission for my work to be reposted on any other sites that are not from my own accounts. Thank you!

Writer’s Note: I decided to drop the last five chapters to this story at once cuz I'll be EXTREMELY busy with my summer job & I'm also working on a new fic. Thank you all so, so, soooo much for the love on this story! I had so much fun writing it. I'll be writing some brand new shit soon! Stay safe! -Jazz

Read on AO3 here!

Other Chapters: One. Two. Three. Four. Five. Six. Seven. Eight. Nine. Ten. Eleven. Twelve. Thirteen. Fourteen. Fifteen. Sixteen. Seventeen. Eighteen. Nineteen. Twenty. Twenty-One. Twenty-Two. Twenty-Three. Twenty-Four. Twenty-Five.

*********

TWENTY-TWO.

As May turns into June, the first week is rainy, cloudy, and depressing–the perfect weather for how you feel on the inside.

You sit in your office now, dressed in a silk black blouse and slacks that make your ass look like it’s the finest one in the world.

However, you don’t take pleasure in that or the fact that today has been pretty slow. You haven’t had any student traffic or other responsibilities, so you’ve had time to sit around, eat snacks, and nap if you want to.

But you don’t. Instead, you busy yourself with building your schedule for next week. You sit at your desk with your planner, writing down any errands you have to run or meetings you’ll have to attend. An unopened bottle of iced coffee sits next to you–the one thing that will keep you running until lunch comes in an hour.

Outside your window, the cherry blossom trees tremble slightly as the storm wind rushes through along with the pitter-patter of rain. You hope that it won’t be like this when you leave today. You just hate water.

A knock on your door stops you short of writing down that you’ll have to make a grocery run next Saturday morning. Nemuri stands there in a slim navy blue dress that fills out her curves and her glasses perched on the bridge of her nose. For the past week, she has been visiting you with snacks, drinks, and encouragement. Though you appreciate it, it hasn’t been working much to turn your frown upside down.

“Hey, you,” she gently coos. “Mic and I are goin’ out tonight to the Hot Spot if you wanted to join us. Rumi and You will be there too.”

The sound of a night with the pros drinking and dancing doesn’t sound the least bit appealing to you…which definitely means something is wrong. Usually, you’d jump at the chance to spend a Friday night out, but even the idea of putting on your sexiest attire and dancing the night away makes you tired.

“I’m good, ‘Muri,” you reply, giving her a reassuring smile. “I need to work on my schedule for next week anyway. I’ve got a lot to do.”

Nemuri nods, but you see the disappointment in her eyes. You advert your eyes from her face, instead looking back down at your calendar where you scribble down “do laundry” for Sunday. You hear her come into the room, her heels clicking as she does. “Mic and I have been missing you,” she softly says. “You’ve been MIA for a minute now.”

You don’t say anything. You cap your pen and push your calendar away before taking out a manilla folder for student reports. At the end of every month, you’re required to jot down notes on students’ progress for their teachers and parents, just to let them know how they’re doing.

Nemuri leans against your desk, frowning as you uncap your pen to begin writing on Bakugou Katsuki’s report. “You’ve been working hard for the past week, honey. Why don’t you take a break?”

You sigh tiredly, shaking your head. “These student reports aren’t gonna write themselves, Nemuri. Not to mention I have parent and staff meetings next week and…” You stop talking, something in you telling you to do so. You look up at Nemuri who is wearing a saddened expression on her gorgeous face. “What?” you sigh, already knowing the answer.

“Have you talked to Aizawa lately?” she timidly asks you. You scoff to yourself. She already knows the answer to that: no. You haven't even seen the man. You’re starting to think he was just a figment of your imagination with how quickly he seemed to disappear from school. You barely see him in the hallways, elevators, or cafeteria. He hasn't called, but neither have you. After how much you’ve hurt him, you doubt he wants to speak to you.

And you can’t blame him. With how long you've been lying to him and Eri, you know he never wants to see you again. You don’t even want to see yourself. Every day you wake up and look in the mirror to get yourself ready for the day, you desperately want to shield your face from view. It is the face of a liar. The face of someone who is deceiving and selfish. You barely want anyone to see you at school anymore. You just want to crawl into a hole and never come out.

You reach for your iced coffee and proceed to try and open the bottle, your fingers grappling with the cap that seems to be stuck. “No,” you reply, not meaning to sound so tight, but you can’t help it. “Why are you even askin’ me that? You know Aizawa and I haven’t spoken since that night he found out about the cat thing.”

And God, does it hurt. All you want to do is hear his luscious voice or see his gorgeous face. All you want is him, and Eri. Those two have completely stolen your heart. But you know you fucked that up.

Nemuri silently watches you struggle to open your coffee. “He misses you, you know,” she softly says. “I’ve seen him lately and he’s not at all the same as before when you were with him.” Your heart leaps at her words, but they only do so much to make you feel less like a fucking loser. You can miss someone and still know how horrible they are. You’re sure that is how Aizawa feels for you. He may miss you, but you know for a fact that he goes out of his way to call or see you. And you deserve that.

“Is this what you came in here for?” you demand, glaring up at your friend. “To make me feel bad about what happened? Well, I already do. I feel humiliated and stupid for what I’ve done, but this is the price I have to pay for lying to him.” You grunt in frustration, your wrist straining to open the bottle. “Goddammit, this cap won’t loosen!” you hiss.

After another short turn of your wrist, the cap finally loosens and pops off the bottle before skidding across the floor with a metal clink! Both of you stare in silence at the cap for a moment, breathing heavily at the short but loud sound and the intensity of the situation. Finally, Nemuri breaks. Soft, sputtering breaths exit her mouth as she begins to cry and you stare up at her in shock. “I’m sorry!” she softly sobs. “This is all my fault. I never should’ve said anything! Now you and Shouta are miserable all because I couldn’t keep my mouth shut!”

She covers her face with her manicured hands, her shoulders shaking. Your heart breaks at the sight of your best friend crying on your behalf. Especially since none of this is her fault. “Nemuri,” you sigh, guilt flaring inside of you. “No, I’m the one who should be sorry. I shouldn’t be taking my anger at myself out on you.”

You get up from your seat and move to wrap your arms tight around her. She hugs you back, her tears soaking your blouse. “None of this is your fault,” you comfortingly say. “It’s all mine. I should’ve told Shouta the truth right from the jump, but instead, I was selfish.” You pull away slightly to give her a view of your downtrodden eyes. “I haven’t been doing that well this past week either,” you confess, already choking up.

Nemuri’s brows knit in worry. “Have you been going out at night?” she asks, her voice low as if the walls have ears. You shake your head as the tears you’ve been holding back for so long begin to well in your eyes. “Not at all,” you answer, your voice breaking. “I have no motivation to do that anymore.”

Even now your Night Claw fit sits under your bed, untouched and unworn for over a week. You moved it from your hiding place behind the dumpster, not seeing the need in keeping it hidden or outside since you haven’t been in the streets lately. You ignore police sirens at night and anything that comes up on your crime app. You have no interest or energy in catering to your city anymore, especially since the main reason one of its prominent pro heroes was down in action is because of you.

And then poor Eri…how is she handling all of this? First her dad is hurt, and now her furry friend disappears for good?

You crumble right then, tears dripping down your face that destroy your mascara. “I just miss him so much, Nemuri,” you sob. Nemuri nods, encouraging you to continue to spill your guts to her. “But I can’t bring myself to call him or visit or–”

“Ah, Ms. L/N!” You both jump, whipping around to see Nezu standing in the doorway. The small smile that plays on his face fades when he glances at your faces. “Oh…am I interrupting something?”

“U-Uh…” Nemuri quickly snatches some tissues from your desk, handing you some. “Of course not, Principal Nezu,” she replies, respectfully bowing to him and using that advantage to dab at her eyes. “I was just asking Ms. L/N about a particular student I had in here today.” You don’t respond, instead silently wiping the tears off your face. You make a mental note to touch up your makeup later.

“Oh!” Nezu exclaims in realization. “Well, in that case, I apologize for the random visit, Ms. L/N. I just wanted to check up on you and see how you’re enjoying UA so far.” You blink at him, your brain slowly processing his words. “O-Oh!” you stammer, clearing your throat. You plaster on a smile despite still feeling like shit. "Well, please come in.”

As Nezu thanks you and walks in on his little legs, Nemuri tip-toes to your office door. “I’ll see you at lunch,” she mouths to you before quickly exiting your office, shutting the door on her way out.

You stand there awkwardly, feeling like a hot spotlight has been put on you as you stand with your boss in your office. “Would you like something to drink, sir?” you ask, presenting to him your mini fridge.

“No, thank you,” he chuckles. “And please, feel free to sit. I just want us to have a chat. You’ve been such a great asset to UA for the time you’ve been here, especially to the students.”

You take a seat behind your desk as he hops up into the chair across from you. “Thank you, sir! It’s been a great and rewarding experience working here with the staff and students. I love what I do.” And you’re not BSing. You truly love your job despite your personal problems right now.

Nezu seems to know this too. “I can tell,” he hums appreciatively. “Which is why I decided to visit because I can tell you’ve been looking pretty low lately.”

His smile fades and your stomach drops into your ass. “I’ve noticed it as have others. Though you’re still here and consistent with your work, you’ve been acting differently. You’re usually so upbeat and refreshed, but for the past two weeks, you’ve seemed…down. If it’s too personal, please feel free to tell me so.”

Your shoulders slump and all you feel is shame. So now even your boss notices your change in demeanor.

“I’m sorry, sir,” you sigh, internally exhausted. “I’ve just been going through some…personal battles. I’m trying hard to fight them though, so please don’t worry about me.” You plaster on a fake smile that Nezu sees right through.

“Oh, but I do, Y/N,” he says matter-of-factly. “I don’t think you understand just how needed you are here. The students need someone kind and nurturing like you to talk to about their issues with. The teachers need you too. They can only handle so much! Your personality is such a breath of fresh air too. It’s influenced me, the students, and the other staff members…especially Aizawa.”

“A-Aizawa?” you softly stammer, your heart fluttering. “I don’t–”

“I’ve never seen him so upbeat,” Nezu continues wistfully. “He’s almost an entirely different person with you here. He’s happier; more…energetic. I’d imagine he is very grateful for what you did for him and Eri.” His black eyes gleam with something unreadable but it makes your stomach flip flop nervously. “I-I’m sorry, sir, but I don't think I understand.”

He is more than happy to enlighten you. “Word around campus is that you attacked the villain Toyoma when he broke into Aizawa’s dorm. People are saying you were already in the room and quite literally tore Toyoma’s face off. I know because I saw it for myself.” He leans in as if afraid someone might hear. “I also know about your, uh…night job.”

You swear you could die right now. Of course, your boss knows that you’re Night Claw. And of course, he’s going to fire you now. You’re going to lose everything. You grip the underside of your desk, your claws digging into the wood.

Nezu just smiles. “You don’t have to look so scared, Y/N,” he chuckles. “I’m not upset. Do you know how many of our kids here have done the same thing? Besides, you’ve proven to me that you’re not a threat and still an incredible staff member with how you continue to handle the students’ problems.”

He leans over the desk to pat your hand, almost as a friend would. “We need more people like you here, Y/N. People whose bright personalities rub off on others. Please don’t ever lose that.” His eyes twinkle with generosity and kindness–two things you feel as if you don’t deserve. “Sir…” You don’t know what to say. You can’t believe this is happening. You’re not going to get fired?

“I know things may seem hard right now, but if you ever need a hand, we’re all here for you. Just continue to do your best and I’ll take care of the rest, okay?” He winks at you, an encouraging smile on his furry face. “Keep up the good work!”

You feel as if you just won an award with how bright his smile is. Your claws retract and you release your death grip on your desk. “Thank you, sir,” you softly say, afraid that you may cry in front of your boss.

“Of course!” he chortles. “Now off to lunch for me! Enjoy the rest of your day!” He hops off of the chair and waves to you as he exits your office. “You as well, sir!” you call, a giggle in your voice when he shuts the door behind him.

When you sit back in your seat, you feel better than you have for days after getting that praise buff from your boss. It is exactly what you need to put you into a good headspace, just enough to tell Nemuri that you’ll be taking your lunch alone today. You need some time in the fresh air to clear your head and find comfort in yourself while you gather the courage to finally talk to Aizawa.

So you decide to go for a walk downtown for a bite to eat. You’ve heard of a sandwich shop there that is extremely popular plus one of your favorite cafes being a choice. The air is clean and warm, and the sky is blue when you lace on your sneakers and take your walk.

As you make it downtown, people are out and about enjoying the mid-afternoon weather, jogging, walking their dogs, and sitting at tables under cute little umbrellas as they enjoy their meals outside. When you make it to your favorite cafe, deciding to go for some coffee and pastries as your lunch, the outside eatery is already set up with customers enjoying their coffee in peace under the sun.

As you make your way to the door, your hand reaches to pull it open, and you hear the sound of pounding footsteps behind you. You turn, jumping back just in time as someone comes zooming down the street, running at full speed.

“Jesus,” you hiss to yourself, glaring at the woman. She is in casual clothes–no activewear at all for the type of activity she’s doing. You pass it off as some kind of running club or her possibly being on some shit.

But as you go to reach for the door again, another person runs by. Then another. And another. What grabs your attention is their attire: some wearing work clothes; others not even wearing sneakers but still running like their lives depend on it. You and the customers sitting by you stare at them in confusion, baffled by the change in atmosphere. “Da hell?” you mutter, confused.

You get the answer to your confusion when a man wearing office attire runs by, panic and fear all over his face. “Everyone, run!” he hollers. “There’s a villain five blocks away from here! He’s destroying everything!” As if on cue, the sound of rattling cuts through the air, and a burst of water explodes from a sewer down the street, causing a car alarm to go off. As the water shoots into the air like a bullet, the people that were initially sitting and enjoying themselves beside you leave their posts, following the running people up the street.

But you don’t. Despite your fur prickling and your ears pointing backward in alarm, you walk straight toward the danger zone. Even when you see more people running your way until you’re nearly trapped in a sea of escaping civilians. You press yourself against nearby buildings and inch deeper and deeper into the city. As you do, the destruction surrounding you gets worse–all you see are cars flipped over, cracked pavement, and water gushing from sewers and broken pipes. Your sneakers become soaked, ruining your stockings.

The water problem only gets worse when you finally come to the city square and see the bullshit awaiting you. A sea of people and police cars surround a giant, quirk-made whirlpool that protrudes from a sewer in the middle of the street and towers over everyone and everything. From where you stand you can see that someone is, in fact, holding the whirlpool together themselves. A man floats in the middle of the whirlpool like a centerpiece, his limbs and locs streams of water that suck up water from the street, making his creation bigger and stronger.

In front of you, the police have their guns drawn, some trying to keep the civilians at bay while the rest attempt to get a good angle of the whirlpool. The one closest to you urgently screams into his walkie-talkie, distress in his eyes. “I need backup!” he hollers. “I repeat: I need backup! We’re running out of officers and there’s only so many pros who can handle this asshole!”

‘Pros?’ you think. So far, you haven’t seen any single pro here. But as someone from behind you pushes you deeper into the crowd, you get closer to the whirlpool.

There, in the watery depths of the whirlpool, are eight officers and several pros you know and recognize: Houndog; Vlad; Mirko; Mt. Lady (out of her giant form); Midnight; and Present Mic.

With that many pros in his trap, you know this villain isn’t someone to fuck around with too lightly. You barely have time to process where this dude even came from when someone is landing in front of you and the other civilians, startling you when his boots hit the pavement.

You know who it is even before you see his long, black hair and hear the excited screams of the crowd. He turns, giving you a view of him looking oh-so-yummy in his hero gear, goggles, and scarves as the afternoon sun turns his black strands of hair into spun gold. You can’t help it. You immediately begin to push through the crowd until you finally slip through, ignoring the officers who yell at you to stop.

“Miss, you can’t go through there!” one of them yells, but you ignore them, too focused on getting the pro in front of you to pay attention to you.

“Shouta!” you shout, cringing at the squelching sound of your wet sneakers in the street. It is completely flooded, ruining your shoes and sloshing against the hem of your skirt. Aizawa immediately turns around, his eyes widening behind his goggles at the sight of you.

“Y/N?” he asks, baffled. “What the fuck are you doing here?” You winch slightly at the harshness of his tone, but you won’t let it slow you down. You probably would’ve reacted the same way.

“I was out for lunch and saw all these people running,” you reply before nodding at the whirlpool and the man at the heart of it. “What is he?” you breathlessly ask, still taken aback by how large and powerful the whirlpool is.

Aizawa glares at the villain. “Says his name is Aqua Master or somethin' like that. He’s been wreaking havoc with his water quirk all afternoon now. So far, he has over eight officers and several of our pros in there.”

He pauses to take off his goggles and pinch his sinuses, his eyebrows creased. The stress of the situation is written all across his handsome face. And with no other pros here yet, he’s the only one here to stop this Aqua Master bitch.

“Let me help,” you interject. He stares at you like you just told him you’re pregnant with his baby. “You just told me you’re losing people and I’m sure it’ll take a while before you get backup. I can help the civilians evacuate or–“

“Absolutely not,” he firmly replies, his expression a hard glare that makes you flush. “This is way too dangerous for you and you don’t have enough training.”

You go to argue against this, but you’re interrupted by the sudden water-formed hand that juts out of the whirlpool and scoops up a nearby truck to toss at an oncoming cop car miles down the street. The cop car immediately swerves out of the way only to crash into a street pole and totally ruin the front of it.

Aizawa raises his eyebrows at you as if to say, ‘see what I mean?’

But you’re not backing down. You don’t care how dangerous this mission is. Toyoma’s mission was dangerous too and you ended up saving Aizawa’s life. ”You let me come with you to get Toyoma,” you sharply argue.

Aizawa rolls his eyes at your attempt at arguing with him. “Yeah, and you almost ended up off a damn building splattered on the pavement.” Your ears droop in hurt at his jab. Though he is right, he doesn’t even know the kind of trauma you faced from that. The nightmares you still have dangling off of that building and the nothingness in Toyota’s eyes.

He must see that he went too far because his expression softens. He sighs, running a tired hand over his face. “Listen,” he says, his voice hushed, “I’d never forgive myself if something happened to you.” He steps away from you and puts his goggles back on, preparing for action. “Just stay in your line, alright? I’ve got this.”

As he wraps his scarves around a nearby traffic light, he is nearly taken out by a blur of red that zooms between you and him. “Jesus, Hawks, watch it!” he angrily shouts, gripping his scarves.

You look up, finding Hawks perched on the same traffic light Aizawa has his scarves wrapped around. He raises his goggles over his unruly, blonde hair, his red wings looking fluffy and soft to the touch. “Sorry, Eraser!” he huffs, looking irritated by the villain and his BS. “I’m dodging this shit as best as I can, but this bitch won’t quit throwing these cars at me!”

The hairs on your body suddenly rise at the sense of something coming. Your eyes flit to the whirlpool where you find a giant, watery hand reaching for Aizawa.

“Eraser, watch out!” you yell, but your voice is carried away by the sound of police sirens and rushing water. Hawks manages to escape by flapping away, but Aizawa isn’t as lucky. You have no choice but to watch as Aizawa’s scarves are yanked off of the traffic light by the hand and he is pulled into the rough currents of the whirlpool.

“Oh, shit!” Hawks gasps, staring in awe as his coworker is pulled into the whirlpool just like that. “I’ve gotcha, Eraser! Just try and hold your breath!”

He flaps away into the blue sky above, flying above the whirlpool’s opening. There is no way he could get in there without getting stuck too, you realize. The cops won’t be able to get to the villain either without shooting someone. It’s way too risky to fire a bullet into that whirlpool.

This fight needs someone else…something else. Something tinier. And you know just the thing that can work.

Without another thought, you push your way through the crowd again and you’re spit back out into the clean, cut grass of the city square’s park. It isn’t that far from the villain, but enough to hide away from him and his quirk behind the bushes and trees situated here.

You look up and find Hawks perched in a tree, squatting on the thickest branch there. He stares at the villain in determination, obviously trying to come up with a plan until the other pros get here.

You decide to help him out. Hoisting your foot up on the tree trunk, you grasp the lowest branch and pull yourself up until you have enough leverage to hoist yourself up on the branch. You do the same to the others above you until you are finally on a branch at the same level as Hawks, kneeling behind him.

“Hawks!” you hiss, startling him so much that his wings ruffle. He turns around, squinting confusedly at you. “Who the hell are you?” he questions.

You begin to introduce yourself, but you’re cut off by the sudden heat that nearly singes your eyelashes off coming from behind you. You turn, finding yourself facing the Endeavor, decked out in his hero gear and sporting his aflame moon boots. Your stomach flips in panic at the sight of him. He truly is an intimidating person.

“Endeavor!” Hawks shouts as if he’s seeing an old friend. "You showed up! Is anybody else showin’ up soon? Please tell me Gang Orca is comin’.”

Endeavor ignores him, his green eyes cutting across to you. “Who the hell is this?” he grumbles, scowling at you. You swallow hard, almost afraid to speak, but you won’t let this man catch you slipping. He’s just a human. A person.

“Night Claw,” you reply, giving him a friendly smile despite his hardened stare. “Listen, I don’t mean to interrupt your fight, but you’re never gonna get to that guy if it’s just the two of you. He’s too powerful and he already has one too many pros held up in his trap.”

Endeavor’s stare only gets more intimidating. “So what do you suggest we do?” he cooly asks. “All of sudden, you’re gonna tell us how to do our job?”

“Hold up, Enji,” Hawks says, Endeavor’s jaw setting at the mention of his birth name. “Let’s hear her out.”

You raise your chin and square your shoulders, refusing to be spoken to by the pro. “To jog your memory, I’m the same vigilante who stopped that bank robbery and did your fuckin’ job before any of you could get there. I had them all tied up and ready to be arrested except for one.”

Endeavor’s eyes widen an inch at the harshness of your tone––and the balls you’ve got to talk to him in such a way. Hawks snaps his fingers in recognition. “Yeah, now I remember you!” he happily chirps. “That was you? Damn, girl, you must got some serious skills.”

“Yes, and I know how to use them on this one.” You nod at the whirlpool that seems to have gotten bigger. It’s now towering over the tree you’re perched in.

“If we can get close enough, we’d need something sharp to destroy that whirlpool, and I’ve got just the thing.” You flash your claws at them, earning a chuckle from the winged hero. “Hawks, I’ll need you to fly me up over the whirlpool so I can jump inside. Endeavor, you’d distract him with your quirk. Maybe turn the water up too hot for him so he doesn’t notice me.”

Your plan dawns across Hawks’ face. “Ohhh, I see. It could work and at this point, we’re out of options since some of our best are MIA.” He turns to the Endeavor, stroking the stubble on his chin. “What do ya think, Endeavor?”

Endeavor’s forest-green eyes continue to stare you down, making you increasingly uncomfortable. “You’re a vigilante?” he acerbically asks you. Though your stomach flips in panic at being found out, you nod. “So you’re saying you’re not a trained, professional pro hero? You don’t have a license?”

Again, you nod, your heart pounding against your ribcage. “I have every right to turn you in to the police,” Endeavor growls, his eyes hot with disgust. “And if you continue to stand in the way of my job, I will. Stay in your lane, little girl.” With those words hanging in the air, he floats off toward the whirlpool, leaving a trail of fire in his wake.

Hawks sighs heavily, looking at you apologetically. “Sorry about him. He’s a hothead, as I’m sure you’ve got already.”

But you’re not upset by Endeavor’s words. If anything, they only make you want to snag this villain even more. “I don’t give a fuck about what he says or if I’m arrested,” you determinedly growl as you begin to climb down the tree. “I’m helping my friends whether with help or not.”

Hawks watches you go, his expression unreadable. “You’re friends with Eraserhead?” he curiously asks. You nod, grunting as you lower yourself down each tree branch. “And Midnight and Present Mic. We work together at UA.” Hawks quirks an eyebrow at this newfound information. “You a teacher?”

“Counselor,” you correct him before getting back on the subject. “Those three are very special to me and I didn’t fully appreciate how much they had my back until now. I’ve been terrible to all of them, so now I have to make up for my stupid decisions.” When you’re finally at the last branch, you let your legs dangle for a moment before jumping down, hitting a squat once on the grass.

When you look up, you squeak in surprise at Hawks now towering over you instead of sitting in the tree. He reaches a gloved hand down for yours, his golden eyes friendly.

“Then I’ll help you out,” he says with a quirk at the corner of his mouth. “That’s the best declaration of friendship if I’ve ever heard one before.” Your heart leaps for joy, relieved that you have help. With a grateful smile, you take Hawks’ hand and allow him to help you rise to your feet.

After a moment of getting situated and Hawks advising you to “take a breath ‘cause it’s a bumpy ride”, you find yourself flying in the air with Hawks’ arms securely wrapped around your midsection as he zooms towards the whirlpool. Your heart hammers wildly in your chest and your eyes water as the wind hits them, causing you to blink rapidly.

The crowd of people you once stood in looks like ants now. The cop cars, trees, and buildings surrounding the area appear to be no more than miniature toys with how high up you are. But no matter how afraid you are, you don't dare move or change your mind. Not when your friends need you.

“Higher, Hawks!” you shout among the wind in your ears. “I need to be directly above it! Damn, can’t your wings go any faster?” Hawks grunts above you, his wings straining against your body weight. “I’mma try but shit, you ain’t exactly light as feather, furry.”

You don’t need to hear anything else. With one slow inhale, you shift into your feline form in Hawks’ arms. When he realizes that he is now holding a tiny, black cat instead of a whole person, he loses his shit. “Holy shit!” he laughs. “Talk about a quirk!”

Now having an easier time flying, he flaps his wings up to the very top of the whirlpool until he is hovering above it. Down below is the hole traveling down into the depths of Aqua Master’s creation, along with your friends and the other innocents trapped in the watery grave.

“I’m as high as I can go,” Hawks grunts above you. “It’s all on you now, furry.”

Without a warning, he releases you and drops you down into the whirlpool, but you’re ready. Inhaling deeply, you shift back into your human as soon as you sink into the water. It is not as dark as you envisioned, but clear enough that you can see the dozens of bodies the villain collected––including Aizawa. He is farther at the bottom, his scarves and hair floating around him like seaweed.

Anger floods within you as you swim towards Aqua Master who is still front and center in his whirlpool. When he senses you, he turns towards you, his locs floating around his head in streams of water. He scowls at you, probably wondering how you got in here.

“Who the fuck are you?” he asks, his voice rough and clear as day. You don’t give him a proper introduction. Instead, you charge at him and wrap your limbs around him, pushing him against the wall of the whirlpool.

With one hand outstretched, you extract your claws and slash at the whirlpool’s wall. The little tears are enough to send the entire whirlpool to hell. Water begins to pool out of the tears until the liquid monstrosity is no more. Instead, it begins to pool into the streets, flooding them even more. The crowd below you moves back as bodies, including yourself and the villain, tumble down out of the whirlpool.

You feel like a fish out of water as you tumble onto the street with Aqua Master below you, your limbs still wrapped around him. You gulp down air and cough violently at the water in your lungs, soaked to the bone. Now you hate water even more now. You doubt you’ll be able to properly shower after this without having this come back to you.

You’re so involved with trying to breathe normally that you barely see Aqua Master’s next attack until he’s throwing you off of him. With a grunt, you hit the ground on your back, but you don’t have enough time to react.

The villain is now standing above you, his limbs and hair now in physical form. He presses his foot into your chest, causing your windpipe to close up and your body to fight to breathe. You gasp and choke around his foot which continues to push into your chest, making it much harder to breathe.

“Now you’ve gone and done it, bitch,” he snarls. "You really thought you was doin’ somethin’ tryin’ to fight me. Now you’ll die just like the rest of these stupid ass people.” He then kneels above you, trapping you beneath his body, and loops his hands around your neck.

“No!” you choke only to be silenced by a sudden wall of water encasing your head. You try to scream, but only air bubbles escape your mouth. “Have fun swimmin’ with the fishes, bitch,” the villain growls, his stare cold and deadly.

This is the second time you’ve faced death by a villain, you realize. You can’t help but wonder how is it for actual pros to face something like this? To constantly be on the brink of death and not wondering if there’s an alternative career path they could take?

Your head suddenly becomes light and your eyes flutter, all thoughts and questions jumbled. Your lungs begin to burn and you know that it is only a matter of time until death takes you…

Only it never does. The water surrounding your head disperses and you gasp in air, desperate for it. Aqua Master is now lying on his side, completely knocked out with Nemuri standing over him. She, too, is soaking wet, her mascara running and curls ruined, but she is still a knockout. You breathe a sigh of relief, mostly at her being okay rather than being saved by her quirk.

“Y/N!” she gasps, stepping over the villain’s body to kneel before you. “What are you doing here? Are you hurt? You could’ve gotten yourself killed!”

Mic also comes to your aid, his sunglasses off and looking like a wet cat. He offers his hands for both you and Nemuri, pulling you to your feet. “You shouldn’t have gotten involved,” he says in a stern tone that you’ve never heard from him before. “Y/N, that was very dangerous what you just did.” Nemuri nods, glaring daggers at your stupid decision.

But you just can't feel embarrassed. Seeing them standing there, still caring for you despite your bullshit, is all the confirmation you need to know that you did the right thing. You throw yourself at them and wrap your arms tight around them, squeezing their bodies to yours.

“I’m sorry,” you softly say, on the brink of tears. “I’m so sorry for everything. I’m just so happy you’re safe.” After a moment of silence, the two hug you back and Mic comfortingly strokes your hair. “Thanks to you and your crazy self,” Nemuri sighs, pressing a kiss to her cheek.

As laugh and pull away, giddy with joy and the feeling of accomplishing something impossible. But all of that giddiness fades when you see Aizawa lying face up yards away from you, his eyes closed and chest not moving. “Shouta!” you shout, immediately racing for him. Fear floods inside of you.

‘No…please, no. Don’t take him from Eri.’

You kneel beside Aizawa, scooping the back of his head into your hand. “Shouta, can you hear me?” you softly ask, your eyes flicking wildly across his face for any kind of sign of life. As if God hears you, Aizawa’s eyelids twitch once and a tiny groan leaves his lips. “Oh, thank God,” you sob, your thumb stroking his wet cheek.

His eyes then slowly open, revealing two charcoal irises that stare in a daze into yours. “Y-Y/N?” he croaks out. “Why did you…did you…”

He searches your face for an answer, even being soaking wet and nearly facing death. You shake your head, still gently stroking his cheek. “I know you told me to leave, but I couldn’t,” you sob. "I’m sorry I’m so stubborn. I just couldn't face the thought of you being in danger.”

Slowly, Aizawa sits up, grunting as he does. You move away from him to allow him space to breathe and move, but all he does is stare at you in awe, his plump lips parted. “Y/N, I–“

“Get your hands off of him!” The roar of Endeavor’s voice causes you to scramble away from Aizawa, your ears back and tail poofy with fear. You turn, finding Endeavor standing there with several police officers, a glare on his face.

“I specifically told you to stay out of the way and you didn’t listen to me,” he chastises you as if you’re his daughter. “Chief, that’s her. That Night Claw girl who has been prancing around without a license or a degree as a pro for months now!”

The middle-aged, bald man standing beside him in a police chief uniform looks from the pro to you, his expression unreadable but still scaring the absolute shit out of you.

This is it––you’re going to get arrested. You’re going to lose your job. No one can help you now; not Aizawa, Nezu, or Mic and Nemuri who come to your aid. Not even Hawks who swoops down to land between you and Endeavor. “Enji, what are you doing?” he demands. “This girl just saved half of your coworkers’ lives!”��

“And yet she doesn’t have a license to practice saving lives, does she?” Endeavor snaps. Aizawa suddenly steps in front of you, blocking you from Endeavor’s angry eyes glaring into your soul.

“She works at UA, Enji,” he growls, his rage barely being contained. “She’s a counselor. The kids there have enough problems already that some of us professors can’t handle. She’s needed there, and I’m not gonna let you take that away from them or her.”

Endeavor's eyes turn into sharp slits that target Aizawa, making your stomach flip in panic as if they’re about to fight. “And I’m not going to have anyone make a mockery out of being a pro hero,” he snarls. “People go through so much stress training and studying to get a license and degree to be a hero. People risk their lives every day to protect this damn city.”

“And so did she!” Nemuri argues, her face red with rage. “If you got your head out of your ass, you would’ve seen what we did for all of us!”

Endeavor opens his mouth to rage on, but a sharp whistle sound cuts through the air, silencing all of you. The police chief drops a whistle from his mouth and stares you down, intimidating but not as fearful as Endeavor’s stare is. He eyes you up and down, sizing you up.

“So it’s you?” he asks, not at all sounding angry. “You’re the reason street crime has been going down?”

All eyes flick to yours, waiting to see if you’ll deny it or stand in your truth. Because you don’t want to lie anymore, because you want to be the best person you can be, you step from behind Aizawa’s big, tall body, presenting yourself to the chief. “I’d like to hope so, sir,” you softly reply.

The chief suddenly looks apologetic and you know what’s coming next. “I’m sorry,” he sighs. “You have my full respect for your work and what you’ve done today, but…”

He digs into his pocket, revealing a ring of silver cuffs that have your gut twisting with fear. “Under the law, I can’t–“

He is interrupted by a sudden flash of a camera. Dozens of news cameras and microphones begin to surround you, pushing through to get to the pros. A newswoman dressed in her finest dress waves from behind two police officers, a microphone in her hand.

“Endeavor!” she shouts. “Eraserhead! Over here!” She shoves through the cops along with her own cameraman. Your heart leaps at the idea of being on TV, your face on every screen across Japan and possibly even further than that.

Once the woman is through, she practically shoves the microphone into Aizawa’s face while the camera on the cameraman’s shoulder targets him with the aftermath of Aqua Master’s attack in the background. “Can you tell us anything about the villain you stopped today?” the newswoman asks feverishly. "Who was he? How did you stop him?”

Despite his soaked and tired state, Aizawa doesn’t refuse to answer––or to give you your props. “It wasn’t either of us,” he replies. “While we put in work, it was really her.”

He nods at you standing like a deer frozen in headlights beside him. Your eyes trail over the cameras suddenly in your face and all of the eyes of the crowd on you making you feel like a hot spotlight is on you. You don’t know what to do. Your mind is completely blank.

“Hey, miss!” the newswoman says, her microphone now directed at you. “What is your name? Are you a new professional hero?”

You’re silent, your mouth dry and nervous sweat collecting under your pits. Your eyes shift to the chief, wondering if he’ll slap the cuffs on you if you say anything at all. But to your shock, the chief has slipped the cuffs back into his pocket. All he does is give you a nod. One nod that says everything to you.

You smile, your body flooded with joy, relief, and pride. So you turn to the newswoman and the other microphones that have begun to sneak toward your face. You lean down, speaking into the one nearest to your mouth.

“My name is Y/N L/N,” you proudly say. “I’m the vigilante known as Night Claw. Now I have to get back to work.”

With a smile at the cameras and at a very angry Endeavor, you walk away from the news crews, cameras, police, and crowd of civilians that cheer you on as you strut past in your soaked sneakers. As you do, a Mercedes Benz stops beside you and out hops Gang Orca looking haggard in his tie and dress slacks.

“Alright, I’m here,” he sighs. “I’m so sorry about my lateness. Traffic was horrible and…”

He stops, his eyes trailing over the chaotic sight in front of him. “Uh…am I late?” he asks, looking hesitant to know the answer.

You put a hand on the whale’s back, patting it. “Nothing you need to worry about, Mr. Orca, sir,” you reply with a smile. He gapes at you before you walk past him, heading back toward UA.

“Was that Y/N?” you hear Orca ask, baffled. “Can someone please tell me what the hell is going on here?”

You don't turn around, not even to check on Aizawa. Your first job is done. Now you have another to take care of.

**********

When you walk into Koa’s Purrr Palace that day, it is right after work ends and into the evening after you’ve run your errands.

The little cat cafe is clean and tidy when you walk in, causing the bell overhead to jingle at your arrival. The floors are polished, the tables are cleaned, and the entire room smells like lavender which can only mean that closing time is soon. There is also the lingering scent of coffee and sugar in the air.

An old woman–the same old woman who saved your life that fateful night–is just walking from behind the counter with a bottle of pine saw and a rag when she sees you.

“Oh, good evening!” she brightly greets you, a smile on her face that creates crinkles by her eyes.

You return the smile, standing awkwardly near the door. It’s so strange to be back here after so long. “Hi,” you timidly say. "I’m sorry it’s so late.”

Koa, the old woman and the owner of this cute little establishment waves a passive hand, scoffing. “Nonsense! It isn't too late to visit unless the closed sign goes up.”

She puts the pine saw and rag down on a nearby table where a bouquet of cut yellow roses sits. “So how can I help you, dear?” she asks, her kindness making you feel like a little girl.

You clutch your purse in front of you. “I’d like to adopt a cat, please,” you reply. “Not for me, but for someone else as a gift. They love cats.”

Your stomach flips for some reason as you say this, probably because you’re actually going through with this random ass idea that you came up with right as you arrived at UA. You don’t know if Aizawa will even want another pet after what you put him through, but you have to at least try.

Koa puts a hand on her heart, practically swooning at your request. “Well, how sweet of you!” she coos. “Any particular breed they like?” She begins to walk you over to the front counter where a few cages of kittens and cats sit, most of them asleep.

“No, they’re pretty open to whatever,” you answer, knowing damn well you’re just spitting BS because you have no idea what kind of cat breed Aizawa likes. “Just a cat that is very friendly, affectionate, and isn’t too keen on the outside.”

“Well, I’m sure we can find you the perfect one that checks all of those boxes.” Koa motions to the cages presented in the front for the picking. “Let me just check the back to see if we have any cats left. We’ve had so many adoptions ever since Eraserhead visited here. Such a doll, he is, but quite stoic.”

Your heart leaps and your cheeks flush at the mention of Aizawa, especially the way Koa describes him. ‘He is definitely a doll,’ you think, smiling to yourself.

Koa leaves you to your own devices as she goes into the back, humming as she does. Your eyes begin to roam over the many felines in their cage condos, most of them asleep. You feel an overload of cuteness from the different cat breeds you see snuggled up in their cat beds or with each other: tabbies; Persians; ragdolls; calicos…

Your eyes stop when you land on one calico in particular.

It is small, still a kitten, and the only one not sleeping. Instead, it is playing with a little ball that hangs from a string in its cage, its tiny paws flashing with claws that it knows how to use.

You are not just enchanted by its cuteness but its pattern. It is an unusual but beautiful swirl of browns, whites, and tans that almost appears a shade of pink. Its nose is tiny and pink, its eyes two big jades that seem so full of innocence.

What stands out to you about this kitten, other than its pattern and cuteness, is the tiny scar that lies under its left eye. It is small and white as if something knicked its fur at some point. Reminds you of someone you know well.

You move closer to the cage, careful not to startle the tiny thing. “Sps-sps,” you whisper. The kitten’s head whips towards you, its ears perked up.

“Hello,” you coo. “What’s your name?”

The kitten softly mews at you, answering you back. You push your finger through one of the cage holes, allowing the kitten to sniff you. Deciding it likes you, it presses its head against your finger and begins to purr.

“Oh, so you met our new addition!” Koa smiles at you, returning to her post. “We brought her in about a week ago. She’s still a kitten, but was probably the runt of her siblings due to her small size and pattern so her mother possibly abandoned her. When one of my employees found her, she was lying under some bushes near her apartment complex, eating some food someone left her.”

Your heart breaks at the poor little kitten's story as she continues to run her nose against your finger. “She’s extremely friendly and playful,” Koa giggles. “She's awfully tiny though. I was afraid to pick her up when I first saw her. It’s clear she’s been through some rough patches however long she was alone, but she’s still so kind. Such a sweetheart.” She presses her hand against the cage, earning the kitten’s affection and purrs.

Your heart breaks even more for the poor animal. She’s so touch-starved and in need of love from a good owner. You’ve never been more certain that Aizawa and Eri would be great owners for her.

“You said she could’ve possibly been abandoned for her pattern?” you ask Koa, earning a solemn nod. “How is that even possible? She looks like one of those Neapolitan ice cream swirls.”

And then, like a lightbulb flickering on in your brain, a name comes to you: “Nea,” you coo. “Little Nea.”

As if liking that choice, the kitten slowly blinks at you, a tiny mew leaving her mouth. You turn to Koa, already taking your credit card out of your purse. “I’ll take her.”

That late night, after returning home with little Nea and leaving her to lay in your bed, you enter your clean, neat bedroom and bend down to look under your bed.

There, a chest sits, untouched for weeks now. You pull it out and open it, revealing your Night Claw outfit, still sleek and clean. You’re so glad you decided to place it in the chest instead of keeping it in the duffle bag you’ve often stored it in. Thank God you’re thinking differently now.

You pull your mask out of the chest, smiling fondly at it. “Hi again, baby,” you whisper. “I’m sorry I’ve been neglecting you. Let’s make up right here, right now.”

Without another word, you place your mask on your face and suit up. Your suit, still fierce and sexy, still fits like a glove no matter how much time has gone by.

And as you stand in the mirror with the window wide open for your exit, feeling like a brand new woman, you know that you’ve been forgiven.

#shouta aizawa #shoutaaa #smutty smut #my fic shit #my works #here kitty kitty #bnha smut #shouta aizawa x black!reader #black coded reader #black fanfic writer #black writers #aizawa x black!reader

52 notes · View notes

dutifullyshamelessearthquake · 1 year ago

Note

Cyno passing out from illness situations that got me goin brrrrr

he’s been sick for only a day or so, but I’m imagining it’s horrific food poisoning. Maybe his go too restaurant has finally failed him. Regardless Both ends, and both ends a lot. It’s a wonder he still has so much in him kinda wonder like how is he still getting sick?? So he’s dealing with that, and per his and Tighnaries agreement when it hits late at night he wakes nari up. Tells him he feels like death, can hardly talk around the nausea. And while he knows he isn’t bout to puke he does know he doesn’t have long till he needs the bathroom anyways. He rushes off and the cycle begins. Now, I’m imagining later, after a few rounds of illness if your choice, nari is up trying to find something he can take to help calm his stomach. Cyno then comes *wobbling* out of the bathroom and in a full daze seems nari out in the kitchen. Hunched over, and shivering. Maybe Cyno mumbles something to him and as nari turns around he sees Cyno- his brown skin gone practically grey- and sees him DROP to the floor.

tighnari is fast, he does to grab him but not before dropping the tea or whatever he was holding, and maybe Tighnari gets hurt too. A cut or a burn or something that requires attention later 100% plus his anxiety is through the roof cuz holy hell normally he can catch it when cyno is looking pale.. but it’s late at night and the sickness came on sooo fast, and neither of them are awake enough to navigate this normally. And now Tighnari has a passed out boyfriend, a broken mug and an injury to deal with. What does he address first? How does Cyno end up coming around and how does he deal with knowing how much chaos nari had to deal with all on his own? I feel like in the end Cyno would try hard to reassure and calm nari down despite being sick, because frankly Tighnari was * scared *

also I think cyno trying to comfort Tighnari while still in the recovery position and still feeling wretched is both really endearing and kinda funny

WAIT WAIT WAAAAIT I LOVE THIS, I LOVE THIS SO MUCH—

This actually feeds heavily into my brainrot, because even though I'm in more of Lyney mood right now, I have been brainstorming for the next Cynonari fic on my list 👀

Okay I'm absolutely in love with this. First of all, yes to that scenario, I'm really craving a severe sickfic. Like give me a character that borderline has to consider the ER because they're that sick. And of course poor Cyno is a brilliant candidate, because he always is! (I'm so sorry Cyno, I really enjoy making you miserable in my writing)

I've also been thinking a lot more about the whole "Cyno gets light-headed when he throws up" thing, so your timing is brilliant with this ask.

I'm envisioning this already.

Cyno is approaching, his legs like jelly beneath him. Tighnari hears his footsteps and hears him say something, and he's opening his mouth to tell Cyno he shouldn't have come looking for him, he would have been right back- only before he can make a sound he locks eyes with Cyno and sees just how horrific he looks. And it's like everything goes into slow motion because suddenly Cyno's knees are buckling and Tighnari sees his eyes start to roll back, and he just throws down whatever he's holding and sprints to catch Cyno. He catches Cyno in time but his own balance is thrown off and he basically goes down with Cyno, but it's okay, he stopped Cyno from getting hurt or knocking his head on anything.

I can see Tighnari remaining calm on the outside, but on the inside he's panicking. When all is said and done later and he finally gets to breath, I imagine him just sliding down to the floor somewhere with his back against the wall and breaking down into silent tears because he can't remember the last time he was this stressed out and worried over Cyno.

Also that image of Cyno trying to comfort Tighnari while he's still in the recovery position pale as a ghost,,, I can't decide if I want to cry or laugh at that 😭 That is really sweet and loving and wholesome, but Cyno you really are in no state to be doing the comforting

Damn I love this idea, I might need to work it into the last Cynonari Novemetober fic??

#earthquake author's note #earthquake rambles #sickfic #genshin sickfic #genshin emeto #emeto #nausea #emeto fic #sickfic headcanons #sickfic prompts #sick cyno

16 notes · View notes

photogirl894 · 2 years ago

Text

"IronStar"

Chapter 1

"Starlight"

A "Fairy Tail" fanfic

Pairing: Gajeel x fem OC

A/N: A new fic from me for "Fairy Tail", one of my favorite animes ever!! 🥰 My hubby and I have been rewatching the show and I've had it on the brain quite a bit, hence how this came about!

A couple notes: I'm not gonna do what I normally do with my OC fics and try and insert them into canon events cuz...Fairy Tail has a LOT to follow. It's gonna be kind of its own thing with maybe a few couple canon events being referenced (I would say this is probably post Tenrou Island/the seven year time jump) I don't know how long this fic will go, but hopefully for quite a while 😊 I'm just gonna say this right now: I LOVE Gajeel so freaking much 😍😍

Also, the magic my OC uses is all made up by me and might not completely follow any sort of "magic rules" from the show, so I apologize in advance 😅

Otherwise, I hope you all enjoy!! 💜

Taglist: @l-lend , @rosechi , @the-bad-batch-baroness , @angrypaperearthquake-tbbb-main

》 Chapter 2

All chapters

Explanation: A new face arrives in Magnolia in search of Fairy Tail, but not before running into one of its members.

Another beautiful, sunny day shined down on the fair city of Magnolia in the country of Fiore. In the streets strolled a newcomer to the city: a young woman with pale skin and long, curly hair that was turquoise in color; half of it fell loose down her back while the other half was pulled up into two fun buns on the top sides of her head. Her light blue eyes scanned the city as she continued walking through the streets, taking in the buildings and booths opened for the day. She wore a dressy shirt of different shades of purple with short, ruffly sleeves, white pants and ankle-high purple boots. Around her neck, she wore a dark purple bandana scarf. She had never been to Magnolia before, but she was a woman on a mission.

To find the Wizard guild of Fairy Tail.

She had heard a lot of great things about this guild and she was in search of one. She needed a better place to go; hopefully somewhere she could fit in. She too was a Wizard, but her previous home was not somewhere she felt she belonged. It was time for a change and maybe Fairy Tail, if they were willing to give her a chance, would be a great place to start over.

Being lost in her own thoughts and in awe of the city around her, she didn’t see the person in front of her and accidentally ran into them, stumbling backwards after the impact.

A deep, gruff voice spoke to her, "Whoa! Careful where you're goin', kid." He spoke to her more with caution than with anger.

"I'm so sorry, I wasn't paying attention," the girl said.

She took in the stranger's appearance before her and he was unlike anyone she'd ever seen before. He was younger; probably a couple years older than her, tall, had very long and spiky black hair and wore a black, sleeveless top that looked like an overcoat with tattered ends, tan trousers and black boots. On his shoulder was a dark green fur mantle and around his neck was a black scarf. Then on his hands were brown leather, fingerless gloves. What was most peculiar about him were two key details: his piercing red eyes and the silver studs he had on his face and body. He had them along the edges of his ears, three studs above each eye in place of eyebrows, two on both sides of the bridge of his nose, two in his chin and four on the underside of each forearm. He had what almost seemed like a permanent scowl on his face. She'd never seen anyone as intimidating as him before. Yet he didn't appear threatening, which was a good sign, at least. Just more caught off guard than anything.

He eyed her curiously, but then just stated, "It's no big deal. Just be careful."

The girl gave him a nod and without another word took off in the direction of her quarry.

A few more minutes passed until she came up a hill and then she saw it: the towering building with the name "Fairy Tail" over the entrance and the flag of the fairy emblem hanging above the open doors. There it was, the place she'd been searching for.

"This is it. I almost can't believe I'm here," she said aloud in awe. Then she took a deep breath and exhaled loudly. "All right...here goes nothing."

Steeling herself, she walked through the open doors and was met with a wall of noise from a huge crowd of people hanging out in the guild hall. Human men and women of different varieties were spread out about the room. Some big, some small, some young, some older. She spotted two spiky-haired boys arguing and getting close to fighting over in a corner; one with pink hair and the other with black hair. Two girls were watching them, a blonde and a bluenette. There was also...a cat? The girl swore she saw a blue cat standing on a table nearby them. In seconds, the two boys were throwing fists and the girl kept walking over to the bar area.

Behind the bar was a beautiful woman with long white hair with a small ponytail at the front. When she saw the girl coming, she greeted her with a bright smile and said with a high-pitched voice, "Hello there! Welcome to Fairy Tail! What can I do for you?"

The turquoise-haired girl sat on a barstool and told the woman, "Hi, I was hoping to talk to the Master of Fairy Tail. Is he here?"

The bar woman answered, "I'm so sorry, Master is away right now, but he'll be back soon. Maybe I can help you." She held out a hand to the girl. "I'm Mirajane, but you can call me Mira. I'm one of highest-ranking Wizards here."

The girl shook her hand. "I'm Genna. I just came here hoping to maybe join Fairy Tail. I'm a Wizard, too, and I've heard a lot of things about this guild: some good and some crazy and I thought it sounded like my kind of place."

There was a loud crash behind her and she jumped in surprise, seeing the two fighting boys having destroyed one of the tables.

"Will you two cut it out? We just fixed the tables!" cried out one of the onlookers.

Ignoring them, the pink-haired one cried out, "You want a piece of me, brain freeze? I'll take you down right now!"

The other boy spat back, "In your dreams, hot shot!"

Genna turned back to Mira, who simply said with a grin on her face, "Yeah, I'm sure the crazy things you've heard aren't too far off. We're a rowdy bunch, as you can see."

"No kidding. Is that normal?" inquired Genna, gesturing to the wrestling boys behind her.

With a giggle, Mira answered, "Oh yes. Natsu and Gray fight each other almost every day, but they do care about each other deep down. They just don't want to admit it."

Genna chuckled, amused.

"You said you're a Wizard, too. What magic do you use?" then asked Mira.

Just as Genna was about to answer, someone sat down a couple seats away from her and a man's gravely voice said, "Hey Mira, mind pourin' one for me?"

"Sure thing!" Mira obliged, turning her back for a moment.

Genna turned to look and was shocked at who saw she saw.

It was the red-eyed, long-haired man with the studs that she’d run into on the street.

"Oh my gosh! It's you!" she exclaimed.

The man looked at her and grinned slyly, leaning his arm on the bar. "Well, well...fancy runnin' into you here, kid," he said.

It was then she noticed the Fairy Tail emblem on his left shoulder, which she didn't see the first time. "You're a Fairy Tail Wizard?" she questioned, stunned at seeing him there.

"Sure am. What's it to ya?" he asked, still grinning as Mira handed him a drink.

"I just didn't notice your mark when I ran into you. I had no idea," she replied.

"You two have already met?" inquired Mira.

After taking a sip, the guy answered her, "Yeah, she wasn't watchin' where she was goin' and ran right into me."

Shyly, Genna said back, "I said I was sorry."

"You got a name, kid?" he asked.

"I'm Genna Whitesun," she answered.

Satisfied with that answer, he aimed his thumb at his chest and responded, "Gajeel Redfox. Or Black Steel Gajeel."

Her eyebrows rose up and she looked impressed with quite a name.

"He's one of our resident Dragonslayer Wizards," Mira added.

Genna's eyes went wide. "You're a Dragonslayer? No way!" she cried out.

"Indeed and he's an exceptional one at that."

There was a second deep male voice that suddenly came from behind Gajeel and another cat came into view, but he had white wings on his back and landed on the bar next to Gajeel. The cat was small, black with round ears, a scar by his left eye and wearing pants.

With a small cry, she exclaimed, "You can talk?"

While the cat folded his arms across his chest and smiled, Gajeel told her, "This is my cat, Pantherlily. All of us Dragonslayers have one."

"We're called Exceeds," said Pantherlily.

"Fascinating!" she said back. Though, in her mind, she was secretly fawning over how adorable he was.

"So what're ya doing here at Fairy Tail?" Gajeel questioned Genna.

Mira answered for her with glee, "She's looking to maybe join the guild." Then she looked to Genna and spoke up curiously, "Genna, you never got to answer my question. What sort of magic do you use?"

Beaming proudly, she stated, "I use Starlight Magic."

Gajeel's studded eyebrows went up. "Ain't ever heard of that kind of magic."

"It's super rare," said Mira. "I'd love to see what you can do."

Feeling confident, Genna stood up from her stool and brought her hands up in front of her, touching her fingertips together. "Starlight Magic Art," she stated, conjuring a shimmering, iridescent magic circle. "Aurora Borealis!"

She thrust out her hands in front of her and in the air over the crowd appeared a sparkling wave of colors that looked like a river of stars. Everyone inside stopped what they were doing and looked up in wonder at the amazing display above their heads, crying out in astonishment. Then all eyes turned to the source of the lights as it dissipated, meaning everyone was now looking at Genna.

She just smiled and looked back at Gajeel and Mira. "That's just more for show," she told them. "There's more I can do in terms of combat and other abilities."

Gajeel had never seen such a dazzling show of magic and it was a sight to behold. The stars that hung in the air almost to seemed reflect in her eyes and he was almost literally starstruck for a very brief moment. This girl was something else. He couldn't help but wonder what else her magic could do.

However, in seconds, people were already clamoring over to her, wondering who she was, where she came from and how she did her cool trick. Then, to her surprise, the pink-haired young man pushed through and put himself between her and the other people.

"Hey, back off, everybody!" he yelled with great force. "Don't be crowding the new girl! Get back before I send you flying!"

That seemed to deter the crowd and they all dispersed and moved away. That certainly wasn’t what Genna had been expecting.

Then the young man turned around and said with perhaps the largest smile ever, "Sorry about all that. We just get pretty excited around here. I haven't seen you here before. I'm Natsu. Welcome to Fairy Tail!"

She couldn't help but smile back at his contagious enthusiasm and told him, "I'm Genna. I'm happy to be here."

Getting a better look at Natsu, she saw he only wore a black vest with gold trim over his torso, a skirt-like garment that matched the vest over white puffy pants with black ties at the bottom and sandals. Then around his neck we wore a white scale-patterned scarf.

"Are you looking to join our guild? We may be a big guild already, but we still always have room for more," Natsu declared.

Timidly, she answered him, "I mean...I'd like to, but I'm waiting to talk to the Master first."

"What are you waiting on Gramps for? After what you just did, I'd say you've got what it takes to be a member of Fairy Tail," he boldly stated.

Then Gajeel said in response to him, "Yeah, but last I checked, you're not the Guild Master around here, Salamander, so you don't get to make those decisions."

Natsu immediately whipped around in his direction and asked with a growl, "Okay, you wanna go, too, Gajeel? I can still voice my opinion if I want to."

"Wow, Natsu really can go from zero to a hundred in nothing flat," Genna thought, perplexed.

Then the blue cat she'd seen earlier came over, also with wings sprouting him his back and he cried out in a tiny voice, looking at Genna, "Wow, those lights were so pretty!"

He was followed by the blonde girl and the black-haired boy who Genna now realized was Gray, whom Mira had mentioned. He only wore black pants and that was it; he had no shirt on and his blue fairy emblem was on his chest. The blonde had on a white sleeveless top with blue accents, a mini-skirt of a matching shade of blue with a belt and knee-high black boots. She had a half pulled back ponytail tied with a blue ribbon. On her belt was a small leather pouch that Genna could see a couple keys poking out of and also a whip.

Gray spoke first, saying in a cool voice, "That was really something."

"Seriously! That almost reminded me of my celestial magic," spoke the blonde.

"That explains the keys," thought Genna.

Then the girl lifted a hand and said in greeting, "Hi, I'm Lucy." Then she pointed to Gray and then the blue cat. "This is Gray and this is Happy."

"Aye, sir!" exclaimed Happy.

Genna giggled. Were all Exceeds this cute?

Mira then told them, "This is Genna. She's looking to join the guild."

"Great! We could use some more girl power around here," said Lucy.

With a smirk, Genna replied, "Well, here's hoping I make it in."

"Oh, you will. Master Makarov hardly ever turns anyone away," stated Happy.

"Gramps believes that everyone deserves a place to belong and if Fairy Tail is where they wanna be, then that's enough for him," said Gray.

Then Mira put in, "Well, he might still have her take on a job first to make sure she's up to the task."

"I'll do whatever I need to," said Genna.

"Heh, famous last words," said Gajeel through a small scoff.

Genna stole a look at him and saw he was smirking at her. There didn't seem to be any malicious intent behind his words, but there was definitely some ribbing come from him for sure.

He kept going, "You say things like that, the old man might give you the hardest job on the board."

"If that's what he wants to do, then I'll do it," she replied.

"You've got moxy, kid," he said back.

Natsu slammed a fist into the palm of his other hand and let out an good-natured snicker. "I believe in you, Genna. You're gonna do great."

Touched at his support, Genna told him, "Thank you for your faith in me, Natsu."

He then added, "Whatever Gramps decides to have you do when he gets back, you'll show him you've got what it takes to be a Wizard of Fairy Tail."

"Is that so?"

An older voice spoke from behind Natsu and he jumped in surprise. There behind him was a very small old man. He was bald with tufts of white hair pointing out from behind his ears, a white mustache and wearing a white coat with fur lining. Next to him was a taller woman wearing silver armor with a blue skirt and her hair was long and a beautiful crimson color. She had a sharp and stoic look on her face.

"There you are. Welcome back, Master and Erza," said Mira gladly.

Genna looked at the old man. This was Master Makarov, Fairy Tail's leader? She never imagined he would be so tiny, but there was certainly a fierceness she could see in his eyes.

He looked up at her, as well, his interest piqued at the new face before him. "You wish to join our guild, young lady?" he asked her.

Nodding, she replied with a steady tone, "Yes, sir. I'm Genna Whitesun; I've been looking for a new guild and I thought Fairy Tail would be a good place for me."

"I see," he said. Then his mustache curled up slightly as he grinned. "Well, we're always happy to welcome new members. Though, not just anyone can enter Fairy Tail without first proving themselves in some way. I did see the display of Starlight Magic you just showed as we were approaching outside. Quite impressive, but we'll need more than that."

"Understood. I'll do whatever you'd like me to do. I want to prove that I'm worthy of the Fairy Tail name," she said, giving him a bow of her head.

The armored woman, Erza, grinned with amusement and laid a hand on her hip. "She's a determined one," she commented to the Master, her voice a touch deeper than Mira's or Lucy's and with a velvety tone to it. "What do you think, Master? What task shall we give her to test her mettle?"

"She could fight you, Scarlet," suggested Gajeel smugly.

"Are you kidding? We don’t want to scare the girl away," Gray rebuttaled.

"Actually, I have just the job in mind; one that I've just received," stated Makarov. "There have been reports of possible dark creatures lurking in the forest outside of Magnolia and even along Akane Beach. These creatures, whatever they are, are causing mass panic among the people and must be dealt with."

That sounded like the perfect job for a Starlight Magic Wizard in Genna's mind. "I can do that, no problem!" she declared.

"All right, that's the spirit!" cheered Natsu.

Gajeel snickered again. "Not sure if that's the kind of job you should do alone, kid," he commented to Genna. "You don't wanna get in over your head too quick or you're gonna fall flat."

"He's right," agreed Erza. "With this sort of job, you'll need someone to accompany you...and since he's shown great concern for your safety, Gajeel will go with you."

Taken by surprise by that remark, he spit out the sip of his drink, splashing Pantherlily in the process. "What?" he cried out.

"You had that coming, Gajeel," Pantherlily jabbed at him, shaking the excess drink off of him.

"Oh...okay," Genna relented, also caught off guard.

She wasn't displeased by Erza's order, but it just wasn't what she was expecting. Gajeel was a hard book to read thus far. He wasn't being mean to her; he was sarcastic and a tease, for sure, but he also wasn't exactly going out of his way to be nice. He was somewhere in between and it was interesting to her. The others; Mira, Pantherlily, Natsu, Gray, Lucy, Happy and Erza were all more than kind and welcoming to her, but Gajeel...he seemed indifferent. Just who exactly was he? Well, if he was gonna be going with her on this mission, maybe she'd get to find out.

Before Gajeel could further protest, Makarov chimed in, a pleased look on his face, "It's settled then. Gajeel and Genna will head out as soon as possible and deal with the dark creatures terrorizing the forest. I wish you the best of luck, young lady, and we look forward to your return."

Smiling giddily, Genna said with gratitude, "Thank you, Master Makarov. I won't let you down."

"You're gonna do great, Genna! Can't wait for you to get back," said Lucy, giving her an encouraging thumbs up and a wink.

"Go knock 'em dead," added Gray.

"Thanks, guys," Genna replied.

At the bar, Gajeel downed rest of his drink and groaned heavily as he set the cup down. "Ugh...well, this oughta be good," he complained to Pantherlily.

"You brought this on yourself, my friend," the Exceed refuted. "You had to make a comment to her."

"Hey, if I'm going, then you're in this with me, Lily," Gajeel replied, annoyed.

"I'm already aware of that," Lily responded.

There was movement out of the corner of Gajeel's eye and he turned to see Genna standing there.

"I guess it looks like you and I will be working together," she said to him, a hint of shyness in her voice. "I don't want to be a hindrance, but I appreciate the help. I'm currently staying at a hotel in town. I can go get some of my things from there and meet you back here. Does that sound good?"

"Fine by me," he replied flatly.

"Great. I'll be back soon," she said and quickly took off.

He watched her run out of the guild hall, seemingly unsure about how to feel about the whole situation. He was a seasoned Wizard who didn't always like associating the bright-eyed and bushy-tailed newbies of the guild who seem to think they can take on the world. He'd been through his fair share of trials and hardships already that hardly anyone else would understand. Newer wizards had no idea what they were getting themselves into and he didn't have the time or the energy to deal with them. Now, he was getting stuck with this new girl on a job. She was eager, definitely, but he didn't seem as bothered by her. Yet, anyway. She couldn't be that much younger than he was and she seemed more mature than some other new Wizards that had come to Fairy Tail. He wasn't annoyed with her and instead, just felt the urge to be teasing and smug with her; have a little fun and mess with her a bit, which didn't happen often.

He said to Lily, who was still standing on the bar and also watching Genna leave, "This job's gonna be interesting."

"I agree. She's got drive and spirit...she'll make a perfect addition to Fairy Tail," Lily stated.

As she ran through the streets to her hotel, Genna couldn't stop smiling with elation and slight disbelief at everything that had just happened.

"I can't believe it," she said to herself. "I've got my first job already. It's finally happening. I'm getting my chance." Her eyes lifted up to the sky. "Just you wait, Father. I'll prove you wrong. I'll show what I'm made of to everyone and I'll become a Wizard of Fairy Tail! You'll see!"

#fairy tail #fairy tail gajeel #gajeel redfox #gajeel x oc fic #ironstar fanfic

7 notes · View notes

13eyond13 · 3 months ago

Text

hmmmm not me immediately having to go listen to Chop Suey! after being tagged.... thx @translightyagami. I liked the little write-ups you did too, I might snag that idea.

I'm curious to find out what percentage of mine will be the Beatles too, tbh... my bet is a definite non-zero chance, but we'll see!!

rules: shuffle your “on repeat” playlist and post the first 10 songs, then tag 10 people to do the same.

1. I Should Have Known Better by the Beatles (haha, IMMEDIATELY with the Beatles, I guess I SHOULD'VE KNOWN BETTER than to think it might not be the case... This really is one of their all-time bops to me though, probably the first Beatles song I ever got obsessed with. Such a good lil puppy love anthem!)

2. Float On by Modest Mouse (another one that represents the first song by a fave artist that I ever obsessed over. Mayhaps this will turn out to be a theme? Will never stop loving this band, though I haven't listened to them much in years)

3. The Bottom by Tomáš Dvořák (because not only is Machinarium one of the cutest little puzzle games I've ever played, but its soundtrack makes for the perfect writing concentration music to zone out to for me!)

4. If I Fell by the Beatles (I'm really surprised by this one tbh, I don't feel like I actually listen to it that much? Still cute, though)

5. Like A Boss by The Lonely Island (ahahah... I recently found an old 2009 playlist and then remembered The Lonely Island exists, and ngl I was listening to this one purely because I was imagining it as those!Light)

6. get him back! by Olivia Rodrigo (I went down a little rabbithole of learning about gen Z musicians recently thx to @gutsgf... this one also had a Those association for me at the time, I was laughing imagining it as those!L getting his sweet part 2 revenge on those!Light... can you tell I have been re-reading the fic?)

7. BIRDS OF A FEATHER by Billie Eilish (such a pretty song, it's definitely on here just cuz I never get tired of it)

8. Rocket Man by Elton John (I watched the Elton biopic recently due to wanting more Beatles lore and then was like, dang this song goes kinda hard, actually...)

9. Goin' In (Skrillex Goin Hard Remix) by Birdy Nam Nam (lol I recently remembered Birdy Nam Nam exists and then found this bop on Spotify and also remembered that Skrillex exists)

10. Need 2 by Pinegrove (no other song throws me back to my midwest emo kid shoegazin' roots harder and more immediately than this little ditty)

tagging @gutsgf @rikiishi @pika-cthuluuuuu @poruchik-logy and anybody who is currently wearing blue jeans that wants to be tagged by me, consider yourself tagged!

@lightyakami tagged me and i didn't do the last one xie tagged me in because when you have a thinning hairline and beard, picrews become less fun. so i am doing this one because it is very fun.

rules: shuffle your "on repeat" playlist and post the first 10 songs, then tag 10 people to do the same.

crying by roy orbison

the last paradise by haruomi hosono

ode to an african violet by mort garson

ghost cowboys by louie zong

blue bayou by linda ronstadt

you're not the only one i know by the sundays

a mellow mood for maidenhair by mort garson

headlock by imogen heap

circle the drain by soccer mommy

chop suey! by system of the down

um i'm going to tag @13eyond13 @discosnail @herbert-best @howdyspacebuddy @lesbian-misa-amane @queersturbate @thequadrantids @eyecicles @dancainmanpain @ruffaloon

commentary on the list under the cut

uh, i am just in a very david lynch mood lately. i like singing the crying part in my car, TBH.

okay this will be an overarching explanation: i often play music for my coworkers in my office and tend to choose instrumental biz that i like and keeps things upbeat. so, its a lot of japanese jazz.

i also play a LOT of mort garson

i also play a LOT of louie zong

i heard this in a bar a few days ago and it rules so i keep playing it

heard it on a soccer mommy radio playlist and it good

A LOT OF MORT GARSON. plantasia forever.

this song reminds me of what might play during a kingdom hearts commercial. i think they should make songs weird and dramatic like this again.

soccer mommy good. i saw her a few weeks ago in the cold rain and it was great.

if i could make AMVs, i would make a light yagami one set to this song. specifically the father part.

#bops #tagged in #p

20 notes · View notes

photogirl894 · 16 days ago

Text

"IronStar"

Chapter 8

"Iron and Stars"

A "Fairy Tail" fanfic!

Pairing: Gajeel x fem OC

A/N: I'm honestly surprised at how much inspiration I've gotten for this fic lately, especially since the first season of Fairy Tail 100 Year's Quest ended a while ago, so I haven't been watching the show and feeling the need to write it like before. Maybe it's cuz more Fairy Tail edits have been popping up for me on TikTok or something 😁

This took a little different of a turn than I originally planned, but the ending was still what I wanted from the beginning! Hope you all enjoy!! 😊

Taglist: @l-lend , @rosechi , @the-bad-batch-baroness , @angrypaperearthquake-tbbb-main

《 Chapter 7

》 Chapter 9

All chapters

Explanation: A dream haunts Gajeel's mind and puts his newly-formed friendship with Genna to the test. Will it be doomed before it even begins or will it only be strengthened and brought to greater heights?

The world around him was as gray as the skies before a thunderstorm. There was only quiet; silence that could drive anyone mad. Gajeel stood in the middle of a cobblestone pathway, leading somewhere he didn’t know. There was a faint light at the end of it that he was curious to see. He took one step and a few flowers suddenly bloomed from between the cracks of the cobblestone. However, when he took that step, there was a metallic creak beneath his boot and he realized that the path wasn’t made of stone, but metal instead and was made to look like cobblestone. He had no idea what was going on or where he was, but there was a pull within him to go towards that light, so he did. With every step he took, more flowers emerged from the cracks in the metal pathway.

Soon, he reached the light and tentatively reached out to touch it. His fingers briefly made contact, the light feeling warm to the touch, before it suddenly disappeared in a quick explosion of light. As the light faded, he then found himself surrounded by a navy blue ocean of stars mixed with hues of purple, pink and light blue. A faint wind weaved through his long black hair as he looked around.

Then he saw her.

Genna, standing a few feet away from him, her long, thick turquoise hair flowing gracefully in the wind as she watched him. A smile, soft and trusting, crossed her pink lips and her blue eyes radiated like the brightest stars.

“There you are…Gajeel,” she said, her voice echoing like a melody and his heart surprisingly skipped a beat hearing her say his name.

“What's goin’ on?” he asked her, looking around in both wonder and confusion.

She seemed to ignore his question as she went on, “I wondered when you would finally come to me.”

His eyes narrowed. “What’re ya talkin’ about?”

Genna walked towards him, almost floating in the air. “You never let anyone in. Not really,” she spoke. “Only just enough for others to catch the slightest glimpse of you on the outside. I can only work at the cracks in your walls for so long. The rest has to be up to you.”

“I don't…what are you saying, Genny?” he asked, still no less puzzled than he was a moment ago.

She stopped in front of him and held up her palm in front of her. A glowing mote of light suddenly descended from above them into her hand. Then with her free hand, she reached down, took his hand and brought his palm up between them. He shuddered slightly at her touch.

“You protect everyone with your iron…,” she said softly as she pressed the mote of light into his gloved hand, gently folding his fingers over it. Then she looked up and met his gaze. “...but who protects you, Gajeel?”

He averted his gaze, her question striking something within him. “I can protect myself,” he muttered.

“It shouldn’t always be just you,” she said in a soothing voice, her hold on his hand tightening. “If you can’t trust others to protect you…then how can others trust you to protect them?”

His eyes widened, the question hitting him like a punch to the gut.

“You fight for Fairy Tail, but you don’t let Fairy Tail fight for you,” she went on. “Let the iron you build around you break down. Let other people in. Let me in.”

“If you knew what I am…what I used to be…everything I've done…,” he began lamenting.

“We all have secrets, Dragonslayer,” she said, letting go of his hand and stepping away from him, her voice becoming distorted. Her eyes then went ghostly white and radiated with light. “It’s what we choose to do with them that defines who we are. We can let ourselves be vulnerable and develop trust with those around us…or we can stay silent and let our secrets slowly destroy us.”

From below her, dark coils sprung forth and wrapped around Genna’s wrists, ankles and her upper body. She didn’t show any signs of resistance and let the tendrils slowly pull her away from Gajeel.

“Genny! Wait!” he called after her, reaching out to grab her.

However, more of the dark tentacles shot out from the ground and stopped his hand, wrapping around his wrist. Then even more sprung up and did the same to him, binding his ankles, wrists and his body to hold him in place. He struggled against this unknown entity, grunting in frustration to try and break free. His eyes snapped back up, catching sight of Genna being pulled further away from him.

Panic enveloped him. “Genna!” he shouted, realizing he was losing her.

“This is your own doing, Gajeel,” she said loudly as she got farther away. “Let down your walls and your chains will be broken. Let me in and you’ll truly be free.”

He strained some more against the darkness that bound him. “What does that even mean?” he questioned.

The Starlight Wizard continued floating even further away.

“Genna!”

Gajeel awoke with a sharp inhale, the light of the morning nearly blinding him as he opened his eyes. His chest was tight and his hand was still curled like he was holding something inside it; the hand she'd pressed the mote of light into. When he opened his fingers, though, nothing was there. He breathed heavily, grounding himself back in reality while still feeling startled by that dream.

What the hell was all that about?

He glanced over to where Genna was asleep and felt a heaviness lift from his shoulders. Good, she was still there and she was unharmed. Wait, why was he worrying about that? Of course, she’d still be there. It had been just a dream; she wasn’t actually disappearing…but the fear he had experienced at watching her drift away had felt just as palpable as the sun on his skin in that moment. Why had he been so troubled over her?

Why was he scared to lose someone he still barely knew?

His ear twitched. There was something coming from down the road behind them. He could hear them. Looking back in the direction of the road, he could see some covered wagons that he recognized. Fairy Tail’s wagons. Looks like the rest of the guild had caught up to them.

He moved over by Genna and lightly shook her shoulder. “Rise n’ shine, sweetheart,” he said. “The rest of the guild is coming down the road.”

She sleepily rubbed her eyes. “Are they?” she asked. “We should go say hi.”

“Better yet, we’ll get you on one of the wagons and get ya home,” he suggested.

That got her attention and Genna perked up immediately. “What about you? You’re not leaving again, are you?”

Gajeel shook his head. “Nah, I’ll just keep walkin’ all the way back.”

“No, you shouldn’t have to. I’ll stay with you.”

“I’ll be fine.”

She wasn't going to let that slide. “It's not that I don't think you'll be fine. I just want--”

He interrupted her, a little gruffer this time, “I said I'll be fine. Don't worry about it.” He was trying to be helpful, so why was she being so insistent on walking with him? She’d be better off on the wagons.

“Gajeel--”

“You’d better get goin’.” He turned away, feeling his frustration building up.

“Not without you. You’ll be alone,” she pressed.

“Maybe I just wanna be alone, okay?!”

Genna reared back a little upon hearing him snap at her. After everything that had happened the night before, he still didn’t want her around and was continuing to push her away? What was with him? Just when she thought she understood him, he pulled something like this. She thought he wanted to be friends…but it looked like she was wrong.

All she could do was shake her head in disappointment while she picked up her blanket and put it in her bag. Then she slung it over her shoulder and stormed away from him towards the road without a single word.

“Genny, wait, I--” he started, but she was already a few paces away and he gave up trying to explain. He hadn’t meant to snap at her and he couldn’t understand why he’d gotten so frustrated. He wasn't mad at her, not really. She was only trying to help; she was trying to be a friend, something he was still getting used to. That and the way she flinched in response to him…he noticed it. That look in her eyes when she turned away haunted him now more than any monster he'd ever fought. Watching her walk away also made him reflect more on the dream he’d had, seeing her float away from him.

“Let down your walls and your chains will be broken. Let me in and you’ll truly be free.”

He still couldn't determine what those words meant, but he had a gut feeling that what he had just done to Genna was the exact opposite. His stomach felt sick all of a sudden and an overwhelming sense of guilt hit him like a wave from the ocean. He ran a hand down his face and groaned in frustration. How did this girl manage to irritate him and yet make him feel bad for feeling irritated? How was she so agonizingly stubborn yet amazingly intriguing at the same time? He didn’t want her to get attached nor did he want to get attached to her, but he also realized he now didn’t like the thought of her not being there. The dream had made him see that.

Perhaps it was too late for him to not get attached now. In a short time, he’d already gotten in too deep. How did this star girl manage to get him like this? He hated it and wanted to not care…yet he didn’t think he could now.

He decided he’d wait until the wagons drove off to start his trek back to Fairy Tail, especially now that he knew he’d have to carry the guilt of his behavior the whole way back.

Genna got up to the side of the road and waved over the first wagon, putting on a smile so no one could tell that she was upset as she cried out to them.

“Hey, there's Genna!” she saw Lucy call after peeking her head out of the wagon.

As the transport stopped by her, she heard Natsu cry in misery, “Ugh, thank you for stopping!” It seemed he was suffering motion sickness again.

Levy stuck her head out. “Hi, Genna! Erza told us you left with Gajeel. What happened?”

“We're…journeying separately for now. I got too tired and he figured it'd be best if I finished the journey home on the wagons,” she said, which was partially the truth.

They told her to climb in and she just sat on the very edge, facing the road as it pulled away. She looked down at her hands in her lap, feeling a growing emptiness inside the further away she got from Gajeel. She hadn’t even argued further after he’d blown up at her. All she had done was just stare at him, wounded, before turning away. Now, she wished she had said something; anything. Even “fine” would’ve felt better than the silence she’d left hanging between them.

He always pushed people away. She knew that and had been warned previously about it. She’d accepted that part of him…but it still hurt that she wasn’t the exception yet, even though she was trying so hard. Maybe she was trying too hard and was being too pushy about it. Maybe that was the problem. Should she back off a bit? It was hard to tell what she should do when his reactions to her were so mixed.

They were a few yards away when she saw him emerge from off the side of the road. Her mouth opened to call out to him, but then she stopped, not knowing what she would say and thinking he wouldn't want to hear anything from her anyway. She'd inevitably get to the guild hall before him, so she'd have to wait to talk to him again…if he even went right to the guild hall at all.

Now back at the Fairy Tail guild, Genna sat at one of the long tables near the back of the guild hall, chin in her hand and poking at a plate of food she hadn’t touched for a few minutes. The laughter and bustle of the guild washed over her, but the multitude of sounds felt muted in her ears.

She hadn’t expected her argument with Gajeel to sit this heavy on her. Yet there she was: quiet, frustrated and doing her best not to replay his words over and over in her head. Why did his actions affect her so much? How had he gained this much control over her emotions? This wasn’t like her. She’d had crushes on other men before, but it had never been this bad.

“Hey, Genna!”

She looked up, startled out of her sulking, as Levy slid into the seat across from her, smiling gently.

“You okay?” Levy asked her.

Genna hesitated. “I’m fine,” she replied, trying to muster a happy face.

Levy raised an eyebrow at her. “I know it hasn’t been long, but I feel like I know you well enough to know that’s a lie,” she said back.

Right after that, Natsu, Lucy and Happy came over. Lucy sat beside Levy while Natsu slid onto the bench next to Genna and Happy stood on the edge of the table by him.

“Did Gajeel say something dumb to you earlier? ‘Cause if he did, I’ll give him a good beatdown for ya!” Natsu stated, slamming a fist into his other hand to drive home his point.

“You would do that no matter what, Natsu,” Lucy remarked.

With a shrug, Happy said, “He’ll find any excuse to fight him.”

Genna let out a small chuckle and then shook her head. “No, it’s nothing like that,” she explained. “He wanted me to come back on the wagons instead of staying with him and I didn’t want him to travel alone. He ended up snapping at me. I think I pushed him too much.”

Levy reached across the table to squeeze Genna’s hand. “I’m sure that’s not the case. You both were trying to look out for each other. He’s just stubborn…and terrible at saying what he means when he’s trying to show he cares.”

“He does care, though,” said Natsu. “For someone who acts so grumpy, I’ve seen him actually light up around you.”

Surprised, Genna turned her head to look at him. “He does?”

As Natsu opened his mouth to answer, another deep voice answered, “It’s true. I’ve seen it, too.”

They all looked to see Pantherlily with his wings unfolded landing on the other end of the table by Genna. As his feet touched down, his wings vanished.

“Hey, Lily,” Happy greeted him.

“I never saw you yesterday at the beach,” Genna pointed out. “Where were you?”

Moving closer to her on the table, Lily responded, “I came straight back after our last job. I figured the guild needed someone to guard it while the rest of you were away. Now, back to the matter at hand.” He folded his little Exceed arms across his chest. “I overheard what happened and I also meant what I said. I’ve seen Gajeel smile your way, Genna, when he thinks no one is looking. You bring out a different side of him that most if not all of us have never seen.”

She could feel the heat rising in her cheeks, knowing that everyone at the table was probably looking at her now. The thought of Gajeel looking at her when she wasn’t paying attention made her stomach do flips in ways she’d never experienced.

Lucy gave her a warm look. “You didn’t do anything wrong, Genna. Wanting to stay with someone and keep them company, even when they don’t ask for it; that’s not something to be ashamed of. Gajeel, I guess, doesn’t quite know how to accept that kind of help yet.”

“But he will if you keep at it. I’m sure of it,” Lily added with an encouraging smile.

Natsu then threw an arm around Genna’s shoulder, showing absolutely no understanding of personal space, but she didn’t care. “And hey, if he tries to push you away again, just throw him over your shoulder and carry him back yourself.”

She laughed nervously. “I might have been able to carry him before, but I had my magic wings to support me. I don’t think I can carry that heavy metal head all the way back to the guild on foot.”

“Then just call me, then,” said Natsu, jabbing his thumb into his chest. “I’ll gladly lug him around like the sack of potatoes he is.”

Genna laughed; a real laugh this time and she could feel her burdens growing lighter. The hurt wasn’t gone entirely just yet, but it was fainter now having been reassured and comforted by these people; people who didn’t ask her to hide when she was upset and who made her laugh even when she didn’t want to.

Her friends.

Levy squeezed her hand again. “He’ll come around, you know.”

“Yeah…I sure hope so,” Genna said back.

“Group hug?” Natsu offered with a big, eager grin.

“No,” Lucy, Lily and Levy said in unison.

“Too late!” he shouted, already lunging across the table for everyone.

The resulting pile-up of people and Exceeds sent everything flying and chairs scraping across the floor, which caused Erza to yell at them for their behavior--mostly Natsu--but the laughter that followed was worth every scolding.

“Natsu, you’re squishing me!” Happy cried, his voice muffled and strained from the weight of Natsu’s body, for which Natsu apologized and climbed off of everyone.

Genna wanted to say something, but she couldn’t stop laughing. She certainly seemed in better spirits now.

“See? Isn’t that better?” Natsu asked,

“Yes, I do feel much better,” she replied as Natsu helped her up and then Lucy. Then she glanced to Lily and inquired, “Is Gajeel back yet? Have you seen him?”

He started to shake his head, but then looked up as something caught his eye. “Wait…he’s up there,” he said, pointing.

They all looked in the direction he was gesturing to and were amazed to see Gajeel upstairs on the upper balcony overlooking the hall, leaning against one of the support pillars as well as the bannister. He wasn’t looking in their direction, his attention elsewhere.

“When did he get up there?” Levy asked, confused.

All of a sudden, Natsu had his scarf wrapped over his head except for his eyes and held his hands up in a defensive stance. “Maybe he’s a ninja,” he declared, pretending to be one himself.

Lily sprouted his wings and levitated himself beside Genna. “Now that you both have had time to clear your heads and calm down, you should go speak to him. If you need me to step in, just say the word and I’ll fly right up there.”

She reached up and gave him some scritches behind his ears, which made him shudder and curl in delight. “Thanks, Lily,’ she said.

At that same time, Gajeel leaned against the banister on the second floor, arms crossed and eyes scanning the buzzing room below like he wasn’t sure he wanted to be part of the goings-on, but he also wasn’t quite ready to leave either. This was a constant feeling that he experienced just about everyday.

Then he saw something turquoise move out of the corner of his eye and he moved only his eyes to see what was going on. He saw Genna walking away from the group she was with and, to his slight surprise, was making her way to the stairs.

“Crap, guess she saw me,” he thought. Guess he’d avoided it long enough and it was time to face the music. He’d had plenty of time to mull things over on the walk back to Magnolia and there were things we wanted to say to her.

Before long, he could hear the creaking of the floorboards close by and her head of turquoise hair appeared in his peripheral vision. His fingers dug into his skin a little more, bracing himself for whatever she was going to say.

She stepped forward. “Gajeel…?” she said, her voice timid and light.

He didn’t look at her, but she caught the way his jaw tightened upon hearing her, which came across as a hint of acknowledgment.

“I wanted to say…I’m sorry,” she began. “About before. I shouldn’t have--”

“Don’t. I don't want your apology,” he cut in, his tone low and firm.

Genna blinked and her throat tightened. “What?”

He finally looked at her, his red eyes dark but steady. “You got nothin’ to be sorry for, Genna.”

She opened her mouth, astonished, but he pushed away from the post and stepped closer. Not quite touching her, but close enough to make her heart jump up to her throat. He didn’t call her “Genny”, so she knew he was being serious.

“I'm the one who screwed up,” he said. “I didn’t mean to snap at you. I just….” He looked away, his jaw clenching. “I had a rough night and I'm just still trying to figure out how to deal with…people. Especially ones who actually give a damn about me.”

Genna’s breath caught. She knew he wasn’t always good with words, but sometimes he said just enough. This looked like one of those times.

“You shouldn't have had to see me like that. That's on me,” he added, quieter now. “I don't know what I’m doin’; I get in my own damn head and I feel like I ain't good at this whole friend thing.”

Her expression softened. “You’ll learn how to be good at it and I can help you. You don’t have to act strong all the time in front of me, you know.”

He scoffed. “You're tellin’ that to the guy who’s spent most of his life provin’ he was. Bein’ strong and not showin’ weakness is all I know.”

Instinctively, she reached out, gently touching his arm, feeling the cold, metallic surfaces of the studs in his skin. “Being vulnerable and letting people see that side of you is not a weakness. That's how you build trust and friendships. You don’t have anything to prove to me.”

He didn’t shy away. He just stood there a moment, looking steadfastly into her eyes for any signs of deceit or doubt…of which, he found none.

“I know,” he said. His eyes looked to the ground hesitantly for a minute. “I didn't mean to make you feel like I didn’t want you around. That ain’t true.” Then he seized the moment and locked eyes with her. “I do, Gen…more than I might let on.”

Genna smiled and her heart leapt within her chest. “I know,” she echoed, lowering her hand back down to her side. “I already know what I’m getting myself into, Gajeel, and I’m in it for the long haul, okay?” she asked, giving him a reassuring gaze.

He simply nodded.

“And please, let me know if I am going too far in any way; if I push you too much,” she added. “I know this is different for you and I don’t want to overdo it.”

“I will,” he said. “I might still need a push here and there, but…you’re okay for now.”

The silence that was once between them was now broken; the tension driven away. Both Genna and Gajeel felt a lot better about how things were now with them. They still had a ways to go, they both knew that, but they were confident they’d be able to help each other along the way.

Then she thought of an idea to help make the moment even better. “Wait right here,” she told him.

He was about to ask where she was going, but she’d already turned on her heel and ran back towards the stairs. He watched her emerge downstairs, but then disappear again underneath the balcony. Was she going to the bar?

There was a whoosh beside his head and he felt a light, cool breeze caress his face. When he turned, he grinned at seeing the little black face of his cat.

“How ya doin’, Lily?” he asked.

“I should be asking you that,” Lily replied. “I just saw Genna run off. Is everything all right?”

Looking back towards where he'd last seen her, Gajeel told him, “Yeah, she just told me to wait here. I don't know what she's doin’.”

“Has everything been resolved between you?” Lily asked.

Gajeel returned his attention to his companion. “Seems like it.”

“And you actually apologized?”

“Don't push it.”

Lily chuckled in amusement. “Genna has surely changed you quite quickly, Gajeel.”

Gritting his teeth as he felt his cheeks going hot, Gajeel said back, “I just said don't push it.”

“You know it's true, my friend. You may not admit it aloud, but the way you smile at her when she's not looking or the way you blush at the mention of her name tells it all without words.”

The Iron Dragonslayer brought a fist up to his forehead. He liked Lily and trusted him, but he hated sometimes how Lily tried to invoke his more emotional side. He didn't do emotions yet his cat seemed insistent that he embrace them more. It was one thing when Lily tried to get him to interact more with the other guild members, but now that Genna was in the picture, Lily had become more pushy.

“Whaddya want from me, Lily?” he questioned.

Lily, however, simply grinned and flew back down towards the rest of the guild without a word.

“Dumb cat…,” Gajeel muttered, wondering why he'd just suddenly flown away with a smug look on his face. “Ugh, I need a drink.”

There was a nudge on his shoulder and he turned to look, finding Genna leaning on the banister next to him, holding two mugs. She smiled and held one of them up in front of him without a word.

"Startin’ to read my mind now, are ya?" Gajeel asked, accepting the drink.

"Nah," Genna said. "Just thought you’d rather drink up here. That and I saw Elfman started another arm-wrestling competition down there with the other guys. Figured you didn't wanna get dragged into that either."

He huffed. "The guy’s always gotta prove he's manly all the damn time," he grumbled before taking a swig.

They drank in silence for a moment. The laughter from below felt like a different world. Up on the balcony, it was just the two of them, enjoying each other's company again now that there was no longer any contention between them. It was nice, comfortable; familiar even.

Now that they were okay, Genna wanted to bring up what she tried to talk to him about the night before. “Gajeel, I've been thinking,” she said.

“Careful, you'll hurt yourself,” he jabbed back, smirking.

She elbowed him, eliciting a snicker from him. “Shut up,” she chided him, though she chuckled still. His teasing was welcome after the events of the morning.

“All right, what's up?” he asked, taking another drink.

After taking a sip herself, she explained, “I've noticed back on the beach…and even on our first job…you and I fight well together.”

“Damn right,” he replied.

She released a slow, quiet breath, preparing to ask the big question. “I know there are a few smaller teams that do jobs together here in Fairy Tail. Natsu has his team, Levy has Shadow Gear and Laxus has the Thunder Legion. What if…you, me and Lily formed a team of our own?”

He gave her a skeptical side-eye. “You realize what that means, right? You'd be stuck with me on every job you go on.”

“Yeah…and?”

“You haven't gone on jobs with any of the other guild members yet. How do you know you wouldn’t like goin’ with anyone else instead?”

“Because I don't want to do jobs with anyone else. I want to go on jobs with you.”

His studded eyebrows rose up in response.

Then she went on, “Besides, remember when our magic somehow fused together in the fight last night?” She looked out towards the main hall below. “That's never happened to me before with anyone and something about it felt…right almost. I don't know if you believe in this kind of thing, but I see that as a sign; a sign that maybe we're meant to fight together. We…we make a good team," Genna said softly, almost like she was testing the words.

Gajeel didn’t respond right away. He stared down at the Fairy Tail emblem on the wall; the one he’d fought like hell to earn, which was what had led him to this moment.

Slowly, he nodded. "Yeah. We do.”

Forming a team would be a big step for both of them. He couldn't deny that fighting alongside Genna had felt different than with anyone else in the guild, even the other Dragonslayers. There was something about the way they so naturally worked well together…and the Starforged Iron Barrage technique they had unintentionally created had felt incredible. The way his power had increased with her help was one of the best feelings he’d ever experienced. If they were to continue like that, there was no telling what other things they could do together; what more magical abilities they could create.

Plus, even though he wouldn't admit it out loud, he wouldn't mind spending more time with her. He'd meant it when he told her he wanted her around. Even though he acted like he found her persistence annoying, there was a part of him that appreciated it, too. There was someone that genuinely wanted to know him and wasn't backing down at the first sign of resistance. Her charms seemed to be working their way through the walls he put up and under his skin. He realized he was starting to grow accustomed to her presence. He wouldn't mind seeing her pretty face and enchanting smile every day….

His thoughts were broken by her saying, “It sounds strange, I know. I mean, who would think to put iron and stars together, right?”

He glanced at her and she met his gaze at the same time. There was the faint shimmer of starlight always lingering in her eyes, a defining trait that had become something he recognized even in his dreams.

Something about her last statement stuck out to him. "Iron and stars," he repeated, quiet and a little rough, his eyes flitting up to the ceiling. "Iron…and stars…."

Genna tilted her head, curious. "Gajeel?"

The words “iron and stars” were repeated by him one more time before he smiled with pride, his white teeth showing this time. Then he looked back at her.

"We'll be Team IronStar."

She blinked and then grinned wide enough to make his stomach flip. Not only did she love the name, but it dawned on her this was his way of saying he was accepting her offer to form a team. They were actually going to be partners!

“That actually sounds badass,” she commented.

"Damn right, it does," he said proudly, taking a gulp of his drink.

Inching closer to him, she asked for clarification, “So…you’re really saying yes to forming a team with me?”

He gave her a light bump with his shoulder, looking content. “Ah, why the hell not? You’re already a thorn in my side anyway; looks like I ain’t gettin’ rid of ya.”

With a lighthearted laugh, she replied, “You got that right…partner.”

He raised his mug up. “Partner.”

They clinked their mugs together; not loudly, but just a soft tap between two people who’d been through battles, through silence, through uncertainty and had come out stronger for it into something better.

"Team IronStar," Genna repeated, as if testing how it felt on her tongue before finishing her drink.

Gajeel didn’t say anything…but he liked the sound of it, too. Especially when she said it.

“Do you think Lily will be okay with this?” she asked Gajeel after setting her empty mug down on a table behind them and returning beside him.

Just then, they heard a flap of wings behind them and Lily suddenly appeared between them, leaning on both their shoulders. “I think that’s a wonderful idea.”

“How do you keep poppin’ up like that?” Gajeel inquired.

Lily didn’t get to answer the question as he was pulled into Genna’s tight embrace. “I'm so glad you do, Lily,” she said sweetly as she hugged him as if she were cuddling her favorite teddy bear.

All he did was smile, enjoying the hug.

“There's one thing, though: we gotta go through the old man first to get the go-ahead to form a team,” Gajeel stated.

Lily, who was still being held by Genna, said in return, “I'm not worried. I'm sure Makarov will gladly approve.”

Getting excited at the prospect, Genna suggested, “Let's go talk to him now! He was by the bar when I went downstairs.”

“Lead the way, then, Genny,” said Gajeel.

On instinct, she almost opened her mouth to correct him, but then she stopped. At this point, there was no changing that he was going to call her “Genny” regardless of the fact that he knew her name. By now, it had evolved into his playful nickname for her instead of a way to mess with her. Though, in all honesty, she was actually starting to get used to it now…and maybe even liked it, too. Though, he would be the only one that would be allowed to call her that. That was Gajeel's name for her and no one else's.

Gajeel finished his drink, set the mug aside and they all then ran off to the stairs, Genna at the front and Gajeel behind her with Lily flying between them. It didn't take them long to spot the Master sitting at the bar, chatting with Laxus, Erza and Mira, as usual. Genna called out to the Master to get his attention and the small, balding man turned her away.

“Good to see you, Genna. How are you enjoying Fairy Tail?” he inquired of her.

Beaming with gladness, she answered, “I love it very much. I know I haven't been here long, but I already feel like I'm home.”

“As well you should,” said Makarov. Then he gestured to Laxus next to him. “I don't believe you've officially met my grandson, Laxus.”

“Not officially, no, but I've definitely seen her around. Good to meet you, Genna,” Laxus commented, reminding her of how deep his voice was for a young man. Then he looked at Gajeel behind her. “Gajeel,” he said indifferently.

Gajeel just smirked. “How's it goin’, lightning?” he asked back.

Then Genna turned back to Makarov and said, “Master, there's something we wanted run by you.”

“I'm all ears,” he replied.

Gajeel stepped up beside Genna and Lily hovered on his other side. “The three of us wanna form a team.”

Everyone's eyes all went wide.

“You…Gajeel, the lone wolf, want to be on a team with someone else?” Laxus questioned.

“Hey, your gramps might be the guild Master, but I'll still kick your ass,” Gajeel threatened with a glare.

“That's just…so unexpected,” said Mira, though she appeared more pleasantly surprised.

Erza, however, had a pleased grin on her face. “Well…I, for one, am not as astonished by this. I did tell Genna I thought she and Gajeel made a great team. It seems that she's taken that to heart.”

“I have and I appreciated that a lot, Erza,” Genna responded, giving her a grateful nod. Looking back at Makarov, she told him, “Gajeel and I get along, we've already fought alongside each other a couple of times and we've found we work really well together. We want to make it official so we can continue doing jobs together.”

Makarov started rubbing his beard thoughtfully. “Hmm…Gajeel, Genna and Lily, eh? Quite a crew I wouldn't have put together myself…but would certainly be a powerful one.”

With a hearty chuckle, Laxus remarked, “Sounds like a team that would scare a dark guild straight just by showing up.”

“They’d certainly be formidable,” Erza added. “Their magic types complement each other well. I saw it during the battle with the sea serpent last night. It was quite impressive.”

Genna and Gajeel exchanged amused looks.

Then Mira said, smiling widely, “And it’s always good to see more teams forming. It really strengthens the bonds of the guild.”

Seeing the other three seemed to approve of this new pairing, Makarov got a twinkle in his eye as he looked back at Genna and Gajeel. “Do you have a name for your team?” he asked.

“Team IronStar,” Genna informed him eagerly. Then she nudged Gajeel in the arm. “Gajeel thought of it.”

He grimaced slightly at her bringing the attention to him.

Laxus scoffed playfully. “Not as cool as ‘Thunder Legion’,” he teased.

Gajeel's fists clenched and he quietly growled.

Then Genna sassed him back, saying, “At least our team name applies to both our abilities and not just one person's like yours.”

Laxus grunted in surprise at her comeback while Gajeel grinned, impressed once again at her moxy.

“She's got you there, Laxus,” Mira commented through a small giggle.

Right then, Makarov climbed onto his barstool and then stepped up onto the bar. “Erza, if you wouldn't mind, would you get everyone to listen up?” he asked.

“Certainly, Master,” Erza said. Then she bellowed out with her authoritative voice, “Everyone, quiet down this instant!”

To the rest of Fairy Tail, Erza yelling was always a sign to shut up and everyone got quiet immediately, halting all conversations and stopping everything they're doing to direct their attention to her.

“Master Makarov has an announcement,” she declared, not as loudly this time, but enough for everyone to still hear it.

“My children…I have said for a long time that we are all a family,” Makarov began, “and in this family, there are a few groups who are closer than others. We have teams in our guild made of members who get along the best and complement each other well in combat. We have the Thunder Legion, Shadow Gear and Team Natsu. I am now happy to announce that another new official team will be added to our guild.”

Everyone seemed to perk up even more, eager to hear the new addition.

“This new team will be composed of Gajeel Redfox, Genna Whitesun and Pantherlily,” said the Master, gesturing to them with an open hand, “and they shall henceforth be known as Team IronStar!”

The guild erupted right away in cheers, claps and a few wolf whistles. Natsu punched the air with excitement, Gray smirked and Levy offered a proud smile towards Genna and winked gladly. Genna smiled back and gave a small wave to her in return. Gajeel glanced her way and felt his lips curve up at seeing how happy she was at the prospect of their new team.

“You're smiling again,” Lily said quietly in his ear, levitating by his head.

“So what if I am? This is a good moment,” Gajeel said back, not even resisting it this time.

Seeing Genna smiling gave him an impulse to do something he normally would never do. He moved closer to her, crouched down and picked her up with ease, setting her hip on his shoulder as she cried out in alarm at suddenly leaving the ground. Wrapping his arm outside her legs, he looked up at her with a mischievous grin.

Then he called out to the guild, “The rest of you better watch out…’cause Genny, Lily and I are gonna take you all down!”

“We're not doing this to fight the rest of the guild, Gajeel,” Genna said out of the corner of her mouth, leaning over.

Natsu clenched his fists at his sides and got a cheesy, ecstatic grin. “You're on, Gajeel!”

“I'm just enjoyin’ the moment, that's all,” Gajeel said, looking up at Genna, his gaze softening as it found her. “We're a team now. You've got my back and I've got yours. You and I are gonna take on the whole world together.”

Those words meant more to Genna than Gajeel could ever realize and her smile got even bigger to where her cheeks almost hurt from smiling. This was more than she had ever dreamed would happen upon joining Fairy Tail and her joy could not be described.

Gajeel held on just a little tighter to her legs as she cheered with the rest of the crowd in celebration. This girl was unlike anyone he'd ever met and the thought of being in a team with her actually made him even more excited. They would now train together, go on jobs and spend a lot of their time with one another and that was something he wasn't gonna complain about.

Her words from his dream echoed once again in his mind: “Let down your walls and your chains will be broken. Let me in and you’ll truly be free.”

Maybe what he'd just done; this step he'd taken in forming a team with Genna was a step in that direction she'd brought up in his dream. He was letting her in, allowing her to be more involved in his life and in that moment, he was already feeling freer than he ever had.

Even though he still had no idea what was to come now, he knew one thing for sure: Genna was a part of his future now…and that, for once, made him eager for the new adventures that awaited them; Gajeel, Genna and Lily: the newly formed Team IronStar.

#fairy tail #fairy tail fanfic #gajeel redfox #gajeel x oc fic #ironstar fanfic

1 note · View note