#jellal fanfiction

[gymjunkie412]

📖Wooing a Dragon📖

This is the title of the one shot. It's a fanfic full of one shots and maybe 6-7 continuous series. This book has like 500+ chapters😱 and it actually is worth going through it during my free time haha. I draw the scenes that I find amusing, and that took my attention when I was reading it, but also out of context stuff🤣

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FanFic: Tails and Fairies, Chapter 1

Author: ricardianscholar clark-weasly

Source: FanFiction.Net

[beargyufairy]

Love you to the moon and to Saturn 🌙🪐

[kiliinstinct]

Chapter 29:

Rating: R Pairing: Nalu FF.Net || AO3 [Ch: 1] ||| [Prev] | [Next] A lil' late, but could be worse. March Post Dates: 28th (Yes, my Birthday!) April Post Date: 16th As you can see, there will be only one post next month due to me taking part in Camp Nanowrimo. (Similar to Nanowrimo but shorter.) Two chapter posting will continue in May

Lucy craved those nights where she rested with ease, letting the comfort wash over her in a wave. Now she struggled to hold onto sleep, curled tightly beneath her covers and pressed against the wall, as though they could keep her errant thoughts at bay.

Of course she knew that Kage was too injured to be of danger to her. And she trusted Makarov's decision with the other mysterious newcomers. She knew she was safe. Except every time Lucy shut her eyes, she couldn't quiet the restless voices of the stars crowding her mind.

With her magic stable she thought that she could fully understand them or speak to them at will; That these painful night terrors would cease. But they persisted, louder now as they clamored for her attention. 

The warnings were jumbled, as if thousands of echoing voices spoke at once. They spoke over each other in a desperate attempt to get their messages across. Lucy could barely make sense of them, the words were said too quick for her to catch only bits and pieces.

'--careful-'

'Don't.---- trust—-draconis'

'--safe–, find safety-'

Sharp pain ripped through her temples, pricking the corners of her eyes with hot tears when she tried to focus on their distress.  She couldn’t find her voice as it was overwhelmed by another cacophony of voices swelling inside her skull. The pain felt blinding even though her eyes were shut.  With gritted teeth, a whimper slipped through, and finally the voices from the sky dimmed their voices. The sudden reprieve left her confused and light headed, but with no answers.

And in the following, guilty silence, a few whispers would follow, 'we're sorry...'

It was maddening. Did all of her clan have this issue when their abilities first developed, or was she simply an unpracticed novice with no grasp of her blood right? 

Sleep did claim her, eventually, though her fingers still clutched tightly to the blankets. Her head felt stuffed with cotton. A muted feeling that felt almost as choking as the multitudes of shouts that had plagued her  before.

Though the stars were silent, peace evaded her.

Dreams- no, memories? -hazily filled her mind; Of blood red moons and blackened skies coupled by a piercing howl. They held the soured taste of rotting flesh and permeated the air beneath her blanket. Paralyzed by the visions that have haunted her since winter, she  stared, unseeing at her ceiling as each visage crossed her mind. She thought the dreams had stopped, but that was a short blessing before they returned in a cacophonous nightmare. A calm before the storm.

Just like the star’s cryptic warnings, these visions overtook Lucy and filled her with a confused panic. Some were sickeningly familiar despite the shifting landscapes that she struggled to comprehend. Each new horror she was forced to witness was met with the equal struggle to piece it all together. 

All too late, the spell broke and she woke with a start, body finally moving as she screamed from a phantom pain tearing through her chest. She recalled the talons that struck her down, again and again, and choked on nonexistent blood. Sweat coated her skin, but she shivered, curling into herself as she grounded herself to the home around her. Safe and far from danger, and suddenly too cramped and exposed all at once.  It was a contradiction that left her vulnerable. The walls of her empty home provided little comfort as the last vestiges of her dreams echoed in the chaos of her mind. 

Her heart pounded painfully in her chest and she slipped from her covers to stand on wobbly feet.  She could still taste the blood and nausea dizzied her. She stumbled to the nearest tub of water in a desperate attempt to rid herself of the taste. She needed to get rid of it; for everything to stop before she fell apart. She needed -

Air. 

She needed air.

After one sip, Lucy stopped sharply and turned, making a beeline for the doorway. She barely had the mind to put on her sandals properly, leaving them half tied and clinging to the bottom of her feet as she hurried out of her home.

The chemise she wore dropped past her ankles, trailing against the dirt path. It didn’t register in her hazy thoughts. Too out of it to consider her state of dress, or to bother lifting it to avoid catching dirt. There was no thinking, not even to consider her destination. There was just the need to escape the stuffy air of her own home.

She didn't understand it, and the tears of a pain she barely knew continued to pour from her eyes, dripping down her face.She didn’t  bother to wipe them away.  It wasn't until she was face to face with Natsu's door that she snapped out of her desperate trance. 

Why….did she come here? She wondered, looking to the sky to peer at the stars twinkling through bits of cloud cover. It was a beautiful night and the smell of the sea-salt was a welcome comfort, but her fingers wavered above the handle of the draconis' door, thinking back to the warnings she'd had before her failed rest.

To be wary of a draconis…..Why would she be warned against Natsu? Or was it a different warning entirely? Gnawing at her lip, she looked to where Natsu's nightly keeper should be and bit back a hoarse laugh. 

Apparently, Cana had finally been forced to take her turn. Her heavy snores gave away her location, fast asleep on a mat just behind a barrel they'd used as a table.The scent of alcohol permeated the air.

Wouldn't now be the perfect time to chance an escape, then? Lucy considered the fire user inside, huffing in fond amusement. It was possible, but something in her gut said he'd be there. 

A fact that was proven correct the moment the door swung wide and Natsu's tired, worried eyes met hers. Lucy’s hand still wavered in place, above where the handle used to be and he scrunched his nose at the sight of her.

“You've been crying.” It wasn't a question.

She didn't bother denying it. “I ... I couldn't sleep.”

Their voices were quiet, staring at each other with the crickets and other bugs buzzing along to the sound of the ocean's waves. He must’ve thought her crazy, to come to him in the dead of night, standing at his doorway in her bed wear with half an explanation. It wasn’t her intention to disturb him, but here she was, witnessing his own red-rimmed eyes and tired hunch to his shoulders. A sign to his own difficult night; He likely didn’t need her hanging around in this state. 

He pursed his lips and Lucy cringed. She should leave, she thought.

Natsu however, stepped aside, ushering her in. “C'mon...  there's room.”

She blinked, “... room?”

With pink dusting his cheeks, he cleared his throat and reached for her, tugging her gently by the hand inside. “... my bed's big enough. You can stay.”

“But-” Lucy stammered, feeling her face warm and she coughed, “shouldn't I just-”

“You’re already here. Wouldn’t be right to just send you off when you came all this way.” The door clicked shut behind them. He led her across the (mostly clean) room with a warm hand on her back. She ignored the shiver his body heat caused when it touched her chilled skin. “And….you did it for me once.” he reminded gently, biting back a yawn. 

“Just let me by the window. The wind's cold tonight.” He clambered into bed first, pushing the mound of blankets and pillows towards her. She was left to awkwardly follow suit, scarcely leaving any for him.  He gave no indication he minded. 

And just like that, she felt as if everything fell back into place. The unease of her dream ran to the edges of her mind and the tears stopped stinging at the corners of her eyes. Lucy was finally at ease.

“...thank you.” 

The voices she'd struggled to understand had become static during her short jaunt and the moment her head hit the pillow, they silenced completely. Her body relaxed from the heat of the furs and she snuggled into the offered pillows with little fuss. She was too tired to think about it while basking in the comfort she'd unwittingly sought out. 

She welcomed the quiet and the sensation of Natsu beside her, keeping Lucy grounded into the depths of dreamless sleep. 

Unfortunately, Natsu wasn’t as lucky.

His mind was buzzing with thoughts as the blonde's breathing grew even. Though she resembled a mini mound of blankets, he could still see the top of her head. Her face was uncovered, pressed against the pillow as her golden locks drifted across her face. 

Natsu held back a light snort. She’d taken the small bit of furs he’d tried to save for himself. He didn't really need it, but the fact that she had so swiftly stolen it all was amusing. He braced his back with what was leftover, holding him at an angle and providing a little space between them. Between that little space, he focused on her even breaths in quiet consideration.

Tracks of tears stained her face. The view had disturbed him greatly, though that was nothing new. He never liked it when she cried, but he wasn't so oblivious not to notice the parallel between his own dreams. His nightmares had led him to her bed months ago and the panic she fell into the next morning still haunted him.

Lucy had assured him it was fine, no fault of his own. But he couldn’t rid himself of the guilt he felt for inspiring such panic. The wild look in her eyes had taken him back to the night he found her, terrified and near hysterics. He never wanted to see that look on her again, much less be the one to cause it. 

He'd make certain not to repeat the event. He vowed.

She wrinkled her nose as a strand of hair tickled her nose.  Reaching across the carefully crafted space brush it aside, he paused when a tiny sneeze left her. Natsu smiled, biting back a chuckle. Once upon a time, she would’ve flown into a flustered rage at his attempts to offer comfort. It almost felt a lifetime ago when she’d chase him off to struggle with her nightmares alone. To have her come to him, even when many friends lived much closer to her hut sparked warmth in his chest.

The thought pleased him, though he wished the circumstances were better.

His rest had been unusually light, easily awoken by her scent on the wind accompanied by the cloying smell of his keeper’s many drinks. He'd purposefully flung his door open to check on her, almost certain something must be wrong. The fact she merely wanted comfort should have calmed him, but his instincts boiled inside, calling him to stay alert.

There was something else that tainted the air and had him wary. With her by his side now it was much easier to pinpoint: someone else roaming the streets, and they were circling to his home.

His lip curled at the scent just beyond his walls. Metal, clean and unnaturally sharp pierced the night’s chill air. It carried with it a taste of a home long forgotten. The reminder made his fists ball up tight with a simmering rage.

The strange draconis was here; Denied visiting him all day only for him to escape his confines and come straight to Natsu. He swallowed a snarl as he heard the careful shuffling that passed a blissfully unaware Cana.

He sensed his presence on the edge of the barrier, just out of view of the window's opening, silent like a predator on the hunt.

Unfortunately for him, hiding from another predator would take more skill than that. Natsu growled low in warning, narrowed eyes glancing back and forth between the opening and Lucy.

The presence drawled, low and amused, “Easy now, don't wanna wake the girl do you?”

“You shouldn't be here.”

He chuckled, ”No? It's stuffy in that keep of yours and I got a lil antsy. Figured I'd stretch my legs a bit, enjoy the air, and see the sights. Nice place ya' got here.“

Natsu squinted as he shifted to peer through his window, trying to pinpoint his visitors' exact location. His warning growl never left his throat, sitting there on a low frequency that rumbled through him as the seconds slipped by. A dull ache began to form because of it, but that hardly mattered.

One of Jose's men was right outside and Lucy was right there and -

Natsu’s pupils thinned at this revelation, baring his fangs as heat crawled across his skin, answering to the swell of magic inside him. ”If you think I'm not willing to burn my own house down to keep you away from her, you're dumber than your shadow friend.“

The strange Draconis' laughter cut short, molding to a disgusted snort instead. Natsu listened to him shift, body pressed against the wall just beneath his window. Was he just kneeling there? He narrowed his eyes, watching the sill, barely seeing the bits of jet black hair waving wildly from the soft breeze. 

Natsu heard a soft thud as the man sat down. Mocking amusement laced his hoarse whisper grated his ears. ”The girl’s nothin to me. If I wanted to grab her before she would’ve never made it here in the first place.” 

Cana’s breath hitched from where she slept, making both men pause, but her heavy snores only deepened and the other draconis continued.

“Seriously, how do you think I got here? Your scents all over the place, but finding her waltzing around smelling like you've been tussling in the bed sheets? I couldn’t have asked for an easier trail to follow.”

“... That ain’t- ” Natsu froze in denial, refusing to correct the assumption. If he thought he and Lucy were together, he could use it as another layer of protection for the time being. “Then out with it,” Natsu snarled, “I ain't into vague bullshit. Get to the point.”

“Gihee,” was the only response. Already his temper was reaching its limit and this man’s twisting words were pushing him to fly through the window and rip his hair from his head. 

”Can’t I spare a greetin’ for my fellow clansman?�� The man asked innocently, though something tinged his words that Natsu couldn’t pinpoint. “ I'll head back to my quarters soon enough. Everyone will think I'm being a model guest, promise.“

This wasn't making any sense to Natsu, and the growl he unleashed was louder than intended. Flinching, he glanced back to Lucy who curled in on herself, legs entangled in the blanket, but otherwise, still deep in sleep. 

”Don’t put me in the same box as you,“ He spat, ”you're just another enemy.“

Flames licked at Natsu’s palms as he moved to sit up, patience thinned to nothing. This man broke out for what? To say nothing? Empty words that pulled at buried memories and old feelings. He didn’t have a clan outside of his current home, and the sooner Natsu got the chance to sear it into the other’s brain the better.

A gaping silence met Natsu’s venomous response. No longer could he spot the mane of wild hair. The man’s scent was still heavy. He was still there beneath Natsu’s window,though his once even breathing came in shorter bursts, shallow draws almost muffled as though muffled behind his hand.

A strange guilt gnawed at Natsu’s gut, one that made his fire dim. A rustle of fabric interrupted the silence as the draconis moved. Shifting back to his feet he stood tall, taller than Natsu expected. He blocked most of the moonlight. Natsu was not graced with his face, only met with the swath of wild hair that fell down the tresspasser’s back.

“So that’s how it’s gonna be? Came all this way to see if you're alive and this is the thanks I get?“ He spoke, voice cutting, controlled and devoid of emotion. ”Shame. You replaced your real family that easily. That's gonna hurt your uncle's feelings.“

Natsu's breath caught in his throat, the embers on his palm died instantly, ”My—?”

“Don’t think too much on it. Not your clan remember? When I get back, I can tell our Lord Acno-” 

He wasn’t given the chance to let the name fall from his lips. Fire sparked back to life in a blaze, wrapping around his body as reason left him. There was no consideration to be careful for his bedmate as panic sank its claws into his soul. 

Natsu slammed a fist on the sill, and another swiped the air. He hissed as his visitor ducked from the claws laced with scorching heat that skimmed the edges of his hair. 

“I'll fucking KILL you!” Natsu’s snarl broke the fabric of humanity and shook the walls. His visitor ducked into the shadows from Natsu’s assault with a gleeful chuckle. The conversation was over, and the man disappeared into the night, slipping back to his cell. But his final words latched themselves onto Natsu, as strong as dragon claws.

”better cool it with that temper, Little Sun. A joke ain't nothin' to get twisted over.“

Natsu’s breath shuddered, sharp inhales that weren’t enough to sustain him. His claws dug into the charred window sill, turning to ash the more the seconds raced by. He wanted to give chase. To hunt. To eviscerate. Gleaming scales crawled up Natsu’s arms as he began to climb through the window and felt the pull of Freed’s barrier. He didn’t care.

He needed to get to him.

He could hear the heavy footfalls, rushing back up the slope towards the keep. Keeping his word to return to his quarters would not calm him down. Not now, not when...

Natsu choked on a sob as the sill broke under him. Flickering tendrils of dark flames crawled up the walls of his home. He knew. Natsu had to get him, he couldn’t let him escape. The pull of the barrier felt weak under the strain of his fire slipping through the cracks, attempting to force it open.  

Darkness filled Natsu’s vision as the last grip of reason crumbled. Black embers fell from his skin and thickened to curls as he felt another break in the barrier. That man would beg for mercy for coming to him. For daring to ruin everything he’d been-

There was a snap and red littered the air in dying sparks. The magic that held him against his will was no more. Manic delight filled his golden eyes. He was free.

Lucy's arms wrapped around his middle, heaving with all her strength to drag him away from the damaged opening. His fire blazed brighter, whirling his head back to glare at her with fury. His lips were pulled back in a fiery snarl and heavy smoke twisting free of his bared fangs as he felt the embers gather at the back of his throat. 

”Natsu! Calm down!” 

His heart stopped.

Natsu looked down to meet the horrified eyes of Lucy. He was reminded of a different one, clinging desperately to a tree as she glared at him in fear. A different Lucy who'd called him a monster with the same look of terror. A dream becoming reality before his eyes.

His fire fizzled out. The black flames retreated from the walls to sink back under his skin. His earlier panic faded to sudden guilt. He let her drag away back to the bed. His body was a quivering mess due to adrenaline pumping through his veins, and his heart beat rapped against his chest like a hammer.

Lucy didn’t give him a chance to slip away, holding him tight. Natsu didn’t have the strength in him to fight against her and sank into her arms.

Too much. It was all too damn much.

“You...” He gasped. His fingers dug indents into her arms. He could hear her heart pounding rapidly in her ribcage - A match to his own - and clenched his eyes shut, willing his own tears to disappear before she could see his shame, “Why are you…..?”

She shushed him with soft fingers trailing up his back. He didn't know who was shaking the most, her or himself but a war waged inside of him. The fear and anger demanded he seek out the other draconis and tear into him for the sake of the village and himself, but Lucy's strong presence pulled from him a part that craved comfort, that begged for reassurance. Like some terrified child.

He couldn’t have been telling the truth, was he? That he wasn't after her? Was it all just a joke? A cruel, terrible joke? 

In the quiet of the night, Lucy continued to shush him. Any attempts to learn what she could’ve overheard was dismissed as she pulled him back under his blankets and still held him tight. Natsu was reminded of the rare times he'd gone to Mirajane as a child, terrified of things he didn’t dare name and looked for solace from anyone he could find. 

It had been years since he'd last sought someone out. Within the past few months the vulnerability he choked down reared its head twice now. It was a gift he almost cursed. His teeth clenched tight to bite back the quiet, desperate whines he wanted to unleash. 

“We'll talk in the morning,” She assured him, voice calm and resolute, “... and we can tell Makarov everything, okay?”

He nodded, eyes tightly shut as he basked in her scent and curled against her until he wasn’t quite sure where he ended and she began.  

And quietly, he hoped he'd still agree with her terms when morning came. 

When Natsu woke, Lucy was awake and looking more alert than he felt; Still secured in her arms. Sunlight poured through the window and stabbed at his eyes and he groaned.  When she pulled back, allowing him to sit up, he quietly mourned the loss of her embrace, feeling off-center. 

Groggily he kicked off his share of the blanket and froze when the sheet crumbled to ash in his hand. Natsu bit his lip to hold down a stunned whine. Ducking his head down guiltily, he turned his attention to the wall, but rather than feel better, it only made him worse.

Charred black ran up the walls and coated the ceiling that was now splintered wood threatening to give way. It was a wonder that it hadn’t collapsed in the night. The sill was crushed in two, but he knew his own claw marks anywhere, and the deep gouges were unmissable as the sunlight dipped in the crevices.

Natsu listened as Lucy slid off the bed, too wrapped up in his thoughts to spare her a glance. Until he heard the unmistakable squeak of pain through clenched teeth that made him whip his head around.

It was through some small miracle that only his side of the bed was burnt, Lucy's side was spared.  But Lucy, no matter how quickly she turned away from him, couldn’t hide the unmistakable wounds that dotted her skin.

Her arms were red, angry streaks that crawled up to her elbows from when she’d grabbed him.  Despite her desperate attempt to appear fine, she failed to hide the small wince when she gingerly reached for the nearby roll of bandages to wrap them with. 

He knew burns, and he knew them well. His magic made him familiar with the scents of charred skin. He could tell from a short glance what would mark a victim forever from a mild singe that would fade over time. What damage he caused to the side of his house was far more intense than Lucy's injuries, which looked more like a hot water burn, but that fact didn't mollify Natsu in the slightest. 

He stared with puffy eyes as sickness roiled in his gut. He wanted nothing more than to roll over and vomit the contents of his stomach out onto the floor, but Lucy was between him and the edge of his mattress.

She turned to him when her makeshift bandaging was finished, lips pursed together, “It was an accident. Don't blame yourself. You didn't mean to hurt me.“

”That doesn't make it any better!“ He snapped, ”I shouldn't have lost control like that!“

He wrenched his arm from her when she tried to grab his hand, feeling far worse when her expression dropped. How could she be more hurt by that than the fact he'd singed her? 

“You were upset,” She reasoned, “I didn't hear everything, but I caught the tail end. We need to tell Makarov that he escaped his room and threatened you.”

Natsu hated how hoarse his voice sounded when he asked, “... he didn't... How did you -”

Too shocked to rebuff her again, she slipped her hand into his and squeezed lightly. ”I may not know who he was referring to, but no one reacts like you did if it wasn't something awful. I'm not an idiot Natsu.“

He deflated, hiding his gaze behind his pink fringe, ”... nah, you're one of the smartest people know.“

”Compliments will get you everywhere,“ She smiled, tugging him to follow her to his feet. ”Now let's go get something to eat and head out as soon as we can. The sooner the better-” She froze, eyes widening in horror and she swiftly snatched her hand away.

”What is it?” Did she finally realize how much he'd screwed up?

No….that wasn’t it. Lucy spun away from him as he clambered awkwardly to his feet, standing still as Lucy’s arms flew to wrap around her chest. He couldn’t see her face, but if he had to guess it was as red as the tips of her ears.

Her voice sounded unusually small as she shuffled from him. “...How could I have been so out of it last night…..I didn’t think about what I was wearing.”

“Natsu,” She called, shyly.” Can you uh-”

”Can I what?“ He urged her, face twisted quizzically, ”What's up?“

She motioned towards the long nightdress she wore, the once pristine white smeared and streaked with ash, but even that couldn’t hide how sheer the fabric was once sunlight graced it. Far too revealing for a day time walk. ”Can I trouble you to get me some clothes?“

Color crept up Natsu’s neck and he tore his gaze from her, coughing. “ I can’t leave, remember? Not without my keeper following me there.“

“Then let them go with you!” Lucy hissed, “I can’t be seen like this! We can make an excuse for why I’m here. I’m sure Freed or -gods forbid- Gray won’t say-”

Natsu interrupted her hysterical rambling. “Lucy. I think you forgot that it’s Cana who’s on watch right now.” 

He heard the click of her teeth as she shut her mouth; could almost see the gears turning in her head. Weighing the options and risks, she tightened her grip, sighing heavily. Defeat forced her shoulders to fall before a bewildered Natsu.

“Distract her while I go through the window.” Lucy said, resigned to her fate.

.

Despite her drunken night, Cana was wide awake when Natsu opened his door. She'd sluggishly turned to face him, one hand poised on the bell and the other flicking a card out from her pocket, twirling it between her fingers. 

“Barrier’s broken.” She stated plainly. “Someone’s been naughty.” She’d slept too deep and knew when Makarov saw the state of Natsu’s home, she’d be chastised for not taking her duties seriously enough.

A hangover had threatened to pound on the doors of her brain when she came to, making her eyesight fuzzy, but even the fortune teller could easily see the blackened wood around what used to be Natsu's window. She'd slept through something and rushed back to her seat to quickly nurse the hangover so she could adequately take care of the situation.

Natsu had torn her attention away from the water she drank, his expression one of carefully crafted indifference. She arched her brow. He seemed too alert for that to be normal: he was hiding something.

“Put the damn bell away, I ain't running off!“ He exclaimed, eyes wide as he waved dramatically at her, ”... you look like shit, didja seriously sleep here all night?“

”No.“ She lied.

”There's a stick in your hair.“

Cana rolled her eyes, ”Yeah and your bandages are half charred and hanging off you. We both have questionable fashion choices. Enough about me,“ shifting her focus back to him, she reached through her hair for the offending twig and drawled, ”Something tells me you had a wild night.“

One would have expected him to have stepped on a nail from the way he jumped, guilty conscience as plain as day on his face in seconds. Cana mentally pat herself on the back as she stifled a yawn and flicked the retrieved stick behind her. 

”N-no! How could I?“ Yup, something was definitely up.

”Half the house is burnt to a crisp and Freed’s enchantment is as dead as you are when he finds out.“

Natsu stubbornly hissed.“ But I didn’t go anywhere!”

Well at least she didn’t fail her duties completely, if he was telling the truth, but something was still up. “All that mess just to stay home like a good little boy? Come on, you can tell me. Who’d you pay a little late night visit to?”

Slack-jawed, Natsu stared, frozen in place as he failed to retort. In the end, he just pointed a quaking finger at her and sputtered, “I didn’t go see anyone!!”

“Oh?” She asked, wincing at the dull throb in her temple. She knocked back another swig of water with a smirk.  “That’s hard to believe. Was it Lucy?” 

The way he froze almost made Cana choke on a laugh. She might not have hit the jackpot yet but she hit something. 

 He asked in a bewildered tone, “... why is THAT who you guess?”

She blinked. “You're dating. Duh.”

Another curse, “No! We’re not.” Damnit, Wendy!

His voice wavered, threatening to crack from embarrassment. Though Cana almost swore she heard something squeak from further inside the house.

“... well that's boring.” Already Cana was losing her attention on the subject. Teasing her friends was a favorite pastime for her, but there were more pressing matters to be concerned with, ”Hey, nevermind your midnight escapades. Is everything okay?“

The shift in topic threw Natsu off. Cana could see it in his eyes, the loss of light that came with his emotions as he looked off to the side, fangs all but puncturing his bottom lip as he chewed in thought. Cana wasn't a master of her craft for nothing. For all the years she honed her skills and grew her magic, she learned the importance of reading others like she did her cards.

And every fidget and micro-expression the draconis made spoke volumes for her. The accelerated breath, his nostrils flaring as he tried to appear calm. It all spoke of something far worse than a teased clandestine night.

”M'fine,“ He was lying, that she was sure, ”healing fast and full of energy. Totally normal. Why?“

She waited in quiet disbelief, giving him a chance to come clean before she cornered him again. When he didn't seem open for further discussion, she rose from her seat, stretched her arms high above her head and sighed.

”You don’t just burn down your house for fun. Despite how much of a pyro you are, you're not sloppy.” She hummed in thought, running a finger over the pouch that held her cards. “ And like I said, you managed to bust out but stayed put despite all that.”

Cana waved dramatically at the side of the house. “Something freaked you out. Enough for you of all people to not give chase. So what happened?” voice dropping low to keep others from hearing, ”I know you’ve been wanting to break Freed's barrier, but somehow I doubt you'd do this without a good reason. What's going on?“

A drop of blood pooled on his lip as a fang finally broke skin. Natsu didn't react to it, fists clenched by his side as he looked away, “Can we just, not talk about this right now?” 

“Natsu you can't just avoid everything whenever there's a -!“

She stepped back, shielding her eyes from the dry heat that burst from his skin. His brows were knitted with worry, but the clench of his jaw and the sharpness of his eyes spoke of a warning. He leaned forward, pleading, ”Please? Let me see the old man first?“

Ah, so it was bad. This didn't bode well. Apprehension pooled in her stomach, but Cana knew when Natsu was becoming more stubborn than man. Grabbing her water, she knocked back the rest of it and cleared her throat.

”... fine, but you can go see him after your next guard’s here. I’m not in the mood to walk all that way, so go clean yourself up or whatever in the meantime.” 

Relief brought the tension out of his shoulders, toying now with the singed bandages that wrapped his arms with a much lighter expression. He turned away, pulling the door shut behind him as Cana groaned, rubbing the back of her head. She was not looking forward to the earful she was due for later. She would need something strong before facing the old man. And possibly Freed once he got wind of what happened.

A sharp crack of wood split through the air, followed by the shriek of a very familiar voice coming from inside Natsu’s house. Hold on a minute-

Cana slyly glanced at Natsu out the corner of her eye, partially hidden by the half closed door. But that nervous energy was back again, making him fidget. 

“Natsu?” She asked sweetly, “What was that?”

She bolted when he swiftly tried to slam the door shut, jamming her leg in the opening before he got the chance to shut her out. 

“Natsu~” Cana dug her fingers into the side of the door, desperate to wrestle it from him. “On second thought, you look like you could use some help with those fresh bandages. Lemme lend you a hand with that.”

“No! I’m good!” He grunted. But in the moment he responded, his grip on the door handle slipped, and Cana wrenched it from his grasp: victory.

“Cana wait-!”

“Outta my way Pinky!”

She kicked the door open, ignoring how it bounced against the wall. Shoving passed Natsu to stand triumphant, grinning gleefully. Lucy, who was ungracefully sprawled atop his bed, squeaked. Utter mortification painted her face and she turned her glare towards Natsu who looked ready to bolt out the open door.

“Uh, sorry?” He said lamely.

“Well good morning Sunshine.” Cana purred, propping a hand on her hip. “Sleep well?” Lucy drew a pillow over her face, curling away from the fortune teller and wishing she could sink through the mattress.

Gray was gonna get a kick out of this.

—

“I thought you’d do better at distracting her!” Lucy accused, her face a constant red as the three of them walked towards the keep. 

Cana all too readily agreed to accompany them with this new source of entertainment. Just as she’d too easily agreed to run and get Lucy a change of clothes. She’d left the pair in an embarrassed silence that didn’t break upon her return. Her eyes glittered with mischief as she tossed Lucy a fresh dress. Natsu sheepishly had ducked outside to give her privacy, grabbing a clean vest to slip on as he went.

True to her word, she followed him out with a spring in her step, cheerfully assisting him with a fresh set of bandages, all smiles and no words. But Natsu knew the teasing he was in for. It was only a matter of time.

When the door creaked open with a properly dressed Lucy dragging her feet, Cana turned that cheshire grin on her. She tugged him along, skipping over to throw an arm around both their shoulders.

”So aren't YOU a brave girl,“ She'd greeted and just like that, Lucy's morning became a mess. Cana claimed she had a way to ensure the next guard on rotation would find her at the keep, but how she could manage this, she didn't say.

Instead, their entire walk had turned into Lucy's stomach grumbling complaints at being empty as Cana snarked and teased her at every given moment. Natsu had the grace to look apologetic when she shot him a glare, arms crossed as she simmered in betrayed embarrassment.

”I thought you’d be out already!,“ He retorted, unable to meet her gaze, ”I suck at lying on the spot!“

“You don’t have to be good to hold her attention!”

“That’s why you should’ve gotten out faster!”

”Ugh, you're hopeless.“ 

Cana, thoroughly enjoying herself, shook them slightly -albeit a bit more gentle on Natsu once she noticed the flinch he failed to hide- and whistled a low, drawn out tune. “You two keep bickering like that and I'll start to think Wendy wasn’t kidding around, Natsu.”

This puzzled Lucy, blinking consecutively as she attempted piecing together what Cana was implying, “Wasn't kidding about what? What did Wendy say-”

“Nothing!” Natsu blurted, glowering at Cana whose expression was a twisted, amused smirk, “Me an' Wendy were just talking yesterday and Cana's being a shit starter like usual.”

“Gee, way to stab me in the heart there, Natsu.”

Lucy frowned, “Maybe you should apolo-”

The fortune teller barked out a laugh and pinched Lucy's cheek, “If I was actually offended. Which I'm not. I know what I'm about.”

Lucy's expression darkened and she elbowed Cana in the ribs, “You're as hopeless as he is.”

“D'aaaw, that's so sweet of you to say, blondie!”

Their banter continued on towards the keep, mostly embroiled with Cana's constant jeers as she poked and prodded both Lucy and Natsu's toleration abilities. Her teasing was constant, searching for an opening and diving in the moment it was found. By the time the keep was no longer a yawning behemoth in the distance, the two were a collection of blushes and agitated scowls. 

In contrast, Cana was beaming. She claimed they were the perfect balm for her hangover until she could find her way home.

”That or I'll sniff out Wendy for a headache cure,“ She said offhandedly. And while Lucy wondered if the girl would be willing to help Cana escape the consequences of her own habits, she still wondered just what being they'd upset to bring about such torture this early in the morning.

For Cana was relentless, even in sight of the keep's entrance, left with only one person standing guard at its entrance:

Erza.

”Wait,“ Cana scrunched her nose, ”I don't remember Makarov setting a guard here today, why's she here?“

Natsu' rumbled his reply petulantly, ”What, your cards didn't update you?“

”Oh shut it-“

Ignoring the backsass, Lucy wrenched herself free of Cana's arm and held her hand up in greeting, catching the redhead’s attention. Anything was a welcome change from Cana’s constant teasing. ”Erza! Is Makarov in right now? We really need to...”

She trailed off, taken aback by the brisk pace she suddenly took. Beelining straight for them with an expression so intense, Lucy feared they were about to be punished. 

“We didn't do it!” Lucy shouted, surprised by the echo of Cana and Natsu yelping in sync with her.

Erza spared them no words beyond ”Come with me!“ She snatched Lucy by the wrist and promptly began dragging her away from the others. Cana stumbled back, waving her hands in the air as Natsu, eyes flashing, snarled at the action. 

It was all she needed to cast her gaze back to the draconis, pointing at him with a deep frown on her face, ”Control your instincts, I'll not have you react like a fool every time Lucy's involved. Now, be a good boy and wait!”

His snarl cut off immediately, eyes wide as she materialized her sword into her fingers, a threat unspoken between them. Before the baffled Draconis could recollect himself, she continued her march, pulling a stunned Lucy off behind her. 

“... did she seriously tell you to be a good boy?” Cana asked, mystified, though humor lined her words.

“... why's everyone actin' like I'm a damn dog?“

Natsu's angered shouts and demands for Erza to return so he can properly challenge her for such treatment, went ignored as they echoed into the air and faded. Lucy hoped he'd calm down enough to continue into Makarov's office on his own, almost stumbling to keep up with Erza's rapid pace.

Jostling to and fro, she stammered a quick, “Slow down, I- I'm coming!” To the other, relieved when Erza realized her error and slowed her pace. The crunching of the gravel beneath them became background noise to their trek all while Lucy waited for the determined woman to explain just what she was being whisked off to.

When the answer didn't seem to come verbally, but in the sudden change of trajectory Erza took off the beaten path, Lucy realized she was purposefully changing direction in case of followers. But why?

“Erza, where are you taking me?”

Her reply was a brusk, “In a moment.” As she doubled back on their steps, back to the keep towards the small building attached to it. Lucy had never gone this direction, but recalled hearing others talk about one of the visitors being detained in that very location.

Erza was ... bringing her to one of them?

No wonder she was being roundabout. It was obvious now, the weaponized Romni was intent to keep them in the dark, if only to prevent others from overhearing, or worse, Natsu following.

Lucy could only imagine the explosive reaction he'd have to this.

But that did nothing to assuage the nauseating anxiety that now gnawed at her guts. These visitors were from the group who'd been after her. She knew that much, even with the majority of their goals being kept far from her. While she trusted Erza would never hand her off to an enemy, the situation was too confusing not to question.

When she muttered the others name in concern, tone rising in growing apprehension, Erza finally stopped. Taking in a deep breath, she spun to face Lucy, hands clasping her shoulders.

“Please,” She urged, ”Trust me. You're safe.“

And surprisingly, that was enough. Nodding, she fell into an even pace with Erza, uncertain what she was about to see, but believing it must be important. Why else would she practically kidnap her? 

Erza eased open the door to a too cramped room without so much as a knock. She offered Lucy a reassuring nod, gesturing for her to step inside, and though the anxiety told her otherwise, her trust in Erza outweighed the confusion. She stepped through the doorframe and squinted while her eyes adjusted to the low-light.

Of all the things Lucy thought to see, a man seated comfortably in the corner with his nose in a book was not her first assumption. (In fact, it wasn't even on her list of assumptions that ran through her mind in the length of time it took to finish their short trek and for Erza to swing the door open) His gaze flicked to the door immediately, a calm, almost expectant look on his face. He set the book down in one fluid motion and quickly rose from his seat, bowing his head as he did.

”You're earlier than I expected,“ He greeted, eyes flicking to Erza still standing in the doorway before settling on Lucy. 

A familiar magic reached out to her, emanating like a warm embrace. It came from a man who stood expectantly with a slight smile on his lips that crinkled the tattoo trailing down the side of his face. She gasped, a hand flying to cover her mouth. She recognized that mark. That pattern, she hadn’t seen anyone bearing that mark on their skin for years.

The world grew dizzy as an aura much like her own magic hummed around him. The soft hues met her like an old, unforgotten friend as tears began to well in her eyes.

”He's... you're,“ She couldn't speak, her words fell from her lips in tangled garble. 

It had been so long since she’d felt the pull of a magic like her own, and in his face she could see many who were long since buried in the soil, ”but the others traveled north!” She finally managed helplessly, choking on a sob.

”He has been traveling apart from his clan for awhile now,“ Erza explained softly, ushering Lucy forward as she shut the door behind them, ”But he was with them up North, waiting for all branches to meet them in time.“

”Hello, Lucy,“ Jellal greeted, voice much quieter than Erza's, a gentleness that didn't match his current, gruff appearance, ”... I've been hoping to find you for a long time.“

She couldn't breathe, the room felt too small suddenly and before she knew it, the tears were already dripping off her cheeks. This was something she never thought she'd feel again. The familiar magic, the warm understanding, the taste of stars in the air…

It was too much. It was all too much.

”Have they been treating you well?“ He asked. His concern was genuine.

Another celestial, so like her family and yet so different, and she couldn't manage a proper greeting. 

She moved without thinking, flinging herself into his surprised arms. Lucy clutched his cloak tightly as though he would disappear before her very eyes. He was stiff against her, but relaxed when he caught her desperate sobs. Wavering for a moment, he placed a soothing yet awkward hand against her back. Lucy vaguely heard the clinking of metal as Erza came closer, concerned.

But it didn’t matter. She didn’t care that she was making a scene.

She'd found a connection to her family, and that was worth every awkward moment that followed.

—--

Natsu was pissed, and there was nothing he could do about it. Erza's sudden appearance and disappearance with Lucy in tow had left him more off kilter than Cana managed all morning. But now he was finally in the keep, with the front doors slammed shut behind him, and his mind was conflicted.

He told Lucy he'd see Makarov about last night, but ... what about her? 

And that Draconis- his lip curled at the thought of him. He was somewhere in the keep, tucked away in its depths, though not as far as Kage, if his nose was correct. He could only catch traces of the shadow user wafting through the air. 

Cana banged her fist on the door, breaking through his concentration with her voice muffled, ”Oi! You're on countdown! If you're not back in thirty minutes, I'm sending Sparky AND Mirajane after your ass, so don't do anything funny!“

Damnit. Fortune tellers were the worst.

A snarl of frustration escaped and Natsu pondered the consequences towards derailing his  plans to instead seek out the shadow user in the limited time he had. A sick feeling of satisfaction rolled through him at the thought of Kage's face when he advanced upon the cell, flames spitting from his palm to snuff the life out of him clear as day-

 -Lucy’s face twisted in horror and disgust, more dream than reality. It flashed, once more, before him and the thoughts withered away. Muttering a curse under his breath, he tore down the hall, ignoring the scent trails of those who threatened him and made quick work of reaching Makarov's office.

While he hoped the chief would already be situated in his office, the early hours could prove to be his downfall. Thankfully, the old man's scent was strong, fresh, and Natsu felt relief when he came upon the door, not bothering to knock as he slammed it open to the small room. He barely recognized the rickety stool he'd knocked over in the process and bared down on the center desk with purpose.

“Gramps! I need to -” His voice cracked, a high pitched squeak that resembled his preteen years and he winced, cheeks turning red. “I gotta tell ya-”

“Why in the hell are you here, talking to me with your wounds still like that, boy?!“ The chief boomed, having almost fallen out of his chair at Natsu's sudden arrival. His hair was askew, wild and poking in so many directions it looked as if he had just rolled out of bed.

Judging from the dark circles under his eyes and the rumpled clothes that reeked of yesterday, Natsu was sure he wasn't too far off. 

”Cana's at the-“ He tried again, but he rolled his eyes when Makarov cut him off once again.

”Shouldn't she be relieved by now?!“ He asked, his own voice cracking from exhaustion, ”What is going on here?!“

Natsu slammed his hands on the desk in frustration, “gimme a sec to talk would you?”

His throat may be worn out by the end of the day from all of this, but that didn't matter. Lucy was right. He needed to talk about last night, and this was the only chance he had before he was put under watch again. 

When the chief motioned for him to continue, finally giving him the time to collect his words, Natsu continued, “That freak draconis, I don't know what sorta shit you talked about yesterday, but he didn't stay locked up. He got out somehow, followed Lucy through the village.“

Makarov met his gaze with surprise, lip pressed in a thin line as he pondered Natsu’s words. A long pause filled the room, allowing the sounds of mourning doves to enter from the back window and the dry rustling of bugs as they skittered across the stone walls. Natsu could hear it all, but paid each small nuance little mind. As a child, such sounds were maddening for his sharp ears, but it was all background noise these days. When the silence grew too awkward for them both, Makarov rubbed his temples and groaned.

“... please tell me you didn't break out of your house last night to get this information.” He asked, voice full of exasperation.

Natsu huffed, ”No, she was with me and-.“

That caught his attention, eyebrows raising, “She was with you? Now I know you two have been close, but you haven't even done the courting dances yet to be-”

“Not like that!” He interrupted, denying himself the urge to slam his forehead against the desk. Why did this keep happening?

“Why does everyone keep talking about us like we're together? I was told to watch her and I did and now we're friends, stop making a big deal out of-”

“Enough, enough,“ Makarov placated, settling back into his seat, ”Goodness that distracted you far too easily. Go on and it better not involve you breaking any rules to get this information.“

He had to admit, despite the embarrassment of the earlier claims, Natsu was relieved his leader had enough faith in him to hear him out. Already he felt more relaxed, easing off the desk and folded his arms. ”I know cause he came right to me, old man.“

Makarov’s expression darkened and Natsu felt his gut drop at the sudden pressure that was exerted across the room. ”He... What?” His terse tone spilled through clenched teeth.

“You heard me,” Natsu continued through the rasp in his voice, clearing his throat to get his words across, “came right up to my window.”

“Where was Cana during all this?” Makarov pressed and Natsu smirked.

“Dead asleep.” He said simply. He had to get her back somehow.

“And that man? What did he say to you?.” The old man eyed Natsu critically, as he sought out the truth but Natsu already had a lie waiting easily on his tongue.

 “Empty threats.” Natsu’s gaze flitted away from Makarov’s doubtful own. “ But he pissed me off and I, uh…. kinda..., blew up.”

“... you did not blow up your house, did you?”

Natsu felt ready to throw the stool out the window, ”I just said Lucy was there, you think I'd endanger her like that?“ Never minding the slight burns he'd given her during his panic the night before. He chose to keep that tidbit to himself.

”So minimal. Good. That's good. I'll send Laki to inspect the damages later, perhaps we can reinforce it.“

”Is that important right now?“ Natsu asked, exasperated.

Makarov clucked his tongue and slid from his seat, moving around the large desk to exit the room. Ushering for Natsu to follow, he led the draconis down the hall with his shoulders stiff and demeanor changing by the second.

”The foundation of our homes is always important, remember that, Natsu.“ He chided, stopping further down the hallway to loudly knock on a door with a quick rap of his knuckles. Instead of waiting to enter, he continued on with a bounce in his step. 

Confused, Natsu stood by the acknowledged door, face scrunched as he puzzled out the action. When he caught the slight, aggravated groans of a newly awakened Freed on the other side, he lost interest and began to follow once again. 

”Why's Freed here?“

Makarov answered quickly, ”He and Levy spent most of the night double checking and reworking his barrier. They wanted to make absolutely certain that Kage couldn't break through it. I can't say I understand half the discussions over it. Rune and Script magic are like a different language for me, but they seem to figure it out just fine. Never mind that, I want you to get Cana or her replacement in here at once.”

“But-”

“Natsu.” He said, stopping mid-step to look back at him with a glare mastered by any man who parented a child. “I'll not have you wounded and starting fights in my keep. Cana should be resting now, so either her replacement, or her. But do it with haste.”

“You can find me by my scent well enough, so meet up with me once you do.” He ordered, turning his back to the Draconis to continue on his trek, “hurry now, if he's sneaking out at night to threaten my children, then I don't intend to take him lightly. So be quick.”

Natsu didn't have to be told twice. 

As much as he wanted to follow after and raise hell, he knew better than to underestimate a fellow Draconis. Retracing his steps, he exited the building just minutes before his time limit was up. 

But instead of Cana lounging where he left her, Lisanna was there, absentmindedly watching the songbirds in the tree overhead. His groan caught her attention, turning to him with a smile that he ignored. He hastily sniffed the air for any trace of Cana, hoping to catch her before she escaped too far.

“There's no way you're on the rotation, is there?” He asked with a swing of his head. There she was! Just down the road! He could catch her if- 

He was cut by a sharp flick to his nose, forcing his attention to a frowning Lisanna who was poised to attack again. “Hey what gives?!” He protested, holding his stinging nose.

“First off, you’re being rude!” Lisanna snapped, jutting a finger at him. “And why not me? Do you think you're too much for me to handle? Cana was practically nodding off when I got here, give her a break!”

Agh, he didn't have time for this! ”Fine, whatever. Come on then!“

Before she could ask for details, he grabbed her by the shoulders and pulled her inside. He dragged her down the halls as he keenly followed Makarov’s scent, far deeper in the keep than expected for a man of his age and height.

They could discuss it along the way, or explain later, if his throat was unwilling. Already he could feel it swelling from overuse, and he worried what that meant for him once they finally reached their destination.

[classysassy9791]

"It's nice to have a family." Jellal watched from where he wasn't noticed, listening to the joyous laughter and conversation that took place around the tree. A group of misfits who had been robbed of so much somehow found comfort in each other. People who in another lifetime would be strangers had become family to him.

"It's nice to have a family, isn't it?" a ghost of a voice, as if carried by the winter chill, whispered against his ear.

He smiled, his heart warmed. "It certainly is, Ultear."

@xxthe-hidden-spyxx here you are! I am your Secret Santa for @theguildawards gift exchange! I hope you like it!

Can also be found on AO3

[thehylianidiot]

THIS FIC ISN'T DEAD!!!! :D

Also, who wants more magic circles?

No I'm serious this cover has been complete for like months. The words on the other hand...

I kid you not, I had the alternate chapter title be "Jellal Delivers The Mail," but I wanted Ultear to be the star.

Want More? Check out the Hub Post

[itssokiee]

Fairy tail high school trope - except it’s giving more so Euphoria.

Featuring: Nalu

Main Story: Generational trauma

Lucy hides her trauma of abusive father and dead mother because she doesn’t want people to think she’s spoiled

Natsu hides his his home life - his drunk dad Igneel (I’m so sorry Igneel 😭) constantly rages and Natsu and his older brother Zeref have to pick up the slack for their kinship cousin, Wendy.

Similar to original story: best friends to lovers.

Featuring: Jerza

Main story: Purity culture, purity shame teen pregnancy

Used to be childhood friends now bitter rivals until starting fwb

Super conservative families and internal guilt

Similar to original story: childhood friends, who grew to resent, then love again

Featuring: Gruvia

Main story: drama and tea

More light hearted. They’re on the swim team and the whole team constantly has drama

Love triangles

Similar to original story: unrequited into requited

Featuring Zervis

Main story: mental health and substance abuse

Story about using drugs to self medicate

I always though curse of ankseram was depression/bipolar coded

Mavis is popular and at the top of her class, Zeref is emo boy with sus friends

Featuring Gale

Going to include just waiting to develop

I have the next chapter written. Lmk if anyone’s interested

[kakashis-formal-simp]

Asking her out

(Erza x reader)

It had been three years. For three long years, you have been crushing on Erza. You knew about her past and always felt like she liked Jellal. It’s honestly the only reason you hadn’t asked her out yet. Though recently it’s become apparent Jellal and Ulter might be together.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“I’m gonna ask her out today, Juvia, I’m tired of pinning for her and hoping there’s a chance she likes me back”

“I’m cheering for you Y/n, hopefully, you will have better luck than me and my beloved gray” Juvia cries.

“He will come around soon Juvie,” patting her back you sigh, I really hope Erza says yes. You’re staring at her from across the guild hall. She’s absolutely breathtaking. Looking back at Juvia,

“I guess it’s time to bite the bullet,”. Standing up, you make my way over to her.

“Sorry guys, I gotta steal Erza for a bit,” Glancing at team Natsu and back to Erza.

“Is everything alright, Y/n?” She's so cute when she’s confused. I’ve never asked to talk to her alone like this before.

“Would you mind stepping outside the guild hall with me for a minute?”

“Of course,” she replies. The walk outside was short and slightly awkward, but anytime spent with her is a gift.

“What was it you needed Y/n?” Erza questions.

Sighing you look down towards the ground. Looking back up at her bracing yourself, “Erza, I understand if the feelings are not mutual, but I really like you. I would love nothing more than to take you to dinner,” adding quickly, “Of course, if you don’t feel the same no pressure” the nerves consuming your body. Erza’s shocked to say the least. “I…you mean like on a date?” she blushes.

“Yes, a date,” sighing, maybe this wasn’t a good idea.

“I see, I was unaware you felt this way towards me. I would love to go on a date with you,” she smiles. God, she’s so perfect. “Really? You want to go out with me?” beaming you quickly add, “sorry, I’m just surprised.” revoked to a small smile.

“Of course, I’ve… admired you for some time now. I would have asked you out had I known the feelings were mutual,” Erza blushes and looks toward the ground. It’s so cute seeing her blushing and nervous like this. “Curses,” she mumbles. “I am a coward for not asking you out first,”. “You’re not a coward Erza” laughing you add, “You’re extremely brave and everyone in the guild knows that,” you’re smiling so hard it’s starting to hurt. “How does tonight at 6 sound?”

“It sounds wonderful, I look forward to seeing you Y/n”

You both agreed to meet outside a cafe in Magnolia. It has sandwiches but it also has the strawberry cake she loves. Walking towards the door you see Erza walking towards it as well. Smiling at her, “you look absolutely divine, as you always do” you complimented her. Erza looks at you shocked as her face quickly matches her hair. “I…You’re” she stumbles over her words. You watch as she takes a deep breath regaining some composure. “I never knew you were so good with words, Y/n. You also look breathtaking”, she blushes looking you up and down. “With you, the words come naturally, all I do is say the first thing I think” looking at her you chuckle as she blushes even more. Now she’s avoiding eye contact. “Sorry, I don’t mean to make you bashful,” you apologize. “No…no, it’s quite alright, Y/n. I’m just not used to this is all. Should we head in?” Erza questions. “Yes, of course, after you,” holding the door open for her, you follow her inside. Despite living in Magnolia for a while now you haven’t been here before. The place was smaller but had a cozy feel to it. Following the waitress to the table, you take a seat across from Erza. “This place is quite adorable isn’t it, Y/n? They have the most amazing strawberry cake,” she adds excitingly. “You’re adorable,” you smile at her. “Ah, thank you,” Erza responds bashfully, looking down at her lap. Admiring her, you watch as the waitress walks up to take your order. Erza orders two slices of cake while you order a sandwich. “So,” Erza looks up at you, light pink dusting her cheeks, “what made you decide to ask me out?” she questions. “Well, I’ve liked you for some time now, and I got tired of wondering if the feelings were mutual,” smiling at her. If only she knew how long you’ve been pinning after her. “I see, I have also liked you for some time. Though I never thought you would feel the same,” Erza studies her hands towards the end. “Really? What made you think I wouldn’t feel the same? I mean you would have to be insane to not like you,” you lean forward to be closer. “While, a lot of people are scared of me, and you’ve never outright said you liked women,” erza smiles at you. “Yeah, I guess I’ve never straight up said I liked men and women, but you would have to be insane not to like women,” Erza laughs at that. You add, “I’m glad I asked you out, and that you said yes,” Erza smiles, “I am glad that you asked too,”. The waitress comes up bringing the food. The rest of the date went well. You and Erza talked about anything and everything. After paying for her food you offer to walk her home.

Part 2 here

Helpppp, I can’t figure out how to make it let me post more, I have to cut the story in half because it was “too long”

[spot-of-tea]

Woo, so two families down... so many more to go. I'm mostly focusing on the children here as the fic is in a next gen setting and unlike the main cast who we all know and love, I want to flesh the kids out first before going into my headcanons for what happened to the main cast over the last 26 years. I will breifly gloss over it here, but any particular life events (other than who is married to who) won't be in here.

That being said if there is anyone in particular you want to know about I don't mind sharing earlier than planned.

The Scarlet Family

It took almost the entirety of Crime Sorciere to slap some sense into Jellal (It was mostly Meldy) and finally have him confess to Erza. Conversely it took everyone in Fairytail, mostly fuelled by a drunken rant from Cana, to get Erza to admit her own feelings. There were many plans put into place, organised between both groups to force the two into close proximity. A dangerous criminal here, an undercover mission there. It even took Kagura telling the two to just get married already before they finally took the plunge. While Erza was more than happy to become 'Erza Fernandes' Jellal refused to let her part with the name he'd given her all those years ago. So while Erza kept her name the same Jellal became Fernandes-Scarlet.

After much debate they decided their children would take their mother's name.

Simon Scarlet

Caught in the middle, Simon is the youngest of the older children and the oldest of the younger children. This has caused him to become very independent as by the time he joined the guild many of his older peers had already formed teams and other networks whereas his younger peers were still too young to join him on jobs (not that that stopped the likes of Nashi who routinely tried to sneak out on jobs). The purple haired wizard Idolises his parents and everything they've managed to accomplish. Being the son of two wizard saints had the effect of encouraging Simon to take on leadership roles and strive to be the strongest. His indomitable will comes only second to his mother's.

Rosemary Scarlet

Rose is her mother's daughter through and through. Assertive, fierce, and terrifying. Where her brother would prefer to use his brains to tackle a problem, Rosemary would prefer to throw herself bodily at the problem and hack away at it until the problem doesn't exist anymore. Carrying the same scarlet hair as her mother, along with many of her old armours, Rose is determined to fill her mother's shoes and very much enjoys emulating her mother and her mannerisms. It was cute and very sweet when she was younger, but now she can hold a sword it's less so.

[anitalenia]

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[6ix-dragons]

Lustful Night at the Drive-In

Series: Fairy Tail Pairing: Gray/Juvia Rating: 18+ Word Count: ~4,460 words

EXPLICIT CONTENT ADVISORY: The following story contains graphic sexual descriptions, and strong language. Reader’s discretion is strongly advised!

---

The deafening roar of a winged dragon pierced the fragile air, as it soared through the clear skies. This colossal beast immediately swept down towards its intended targets, below: An army of mages already prepared to defend their homeland. Just as it reached its destination, however, said creature had suddenly opened its mouth wide, and expelled a great burst of orangey-red flames towards its opponents.

The explosive display of fire blasted through the speakers that flanked three sides of a wide and tall-standing screen situated outdoors, while the entire scene was projected onto it.

More than a dozen vehicles were parked on the paved lot of the drive-in theatre that was less than half an hour away from metropolis. Underneath the starry skies, some of the theatre's patrons took part in watching one of the latest summer blockbusters from the comfort of their cars.

Among them, in the back row, there was a pink-haired male who was seated on the hood of his sports car, alongside his blonde companion. He noisily munched on a bucket of popcorn, much to the blonde female's dismay.

"Natsu," she chided him, "can you not eat so loud? Some of us are trying to enjoy the movie, here."

The gruff voice of another male added to her complaint, coming from a couple of parking spots to the left of them. "She's got a point, Salamander," the stocky, dark-haired male called out from across, sitting atop the hood of his pickup truck, with his short, blue-haired female companion in tow. "We can also hear you eating, from here."

Parked in between those two, was another couple who arrived at the theatre with them. A cobalt-haired male sat onto the hood of his two-door coupe, with a redheaded woman right by his side. Their attention was mainly focused on the movie itself, both of them watching quietly, in awe.

His mouth full with popcorn, the pink-haired male turned to them with his eyebrows raised. "What? I'm also enjoying the movie too!" Swallowing down the popped kernels, Natsu took a breath, before he gestured. "I just wish Gray was here with us, instead of a few spaces down that way."

The blonde nodded accordingly. "Now that you mention it," Lucy murmured, before turning her head to the left, looking closely at the vehicles that were parked down that direction, "I wonder what Gray and Juvia are up to…"

Just three occupied spaces past them, there was a full-size sports utility vehicle stationed in the center of the back row, its windows tinted. The large, slate-toned four-wheeler began to shake around lightly, bouncing onto each of its four corners, while muffled noises threatened to spill out from the inside.

Heavy breaths and moans filled the vehicle's spacious interior, where a pile of clothes were draped, and strewn over the driver and passenger seats. The high-pitched giggle of a young female cut into the air, as a pair of denim trousers was flung onto the pile over the driver's seat, adding to it.

Both of the vehicle's occupants took up its back, with all of its rear seats folded down to make extra space for them. A raven-haired male sat upright, on top of a soft mat of light fur that lined the back's flooring. His arms were wrapped around the curvaceous body of an azure-haired female who straddled his hips, sitting on her knees, and over his lap.

Her arms were around the back of his neck, as they slanted their lips intensely over each other's. They could feel the warmth of one another's skin, while the two of them shared their lip-lock with much fervor.

A muffled moan blurted out from the blunette, in the midst of their kiss. "Mmn…Gray…sama…"

Her raven-haired lover responded with a low groan of his own, running his hands softly over her back. "Juvia…"

Pulling their mouths away, the two of them caught their breaths, as they held each other closely.

Juvia could only stifle a quiet giggle to herself, causing her lover to raise his eyebrows curiously at her. "What?"

She narrowed her eyes to a partly-lidded gaze, her cheeks flush with a tinge of red. "This feels all too sudden for Juvia."

Gray held a curved eyebrow at her, smirking slightly. "Too sudden for you?"

"Well," she began with a coy-like smile, momentarily casting her eyes away from him, "both Juvia and Gray-sama were supposed to watch the movie together." The blunette then turned her gaze back towards her raven-haired lover, partly-narrowing her eyes. "And, then, Juvia believes that it was Gray-sama who started it, first."

He held back an amused chuckle, in response, before his lips cracked open into a teasing grin. "That's only because your hand was all over my lap, when we began watching."

The blunette hummed elatedly at that remark. "Juvia doesn't care, at this point." She narrowed her eyes even more at him. "She just wants Gray-sama now."

Not before long, the two of them seized the lips of one another. Their tongues were pushed into each other's mouths, swirling and clashing around. In the midst of all this, Gray sneaked his fingers towards the back of her strapless bra, reaching its clasp.

Juvia could feel him unbuckle it, freeing her burgeoned chest from its confines. Fluttering her eyes open, she saw her lover just having tossed the bra behind him, where it ended up onto the pile over the seats.

Leaning in quickly, Gray pressed his lips aggressively over the top of her round, enormous breasts.

The blunette mewled out, while she brought her hands around the back of his head, with her lithe fingers gripping his locks over there. "A-ah! Yes…that's it, Gray-sama…ah!"

Delighted murmurs escaped under his breath, as he left deep kisses all over her mounds, before he moved down to her buds. Juvia's moans and panting heightened, when he closed his mouth around her pebbled nipple, and swirled the tip of his tongue around it. He then switched over to her other nipple, performing those same teasing touches with his lips.

In his mind, he was thankful that the sounds of the movie happening outside were drowning out the sounds they made, inside the vehicle they were in.

---

"Whoaaa!"

Elsewhere, all the others watching the movie by themselves were in complete awe at the action that they witnessed.

Sitting beside Gajeel, Levy let out her thoughts into the open. "Unbelievable!"

Across from their right, Erza shared the same sentiment with her, likewise. "I've never seen anything like it!"

Natsu nearly lost his hold onto the bucket of popcorn, his mouth opening up into a wide gape. "Wow! So cool!" The pink-haired male then turned his head away from the screen, for an instant, before he grunted. "I wish the ice princess was here to see this…he's totally missing out on it!"

His attention was turned back to the screen, right away, as an explosion happening in the movie had ripped through the theatre's speakers. It had amazed everyone watching, including him.

---

A pair of dark-coloured boxer briefs joined the pile of clothes on the seats—only for a pair of high-cut panties to end up on top of it, not more than a second afterward.

Breathy moans left the blunette, as she found herself on top of her lover, facing his fully-erect phallus below. "Mmh…Gray-sama…"

Said raven-haired male gave a low groan, when he felt her fingers wrapped around his shaft, and ran them up and down all over it. His sights were focused on her heavily-dampened entrance, leaking with clear fluid that trickled down her inner thighs.

Juvia squealed, when she felt the warm blade of his tongue press against her outer folds, as it swiped across them.

His fingers latching onto the supple skin of her thick thighs, Gray could feel her body tense, and shift around, while he repeatedly swiped the tip of his tongue against her cleft. Satisfied hums muffled out from him, as he dipped his tongue into her inner folds, earning him a squeaky squeal from his blunette lover. His satisfied hums shortly cut into quiet groans, when he felt the familiar, wetly-warm sensation of her mouth against him.

Suckling against the tip of his shaft, Juvia pulled back a bit, only to sweep her tongue up the side of it. She could hear her lover's moans of approval from behind her, underneath, spurring her to keep it up. Gray gasped, and hissed out, when he felt her mouth take in more of him, forcing his trembling grip on her thighs to loosen slightly.

The blunette hummed delightfully, feeling every twitch and pulse of his cock, as she bobbed her head up and down. Suddenly, she could feel his tongue all over her clit, again, forcing out a muffled cry from her.

Stifling out a chuckle, Gray pushed more of his tongue inside her clit, sliding it around her inner walls. Pulling away from his phallus, Juvia released another cry of pleasure, having felt a surge of energy rush through her body. "G-Gray-sama!"

Low, teasing hums left the raven-haired Fullbuster, while he continued his oral ministrations on her. He then groaned lowly, when he felt her lips brush against the side of his shaft. Softly moaning, Juvia swept her tongue along the length of it, and gathered the pre-cum that seeped from its tip. She relished its musky scent, and its mixed taste of salty-bitterness, before taking him into her oral cavern again.

Retracting his mouth away from her entrance, Gray panted rather briefly, before he called out her name. "Juvia…I want to put it in, now…"

Taking her mouth out from his phallus, the blunette steadied her breaths momentarily. "Yes…"

---

Lucy looked around, for an instant, before turning to her pink-haired boyfriend. "Hey, Natsu," she asked, "I'm heading out to the washroom, right now. Is there anything you want me to get, over at the concession stand?"

His lips broke into his usual grin. "Could you get me a large soda, please? All this popcorn is making my mouth dry."

Pouting at her pink-haired boyfriend for a brief moment, Lucy sighed, before she brought herself off from the hood of their car. As she began making her way towards the washrooms, however, she directed her sights at the vehicle where Gray and Juvia were, for an instance. She then turned away from it, before continuing her way.

---

Their hushed moans and panting grew louder, cutting through the heavy air around them.

Juvia whimpered, as she felt the tip of his shaft rub repeatedly against her cleft.

Hovering above her, Gray held his cock with one hand, guiding it towards her entrance. The raven-haired male held back a strained grunt, slipping the head of his phallus in.

"A—ahh!" A breathy cry left the blunette's gape, with the sudden intrusion forcing her back to arch. She threw her head back, lengthy strands of wavy blue hair spilling and fanning outward, as the rigid sensation of his shaft reached deeper through her love canal. "G—Gray-sama!"

Almost immediately, his low, delighted groan followed. Gray relished the wetly-warm and silky sensation of her inner walls that welcomed and surrounded him, sending a shiver through his spine.

The young, dark-haired Fullbuster steadily drew his hips back, before thrusting them forward rather quickly—forcing moan-like grunts from both lovers, nearly at the same time. He repeated those very movements of his hips, building up the pace of his thrusts, as he leaned in closer towards her.

Juvia wrapped her arms instinctively around his neck, along with her legs around his lower waist, having felt his lower torso press against hers. Her lilting moans came out in heavy huffs, barely keeping her eyes locked towards his, while she felt the warmth of his breath against her skin. Her eyes fluttered to a close of her own volition, upon feeling his lips passionately seize over hers.

Their tongues swirled and clashed, with their gasps and groans pouring out into muffles. "Mmm…Gray-sama…Gray-saamm—a-ah…"

"Mhm…Juvia," her lover murmured into their kiss, driving his hips back and forth against hers. "Juvia…"

Said blunette could feel every flex of his lower muscles, as her shapely legs rode over his hips. Bringing her arms under his, she pressed the tips of her fingers against his rigid upper back, digging her nails against his skin.

Gray grunted and nearly growled out, upon feeling those very nails being dragged down his upper posterior. It was a signal from his lover underneath for him to pick up the pace even more.

Their mouths broke away from one another, as soon as he began buckling his hips roughly against her. Juvia cried out, throwing her head back again, while she let her arms fall away from him, and rest outward on either side of her head.

She pressed the back of her head against the fur of the mat below, with her tongue sticking out from her gape. "G—Gray-sama," she squealed out, having felt his hips rock right against her. "O—oh, y-yes!"

"Mmngh!" His light, guttural growl came out through gritted teeth. With his bent arms propping him up, Gray angled his hips more against hers. He plunged his hips in and out, reaching deeper into her love canal, while he ran his hands all over and through her thick, but silky strands of hair at the sides of her head. "Ah…fuck…"

The blunette below him responded with another squeal-like cry, her mind swirling and having been dominated with such pleasure. "Juveeen!"

---

Stepping out of the washroom, Lucy began making her way towards the concessions stand. As she did, however, she slowed to a stop, having turned her attention to the silvery sports utility vehicle again.

There was a wide stare in her eyes, having spotted said parked vehicle shaking around a lot. She blinked a few times, before her cheeks were filled with such rosiness.

'Is it just me,' she thought in her mind, 'or, did I…?'

Shaking her head around, the blonde silently recomposed herself. Turning her eyes away from that vehicle, Lucy continued towards the concessions stand, on her way back to her boyfriend's car.

---

"Aah—ah! Ah!" Squeaky, delighted cries escaped Juvia's gape, as she tightly bunched the fur around her fingers, with her bent knees digging against it. "Gray-sama!"

Her lover groaned loudly in response, from behind. His hands gripped around her waist firmly, while he rocked his hips back and forth. "Fuck," he hissed out. "You feel so damn good…"

The sounds of bare skin slapping against bare skin reverberated throughout the vehicle's interior, as Gray kept up the same highly-passionate pace of his thrusts. His dangling necklace swung around, with each drive of his hips, while he leaned forward over her.

At almost the same time, her heaving, enormous breasts swayed back and forth from every thrust he made. "Y-yes," she panted out at his remark, in between her moans. "Gray-sama…ah…also feels so good…hah…inside of…Juvia-a—ahh!"

She could barely feel his arms suddenly wrapping around right below her chest—before they pulled her body up towards his, without warning. The azure-haired female cried out in surprise at this, as her hands left the mat, while her back was pressed flush against his solid chest.

With both lovers remaining on their knees, Gray continued to thrust roughly and deeply into her, while his hands roamed all over her ample mounds. Simultaneously, he buried his face against the crook of her neck, nuzzling against it, before leaving deep kisses against the side of her neck. "Hah…Juvia…mmn…Juvia…"

All his touches and kisses, combined with the sensation of his solid phallus in her, had added further to her pleasure. "Oh, yes," she panted out lowly, feeling his breath fanned over the shell of her ear—right before his lips pressed against the side of it. "A-ah! Gray-sama…yes…more…"

She brought her hand over the side of his head, while he kept running his fingers around, and grasped all over her breasts.

That moment didn't last long, however, as Juvia felt him pull her back down to the mat, without warning. Another squeal tore from her, with both lovers having fallen onto it, together.

--

Returning to her boyfriend's car, with a large cup of soda in her hand, Lucy seated herself onto the hood of it, beside Natsu. "Hey," she greeted him with a soft smile, before handing him the cup. "I got you your soda."

"Thanks," he returned with a grin, taking a sip from it, before he raised his eyebrows at her. "Uh…have you seen Gray or Juvia over there, by any chance?"

The rosy blush returned on Lucy's face, upon hearing their names. Putting those thoughts about them aside, the blonde did her best to answer that. "N—no," she initially stumbled, shaking her head—only being able to feign earnestness in the tone of her voice, afterward. "No, Natsu," she nonchalantly replied. "I haven't seen them there."

He kept his eyebrows raised at her, above his stare. "…Huh." He then shrugged his shoulders, before turning his attention back to the movie.

Lucy quietly sighed to herself, with a hand over her chest. She then turned her head away from her boyfriend, casting aside her eyes, deep in thought.

---

"Oh, yes!" Her squeal-like moans pierced the air. "Oh, yeees! Gray-sama…more!"

Her raven-haired lover underneath her complied with a deep grunt, as he picked up the pace of his thrusts even more, buckling his hips roughly against hers.

With his entire back against the mat, Gray had let the blunette lay over him. His hands lifted her bent knees upward, and spread apart, from underneath her thick thighs.

Juvia continued to cry out her lover's name in between her gasps and moans, feeling his heavy breath fan out over her skin from behind her, to her left. "Yes...Juvia wants more!"

A low grunt came from the dark-haired male under her, as he felt the tingling sensations gather at the base of his spine, where they started to intensify. He could tell that the pressure in the piths of his core was about to snap.

"F—fuck," he hissed out through gritted teeth, rocking his hips wildly against her. "Juvia…I'm...I'm gonna—!"

The cries of his azure-haired lover above him grew louder, as she writhed about against his torso from underneath. "Oh, yes! Oh, yeees!"

With a final rough, jarring buckle of their hips together, both lovers immediately reached the peaks of their shared pleasure.

A prolonged, but strained cry left Juvia's widened gape, her tongue sticking out of it, while her eyes rolled back. While throwing her head back, she arched her posterior more, with her body held in place. For the entire moment, there was a sheer amount of pleasure that coursed through her nerves, overwhelming her mind, as she felt an extraordinary burst of energy deep in her lower core—before its incredible warmth eventually radiated outward, and pooled around.

At the same time, her lover underneath had let his immense pleasure be known, with primal grunts, groans, and growls through gritted teeth. His jaw clenched tightly, as he held onto her thighs, feeling the burn of every muscle tensing in his body. Much like what the blunette experienced above him, Gray had also felt such incredible warmth surrounding him closely—along with the feel of liquescent heat pulsing out through his tip, in spurts.

With the final waves of their pleasure having fully cresting over, and subsiding, both lovers sunk back down on top of each other for a moment. Their chests heaving, the two of them began catching their breaths, feeling the built-up sweat on the skins of one another.

Her panting coming out in huffs, Juvia brought her hand over her lower belly, where she felt the warmth that still emanated from there. She held back a light giggle, before turning her head over to face his eyes. "Gray-sama…"

He returned her gaze with a suave grin under his loving stare. "Juvia…"

They then slanted their lips over each other's, sharing a slow, simmering kiss, before they pulled away from one another.

Sitting up, Gray leaned against the rear of the front seats, as he brought a hand over the side of his lover's face. "That felt really good."

The blunette responded with an airy giggle, resting her hands over his torso. "Juvia thinks the same way, as well." She then squeaked, when she began shifting her hips around, feeling their fluids leaking out from underneath her. "It seems like Gray-sama came inside Juvia a lot."

"A lot?" Gray raised his eyebrows above his widened eyes, as the sudden realization had finally reached his mind. He then brought his hand over his forehead. "Ah, shit…"

"Eh? Gray-sama?" Juvia raised her brows curiously at him. "What's wrong?"

The raven-haired male sighed. "I just realized we didn't bring any protection with us," he explained, frowning. "I didn't even bring a condom with me."

Juvia blinked at her dark-haired lover for a moment, before her eyes softened towards him. "That's alright," she smiled at him, reassuringly. "Juvia remembered to take her birth control, before this."

He cocked an eyebrow at her. "You did?"

She nodded at him. "Even if Juvia didn't," she answered, "it would still be considered a 'safe day' for her, since Juvia did check the calendar, very recently."

Gray had stared at her for a moment, blinking, before he gave a quieted sigh of relief, relaxing against the rear of the seat. His attention was then diverted back to the movie playing outside, as his ears picked up the soundtrack blaring through the speakers.

Sitting up higher, and turning his head around, for a moment, he was able to make out the screen through the windshield. "Huh," he noted, "the movie's already over." Another wave of realization then hit him like a ton of bricks. "Oh, shit! I just realized, we have to meet up with the others—"

Hearing her giggle, the dark-haired male turned to his cobalt-haired lover, as she wrapped her hand around his shaft. "J—Juvia?!" His eyes widened incredulously at her, before he let out a soft groan, having felt her fingers squeeze lightly around the base of it. "W—what are you—?"

Without a word, the blunette swept her tongue along the sides of his phallus, collecting the remnants of their mixed fluids that gathered there. She could feel his body twitch, and could hear his moans coming out in huffs, as she took him into her mouth again.

Moving her head up and down a few times, Juvia finally pulled her mouth away from it. "Sorry," she panted quietly, with a cheeky grin at him. "Juvia just wanted to clean up Gray-sama, before we head out."

She then gasped, as she peered back down at his phallus, which had now been re-erected at full-mast. The sight of it aroused her even further than it should, forcing her to lean in towards it.

Gray choked out a gasp, when he felt her wrap her breasts around him. "Wait—wait a minute!" He grunted at the sheer supple softness of her cleavage firmly surrounding his cock. "I thought you wanted to clean me up!"

Juvia giggled naughtily, as she rubbed her mounds all over his shaft. "Well…Juvia lied about that," she whispered, before leaning in, with her lips suckling around its head. "Juvia just wants to pleasure Gray-sama, one more time."

With one eye closed, Gray could barely keep the other open at her, as his fingers dug into the mat below. He leaned up against the rear of the seats, letting himself fall to the incredible sensation she was giving. 'This woman…!'

---

"Hey, ice-prick!" Natsu glared at the raven-haired male in front of him, his hands akimbo to his sides. "Where have you and Juvia been?!"

The two of them, fully-dressed in their casual attire—before the movie started—stood together, directly across from the pink-haired male and his blonde girlfriend.

Gray glared back at him, with an annoyed expression on his face. "What do you think, flame-brain? Juvia and I were watching the movie inside my car!"

Along with Lucy, only Gajeel, Levy, and Jellal watched the increasingly-awkward exchange between the two, staring blankly at them.

"Gray, Natsu," Erza chided them, as she stepped in between them. "That's enough—both of you!"

Right away, the two had backed off at the sight of her scowling expression that signaled her annoyance at both men.

The redhead then turned to the pink-haired male. "Natsu," she began. "Gray's allowed to watch the movie, the way he wants to…do you understand?"

Natsu fully acknowledged her with a firm nod of his head, the sheepish expression remaining on his face.

She then turned to the dark-haired Fullbuster. "But, Gray…you have to let all of us know ahead of time, if the both of you aren't going to watch the movie right beside us—is that clear?"

Gray nodded his head at her, with slight chagrin. "Yes, Erza."

Levy sighed at the situation between the two having yet been resolved by the redhead, subtly shaking her head. "Anyway," she remarked, "I actually did find the movie to be quite engaging."

"Yeah," Gajeel agreed beside her, "I liked how those action scenes came out."

The pink-haired male raised his arms in an energetic manner. "That was awesome! I liked that part where they fought that dragon, near the end!"

Lucy gave a small chuckle at his reaction. "I actually did think the dialogue wasn't well-written," she added in. "But, for a summer blockbuster…I thought it was alright."

Jellal simply nodded at that. "So," he concluded, "I think we all agree that this was worth the general admission."

"Indeed," Erza nodded beside him, with a slight smile. "And, I suppose we'll all meet up next time for the next movie that all of us would want to watch?"

Everyone else agreed with her, with a few laughs and smiles around. "Yeah!"

After bidding their farewells and 'good nights' to each other, all of the pairs parted ways to return to their vehicles. As Gray and Juvia returned to his car, their hands linked together, Gray could feel her suddenly snuggle up right against his side.

The blunette giggled at him. "Juvia couldn't wait to go watch another movie with Gray-sama, again."

Gray grinned at her, as they stopped by his four-wheeler. "Well, if we do," he teased, "are you going to behave, when we start watching?"

Juvia winked at him. "That depends on what Juvia really wants with Gray-sama."

The raven-haired male smiled and laughed, with her also giggling, before he leaned in to press his lips affectionately against her cheek.

[minyakkayuputih]

Days in the R-System

Pairing: Jellal Fernandes x Erza Scarlet (Fairy Tail)

Word Count: 780

Summary: Jellal has been in the R-System for months now, maybe almost a year. It's dull and grey and painful, but he manages to survive another day when a splash of color appears in the corner of his eye.

Trigger Warning(s): Canon-typical violence, blood, child abuse

Jellal is just-barely-nine when he first meets Erza. He doesn’t actually meet her; he was just near the shore when the guards were delivering a new batch of slaves. The first thing he sees is her hair. It’s muted, like most of the colors in the would-be tower. But it’s still a pleasant change from when he looks anywhere else and sees rocks, wood, or gray.

It’s a pretty red, but he’s looking for a fancier word than, well, red. He doesn’t have time to think it over because he’s shoved by a ward, yelling at him to work. The yelling then goes to a boy (blond, tan, baby) even younger than he is, and he feels his hands squeeze around the shovel. He’s about to retaliate, because as much as an inconvenience as it is, Jellal is a righteous child. He knows he’ll get punished for it. He also knows he doesn’t really care. But before he can do anything, he hears a shout.

When he looks over, the girl with raspberry hair (no, that’s still not the right word—) is looking straight at the guard. She sees his hand raised to the boy and throws the pickaxe assigned to her to the floor. She doesn’t look anywhere else. Even as the yelling man starts towards her, even as he barks at her to pick up her tool, even as he raises his hand, the girl with pretty hair flinches but she doesn’t look away.

Jellal is basically nine. He’s a child, forced to withstand things no child should. He is nine, and he doesn’t have the mental capacity to think about his emotions, because every day is another day to survive. But when he sees the dog slap her, the color of her hair bleeds into the rest of his vision.

She tumbles to the ground and he’s running before he can even catch his breath. When he’s close enough, he throws himself to the guard before he can pull back for another blow to the girl.

.

In the end, they’re both taken away, dragged by the collar into a chamber where they are yelled at, punched at, and spat at. The girl screams on the hits that hurt, those that land on the stomach and face, the ones that leave their visions blurry and their stomachs upset, but they’re both tied to opposite poles, and he can’t do anything other than scream at them to target him.

They’re beaten badly, and when they stop showing any reactions, they’re left alone. Jellal doesn’t know if the girl’s passed out, but he calls out to her, nonetheless. Her head is hung, and the only sign that she’s conscious is the twitch of her hand, bound by shackles above her head.

She lifts her head with discernable effort, and rests it against the wall to lock eyes with him. He didn’t get the chance to see it then, but the shape of her eyes made his hands clammy.

No one talks. They’re too spent and battered to bother with words. So, they just stare.

After a while, their breathing steadies, and the blood dries. The girl shifts, and the shackles that move with her prompt Jellal’s eyes to snap back open (when did he close them?). He searches the room for her and when their eyes meet again, she smiles.

It’s a charming thing. Despite the crusted blood splitting above her mouth. A sweet thing, despite the smell of iron and sweat filling the room. He’d like to believe her to be as kind as her smile.

It isn’t until her eyes close and don’t open again that he lets his eyes wander.

Apart from her red hair, she has long eyelashes that are a shade darker than her hair. Her cheeks are also still plump with youthful adoration, and Jellal doesn’t want to think about how long they will be here, and how long before those cheeks hollow out with exhaustion. He stops thinking.

When he looks down, his eyes believe that he wants to sleep. He doesn’t. He needs to stay awake, lest the guards come back and torment them again. But his eyes slide shut, and the last thing his eyes capture is the collar of her shirt, where a stain of blood has set into.

The color of the blood isn’t as light as fresh blood. It’s aged enough to have gained a deeper shade. His brain doesn’t let him think more about it. And he knows that if he were awake enough to feel, he would grin at the word finally coming to him. But he doesn’t have the time. He sleeps.

Scarlet.

[kiliinstinct]

Chapter 28:

Rating: R Pairing: Nalu FF.Net || AO3 [Ch: 1] ||| [Prev] | [Next] Thanks to @phoenix-before-the-flame for their awesome Beta work, as usual. March Post Dates: 15th and the 28th (Yes, my Birthday!) April Post Dates: To Be Decided

When Gajeel was finally questioned, it was days after he'd willingly been led through the gates and brought into the dungeons. His cooperation led to an easy time of sitting around in proper chairs and choosing his own cot to bunk in, all while Kage sulked in his renewed prison. The shackles that scraped his wrists and ankles were a formality more than anything else; One he seemed unbothered by. 

His interrogation wasn’t in the official chambers where Makarov sought counsel with Erza, Laxus and Mirajane days before. Instead, when Laxus came to retrieve him, eyes narrowed and posture full of unspoken threats, he'd been led to a small room in the depths of the keep, where the draconis assumed was their chief’s private quarters.

While this was a curious turn of events for him, what made his studded brows rise was when Laxus irritably slammed the door behind him, leaving Gajeel alone with the short chieftain and no one else. The room was cramped, too small to host many occupants regardless, but he didn't even hear the click of the door lock. 

“Have a seat.” Makarov drawled, mustache twitching as he glanced his way. He was seated behind a grand red oak desk that filled nearly half the room. Tomes in messy piles and stacked parchments littered its surface, with odd knick knacks and baubles that didn’t quite fit thrown into the mix. He casually motioned to one other seat that Gajeel had almost missed. And rightly so, it was nothing more than the tiniest of stools, splintered beyond belief and standing on rickety legs despite the ashy burn marks that littered its surface: a stool made for a child.

“Yeah, no. Not sittin’ on that,” Gajeel replied dryly, leaning against the doorframe instead, “you sure about having me in a room alone with you, old man?”

“Why?” Makarov lowered his hand, confidence gleaming in his eyes, “Do you think you pose a danger to me?“

He shrugged, “Dunno, do I?” Lifting his shackled hands he bared his teeth in a sardonic grin, “or these give ya a sense of security?“

The old man's chuckle as he relaxed into his chair made Gajeel frown. Was he missing something here?

”I didn’t take you as a man to make jokes. If you were going to attempt anything, I think you would have already. A man of your strength could break those shackles in minutes.“

'Not even that.' He thought idly, but brushed the words aside as more thoughts gripped him, ”What would you know of my strength?“

”Boy,“ There was a near irresistible urge to snarl that Gajeel swallowed in the back of his throat, body bristling in offense, ”I've three clansmen all with the blood of Draconis in them. Surely you know that they scented you the moment you came near our walls?“

A chink in Gajeel's facade was finally made. His grin faltered with his confidence. Of course, he didn't doubt they'd catch a whiff of him if he'd smelled them, but to have passed that information along already? They were quick. The element of surprise was now lost, and that disturbed him more than he wanted to admit.

”That ruins my fun,“ He snorted, arms crossing in disdain, the shackles clacked together.

Another soft chuckle left Makarov as he propped his short legs on the edge of his desk, managing to look more indifferent than the large draconis had been. “I’ve been informed of your attunement. Metal I believe? Erza’s report of your camp was quite thorough.“

His eye twitched before he could control himself: another chink added.

”So I was right.“ He whistled, watching Gajeel with a keen eye that felt as if it were seeing straight through his mind. “A fascinating element to wield no doubt.”

When speaking with Jose, their banter always felt like a dance around threats and subtle digs of information towards one another. As if the other clan leader was always looking for a way in to sniff out Gajeel's weaknesses, but he never learned any more than what Gajeel chose to reveal.

In a span of a minute, here in this dinky room standing before a geriatric who hardly came up to his thigh, Gajeel felt uncharacteristically small. He didn’t like the clever glint in the old man’s eye or how he steepled his fingers. He didn’t like how he managed to learn what even his own clansmen didn’t know. This was a sensation that made bile rise in his throat, shame fueling the tension in his shoulders as hurt pride demanded he act out.

But he had more discipline then that and stayed still while his sharpened nails dug divots into his biceps. 

“Do you fairies always spoil the fun like this?” The question was pointed and petulant, but Gajeel felt he deserved the momentary childish barb. 

”Oh we have our own ways to have fun, I guarantee you.“ The old chief finally settled down into his seat, dropping the casual attitude as one drops a burning coal, ”Now, with that out of the way, do you want to remove those shackles or keep pretending you can't? I think we both know you wouldn't get very far if you attacked me anyway.“

That confidence was one thing shared between Makarov and Jose, Gajeel noted. A grim knowledge of one's own abilities. It was an asinine trait, but having the wind torn from his sails so soon into the conversation had left the draconis feeling out of sorts as he dragged his feet to finally sit down.

A part of him was more than satisfied when he heard the legs crack under his weight, struggling to stay intact. If he couldn't keep his abilities a secret longer than a day, fine. At least he had this. 

”Fine. You got me.“ He growled, not bothering to hide his irritation. ”But we're not here to discuss what I can do, are we? You got questions and I got the answers you need.“

”Now we're to the meat of the matter, very good,“ Makarov entwined his fingers under his chin and hummed in agreement, watching as Gajeel fiddled with the shackles but made no attempt to rip them off. He'd save that for later.

“Since you've made it obvious you come from Jose's clan,” The old man continued, voice dripping with acid at the name of the other leader, “Clearly you have a reason for giving us Kage without any demands for compensation. Before I ask you anything more pertinent, let me make one thing clear: Kage's return does not give you access to the Celestial your leader has been after and she's no bargaining chip. Are we clear?”

Gajeel snorted, his grin finally returning, “Crystal. She’s of no use to me anyway.”

And now, it finally felt as if he'd regained his foothold as he watched Makarov's stern expression drop. He decided to run with it, continuing before he could start his line of questions. Gajeel leaned forward, ignoring how the stool creaked as he propped his elbows on his knees.

“I’ll let you in on a secret. Jose thinks he sent me here to get on your good side, learn your towns in and outs and buddy up with you all before dragging the girl out by those golden locks he’s so obsessed with. That was the mission assigned to me,” The more he spoke, the more Makarov's expression changed, hardening into a silent, dangerous rage that fueled Gajeel's amusement.

“He still thinks that, and while I was down for playing along for a bit, there's no point in that now.”

“... and why is that?”

Gajeel's laugh dripped something close to madness, “Let me see your other Draconis members and I might tell ya.”

.

.

.

In the restless hours between Porlyusica begrudgingly giving Natsu the go ahead for freedom and the strange draconis being led through the gates, the Draconis of Fire was not sitting still. In fact, just outside the doors of the keep, he paced, snarling and spitting fiery fury each time he was dragged back to his quarters by those who watched him.

His fellow villagers were glad to see him on his feet. But still, they couldn’t help but wish that the old hermit had ordered him more time in his home. If only to give his frazzled keepers a break now that he was set loose. Keeping him confined to his home was infinitely easier than dragging him back to it after a long walk that always led to the keep; No matter how many times they'd convince Natsu to try a different path, to entice him elsewhere, he found one way or another to lead them back to his planned destination.

It was this constant back and forth and his demands to be let in that Makarov had found him before his meeting with Gajeel. In fact, he'd gone out specifically to settle the fiery man down, who refused to be calm and listen to reason.  Having the opportunity to tell his chief the truth about the newcomer had eased him minutely, but he continued to stay close, refusing all attempts to bring him home.

“You need to eat-” Max had attempted to lure him with the promise of a meal and he looked exhausted from the conversation, ”Seriously, Mirajane promised to cook a different kind of soup this time so-“

”Can eat it here.“ Natsu cackled, ignoring the hard stare of Wendy who'd come along. She was adamant to stay by his side ensuring he wouldn’t push himself too hard. He was talking more than he should, he knew, but the parchment Lucy had left behind was long consumed by his own flames and he hadn't the patience to bring anything similar with him.

”Seriously, Wendy. He’s being difficult. Maybe I should swap with Lucy-”  

Natsu's ferocious snarl ripped from him without thought, startling the other roma to silence. He muttered a quiet apology a moment later. The mere thought of Lucy being anywhere near the keep was too much. He wouldn't allow it. Considering Kage's attempts to kidnap her and the possible ties this new draconis had to Jose’s clan, Natsu would rather open his wounds than have her near

But he didn't bother saying this outloud, his feral snarls and disturbed pacing was enough to get the point across.

”... Natsu,“ Wendy mumbled, trying to placate him, ”Makarov already knows. No one's going to let Lucy get hurt, you know this. Please calm down.“

Her tired, meek tone was almost enough to mollify him, deflating at the look of her. She'd sat upon a nearby stump, fingers digging into the bark with claws she couldn't contain any longer. Their instincts were in sync with the arrival of a new draconis to their chosen flock and the knowledge he wasn't alone was sobering.

But he dug his heels into the dirt and shook his head, ”fine, but I ain't leaving.“

She sighed, looking at Natsu's current charge in sympathy. ”Maybe you should go get your replacement. You look like you could use some rest.“

”And leave him alone to bust the door down?“ The man asked, cringing at the thought, ”No offense to you Wendy, but I don’t think you can hold him down if he starts getting bright ideas.”

She pointed to her nose, sniffing the air as her eyes gleamed, Natsu caught the motion and immediately knew she had caught something in the air he'd missed, ”It's alright, he'll stay put.“

”Pfft, yeah right. Like I won’t-“ He began, following her action to taste the air. The wind had changed direction, something she would have sensed first before him and with that came the familiar scents of not just Erza, but the one person he hadn't wanted near at all, his statement changed in an instant, snarl returning through sharp teeth, ”Why is Erza bringing Lucy here?!”

Max stiffened with his eyes going wide as he began backing down the path. “You know what? Good idea, Wendy, I really SHOULD go. Have fun with that.“

It was almost comical how fast he booked it down the gravel path, shouting for Freed at the top of his lungs. At least it wasn't Warren, Natsu thought, that man's telepathy was irritating on a good day. He would hate having his every thought broadcasted.

But with the knowledge of Erza and Freed both coming his way, the Draconis knew he'd have little time to act and wasn't about to put Wendy in a rough spot in the scant minutes he had. A conundrum that left him grumbling in annoyed dissatisfaction.

”... do you really want Lucy to see you like this?“ Wendy asked under her breath eyeing him closely. The remark felt pointed, but the reason behind it was unknown to him.

”... What, mad? She's seen me mad before. Ain’t like this is new,“ He stated, letting her question distract him from the agitation still boiling under his skin, ”What's your point?“

”Well, uhm,“ She fumbled with the hem of her shirt, brows knitted together as she considered her next words, “since you two are together now, I thought you'd want to put your best foot forward. That's all.“

The restless anger that had him pacing disappeared with the wind, leaving him rooted on the spot. Confusion made him stare at with comically wide eyes as heat burst to his cheeks. His face felt far hotter than it should have as he spluttered, voice a blank monotone, ”Since we're what?“

His empty stare must have spoken more than his mouth  as Wendy turned a violent red. Tearing her gaze away, she wrung her hands nervously as she tripped over her words, “Oh-  are you not? I just could have sworn you-“ She cut herself off again, switching sentences on a dime, ”Oh my god, I'm so sorry. I completely- I thought-!“

An awkward laugh poured from his lips, cutting her off, fighting off the rising embarrassment that threatened to steal his voice. He asked hoarsely, dreading her reasoning but desperate to know all the same. “What did you think? Who said we're together?“

”You... you were covered in her scent the other morning,“ the air draconis explained, covering her beet red face, ”so I assumed. I'm sorry!“

It all clicked at that moment. The way she refused to meet his eyes the day before, the flush that dashed her cheeks when mentioning Lucy. Wendy's odd behavior had nothing to do with some private thing in her life distracting her but rather... Natsu's jaw dropped, staring quizzically in disbelief as the younger Draconis fidgeted in her seat.

When too many silent seconds passed, she began again, ”I really AM sor-“

”It's not the first time her scent’s been on me,“ Natsu said hurriedly, cutting her off again as he regathered his thoughts, ”I-It’s been on me before loads of times. Like... this ain't known? Why would now suddenly mean we're a thing?“

Wendy whined, peeking through her fingers at him, ”All over your face Natsu?! Her scent’s never been on your face before! And when we were coming to see you she bumped into us and- and- Your scent was all over her neck! What was I supposed to think?!“ 

Her voice cracked, striking a new octave strong enough to make his ears ring. He tried to hurriedly defend himself, but words didn’t escape-  That didn’t mean anything! That was because he-

His teeth clacked at how quickly he shut his mouth as the memories of his escape with Lucy came flooding back.

He was hardly aware of himself, too tired and comfortable to argue with Lucy when she was being weird. So he did the first thing that came to his mind, sinking his teeth in her ear. He didn’t remember much after, with sleep claiming him as he rested his head in the crook of her neck. It was the most restful sleep he’d had in a while before Kage’s scent forced him awake again. 

It felt right in the moment but now, during the day, wide awake and running on adrenaline, he finally pieced together why Lucy had reprimanded the action. He hadn't meant it the way Wendy had translated it, but -

He choked out a squeak, an oddly shrill sound that made Wendy jump in her seat. If she could smell that, then that means- ”... oh god the old lady….does she…?“

Wendy could only nod and Natsu felt another stone drop into the pit of his stomach. The approaching scent of the girl in this scenario was a staunch reminder of how little time they had left to talk privately and each second slammed another fact straight through Natsu's brain. 

Why had he been so touchy? Not just then, but lately? How often did he cross that line with Lucy and not realize it?

It was too much to think about. He decided, teeth grinding, especially with two enemies currently in the keep. Changing directions, he stuffed the thoughts of Lucy into the back of his mind (to hopefully forget), and spun towards the door of the keep. There were more pressing matters at hand. Wendy leapt from her seat, latching herself to his arm. A surge of wind wrapped itself around them, gently pushing Natsu away from the door.

”No, no, no!“ She cried, face still a flaming red. He could feel her heated cheeks against his arm and guiltily looked to his feet, still attempting to walk forward, ”Natsuuu, I really AM sorry, but you can't go in there! I swear I mostly kept it to myself so-“

He froze when she did, both realizing the emphasis she put on 'mostly.' With a voice lowering to such a whisper that his own ears could barely catch it, he tilted his gaze back to her, ”... mostly?“

”Oh no!“ She flinched, burying her face into his bicep while her fingers dug into his skin, ”I didn't mean that-! Well, I mean, I did, but it wasn't supposed to happen-'. He didn't stop her rambling, but the way they both could now hear Erza and Lucy's voice down the path helped spur her to get to the point.

“It’s just the old lady right? Only she knows?” He hissed.

Wendy gnawed at her bottom lip guiltily. ”I…..may have accidentally let it slip near Gray...“

No.

Just when he thought it couldn't get any worse, she hesitantly added, “... who was... talking to Cana.”

NO.

“Oh you’ve gotta be fucki-” Horrors upon horrors fell upon Natsu's shoulders. He needed to get inside the keep to see the old man again. Or connect his fist with something solid, like the face of that strange draconis before anything else happened. His exclamation however, was interrupted before he could finish the thought.

“Natsu!” Erza bellowed, commanding voice cutting through the air. They both froze.  She was on a warpath barrelling towards them in armored fury, leaving Lucy behind to watch with unhurried steps. “If you think you can bully Wendy into letting you in -”

Wendy looked just as overwhelmed as Natsu felt, ducking behind him to hide from her wrath. She sprang into action at Erza’s accusation, peeking out to wave frantically to the angered woman, ”It's all right! He wasn't trying to go in, I swear!“

Eyes shifted to meet Natsu’s in a silent plea, making him force a grin (albeit a terrified one) and nodded, ”Was just teasing her! I wouldn't put Wendy through that, haha.“

But then his eyes narrowed, hoping his fellow draconis would catch the underlying, 'this doesn't make up for it' message behind it. Nodding, she accepted the claim, as both seemed to take on a more relaxed air with practiced ease. 

First he needed to chuck a pillow at Makarov and Freed. Now he had to noogie Wendy and prank her. How many people were going to get added to his 'be an annoyance' list before this week was through? 

”Ah, very good then,” Erza said, her approach slowing when she caught up. She eyed them both suspiciously despite their assurances, but thought better than to continue the line of thought. Rather, she examined Natsu from head to toe and frowned deeply.

“Shouldn't you sit down?” She questioned, “While I understand your need for exercise, you've been out of bed for some time now. You should rest your legs.”

Natsu rolled his eyes and snorted. Seriously he wasn’t gonna keel over if he stood up.

“I'm fine-” Natsu cut himself off, looking over Erza's shoulder to meet the brown eyes of a certain celestial Romni finally catching up to them.

“It really doesn't matter what state you're in,” She beamed, face practically glowing with her greeting, “You're still ready to cause trouble, aren't you?”

“I-” Suddenly, words became difficult all over again. As if the damage in his throat had returned tenfold, forgetting all the hours and magic put behind healing it. He couldn't find the words to reply to her and laughed breathlessly.

At Wendy's curiously wide stare, he shook his head to regain his thoughts and scratched the back of his neck awkwardly, ”I'm just... tryna to make sure no one else gets hurt. That's all.“

And that was the perfect distraction he needed, eyes narrowing as he remembered his earlier ire. At his sudden glare, Erza matched his expression and crossed her arms. ”What’s the big idea bringing Lucy up here anyway?”

”I don't see why not.”

“There's TWO good reasons inside those doors-!”

Before Natsu and Erza could continue, Lucy jumped between them with hands on her hips, eyes glinting dangerously in his direction. “I thought we got over this speaking as if I'm not RIGHT here half a year ago?”

He flinched, “Ah... but I-“

Her expression soured, “But?“ She repeated, a hint of her magic sizzling in the air.

The return of her magic threatened to pull a grin out of Natsu, but the scent of danger radiating off her made him immediately backpedal, ”Nothing! Sorry!“

”Thank you.“ 

He didn't miss the way Wendy inhaled sharply, giving him the most deadpanned stare he'd ever seen from her.

While Natsu chose to ignore Wendy, he looked to Erza who avoided his gaze. Whatever her reasoning for bringing Lucy along, it would remain a mystery.  And rather than risk angering her further, he moved to claim Wendy’s stump, flopping onto it with a dramatic huff.  His thoughts had been in disarray since leaving his home, But now this? It was too much to think about.  Not today, he could think about it another day.

Lucy, on the other hand, took the moment to question Wendy about the draconis' inability to stay home now that he'd been given permission to walk around. Recounting the tale of Natsu's exploits against the keep door had her exasperated in seconds, but her smile grew at a subtle humor as well.

Erza had fallen silent. She vaguely listened with a curious expression. Yet her eyes flickered from place to place, unable to stay focused. 

In fact, Natsu noticed once he'd broken through his own sulking, the redhead could barely stand still: feet shifted and fingers drummed along her forearm. Once or twice her gaze settled on a specific room attached to the keep before darting back to Wendy and Lucy's conversation.

Natsu knew restless energy enough to recognize it in Erza and her revealing it was fascinating enough to distract most of his errant thoughts.

“In a hurry to go somewhere?” He cocked his head and waited for a response, surprised when Erza jumped. That was... not normal. 

“Not particularly,” Her breezy reply was too controlled and Natsu didn't buy it for a second. Ignoring Wendy and Lucy's sudden silence, he hardened his gaze and waited until Erza's uncharacterized fidgeting grew even more so, “why are you looking at me like that?”

“Why are you lying?” He countered, voice cutting sharp through the cracks of his throat.

With eye twitching, her tone dropped to a hiss, “Not everything needs to be YOUR business.”

Fear shot through his system like lightning and he gulped. Abort! Abort! “Fine, whatever! I bet it's something girly anyways.”

“You're clearly trying to provoke me,“ she crossed her arms, fiddling with straps of her leather bracers, ”considering your injuries, I'll choose to ignore it: back. off.“

Foolishly realizing he'd backed himself into a corner, Natsu was stuck between pushing her buttons further or doing just as Erza suggested. Whatever was on her mind, it wasn't worth the risk, but the curious gazes from Lucy and Wendy began to crack Erza's shell as a blush crept down her neck.

There wasn't a chance to call it out, as those flickering eyes finally caught something in the distance, widening in relief. “Ah, your charge has finally arrived. Good. I can go then.”

“Wait,” Lucy chimed in, puzzled, “what was the point in bringing me if you're just going to leave-“

Her question went unanswered as Erza beat a hasty retreat towards the keep. Turning right at the entry door, she entered the side building, where Natsu realized the smell of their other stranger was currently dwelling. His eyes narrowed as she slipped inside. Odd, but not important enough to dwell on now, not when Freed and Levy's scent invaded his senses.

”Oh, that's what she meant,“ Wendy clarified, ”He was downwind and I couldn't smell him.“ And his rising voice, chatting about the inner meanings behind rune writing and enchantments, went over all of their heads except for the short romni who walked beside him eyes gleaming in excited interest.

”Tch,“ He grumbled, ”getting more crowded by the minute.“

Now how was he going to sneak into the keep with not two, but four pairs of eyes here to watch him?! He sulked so far down into himself that he slid off the stump. Some day out this turned out to be.

.

.

.

Natsu was right to question Erza's actions. She was flustered from his perceptive senses,  annoyingly sniffing out her calm ruse. But a different worry weighed heavily on her mind, one that had her hanging on the edge with apprehension. Her old friend and temporary guest was at risk of being imprisoned right along with the other two. And his fate entirely hinged on the answers he gave in the next hour.

Her intentions with Lucy and waiting for Natsu's next keeper to arrive were layered. While Freed recovered quickly and was back to his prime, even she'd noticed Natsu's penchant for calming down around Lucy. It was an effect that garnered Erza's curiosity as well as mystified her; If it meant easing everyone’s frustrations, then it was an effect she was willing to put to use.

But she had to admit to herself, there was an altogether different motive to her actions today.  

She knocked on the door to Jellal's current quarters mostly out of polite tradition, but didn't bother waiting for permission. Using it as her introduction, she entered the small room that had once been used for storage and immediately looked for the current subject of her thoughts.

She didn't have to look long.

Jellal made it easy and the size of the room gave no options for hiding either way. Seated by a makeshift table of old barrels, he pored over a book he'd brought along with him, brows furrowed in concentration. It gave the impression he hadn't heard her at all, but the subtle pause when he skipped the page told her otherwise.  

This gave her ample time to get comfortable, grabbing the nearest, rickety chair and  barring the door from other potential visitors. Silence built between them as she watched him flip through another page, clearing his throat at odd intervals. She took the time to study his profile, noting the changes from the time she'd seen him two years earlier.

His hair was a mess, shaggier than she was used to and sheared unevenly as strands of blue brushed along his shoulders. What once was a man of pale skin, now looked tan as if he'd been under the sun for months of travel, but most noticeably, was the red tattoo etched into the right side of his face.

”You didn't have that when we last met,“ She broke the silence, pleased when he paused in his reading, softly shutting the book with a finger marking his place.  

He glanced back with a light smile crinkling his eyes.  He knew he should’ve greeted her when she came in, but he was too engrossed in the pages to pull himself away so soon.

”Many members of my clan become tattooed once they reach a certain age,“ He explained, trailing a hand along the red lines thoughtfully, ”In my case, this was due to a promotion in rank, more than anything else.“

”... does this rank perhaps have anything to do with why you sought me out?“ The question was pointed, seeing no reason to dodge the meat of the matter. 

Chuckling, Jellal shrugged, ”Ah, so we're starting this so soon?“

She murmured his name in a soft warning, eyes narrowing, “I've given Makarov my faith in you, but that doesn't mean I'm allowed to avoid protocol. I need to know why you're here.”

“And I suppose wanting to see an old friend isn't a good enough reason?” He asked, voice lowering as he looked at his book, not expecting an answer, “it would be ridiculous to assume I miraculously found your location out of a drive to see you again, but I won't lie and say I didn't wish it were the truth.”

She warmed at his confession, the implication plain as she coughed into her arm to hide it, “Please, be serious. If you don't answer me honestly, I'll have no say in where you end up next. It'll be out of my hands.”

“My apologies.“ The book was set aside and he turned in his seat fully facing her. ”Then you want to know what reason could I possibly have to work with a man whose clan has made attempts on your family's life all for the sake of kidnapping a certain girl. Am I correct?“

Erza's teeth clenched and she nodded, allowing him to continue. A few seconds passed in awkward silence and she feared he wasn't going to continue, but eventually Jellal hummed and pulled the sleeves back on his hands, holding his arms to the dim light for her to see.

His hands trembled as he held them aloft from strain of a secret shame she knew nothing of, but she spied the thin faded lines of old scrapes that litterred his skin under the sickly purples of fading bruises. They coiled around his arms and fingers, and drew her attention to what he quietly wanted her to see.

His wrists were swollen with old rope burns and she bit back a gasp. She hadn’t seen them before, and bile climbed into her throat as she wondered just how they looked before Porlyusica had a look at them.

She knew immediately what he intended to tell her. “... you were imprisoned by them.”

He nodded, covering his arms with a swift flourish, “the only one I consider myself allied with is Gajeel. Even then, it's merely out of convenience. If not for him, I'd still be tied up like some animal.”

Shocked, Erza tried to put the pieces together despite missing far too many points for a clear picture, ”I need you to tell me the whole story. Please.“

Wetting his lips with a swipe of his tongue, Jellal took a second to consider and nodded. “Jose is looking for a celestial, but he’s doing so blindly. He has no idea which one he needs so any of us not hidden to the North are fair game. When I was in their camp, Erza, I heard him boasting that he'd finally found the right one. The one your clan has taken in. A girl of golden hair whose family was massacred a year ago. I’d heard of their demise and grieved deeply for them, but I had to see for myself if there was a survivor. And if Jose was right.” 

“Right? Right about what? What would he need a celestial for?” She pressed, voice growing cold.

“There are numerous myths and legends in my tribe, Erza,” he said amiably, running a finger along the spine of his forgotten book, “and I honestly can't say I know for sure, but... this book may hold the answer. Gajeel had it. Swiped it from Jose himself, I imagine. It may hold the answers you and I both seek.”

“And Gajeel?” She asked, “what's his angle?”

He fell silent, for the first time since their chat began, he looked insecure, uncertain. ”That man has many secrets and faces. I don't think he ever lays out his full hand for anyone, but he's made it clear he doesn't plan on bringing the girl to Jose. He has his own agenda.“

Exhaling, all the tension Erza had upon entering the room fell off her shoulders. She couldn't sense an ounce of dishonesty in his words, and it was more than enough for her to feel Makarov would allow him to stay.

”Then I can only hope Makarov is able to figure out his motives for the rest of us.“ There were still many unknowns, but at least this much seemed to be in their favor.

Unfortunately, he didn't share her optimism as his lips thinned into a grimace, “I can assure you that he will speak the truth when the time comes, but he'll do everything he can to avoid sharing all that he knows. I can vouch that we're not here to cause trouble, but any further than that, is a mystery.”

“Thank you for being upfront with me,” Erza was emphatic with her words, her interest now falling on the book he was carefully studying, “... would you like to meet her?”

“Her?” Jellal blinked and Erza beamed.

”Lucy,“ She said, ”you are technically cousins, are you not?”

.

.

.

Night fell quickly for those who wanted to spend more time out and about. Natsu in particular, though distracted by his friends as best as they could, fumed at the wasted day. By the time the chill started to creep into the air, he'd been whisked back to his home and the night crickets serenaded the night sky by his window.

Erza remained in Jellal's room for hours, learning what she could and catching up with her old friend. When she fell into the comfort of her own bed, her mind buzzed with information and puzzle pieces that were far too varied to connect.  

Makarov, too, rested with his mind surrounded by deep thoughts. He frowned as he recalled his conversation with the new Draconis and tossed and turned above his furs until a fitful sleep claimed him.

It was a night full of peace and restless unease teetering back and forth on scales, waiting to balance out. Even Gajeel, given a small room to rest in, laid on a cramped cot that barely held his frame. Long hair trailed down in a wild mass to brush the floor that he swept up to rest on his chest. He smirked, combing his fingers through the long locks. His talk with Makarov led him one step closer to his goals and the shackles had been removed.

But he caught the slide of a wooden board and the familiar bolt of iron latches being shoved into place, effectively locking him. And the nearest window was too narrow for him to slip through.  He fiddled with the random baubles in his pockets and studied the ceiling above him, mind abuzz with possibilities. 

His travel partner, Juvia, should have made it back to Jose by now, he figured. While the woman was more reserved, willing to follow orders than lead, he trusted she'd feed Jose the information they agreed upon and stay at the other chief's side in his absence. She could take care of it, but that left him with his other goal. He thought it would take longer to find what he needed, but everything had fallen into his lap with very little effort. 

Withdrawing his hand from his pocket, he cupped a blue gem nestled in his palm. He eyed the small orb lazily, throwing his other arm behind his head. It glowed slightly in the darkness, and it hummed with a magic all of its own that he could feel lightly tugging against him. Beautiful and rare; a gem that could be mined in the depths of his true home. He rubbed a smudge off it and snorted, glaring into its translucent surface as if peering into a far off space.

“Now I know I ain’t taking that long for you to stop paying attention to this thing,” He said dryly as one does to a person standing in front of them. “It's only been what? Four years? Don’t tell me my old man was right about you givin’ up.”

It was a tasteless barb, one that held no heat, but sparked a response in the gem. The shimmering mass of liquid inside flickered and spun itself into an image pieced together by bits of light until he saw the innards of an old cave, illuminated by thousands of gems in its likeness. It refocused on the silhouette of an older man, peering back into its depths as he growled in turn.

”Your father,“ The man said, rolling his eyes, ”has lost the bet. He thought it would take you another ten. Good to see you alive, kid.”

He cursed, already annoyed two seconds into the conversation, “Of course he did, the ass. You're looking rather alive today, have you been able to see the sun more than once a month?”

The voice in the gem grumbled, ”You're as insufferable as he is. Get on with it. I doubt you're using up the magic in your lacrima for pleasantries.“

”Gihee, maybe I just wanna string you along just to piss-“

”Gajeel.“ The voice rumbled and the gem shook violently, spiking with heat as magic flared within its depths and somehow, so did the walls of his room. Dust fell from the ceiling and onto Gajeel’s shoulders as he flew up, stiff and alert,  glancing wildly around. He strained to hear any signs of others becoming aware of the magic surge. A beat passed and he sighed. Good, no one was alerted. He refocused on the gem and squeezed it tight with a snarl. 

“Cheating asshole,” He spat. What was it with old men ruining his fun today? “Your good ol’ pal and rival has been busy makin' connections, but he ain't got what he wants yet. On the other hand, I got exactly what YOU want.”

“...meaning?”

He smirked, eyes wild with brimming excitement, “he's here. I found him.”

Another flare of heat came from the gem, strong enough to crack the surface. But the break didn’t matter as the light began to fade. The lacrima, made to send only one simple message, had lost its stored power. With his message sent and the sudden chaos of shocked shouts within the stone cut out. Chuckling, Gajeel pocketed the stone to charge it with his magic once again. Now in a much better mood than he was before.

His whistling echoed off the walls and down the hall of the keep. The balanced scales teetered once again as the uneasy restlessness was overpowered by a sudden peace.

The village settled. Stars sparkled their light along with the moon above, and somewhere far off on the edges of the Magnolia forest, another camp settled to sleep as well.

All, but one. The Phantom Chief, receiving news from a reserved woman who recently returned. Her report was given succinctly and he'd waved her off with an impassive facade.

In truth, he was holding back cackling loud into the night. It would only be a matter of time for him to get what he wanted: glorious. 

He'd have to promote Gajeel when he returned and maybe commend Kage as well: if the lowly peon managed to survive.

[gruviasilversblog]

I have a new fanfic in mind (new in the sense of writing, because I've pinned it for a long time) and a fic that I had already thought about writing a long time ago, then a comment on a chapter of my fic "Team B (For Badass )" convinced me even more. Thanks anon!

The plot is this: Jellal speaks seriously and scolds Gray and Erza for what happened with Avatar and for not trusting Juvia and her abilities as a sorceress. A kind of AU, then I'll explain everything in the author's notes when I write it.

My problem and what do I want from you? Simple! I can't find a title! No ideas! Please help me! I'm going crazy! It's really bad when you have a complete story but you miss the title which is one of the most important things!

[thehylianidiot]

I finally get to draw this goof (and figure out how to draw him) in a scene I've been looking forward to for the past year or so.

And no, I have no idea why anyone would think I have a favorite scene this chapter.

Want More? Check out the Hub Post

[itssokiee]

Smudged Happiness: Chapter 4

Previous chapter

First chapter

Ao3

Erza ditches school for the first time, for a reason she could never live down.

Gray meets the new girl on the swim team, and they decide to initiate her by getting wasted.

Warning: Slight nsfw

A few hours earlier during lunch….

Erza followed behind Jellal shooting dagger at his skull. He hadn’t done anything bad to her, but still, even when he tried to do something nice, it put her on edge. She was too busy fuming to notice where they were going. Suddenly she realized they were headed up the stairs to the open roof.

“Where are we going? Why would we have the meeting up there?” Erza ask annoyed.

“Oh yeah I lied. There is no meeting,” Jellal said laughing.

“So then what was the point of all that?”

“Obviously to get you alone.”

Erza’s eyes widened. “No way! I’m done with that. See you later,” she said as she turned to leave. He caught her hand before she walked off and pulled her toward him.

“Do you really want to play that game at school? We could, but that would cause a scene,” Jellal he said smiling.

“Let go of me,” but she didn’t attempt to struggle. He pulled her behind a corner and bent her over the wall. He put his hand in her mouth and took off as little clothes as possible.

As soon as he came, Erza pushed him off panicking. “You’re not wearing a condom! Why would you not pull out?!”

Jellal eyes flash panic, “Wait - s-sorry it’s just that every girl I - usually the girls I’m with are on birth control… are you not?”

“You know my parents!! What do you think??” Erza yelled. “Oh my god oh my god.”

“Wait we can go get Plan B,” Jellal said. “We can go right now.”

“It’s like fifty dollars! My parents will know something is up if they see a charge like that!” Erza said freaking out.

Jellal opened his wallet and took out a hundred dollar bill. “I’ll drive let’s go.”

Erza Scarlett, Class President, Rule Book follower skipped her first day of junior year to buy plan B.

~

Last period was Gray’s favorite. Not because it meant he got to leave after - but because last period was swim. After class ended, it streamlined into practice. Not today though, he had a few weeks before the season started. And since it was the first day, all he was gonna do was chill with his team.

When Gray strolled in he checked in with his coach and headed to the bleachers.

“Hey Gray. Just the mermaid I was telling Meredy about. Your synchronized swimming skills really brought me to tears at state,” Lyon Vastia said smirking to Gray.

Gray and Lyon were the definition of frenemies. Sure Natsu’s and Gray fight, but Lyon really knows how to grind his gears.

“Shut up Lyon, I dusted your freestyle time,” Gray said back.

“Yes but you really stole the show with your graceful butterfly,” Lyon said teasingly. Just then Gray noticed a girl isolated up in the bleachers.

“Who’s that?” Gray asked.

“She’s a transfer student from Phantom Academy. Supposedly she was there best swimmer, so when she transferred here, she automatically made the team,” Meredy explained.

“Hold on I know her. Holy shit! Gray, she was that girl who broke the record time on freestyle for girls! She literally won for their team!” Lyon said.

Gray looked at her. He recognized her. Girls free stroke was right before Boys butterfly. Juvia was last to go for girls, and he was first for boys. While they were waiting - he heard Juvia’s team mates making snarky comments about her loud enough for everyone to hear.

Right before she went up, Gray whispered, “When you swim today, do it for you. Win for you and have a self victory. Don’t let these bitches have any glory.”

Since he was up next, he hadn’t seen her perform. “Why won’t she talk to us?” asked Gray.

“I dont know she hasn’t said a word,” said Rufus walking up.

“Let me try,” Gray said walking up the bleachers. He walked over and sat down next to her.

“Hey I heard about your win. Everyone’s excited you’re here,” Gray said.

“Go away before I make you miserable too,” Juvia said.

“What would be miserable for all of us, is a teammate who can’t work with us. It would make us miserable if you stay up here.”

Juvia blushed and eventually walked down the bleachers with him. After a while, the entire boys and girls swim team was sitting upon the bleachers. The Coach checked in and started giving the usual speech. Lyon leaned over to Gray,

“Hey Meredy, Ultear, and I are staying after the bell. You coming,” he opened his jacket revealing a water bottle and a deck of cards. That could only mean one thing.

“Hell yeah,” said Gray completely forgetting his previous plans.

“Also ask Juvia to stay.”

Finally the bell rang and the students began to filter out. And Juvia walked out the door Gray touched her shoulder and whispered, “Hey how’s the time to get to know your teammates. Stay after the bell.”

The only people remaining were Meredy, Ultear, Lyon, Gray and Juvia. They sat on the floor of the boy’s locker room.

“What are we doing? Trust falls? Ice breakers?” Juvia asked quietly.

“Even better,” Meredy said smiling slyly as she dealt cards. Lyon took out the water bottle, took a sip and passed it to Gray.

“We’re doing shots and playing strip poker!” Ultear said.

~

“Wait no, we both can’t go in,” Erza said. Another argument, this time in a drugstore parking lot.

“Why not?” Jellal asked.

“Because what if we see someone we know and they’ll see us together and we’ll be here! Buying plan B! Together!” Erza rambled.

“Ok well it has to be you then,” Jellal said handing her the cash.

“What?”

“It’s the law that if someone under the age of 18 purchases plan B, they have to be a girl.” Jellal says.

“You just made that up!”

“Well we can argue about that too or you could just go get it.”

“Fine,” Erza says as she gets out of the car. She sheepishly wanders around the store not daring to ask for help. Her heart sinks when she sees them locked behind the counter.

“Um excuse me,” she asks quietly not looking up, “could I get um one of those boxes right there,” she said her face the same color as her scarlet hair. The cashier began to unlock the box. Erza noticed something else at the check out line.

“A-also c-can I get a pack of those *comdoms*,” Erza face now crimson. After she pays, Erza wordlessly leaves the store and runs back to Jellal’s car.

“Where’s your wallet?” Erza demanded. Jellal held it up confused. Erza snatched it and put the condoms inside. She shot him a glare and tossed it back.

“As you wish ~” he says in that infuriating snarky tone.

Erza takes the pill and they drive back to school. As they pull into the parking lot, it seems pretty empty.

“Oh wow we missed dismissal,” Jellal says amused.

“Oh crap! I was supposed to drive everybody from school today! It’s already 4:30!” Erza exclaimed.

“Well that sounds like a you problems. See ya Scarlett,” Jellal says as he drives off.

Erza pulled out her phone

Erza: I’m so sorry! The meeting just ended!

Natsu: it’s cool Zeref drove us

Wow lying to your friends. Who have I become.

~

“Ugh Ultear can u give me a ride home,” Gray said laying on the floor in nothing but his underwear. “Yeah, might as well I’m already taking Lyon.”

“Noooo you guys are leaving~~~ but we’re having so much funnnn,” slurred a Juvia.

“Who knew all she needed was a little bit of alcohol,” Meredy said giggling, “I’ll drive you home Juvia, I’m pretty sober.”

Gray and Lyon stumbled their way to Ultear car. The walk woke them up, so thankfully they could sit up for the drive.

“Hey Gray, I really like that Juvia girl,” Lyon said.

“Hey she’s pretty cool,” Gray replied.

“No, you don’t get it, I really like her,” Lyon said.

“Oh that’s cool I’ll respect that,” Gray said.

“You don’t mind, right Gray?”

“Nope she’s all yours”

~

“Wow Erza’s meeting just ended now,” Natsu said as they pulled into the driveway.

As soon as they opened the door, they were greeted by a swirl with a sweet voice, “Welcome home Zeref and Natsu! Hey Mavis! Nice to see you again Lucy!” She said.

“Finally someone remembers me!”

“Hey Wendy how was school?” Natsu asked.

“Cmon let’s goo,” Mavis said pulling Zeref to his room.

“You gotta see the surprise!”

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