A/N: Hello, all! I'm not sure where this came from (I think I was watching a Fabled Fairy Studio MEP video on YouTube) but it suddenly struck me that Yukino and Natsu are kinda cute. I just feel like she would be really grateful to him for the whole Sabertooth thing from the GMG. Also, people pair her with Sting, who is a lot like Natsu, so why not?
Anyway, this is after all of that when things go back to normal for a bit after the dragons are gone. Please enjoy, and let me know if you dig it, and also if you think I should make this more than a one-shot.
Fairy Tail was lively as ever when the three mages from Sabertooth entered the guild doors. They just stood by the entrance watching the ruckus for a moment until a barstool came sailing their way and Rogue had to pull Yukino out of its path. Sting was too busy laughing at Natsu being tossed into a wall to notice the next incoming projectile, so he ended up on the ground with a giant knot on his head. He was on his feet almost instantly and going after the presumed culprit, but all movement in the room ceased as Makarov's voice rumbled through the room.
"Cut it out, you brats! Can't you see we have visitors?"
Everyone's attention turned to the doors as the Fairy Tail members unfroze from the positions they had halted in at Makarov's yell.
"Hey, it's the Sabers!" Natsu yelled happily. "Come for a rematch, Sting?"
"That wasn't the purpose of the visit, but I'm happy to get to that after I talk to the old man," Sting answered with a grin. Yukino and Rogue sighed simultaneously before Rogue stepped forward to grab his brother by the shirt and started dragging him towards Makarov. This left Yukino fidgeting by the door until Lucy came up and threw her arms around the girl.
"It's so good to see you!" Lucy exclaimed. "Come sit with me at the bar. It's marginally safer over there."
Yukino allowed the blonde to drag her to the bar while the twin slayers disappeared upstairs with Makarov. Another brawl started just as they reached their seats next to Laxus and Cana. The celestial wizards had barely begun catching up since the last time they'd seen one another before Yukino was knocked off of her seat to the ground with a pink-haired man on top of her. She blushed furiously as Natsu tried to orient himself.
"Sorry, Yuki," he said with a wide grin before picking himself up. He offered her a hand. He was a little overly exuberant in helping her to her feet, and she fell into him. They both nearly toppled to the ground again, but Natsu wrapped an arm around her waist to steady her. Yukino's face felt like it was on fire, which seemed appropriate considering who was holding her. She stepped away from him as quickly as she could. He offered another of his trademark smiles before turning back to rejoin the fray.
Yukino settled back onto the barstool and clutched at the bar slightly. She tried to take deep breaths and willed the heat in her cheeks to dissipate before someone noticed. Of course, she was sitting next to Lucy, and the demon barmaid had just appeared to take their drink orders before Natsu crashed into her.
"Yukino, do you have a crush on Natsu?" Mira asked her adopted sister. Her usual sweet smile was in place, but Yukino felt something sinister lurking in the question.
"What?! No, of course not! And even if I did, which I don't, I know that he's Lucy's, so I would never even think of him like that to begin with so… No, definitely no," Yukino stammered.
"What do you mean he's mine?" Lucy asked with a frown.
"Well, everyone knows that you and Natsu are together, or at least that you will be at some point." Yukino shrugged. It was common knowledge throughout Fiore. They were one of the strongest mage partnerships, and it was no secret how close the two were. At least, that's what Yukino thought.
"I take offense to that," Laxus piped up from the other side of Lucy. "As if I'd ever give Lucy a reason to ditch me for that pyro pipsqueak."
Yukino's eyes widened to the size of saucers as the giant blonde dragon slayer slipped an arm around Lucy's waist in an unconscious possessive gesture. Cana laughed and took another chug from her keg. Mira also acted as though this was nothing unusual. Lucy giggled at her friend's expression.
"I'll admit, it's a pretty common misconception," Lucy said. "But Natsu and I have only ever been friends. There's exactly zero attraction there, so go for it."
"If you are interested, we'd love to help you nab him," Mira said. That terrifying gleam was in her eyes still. Yukino merely stammered some more and wondered if the blood rushing to her face could make her head explode so that she could escape this embarrassment. Luckily, she was saved from producing an actual reply by the reappearance of the masters of Fairy Tail and Sabertooth.
"Listen up, brats!" Makarov bellowed. "Sabertooth has come to me with a rather interesting proposition. As you all know, our S-class trials will be taking place next month. Sabertooth will be holding a similar trial, and Sting has suggested that we combine the two events into one."
An excited murmur ran through the guild, but it was quickly stilled by Makarov raising his hand.
"I take it no one is opposed? Good. Once the details are ironed out and the participants are chosen, there will be another announcement. In the meantime, let's celebrate the joint trials by showing these tigers how the fairies like to party!"
Everyone cheered, with Cana's voice rising above the rest. Mira and Kinana practically flew around the guild refilling everyone's drinks as Cana started rounding up participants for her famous drinking games. Yukino was pulled away for a moment by Rogue and Sting. Lucy's eyes flicked around the guildhall from Natsu to Yukino to Cana and back as a tiny spark of an idea formed. She was startled out of her ruminations by a nudge from her slayer.
"Starting to take after the demon?" Laxus asked.
Lucy stuck her tongue out at him. She both hated and loved that he could read her so well after such a short time together. It wasn't terribly surprising, though. Apparently he had been borderline stalking her since his return to the guild, though he hadn't actually told her of his interest until after the Grand Magic Games. Apparently the Flare incident and hearing about her future self being murdered were the spurs that Laxus needed to finally confess his feelings to her, whether she accepted him or not. It had only been a few months, but already she had trouble remembering a time when they weren't together.
"You shouldn't compare me to her," Lucy said. "I'm not trying to plan Yukino's wedding or future babies. I'm just wondering if maybe Natsu is interested, too."
Laxus snorted. Lucy huffed and tried to pull away from him, but he just dragged her in closer and nuzzled her hair. She tried to swat him away, but he started tickling her. She was a giggling mess and practically falling off the barstool before he stopped and got serious again.
"You think the matchstick has an interest in anything beyond food and fighting?" Laxus asked.
"You'd be surprised," Lucy mused as she righted herself on the stool. She returned to surveying the three main figures of her plan, but she turned back to her slayer when he sighed heavily.
"Just don't get your hopes up, starlight," he muttered. Lucy ignored him as she flagged down Cana.
Yukino wondered how she got roped into this game. Granted, Sting and Rogue had been corralled with her, but still. Several members of Fairy Tail were ranged around the table with them. Cana sat at the head where she was busily shuffling a deck of cards.
"Alright, first game of the night: Ring of Fire!" Cana announced as she threw the deck to the center of the table. The cards landed face down in a perfect circle around a large empty cup. A couple of people groaned, but no one got up to leave.
"What are the rules of this game?" Rogue asked.
"Each person draws a card on their turn. Each card has a different rule, so we'll just explain as we go along," Cana said. "After each card, the person who drew it pours a bit of their drink into the cup in the middle."
"And what happens to that?" Sting asked. Cana grinned.
"You'll see," she said with a wink. "Now, I had Freed draw up some runes, so there's no pussing out on drinks and no lying."
"Seriously, Freed? You are so whipped," Laxus groaned. The rune mage gave him a sheepish look, but Cana pulled him in for a one-armed hug and glared at the lightning slayer.
"Alright, let's do this!" Cana pumped her fist in the air and drew the first card. "Oo, we're starting the night off right. It's waterfall, ladies and gents."
She flipped the card around to show a picture of rapids and beautifully cascading falls. There was a general chorus of groans and even a couple of curses.
"You rigged this, didn't you?" Gray said with a scowl.
"I don't understand. What does it mean?" Yukino asked.
"It means that we all start drinking at once, and you can't stop until the person in front of you stops, which basically means that none of us get to quit chugging until Cana empties her keg," Lucy explained.
"Hey, I don't have to drink it all," Cana said. Lucy raised an eyebrow at her friend, and the brunette chuckled. "Though, you're right; I probably will. Everybody ready? Go!"
Yukino was already feeling very warm when Cana finally set down her barrel and everyone else instantly lowered their drinks, most of which were also empty. The Sabertooth mage was beginning to wonder about the wisdom of taking Mira up on the suggestion of her specialty fruity drinks. It seemed that the bright pink beverage was decidedly more alcoholic than the barmaid had let on. As if her thoughts had conjured the woman, Mira appeared with another of the cocktails and whisked away Yukino's empty glass.
"Okay, babe, it's your turn," Cana said. Freed reached forward to grasp another card.
Half an hour later, Yukino was trying to figure out why there was an invisible little green man sitting on her glass and why she had to remove him and put him back for every drink. She decided that Bickslow was evil for suggesting such a rule when he drew the King because there was no way she was going to remember it. Freed's runes were acting as an excellent alarm system anytime someone broke the rule, and as a result, Yukino was on her fifth fruity drink despite rarely having to participate for any of the other cards. At least she wasn't the only one having trouble, Sting was struggling with the little green man even more than she was. He was beginning to sag slightly in his seat, and they'd only made one full circuit around the table.
"Hey Cana, I don't recognize this one," Natsu said as he held up a card. It depicted two lovers in a passionate embrace.
"Pick a date," Cana said. "When they drink, you drink, and vice versa."
"Ah gotcha," Natsu said. He looked around the table for a moment before exclaiming, "Hey, Yukino, be my date!"
At least her face was already red from the alcohol so no one could blame her flushed face on the fire dragon's choice of words. She gave a tiny nod, and she couldn't help but return his grin. That smile of his was infectious. Not only that, but it was far more entrancing than a simple smile had any right to be. She didn't realize that she was staring at him until Rogue nudged her with his elbow. A few more cards were drawn without her or Natsu having to drink, and then it was her turn to draw again.
Yukino looked at the picture in confusion. As with all of Cana's cards, it was beautifully illustrated. The image was a volcano spewing lava and smoke into the dark sky behind it. She could practically feel the heat from the lava where it flowed down the destroyed mountainside. She held it up for Cana to see with a questioning look. A few people sighed with relief, but Cana looked disappointed.
"Already? Dammit," Cana sighed. "Welp, game's over guys. I've got another one, though."
"So, this card ends the game?" Yukino asked. "Is that all?"
"All? Oh no," Cana said with a chuckle. "You get to drink that."
The card mage pointed to the middle of the table, and Yukino's confusion grew. Then, she turned slightly green as she surveyed the brown contents of the glass at the center of the table. No one at the table was drinking the same thing, so when they each poured a bit into the clear container, it slowly morphed through several sickly colors before settling on a muddy brown. Yukino felt the alcohol she had already consumed threatening to come back up as she studied the glass with horror. Summoning her courage, she started to reach for it, but it was quickly snatched away before she even got close. She turned in shock to find Natsu downing the contents in one long chug.
"Ah, Natsu, that was Yukino's!" Cana exclaimed.
"Well, I am her date, right? When she drinks, I drink, so I drank."
Yukino wasn't entirely sure why, but she found that logic hilarious. She started giggling softly, and Natsu rewarded her with one of his grins.
"Whatever," Cana said. "Who's up for the next game?"
Pretty much everyone at the table bowed out, so Cana was forced to go recruiting again. Yukino rested her chin on her hand with her elbow propped on the table as she surveyed the guild. Sting was amusing himself by poking Rogue in the side and seeing how long it would take for the shadow slayer to react. Gray had started searching frantically for his clothes once Lucy pointed out that he was naked again. Said blonde was curled up on the lap of her behemoth of a boyfriend. Rogue finally reacted to the prodding of his side by jerking back and knocking into Yukino before landing a punch on his brother's face.
Yukino struggled to remain in her seat as the twin slayers began brawling. They were quickly joined by Gajeel and Gray, along with a few other members. She expected to see the pink-haired slayer join them, but instead she looked up to find him placing a steadying hand on her shoulder as she still swayed in the seat.
"You feeling okay?" Natsu asked. Yukino nodded, though the movement was fairly difficult.
"Drinking games with Cana can be pretty rough if you aren't used to it," he said. "I'll have Mira get you some water."
He started to move away, but Yukino grabbed his hand. He glanced back down at her, and Yukino thought it was cute the way his head tilted to the side in silent query.
"Thank you for taking the drink for me," Yukino said quietly.
"Don't mention it," Natsu said. He rubbed the back of his head and looked suddenly bashful. "Like I said, Cana, drinking games, rough the first time. You know."
"Still, I really do appreciate it," Yukino said. She squeezed his hand before letting go.
"I'll get you that water," Natsu said before practically running away. Yukino watched him for a moment but then she felt eyes on her. She turned to find Lucy watching her with a small smirk, but the blonde didn't say anything. Still, Yukino was pretty sure that she now knew why she'd been roped into the drinking game in the first place. The room was suddenly far too hot and crowded. Yukino jumped to her feet and made her way to the guild doors with only a slight stagger.
The night air was wonderfully refreshing as she stepped out and let the door close behind her. Her thoughts were still muddled, but at least she didn't feel like she was going to suffocate anymore. Yukino stepped over to sit on one of the benches in front of the guild hall. She tilted her head back to look at the sky. Even though they were in the middle of the city of Magnolia, she could see a lovely breadth of stars above. She picked out Libra's constellation, and she smiled as she thought of her friend. She was so busy picking out constellations that she didn't hear the guild doors open behind her.
"Got you that water," Natsu said as he sat down beside her on the bench. Yukino felt her cheeks warming again as she took the glass with a whispered thanks. They sat in silence for a while as she slowly sipped the water. It helped to clear her head more than the fresh air alone could, but she still felt fuzzy. The world seemed muted and blurred, yet somehow bright at the same time. It was very confusing, and Yukino distantly realized that she was truly drunk for the first time in her life.
"It's amazing how many stars you can see even being in town," Yukino murmured.
"You must like the stars a lot," Natsu said. "I know Lucy does. She can rattle on for hours about them if you let her."
"I guess she's taught you a lot then?" Yukino asked as she shifted her gaze to the glass of water clutched between her hands.
"Not really," Natsu said with a shrug. "They're more her thing."
"Oh," Yukino said softly. She couldn't help feeling a little disappointed that Natsu didn't share her interest in the night sky, though she shouldn't really be surprised. Everything she'd seen of him could be summed up as the 3 Fs: fighting, food, and family. But then, she also liked that about him. He was strong and uncomplicated. Things that she felt she couldn't claim to be.
"Maybe you can tell me about them, though," Natsu said. He stood up and held out a hand for her. "Come on, I'll show you a place where we can see them way better than here, and you can tell me about the constellations."
"But I thought they weren't your thing?" Yukino said.
"Maybe you can bring me around to liking them," Natsu said. He grinned at her, and even in the dim light the sight made her heart stutter. She set the glass of water on the bench beside her and hesitantly placed her hand in his. His grin widened just before he sprinted into the dark, dragging her along behind as he gripped her hand tightly.
He led her to a hill just outside of town. The streetlights weren't visible from here, so the lights in the sky stood out with greater clarity. Natsu plopped onto the ground and stretched out on his back as Yukino dropped more gracefully to lie beside him.
"I'm not sure where to begin," Yukino said.
"Okay, I'll help you. Start with that one." Natsu pointed to the brightest star in the sky. Even with her mind still hazy from the alcohol, Yukino had no trouble recalling the star and its constellation. She started talking softly. She talked and talked about one constellation after another as time ticked by them. Natsu would murmur encouragement from time to time, but otherwise he let her continue uninterrupted. She turned to glance at him and found him looking at her instead of the sky. Her cheeks heated under his steady gaze, and she quickly turned back to the stars to continue her storytelling.
Her eyes began to feel heavy, and she yawned sporadically, but she didn't want the night to end yet. Yukino knew she should head back to the inn where she was staying with Rogue and Sting, but she just wanted a few more minutes in his company. She fell asleep in the middle of a sentence.
Natsu smiled at the sleeping girl beside him. He gently gathered her in his arms and carried her back to the guild. There was a minor uproar when he entered with Yukino in his arms, but he shushed them all with a stern glare before reluctantly handing her off to Rogue. Yukino had wound her arms around his neck in her sleep, and she didn't seem to want to let go. Natsu carefully pried her fingers from his neck as she tried to nuzzle closer to him. He blushed slightly when she murmured his name.
When the shadow dragon slayer had carried the sleeping girl out of the guild hall, the Fairy Tail mages couldn't contain themselves any longer and started yelling questions and encouragement at him from every side.
"Nothing happened!" Natsu finally yelled in response to a particularly salacious statement from Cana. "I took her some water and we talked for a while. End of story. Go away."
He flopped onto a bench next to Lucy. Laxus had fallen asleep with his head in her lap as she slowly stroked his hair. She turned to her best friend with a small smile.
"So?" She prompted.
"So, I just told everyone," Natsu huffed. She arched a brow at him, and he groaned. "So, I couldn't tell her what I planned to tonight because she was too drunk."
Lucy's eyes widened. Laxus chuckled, and she swatted his shoulder.
"I thought you were asleep?" She yelled.
"All the ruckus woke me up," he said. She tried to push him off her lap, but he reached up to wrap his arm around her and poked her in the side. "I told you so."
"Told me so?" She asked.
"I told you not to get your hopes up for your little plan."
"Wait… I thought you meant not to get my hopes up about Natsu liking her."
"Laxus already knew I was interested in Yuki," Natsu interrupted. He slammed his head down on the table. "I wanted to tell her tonight, but you and Cana got her too drunk. Now I have to wait for another chance."
Lucy grimaced as guilt bloomed in her chest. She silently vowed to never catch Mira's matchmaking sickness again. She had to smile at the chivalry Natsu was showing, though. She was kind of proud of him. She patted him on the back, and he raised his head to regard her sadly.
"Sorry I screwed it up, Natsu," she said. "But you'll get another chance. I'll even help!"
"No more helping," Laxus said. He stood up and heaved the startled celestial mage over his shoulder. "Natsu's got this. I've got you. Let's go home."
Lucy tried to protest, but he set her on her feet briefly before swinging her into a princess carry where he covered her lips with his. Natsu chuckled at how easily the lightning slayer could shut his best friend up. He wished he had a trick like that, though he knew if he ever tried Laxus's go-to move, the older slayer would zap him so hard he'd time travel. Natsu gave Laxus a small salute as the blondes left the guild hall.
His thoughts drifted to the other celestial mage. He hadn't been able to tell her how he felt tonight, but there was always tomorrow. And with the combined S-Class trials, he knew he'd have a chance to tell her at some point. For now, he'd hold onto that. Natsu was pulled from his thoughts by a chunk of ice hitting him in the face. Within seconds, Natsu was on his feet and heading over to pummel the ice make mage.
Across town, a white-haired celestial mage dreamed of a fire-breathing dragon under the stars.