The wizards of Fairy Tail got very excited when the magician came to visit.
"Is this your card?"
Natsu huffed out an annoyed breath as Lucy, eyes sparkling, giggled girlishly and clapped. The stage magician; not a wizard, a stage magician, winked at the busty blonde and reshuffled his deck of playing cards.
The man would probably have been handsome in the eyes of a woman. Natsu just thought he looked annoying. He was tall, with shiny black hair that waved slightly at the tips. Flash blue eyes that were crinkled in the corners from fake smiles and seedy leers. Natsu saw his eyes darting, the way he hungrily eyed up his female nakama. It made him angry, the way this stranger was pulling the strings, looping his charm around them like a velvet cane.
Especially Lucy, came a voice in his head, and you don't like that, do you?
Natsu told himself to shut the hell up.
"I don't get it," said Gray.
Natsu looked to his right. Not only the ice wizard, but Laxus and Gajeel stood beside him, glaring daggers at the charlatan.
"They are actual wizards," seethed Gray, his eyes fixed on Juvia. For possibly the first time in forever, the ex-phantom blunette was absolutely blind to his presence. She too was staring, wide eyed at the magician, Xavier was his name, her cheeks flushed with admiration.
"He has less power in his whole body than I do in my little finger" static electricity crackled around Laxus's body as the dragon slayer scowled at the magician. Natsu noticed Mirajane's shy little smiles at Xavier and the way the smooth stranger was eyeing her up. The fire dragon slayer could almost feel the charge flowing from Laxus. Yikes.
"So how the hell did he do that?" finished Gajeel. The three men looked over at him, expressions flat. He blinked at them.
Pantherlily massaged his head, sighing. He hopped down from Gajeel's shoulder, muttering.
"Missed the point completely."
Gajeel looked back at the magician and scowled as he tickled Levy's cheek, causing her to giggle girlishly.
A little slow on the uptake, but he had gotten there.
Natsu knew this guy's type. He used his skill and his looks, his smooth mannerisms to impress and to sleep with as many women as humanly possible.
So he was surprised when the magician approached him.
"Natsu Dragneel isn't it?" he said, his voice smooth as glass. Scowling at the dark haired man, he nodded.
"Yeah."
The magician leaned in, his face not giving away his menacing words.
"Miss Heartfilia seems quite taken with me, does she not?"
Oh that bastard.
"A bet. I see the way you're looking at her. You tell me how I do this next trick, and I leave."
Natsu, seething, said nothing, stepping back and glaring fire at the magician. He was not phased.
Natsu kept his eyes on his momentary foe, as the cocky little bastard began to shuffle cards.
"Pick a card."
Natsu did so, choosing a King of Hearts.
The magician shuffled the cards again, then waved his hand over the cards, grinning.
"Do you see it?" he said, showing the cards to Natsu.
He didn't. Rage started to build up in him like a howling wind.
"What the..." Gray hand put his hands in his pockets, watching intently. The ice wizard pulled out a card, eyes wide.
King of Hearts.
Natsu had no idea how the man had done it.
Xavier laughed, winking at the dragon slayer. Gray seemed to back away slightly as he saw the expression on Natsu's face.
"Karyuu no..."
"What was that?" chuckled the magician. Then he looked down. Natsu's hands were wreathed in blankets of twin fire.
"TEKKEN"
Natsu's punch connected with the cocky bastard's chin, sending him shooting sideways through the air, and out the open guild doors. Playing cards shot up in a cloud, like a weird tail, behind him.
The guild members looked at Natsu, then the doors, then at Natsu again.
"Thank god," said Lucy, grinning at Natsu, "That creep was driving me crazy!"
Slight of hand was cool, but nothing beat a good old punch.