Hello, people! Nightlingbolt here! Welcome to "Fanning the Flames," my first WendyxRomeo story!
I admit to this one being a challenge. I got the urge to write this pairing after reading a couple cute fics about it, and so I did. I do plan on writing this pairing in When the Sky Falls, but that will depict them as older with more mature issues, and I wanted to write about them at their current ages (I guess this is one gift the timeskip has given us, un?)
And once again, the question of television in the Fairy Tail world is asked. I still stand by my previous Satellite Lacrima theory, and would also like to point out that Etherion exists as a satellite in space.
But enough nitpicking! On with the story!
I do not own Fairy Tail or its characters, Hiro Mashima does.
The Grand Magic Games had come and gone. While Fairy Tail had not become the top guild in Fiore, it had regained some of its former notoriety. Before, S-Class jobs were nonexistent in Fairy Tail. Now, there were enough so Erza and Mirajane's abilities to go to waste.
But this tale isn't about them.
Recently, Fairy Tail's three Dragon Slayers – Natsu, Wendy, and Gajeel – along with Romeo, had set out to deal with a fairly dangerous dark mage that was terrorizing a town. The plan was for Natsu and Gajeel to do the bulk of the fighting, while Romeo and Wendy supported them with their magic. They had executed it near-perfectly, but Wendy had suffered a sprained arm. Since it was difficult to perform healing magic one-handed, Wendy had had to wear a sling for the next week just to make sure she didn't make it worse.
They had finished the mission earlier than expected, and so were spending the night at the town's inn as part of the reward. Gajeel and Lily went to the bar for a drink, and Natsu, Happy, and Romeo were checking out the pool. Since Wendy was too young to drink (not that she would if she was old enough), and her arm would not allow for physical activity, she had instead opted to stay in the room with Carla watching television.
Currently, Wendy was watching her favorite tween sitcom, Fanning the Flames. It was about a wind mage and a fire mage as they worked to become full-fledged members of the fictitious Rising Sun guild. You could tell by the smile on her face that she was enjoying it.
Carla, on the other hand, failed to see the humor in the show. She just didn't think that it was an accurate depiction of guild life. Wendy had constantly argued that that was the whole point of the show, and Carla wouldn't speak out about it as long as it made the Sky Dragon Slayer happy.
Suddenly, Wendy let out a cry of pain, gaining the white Exceed's attention. "Wendy!" she exclaimed. "Are you all right?"
"I'm fine, Carla," said Wendy. "I must've jerked my arm subconsciously or something."
"Stay here," Carla ordered. "I'll go get you some pain medication." She flew out the window that Natsu had opened so Wendy could eat the air flowing in.
After Carla left, Wendy looked at her arm and sighed. This was what her carelessness had brought her. She had tried to do too much, and now her arm was in a sling. Sometimes, she wished she could be stronger, strong enough that she could take a more active position in battle instead of being relegated to the position of white mage.
She hated being weak. She was a Dragon Slayer, just like Natsu and Gajeel! For crying out loud, didn't she deserve to be stronger than she was? She worked hard, she trained her butt off, she should have something more to show for it than healing and support magic. Well, she did have her roar and wing attack, but if she was only to rely on those, she would become too predictable. She slammed her good arm on the mattress in frustration and laid down.
Soon, she heard a knock on the door. "Wendy? It's Romeo. Can I come in?" called Romeo's voice.
Wendy panicked. Romeo was back? She didn't want him to see her sulking! Putting on a bright smile, she said, "Of course!" and was answered by the click of the lock. In seconds, she realized that she was alone with Romeo Conbolt.
"Hey," he said casually, as if nothing was wrong.
"H-H-Hi," replied Wendy. Why was she stuttering? Oh Grandine, why was she stuttering?
"How's your arm?" asked Romeo conversationally.
"It's fine," said Wendy. "I just need to rest it, put some cold on it every now and then, take some painkillers, and keep it elevated."
"But it's... going to be fine, right?"
"Of course it is, Romeo-kun! Don't be silly!" said Wendy with a grin.
"That's good." Romeo looked away shyly. Which is strange for him, because if you had to describe Romeo in a word, it wouldn't be shy.
"Thanks," he said. It was barely a whisper, but Wendy's exceptional hearing picked it up clearly.
"Thanks for what?" asked Wendy curiously.
"For helping me," said Romeo. "You know... during the battle... that thug had me dead to rights, and you stopped him."
Wendy remembered that incident. The mage their group had come to stop was about to land a killing blow on Romeo. Fortunately, she'd had enough time to cast Arms x Vernier on herself and intercept his fist with her right hand. However, the mage twisted her arm, causing the sprain she currently had, but allowing Romeo an opportunity to strike back with a blast of Red Fire, knocking him into a battery of Natsu and Gajeel's Roar attacks, defeating him.
"It was nothing," said Wendy brightly. "I have to support my teammates somehow, don't I?" The brightness in her voice disappeared. "After all, I'm not that strong myself."
"Every strong fighter has someone to support them. Often times, that someone is stronger than the fighter they support," said Romeo.
Wendy smiled. "Thanks, Romeo-kun," she said. "That makes me feel better."
"Thank my dad. He's the one that said it first," said Romeo. He looked at the arm Wendy had in the sling. "Hey, you said that that arm needs cold, right?"
"Yeah," said Wendy.
"Well, I could...you know... put some of my Blue Fire on it..." offered Romeo nervously. "But only if you want me to!"
Wendy was just as nervous as Romeo. If she let him use his magic on her, he would have to touch her. The thought sent her mind into overdrive. What if Carla walked in? What if he tried something he shouldn't? What if...?
What if she liked it?
The word yes was out of her mouth before she could stop herself. Romeo gently took her arm out of the sling, rolled up the sleeve of her shirt, and put it back in. With the other, he created a blue flame and gently brushed it against Wendy's arm.
The feel of the cold fire was bliss to the young Dragon Slayer. It was like a fresh winter chill blowing all across her skin. She sighed contentedly as she let the fire soothe her.
"How does that feel?" asked Romeo gently.
"It feels... amazing..." breathed Wendy.
"Is it too cold?"
"No. It's perfect..."
Romeo beamed. "Great!" he said. "Sensei says blue is the easiest color fire to make besides red, because all you're really doing is making the fire cold, but I've never used it for this purpose before, so..."
"Romeo-kun, relax," said Wendy with a smile. "I'll let you know when to stop."
"Alright," said Romeo. He didn't say another word, preferring to concentrate on maintaining the fire.
Romeo still kept the flame going when Carla flew back through the window. She dropped the bag she was carrying at the sight before her. The Fire mage wasn't doing anything too bad, but she still didn't like the sight of him that close to Wendy.
"What are you doing, Romeo?" asked the white Exceed sternly.
Romeo looked up, putting the flame out. "Oh, hi, Carla!" he said. "I was just icing Wendy's arm with my magic." Turning to Wendy, he asked, "Is that any better?"
"Much better!" said a cheery Wendy, adjusting her sleeve. "Thank you, Romeo-kun!"
"No problem!" replied Romeo. "In fact, I think my control is getting better!"
"And is it safe to assume that icing Wendy's arm was all you were doing?" asked Carla with a stern glare.
Romeo looked confused. "What else would we be doing?" he asked.
Meanwhile, Wendy's cheeks were about as red as Erza's hair. As a healer, she was well aware of how the human anatomy functioned, and how male and female parts went together. "Carlaaaaa," she whined, hoping she would drop it.
"Never mind," said Carla with a smile. "But just so we're clear, Romeo... I'm watching you." She gave Romeo the stinkeye just so he would get the message.
"Ooookaaaaay," said Romeo, still not sure what Carla was talking about. He settled down on the bed that Carla pretty much forced him, Natsu, and Gajeel to share and turned his attention to the television.
Romeo always though Fanning the Flames was a stupid show. But somehow, watching it with Wendy, it didn't seem that bad.
Annnd... done!
I'm very used to writing for older, more mature characters than these two, but hopefully it's not painfully obvious.
Confession time: I'm mostly writing this as an excuse to get your attention so I may gush about Jellal and his new guild, Crime Sorciere. But mostly Jellal and what his freedom means for those of us in the NatZa community. Will Jellal encourage Erza to move on from him due to his fugitive status? I don't know if Mashima pays attention to pairings, but if he does, I hope he realizes that this isn't Twilight, and some romances are better off doomed from the start.
Also, Babydoll Meredy is win. Seriously, she looks like she came straight out of Sucker Punch! Am I wrong? Tell me I'm not wrong!
Ultear is... Ultear. Though now I'm starting to root for her and Jellal together. Ooh, and maybe Meredy in a threesome! That'd be sweeeeet!
Geez, man, I gotta get this posted! Bye guys!