Nest Egg - PaintedZecora
Disclaimer:Fairy Tail and all characters belong to Hiro Mashima
"Are you sure this is a good idea?" Pantherlily asked, hovering close by Gajeel's head as the latter peered around the side of the guild's entrance.
"Tch, I ain't worried," the iron dragon slayer replied with a grin. "I'm positive it'll work...just like how that rust-scaled old man of mine told me. You'll see, gihihihi..."
The exceed merely shook his head. "Your funeral," he murmured.
But his companion was already gone.
. . .
Levy McGarden was a woman of habit. Her everyday schedule consisted of waking up early, showering, and heading to the guild for a quick breakfast with her team mates. Today was no different, and as she passed through the guild hall's entryway her hazel brown eyes automatically darted around the room. Her shoulders slumped. They weren't exactly close, but she'd gotten used to a certain dragon slayer's moody presence in the guild. That he wasn't there was a bit of a surprise; he was an early riser too, and usually hung around in the hall before going off on a job. She waved at Wakaba and Macao as she headed for the bar counter.
"Good morning!" Mirajane, ever her cheerful self, greeted as she served up a hearty plate of scrambled eggs, a biscuit, and home fries. "I'll bring over some coffee in a bit. Hazelnut?"
Levy instantly perked; hazelnut was her flavor of choice. "Thanks Mira. You're a lifesaver!"
"Think nothing of it."
As she walked to her table, a swift movement at the guild's entrance caught her attention. Gajeel? The tiny mage looked around, hoping to catch sight of him. She tried not to let the disappointment show on her face-her guild mates already suspected her attraction to the red-eyed mage. The last thing she needed was to give them the idea that she pined for him as well.
She let out a sigh and shook her head before continuing to her seat.
. . .
"She's sitting on it. Heh, told ya," Gajeel gloated.
Pantherlily sent him a withering glare. His partner didn't notice-all his attention was focused on the Script mage who sat several meters away from them. Gajeel's excitement was so apparent, it was almost embarrassing for the exceed to observe. The way he stood there, staring at the oblivious woman with such a look of hope on his face was so uncharacteristic of him that he could only sit back and marvel at it all. The only time he ever recalled his partner showing this degree of emotion was when they'd been reunited after they got back from Edolas.
"Now all she's gotta do is keep it warm for a bit, and then-"
"And then what?" Mirajane innocently asked from right beside him. As he stood there stuttering(how in the hell had she snuck up without him hearing?) she peered around the corner of the entryway just as he'd done a minute before. Her brow furrowed in confusion. "What are you doing to Levy?" She asked, the barest hint of warning in her tone.
"Ain't none of your business,"he growled, the show of distrust stirring up old feelings of resentment. "I ain't going to hurt her, if that's what you're getting at." Never again...
Mirajane gave him a long, hard look before nodding slowly. "I believe you."
"Gee, thanks," He replied sardonically. Leaving some food unfinished, Levy got up from her chair and walked towards the bathroom. Here's my chance...
All thoughts of the barmaid out of his head, he rushed into the guild and bee-lined straight for Levy's seat. And stared.
And stared.
And...
"Where the hell is it?" He let out a whine of dismay. Pantherlily landed beside a coffee mug and peered over the edge of the table at the empty chair.
"Well that was unexpected,"he remarked candidly.
Mirajane came up beside them, a guileless look in her sapphire eyes. "Surely you couldn't be referring to that egg I found this morning?" Gajeel slowly turned his head to look at her. "What did you say?"
"Yup, a few minutes before Levy arrived. There was an egg, right in that chair. Odd, isn't it."
"Y-you don't say..." A dark sense of foreboding fell over him. "Where is it now?"
The barmaid cheerfully pointed at the half-eaten eggs on Levy's plate. Gajeel blanched.
It was back to the drawing board.
. . .
"I thought I heard Gajeel just now," Levy said to Mirajane as she wiped down the tables. She swore she heard his voice while she was in the restroom. There was no mistaking his gruff tone. Needless to say, she was dismayed when she came out and found he was nowhere in sight.
"Yup, he just had some things to take care of," the barmaid replied. "Don't worry, I'm sure you'll be seeing more of him soon,"she added when the Script mage looked a bit crestfallen.
"I guess you're right." Levy pushed the eggs around on her plate before taking a mouthful. Though she lost her appetite, she forced herself to finish the rest of the meal. Mirajane worked hard to cook everyone's breakfast in the mornings, and her mother had taught her to always eat whatever was on her plate.
She finished up and glanced at the jobs board. Maybe a bit of work would get her mind off the surly dragon slayer.
"Metalicana? Where do baby dragons come from?" A very young Gajeel asked his foster father. The old dragon stiffened, the iron scale-feathers on his wings twitching as he quickly sought an answer.
"They hatch from eggs, son. All dragons are born from them."
"Did you ever hatch eggs?"
"Once upon a time...a very long time ago," the dragon gravely replied. "I had a mate who hatched them for me."
"A mate?"
"Yes, young one. A mate is a female who is willing to hatch your eggs for you."
"How do you get one of those?"
"You look for the biggest, meanest female you can find and follow her around for a decade or so. If she hasn't managed to kill you by then, you have a mate. Er, you humans might do it a bit differently."
Gajeel frowned. "How'd she do it?"
"Do what?"
"Hatch the eggs!"
"Hrrmm...well my mate built a warm, snug nest. And when the eggs came, she lay on them to keep them nice and warm." The dragon's tone was wistful. "We worked together, keeping them warm and protecting the nest from intruders."
"Like a bird," the young dragon slayer murmured.
"What was that, boy?"
"Dragons are like birds, aren't they? The way they hatch eggs, I mean. And take turns watching them." He'd seen eagles doing the same thing.
"Mmm...I suppose so," the iron dragon sniffed, clearly insulted at at the comparison of his superior race to mere birds.
"So...how did the eggs get there in the first place?"
"I...er...I gave them to her," Metalicana blustered. Even in the evening light, Gajeel could swear the beast's scales took on a reddish tint.
"Gave them to her." Gajeel repeated, feeling as if he were missing out on something vitally important. He perked up."Can we find a female right now? And give her some eggs so I can meet a real baby dragon?"
"Oh, by the flames of-" He broke off mid-oath, closing his eyes. "My son, I don't think you quite get it." The boy was not old enough to have to listen to his spiel on the birds and the bees. Still, if he could somehow get the point across without causing himself considerable embarrassment...
"What is it? What's wrong?" Wide, innocent red eyes gazed up at him in curiosity. He sighed heavily. There was no avoiding it.
"When you become a man,"the dragon began carefully. "Some day-a day long from now- you will meet a female whom you like very, very much. A special female. And when you are close enough, she will lay your eggs and hatch them for you." He gloated inwardly, glad that he had managed to put off a potentially awkward conversation for another day. Little did he know the effect his ill-chosen words would have many years later.
Gajeel opened his mouth to ask another question, and Metalicana quickly cut in. "However you are ten years too young to even be thinking of such things, so as of now this discussion is hereby over."
His foster son pouted, and Metalicana mentally added that expression to the list of habits he needed to break the boy out of. "Climb on, boy. It's time we get home."
Gajeel gratefully clambered up the great dragon's outstretched forearm and settled between his shoulder ridges. As his father's slow, even pace rocked him to sleep, he thought of the young female humans he'd sometimes seen playing in the woods near the town at the foot of the mountain. They didn't look very special at all. In fact, they were pretty loud, and spoke in high-pitched tones that hurt his ears. He seriously doubted he'd ever grow to like one of them. He just wanted to see an egg hatch. With that last thought firmly in mind, he fell into a peaceful sleep.
. . .
"There's something very wrong about this," Pantherlily stated several hours later as they followed the Script mage to her last job of the day. It was late afternoon, and the lamps were only just being lit on the cobbled streets of Magnolia.
"Oy, quit your whining," Gajeel growled, darting into a shadowy doorway as she cast a suspicious glance behind her. He held his breath until she continued on her way.
This was his last chance, after a day of failures. He could not mess this up. Unlike the previous jobs, Levy chose to dress up this time; she wore a stunning silvery dress that reached to just above her knees, with light, similarly colored sandals. A tiny purse was clutched in one hand, and her hair was combed to a shine. She garnered more than a few glances from men as she passed them on the street. He scowled, a prickle of irritation running up his spine. How dare they look at his Shrimp? It took all his self control not to send each and every one of them to the morgue.
"The hell kind of job is this?" He muttered under his breath, noting how especially tight Levy's backside looked in her modest gown.
Levy eventually stopped in front of a restaurant, where a tall young man greeted her at the door. He leaned down to say something for her ears only, and her cheeks flushed red as she smiled at his words. Gajeel gaped as they linked arms and walked inside together. "Shorty never mentioned anything about a boyfriend," he spat, pupils turning to slits. For as long as he knew her, his little blue Shrimp had never expressed any interest in men, or dating in general. In fact, she generally shied away from their advances. Which was fine with him. He liked her company, and he wasn't willing to share it with any men other than the two annoying lap dogs she called her team mates.
"You're probably reading too much into things," Pantherlily soothed. "Why don't we just wait till tomorrow and-"
"Like hell I will!" The dragon slayer snarled, causing passers by to stare at him in alarm. He'd spent too much time over the past year warning other men away from the Shrimp and he would be damned to hell and back if he let a fucking upstart snatch her from right under his nose. She'd never dressed up like that for him. The fact that she looked so beautiful made it hurt all the more.
Had he taken for granted that she would always be by his side? His hand clenched, completely destroying the carton of eggs he'd been carrying. He stared in dismay at the slimy, yellow mess that dripped from his fingers onto the ground, and felt lower than ever.
"Why are you so determined to do this?" said Lily, hovering close and placing a comforting paw on his shoulder. "Why this sudden interest in eggs?"
Gajeel tch'ed and looked away. "If that damn Salamander can do it, so can I." He answered quietly.
And Pantherlily suddenly understood. "Gajeel..."
"I'm not giving up,"he said, more to himself than to the exceed. But, for the first time that day, uncertainty rang in his tone. He would have to be up front with his Shrimp, and deal with the consequences.
Rope's End will be updated next week, for those of you who read it. Feedback is appreciated; second chapter is finished and third is nearly complete.