PLOT: When a young man bursts into the Fairy Tail guild hall, screaming out for help; a confused Fairy Tail immediately allows him in as refuge. What he tells them sends shock waves of worry and panic throughout the guild. As a result, specially formed teams are deployed to investigate and resolve the issue… but when Natsu, Lucy, Juvia and Gray learn that they will be one unit, a dramatic, frustrating and eye-opening adventure ensues. Set some months after the battle with Alverez/Zeref and Acnologia.

AN: Hey guys, so I had this random story idea where NALU and GRUVIA are forcibly thrown into a situation where they all have to deal with each other 24/7 for a period of time. I then thought it would be quite fun to write as they are my two OTPs and would have a funny dynamic as they all fight with each other. Alas, this is where this story was born LOL.

It's my first multi-chapter story fic in a while, so please be nice hahaha!

I'll do my best to keep them in character.

Also, as this is set after the Alverez Arc (which is obv not finished), it will be my take on what I think happens. So it will be spoilery if you are not up to there in the Manga. Speaking of which, who else is pissed at Gray? LOL

Anywhooo enough of my rambling, I hope you guys enjoy this first chapter! Let me know what you think!

Disclaimer: Fairy Tail belongs to Hiro Mashima

"Hmm," Laxus Dreyar breathed, shifting in his seat as he studied the photo in his hands. His thumb grazed over the picture, pausing for a moment over Gramps' goofy smile. There he stood, a small figure that seemed like an ant amongst the loud and boisterous wizards surrounding him.

The wizards that he had once called his children.

The same ones he promised to protect; a promise that he had most certainly stayed true to, to the very end.

The young man mustered a smile… he didn't know if it was a sad or content smile but it was a smile nonetheless. Laxus hadn't been in this picture, it was probably taken during the months that he was banished from the guild. Heh, he thought… the petty days of him obsessing over power seemed so long ago now; but a mere memory that he hoped would slowly fade over time. Every time Laxus was reminded of the moment he pit his loved ones against one another, he couldn't help but feel a wave of guilt wash over. Such insignificant, unneeded pain that he inflicted upon his family.

However, it was when Laxus thought back to the vile things he had told his grandfather… that was when he would break down. He should have been more grateful. He should have appreciated his Gramps. Instead, he wasted his time hating the fact that he was known as Makarov's grandson… as if that were a burden. How wrong he was.

Laxus had never been more proud of that fact.

It had been about half a year since the young lightning dragon slayer had had the duty of Guild Master entrusted upon him. To think… the role that he had once so desperately wanted that he turned to darkness for it… had now been given to him. He remembered believing how much power he could wield holding that title; how much influence he would have and how much he could manipulate others to do what he wanted. It was nothing of the sort.

Instead, Laxus decided to do his grandfather proud and accept the title with respect. That was his promise.

He glanced up from the photo, still gripping tight as he studied the newly built guild hall. He had forgotten how many times this place had had to go through renovations but he swore that this time… this time it would be preserved. For, this renovation was special; the hall's centre adorned in a marble memorial of Makarov Dreyar, Fairy Tail's 3rd, 6th and 8th Master… and its saviour. It was a token of appreciation from the guild, to honour the man who had sacrificed himself for his children… for them.

So, as Laxus watched each member of Fairy Tail enter the room, he looked on with pride. He vowed that he would serve them, protect them and do everything in his power to ensure that everyone in Fairy Tail, may they be existing members or new ones, searching for a home; were all safe.

That was his duty.

It was at that moment that Laxus suddenly felt a hard object shatter against his face and he yelled out in pain, raising a hand to his forehead. In the moment, he had forgotten about the photo and so, when he realised that it was falling from his grasp, the young Guild Master scrambled as he worked hard to simultaneoulsy catch the photo and rub his sore forehead.

Regaining his posture, Laxus noticed that a plate had just been smashed against his face and he jumped up, fuming. "WHICH IDIOT THREW THIS PLATE AT MY FACE!"

As his eye's met a certain fire mage's, he set the photo down and balled his fists, trying to calm himself. Of course Natsu had gotten himself in a brawl first thing in the morning and there that idiot was, throwing ignited chairs and cutlery at an equally pissed off Elfman who was blocking himself with a table.

"My bad," Natsu responded nonchalantly, uncaring of the matter as he dropped the objects and engaged in a fist battle with his guild mate.

"BE CAREFUL YOU BASTARDS," Laxus bellowed; sparks of electricity emitting from his body. If they destroyed the hall, or worse yet, the memorial, he couldn't even imagine what level of angry he would reach. He didn't want to think about it.

It was amazing though, how everyone had gone through so much over the last year - pain, loss, grief - yet were able to come together to rebuild their home and do their best to move forward. Although the overall mood in the guild was more solemn than it was before the Great War, it was calm. Not ecstatic, but happy. A lot quieter, yet still loud.

Everyone was getting there… it would take time but slowly… slowly Fairy Tail would be the light , reckless guild that it once was. It had to be, so those who survived the battle could carry on the legacy left behind by the ones who did not make it. And to ensure that the new generation will have a strong safe-haven to shine in.

Zeref was defeated. Acnologia gone. And somehow, through the bond and perseverance of every single Fairy Tail member, they had managed to save Natsu… the boy who was always fated to disappear. With his family's help, he defied the odds and stayed. That had to be worth something.

Fairy Tail had taken some hits… well many, large hits… but Fairy Tail had won.

So, as Laxus calmed himself down, he smiled again, enjoying the nostalgic shenanigans of the good-old hall brawl. He knew that everything would be okay.

Dear Mom,

It's been six months. I never knew time could fly by so fast…

A lot has changed, everyone is much more quiet. I'm a lot more reserved. It's hard not to be…

I still think about that day as if it were yesterday. It makes me both sad… and happy. I'm sad because we've lost so much Mom… I miss the Master every day. I didn't even get a chance to say goodbye… or to thank him. He accepted me as one of his own from the very first day…

But I'm happy to know that you helped me, that you guided me. I thank my magic and my Celestial Spirits every day because somehow it keeps me close to you. It reminds me that you are always here with me. Thank you.

I think… this will be the last time I write to you, for now at least. I just don't want to disappoint you if I miss a letter… and I want to busy myself with work.

…I need to work to make myself better, to make you proud. I hope you understand.

But I think you saw this coming, didn't you? Hahaha, of course you did.

I miss you. Say hello to papa for me.

I love you both so much.

L.H

P.s. I've read enough novels to know that if I find a boy I need to tell my mom about him… I think I've found one… but I don't really know. He confuses me. He also frustrates me so much. But I feel so happy when I am with him. I thought I would know what to do but I'm just so unsure of where we stand. How do you move from friends to more than that?

P.s.s. I should probably tell you that you know him.

P.s.s.s. Don't tell papa.

With a graceful flick of that final 'a', Lucy put her pen down and reread her letter, sniffling with a sad smile as she did so. It had taken her months but she finally decided that it was time to move forward. Although she would never stop loving and missing her parents, the Celestial Spirit mage knew that every time she put that pen to paper, she dwelled in her past.

Recent events reminded her how special life was, to embrace the present and look forward to the future.

So instead of everyday, she would dedicate a day of writing once (or twice) a year to her parents and, in what would be that novel-length note, she would detail each important moment in her life to give her loved ones the best update she could.

Lucy reached for an envelope, carefully placed her folded letter inside and sealed it. Taking the pen once more, she neatly outlined 'For Mom, with Love', before opening her top drawer and putting it atop the rest of her letters.

She sighed as she closed the drawer, stepping in front of the bedroom mirror to study herself. I look so tired, Lucy thought to herself, poking at her large dark circles. She hadn't gotten much sleep the night before, instead tossing and turning throughout the night; her mind reeling a thousand different thoughts.

It was difficult to get a peaceful nights' sleep these days.

Anyhow, it was morning and Lucy couldn't dwell on her lack of sleep, so she decided to shower and make herself up as much as she could to hide her panda eyes. Concealer should do the trick.

Once she was ready, Lucy checked her reflection again and nodded in approval at both her make up job and the cute outfit she managed to find. "Much better," she told herself enthusiastically, checking her pink top and black skirt; and hyping herself up for what was going to be a good day. That's what she would normally tell herself - it helped her stay positive and motivated.

Lucy made her way to the front door when she suddenly remembered and reached for her silver key. "I almost forgot," she began, pointing the key out ahead of her. "Open! Gate of Canis Minor, Nicolas!"

"Plue, plueee," came a soft, cute voice, to which Lucy happily picked up Plue, hugging him against her chest.

"How are you this morning?" She asked him, pausing at her front door and glancing back to her room, where the drawer full of letters was.

"Plueeee", he had replied.

Lucy smiled and nodded to herself, before closing the front door behind her and making her way to her favourite place.

"What the hell happened here?!" Lucy gawked when she entered the guild hall… only to see that it had pretty much been overturned. Tables and chairs were stacked and smashed on top of one another, plates and glasses were shattered, food had been thrown everywhere (with some sticking to the ceiling) and a line of wizards sat against the wall on one end of the room, holding ice packs to their heads.

"The usual," Mirajane shrugged as she walked past, picking up the mess that became the aftermath of the brawl.

Lucy noticed Laxus upstairs, glaring at those with the ice packs and shaking his head. A look of stress was also plastered across his face, as he wondered what to do to fix the damage. As the new Guild Master, pretty much all damage responsibility fell on him and he was still a rookie, trying to learn the ropes. Of course, dealing with the bunch that was in Fairy Tail was proving to be a difficult task. Everyone wondered how Master had done it all those years. How Fairy Tail wasn't forced to disband from all the ruckus and damage it had caused, no one would know. But they were lucky.

"It's your fault, Droopy Eyes," Natsu had muttered under his breath.

Gray, who had been using his ice magic to sooth the bruises on his forehead, angrily turned to the fire mage. "What are you talking about you idiot," he growled. "I was minding my own business before you and big shot over there," he motioned towards Elfman, "dragged me into it!"

Elfman was about to retort when a smack from Erza stopped them all from bickering. "You're all lucky you didn't destroy Master's memorial," the fiery red-head growled. It seemed as though she had just pictured the marble structure crumbling because it was at that moment that her eyes had narrowed even further and she drew her sword. The boys yelped and apologised, promising never to fight again (who were they kidding), before scurrying away from her.

Lucy couldn't help but laugh. It reminded her of old times; the times where everything was much simple and happier. She, and everyone else in the guild, had worked their asses off to rebuild their home and start anew. It was nice to see them as themselves.

Lucy made her way to the bar when she noticed Natsu glancing at her from his table. She paused, blushing as she met his gaze. She could feel her cheeks heating up and she blinked, Omg he's looking at me, what do I do!?

What are you on about Lucy, it's just Natsu. And he's looked at you many times before.

But is this a different look now? I don't know, what should I do?!

OMG you idiot just act normal and talk to him as you usually do. Stop overthinking!

"Good morning Lucy, hello Plue" came a high pitched voice that Lucy knew all too well. She was also grateful for it at that moment because it broke her from her internal thoughts… the ones she had only recently grown to have whenever she and Natsu had had any kind of contact - may it be speaking to each other or something as simple as a glance.

Lucy turned and found herself facing a cute blue face. "Morning Happy," she smiled and pet him. "What's with the bruise?"

Happy motioned towards the right side of his head. "I had an apple thrown at me this morning," he then pointed an accusing paw at Jet, who was sitting at a table with Droy, holding an ice-pack to his eye. It seems as though he too was a part of the morning brawl. "He did it!"

"Ah, Happy," Lucy laughed as she sat at the bar, Plue and Happy in tow. "Could I grab a coffee this morning, Mira?" She asked, before saying goodbye to Plue and closing his gate.

"Of course," the silver haired Mage replied, and set to work.

Happy noticed Lucy glancing in his partner's direction, as she slouched over the bar and leaned her cheek in her palm. She was pretty much fully facing him, attempting to use her body language to invite him over as she seemed to be too awkward and nervous to ask him verbally. Of course, Natsu being as thick as he was, did not catch on and simply sat in his spot, eating his breakfast as he continued to just gaze at her.

Happy face-palmed.

How could Happy put it… Natsu and Lucy were in a weird place. They had said things to one another, done another thing, said another thing and then… they were stuck.

Long story short, they knew that they had feelings for each other. This was 100%.

Actually…everyone in the guild knew this… it was made especially obvious when Lucy did what she did when she thought she would lose Natsu during his battle with Zeref.

The problem was that the two were inexperienced and stubborn. They were also unsure of how to move from friends to more than that and so it was pretty much a tug-of-war for months now.

Natsu and Lucy were still extremely close; still a part of the same team. They just weren't sure how to act in front of each other anymore.

Natsu had broken his eyes away from the blonde Celestial Spirit Mage and met Happy's gaze as he shoved a fork of bacon into his mouth. Happy had been trying to grab Natsu's attention for a couple of minutes now, attempting to help him understand the message Lucy was giving him by motioning his head towards her and mouthing for Natsu to go over to her.

It was Natsu's deadpanned look of confusion that made Happy face-palm… again.

"So when are you going to stop picking fights with me," Gray asked, sliding across from Natsu with his own plate of food. He placed his food on the table, took a fork of eggs and pointed it at his rival. "You know you'll lose every time."

Natsu pointed his own fork back at Gray, "it's because you frustrate me. Just like you are now."

Both boys narrowed their eyes at each other, ready to throw obscenities too foul to comprehend when the rest of their team sat beside them, stopping their brewing fight. Especially because of the fact that Erza gave them both a hardened look as she sat beside Gray, silently letting them know she was watching.

Rather than her usual strawberry cake, Erza had opted for only strawberries this morning. She had announced a couple of days ago that she was going on a 'no cake for breakfast' diet. Natsu, Happy and Gray placed a bet that she wouldn't even last three days, whilst Wendy and Lucy had scolded them, stating that they should have faith…

They then placed their bets for a week tops.

Thus, every time Erza brought her breakfast to the table, the group would thoroughly watch her. Today was day three, so when the males grumbled a 'dammit', they quickly had to think of lies when Erza asked them why they were grumbling. Lucy simply gave all three of them a smug look.

Lucy, of course, had sat herself next to Natsu. Close enough that their shoulders were touching but not too close for it to be too awkward between them.

When Gray saw this, he rolled his eyes. He wasn't interested in constantly watching the two act awkward in front of each other. This, he concluded, is why friends shouldn't date each other. Especially if they're in the same team.

But they're not even dating, Cana had responded when Gray discussed the matter with her.

Gray had rubbed his temple as if he were in pain, So can you imagine if they were?

"Have you guys heard about the recent wizard disappearances?" Erza had suddenly asked, which caught the tables' attention.

"Wizards are disappearing?" Gray asked.

Erza had nodded and begun explaining the reports and how the new Magic Council had set up paroles to watch the streets for suspicious activity, as well as guard those with magical abilities. Apparently it had worked for the first month or so however, after an attack on a couple of paroles, the incidents started reoccurring. When she stated that members from Mermaid's Heel and Quatro Puppy were amongst those missing, everyone at the table gasped.

"Oh no," Wendy breathed.

"Does anyone else know about this?" Lucy asked and Erza shook her head.

"Magic council wants to keep it on the down low to avoid panic. Which means we can't act on it either."

"So what?"

"Natsu," Erza warned. "We can't afford to go against the Council right now. Everything is just getting back to order. We just need to remain vigilant and be careful."

Natsu huffed and sat back, deciding to go against pressing the matter. Erza had a point.

"WE'RE BACKKKK," came a gruff voice from the front door and all attention turned to a proud Gajeel, standing at the guild entrance with his arms wide. His hands were adorned in jewels, seemingly a gift from the job he had just gone out on. Judging by his excitement and smugness, he must have been rewarded a huge amount.

"Levy-san!" Lucy exclaimed jumping up from her seat and running over to her best friend, catching her in a tight embrace. It had been about three weeks since Levy, Gajeel, Lily… and Juvia left for their mission. "How was it?"

Levy laughed and lifted a briefcase; its heaviness suggesting something of value inside.

Once Lucy saw the amount of money stacked in that briefcase, she immediately regretted not going with them on the mission. If she had, her share would have been able to cover at least three months rent!

Juvia however, had made a quiet entrance into the guild hall, much on the contrary to Gajeel. The blue-haired water mage waved to her guild mates, before taking a seat at Lisanna and Elfman's table. What had made her actions different to the Juvia that everyone had known was that although she happily said hello to everyone, she avoided making any eye contact with Gray. In fact, she avoided him completely.

Juvia would have normally jumped at the sight of him, excited to be in his presence to tell her 'Gray-sama' all about her adventures. In fact, she would have gone on the mission with him rather than third wheeling Levy and Gajeel. At least she had Lily…

But not now. Now it was different.

It also explained why Gray suddenly tensed as soon as the four of them entered the guild hall. Erza noticed this and shook her head disapprovingly. She let out a small sigh, there was nothing she could do to help them, no matter how hard she had tried.

However, it was the screeching sound of a young boy, maybe around fifteen years old, running into the guild that immediately caught everyone's attention. The boy had a small frame, seemingly underfed as he was very skinny. He had short orange hair and a pair of broken glasses, whilst his clothing looked like rags, as if found in a rubbish bin.

"HELP, HELP ME," He shrieked, crashing into Gajeel, who had turned around and caught him.

"Are you alright, boy?" He asked, a look of worry crossing his features.

"PLEASE HELP ME," the boy repeated; his breathing ragged and heavy. "THEY'RE COMING FOR ME!"

"Who is coming?" Levy asked, placing a hand on the boy's shoulder. It was there, where she noticed a faded wizard guild mark.

By this time, the entire guild had surrounded the boy, asking what was wrong, who was coming, what had happened and telling him to come in for some water and food.

The state of him sent Fairy Tail into overdrive, where Laxus ordered that everyone do their best to provide shelter for the boy and to find out what happened. He then proceeded to contact the Magic Council at which he, along with Erza and Mirajane, ended up in a two hour long meeting.

Natsu, Lucy, Gray and Juvia stood there quietly, processing the task that they had just been given. A special, secret mission… for who knows how long… and just the four of them…

"There's no way in hell," Gray muttered, crossing his arms stubbornly. "Not happening."

The Ice Mage found himself facing off against Erza's nasty, narrowed gaze, so he swallowed his words and hesitantly accepted the quest paper; one that had just been sent by the Magic Council. He wasn't getting out of this one.

Mirajane's bright eyes of azure turned to a new level of blue as she clapped her hands in excitement, "Oh," she squealed. "It will be like a double date!"

"NO IT WON'T," the four disgruntled Mages cried in unison.

This is going to be interesting.