I blame Eien for this drabble. Here's some more abuse to Jackal's lovely tail. Set in the YinYang-verse, where Tartaros never happened.
Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail.
Lucy sheepishly hung up her coat on its hook just inside her apartment door. "I'm sorry," she apologized to her boyfriend, as he stood glowering beside her.
"I told you it was a bad idea," Jackal muttered, walking over to the couch and plopping down onto it. His ears were plastered flat against his skull, and his sand-coloured tail swished in agitation.
Following him, Lucy sat down on the cushion next to the cat-like demon. "You did," the Celestial Mage agreed. "Maybe it was too soon to introduce you to the guild, after all."
Mutely, Jackal continued to glare into empty space.
"I really am sorry for the way they behaved." Lucy swallowed back a smile. "I-I'm sure the fur will grow back. Eventually."
Indeed, the demon's beautiful, lustrous tail was sporting multiple bald spots. Some hairs were singed, others frozen. Some cut, and others simply yanked out by the roots by an enthusiastic five-year-old girl who didn't yet know better.
Despite the abuse to his tail, Lucy thought he had handled her extended family rather well, all told.
"I promise that I'll teach them proper manners tomorrow!" Lucy tried to reassure Jackal.
There was a moment's silence between them, before the blond demon looked her in the eyes once more.
"What would that entail?"
Lucy smiled at him, her eyes closing and her face suffused with a healthy glow. "I think a few kicks to some sensitive areas will suffice for the boys. As for Erza… I'm denying her cake for a while. Nothing I can do about Asuka – her mother will discuss proper tail-treatment with her."
Jackal nodded, accepting this. "I'm not going back there anytime soon."
"Understandable. Would you like something to drink?" Lucy asked, standing up. "I think I'm feeling rather thirsty after all that. Tea alright?"
"Yeah, thanks."
Watching her prepare the hot beverages, Jackal though over the ordeal he'd just undergone. Although not especially happy to discover that their teammate was dating a demon – a dark guild demon, no less – the reception from Team Natsu had been warm, overall.
They had just been… far too enthusiastic. And annoying, with all of them (even the tiny Sky Dragon Slayer) taking it upon themselves to bestow upon Jackal lectures about how to properly treat Lucy. The Titania's threats had not even the thin veil of the others', however. She outright detailed precisely what she would do to the demon should Lucy ever suffer, physically or emotionally, because of him. There was no subtlety to be had.
It was a pain.
Soon, Lucy pressed a steaming mug of tea into Jackal's hands. Jackal contemplated the swirls of steam emanating from it.
"Are you sure I can't blow them up…?"
"I'm sure."
Jackal's eyes slid to meet Lucy's.
"How certain are you, precisely…?"
"One-hundred percent," she informed him drily.
"Drat," Jackal muttered, while Lucy laughed. Oh well. He'd figure something out to get his own version of revenge upon the Fairy Tail Mages.
In the meantime, though…
"What can we do to fix my tail…?"
"I-I'll… I'll figure something out…"