Hello everyone! This is my first fanfic ever, so please review and let me know what you think.
I love to picture the possible interactions between the two dragon-slayers when talking about their girls... Mmm, I hope Gajeel and Natsu aren't OOC. Anyways, hope you like it...
Disclaimer: Fairy Tail belongs to Hiro Mashima.
"A Favor"
Gajeel entered the guild that morning eyes focused on finding his target. Rapidly spotting the lone pink-haired dragon-slayer sitting all the way at back of the guild in one of the corners at the bar, he decided to approach the idiot before his determination faltered and he ended up sidetracking back the way he came. Common Gajeel, you can do this. He encouraged himself moving at a steady pace until he reached Mira's bar. After taking a small but most needed breath, he said, "Hey, Salamander, got a minute?"
The words startled the fire mage who, to the red eyes that observed him, seemed to be oddly lost in thought. What is up with him?
"Hmm?" came Natsu's reply, as he turned around to find the iron dragon-slayer taking the seat next to him. Gajeel called Mira over and asked for a glass of the strongest liquor she had in stock. Waiting until he had said drink in front of him and for the nosy barmaid to retire to serve someone else, he repeated, "I said I need a favor, Salamander." The dark-haired man uttered such words in the lowest of voices, a statement intended to be heard only by the heighten senses of the dragon-slayer sitting beside him. The last thing Gajeel needed right now–or ever, he might add–was to have the rest of the guild know he was asking for help, and much less that he was asking for it from none other than the idiotic, loud, destructive, fire-breathing ass he considered his rival, otherwise known as Natsu Dragneel.
Gajeel's words caught Natsu's attention, snapping him out of whatever thought he seemed to be currently struggling against. Raising a quizzical brow and, as a mocking smirk made its way to adorn his face, he turned to look at his fellow guildmate, "You don't say… You need my help?" The fire dragon-slayer made sure to emphasize his words, reveling in the thought of having Gajeel Redfox admit to needing his help. He chuckled; It appears I'll be having a better day than I originally thought.
Natsu watched as the facial expressions of the iron dragon-slayer hardened. "Don't gloat on it you bastard! This is hard enough as it is," Gajeel replied, with a sting of anger in his words. The fire mage chuckled once more. Oh, this will definitely prove to be worth my time.
"Well, what is it?" Natsu said, now really intrigued by his guildmate's sudden approach and persistence in asking for his help despite of his teasing. It had to be something important, or the iron dragon-slayer would have sent him flying the second the slightest sound of laughter left his throat.
"I need you to do something for me," Gajeel answered, and continuing in an almost murmur, he added, "You see, I need you to melt a certain piece of metal so that I can mold it into a certain something." The fire dragon-slayer's curiosity spiked even more, and voicing his thoughts, he asked, "What are you trying to make?" To what he got a frown and a "that's none of your business, fire-breath!" in response.
Natsu took a sip of his drink and returned his gaze to Gajeel. "Look, if you really want my help, then you'll have to tell me exactly what it is you want." The iron dragon-slayer hated to admit it, but he could find no way out of spilling the beans to the idiot sitting to his right, and said idiot knew that. Gajeel spotted the arrogant smirk on his face… Asshole. "Tch, fine," he said, "Last job I went on I got paid in some old gold coins, and well, I want you to melt them for me so I can turn them into some sort of necklace, okay?"
"A necklace?" Natsu asked. "I knew you liked to stud yourself with jewelry, just not that type, Metal-face. Have you been secretly hanging out with the Ice-princess?" Before the seriously pissed-off iron mage could walk away cursing, Natsu grabbed his wrist and quietly murmured, "It's for Levy, isn't it?"
Gajeel stopped abruptly on his tracks, and silently appreciating his fellow guildmate's concern for secrecy, sat back down and nodded.
"So, you're finally going to make your move, huh?" the fire mage asked. Without waiting for an answer, he continued, "Took you long enough… I'll do what you want, as long as I can get a favor from you in exchange."
"Oh, and what would that be, Salamander?" Gajeel asked, red eyes angrily glaring at the mage sitting next to him. Natsu laughed, "Relax, it's not like I'll ask you to dress up and act like Happy like last time you lost a bet." Gajeel's stare became more deadly–if that was even possible–, while the mage next to him continued to laugh without giving him any notice. "Don't remind me of that, you asshole," he spitefully replied, "I still hear chuckling around the guild, I don't know how many idiots I've beaten to a pulp for their gossiping, and I've yet to find the rest of Redus's paintings that demon of a woman had him made of me in that ridiculous blue costume!"
Before Natsu could finish guffawing at the precious memory of the iron dragon-slayer dressed up in a blue leotard, accompanied with fluffy ears and a puffy tail all courtesy of Erza's ample collection, their conversation was interrupted when a flying blue cat came crashing down on the bar with a loud "Natsu!" The fire mage turned to look at his partner as he ungraciously landed on the counter. "What is it, Happy?" he asked. The Exceed, delaying his answer, decided to examine first the scene he found before him. Since when do Gajeel and Natsu peacefully engage in conversation? … Forget about that, since when do the fire and iron dragon-slayers exchange anything else, other than insults, punches, and kicks? Something is definitely not right here. Happy's thoughts were suddenly cut short.
"Ah… Happy? Are you okay? What's up buddy?" The blue cat turned to look at his foster father with a smile, deciding to leave the oddity of the current situation for another time. He could probably ask Mira later, she always happened to know what went on around her bar anyways. If he knew the takeover mage at all, he could guess she was as intrigued as he was, and had probably already eavesdropped on the conversation the two dragon-slayers were having before his intrusion. But that didn't mean he couldn't have some fun… Natsu had been keeping to himself lately, and Happy had felt lonely… A devious smile began to form on his face.
"Ah, Natsu! Right! Lucy wanted me to tell you that you left your laundry at her apartment, and that she refuses to wash your dirty underwear, even if your flame boxer-briefs are 'ridiculously and unbelievably cute,'" Happy almost yelled. The fire mage's face turned bright red with embarrassment, as Gajeel, Mira, and a number of other guildmates close enough to hear Happy's "message" began to laugh, quite loudly if he could add, at him.
Damn it Happy! Was it really necessary to yell that for the guild to know? And damn it Lucy, did you really need to send Happy to tell me that? At least Ice-breath isn't here to rub this in my face... But if I know these idiots at all, I'm sure he will find out eventually. Fuck. Before Natsu could reproach anything, Happy added, "Oh! I almost forgot, Lucy also wanted me to remind you we have a mission to get to, and that you need to be at the train station at 6 if you don't want Erza to kill you."
Natsu's eyes widened in realization. Shit. I forgot about that… Guess that's what Lucy actually wanted Happy to tell me… And that's why that walking Popsicle isn't here right now. Double Fuck.
"You forgot, didn't you, Natsu?" Happy stated, more than asked, with an amused smile on his face. The fire mage then began laughing his embarrassment off as he got up from his seat at the bar. "Yeah, yeah, remind me to thank Lucy for saving me from Erza's wrath when we get there, okay?" The cat only laughed, giving his usual "Aye!" for an answer, and proceeded to look for Charle before leaving the guild. He had a fish to give to the white cat. He had especially wrapped it, much to Lucy's dismay and anger, in one of her pink ribbons. "I'm going to look for Charle, so I'll meet you all at the train station, okay?" Happy said as he flew away without really waiting for an answer from the fire mage.
Before following his partner, the fire dragon-slayer turned to his guildmate who was still seating in the same place, remnants from a laughing fit still visible as he watched the iron mage's finger wipe what looked like a tear from his left eye. He was probably waiting for a conclusive answer from the pink-haired mage. "I'll be back in two days. I'll help you with your problem then," Natsu said. The black-haired mage nodded as both their eyes met, forming a silent agreement to keep their conversation private. But before the fire mage could leave, and catching him off guard, Gajeel casually asked, "So, what is it that you need Salamander? From what you said, it looks like you already have something in mind." Natsu leaned down to answer, wanting to avoid the prying ears he knew were probably around, or, to be more precise, hiding behind the bar, "As much as the thought of publicly humiliating you amuses me, I think this 'talent' of yours might come in handy in the near future, Metal-face." The given answer sparked the iron dragon-slayer's curiosity. Trying to get some sort of revenge for the previous blatant mockery of his emotional vulnerability, he retorted, now wearing his own proud smirk on his face, "Oh, don't tell me you want to start wearing jewelry now? I'm sure I could arrange for some pretty earrings to match that pink hair of yours perfectly."
The fire mage glared back at his rival, angry flames dancing in his pupils. The iron dragon-slayer knew Natsu would not be willing to endure any more humiliation than what he had already suffered all thanks to his buddy Happy just moments ago. Now I have him, Gi hee; Gajeel mentally congratulated himself for successfully provoking the fire-breather. "I have no time to argue with you right now," he hissed. "There's no way Erza's beating me up because of you, today. I already said I'd help you claim your mate once I come back. So, just keep quiet about it and we can both get what we want then, alright?"
The dark-haired mage's smirk transformed into a full out laugh as his suspicions proved correct. "So, this thing you want has something to do with Bunny Girl, huh?" As the anger and embarrassment of the other dragon-slayer made their way to his face, Gajeel continued, content with now leveling the arena and eliminating the advantage the fire idiot had previously held over him, "As you said, relax. It's not like I'll go running to tell Bunny Girl you want to start having little baby dragons soon." Gajeel felt, more than heard, the anger in Natsu's reply, "It's not like that, you asshole! And keep your voice down." Serves you right Salamander. Who's the whipped one now, huh? Gajeel opted to keep such thoughts to himself. He did in fact need the fire-breathing idiot's help if he wanted to make that locket for Levy. He'd overheard her tell Lucy about how she'd received an old family heirloom, and he'd be damned if he let an opportunity like this go to waste. He would never admit it to anyone, let alone out loud, but he kind of, in the slightest, tinniest of ways, envied the dragon-slayer who was currently standing in front of him trying to control his emotions. For some reason, that idiot had found the guts to claim his mate around a year ago, and he was now tired of watching his own from a distance.
After a brief pause and a menacing glance from the pink-haired mage, who seemed to have calmed down a bit, the iron mage added, "So, what is it that you want me to forge?" without actually expecting an answer.
Natsu let out a defeated sigh as he straightened up one more time. He approached the bar and downed what remained of the fire whiskey in his glass. As he was leaving he muttered a single word that made Gajeel spit out whatever liquor he had just put into his mouth, and turn to face the retreating dragon-slayer with a look of utter shock. "Are… Are you serious?" The words came out of his mouth before he had even processed what he was saying. Gajeel stuttered, no longer carefully whispering, and too stunned to even worry about someone possibly overhearing their conversation. Natsu didn't answer, and instead simply nodded as he continued to make his way out of the guild. Well, I guess that explains why he was sitting alone and so far into La-La Land when I found him… Gajeel finished the drink in front of him in one gulp and waved to Mira, signaling for a must needed refill. I'll be damned. I think I might need a few more of these.
Mira watched as the figure across from her ordered another drink. She approached the iron dragon-slayer and refilled his glass. Overtaken by curiosity, she debated whether or not to ask about the earlier conversation between him and Natsu. Much to Mira's dismay, both dragon-slayers had made a terribly good job at keeping their voices from reaching her well-trained ears. She took another wondering look at the iron mage as he downed his second glass and asked for a third. "So, Gajeel," she finally said, just as she refilled his glass one more time, "what did Natsu say that surprised you so much?" Gajeel looked up to find the seemingly innocent, smiling Mirajane staring back at him, eyes hungry for information. He smirked, the older mage's prying bringing him out of his stupor. Taking the liquor bottle rather forcefully from her hand, he said, "Let's just say that if you think my reaction was enticing, I can't wait to revel in what yours will be." With that, Gajeel left the bar to go sit suspiciously close to a blue-haired mage who was currently immersed entirely in what he considered a weird-looking, dust-festering book he was secretly jealous of, and leaving behind an extremely annoyed and unsatisfied bartender staring daggers back at him.
"So, what is it that you want me to forge?" he heard the iron dragon-slayer ask.
Natsu smiled to himself before sighing and deciding he might as well answer his fellow guildmate's question. It hadn't occurred to him before, but if there was anyone who could actually solve his problem, it was that idiot of an iron mage. He scuffed at the irony of it all. He had spent over a month looking for something remotely appropriate, and, besides it being time consuming, the search had drained him mentally. Trying to hide his "extracurricular activities" from Lucy was far from an easy task. Just as he was about to give up and drown in the depths of his own despair, the iron dragon-slayer had approached him with a problem of his own. As he heard what Gajeel needed, he couldn't help but realize that Metal face here, had actually unwillingly just provided him with an even better solution than what he could have come up on his own. Not that he would ever tell that to the iron mage, of course.
Natsu approached the bar and downed what was left of the fire whiskey in his glass. He began walking towards the exit and without raising his voice to more that a whisper he uttered the one word that had been nagging him for the past 45 days, and counting...
"Ring"
He couldn't help but chuckle as he heard Gajeel choke on his drink.
"Are… Are you serious?"
Natsu nodded.
He felt relieved. He had been searching for a ring that would perfectly express his love for her; it needed to be delicate and feminine, while at the same time, stand his own explosive, blazing nature as well as the rough way of life of a mage. However, after twenty different towns, dozens of jewelry shops, and over forty excruciating train rides, he had found none that came remotely close to what he pictured Lucy's ring to be.
The fire dragon-slayer smiled as he spotted Lucy's window up ahead of him. After his "friendly" conversation with Gajeel, he knew that in a few days he would have the detailedly engraved ring he envisioned. If anyone could manipulate metal to perfection, it was Gajeel Redfox, and having the ring forged by the iron dragon-slayer turned out to be the ironically perfect solution to his mental torment.
Natsu jumped up and made his usual entry into Lucy's apartment through the window. Lucy greeted him with a smile, holding what he could clearly identify now as the wretched laundry bag responsible for seriously injuring his male-ego and causing irrefutable damage to his masculinity less than an hour ago. That devious cat will pay for it! No fresh fish for a week… and no more cuddling in Lucy's chest.
Oh, he was definitely looking forward to executing Happy's punishment.
Lucy put the laundry bag down near her bed and made her way towards him, wrapping her hands around his neck as he wrapped his around her waist. Without uttering a word, both shared a passionate kiss, taking their time to get lost in each other's smell and taste, and enjoying the electrifying feeling they experienced every time their bodies touched. They broke apart, and she opened her eyes to look at him. Bringing one of her hands forward to gently caress his cheek, she finally broke the silence, "Good to have you back. Now, hurry up and get ready. I don't want Erza to kill us both for being late."
Natsu returned the loving gesture, placing a chaste kiss on her lips before he broke the embrace to search for some clean shirts to put into his bag, not without giving a last scornful glance at the accursed laundry bag, his eyes widening when he spotted the before-mentioned flame-themed underwear.
A few minutes later, Natsu left the small apartment on Strawberry Street, fingers intertwining with Lucy's as he led the way to Magnolia's train station, and feeling, for once, "all fired up" about the adventure that awaited him on his return from the battle up ahead.
So, how was it?