Makarov shuffled through the pile of papers on his desk. The head of Status for Magnolia Town and the surrounding areas had assessed the latest group of mages, given his findings and gone about his way about an hour ago. Makarov was to make sure he was aware of the findings then send them off the council to be catalogued and proper action taken.

Proper action usually involved making sure he was aware of any classes and assessments that would be coming up and see to it that the young members of his guild made it to them. Eventually they'd get older and not need his reminders and with that all of his dealings with their romantic futures would end, which is a moment he looked forward to every time.

There was something very...creepy about how tightly the council controlled the mating futures of mages. It hadn't always been this way and he could understand, to a degree, why it was necessary. People had gotten hurt, natures had caused problems and friction, wars had literally be fought. But he wasn't sure this was the best alternative.

It was so very invasive, and yet accepted without question.

"You wanted to see me?" Natsu's voice broke him out of his thoughts. The pink haired boy-teenager- was standing in his doorway, looking very nervous. Natsu was ever the ball of energy, shifting from one foot to the other while his eyes darted around nervously.

"Come inside. Shut the door." Makarov said while making a gesture with his hand. Natsu did as told then, cautiously, stepped closer. Natsu always had a way of picking up the mood in a room, even when he had no idea what was actually going on. A natural empath, on top of his other considerably skills, perhaps. It wasn't uncommon in those of his dynamic. "The Status Head brought me your results."

Natsu flinched just slightly; Makarov noted the reaction but said nothing. The Status Head wasn't supposed to inform the young mages of their findings but then Natsu had a way of wheedling information out of those who weren't supposed to reveal it.

Dark eyes stared at him from behind a fringe of pink, pupil narrowing and becoming almost reptilian for a moment. Then the teen blinked, gaze suddenly becoming wet.

"I don't want to be an Omega!" The words burst forth, determined and hot. Natsu clenched his fists at his side and flames started to form, dancing around his hands.

So much emotion and power in one so young.

"I'm afraid it's not the sort of thing we get a choice in." Makarov said, trying to keep his tone soothing. He didn't enjoy this any more than Natsu was. He thought of all of the Guild members as his children, but perhaps Natsu more than some of the others. He remembered finding the boy, lost and alone and he remembered how he'd felt drawn to him immediately. He'd never really had any doubt that taking the pink haired child in was the best course of action; in a way there had been no other choice.

"NO!" Tears escaped, lingering for a moment on tan skin before turning to steam and hissing away. "I won't. I know about them. They're weak and the council hides them away and won't let them do anything. I won't! I'm strong! I'll be the strongest! Don't let them take me away!"

A dozen responses responses caught in Makarov's throat. He could tell him that the Omega Separation Act was for the safety of all Omegas, could lecture him about the battles that had been fought between young lust blinded Mages, could explain that as Natsu got older and the heat cycles began that things would become 'complicated', could tell him that being an Omega wasn't tantamount to weakness, even if that's how people made it seem.

But in the end he just looked down at the papers again.

Name: Natsu Dragneel

Dynamic: Omega

Suggestion: Immediate segregation

Reasoning: Emotional, lacks control, displays no submissive tendencies. Fairy Tale is not known as an atmosphere that focuses on discipline, which is something that must begin to be instilled as soon as possible if a suitable mate is ever to be found. Very unlikely that with his present temperament that anyone would accept him as a bond partner.

He touched a finger to the paper and it burst into flame almost instantly. It was a bright flash, contained to only that sheet, and then nothing but a pile of ash remained.

Makarov had never really been the sort of man to allow rules and regulation to come between him and his family anyway, nor the sort to shy away from complication.

Some Years Later

Lucy walked down the street, Plue dancing along the edge of the canal close by, and fingered her keys as she always did when she was feeling nervous. It was the third day of her Heat and she was feeling run down. She'd taken her scent suppressors, as every mage on the submissive spectrum but not interested in mating did, but even then her status as a gamma caused her issues.

It was close, so disturbingly close, to omega status that it scared her sometimes. She could see how at the crest of her Heat others would turn and look at her, eyes undressing and lingering over her openly, unable to divert their gazes.

She was the closest thing to an omega that was allowed to roam unattended these days and the reason was clear to her every cycle. If her phermones were stronger, her heat more intense, who was to say that all she could get is lingering glances? There were stories told of people being unable to control themselves and acting against omegas and even gammas.

Forced bonding was the whispered thing of nightmares. Lucy's heart clenched at the thought.

Even in the guild, where everyone prided themselves on their control and acceptance of all the statuses she could sense that some of the other unattached mages were tested by her presence, especially the alphas. Erza and Gray in particular, probably because of their constant proximity, seemed to be driven to distraction. This was her first cycle since Tenrou Island and she was starting to consider not longer spending them with the guild or taking jobs during it.

The longer she stayed unbonded the worse her heats would get and more pheromones her body would produce, seeking a bond mate that her mind had no desire for. Before they'd been frozen for seven years things had been fine but this...this was worse than she'd ever imagined it could be. The usual discomfort in her belly was full blown pain, she was hot and sweating, and her brain was hazy.

She'd always hated what she was. Her father had been so pleased, so eager to practically sell her to highest bidder. A woman like her, with her magic and her status was a prized commodity. Not as volatile as Omegas were supposed to be but with all the supposed gentle submissiveness. Gammas were the best mates, able to be bonded with all of the other levels. The perfect tool for her father. He'd had her magic assessed, had her checked for fertility and purity (much to her embarrassment) and advertised it for all potential suitors.

She was to be his best business deal yet.

Or so the man had liked to believe, but she'd shown him hadn't she?

The familiar anger was washed away by sadness. She was still angry about those things, so angry, but it the ache of her father's death was still there. Sometimes she read over his final letter to her, throat tight and tears streaming. She had run away, fighting to be her own woman, to be strong despite her dynamic, to be able to shove it into his face.

She would be no man's wife before she was ready and certainly no one's pretty submissive bargaining chip. Never. She was a Fairy Tail mage, she could command golden celestial keys...she would never be anything but what she wanted to be. This was what she'd wanted to show him but...he'd already known that, hadn't he?

She could understand now that she hadn't been a business deal, she'd been a daughter and he'd been scared for her. He'd wanted a good man from a good family to marry and care for her, as he'd done for her mother, and while that wasn't what Lucy had wanted in life she supposed it also wasn't the awful evil she'd thought it was.

Plue's worried cry broke her from her thoughts. She looked down at her companion then looked ahead of them. They'd just turned onto the street her apartment was located; she'd taken a detour at a bakery before coming home because she'd been in the mood for some pastry.

It seemed that her little side trip had given her friend Natsu time to beat her to her own place. She let out an alarmed cry as she hurried towards the pink haired man, who was currently in a heap before her door. Happy was at his side, tail swishing about is obvious agitation. The Exceed turned around when he heard Lucy's approach and flew at her, words spilling from his mouth.

"Lucy you have to help him! Master Makarov is gone and he won't go to anyone else!"

"What's wrong?" She'd reached Natsu and could see that her friend was pale and shaking so badly she could hear his teeth chattering. He was drenched in sweat and heat was coming off of him in waves. He was always warm, of course, but this...this was beyond that. It prickled her skin with it's intensity.

She instinctively reached out to touch him, thinking to rest her hand on his forehead to maybe check for a fever (though she wasn't sure such a thing was even possible for Natsu, or how she'd be able to tell); skin touched bare skin for a moment and even as she made to draw back from the almost burning heat the man was putting off Natsu's head snapped back and his mouth opened in a silent scream. Flames erupted, bursting forth from the dragon slayer's mouth and reaching for the sky.

"Gah!"

Lucy was yanked back and found herself pulled against something hard. And covered in a black jacket. She peeked up, panic momentarily forgotten, and stared at Loke's troubled face. The spirit wasn't paying much attention to her, even as he held her cradled in his arms, and was instead staring at Natsu very hard.

"Lucy!" Happy was suddenly in her field of vision, somehow managing to fit himself between her and Loke. "Are you okay? I didn't know that would happen! That's never happened. I don't know what's happening! What's happening!?"

Lucy extracted herself from Loke's powerful grip and turned back around to once again face Natsu. The flames had gone out as quickly as they had started, though there was a tell tale scorch mark on her door.

"We need to get him inside and get some water going in the tub. I'll bring him up. Cold water. And ice."

0000

Lucy hovered by the doorway, too worried to be embarrassed about what was happening in her bathroom. Loke was sitting in the rub, submerged up to his chest in icy water, with Natsu sitting between his legs and slumped against his chest. Loke had taken the time to strip Natsu down but had only shed his suit jacket and tie.

The spirit was talking to Natsu softly and running fingers through damp pink hair, words so soft that she couldn't hear what he was saying. Natsu had writhed and fought when he'd first hit the water but had calmed under Loke's attention, fight draining out of him until he was totally limp.

Whatever it was the spirit was saying seemed to have done the trick and for that Lucy was grateful; watching Natsu like this made her heart hurt.

On the other hand something about Loke's tone was sending unwanted shivers down her spine and heat pool in her stomach and she hated that. Kind of. Mostly hated it.

"How long has he been in heat?" Loke asked finally, voice all business. Happy made a distressed noise while settling on Lucy's shoulder.

"Natsu can't be in heat." Lucy said, squinting up at the spirit. Alpha's could only been brought into rut when they mated and Natsu was clearly NOT mating with anyone at the moment. Or at all, judging by how little interest he'd ever show in anyone. "He's an Alpha, they don't-"

"I know about Alphas. There is no one more Alpha than Leo." Loke looked back at her, grinning cheekily. She felt her face heat up and her stomach clench just a little as she looked away, unable to look him in the eye.

Stupid Loke.

She'd known that of course, had felt the way he seemed to literally smolder with the energy she associated with Alphas the minute he'd reclaimed his spot as Leo. She'd also noticed he never came out unless she called for him when she was in heat and she'd been silently appreciative.

Just as she affected Alphas they affected her. She couldn't pick up the scents like Alphas but still the presence of them could make her feel hot and flushed and as the heat reached its crest she found her inhibitions were...lowered. But the situation being what it was she found control wasn't as hard to maintain as it sometimes could be. Even with 'No one is more Alpha than Leo' Loke around.

"Natsu is no Alpha." Loke had his attention back to the man in question. "How long Happy?"

The exceed was quiet for a long moment then, quietly. "Since Lucy's started. He thinks...he thinks he's synched up with Lucy somehow. But-" And here the exceed's words became rushed and desperate "It's never been this bad. Normally he takes the suppressors and Master Makarov gives him a potion that keeps the Heat controlled but he broke the bottle and doesn't have a way to get more and it's just-"

Lucy reached up and pulled Happy into her arms, shushing him. Happy shuddered then buried his head into her chest and muffled sobbing noises were all that could be heard. Loke nodded and ran his hand over Natsu's head again.

"I'd guess he couldn't take the full heat after keeping it away so long and it caused a Heat Fever and magical backlash. Long term usage can do that; I bet being frozen for 7 years didn't help any, who knows how that may have screwed up with." Loke paused, staring at the top of Natsu's head intently. "Those things aren't really meant to be used non-stop like that. You're both what, almost 19 now? Too long."

Lucy made an annoyed noise. She knew all about the 'risks' posed by long term usages of the suppressants, had to undergo a lecture every time she refilled her prescriptions; she was risking heat fever, heat stupor, and her future fertility

It seemed, at times, that everything conspired against her, trying to force her to fit a mould she didn't want any part in. Even the medication that helped her would end up hurting her in the long run.

Find a mate or suffer.

She knew it all and certainly didn't need a lecture from one of her spirits about it, least of all fucking Loke.

"So Natsu's a gamma?" Lucy asked, shaking her head to dispel the bitter thoughts. "He's been pretending all this time. I don't know if I'm angry or impressed."

Natsu made a whining noise then one glassy dark eye peeked out from behind a curtain of pink. He looked so tired, so beaten down, so...not himself. Then he smiled, a small shivering thing. "omgea. be impressed."

"WHAT?"