Prompt Two: Fairy Tail has dissolved after the resolution of the war against Tartaros, and everyone has gone their separate ways. Natsu and Happy have left Magnolia to train for a year, but they make a two-day exception to return to their home on the outskirts of town for an annual tradition they haven't celebrated since X783. With everybody else gone, including a certain redhead, Natsu expected it to be a very different Christmas… Oh, how wrong he was.
Characters: Natsu, Happy Erza, Makarov
Point-in-Time: X791, X777 (Christmas)
Genre: Friendship, Humor, Hurt/Comfort
Gray clouds blanketed the sky as snow descended on the city of Magnolia and its outskirts. There were already thick layers of white covering buildings, streets, and the forests around. A pink-headed teen was trudging through the snow in the forests surrounding Magnolia with a floating blue cat as a companion. Natsu Dragneel almost decided against coming back, even if it was tradition of all things that compelled him. If it was just him and Happy celebrating the holiday, they could celebrate it anywhere, right? Natsu had heard in passing that Erza had joined Mermaid Heel. There was no reason for her to drop everything and come back for a couple days; it just wasn't time for Fairy Tail to be reunited. Natsu had no doubts they would be, someday, but for now…
Natsu frowned as they came up on their home, which was buried in heaps of snow due to lack of maintenance. His mind wasn't there, but rather in the past…
X777
If there was one thing Natsu Dragneel hated, it was change. Igneel up and left him without warning earlier that year, so the young pink-haired boy had already been forced to make a number of concessions to that effect. Fairy Tail was growing on him; he could feel the hole in his heart left by Igneel being filled with others, his Guildmates, but he still wasn't completely used to being around so many humans, let alone any at all. Given his upbringing with the Fire Dragon King, Natsu wasn't aware of human holidays, let alone traditions set by Fairy Tail for said holidays.
Hence why he wasn't present at the Guild all day on Christmas Eve. Natsu had his hands full with house repairs, 'cause he hadn't taken into account the stupid snow adding on weight, which in turn damaged the structural integrity of the thing in various places. Just because the cold didn't bother him didn't mean that he liked snow dropping on his head when he tried to sleep. Why did building a house hafta be so hard? He'd never had this problem while living out in a cave with Igneel.
Of course, Natsu's absence was noticed by the Guild; he hadn't bothered to come and tell anyone where he would be. The pink-headed Pyro hadn't once questioned the decorations being put up around the Guild Hall all December long, so many simply assumed he was aware of the concept of Christmas. In actuality, from what little Natsu did notice, he just chalked it up to seasonal decorations… or something. If people wanted to put up parts of pine trees, dangle what looked like salad stuff from the ceiling, and string up lights on a tree they brought in from outside, that was their business, not his.
… Yeah, not exactly the sharpest tack in the box, that Natsu Dragneel. Still, he'd be acquainted with the annual tradition of Christmas by the end of the day – whether he wanted to or not. Courtesy of a knightly disciplinarian who always broke up whatever fights he started in the Guild Hall, among other troublemaking habits of his.
"Master, have you seen Natsu around?" The redhead asked the stylish man who was wearing an elf hat and sitting at the bar counter – his words, not hers. The Guild Hall had been quiet all morning, and while Erza was just fine with a little peace and quiet now and then… it shouldn't come as a result of Natsu not being there. As much of a pain it was to restore order with him around, Erza would be lying if she said she didn't appreciate the liveliness he brought to the Guild.
Hadn't even been there for a year, and he was already starting to grow on the cute redhead.
"Can't say that I have," Makarov said while nursing a mug of eggnog. Seeing Erza's half-hearted attempt at hiding her concern as her mind was clearly occupied by such thoughts, the old man smiled and gave his thoughts on the matter. "I wouldn't worry too much. Snow's piling up out there; he's never seen or experienced it before coming here, so I imagine he's just playing around."
Erza nodded at the Master's input, though a frown still marred her face. Laxus, who was leaning on the counter next to his Gramps, felt obligated to point out another possibility.
"That, or he's having problems with that new house of his." The blond shook his head at Makarov's withering glare. "Hey, it was gonna come out sooner or later. A house's integrity is only as good as the guy who builds it, and Natsu insisted he build it all by himself. You tell me how that would possibly work out."
Makarov sighed and grumbled as he could feel Erza's eyes boring into the back of his head. This whole thing probably made him look like a bad grandfather figure toward the pink-headed boy, but the truth was probably a little different than what Erza was assuming. Makarov knew and respected Natsu's free spirit attitude; it was kinda his job to let his grandkids live out their dreams. Besides, the old Guildmaster wanted this to be a learning experience for the boy. There could be any type of problems as the year progressed, so Makarov had assumed and hoped that Natsu would just come to him for help at any given point. Then, Makarov could give the boy some tips and actually help out with the construction – take care of any other problems Natsu may have overlooked.
Except Natsu never came forward, stubborn kid that he is. He'd once inquired if Natsu was bothered by the cold weather, and the brat taunted him by saying he could adjust his body temperature because of his Dragon Slayer abilities, so temperature did not matter. At all. Oooh, how Makarov envied Natsu for that… The brat was basically a walking space heater, and whoever caught his eye in the future would be very, very lucky because of that fact alone. Wizards could build up a resistance to extreme cold or heat, but that normally took years. Natsu had that straight from the outset. How was that fair?!
"I'll take you to him…" Makarov sighed when Erza's glare did not waver. No amount of explaining would completely make his inaction 'okay'. It was probably time for him to approach the pink-headed boy anyway. Natsu wasn't going to come to him on his own volition in this case.
When the pair got out to where Natsu's house was, it was evident that the Pyro had gone crazy with melting the snow on the roof. The red tiles looked a little singed, and there were frantic hammering noises coming from somewhere toward the back. Erza got a twitchy look in her eye as she took the overall structure in, and frankly, Makarov couldn't really blame her at this point. This simply made him look irresponsible and negligent; it wasn't the worst house he'd seen in his lifetime, but damn if it wasn't a piece of work. Withered trees growing out of the walls, a messy roof, various beams and crates strewn about outside the building, an uneven fence… Why did Laxus have to be right? How could he have let Natsu carry on like this?
Makarov turned to look at Erza, but she had apparently moved while he was stuck internally berating himself and was nowhere to be seen. When the hammering noises subsided, and were replaced by a surprised yelp from the young Dragon Slayer, Makarov elected to get out of there and wait for the two back at the Guild. It was Christmas Eve! Erza wouldn't let Natsu live in a house that was in such a sorry state. He'd probably be putting Natsu back in the guest room in his home by the end of the day. Once Christmas had passed, Makarov would get right on helping Natsu fix everything, and they could forget this whole thing.
Provided Erza didn't hang this over his head. You probably think it's funny, Head of the Guild being wary of a little redheaded girl. You know nothing.
Still, circumstances as they are, they would bring the pink-headed Pyro and the redheaded knight closer together. Something that was ironically needed for both of them, considering their respective pasts. Makarov just didn't know that yet.
"What're you angry at me for?" Natsu grumbled as he sat cross-legged on the roof and looked down at Erza, who had her hands on her hips. He'd had his freak-out and had calmed down, but he obviously failed to understand why today seemed different from all the others. There were a couple days when he hadn't gone to the Guild at all, and Erza hadn't made of a fuss of any of them.
"Don't you remember what day it is?" Erza raised an eyebrow at the boy's cluelessness. Even after being forced to live in enslavement for a time, Erza still retained vague memories of the holiday in her old village.
"Uh… Tuesday, I think." Natsu replied, idly raking his fingers through his hair. He kinda had this itch to get back to work patching up the roof before the snow really started to pile up again, but he also didn't want Erza to beat him to a pulp again for a "lack of manners" or whatever.
"It's Thursday." Erza told him flatly without missing a beat. "And no, that isn't what I was getting at. It's Christmas Eve. Didn't Igneel celebrate Christmas with you?"
"What's a Chrismas?" Natsu's brow furrowed. "Igneel didn't really do too much human stuff – y'know, fire-breathing dragon, lived out in a cave away from everybody."
Ah. Well, Erza felt like a heel now. She didn't even think about what kind of childhood Natsu had, living with a dragon. When Erza was enslaved, at least she had an inner circle of friends and Grandpa Rob to support her. But Natsu? Igneel was his entire world. Granted, Natsu had Fairy Tail now, but he was still thrust into a big bizarre world that he didn't know anything about. What was it like to live with a dragon as a child? Erza could never know for sure, but she was now seeing just a hint of the effects of such an upbringing.
"What can I do to help?" Erza decided to switch gears. It was best to get the roof fixed before delving into an explanation, and maybe redecorate his home a bit. Erza Scarlet did not do things by halves, after all. Natsu Dragneel would experience Christmas for the first time in his life and enjoy it.
When she climbed up the ladder to the roof and saw what a sorry state it was in, she realized this would take a lot of work…
X791
Natsu had long since stopped reminiscing and cleared away the snow that positively buried his and Happy's home. He'd gotten better at it over the years, leaving his house less and less charred each successive year. His next task was to clear space inside for the pine tree he would be dragging down from one of the nearby mountains. Natsu didn't care to buy one of those fake ones from town that supposedly lasted for much longer, and Erza had gone along with it all those years, claiming that a natural pine tree had a certain charm to it.
After claiming a tree, there came the decoration aspect of it. Erza gave him a string of garland years ago, and helped him shop for a few simple ornaments, expanding the collection over the years whenever something caught Erza's eye. That all being said, you might have a picture in your mind that Natsu and Erza were romantically together. That… wasn't the case. Not really. All the Christmas decorating began as a way to give Natsu something to do on that holiday; Erza would have dragged him back to the Guild and celebrate with all the others, but after the first year it just became a sort of private celebration between the two of them. Three when Happy hatched. Essentially, that first year, Erza tried to respect that Natsu was used to isolation. Having gone through a Fairy Tail Christmas Bash the year prior, she knew how overwhelming they could be for the new kids.
Which isn't to say Natsu wouldn't have fit right in. She was just a little overprotective of the new kid. Those parties tried to play the innocent 'we're one big happy family' image, but when you got right down to it, they could get pretty crazy. Kids could get drunk if they didn't watch it – just look at what happened to Cana… - and there was the annoyance of avoiding the mistletoe. Oh Kami, how Erza loathed that tiny plant. She made sure to sock anyone who tried to enforce that tradition on her. So really, celebrating Christmas privately with Natsu served a nice dual purpose of completely avoiding that dastardly plant. That was definitely one of the clinchers when Christmas X778 rolled around; X777 was complete bliss in comparison to X776, so it was really a no-brainer how Erza wanted to celebrate the holiday.
Natsu's distaste for change worked in Erza's favor, too. Of course there were some years he was curious about how the rest of the Guild celebrated, but somehow the redheaded knight kept him from experiencing it. It probably helped that Erza scared him out of ever trying to go to the Guild anytime between Christmas Eve and Christmas day – the threat of possibly having to kiss Gray under the mistletoe was a great deterrent, the redhead was pleased to discover. And really, knowing how those two went at it in the Guild Hall? It was all too likely to happen, so Erza was not bluffing in this case.
So Christmas stayed between Natsu, Erza, and Happy. Two kids that had experienced loss and pain so early in life, and a flying blue cat whose life revolved around Natsu. Erza became a little less scary on this holiday, sometimes instigating snowball fights and being much, much less strict. Still closed-off about her past, mind, but Natsu had a feeling that Erza would be different in that regard, come future celebrations.
"Do ya think we should get a strawberry cake in case?" Natsu questioned his feline pal, preparing a grocery list for dinner and the next day. Happy had naturally checked if fish was on that list. Seven times.
"Couldn't hurt," Happy hummed thoughtfully. "You don't wanna repeat that year, do you?"
Natsu involuntarily shivered at the memory. One year he had been entrusted with getting the food. The list was long enough to fill a whole page, and Natsu thought that was the end of it. He didn't bother to check the back, which had a few more items listed. One of which was Erza's beloved strawberry cheesecake. Despite dragging back a majority of the groceries on a sled, he was summarily bludgeoned and sent back to get the rest. The cheesecake underlined thrice at the top of his list in red marker…
The pink-headed mage never again neglected to get a strawberry cheesecake. Even when Erza was sick and didn't look like she'd be spending Christmas with him and Happy, Natsu always had a cheesecake on hand, because she never failed to show. Ever. This year was particularly looking like Erza wouldn't show, but that didn't stop Natsu from putting the item at the top of the list so he wouldn't forget. Who knows? Maybe he could mail it to her or something.
As he finalized the list and dug out the sled, Natsu made his way to the door. When he twisted the handle and opened it, he fell back in surprise at seeing the redheaded knight standing there, armored fist poised to knock.
"E-Erza!" Natsu exclaimed and tried to squash the immediate fear he felt upon seeing her. Really. He put cheesecake on the list, Happy can testify to it!
The redhead smiled at Natsu's frightened voice. If she had to guess, he'd been wondering about whether or not to shop for strawberry cheesecake. Still, he wasn't hurrying to make an addendum to the list he had in hand, so he must have it on there. That, or her arrival was that shocking. Frankly, it kind of was. Erza had a helluva time convincing Kagura, Milliana, and the other girls at Mermaid Heel that she needed to take an S-Rank mission so close to Christmas. A mission that just so happened to be close to Magnolia, which was known for its snowstorms this time of year. A shame she might have to stay a day or two there if the weather got bad enough…
"Glad to see you came back. I was a little worried I'd be the only one to remember, after all that's happened."
X784 was a heck of a year… And of course there was that little episode on Tenrou Island that made them miss the next seven subsequent years. X791 hadn't been any less hectic, and now the Guild was seemingly disbanded forever. Talk about a lot between the Christmas of X783 and now. Yeah, Erza's concerns weren't that farfetched.
"Yeah," Natsu grinned sheepishly and rubbed the back of his head, standing back up. "I kinda wondered the same about you. Y'know, with joining Mermaid Heel and all. Me 'n Happy came back 'cause it'd be weird to celebrate Christmas anywhere else. Well, that's what I said."
Happy, who had taken up residence in one of the three stockings hanging over the fireplace, shook his head rapidly at the brief inquisitive stare sent his way by Erza. It wasn't that he didn't want to come back here, he just thought the point of going on a training trip was to get away from home. But Natsu won out, of course…
"Same here…" Erza trailed off while looking off to the side a little. Come to think of it, this was the first time they saw each other since the war against Tartaros. Natsu hadn't stuck around to say goodbye to anyone, let alone her.
Feeling a little awkward, Natsu picked at his ear with his pinky and decided to go out shopping.
"W-Well, I'll go out and get the stuff. I'll be back in a…" He trailed off when he noticed the cartful of stuff Erza had behind her. He looked at her slightly suspiciously, knowing she'd leave her armor and weapons and stuff at Mermaid Heel for the most part. "You were gonna eat without us, weren't you?!"
"It would have been your own fault for not showing up," Erza told him flatly, cracking another small smile when he recoiled exaggeratedly. She shrugged neutrally. "And besides, I had to make sure there was strawberry cake. You were negligent that one time."
"A-Aye!" Natsu squeaked out before bowing profusely and apologizing.
Typical Natsu. But at least he got the tree and the decorations up. Erza would give him that much credit. With that taken care of, all that was left was to prepare dinner, which they assumed joint responsibility of. Say what you will about their separate cooking reputations, but when they come together, Natsu and Erza don't make a half bad Christmas Eve feast. Chalk it up to seven years of refinement.
"I'm sorry about Igneel." Erza suddenly blurted out, to the Dragon Slayer's surprise. They'd finished dinner, and were currently lounging by the fireplace as night had long since fallen outside. Natsu wanted to catch up, and the topics had been light-hearted up to this point.
And then Erza brought that up. The big reason that spurred Natsu to go on that training trip. He needed to get stronger to defeat Acnologia – not just defeat, but actually kill. Natsu wondered if he had ever truly wanted to kill anyone before; after witnessing Acnologia kill his father, Natsu sincerely doubts it.
"It's… I'm fine, Erza." Natsu sighed tiredly, knowing full well that he wasn't. And he knew Erza saw through his lie as well. He decided to try and be more general about it, to alleviate the pain a little. "Tartaros affected us all. We won… but not without cost. I… I wish I'd stuck around just a little bit to check up on you guys, 'cause it's been on my mind ever since."
Erza was quiet for a while after that. Trust Natsu to put the pain of others before his own. Which is why to much of the Guild, his abrupt departure came as a shock. Nevertheless, Erza knew better than anyone how painful losing someone can be. Grandpa Rob. Simon. That's why Erza didn't see his departure as a surprise; there had to have been a wealth of emotions running through Natsu when he decided to up and leave like that. Emotions that were still bottled up in him, because really, who was he going to talk to? He didn't stick around to vent to anyone. He might have expressed to Happy what he felt, but beyond him?
"You are not okay." Erza finally replied, slightly startling the Dragon Slayer. She shook her head. "Natsu, you lost your father! I know you want to put up a brave front for everyone, but this isn't something you can just…"
Erza trailed off in frustration, unable to find the right words to express what she meant. She wanted to comfort the Dragon Slayer. Be a shoulder for him to lean on like he was so often for her. Here was an opportunity for her to do just that, and Erza couldn't find the words…
"I cried." Natsu finally said with a crooked grin. He locked eyes with Erza and then went on. "I can't remember the last time I did that, but I cried. I vowed revenge for Igneel. I'm gonna kill Acnologia if it's the last thing I do… But… I won't just forget about you guys. Acnologia is my target, but he doesn't make up the entirety of my existence, y'know? I'm still gonna fight for you guys to the bitter end, 'cause Fairy Tail will be back someday. Fairy Tail is my life, that's what I feel. Killing Acnologia will also protect all of you; I'm not gonna let that bastard take someone else from me."
Erza took a few moments to let his words sink in. This was very different from the Natsu she knew; he'd never wanted to kill anyone before, not even Jellal. However, she couldn't blame him. Not after the black dragon obliterated Igneel. Still, it wasn't as if Natsu was completely changed; he was still the passionate, determined knucklehead that she considered a friend and teammate. Deep down, Erza felt relieved that the whole debacle with Tartaros hadn't affected Natsu to that degree. It seemed with each Dark Guild of the Balam Alliance they took down, Fairy Tail was increasingly impacted. Thus it was only natural that Tartaros shook Fairy Tail to its very core, ultimately bringing about Fairy Tail's disbandment.
That's what happened with me," Natsu concluded. He stared at Erza sympathetically. "I dunno about everything that happened to you, but I bet you got shaken up pretty bad, too. If… If you wanna talk about it, I'll listen."
Smiling wryly at Natsu swiftly turning the discussion back onto her, even when she had so many more questions for him, Erza knew it was only fair. She recalled how after everything settled down, she wondered if she'd ever be able to trust in people again. At the time, Jellal had been there to give her hope, and here Natsu was doing the same thing. Natsu had done a lot of stupid things in the past, but he'd never betrayed her. If anything, he saved her. Not just physically, in the thick of battle, but emotionally as well. Much like the element he threw around, Natsu was a light to not just her, but all of his friends. When any of them were on the verge of giving up, Natsu would find a way to keep their spirits up.
So Erza shared what she'd gone through in the war with Tartaros, and as promised, Natsu listened attentively. And as she internally reflected about past Christmases, she found it ironic. For once, Natsu was getting her to open up; he tried every year when she came over, but the one thing she would never be open with him about was her past. Whenever they talked, it was about him – reminiscing about that year, reminiscing about Igneel, what future plans Natsu had…
"Keep deflecting! One day I'm gonna get past your shell! You'll see!"
The funny thing is, he did. The year after he made that proclamation, too. They might not have celebrated Christmas in X784, but that was the year her past was laid bare and the year they formed a team with Gray and Lucy. Natsu fulfilled his promise. Without even trying, Natsu instilled hope in her that she could trust others. Erza would trust him with her life. And she knew the feeling was mutual.
Author's Note: Brain, I said I wanted the fluff stopped. Did no one listen? XD Don't ask me why I'm writing about Christmas in September. I just felt like it. :P This isn't necessarily connected to the previous three chapters; it can be a standalone. I wanted to attempt at least one scene following the events of Tartaros, so this prompt was borne. It probably could have used better characterization since I only have a cursory understanding of that arc, but at least I tried.
This prompt at the very least reflects my reaction to Erza's self-doubts about putting trust in others. If no one else, she could at least believe in Natsu, considering the adventures they've been through (though she could believe in the other members of Team Natsu as well). Then you have Jellal, of course, regardless of my feelings toward the man. Perhaps I'm not interpreting her feelings correctly, though. Like I said, this was just an attempt, miserable as it may be.
