AN: Be sure to drop a review when you're done! Enjoy!
Igniparous
Chapter Four
His fingers drum against the wood of the desk, tapping in a fast, steady rhythm as he waits impatiently for class to begin. Honestly, he really doesn't want to be here at the moment, it's too early for them to be having a class. Whoever decided eight A.M. was a suitable time for them to start the day must absolutely hate them. Granted, he knows that the he'd be complaining whether or not class started at eight. It's Biology, the worst of all the classes.
Natsu didn't like taking biology and anatomy courses back in high school, preferring science classes where he could make things explode over having to memorize every bone in his body. Not only was his teacher horrible, but it wasn't like the information was actually relevant to, well, anything really. Sure, he now knows the scientific name for all of the bones in his hand, but where is that going to take him in life?
The fun "dragon" part of the course is sort of cancelled out by the "biology" portion, and Natsu just knows it's going to be a wonderful year. His first class on Monday every week is something he hates. Brilliant. At least he has this class with people he knows, which is a blessing in his opinion.
Gajeel and Gray are just as terrible at biology as he is, so if Natsu fails, they go down with him. It's his only solace at this point. They'll pass or fail together, and Natsu won't feel quite as shitty at the end of the semester. Luckily, biology isn't a requirement for him to join the Corps. Whether he passes or not, Natsu will still end up flying eventually.
He leans back in his chair, rocking until he's leaning on only the back legs, close to tipping, but not quite. Natsu has excellent balance for the most part. While he isn't quite as graceful as Gray, he's also not as bumbling as Gajeel, falling somewhere between the two. While his cousin isn't clumsy, exactly, he's never had quite the same reflexes as the rest of them, though he definitely packs a harder punch, much to his annoyance.
Natsu digresses, knowing that raw strength isn't anything if someone is fast enough to dodge the hit.
His fingers continue tapping, Natsu settling his chair back onto the floor, leg beginning to jiggle as well. He doesn't like waiting, not even a little. He's never had the patience for it, a fault of his, sure, but he's always been more action oriented—always wanting to do something instead of just sitting around and waiting. Or maybe he just doesn't like sitting around and waiting for something he knows he's going to hate anyway, not seeing the point to it.
Frankly, he could still be sleeping, which would be much more enjoyable and also better for his health. Don't they know that developing minds are supposed to get roughly nine hours of sleep every night? How is he supposed to get nine hours when he has class at eight and stays up until one watching shitty documentaries with his new roommates?
Glancing to his right, Natsu takes in the sight of Lucy sitting next to him at their shared table, Gajeel and Gray having ditched him and taken the table behind him. Not that he doesn't like sitting by Lucy, she's nice, funny. He's been getting along well with her since they found out they shared a dorm.
Natsu was more than a little surprised to walk in and find Lucy curled up on the couch with his cat purring in her lap, but he supposes there are worse roommates he could have. They had gotten to talking pretty quickly, Natsu going to join her on the couch as Gray and Gajeel stared after him, utterly baffled by the turn of events. They had joined them after several minutes, introducing themselves to Lucy and wisely keeping their mouths shut about Natsu calling her pretty, being decent enough friends not pull hat kind of crap.
Mostly they discussed school, where they all came from. Lucy found it interesting that they had known each other forever, admitting that she didn't really know anyone on campus yet, besides their other roommates, of course.. She told them about Levy and Juvia—who Natsu would later come to realize were the girls he nearly ran into on his way into the lunch hall, much to his embarrassment—and the other three, though she could say much about them. In turn, they told her about Lyon and the other boys they met the other day. Gajeel even went so far as to tell her about their relatively wild night down in the city, much to her amusement.
Natsu was a bit surprised how easily they all fell into a familiar sort of friendship, despite only knowing each other for less than two days. They all spent most of Sunday together, talking and watching movies, simply trying to get to know each other beyond a passing recognition. Personally, Natsu decided he'd rather not spend two years barely knowing the people he was living with, choosing to just go for it and introduce himself to everyone.
They're all friendly enough people. Juvia, Rogue, and Yukino are a bit quiet, but nice enough, Meredy mostly kept to herself, but seemed like a bit of a jokester when she became less weary of them, Sting is as loud as he is, much Natsu's immense joy, and Lucy, well, he isn't sure he can pin her down quite yet. There's no doubt that she's a nice person, but there's something sad about her, nervous almost, as if she's uncomfortable being around too many people.
Levy he doesn't know too much about, she seems rather no-nonsense and a bit too intelligent for Natsu to keep up with, but she also picked a fight with Gajeel almost immediately when he cracked a joke about her height, so she's okay in Natsu's opinion.
He looks back at Lucy, focusing on her with a careful eye. She seems much more alert than him, though he supposes she's been awake for longer than ten minutes, Natsu barely having time to brush his teeth and slip on his uniform before bolting out the door, Gajeel and Gray being assholes for not waking him up. It was the least they could do, considering they spent the entirety of Saturday night poking fun at him because of Lucy.
Natsu loves his friends, he really does, but he won't deny that he kind of wanted to kill them at that point. They kept cracking jokes about him thinking she's pretty, but he's not oblivious or stupid, he can tell an attractive person when he sees one, even if it usually doesn't—how did Igneel put it?—set his loins aflame.
Gods, Igneel is embarrassing. Natsu wishes he had never heard that phrase before. He's seriously considering killing Igneel the next time he sees him, because that phrase is never going to leave his head, forever imprinted there until the day he inevitably dies a horrible, dragon-related death.
Why couldn't he just say "boner"? That would have been a lot less awkward.
Blinking, Natsu shakes the thoughts away, realizing he's getting off track. He sneaks another glance at Lucy, head tilted to one side curiously as he severely hopes Gray and Gajeel don't catch him staring at her so blatantly. They would never let that go.
She looks nice in her uniform, hers not nearly as rumpled as his. Her white shirt looks neatly ironed, her purple and silver tie is straight, and she looks all around more put together than he feels. Natsu glances down at his own shirt, fairly certain that his buttons aren't actually lined up, though he can't be sure, considering he refused to button them all the way. He didn't bother making his tie straight, simply knotting it haphazardly and settling for a disheveled look, hoping it would look intentional.
Natsu unintentionally catches a glimpse at the pale strip of skin between Lucy's socks and the hem of her dark purple skirt, feeling shitty for looking, even if it was an accident. It's not right for him to be staring at her like a creep. He doesn't know her too well, but he damn well knows she deserves better than that.
He winces, ashamed of himself for staring, even if she didn't notice.
Oblivious to his thoughts, Lucy turns towards him suddenly, spinning sideways in her chair to face him directly. He blinks back at her, confused, but she only sends him a pretty smile, head tilting to one side as looks at him. "You excited?" she asks him, gesturing to his tapping fingers and jiggling leg. Her expression is almost teasing, but there's something serious in her eyes, as if she's trying to make sure he's okay.
Natsu stills suddenly, realizing he's probably been disturbing her with his incessant tapping. Sometimes he forgets that his ticks distract others, something he never means to do. He's slightly surprised that she waited so long to mention anything, considering they've been sitting around for nearly five minutes now.
He sends her a crooked smile, slowly relaxing into his seat, as he turns towards Lucy. "Yeah," he jokes, giving an over-enthusiastic nod and making her laugh in response. His faux-excitement slips into something more sarcastic. "Biology," he cheers blandly. "Awesome." It's not that he hates learning, he just has absolutely no desire to hear about the filtration process of dragon kidneys or anything equally as pointless to him.
He doesn't know why this course is mandatory, but he's almost positive he's going to hate it.
Lucy leans in a bit closer, laughing lightly. "What?" she teases, something a tad mischievous in her eyes, though it's her surprise that really makes him pause. She looks excited to be here, in the school or this class, he can't be sure, but there's something in her eyes that looks brighter than before. "You aren't excited to learn how dragons fly?" Lucy asks, more serious than before, wistful almost.
"How they fly?" he repeats, grinning back at her. "Sure!" Honestly aerodynamics have always fascinated him. He's always wondered how such large creatures can be airborne. Their bones aren't hollow—not like birds—but Natsu has never learned how they stay above the ground. Though, that's about all he's wondered when it comes to dragons and their anatomy. Everything else seems like either a pain or disgusting to hear about. "How they digest food, not so much," he tells her, laughing along with Lucy.
She glances towards the door, looking to see if their professor is coming, then looks back at him. "I doubt we'll be learning that," she tells him, expression slipping into an easy smile. She pulls her lip between her teeth, eyes narrowing in thought, and Natsu raises a brow.
He smirks. "You sure?" he jokes, unable to hold a serious tone. "Because I've heard these classes are very thorough." It's what Igneel told him, though Natsu can't be sure whether the man was telling the truth or simply trying to scare the shit out of him. It seems like a very Igneel thing to do, if he's being honest. Igneel is a good dad, but he's also kind of an asshole sometimes, especially if he's being given the chance to freak Natsu out. The dick.
"Oh, really?" Lucy asks, sounding like she doesn't believe him, though she's willing enough to play along, much to his amusement.
He nods, forcing his expression to become more serious, though he doesn't think it's working all too well. "Yeah, really in-depth." He's not even sure what he's saying at this point, but Lucy seems to find the humor in it, so he thinks he must be doing something right.
Lucy rolls her eyes at him, though her good-natured expression doesn't shift. "I'm sure they are."
"What, you don't believe me?" he jokes.
Whatever Lucy is about to say is lost to the sound of the door slamming open.
The room goes silent. Natsu jumps in his seat, spinning back around rapidly. Lucy is a second behind him, her eyes going wide as her head snaps in the direction of the new face. Her eyes widen slightly, an almost nervous expression on her face, and Natsu's brow furrows in concern, wondering what's made her so tense all of a sudden.
Natsu turns back to the front, wincing when he sees bright red eyes locked on him, their professors expression unimpressed as Natsu shrinks back in his seat, avoiding eye contact as best he can. He peeks up, sighing when he sees the elderly lady has moved on, now focusing on his seatmate, her eyes softening just a hair before she goes back to glaring at all of them, so quick Natsu wonders if it was merely a trick of the light.
He stares at their professor, unsure what he was expecting but it certainly wasn't this. She's relatively taller, at least a head taller than the headmaster, and her expression is more fierce than anything he's ever seen, more dragon than human. Her pale, lilac hair is pulled back in a sever, no-nonsense bun that reveals a thin-lipped frown and sharp jaw line. She looks around the room like she's unimpressed with the fifty students before her, almost bored at having to be here, or perhaps just sick of dealing with young adults after so long.
She sniffs suddenly, looking down at them over her nose. He feels the hairs on the back of his neck stand on end when her gaze slides over him, her expression not changing in the slightest. He supposes that's for the best, he doesn't think he'd like to see her angry face, if he's being honest with himself.
If Igneel somehow forgot to mention this lady—because he can tell she's been here for at least two decades, considering how incredibly done she looks—Natsu is going to be so pissed. It feels a cruel joke. He has his least favorite class with a lady who looks like she wants to rip them all in half and feed them to the dragons, probably while laughing hysterically.
"I," she starts, voice soft yet it booms through the silent classroom, echoing off the walls, "am Dr. Porlyusica." Natsu shares a sideways glance with Lucy, only daring to look away from their professor for a moment in fear of her noticing. "Yes, that is my first name. No, you may not ask my surname. No, you may not call me 'Porly' or 'Professor P.' " She glares at them. "You will refer to me as 'Doctor' or 'Porlyusica' and nothing else."
She stands behind a podium, not pacing, just watching them with a severe stare. "I do not take kindly to riff-raff. I will not tolerate fighting or shouting. You will speak when called upon, and only when called upon. You will raise your hand before speaking." She smiles then, but it isn't friendly at all. "If I catch you speaking without permission, I will ask you a question related to our current topic. If you answer incorrect…" she trails off slowly, hesitating. "Well, I'm sure one of you will find out."
Natsu feels threatened, but wisely keeps his mouth shut. He casts a quick glance around the room, seeing the varying degrees of horror on everyone's faces. Across the room, Sting looks close to pissing himself, the male slinking down further in his chair every time their new professors gaze drifts towards him. Rogue, on the other hand, looks shocked, but not necessarily scared, likely because he doesn't seem like the type to speak during class anyway. And at his right, Lucy looks more bored than anything else, not scared, but perhaps a bit nervous.
Porlyusica gives them a moment to digest the new information before nodding and continuing on. "As you may have guessed," she tells them, "this course will focus on the biological advancement and anatomy of dragons." She clears her throat, giving them all a sharp, unblinking stare. "This will include topics such as evolution, identification, and taxonomy. There will be three exams during the course of the semester. A midterm, a final, and a surprise exam at some point during the semester worth ten percent of your grade."
Natsu whines softly at the news, already knowing this class will be difficult for him. Studying seems even more important now, more so than it ever has been before, and he just knows that things won't end well. At least, not for him. He's never been good at studying, always too distracted by other things. It's not that he isn't smart, he just has trouble focusing on anything for too long.
"Classes are not mandatory on Fridays, however," she pauses, seemingly for dramatic effect as she looks around the room, "there will be an optional study session in which I will be available to answer questions. My office hours are also available, or we can arrange a meeting time if my hours do not work for you."
"Books will be used on tests, though reading them is up to you. I do not assign daily pages. Whether you want to pass this class or not depends entirely on the work put into it." Here, she sighs, eyes slipping shut for only a moment before she relaxes once more. "I realize that many of you do not want to be here, preferring the Corps to studying dragons, however I can assure you that if you pay no attention in classes such as this, you will die on the field."
A hush falls over the room, all of them stunned into silence. The room is so quiet that Natsu can hear Lucy breathing beside him.
"Knowing how a dragon's body moves can be the difference between living and dying out there," she tells them, gentler than before. "The choice is yours."
Several seconds pass in silence, none of them knowing to say or do as Porlyusica glances at every single one of them, practically peeling back their layers and looking inside their minds—at their souls or maybe even something deeper that they aren't even aware of.
She purses her lips, crossing her arms tight over her chest, and frowns at them. "All right, Brats," she sneers, though not unkindly. "I have a question for you." Natsu sinks lower in his seat, confused and weary of her questions, not wanting to risk being chewed out by their new demon professor. "How do dragons breathe fire?" she asks simply, staring them down.
No one moves, as stunned as he is. Natsu never put much thought into how dragons breathe fire, figuring it was either an old magic or simply forgotten knowledge. It's a strange question to ask on the first day, Natsu thinks, considering they haven't learned anything yet. Wouldn't a better question be about something simpler? About something they may already know.
When no one raises a hand she rolls her eyes at them, scoffing. "Pathetic," she hisses. "You all want to work with dragons but do not even know how they breathe their fire?" He sees several people in the room flinch, shame crossing their faces. Porlyusica looks about ready to snap once again, but pauses suddenly. "Miss Heartfilia?" she asks, curious.
Natsu turns to see Lucy raising her hand, only looking mildly uncomfortable when the entire class turns to find who their professor is talking about. Lucy slowly drops her hand, sucking in a deep breath. He keeps his gaze locked on her eyes, watching nervousness flicker across her face before she shoves it down, holding her head high.
She wets her lips, preparing to answer. Lucy worries her lip between her teeth, then looks up, meeting Porlyusica's eyes. "They don't," she says softly, though her voice carries through the room easily.
Natsu hears gasps and a few snickers at the response, but he doesn't look away from Lucy, confused but interested in what she has to say. She doesn't seem to like the attention, but ignores it as best she can, only focusing on their professor.
Porlyusica quirks a brow, though Natsu can't tell by her expression whether or not the answer is wrong. "Care to explain." It doesn't sound like a question.
Lucy takes a deep breath, steeling herself for her answer. "Dragons don't actually breathe fire," she repeats, louder and firmer this time, speaking up so that everyone can hear her clearly. "At least, not exactly." She wets her lips before continuing. "Larger types of dragons have a second lung chamber, smaller than the first." Natsu's eyes widen at the new information, not expecting it. "Only, this second set of lungs doesn't hold oxygen. Depending on the breed of dragon and where they come from, it holds varying types of highly flammable gasses." Lucy swallows. "Smaller breeds don't have the second pair of lungs, which is why they don't breathe fire."
Their professor looks impressed, though just barely. Natsu can see it in the slight quirk of her brows, her lips less severe around the edges. "And how does it turn that into flames?" she asks, urging Lucy to continue.
"There's a ridge just below their lower jaw," Lucy explains, shifting as she begins to remember the eyes on her. Natsu momentarily feels guilty for staring, but he's intrigued now. He never would have guessed any of this. "The tongue is bristled," she continues, "and when the dragon flicks its tongue over the ridge, it makes a spark, which ignites when the dragon breathes out, the spark and gasses mixing."
She finishes her explanation, slinking down in her chair when everyone continues to look at her. Lucy shifts, long hair spilling around her face and hiding her from the rest of their classmates. He notices Lucy's fingers shaking slightly, Natsu coming to the realization that she's afraid of public speaking, but wanted to give her answer anyway.
"Very good, Miss Heartfilia," their professor praises, though she doesn't sound particularly warm. It's more of a stark acknowledgement than it is actual praise, and Natsu winces as she immediately turns away, beginning to prattle on about dragon's fire and what causes it, going into far more detail than Lucy had.
He leans in close to Lucy, bumping her with his shoulder to gain her attention, hoping to make her a little more comfortable. There are still some people watching her, even Natsu can feel their gazes, but he doesn't want her to worry about that. "Smart girl," he teases, grinning when Lucy peeks at him. Natsu remembers Porlyusica's warning, and keeps his voice low, praying she won't hear. "I might cheat off your tests," he tells Lucy, joking around.
Her lips twitch up at the corners, her eyes softening around the edges and her shoulders relaxing. "Try it," she dares him, Natsu grinning wider at the challenge in her words. He's never been one to back down from a fight, even one as silly as this. "And I'll stab you with a pencil." She smiles, showing she's only kidding.
At least, he thinks she is.
Natsu's eyes widen in surprise, jaw dropping slightly. He wasn't expecting a threat, of all things. He has to smother a laugh, swallowing thickly, unsure what to think of Lucy and her pretty smile and joking threats. "That's hot," he tells her, fighting hard to keep the serious expression on his face. He'd be lying if he said there wasn't a hint of truth in that, not that she needs to know.
She raises a brow, smile widening, Lucy revealing a straight row of teeth. "I didn't peg you for a masochist," she whispers, shooting a quick glance at their professor, who's begun to lecture a boy in the front row, the woman completely ignoring the pair of them.
He simply shrugs in response, grinning at her. "Life is full of surprises."
Their next professor is, perhaps, nicer than the last, though maybe it's just because Natsu likes the class more. He's always been interested in magic, so he's happy to be in a class where he can study it—learn to use it for his own. It's something he's always dreamed of doing, of being like Igneel. He hopes he has an affinity for fire, but Natsu can't know for sure. Magic is typically passed down through genetics, and Natsu doesn't know who his biological parents are. Not that it matters much to him. Igneel is all the family he's ever needed.
Still, he wishes he had some idea of what he could do. It would make things a lot easier, in the long run. Gray, for example, already knows that he can control water, specifically ice. It's a trait that's been in his family for years. Ur has it, as do her three children, Lyon, Gray, and Ultear all manifesting their powers when they were younger, giving them a decent amount of control over their magic, enough to keep them from destroying things or causing accidents.
They were lucky, in that regard. Knowing how to control any magic you possess is vital to having it. There's no logic to starting a fire you can't control.
Of course, there are some people that can't use magic at all, or what they do have is very weak. It can be dangerous to push them to release any power buried deep inside them, too much prodding and it's more likely to explode than anything else, tearing its host to pieces and leaving them broken.
He's never seen it personally, but he's heard stories, all with different beginnings but the same ending. Their bodies simply can't take the pressure building inside them, it snaps their limbs, rips through their skin, destroys them from the inside out. It isn't pretty, or quick, those people dying slow, agonizing deaths with no way to save them.
He shakes the thoughts away not wanting to think about that at the moment. He's sure all of it will be explained in class at some point, their professor will have to mention it, for safety reasons if nothing else.
Natsu glances around the room, desks spread into an odd 'U' shape, the center left clear, a small podium in the center of the room, a magic circle carved into the floor before it. That's what catches Natsu's eyes. He knows the circle—a pretty, complicated design carved into the stone floors—is meant for revealing hidden affinities, urging them to come towards the surface and show themselves to their hosts.
A grin pulls at his lips, excitement coursing through him as he realizes he might find out whether he has any magic in him or not sooner than he was expecting. He doesn't know if it'll happen the first day, or if they'll wait until Wednesday, but he's excited nonetheless. He's been waiting for years; he can handle two more days.
On his left, Natsu can see Gray smiling at him, though when Natsu turns it's already gone, replaced with Gray's usual mask of boredom, his friend looking positively apathetic about everything that's happening. Natsu snorts, shaking his head. He doesn't get it, but it's just how Gray is. If he wants to go through life pretending like he doesn't care, than Natsu figures that's his choice. Gray can do whatever the hell he wants.
Clearing his throat, their professor gains their attention quickly, entrance much less noticeable than Porlyusica's. Natsu takes a moment to observe him. The man doesn't smile, though Natsu would hardly be able to tell if he was, the man's expression swallowed by his thick mustache and long beard, white hair masking his expression from view. At least he isn't glaring at them.
Not yet, anyway. Natsu supposes there's still time for that.
The professor casts a long look around the room, looking at each new face curiously. After a moment, he nods, seemingly impressed with the smaller group. Over half of their class went a separate way after their first course, either having no magic or not being interested in harnessing what they do have, more interested in studying dragons than anything else.
He recognizes even less people than before. Gray and Gajeel are still with him, and Lyon, of course. Natsu can see Juvia and Meredy a few chairs to his left, and Lucy is directly in front of him. Other than them, he doesn't know anyone else in the room. However, at least he isn't alone. He can't imagine how terrifying that could be.
Natsu turns back to their professor, waiting for the class to begin. With it does a moment later, the man's booming voice filling the room, gaining the rapt attention of everyone in the room.
"Class," the man begins, raising a bushy brow at a pair of students that continue to talk. He doesn't snap at them, simply waits until they're finished, the pair cowed by his stare, both mumbling sheepish apologies. He nods, stepping up to the podium and glancing at them again. He looks towards Natsu and he could swear he sees the man smile for a second, but it must be a trick of the light. "I am Precht Gaebolg and I will be your spellwork professor for the length of the semester, and I hope to see all of you again in the next.
He's short, to the point, and Natsu isn't sure how to feel about that.
"We will not be going over the syllabus today, as there are much more important things for us to get through in the short time we have together." He steps around the podium, a slight twinkle in his eyes that reassures Natsu that this professor isn't nearly as much of a hardass as he was expecting. "Today we test your affinities."
Time passes quickly after that, Precht calling them over one by one to test them, letting the rest of them talk amongst themselves as they wait, most of them eager for their turn. Natsu, especially, is growing impatient, his leg back to jiggling as he waits, wishing it was his turn already. He would have gone by now, if Precht hadn't decided to go in reverse alphabetical order, much to his immense distress.
All of his friends have already gone, Lyon and Gray getting out of the test entirely. Gajeel came back with an earth affinity, Juvia with water, and currently they're watching Lucy, her back to them as she sits in the circle, urging her magic to come forward. She's been there longer than most of the other students, and frankly it's making all of them a bit nervous for her, afraid that something could go wrong.
While Natsu doesn't think their professor would let anything happen to her, he knows that accidents can happen. It only takes a moment too long of pushing at magic for people to end up hurt, and Natsu really doesn't want to see anything bad happen to her, not so soon into the semester.
They all watch as Precht murmurs something to her, worry clear in his eyes. Juvia whispers something doesn't catch, but the nervousness in her tone is clear, the girl is just as antsy as he is, possibly even a bit more. She seems the worrying type, always caring more about other people than herself.
Finally, Precht's face softens, the nervousness leaving his eyes as he drops a hand onto Lucy's shoulder, giving her a brief squeeze before letting go. They speak quietly for a moment, then Lucy nods and turns back to them, sending them all a smile when she finds them watching her.
She hops onto the desk Natsu is sitting at when she comes up to them, her legs dangling off the side and swinging lightly, Lucy evidently pleased with her results, even if it did take her some time.
"So what type are you?" Natsu asks, none of the others really listening in as they go back to talking to each other, calmer now that they know everything is fine. Lucy glances down at him, slightly surprised, and he shoots her a smile, bumping her knee with his knuckles, urging her to speak.
Lucy smiles a bit shyly, something sad growing in her eyes, eclipsing her expression. "Light," she finally whispers, biting at her lower lip gently, rolling the flesh between her teeth.
Natsu frowns. "Light?" he repeats, never having heard of it. It must be relatively uncommon, if that's the case. Natsu has made a point of reading of reading up on magic, wanting to know as much about it as possible, wanting to be ready incase he was ever able to use it.
Lyon hears him, leaning into join the conversation. "You know, that's a branch off fire," he muses, tapping his chin lightly in thought. "It's not as powerful magic wise, but certainly nice to look at." Lucy sends him a blank, unimpressed stare and he cringes, sending her an apologetic look. "Sorry."
She starts to respond, but is cut off by Precht calling Natsu's name. He doesn't react at first, too stunned to react, and after a moment Lucy huffs and nudges him with her foot, shoving at him and telling him to move it. He does, stumbling slightly as he stands from the desk, quickly making his way over to the circle on the floor.
Pretcht doesn't say much, just gestures to the circle and tells him to concentrate, on what, Natsu isn't entirely sure, but he figures magic is better left to feelings, rather than any explanation. No one can describe magic, only experience it.
Natsu settles into the circle, taking deep breaths as his eyes slip shut. Precht places a clear stone in his palm, Natsu knowing that, should he have an affinity, the stone will glow accordingly. Red for fire, blue for water, and so forth.
He grasps at the stone, feeling it press into his palm tightly, Natsu eager to find out what he is. He concentrates—on himself, on the stone, on anything he thinks might help. For a long while, nothing happens, Natsu simply sitting there, waiting, agitation growing as he begins to think he's magic less, something that would disappoint him greatly.
He doesn't need magic, he knows, it won't make him anything less to be without it, but it's something he's dreamed about for years, always hoping he'd have something, even if it was only a tiny bit.
Taking a deep breath, Natsu relaxes, ignoring his thoughts and focusing on the stone in his palm, feeling it's smooth edges, the coolness of the stone gradually warming in his hands. Natsu rubs his thumb along the edge, mapping it with his hands, tracing every part he can reach.
His stomach twists into a sudden knot, confusion pricking at him. A warmth fills his stomach, bubbling up until he can feel it everywhere, the tips of his fingers, his chest, down to the soles of his feet. Natsu almost opens his eyes, but waits, unsure what's happening and not wanting to risk ruining things.
Precht laughs lightly, a deep timber that makes Natsu tense, waiting for bad news. "Open your eyes, Mister Dragneel," he murmurs, placing a hand on Natsu's wrist and squeezing slightly, pulling back a moment later.
Natsu hesitates for several seconds, unsure what he might find, but eventually he opens his eyes. He doesn't look down at his hands, not yet, instead watching his professor mutter to himself, evidently impressed with whatever's happened. "It took you a bit," the man tells him slowly, stroking his long beard with one hand. "Though, that can be attributed more to you not focusing than the magic." Natsu's about to protest, offended, but he's cut off. "Regardless, you did well. It came when you called it."
Precht sends him a pointed look when Natsu frowns, confused, and he finally blinks and looks down at his hands, remembering the stone clenched between his fingers.
The stone glows red.
Natsu is still shaking with excitement by the time they've finished lunch, so much so that Gajeel has gotten concerned, even if he would never say so out loud. His cousin has been watching him for the last two hours, concerned with Natsu's fidgeting. He supposes he should calm down, at least a little, but he can't help it. His magical affinity is fire and that's more than he was expecting—hell, Natsu wasn't expecting to have any affinity at all. Hoping, yes, but not expecting.
He can't wait to tell Igneel.
He's lagging behind everyone, he knows, lost in his thoughts as he follows behind his friends, letting them lead him to their final class of the day. Dragonology has always been something Natsu is curious about. While he may not have a knack for memorizing body parts or knowing how things work, he's always been fascinated by the different breeds and class of dragons, wanting to know anything he can about them.
His favorites are Dolgums like Ignis, but he's fascinated by every dragon he's ever seen, which isn't many, by some standards. There were plenty of smaller dragons and wyverns in the city where he lived, but only Corps members had larger creatures, and they were hard to maintain in the city.
Natsu remembers that they had to build Ignis a roost atop their apartment, just big enough for the large Dolgum to sleep during the nights. Their neighbor Mako was even kind enough to let the shelter extend to above his own apartment, ever the caring neighbor. In return, Natsu would bring him fresh honey for his jewel dragons, the little creatures loving the taste and rich color of the treat. Honey was hard to come by in his hometown, expensive, but Natsu always saved up just enough to get some for the little creatures. Sometimes Natsu would find small piles of loose change on his bed in thanks, the little dragons always grateful for the treat.
Thanks to Mako, Ignis had a large roost above the apartments. Natsu remembers the buildings would shake as Ignis walked in circles to find a comfortable position. Dust would rattle from the ceiling, making him cough, but Ignis would always settle quickly, dipping his long neck over the side of the building to peer at Natsu through his window, checking in on him every night without fail.
He always felt safe with Ignis, sure that the dragon would never let anything hurt him. The dragon could easily crush him if he wanted to, but he was always careful, especially when Natsu was younger, smaller. Ignis would practically walk on his toes then, always watching to make sure Natsu wasn't underfoot.
Dragons, while not the gentlest of creatures, are very caring towards those they do like, always watching out for them as best they can.
As they near the classroom, Lucy drops back beside him, slowing to meet his languid pace, Natsu in no hurry to start his next class. He's sure it'll be fun, of course, but he doesn't think he can handle another two hours of classes today. He would much prefer to go back to the dorm and take a nap, or pick a fight with Gray, or just anything really.
He forgot how painful classes could be, especially morning classes.
Natsu glances down at Lucy, finding the girl already staring up at him, a small smile pulling at her lips. He grins back, feeling his elation beginning to spill over, he's just so excited with the days events. At this point, there's nothing that could spoil his good mood short of someone dying, but that's far from likely to happen. This castle is one of the safer places they could be, well reinforced and teaming with domesticated dragons.
Anyone trying to attack this school would be an utter fool.
"Did you get what you were hoping for?" Lucy asks him, shoving her long hair away from her face, the color glinting gold in the afternoon light spilling through the tall windows on either side of them. Just by looking at her Natsu can see why her affinity is light. He's never put much stock in magic affecting appearance, but there's something about Lucy that makes her seem like an embodiment of light, regardless of the occasional dark tinges in her eyes or lips.
She looks like she was spun from gold.
He laughs lightly, running a nervous hand through his hair. "Something like that." He swallows thickly, glancing down at his feet. A moment later, he peeks back over at her, finding Lucy still waiting patiently. "Did you?" he asks, curious about why Lucy was up there for so long. It was almost as if she didn't have any affinity for a long time, or it was buried so deep that it didn't want to come out.
Lucy sighs, looking embarrassed as she ducks her head. There's melancholy in her eyes, something so small and sad it makes his steps falter for just a moment, his own eyes widening in shock. Her hand fists in her shirt, Lucy chewing on her lower lip for several seconds, avoiding his eyes. Eventually, she looks back up at him, shrugging slightly. "I didn't think I would have anything," she admits, sending him an awkward smile that doesn't reach her eyes.
"Really?" he murmurs back, keeping his voice low so the others can't hear. He doesn't know if it's a sore issue with Lucy, but he knows that it was for him. Natsu doesn't want to make her uncomfortable, but if she wants to talk, he'll listen. "Why?" The question slips out with Natsu meaning for it to, but Lucy doesn't seem to mind.
Her expression brightens just the slightest, just enough for him to notice the twitch in her lips and her eyes widening only a fraction, as if she's surprised he would bother to ask. "Light magic runs in my family," she says simply, heaving a sigh. "But it's a dying breed, only showing up about once every five or six generations." Lucy shrugs again. "And its been growing weaker with every generation." She looks up at him, gaze locking with his. "My mother had it, and before that it was my very great grandmother Anna." Lucy laughs lightly, privy to a joke he doesn't understand.
"Isn't that a good thing?" he asks, confused. His head tilts to the side, Natsu squinting down at her curiously. If the magic decided not to skip several generations, he would think that would be excellent. That means it's coming back, right? He voices the question out loud. "If it's coming back isn't that good?"
"I'm not sure that it is." Lucy smiles at him, but it's tense, unsure, and he realizes that maybe it isn't something good. He doesn't know much about magic becoming stronger, only that too much can rip people apart, their bodies not able to handle the sudden power inside of them. His eyes go wide, realizing what has her so worried. now, he can see the slight tremble of her fingers, her pupils large and nervous.
Not thinking anything of it, Natsu jerks Lucy close against his side, tossing an arm around her shoulders. She blinks up at him, surprised by his bold move, but Natsu only squeezes her shoulder reassuringly, a silent promise that she'll be okay—that he won't let anything happen to her.
It's stupid of him, to promise something like that to a girl he hardly knows, but he doesn't like how scared she looks. If he can help ease those fears, he'll do whatever he can. Natsu might not be the most tactful person, but he hates seeing anyone upset, even strangers.
For a moment, she seems unsure of what to do, and as they slip into the classroom behind their friends, Natsu cracks a shitty joke about fruit that startles her into a laugh, Natsu beaming down at her when Lucy's hands come up to smother her giggles. She leans into him slightly, just enough for him to notice, and Natsu leads her over to another table towards the center of the room, opting to sit next to her instead of Gray or Gajeel, who don't seem particularly bothered, his friends snickering at him.
Ignoring them, Natsu continues to joke around with Lucy, long passed the point of when class should have begun. After around twenty minutes of waiting for class to start, Natsu glances up at the clock, confused, wondering if maybe the dinning hall clock was off. But the classroom clock reads the right time. Class was supposed to start twenty minutes ago and their professor is nowhere to be found.
He wonders if it's some kind of joke and is just leaning in to ask Lucy what she thinks when the door suddenly slams open, banging roughly against the wall and scaring the shit out of all of them. Beside him, Lucy squeaks, jumping slightly, and Natsu glances at her with wide eyes for a moment before his gaze jumps to the new arrival.
The man—evidently their professor—yawns, sending them all a bleary, uncaring look. He rolls his shoulders, taking a long drink from his coffee mug and shoving his messy hair out of his eyes. His nose wrinkles, eyes narrowing as he looks them over. "'Sup, Bitches," he mumbles, Natsu choking on his spit in surprise. "Sorry I'm late," he tells them, not sounding sorry at all. "I slept in."
Behind Natsu, Gajeel snorts, and Natsu can imagine his eyes rolling something fierce. "It's two P.M.," he scoffs, leaning back in his seat beside Levy, who shoves an elbow between his ribs and hisses at him to stop talking.
His gaze snaps to Gajeel, dark eyes narrowed. There's a slight tick in his forehead, the man unamused. "I took a power nap!" he snaps at Gajeel, crossing his arms over his chest. "Now shut up!" The class falls silent, none of them sure what to think. "I'm Gildarts Clive," he begins pulling out a sheet of paper with what must be a hastily written script scrawled across the page. "I'm—whatever, blahblahblah, you don't really care."
He crumples the paper and tosses it over his shoulder, rolling his eyes. Beside him, Lucy giggles, and Natsu glances down at her in bewilderment, though his own lips twitch into a smile when she beams up at him.
"I'm a former Corps Rider," Gildarts tells them, gaining their rapt attention. "I was stationed at the Deluce border." Natsu winces, knowing things must not have been pleasant. Gildarts sighs, shrugging off his heavy jacket. "My dragon's name was Crash. He didn't make it out of our last fight and I lost my arm and leg," he tells them simply, as if stating boring facts. His jacket hits the ground, revealing a heavy, metal limb on his left side. He taps his leg, a metallic sound echoing through the room. "No, you can't touch it. No, I wouldn't feel it. Yes, I would notice, and yes, it would hurt if I hit you with it."
It gains a few snickers from the class, and Gildarts smirks at all of them, obviously pleased with his attempts to lighten the mood.
"I'm here to teach you all about dragons and shit, because why else would you be here?" It's rhetorical, Natsu knows, but Gildarts looks like he's waiting for an answer. "Regardless, welcome to Dragonology 100, you little shits." Natsu is beginning to think this school and it's professors are absolutely nuts, but figures it could be worse. They could be boring. "In this course, you'll be given a brief overview of all dragon classifications as well as non-dragons." Gildarts pauses, frowning. "I think. I haven't checked my lesson plan yet."
The confession startles him into a laugh, Natsu clamping his mouth shut when Gildarts gaze falls on him, a brow raised challengingly.
Gildarts turns to a long row of incubators behind him, tapping on the glass gently. Natsu hadn't noticed them when he came in. "These are the eggs housing the dragons you'll be partnered with towards the middle of the semester," he tells them, eyes narrowing in thought as he pauses. "Hopefully. I'm not sure when they're supposed to hatch. It's whatever." He shrugs and Natsu hears Gajeel snort. "Later this week, you'll all be choosing an egg. And by choosing, I mean one will call out to you, their spirit connecting to yours, and that will be your new partner."
They all look at him like he's nuts.
"Umm, I don't think that's—"
"Put it in the suggestion box," Gildarts tells the student, pointing to the garbage can.
AN: So, I hope you all enjoy the professors! They're fun to write! The only one of these three you'll be seeing regularly is Gildarts, but the other two will be frequently mentioned, so I wanted to give you their introductions to the class!
Got a favorite line? Let me know it a review! I love hearing what you all have to say and greatly appreciate your support!