Deep crimson light slunk over the horizon and kissed the damp, dew-laden grass, casting an array of twinkling lights against the two dragon slayers that snored softly beside a dying fire. Gajeel sat on the same log he had been sitting on through the entirety of the night. On his lap, curled up snugly against his chest rested Natsu, his breathing peaceful, his face serene. The scarf still wrapped around the metal dragon slayer's neck tickled the other's nose, and he wriggled against the strong arms that held him in place.
"Hmm…" Gajeel pressed his cheek against the pink strands beneath him, reluctant to rise.
But it couldn't be helped as Natsu's wriggling became impossible to ignore as the pink haired mage began to shift and swat at the scarf in his sleep. Sighing, Gajeel cracked his eyes open.
A smile brightened his groggy features. The sight of the fire mage, his partner, nakama, now possibly more, curled up in his lap so peacefully as he settled back into a deep slumber—it was so perfect. The warmth from Natsu's now healthy body radiated like the golden rays of the sun. His skin had a bright glow about it, and his hair gleamed with a healthy gloss. And his face—such a beautiful, peaceful face, unlike the aggressive, twisted features the fire mage usually shows off—Gajeel couldn't keep his eyes off such a breathtaking sight.
Unfortunately, his legs were almost completely numb from supporting the weight of the pink haired boy. He had to get up.
Careful not to wake Natsu, he lifted the boy into his arms bridal style, feet dangling off one arm, his head cradled in the crook of Gajeel's elbow. There were no thoughts of how the pierce mage was going soft, none of how Natsu would hate him if he knew, no more lies to himself. There was only an inexplicable happiness at the thought of the dragon slayer fast asleep in his arms.
What a job, Gajeel thought to himself.
With a chuckle, he wondered how the rest of the guild would react. Mirajane and Cana would have a ball joking about it when they found out. Erza would definitely want to know the..."details". Lucy might be bothered by it considering she did clearly have eyes for Natsu, but Loke would quickly run to her side to comfort her. But it Gray tried to pick a fight with Natsu or mocked him… Gajeel tightened his grip on Natsu unconsciously, his eyes glazing over with anger.
In his arms, Natsu tensed with his nakama's tightening grip. His eyes shot open, and he lurched in the raven haired mage's arms so suddenly that he was nearly dropped.
Gajeel peered down, feeling Natsu's sudden movement. Immediately, his grip loosened, and he cradled the mage almost tenderly. "Sorry. Didn't mean to wake ya."
"Why am I here?" the pink haired mage yawned out, his head cocked.
For a moment, Gajeel froze, afraid he'd overstepped some unspoken boundary.
Blearily, Natsu nuzzled deeper into his partner's cradling arms. "The fire was warmer."
Relieved, the raven-haired mage smiled happily. Typical flame-brain. "The fire went out while we were asleep."
The boy in his arms grumbled into his chest, shielding his eyes from the bright sun. "Cold," was Natsu's muffled response.
"Gihi…" The raven-haired mage kicked the door open as quietly as his boots would allow. "Then how 'bout I take you back inside where yer supposed to be so you can sleep in a bed. I hear they come with this great new invention. They call it a blanket."
"Natsu!"
Both mages snapped their heads up, completely alert at the sound of the familiar voice. Gajeel, eyes cast skyward, saw two small figures soaring in the sky, one encumbered with a large bag. Their white wings reflected the light of dawn as did the broad, toothy grin the other figure bore.
"Natsu!" the blue exceed called out again, closer this time.
"Happy!" Natsu called excitedly from his partner's arms. He threw the feline an equally huge grin over Gajeel's shoulder.
Happy and Pantherlilly, the one burdened with the large pack, swooped down into a steep head dive at their excitement at seeing the fire dragon slayer healthy again. But when they were nearly to the two mages below, the exceeds suddenly backpedaled to a full halt.
"Gajeel-san," Pantherlilly began, flying in a bit closer to he could view the incriminating position the two were in. "What…is going on here?"
Suddenly, the metal dragon slayer realized who was cradled in his arms snuggled so close to his chest. A vivid blush, red as the dawn, flushed into his cheeks, and his eyes widened, his mind scrambling for an explanation. "Well…see…er…"
Then it was Happy's turn to fly in closer. He peered at Gajeel's chagrined face, then Natsu's guilty one before the realization hit him.
"Lilly," he said, holding his paws up to hide his sly grin.
Curious, the scarred exceed turned to look at the blue one.
"They lllllllike each other!"
"HAPPY!" Natsu shouted, his face turning beat red and his eyes bulging in a very accurate impression of an angry Lucy.
The other exceed and dragon slayer simply eyed each other up and down, each waiting for the other one to speak. Finally, Gajeel, unable to stand the embarrassment deepening the blush on his cheeks, he cocked his pierced brows, bared his teeth, and grunted gruffly, "What'r ya lookin' at?"
All Pantherlilly could do was cast the burly mage a smirk. "It's about time you saw this yourself."
"WHAAA?" Happy's jaw dropped as he heard the words of the scarred exceed, causing him to halt his taunting of the pink haired dragon slayer.
Dropping to the ground, the sack jangling against his back heavily, the scarred feline strode past the entwined mages, a cheery whistle trilling off his lips. The three could only watch, dumbfounded, while Pantherlilly strode through the entryway to the cottage.
"Call it intuition," he called back to them. "I guessed it the moment I saw the two of you stand beside each other the first time in Edolas. Now, come. Collect your share of the reward, and we can speak afterwards." He hefted the sack higher on his shoulder, said reward clinking together within it. "It seems we both have fascinating stories to share."
~NGGNNGGNNGGNNGGN~
An hour later, the newly reunited group sat around the cottage's small, round dining table. All but Pantherlilly gazed warily at each other, unsure of how to proceed. While Pantherlilly took a long, calm draught from his mug, Happy sat beside him, his ears perked, waiting for his friend and, now, his friend's apparent partner to say something—anything. But the two dragon slayers sat side-by-side across from the two exceed silently. Natsu could look anywhere but at Happy and Gajeel, and Gajeel stared across at the felines, his face a mask of indifference to poorly hide his growing anxiety.
Yet amongst the apprehension, Natsu still found himself unable to resist. His hand slunk under the table until he felt the contrast of warm flesh and cool metal studded into the metal dragon slayer's knuckles. He brushed against them, pleading with those simple touches.
At the light brush against his hand, Gajeel broke his gaze for just a moment to glance sideways at the mage sitting there beside him. Natsu's face was so innocent as he stared down at the lines of the table, the way he bit his lip uncertainly, the way his brow furrowed in nervousness. That face he had studied so fervently the night before—such soft lips and a strong jaw—what he wouldn't have given to pull the mage into his lap and comfort him, tell him that the eyes boring into them meant nothing.
But those eyes, boring into them both expectantly, set his spine rigid and caused sweat to drip down his temples. The raven haired mage was no fool; his and Natsu's situation was highly unorthodox, even for such a guild as Fairy Tail. Though, he was not quite willing to reject the fire mage's advances entirely…
He settled for simply grasping the searching hand beneath the table, his thumb tenderly rubbing the smooth knuckles in secret.
Heat bloomed across the slender boy's cheeks at the response. Gajeel, quick to draw attention away from his blushing partner, snapped, "Ya gonna sit there starin', cat, or ya gonna say somethin'?"
"Huh?" Happy cocked his head to the side.
"You've been starin' at us like that for ten minutes," Gajeel continued, impatient as ever. "Take a damned picture! It'll last longer."
"Oh!" The feline snapped his head back upright. He shot an apologetic smile at the mages and said simply, "Sorry. I was just wondering who topped last night."
Even Pantherlilly, usually so cool and collected, spewed a mouthful of ale across the table, drenching the now wide-eyed dragon slayers. As he sat coughing up foam, Gajeel sprang to his feet, knocking his chair backwards.
"What the hell are you talkin' about, ya damned crazy cat?" he shouted incredulously.
Natsu sat, stock still, his mouth fallen open in absolute shock at his feline friend's words.
"Well, you two did do it, right?" the blue exceed questioned innocently.
"I should hope they have not."
All eyes suddenly shot to the door. There, in the open doorway, stood the tall, serious figure of Porlyusica, a slender arm hooked through the handle of a woven basket filled with exotic looking blooms of crimson and violet splotches, their leaves and stems the deep green of the darkest parts of the forest. Her face was severe as she took in the apprehensive group, but somehow, a warm light shone through in her eyes when her eyes glanced over to the two dragon slayers, their hands still unknowingly intertwined.
Natsu caught the healer's gaze though, following it to see why her eyes twinkled happily, and his blush deepened further, though he made no move to release his grip.
Breaking the awkward silence that ensued, Gajeel asked, "What're you doin' back early? I thought ya weren't supposed to be back 'til tonight or tomorrow mornin'."
Bam!
"The proper greeting is 'hello'!" the healer snapped, her hand raised from the blow just dealt to the burly mage. Lowering her hand, she said more calmly, "Suffice it to say, a little birdie told me about what took place last night, and I rushed here before the full courting ritual could begin."
"What courting?" Pantherlilly finally managed. "They're humans, not dragons, as you've already pointed out."
"Very true," Porlyusica agreed with an elegant nod of the head. "But they do still have the magic of dragons flowing through their bodies." She turned again to the dragon slayers who still gripped each other's hands even more tightly than before. She saw the wariness in the metal dragon slayer's eyes, the tension in the fire dragon slayer's shoulders, worry and confusion wrapping around both of them like a choking aura. "Your instincts," she continued, directing her words directly at the two mages, "will drive you to the verge of insanity and back if you are not careful, now. Especially you, Redfox."
"What're you talking about?" Natsu asked, at last finding his voice.
"You may wish to sit down for this," she told Gajeel. Turning to the exceeds, she added sternly, "You may stay or you may leave, but I do not want any of this information to be leaked out. Not to Makarov, not to Erza Scarlett, not to anyone. It is not your decision when and how this information will be brought to the attention of the guild or anyone, and that is assuming that it even becomes public knowledge at all. Do I make myself clear?"
Immediately, Pantherlilly nodded, tears streaming down his fur from his fit but otherwise cool and collected. Happy, on the other hand, looked a bit disappointed at the new stipulation put in place by the healer, but he too nodded, giving an exaggerated, "Aye, sir."
Satisfied, and with Gajeel sitting back down at the table, the healer strode to the back of the room to the cupboard to procure her own glass of ale. She would need a good drink for the headache the four's reactions were sure to give her.
"Natsu Dragneel, Gajeel Redfox," she began carefully, rummaging through the cabinet at her own pace. "What did your dragon parents teach you about mates?"
Stunned silence hung in the air rather than an answer. Mates? The two males looked at each other, both searching to see if the other had an answer, but neither could seem to find the right thing to say.
"Igneel never really got around to that," Natsu finally replied. He turned his full attention back on the healer who was now pouring ale into a rather stout looking mug. Confused, he added, "I was just a little kid when he left. Banging wasn't really at the top of his teaching list back then."
Even Gajeel raised an eyebrow at the fire mage's less than subtle words, but he quickly recovered, smirking instead at the sheer boldness Natsu could possess.
"Well, I can't say that I am surprised to hear that." Porlyusica set the pitcher of ale down and took a long, ungraceful swig from her mug before turning to face the group again. "Fire dragons are more instinctual with their…'banging', as you put it. You, however…" She pointed a finger almost accusingly at the raven haired mage. "As strict as the mating of metal dragons is, I am shocked that Metalicana did not share such precious knowledge with you, even at such a young age."
Brow furrowing in anger and defensiveness for his dragon parent, Gajeel snapped, "Who would be sick enough to teach a kid about that?"
"Hold your tongue!" the healer snapped. Her eyes narrowed in warning at the dragon slayer. "Do not think that I hold your foster parent in such low regards, but this Metalicana did have responsibilities that he should not have put off as he did. The severity of the situation that could have arisen for you and those around you could have been catastrophic if you weren't so conservative as to refrain from a one-night stand."
The severity in her voice sent a red flag up in the metal dragon slayer's mind. "What are you talkin' about, witch?"
"I'm talking about your instincts," she sighed, finally seeing she was getting his attention. "I'm talking about the things that will drive you to seek out a future for yourself, things that will drive you mad, things that you must face now before your life falls into ruin and misery and loneliness."
With each word, a little more blood dribbled down from the young mages' cheeks until both were pale as ghosts. Even the exceeds were leaning across the table, listening intently to the elder woman's every word.
Gajeel was the first to snap out of it. "What the hell are you talking about?" he grunted. "It ain't like I'm gonna explode just from kissing Natsu. What's the big deal?"
Pinching the bridge of her nose, eyes shut tight, Porlyusica seethed at him, "The 'big deal' is the one you choose as a mate will have a hold on your entire future. Do you honestly think I would have rushed back for a mere human for anything short of their life and sanity? I only harvested half as much as I usually do I rushed back so quickly." She opened her eyes to take in the now stunned expression the metal dragon slayer wore.
With a great sigh, she continued, "Hear me well, Redfox. The magic within your body has begun to alter your natural instincts. While most humans have a great deal of free will in choosing who their partners will be, metal dragons are not so lucky. They only receive one chance—just a single chance to find their perfect mate."
She had their attention now. Not even Gajeel dared to utter a word in question.
"Metal dragons are very peculiar creatures when it comes to mating," she said, this time more calmly, almost lecturing them. "Most other dragons court several times before they select their lifetime mate. Fire dragons actually have a tendency to choose however many mates they want and rarely settle down for very long."
"Hey, I'm not loose!" Natsu snapped indignantly.
"Hush!" The healer sighed and again drank deeply from her mug. "Metal dragons only ever mate with a single other dragon, and that dragon inevitably becomes their mate for life. Whether or not that mate is compatible is not always a factor when dealing with dragon slayers, however.
"There have been recorded instances, Redfox, of previous metal dragon slayers such as yourself who have been raped, fooled, or simply taken a fancy to another for a single night. When they awake the next morning to an empty room, it is said that they are hit with an overwhelming urge to find their mate, even if the courtship was not of their choosing. They are driven mad if they cannot locate them. One account spoke of a female dragon slayer who peeled the very skin from her face out of madness because she could not find the crook who had viciously assaulted her one night.
"On their quest to look for their mate and even after they locate them, any living thing that attempts to mate with them faces the full wrath of a dragon. Metal dragons will rip apart anything and anyone who dares to take them away from their mates, and that instinct also translated over into those of the dragon slayers'. Many dragon slayers have killed those they felt they truly loved because they were too caught up in the heat of the moment to realize they had already been claimed."
"So," Gajeel murmured, dumbfounded by this revelation, "you're sayin' that whoever I choose for that first time…that's it. I don't get any second chances?"
With a sigh, the healer replied sullenly, "That is correct, Redfox."
Her words from before, about the promiscuity of fire dragons, then came to Gajeel's mind. Sweat began to trickle down his forehead at the thought of what might happen if Natsu followed those sorts of instincts.
But the healer caught his gaze and understood. "You needn't worry about this one if he is the one you choose," she reassured him with a gesture to the confused fire mage. "Many metal dragons have been known to claim fire dragons as their lifelong mates. They are some of the only ones able to do so. Willful creatures they are, rooted in their ways just as a mountain is rooted deep within the earth."
"I don't get it," Happy piped in. "Natsu won't touch another person if he chooses Gajeel so what's there to worry about?"
For a moment, Porlyusica said nothing. Her demeanor became more rigid even than before, completely and utterly somber as her eyes bored into Gajeel's.
"Have you even considered the fact that it might only be a fling?" she demanded.
Outraged, the pierced mage opened his mouth to protest such a ridiculous idea, but the smaller boy beside him cut off his words before they left his lips.
"Don't go acting like this is just some damned high school crush!" Natsu snapped, fire poking out from the corners of his mouth. "Gajeel cares for me! And I care about him!"
"QUIET!"
Wham!
Natsu promptly shut his mouth as the hand collided solidly with the back of his head. With a huff, the healer wiped off the drink that had sloshed onto her hand with a dishrag lying on the nearby counter.
"You cannot tell me that you have not considered the possibility," she seethed impatiently, "the possibility of a simple crush. And I know it has crossed your mind at least once that the guild might have things to say about the two of you as a pair."
At this final statement, Gajeel could not help but cringe. Yes, the thought had crossed his mind and more than once, but he had pushed such scenarios to the back of his mind.
Until now.
"If the two of you continue with your courtship and things run amok…" Each word she spoke slowly, carefully so as to emphasize the danger. "…you not only risk your own wellbeing, possibly your own lives, but the safety of those around you."
Natsu, his flames dwindled to nothing but a light haze of smoke, felt a bead of sweat drip down his forehead. "You mean if we aren't a good match…Fairy Tail…"
"Yes." With a final swig, Porlyusica emptied her mug. She chose to gaze into her empty mug rather than face the four sitting across the room from her, every pair of eyes staring unwaveringly at her. "If you mate and your feelings for each other fail, Fairy Tail itself could fall."
Don't be mad at me! =.= I only do what I must for the great purpose of authordom! Can you tell I'm on no sleep? On that note, I apologize for any random weirdness in this chapter because I was not entirely coherent when inspiration struck. But I carried on! =^.^= I hope you enjoy this despite the obvious issues! Thank you to all my fantastic readers and reviewers! Keep it up, please!
P.S. I will soon be doing an AU fanfiction of LokexGray with other side pairings in there (possibly). This one will likely be steamier and less fluffy since I'll be needing practice for this one so…you have been warned. And if you don't like the pairing, please do not tune in. I'm in a daring mood!